Hurricanes, Knees, and Dr. Suess

So, "The joke...."

If you've listened to the new Ricochet podcast you know that:

A-They made the incredible mistake in judgment of having me fill in for Peter Robinson;

B-Lileks, for reasons unknown, waxed poetic upon the topic of gaseous canine emissions. (And not in a good way.)

His homage to household-pet flatulence called to mind what comedians call a "street joke"--a joke you pass around the office or via email. Being that I was in the podcast company of a comedy great, Rob Long, I quipped (aside: what an awful, pretentious verb) "Hey, Rob--I bet you're thinking of the same joke I'm thinking of: The guy on the first date waiting in the living room with the girl's dad?"

Rob drew a blank. Never heard the joke.

Because I was a guest on the Ricochet Podcast and didn't want to cross any lines of crudity, I declined to share the humorous anecdote on the air but promised to post it here:

A young man is on his first date with an extremely beautiful girl. He shows up, she's not ready, so he's stuck waiting for her in the living room with a not-particularly-happy-to-see-him father and the family dog.

Suddenly he's stricken with painful intestinal distress of the gaseous kind. He's literally sweating, he's struggling so hard to keep it in. Finally, out of fear that he might have an even more embarrassing discharge, he allows a bit of the offensive air to quietly escape.

The father looks over at the dog, who's on the floor at the young man's feet and shouts "Rover!"

The young man is startled. He lets a bit more into the wind. Again the father shouts, even more loudly, "ROVER!"

The suitor is saved! He sighs with great relief as he allows all the noxious fumes to flow freely, at which time the father jumps to his feet and cries "Rover! Get away from that idiot before he [bleeps] all over you!"

***

Remember: Lileks started it.

Michael Graham (View Comment):

So, “The joke….”

If you’ve listened to the new Ricochet podcast you know that:

A-They made the incredible mistake in judgment of having me fill in for Peter Robinson;

B-Lileks, for reasons unknown, waxed poetic upon the topic of gaseous canine emissions. (And not in a good way.)

His homage to household-pet flatulence called to mind what comedians call a “street joke”–a joke you pass around the office or via email. Being that I was in the podcast company of a comedy great, Rob Long, I quipped (aside: what an awful, pretentious verb) “Hey, Rob–I bet you’re thinking of the same joke I’m thinking of: The guy on the first date waiting in the living room with the girl’s dad?”

Rob drew a blank. Never heard the joke.

Because I was a guest on the Ricochet Podcast and didn’t want to cross any lines of crudity, I declined to share the humorous anecdote on the air but promised to post it here:

A young man is on his first date with an extremely beautiful girl. He shows up, she’s not ready, so he’s stuck waiting for her in the living room with a not-particularly-happy-to-see-him father and the family dog.

Suddenly he’s stricken with painful intestinal distress of the gaseous kind. He’s literally sweating, he’s struggling so hard to keep it in. Finally, out of fear that he might have an even more embarrassing discharge, he allows a bit of the offensive air to quietly escape.

The father looks over at the dog, who’s on the floor at the young man’s feet and shouts “Rover!”

The young man is startled. He lets a bit more into the wind. Again the father shouts, even more loudly, “ROVER!”

The suitor is saved! He sighs with great relief as he allows all the noxious fumes to flow freely, at which time the father jumps to his feet and cries “Rover! Get away from that idiot before he [bleeps] all over you!”

***

Remember: Lileks started it.

I think I get it. But why does the girl have to be extremely beautiful?

Because this is the World Wide Web, I must comply with a new French law regulating Photoshopping. Because so many aspire to be James, Rob, Peter or various guest hosts I have to tell you that this image is "photographie retouchée," or face a fine of €37,000.

In this case, the black silk pajamas are Rob's but the hat was borrowed from Sonny Bunch. Thank you.

Michael Graham (View Comment):

So, “The joke….”

Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

I think I get it. But why does the girl have to be extremely beautiful?

It raises the stakes in the risky game of dating. I might have added that she was a cheerleader.

Gentlemen,

It seems that I can't make it through one of your Ricochet podcasts -- or, in this case, through the first five minutes -- without encountering something objectionable, if not deeply offensive. In this case, it was your guest Mr. Graham (whose podcasts I enjoy) who crossed the line, when he used "effort" as a verb.

Otherwise, another great show. "Blogosfeldt" was particularly excellent.

H.