Good morning, friends, and welcome! Take your coats off … oh … you say you’re not wearing coats? That’s good … that’s good … it’s 64°, so no need for shoes … er, um … coats. Sorry if I’m a bit addled this morning … sleepy 💤💤💤
Well, it’s officially spring fall now, and for the first time I can remember, the weather turned fall-like on the exact date fall began, Saturday. Of course, it rained all day, but what the heck … into each life a little rain must fall, right? Did you all have a wonderful autumnal weekend? And now, here we are back ‘round to Monday again. It’s gonna be a roller-coaster week, so let’s try to start out with a smile, or maybe even a chuckle, shall we?
I let Jolly help with the treats today, so grab a plate and a cup of coffee or tea …
For the love of sushi …
You know those ‘all-you-can-eat’ places, usually buffet restaurants? I used to date a guy who said it was a waste to take me to one, for I can eat only limited amounts at a time, and he claimed he never got his money’s worth if he took me to an all-you-can-eatery. But German triathlete Jaroslav Bobrowski knows how to get his money’s worth. 
A week or so ago, Mr. Bobrowski went to eat at Running Sushi, a restaurant in Landshut, Bavaria. Now, I don’t eat sushi, but this must have been some awesome sushi, for Mr. Bobrowski ate … and ate … and then he ate some more. In just a few minutes, it is said, Jarolslav Bobrowski had put away 100 plates of sushi! Now, according to what I have read, the average sushi plate has only 3 pieces of sushi, and the owner of the Running Sushi says that the average patron consumes 20 plates … well, they don’t consume the actual plate, but rather the sushi that is on the plate. Even with only 3 pieces per plate, 20 plates sounds like an awful lot to me, but what do I know? Most people eat more than I, but still … 60 pieces for the average diner and 300 pieces for Mr. Bobrowski? Blech. 🤢
Since during all that munching, he drank only one glass of ice tea, the restaurant lost a good bit on his visit, and thus he is now banned from the Running Sushi, according to owner Tan Le.
“I want to win customers and not offend any guests. But … we only earn money on the drinks and he only consumed one tea the whole evening.”
The meal cost Bobrowski €15.90, or $18.70 USD. He has since found another sushi restaurant nearby, China City. Perhaps somebody should warn them?
From the journals of … WHY?
Here’s one I’ve never seen before … a horse-drawn SUV (sport utility vehicle). It happened last week in the Ballyfermot area of Dublin, Ireland, when people were stunned to see this …
The quality of the video is poor, but you’ll still get a kick out of it. Again, though, I must ask: Why?
Drat! I missed the chance …
A month or so ago, a dear friend insisted that I buy a new pair of shoes. For the record, I own precisely two pair: one pair of hiking boots, and one pair of tennis shoes. It is all I need. I prefer barefoot anyway. But when I let slip that my tennis shoes were holey and held together with duct tape, this friend nagged until I bought a new pair. Okay, I’m glad I did, for my feet seem to stay dryer on days that I go puddle-jumping. But I should never have thrown the old ones away!!! Just look what Nordstrom is selling …
Yes, folks, this is what they are selling on their website and get this … the price … $530!!! Yes, you heard me right. If I still had my old ones, I could make enough to pay for the new ones and feed my family for a whole month!!! Obviously, since it says “sold out”, people bought these shoes. For $530!!! One can only conclude that there must be a heck of a lot of people out there with more money than brains!
The company came into a bit of criticism, but managed to answer it with a b.s. answer …
I’m not sure whether to laugh, growl or cry!
Look what the cat dragged in …
Given the neighborhood I live in, I could very well see this happening, but fortunately after an accident years ago involving our cat Tofu and a car and the loss of a leg, ours are all indoor cats.
It happened in Bristol, England, last Monday when a family’s cat came home carrying a bag. On further inspection, it was found that the bag contained several smaller wrapped parcels of drugs!
Police were called and came to take the drugs away, commending the cat for a job well done. “Forget police dogs, we should start training up cats,” one officer joked.
Okay, folks, Jolly and I are tired, so it’s time for us all to get up and do whatever it is we do on Mondays. I hope you enjoyed this humorous start to the week, for I think it’s destined to be another whirlwind news week and we needed to at least start out on the right foot. Remember to share those lovely smiles you’re wearing, for we all feel better if somebody smiles at us. Unless we’re doing something we shouldn’t be, then we feel guilty. Keep safe and have a great week! Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa & Jolly!
She ordered food to be delivered with the intention of talking the delivery driver into getting rid of Spidey for her. But when the driver arrived with the food, it turned out that he was also afraid of spiders! However, she coerced him and after a bit of scrambling about, he captured the spider and … snif … flushed him. 
Okay, fine … I will tell you. Five years and eight months. This sign was lost during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, and was found by a man named Hannes Frank on the beach in France last week. It’s not really in bad condition, for having spent 2,065 days bobbling about in salt water!
