Archive for January, 2013
Thursday, January 31st, 2013
Dear Driver (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Dear driver, here’s crucial advice
That I hope I won’t have to say twice:
It’s best not to drive
Wearing skates. You won’t thrive,
Cuz you’re skating on very thin ice.
This limerick was inspired by this news item about a Canadian fellow charged with driving through a red light. He was on his way to a rink and had been driving while wearing ice hockey skates:
Driving with skates “is probably not very safe” because the motorist has limited contact with the brake and gas pedals, said Staff Sgt. Ken Hruska.
Tags: Accident Poem, Advice Limerick, Bad Drivers, Car & Driving Humor, Skating Humor, Sports Humor, Thin Ice
Posted in Advice Humor & Poems, Car & Driving Humor, Limericks, Sports Humor | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
So, is everyone ready for National Escape Day (January 30th)? I didn’t think so.
Here’s a limerick to celebrate, although I’m pretty sure this isn’t the sort of “escape” the holiday founders had in mind:
No Escape (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A felon was trying to run,
But his plan to escape was undone:
He tripped and he fell,
Tumbling into a well.
Never run while you’re under the gun.
Tags: Crime & Punishment Humor, Escape Limerick, Felon, January Holidays, National Escape Day, Odd Holidays, Trip & Fall Limerick, Under The Gun
Posted in Crime & Punishment Humor, Limericks, Odd Holidays | 4 Comments »
Monday, January 28th, 2013
I enjoy unearthing oddball news items and celebrating their weirdness in verse. For instance, energy bars made from crickets. But a restaurant whose recipe ingredient-list touts dirt? That’s a bit too much to digest.
So, I won’t be going to Tokyo’s French restaurant Ne Quittez Pas any time soon, even if their dirt is “special black soil from Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture.”
Dishing Dirt (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Dear restaurant, please don’t feel hurt
If I spurn you, including dessert.
I have very good grounds:
Word is making the rounds
That your food features soil — that’s the dirt.
Tags: Black Soil, Food Humor, Food Verse, French Cuisine, Japan, Kanuma, Ne Quittez Pas, Odd Ingredients, Oddball News, Restaurant Humor, Strange Fads, Tochigi Prefecture, Tokyo
Posted in Food & Drink Humor, Limericks, Odd Trends, Restaurant Reviews & Humor | 6 Comments »
Sunday, January 27th, 2013
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time.)
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A fellow stepped into the hall…*
or
A woman stepped into the hall…*
or
A fellow was trying to haul…*
or
A woman was trying to haul…*
*(Please note that minor variations to my first lines are acceptable. However, rhyme words may not be altered, except by using homonyms or homophones.)
Here’s my limerick:
Hall of Limericks
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A woman stepped into the hall
And bawled, “This is terribly small!”
She’d been hoping to wed
In a “palace” instead.
But her budget kept hitting a wall.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Budget Humor, Competition Limerick, Limerick Challenge, Limerick Contest, Marriage Verse, Money & Finance Humor, Poetry & Prompts, Wedding Limerick, Writing Prompts
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Contests, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Marriage Humor, Money & Finance Humor, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest | 130 Comments »
Sunday, January 27th, 2013
It’s time to announce the latest Limerick of the Week based on submissions (on this blog and on Facebook) in last week’s Limerick-Off.
Congratulations to Jamie Hutchinson, who wins Limerick of the Week for this funny verse:
A woman would always come clean
With the truth to the men she had seen:
“I’ll say Yes but—don’t hate me—
The best way to date me
Is to measure my carbon 14.”
Congratulations to Bob Dvorak, who wins this week’s Facebook Friends’ Choice Award for this limerick which received the most Facebook “likes.”
A woman who hated to clean
Checked the room of her typical teen,
Where she found seven plates,
Peanuts, walnuts, and dates,
And some ham, biologically green.
