I don’t get it. It’s clearly white and gold. How can anyone see black and blue?

I’m an old guy, but I hate voice mail. Mine says “You can try to leave a message, but it’s probably full, and I’ll never listen to it anyway, so either send a text to this number, or send an email to XXX, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.”

The only people thinking this looks too risky are the same people who don’t understand why ships float and planes fly. They don’t understand the natural sciences.

Growing up, I had these two old-maid great-aunts, and they were anxious about everything. Whenever we approached an escalator, they would stop and make a big dramatic scene about getting on the escalator, saying “If you fall, the steps will cut your legs to ribbons!”

Naturally, my response was to suggest the stairs, or the elevator, instead of the obvious death trap escalator.

To this day, I am very cautious about elevators.

The Feline Propaganda Macine

Then the winner will be Popey McPopeface.

The next American Olympics is scheduled for Summer 2028. America, and the world, will be a much different place by then. I expect that we will have an Olympics of mostly authoritarian nations, and no Democratic nations.

And there will be lots of ludicrous world records set, because they will fuck with the timings. These guys can’t do anything without cheating.

Yeah, I wrote them off long ago, but I was recently pressed for time and they were right there. I was shocked at the price. Other than the fries, everything else is average, with the worst, cheapest buns in the biz.

The fries are legit, though. Classic Boardwalk-style fries, especially with malt vinegar.

Lately, instead of picking up a fast food buyer and fries for $13, I’ve been going to Chili’s. They have a $10.99 special that is a REAL bacon cheeseburger, excellent fries, and a drink, and it even includes a salad or a cup of soup. With tax and tip, it’s $15.

The last time I went to 5 Guys, it was $24.50, and it wasn’t nearly as good.

Of course. All the prize money you see on Jeopardy, Wheel, Family Feud, etc. is all taxed.

If someone wins a car or vacation worth $20K, they will be expected to pay income tax on that value.

When Oprah gave away all those expensive cars years ago, she saddled many in that audience with a significant tax bill. A lot of them probably had to sell the car, just to pay the taxes, and then just have the remaining cash in hand after that.

Back in the late 80s, a friend of mine went on Wheel Of Fortune, and won pretty big. Back then, you won “money,” which you then spent at the end of the show in the big showcase of products.

My friend went with a strategy, and bought stuff like wall-to-wall carpeting and a fridge, but also a couple things like a gaudy gold watch.

When he got home, he was getting his haircut, and his barber said “I saw you on Wheel. That was a nice watch you got.” My friend sold it to him. That was his strategy - buy stuff for the house, but also buy some stuff that would be easy to sell, so he could pay the taxes out of his winnings.

Supposedly Lincoln said something like “We are as happy as we make up our minds to be,” and whether he said it or not, I’ve adopted that philosophy. I’m not always happy, but even when times are tough, like they are right now, it allows me to still remain optimistic, and not surrender to despair, and give up.