TV chef Michael Voltaggio, winner of Bravo’s Top Chef, invited Snoop, rapper Warren G, Kim Kaechele and Kendall Coleman to help make it. The massive mixed drink was unveiled live on stage at the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival in California, USA.
Containing 180 1.75-litre bottles of gin, 156 1-litre bottles of apricot brandy and 28 3.78-litre jugs of orange juice, the paradise cocktail was made to accompany Voltaggio’s Jamaican jerk chicken dish at the festival, which pairs musicians with chefs on their culinary stage.
No, you’re not missing anything … it is exactly what it looks like … a T-shirt with an empty checkered button-down shirt sewn or glued to its front. The site says the shirt boasts “two wearing options” — ostensibly as a T-shirt or a button-down. Okay, so the shirt looks rather shabby … but the price tag is anything but shabby: $1,290!!! Yes, that is One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety U.S. dollars, or £965, or €1,104. Do people really have nothing better to do with their money??? There is a bright side, however … the company offers complimentary shipping!
And now … my dear friends … it is that time once again. I’ve picked out a special song to get the ol’ adrenalin stirring this morning … it is one of my favourites to walk to, for it keeps me moving at a pretty good clip, and I’ve even been known to do a little skip ‘n flip along the way! (yes, I remember that the bones are more brittle these days) I hope you all have a wonderful week, and please, share those beautiful smiles with somebody who looks like they need one. Tough times these days, and we can all use an extra smile. Thanks for being such special friends … you make me smile. Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa!
The folks in the Wayne Township, Indiana, fire department were having a slow night last Monday. A slow day or night in a firehouse is a good thing … it means nobody has set their kitchen afire like some people who shall remain nameless! But then … the doorbell started frantically buzzing at 2:00 a.m.
When Fire Captain Mike Pruitt raced to answer the door, he found a woman holding … a raccoon! The raccoon was lethargic, and there was no mystery about it, for the woman plainly told the firemen that the raccoon had smoked too much marijuana! Yes, folks, you heard me right … wacky weed, pot, Maryjane … whatever you call it, the raccoon was high as a kite! I don’t think he voluntarily smoked the weed, as the woman said he had been exposed to too much of ‘someone else’s’ marijuana smoke. Ahem … a likely story.
Now, personally, I would have stopped at the closest Toys ‘R Us, bought the kid another bear, and been done with it. But Morgan’s parent a) are nicer than I am, and b) have more money than I do. They are offering a $500 reward for the safe return of the bear, named only Baby Bear. There is even a 
Pasco County Sheriff’s Deputies pulled over … or rather, tried to pull over … Paul Andrew Smith last Tuesday after he nearly hit their cruiser. Only Paul had other ideas and jumped from his car, running as fast as he could run … right into the swamp … where he promptly sunk in up to his neck.
Meanwhile, I didn’t want to send you away empty-handed, so I baked the usual array of treats … except they don’t look quite the same as usual, do they?
Beware the comma …
My dad always wanted a son. Instead he got me. I’m sure he was disappointed at first, but he learned to love me despite my shortcomings, and went merrily about the business of trying to teach me to do all the things a son would have done with him, such as playing golf. Now, frankly I hate golf, and being visually challenged even as a child, I was never much good at it. I would swing 30-40 times at that tiny little ball, trying to earn an ‘attaboy’, until the line of golfers began to back up and grumble loudly, then we moved along without me hitting the ball. Anyway, that was in the 1950s when golfers walked the 9 or 18 holes, and when young boys were thrilled to earn a dollar or two being a ‘caddy’, carrying the golfers clubs, handing them the proper club, and advising them.
“We’ve been developing an unprecedented caddie training program with our head caddie, Bruce LeGoat, to ensure that he and his team are ready for the opening of The Gauntlet this summer. We’re truly redefining both goat and golf operations at the ranch. Can you think of another course where its caddies were literally born, raised and fully educated on-property? We will get you a caddie who really knows the course and won’t give you any bad advice — and they work for peanuts!”
Apparently, changing one syllable in “1,500” in Korean changes it to 15,000! Who knew? Fortunately, the chefs were able to return the additional 13,500 eggs, else the Norwegian athletes might have started growing feathers before long.
… yep, you guessed it … hot air balloons! The Sheriff’s department had been receiving calls about hot air balloons flying too close to the homes, and one report of a balloon colliding with a home. Deputies responded to the Chapman Heights neighborhood, where they observed the two hot air balloons hitting trees and coming within 5 feet of rooftops.
“Deputies identified both pilots, and will be forwarding a report to the Federal Aviation Administration for further review of any possible FAA violations.”
Now, here in the U.S., I am fairly certain the man would have been told to take his coins to the bank and come back when he could pay with paper or plastic. In the U.S., ‘customer service’ is rarely customer-centric. But the dealership in China closed shop for the day and every employee was rounded up to help count and roll coins!