And congratulations to these Honorable Mention winners (in random order): Johanna Richmond, Scott Crowder, Chris Doyle, Kathy El-Assal, Edmund Conti, Kirk Miller, Steve Whitred, Phyllis Sterling Smith a/k/a Granny Smith, Here are their respective Honorable Mention limericks:
Johanna Richmond:
A president chose to come clean
In a red, white and very blue scene,
And the subtext was this:
Here’s my rear for a kiss,
GOP, if you think I’m still green.
Scott Crowder:
A woman who hated to clean,
Was a sex-hungry, lovin’ machine.
And the men she’d been dating,
Are anxiously waiting
For someone to find a vaccine.
Chris Doyle:
A leatherneck never comes clean
When he romps around town as a queen
In a dress and high heels
Getting liquored-up SEALs
To unwittingly do a marine.
Kathy El-Assal:
A librarian liked her books clean,
Preferring her pages pristine.
As for S&M porn,
She only had scorn
Fifty shades of bad writing? Obscene!
Edmund Conti:
Said a fellow who hated to clean
The gunk off his new guillotine,
“It’s a pain in the neck
Cleaning all of this dreck
Just to peel a small ripe tangerine.
Kirk Miller:
A comedian planned to come clean
In his stand-up. “My future routine
Won’t have cussing from me
‘Cause my humor,” said he,
“Unlike kids, should be heard, not obscene.”
Steve Whitred:
A fellow who hated to clean
Has created a washing routine.
Now he schedules each bath
Using log’rithmic math
So they’re fewer and farther between.
Phyllis Sterling Smith:
A young actress who wished to be “clean”
Was embarrassed to read on the screen
That it rated an X
Just because she had sex
In a scene that was seen as obscene!
Congratulations again to all the winners for your wonderful limericks. And thanks to everyone for your fun submissions.
In the next couple of minutes I’ll be posting a new Limerick-Off, which gives you yet another opportunity to win Limerick Of The Week.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Bob Dvorak, Chris Doyle, Edmund Conti, Jamie Hutchinson, Johanna Richmond, Kathy El-Assal, Kirk Miller, Limerick Contest, Limerick Of The Week, Phyllis Sterling Smith, Scott Crowder, Steve Whitred, Writing Competitions, Writing Contest
Posted in Contests, Limerick Award Winners, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Of The Week, Limerick Writing Contest, Limericks | 11 Comments »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013
Every time I sign on to Facebook, I’m confronted by stupid questions from Facebook, meant to prompt me to post. Alas, they’re more likely to prompt me to scream.
Dear Facebook: Enough With The Questions! (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Dear Facebook, don’t ask how I’m doing,
Or feeling or even what’s brewing.
“How’s it going?” will rile me.
Don’t try to beguile me
With gimmicks, or brace for some booing.
Tags: Facebook Humor, Facebook Limerick, Social Media Poetry, Social Networking Humor
Posted in Facebook Humor, Limericks, Media Humor, Social Media Humor | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013
Warning: If you’re into energy bars, be sure to read the label before ingesting:
The latest energy bar on the market uses crickets as its protein source.
Living Earth natural food store in Worcester started selling Feed The Revolution bars around Christmas.
The crickets are raised in Utah and ground into a fine powder said to be high in protein…
Are Cricket Bars Cricket? (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A bathroom-bound man felt sub-par
After eating an energy bar.
He exclaimed, “Sticky wicket!
I’ve just eaten cricket!
Insect protein is going too far!”
Tags: Bathroom Humor, Crickets, Energy Bars, Feed The Revolution, Food Humor, Food Limerick, Health Limericks, Insect and Bug Humor, Living Earth, Protein Sources, Utah
Posted in Food & Drink Humor, Health & Medical Humor, Health Verse, Insect Humor, Limericks | 21 Comments »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013
When I wrote my Pie-Eyed Limerick for National Pie Day, I mentioned that I happen to hate pie. This seemed to shock several Facebook friends, who demanded an explanation. Here it is:
Yet Another Pie Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
For those who keep asking me why
I’ve a deep-set aversion to pie,
My antipathy’s based
On its texture and taste.
