DAILY DIRT: ‘I don’t care if it doesn’t look fashionable, it’s comfortable’

Never underestimate the power of suspenders … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,027 of The Daily Dirt.

1. If you’ve reached a certain age — let’s say in your 60s or early 70s — how many of the following things have you found yourself saying more and more?

• “Where the heck is my phone?” (Personally, I have noticed an upswing in the number of times this has become a problem in recent years.)
• “This scale can’t be right!” (Admit it, you’ve probably said this A LOT, but maybe not out loud.)
• “Who the heck is calling at 9:30?” (For me, that would be 9:30 a.m. I’m not exactly an early riser in my senior years.)
• “Why did I come into this room?” (I’m good for one or two of those — a day.)
• “Geez, how do you throw your body out of whack just sleeping wrong.” (Ironically, this recently happened to me … I had a bad shoulder and pain in my neck for 4 1/2 weeks.)
• “How do they expect you to read this small print?” (That’s why I’ve had my computer/telephone screens set on LARGE for several years now.)
• “I don’t care if it doesn’t look fashionable, it’s comfortable.” (I keep assuring my wife that suspenders will make a comeback at some point and then I’ll be regarded as a trendsetter.) (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The wearing of suspenders as an homage to the late, great Mike “Paz” Pasley is always appreciated around MRN World Headquarters. JRG)
• “That isn’t my password either. WTH!!” (I cannot tell you how many late-night calls my computer-savvy children have gotten from me for some computer-related woe.)

2. Did you know (Part 89)

That Sandra Bullock’s role in “Speed” was offered to Halle Berry AND Ellen DeGeneres.

That citizens in the following countries do not use toilet paper: Japan, Egypt, France, Kenya, South Korea, India, Phillipines and Thailand. 

That Steve McQueen turned down leading roles in “The Godfather,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The French Connection,” “Close Encounters Of the Third Kind,” “Jaws” and “Apocalypse Now”.

That Jack Nicholson’s role in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” was originally meant for Kirk Douglas.

That neither Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, John Havlicek nor Patrick Ewing ever won an NBA MVP award.

3. Alas, twas a great week for spotting license plates across West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri.

None were quite good enough to crack our medal stand, but the majority of the following were mighty close:

• NUFSED
• BOOBER 1
• SONSET
• T BOY 55
• WILD IVY
• MONKY 11
• ALF

The medal stand remains:

• Gold medal: GEM CITI
• Silver medal:U DRUNK
• Bronze medal:  HEYYALL

Steve Thought O’ The Day — The Daily Dirt Board of Control had to think long and hard about that BOOBER 1 license plate being worthy — or not — of a medal.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Seriously, how is BOOBER 1 not on the medal stand?