During crawfish season, I like to point out that our paper edition is important as a table covering. Here’s another use for the older form of news dissemination in a digital age:
Janet Schexnayder, of Slidell, says, “I picked up a copy of the TP/Advocate as I left to fly to Reykjavik, Iceland, to meet my husband, Mark Snyder, arriving on a scientific research ship after a six-week mission.”
The next morning, in their rented “tiny house,” they sat down to read the paper:
“The chairs on the deck outside were damp with Icelandic dew. We used some of the sections of the paper to sit on and others to read.
“We had differing opinions on which sections were for sitting and which were for reading. Mark chose the Metro section for reading, and was going to sit on Living, until I rescued it.
“In the end (no pun intended), he sat on the advertising section, and I sat on the inside pages of Sports.”
Taste of home
We mentioned Turkish driving customs on Monday. Here’s another tale from that country:
Wayne Smith, of Covington, says, “We arrived in Istanbul Saturday, and as we left the passport/customs area we immediately saw across the way a huge lighted banner announcing Popeye’s Fried Chicken, then another banner for Burger King.
“To the left of that, of course, was Starbucks.
“I was reminded of this little vignette from years ago: I was waiting for my wife in the shade of a tree outside the Palais du Pape in Avignon, France. About 10 feet away was a man, likewise waiting, when out of nowhere his wife appears, with a voice that could cut through concrete: ‘Oh, thank Gaaawd, Harry, I found a McDonald’s!’”
Too many wheels?
Continuing our swing around the globe, Tom Boone, of Gonzales, offers another ‘drive with your horn’ story:
“While in Mexico several years ago, we chose to take a cab to rendezvous with friends in another part of town.
“Traffic was heavy, and the cabs weaved in and out, blowing their horns, waving at other drivers and terrified pedestrians.
“Our driver twice swerved onto the sidewalk to get around a more sane driver.
“I asked him if there was another way to get around in all this congestion. He replied as he hit the curb and scattered wide-eyed tourists yet once again, ‘Si, you can rent a scooter.’
“After experiencing such chaos and near-death experiences while enclosed and on four wheels, it was a hard pass on the two-wheel option.”
For the birds
Sulynn Ganey, of Prairieville, tells me, “When I read the ‘Thought for the Day’ in your Monday column, it was a pleasure to be reminded that I am among my flock.
“After reading ‘Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons,’ I smiled as I looked down at the shirt that I was wearing espousing the same sentiment.
“Flamingo lovers, we must flock together!
“I am easy to spot, since most of my casual shirts have the image of a flamingo, peacock, or chicken on them.
“My favorite is a peacock that says, ‘Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary?'”
Works for me
Marvin Borgmeyer, of Baton Rouge, says, “I saw this quote from Robert Frost and thought of you: ‘There are two kinds of people in the world: some willing to work, and the rest willing to let them.'”
Better call Saint
Ernie Gremillion, of Baton Rouge, says, “Friday night Catholic High played the second half of a home-and-home series against a school from Maryland by the name of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
“In discussing the game with my Saturday morning coffee group, the name of CHS’ opponent brought the comment, ‘We didn’t know there was a female saint who was an attorney.'”