Change my mind? Sorry, pie in the sky!
Tags: Celebrations Poetry, Food Humor, January Holidays, National Pie Day, Odd Holidays, Pie Limerick
Posted in Celebrations Poetry, Food & Drink Humor, Limericks, Odd Holidays | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
So, is everyone ready for National Pie Day? It’s celebrated every year on January 23rd. Warning: Do NOT confuse it with Pi Day, which is celebrated annually on March 14th.
I actually hate pie. (Now a good chocolate brownie is another story altogether.) But I wouldn’t let my pie-aversion get in the way of a limerick:
Pie-Eyed Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
“Two holidays often confused
Are Pi Day and Pie Day,” he mused.
“One’s for math-hungry dudes
And dudettes. One’s for foods.
For the former, I need to be boozed.”
Tags: Arithmetic, Celebrations Poetry, Food Humor, January Holidays, March Holidays, Math Humor, Mathematics Poem, National Pie Day, Odd Holidays, Pi, Pi Day, Pie Limerick
Posted in Celebrations Poetry, Food & Drink Humor, Limericks, Odd Holidays | 2 Comments »
Sunday, January 20th, 2013
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time.)
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A fellow had planned to come clean…*
or
A fellow who hated to clean…*
or
A woman had planned to come clean…*
or
A woman who hated to clean…*
*(Please note that minor variations to my first lines are acceptable. However, rhyme words may not be altered, except by using homonyms or homophones.)
Here’s my limerick:
Coming Clean About Limericks
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A fellow had planned to come clean
About actions he knew were obscene,
Till he noticed the knife
In the hand of his wife,
Well positioned for venting his spleen.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Cleanliness Humor, Coming Clean, Competition Limerick, Honesty Humor, Limerick Challenge, Limerick Contest, Marriage Humor, Poetry & Prompts, Relationship Humor, Violence Limerick, Writing Prompts
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Contests, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest | 116 Comments »
Sunday, January 20th, 2013
It’s time to announce the latest Limerick of the Week based on submissions (on this blog and on Facebook) in last week’s Limerick-Off.
Congratulations to Kirk Miller, who wins Limerick of the Week for this funny verse:
“There’s a raven that’s dead down below,”
Said the vulture. The eagle said, “No,
You are wrong as can be.”
So they flew down to see,
And the vulture was forced to eat crow.
(Please note that Kirk’s limerick technically violates my rules, by using my first line as his last line. But I liked his limerick so much, I chose it anyway.)
Congratulations to Robert Basler, who wins this week’s Facebook Friends’ Choice Award for this limerick:
A woman refused to eat crow
Or haggis, or broiled escargot.
The quite picky maven
Said, “Once I ate raven,
But never again! Never-mo!”
And congratulations to these Honorable Mention winners (in random order) Sue Dulley, Chris Doyle, Kathy El-Assal, Jamie Hutchinson, Jane Shelton Hoffman, and Steve Earp. Here are their respective Honorable Mention limericks:
Sue Dulley:
A baker refused to eat crow
For letting her business run low:
The bread wouldn’t rise
To a suitable size
Cuz the banker had frozen her dough.
Chris Doyle:
A caterer never ate crow
Though she served an hors d’oeuvre that caused woe.
Her “caviar emptor”
Was ruled to exempt her
If customers upchucked the roe.
Kathy El-Assal:
Ann Coulter refused to eat crow,
Finding left-wing critique oh-so-faux.
She just doubled down,
Knowing Fox News renown
Was the source from whence fortune would flow.
Jamie Hutchinson:
A blowhard who wouldn’t eat crow
Was convinced he was someone you’d know—
So much that he coughed
An objection (though soft)
When the coroner tagged him “John Doe.”
Jane Shelton Hoffman:
A woman would frequently crow:
“Plastic surgery’s THE way to go.”
But her skin was so tight
She could not smile or bite.
