There are reports of clowns ..... in cities all across this nation ......
Are we sure that it isn't the Presidential candidates campaigning?
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Back when I was 20, I had a summer job working at a mom&pop burger shop. Great job. Fun people. Crazy antics to entertain the customers. I usually worked 2nd shift, and closed the shop at 10PM.
My ace running mate and I were total nut cases back then. We were studying Karate/Self Defense at a local dojo, and Mark had purchased a pair of black, foam-rubber .45's for self-defense practice (how naive and 'indestructible' we were, back then-).
So...on one of the days that I actually worked day shift, we concocted a prank. There were always left-over french fries that were unsold at the end of the day. So... at 9: 55, just before the store closed, we busted in, wearing ridiculous Halloween masks, and brandishing these fakeazz .45's. It was complete 3 Stooges improvised slapstick, from start to finish. We came barreling up in his 1972 Oldsmobile 225, angle-parked in the middle of the drive-thru lane... and tumbled out of the car on our hands and knees.
I was the point man. There's an old stage schtick wherein you try to open a door, but slam it against your leading foot. As you do this, you recoil as if the door has hit you in the face.. That was step one. I fell back into the anteroom, knocking Mark sideways.
Mark bursts into the room, and trips over the threshold, falling flat on his face. I trip over him on the way to the counter, but manage to stay upright.
Mark gets up, turns to the 6 customers inside and says: (in his best Jimmy Cagney) :This is a stick-up, see? Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt... see?"
I bum-rush the counter, level the foam .45 at Becky McNett (who was in on the prank, and is trying to stifle barely-controlled laughter). I use my over-the-top Peter Lorre "Maltese Falcon" voice (yeah- sooo intimidating, I know): "Please miss, to put your hands in the air..." Becky (in her best Blanche DuBois: "Oh, mah heavens! Ahmed ruffians! Highwaymen, bent on who knows whut?!! Whutevah shall ah do?!!"
It was all straight-up Warner Bros. cartoon camp, from start to finish.
Becky rings open the cash register. Peter Lorre says, "Please miss, to not give me money..."
"Then what do you wawant, evil criminahl?" (at this point, Becky 'protects' her breasts with one hand, while covering her 'apron' with the other)
"FRIES!!! Fries, you fool! They are so goooolden, so warm..... so...." and I shudder, like I'm having a 'personal moment.'
All this time, Cagney is stalking the dining area, running to the doors, and acting as the lookout. "C'mon, c'mon.... make it snappy. Any minute, and the coppahz will be all over us!"
Becky shovels the leftover fries into a bag, and throws them over the counter to me. Of course, I mishandle the toss- and fries fly everywhere.
Cagney says: "Cheese it.... dis caper is blown! Let's get outta heah!"
We slapstick-tumble out of the burger joint to applause and laughter from the patrons.... and the prank is done.
________________________
That was 1976. I'm still alive to recount the story of a fun night from my youth.
Too bad you didn't film that performance! You're right, 2016 is a different ball game. Back in the day, I took my shotgun to high school for sports lit class...I gave a speech and demonstration on how to clean it. Nobody raised an eyebrow.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
Dawg.... if My grlfrnd 'BrothaBeck,' Mark and I tried some stunt like that in 2016, the headlines would read:
"Police Thwart Would-Be Robbers In Hail Of Gunfire. 3 Dead, 4 Wounded."
Jfan.... I'm glad I'm an 'old fart' today.
Everyone who was part of that 'street theater happening' understood what they were a part of- even the 'clueless' patrons. They loved it... and never felt threatened in the least. They gave our performance a standing ovation!
It's a cherished memory from my mis-spent youth.
I get you. I truly do.
40 years of 'American Transformation." Not all of it has been for the better.
I think the biggest difference between then and now was that life was a lot more fun back then.
A few years ago, I was taking a graduate level class on multiple intelligences and at one point early on, we were divided into groups based on when we were born. As you know, you and I are only a few months apart in age.......so, you know what group I was in.
Anyway, our group is laughing, sharing stories of all the crazy things we did back in the day. It was a great time, but I did notice that the other groups were not nearly as boisterous.
We then had to present our findings to the class and man, all the other groups focused on the trials, issues, and problems they faced growing up. Our presentation was all about how great it was growing up when we did.
You know, Clem.........society has made some significant gains, but it has also lost some of what made it grand.
I want to add one other thing because I think it is related. Technology is great, but I also think that people are now more like spectators rather than active participants in many areas. We used to have to create games to entertain ourselves. We were outside, inventing creative ways to exercise rather than sitting inside playing video games or using our phones as a way to communicate.
I remember playing pick-up basketball games every day. There were several courts throughout our town. Each of them would be packed. Hell, there would be 40 or more guys at each court. You didn't wanna lose, because there were so many guys who had "next."
I drive by those same courts today and there is not a soul to be found. They are like miniature ghost towns. The squeal of sneakers, the blur of action, the sounds of the game---are just a distant memory.
The town of East Lyme, Connecticut has banned trick or treating this Halloween.
It’s for the children’s safety given the creepy clown menace.
There’s some real nut job’s with societal power in this country.
What about this guy?
He’s known to enter people’s houses in the middle of the night when you’re asleep.
The Creepy Claus
He won't be doing that anymore.
I woke up last Christmas morning, and there was that guy standing in my living room. I grabbed my gun, and snuck downstairs. He laughed when he saw me, and I told him that breaking and entering was no laughing matter. He said "Ho, Ho, Ho", and I tole him that it is not polite to call anyone names like that, and also that there are no women in the house. He jumped for my fireplace, but it's not a real fireplace. He hit the wall, and knocked himself up. I grabbed some twine, and tied him up, and called the police. He was still laughing, as they drove out of sight.
I have to check with my brother, but I am sure that he is still in the county lockup.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
