Who's on first?----21st century style

Once upon a time I was part of a duo that presented Abbott and Costello's famous "Who's on First" skit. Recently I came upon this latest rendition of it....and laughed and laughed. Thought you'd enjoy it, too.

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If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamout sketch, "Who's on First?" might have turned out something like this.

Costello calls to buy a computer from Abbott.

 ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO : OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows!

OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers.

What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

 (A few days later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on "START"...

#1 is truly #1

 

According to our local Sunday newspaper, which carries the USAToday top books for the week list, the number # 1 book this week is Kristin Hannah's The Women, which happens to be sitting here right in my room! I feel so "with it."

So this just had to be my blog this weekend for a couple reasons: 1) Yes, it really is terrific and I'd say deserves to be #1; 2) From 1964-75 I was quite oblivious of the Vietnam War as I was in high school, college, the novitiate and my first years teaching...all of those took all my time and interest---sad to say; 3) However, the stories and experiences portrayed in this excellent historical fiction novel were familiar to me from another angle: the TV show MASH set in the Korean War in the early 1950s. At least the major characters who are army surgical nurses/doctors and in war time were protrayed very much as Hawkeye and Hot Lips.

I'm just getting to the returning home part and I can tell that will be the really hard section as the anti-war attitudes in the USA were so strong and seemingly rampant throughout the country by that time. One major piece in the book that was totally new to me was the recurring statement by many characters that, "There were no women in Vietnam." This is startling to the army nurses, of course, but maybe it was a true PR stance of the military then???

Anyway, the book is great and, if by any chance you missed a lot of this war, too, you might learn a lot that never sifted down before your news program viewing days or the openness of journalism that exists now....we hope.

Hummers

This week, the liturgical week leading up to Pentecost next Sunday, we are singing "spirit" songs all week at both prayer times. They are uplifting, hope-filled and fun to sing.

Uplifting in a different way, this summer I've decided to go all out in attracting hummingbirds. I've put three up in our inner courtyard, see above. One on a shepherd's hook and two on the hall windows. There are plenty of bushes and a large tree nearby to escape to and "guard" their territory.

A fourth one is on my bedroom window.  So we'll see how this quartet does as the spring/summer move on.

Bursting at the seams

We have had 7-10 days of warmth, spring rains and plenty of sunshine. These all add up to spring 2024  having truly burst forth on the Mount property. These days have also brought quite a number of guests to the monastery and what lovely natural sights they have seen, though I'm sure their own gardens are beautiful, too.

Throw in chirping birds all day long, occasional deer wandering through the grounds and, thanks to a generous donor, new outdoor chairs and gliders for the back patio and you've got a very special springtime! We are grateful.

 

P.S. This week I saw, for the very first time, a pileated woodpecker on our grounds. Woody Woodpecker! I had no idea that they were so much larger than our regular little woodpeckers.

P.P.S. This week our hummingbird feeders will also be coming out.

Emmaus

Afternoons find me working in Emmaus Ministries, organizing their 50 years of photos, paperwork and memorabilia that we want to save for archives. In 2014 the artist, Brother Mickey McGrath of the Oblate of St. Francis deSales community, spent a few days here working on sketches that would turn into paintings for the 2015 Benetvision calendar. A good number of the calendar pages were of the community's ministries.

For Emmaus, he ended up doing five paintings, all of which are lovely. Here's the one chosen for November in that calendar. Although it isn't quite an exact photo of the soup kitchen's daily guests, it certainly picks up the spirit of the place perfectly. Do you see who's looking in the window?

Guest rooms

On the lowest level of our north wing we have 15 guest rooms, 13 singles and 2 doubles. 

In each room, among many other things, there is a little card posted near the doorway. On it is a photo of a sister from the community and a note saying to the guest that this sister is praying for the guest during their time with us.

One of my friends has a granddaughter graduating from high school this spring. Ten years ago she brought her to the Mount for a visit. Last month my friend sent me a photo of a "guest card" that Abbey had made after that visit. She had saved it all this time. 

Here it is---so sweet and lovely--just like her granddaughter. Congratulations, Abbey.

Eclipse experience

Everything we read about, heard about, and hoped for came true last Monday when Erie was in the path of a total solar eclipse. It really, really, really was terrific--once in a lifetime and all the other cliches that accompanied all the hoopla about it!

I even met a woman who had been in South America 30+ years ago and had been in one there--that's twice in a lifetime!

Here are some amatuer, no filters or special additions to a camera, photos that I took right at the "totality" time.  Great fun...wonderful experience...wish you had been here!