Sunday, June 5, 2016

the life of son of man


So I sez to him I sez, "Margritte, what is the meaning of this?" And he goes, he sounds like Pepé Le Pew and he goes, "The ups are ecstatic and the downs such a bummer but flat stability of plateaus is its own ennui." 

11 comments:

Chip Ahoy said...

We were talking about moths.

My brother said, "Remember that joke you told me about moths? It wasn't a question. And no I didn't recall any such joke. I don't have a moth joke in my joke repertoire. But we did talk about moths before. Miller moths, they're a problem sometimes.

Then he told me the funniest damn joke. He had me in stitches and I still think it's funny. I laugh all over again seeing him do this. This is what came out in earlier conversation that James read as a joke and told as a joke thereafter. But it was only conversation that he turned into a joke. And it's funny.

When he does this pantomime it's hilarious. Do you now how to tell when moth farts?

Well, how can you possibly tell? You see evidence of moth poop after a Miller invasion, but a fart? No.

You show with your finger how to tell. Your index finger doodles in the air, your mouth makes the sound "pfffffft" and you stop doodling and draw a quick straight line in any random direction and resume doodling. and go pfffffft again, straight line any direction again, doodle again, for four of five air doodles and three or four straight zips across the visual field so that the entire area in font of you is covered with moth doodle and zipping and it's funny when somebody performs that right in front of you because you really can see a moth flying that way and farting disruptively to its aimless mindless flight.

I did not tell that joke but it is the sort of thing I would say and the way I would say it so I didn't argue. It's ordinary conversational sign and easily forgotten conversation, but one of those things that lodged in my brothers mind as hilarious joke and when returned much later it really is funny isolated like that and seeing a non-signer execute exquisite sign like that.

ricpic said...

The solution to feeling down is to tackle some little problem every day, or almost every day, and solve it or fix it. Today I climbed my ladder and used lightweight spackling by DAP, a miracle product by the way, to fill in the holes the woodpeckers peck in my rafters and I'm a happy camper. Whatever tomorrow brings today's been rendered okay by DOING.

The Dude said...

I am having difficulty envisioning how woodpeckers can get access to rafters, even rafter tails. There should be fascia and soffit pieces that cover them up. Good job and all, but help a brother out here - or do you have woodpeckers in your attic? Sure, maybe that's not as bad as bats in one's belfry, but you never know...

ndspinelli said...

Physical activity, getting that heart rate elevated, works for me. There is no doubt the increase in depression in this country is directly related to us becoming a sedentary culture. We are body, mind and spirit. I can quickly tell if a person is out of balance in those 3 spheres.

ricpic said...

Maybe I used the wrong term. I mean the end pieces under the roof. You know, the two boards that make a vee under your roof at each end of the house. This is horrible, I'm sure there's a single word for it but I DON'T KNOW THE WORD!

The Dude said...

One the eave ends of many houses you will find rake boards, which function like fascia boards do on the other sides - they seal the actual rafters and other structural parts from the weather.

So, good job getting up there - they can be pretty far off the ground, depending on the pitch of the roof and how many stories tall the house is.

And yep, woodpeckers to like 'em. Mmm, tasty dry wood full of delicious bugs. Uh oh - skip that last part - around here woodpeckers like to find a resonant surface they can bang their heads against in order to impress the female woodpeckers.

I could make an analogy, but I am trying to be good...

ricpic said...

Aren't those end pieces called rafters? Exterior rafters?

Giant woodpeckers peck at them, BANG at them actually, sometimes waking me from a guilty morning sleep and I CURSE THEM OUT those doity boids.

The Dude said...

As I say, they are drumming up a mate. The fact that it distoibs de residents, ain't their concern. They are trying their best to maintain their family line.

The rafters are inside - under the roof sheathing, and depending on when your house was built, they could be actual boards nailed together, boards held together with plywood gussets, or, as they do today, factory built trusses with metal plates holding them together.

The coolest house I ever worked on was built in 1790 and had massive timber rafters pegged together with the rest of the framing. On top of those were battens running horizontally, and the slate shingles were nailed to those. That house, as far as I know, is still extant. Sure, you can buy 30 year shingles, but slate - that's never going to wear out.

Dad Bones said...

I would suggest sealing that Dap with an exterior paint or primer or rain will most likely wash it out. Another option would be a siliconized acrylic caulk which wouldn't require paint but you'd need a caulk gun.

If you already have that under control then I apologize for butting in. As an old painter I've prolonged the rotting away of a number of houses but gave up the battle a few years ago. Good luck on yours.

ricpic said...

Thanks DB. The DAP says exterior/interior but I guess a coat of paint over it would be a good idea.

The Dude said...

Silicone - is there anything it can't do?