Driver: funny story actually.. I spent the day in Waco and had some hot dogs for lunch. I set one on the rear bumper and somehow forgot about it and continued running errands around Waco. It wasn’t until several people asked about the hot dog, at several different locations, that I realized I had left it on there, so I put a little note on the bumper.
A spokesperson for Waffle House said in a statement. “We are reviewing this incident and will take appropriate disciplinary action. In a related note, obviously Alex has some cooking skills, and we’d like to talk to him about a job since we may have something for him.” Anybody care to guess what position might just open up?
It all started when a Twitter user who goes by the handle @adumsteeves tweeted: “You guys aint from Illinois if you dont put mustard on your poptarts.” The official Pop-Tarts account quoted the tweet with an appeal for help from the Illinois State Police: “@ILStatePolice can you guys handle this?” The State Police did not respond, for they were likely out catching speeders driving 1.27 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. But the Dixon, Ill., Police Department offered its assistance with a tweet reading, “Let us know if they don’t handle this @PopTartsUS, WE will… Ain’t nobody puttin’ mustard on their Pop-Tarts in Illinois.”
Well, my lovely friends, I think we better all get moving, for there is much to be done today, and if we sit here around the cozy fire munching cookies all day, nothing will get done except we will all need naptime soon. So, I thank you all for taking a bit of time from your busy Monday to drop by and I hope you enjoyed our time together. Please do remember to share smiles and hugs today, for it costs us nothing and we never know but we might have brightened someone’s day with a simple smile. And I give you all any hugs and much love! Keep safe and warm, and have a wonderful week!
I have been considering a new vacuum cleaner for the past few months. With 7 furry-purries, I must vacuum daily, so mine gets quite a workout, and this one is about 5 years old. I do hope, however, that when I decide to invest in a new one I have a better experience than Annie Banerjee of Houston, Texas! Annie spent $300 on a Dyson (too pricey for Filosofa!) at her local Target store. But when she arrived home and opened the box, she discovered that instead of a vacuum machine, the box was filled with rocks, dirty towels, and a can of bean-free chili!!!
Banerjee said she returned to the store about an hour later, but a store manager refused to refund her money and called the police on her! I do not know the reason, but one might presume racial profiling, as Ms. Banerjee is an Indian-born U.S. citizen. She also just happens to be an immigration lawyer and knows the law, so in the end, Target not only refunded her money but also gave her the Dyson vacuum – this time a real vacuum – for free. No word on whether the store manager is still employed at Target, but I have doubts.
Someone called the Wyoming County (New York) Sheriff’s Office to report a suspicious vehicle. It wasn’t all that hard for them to find, as it had no doors, no windshield, no windows at all, in fact, and no license plates. But the really eye-catching thing was that there was an axe sticking out of the roof!
The driver of the car, 21-year-old Jared Price, also did not have the required insurance … GASP – I AM SHOCKED!!! He was arrested on charges of driving while impaired by drugs, driving while impaired by a combination of drugs and alcohol, driving without license plates, operating an unregistered and uninspected motor vehicle, operating without insurance, lacking a front windshield and driving without safety glass. Phew … wears me out to even type all of that! But what I still want to know is … how and why is the axe in the roof???
“The World Santa Claus Congress at Bakken [Denmark] is both a professional forum and social meeting place for real Santas from all around the world. The Santas from around the world have the opportunity to meet and exchange experiences and to network.”
The Santa Congress is a four-day event that dates all the way back to 1957, and is the brainchild of ‘Professor Tribini’ (Christian Jørgen Nielsen), a legendary entertainer at the Bakken amusement park. Events include an ever-important discussion of reindeer parking rules and ideal chimney dimension, followed by baking, storytelling, and even a footbath. Because, so we hear, all that scrambling up and down chimneys can make even the nimblest toes rather sore. But the most popular activity so far has been Zumba, the Latin-inspired dance fitness program. Blame it on all those cookies!
Have you ever dreamed of dancing with … an alpaca? Well, now’s your chance! A farm in Canada is offering “alpaca dance classes” for anyone looking to get fit and cut a rug with the wooly mammals. ‘313 Farms’ in Manitoba is offering six weeks of dance and fitness classes including hip-hop, barre, cardio, pilates, mommy and me and boot camp with the company of friendly alpacas.
It was a record-breaking event, the previous record of 433 having been set at the same festival in 2015. It took about 45 minutes for all of the balloons to rise into the formation. The balloons are Cloudhoppers, or one-person hot air balloons. The short clip below shows the prep & take-off in a compact, time-lapsed format and is super fun to see:
The winner will be adorned with a special crown and receive the opportunity to compete in the Miss Mermaid International final in Egypt in November. She will also receive a mermaid tail courtesy of Magictail, a free diving and mermaid swim course, a one-year contract with Hire A Mermaid U.K. and an underwater photoshoot.
Filosofa's Word 