Online Popularity

As the end of the year quickly approaches, out come "the lists" - the best ofs, the most populars, the trends of the year, the things we can do without in 2018. Since November they've been appearing regularly and making the rounds.

I like lists. I can't say exactly why ... but I like them. In some cases it might be for the general knowledge they impart. Others for the surprise factor revelations. Still others because of the simple "I did not know that" factor. 

This one I found amusing. Based on tracking online items purchased throughout the year, Walmart put together this list of most popular items by state. Some? Pretty understandable. RV & marine antifreeze in Alaska? Makes perfect sense. Wisconsin's proclivity to buy Green Bay Packers bath mats? Yeah, I can see that. I even get the popularity of personal travel care kits for Utah.

But ... root beer extract? "Ghost in the Shell" DVDs? Cinnamon-flavored toothpaste, watermelon-flavored gum and grape-flavored drink mix? Interesting, unexpected and comical selections from, respectively, Louisiana, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Ohio. (Louisiana's got something going on down there I feel I need to find out about.)

Please, enjoy.

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

R.I.P. Pat DiNizio

I did a little guest riffing on yesterday's loss of The Smithereens' front man Pat DiNizio over at Warehouse Find ...
 

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP ) 

Tradition

It's rather the holiday tradition around here: Greetings from The Raskins.

And here they are once again:

Nine years on and still going strong.

Merry Christmas yet again, you guys.

..................... Ruprecht ( It hasn't ever STOPped being a Raskin Christmas )

Done, Done And Done

Welp ... here we are.

The final day of National Blog Posting Month, the 2017 edition.

In truth, it seems like it went by in a rush. All of a sudden, the final day of November is here, Thanksgiving is a distant memory and the last month of the year - with all its pageantry, decorations, lights and music - looms large.

Does that mean the curtain is coming down on blogging, sharing stuff and doling out vital information that needs be doled out for your personal edification? 

Of course not. 

It's just an end to NaBloPoMo, that's all. 

I can satisfactorily state, with emphatic aplomb, the commitment of this little exercise wasn't as difficult as it initially appeared. Blathering each and every day, 30 individual times without a break and without preparing posts in advance ... couldn't that lead to some possible anxiety-inducing disquietude?

Nah. All it took was a little extra thinking, a bit of delving into the past, a few first-hand situations and some imagination. (And, yeah ... I've got imagination to spare, as evidenced by some of the topics I've provided over the course of the month. Possible Nutcracker Of Death, anyone?)

I still have yet to seriously delve all the other participants' blog postings. But I love reading, so that won't be a problem. While I might have set a goal for this week, it's taken a different path and shoved my whims and desires by the wayside.

So ... it's been fun. And inspiring. And enlightening, too. I hope those who have partaken of my assorted brands of monkey business have either been entertained or learned sumpin' useful. Or not. 

Hey, who knows? Maybe I've even won you over on something ...

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP with the NaBloPoMo posts already, for Pete's sake ... )

Of course, at the very end of it all,
the damned logo has finally gone and righted itself ...

Smile, Darn Ya, Smile

I'm no comedian.

But I can dole out the comedy every now and again.

And let me tell you: It can be tough. 

Along with making people laugh, you run the risk of offending folks/friends/everyone. Or saying something you think is funny but turns out to be the most inappropriate time to lob a verbal barb.

That's the chance you take.

Additionally - depending on the type of chuckle you're shooting for - you run the risk of looking like an insensitive jerkwad. Throw out the occasional sarcastic or dry shot and it can be interpretted in an entirely different manner than projected. And not in a good way.

And, right there, that's the rub. 

But you don't stop. You don't go cold turkey just because something doesn't work. Where it doesn't come off in one particular situation, the exact same comment might work dreamily in another. They can't all be gems, you know.

That being said, here are a few examples I committed over the last few days. Please enjoy:

A friend posted the following: "Confession: I have a slight online shopping habit." My response was not so subtle: "'Slight' ... I doubled over laughing on the floor when I read that word." (She wasn't exactly amused.)

Of the above image, I commented:  "I WANT TO GO TO THAT POND AND CATCH HOTDOGS, TOO ... !!!"

With regard to a photo I posted a buddy's comment about me being "a wise old man" spurred him to into noting:  "Wise sort of old duffus?" to which I replied "(I'm) wise enough to know how to spell 'doofus'" (Which could understandably be construed as me being an all out asshat.)

Again, that's the chance you take.

Oh, sure ... being confidently quick-witted and spewing barbs left and right has gotten me in hot water time and again. But it doesn't stop me. It's a character trait. If you know me, you know I'm prone to do so. If you don't, you'll learn soon enough.

That is, if you're not too offended and hang around to see what sort of (sometimes) caustic wit I actually am....

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

More than a list to the side, wouldn't you say?

I Have A Problem: Follow Up

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh ...

That's better.

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP the leaves! )

Movement!

I Have A Problem ...

I have a problem.

(Admittedly, I have many problems. Some are of my own making.)

But let's stay on point here, hokay?

I have a problem. A leaf problem. A debris problem. Specifically, I have a problem with leaves and twigs and other debris littering my driveway. 

Nothing makes me happier than gazing down the length of that asphalt with the hum of the blower winding down, seeing the drive completely unencumbered of the chaff and remains of the trees on either side of it. Pristine, clean and ready to commute upon with nary a snap or crunch of anything underfoot. 

Clear, silent rubber on the road. Soft footsteps keeping rhythm with some unknown tune in my head as I walk its length on the way to the mailbox.

But ... that hasn't happened in days.

Other duties called. Work. The cleaning of the house in anticipation of Thanksgiving guests. Other things that selfishly took my mind elsewhere, somewhere other than the worry of the littered driveway.

It's been over a week now since last I hauled out my electric blower and blew. And yesterday, when I finally had time to do so, the rain came and stayed from the morning right on into the night, mocking my want of leafy riddance.

*sigh*

And still wet from rain, the leaves will remain until they can easily be erased from their temporary blacktop resting place.

Yes, I have a problem ... a persistent, pestering leafy problem ...

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

Oh sure ... the leaves on that tree can stay stuck to the tree ...