And when folks saw her breasts, they’d say, “Whoa!”
Steve Earp:
A raven was mocked by a crow:
“You don’t know Mark Twain from van Gogh.”
But the crow could have cried
When the raven replied,
“Have you been the subject of Poe?”
Congratulations again to all the winners for your wonderful limericks. And thanks to everyone for your fun submissions.
In the next couple of minutes I’ll be posting a new Limerick-Off, which gives you yet another opportunity to win Limerick Of The Week.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Chris Doyle, Jamie Hutchinson, Jane Shelton Hoffman, Kathy El-Assal, Kirk Miller, Limerick Contest, Limerick Of The Week, Robert Basler, Steve Earp, Sue Dulley, Writing Competitions, Writing Contest
Posted in Contests, Limerick Award Winners, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Of The Week, Limerick Writing Contest, Limericks | 8 Comments »
Friday, January 18th, 2013
Have I got an invention for you: Moisturizing jeans!
Yes, according to at least one jeans manufacturer, denim dries out your skin. Unless, of course, you wear THEIR product: Wrangler’s “Denim Spa” jeans.
I swear that I’m not pulling your leg.
Fashion Success … or Washout? (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Dreadful news for the dungaree-set,
Of a threat that may just make you sweat:
Denim dries out your skin!
That’s where “Spa” jeans fit in:
Rehydration’s their claim — sounds all wet!
Tags: Clothing Humor, Denim Spa Jeans, Dry Skin Humor, Dungarees, Fashion Humor, Inventions Poem, Jeans Humor, Moisturizing Jeans, Odd Inventions, Wrangler
Posted in Fashion Humor, Limericks, Odd Trends, Physical Appearance | 12 Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2013
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time.)
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A woman refused to eat crow…*
or
A woman would frequently crow…*
or
A fellow refused to eat crow…*
or
A fellow would frequently crow…*
*(Please note that minor variations to my first lines are acceptable. However, rhyme words may not be altered, except by using homonyms or homophones.)
Here’s my limerick:
Crowing About Limericks
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A woman refused to eat crow
At the end of a fight with her beau:
“Your point’s for the birds.
I will NOT eat my words.
You’re a dodo. My answer’s still no.”
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Argument Verse, Competition Limerick, Crowing, Eating Crow, Limerick Challenge, Limerick Contest, Poetry & Prompts, Relationship Humor, Writing Prompts
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Contests, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest, Relationship Humor | 103 Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2013
It’s time to announce the latest Limerick of the Week based on submissions (on this blog and on Facebook) in last week’s Limerick-Off.
Congratulations to Chris Doyle, who wins Limerick of the Week for this funny verse:
At beriths, Rabbi Cohen would claim,
“I’m not in this for fortune or fame.
Though a mohel takes joy
In each circumcised boy,
It’s the kid who has skin in the game.”
Congratulations to Boysan Faletusi, who wins this week’s Facebook Friends’ Choice Award for this limerick which received the most Facebook “likes.”
A fellow would frequently claim,
“I’m hung and you’re not, what a shame.”
His friend said, “Don’t brag,
Your hag is a ‘drag,’
And mine is a fine-lookin’ dame!”
And congratulations to these Honorable Mention winners (in random order) Jane Shelton Hoffman, Byron Miller a/k/a Errol Nimbly, Bill Klein, Colleen Murphy, Scott Crowder, Steve Whitred, Tim James, David Lefkovits a/k/a Dr. Goose, and Konrad Schwoerke. Here are their respective Honorable Mention limericks:
Jane Shelton Hoffman:
A woman would piously claim
That her husband was easy to tame.
No more Internet porn
Or gambling he’d sworn,
But he kept it up using her name.
Byron Miller a/k/a Errol Nimbly:
A hunter would frequently claim
“Always making clean kills is my game.”
As a kid, a pet kitten
He’d grievously smitten–
Since then, he has been anti-maim.
Bill Klein:
A woman would loudly exclaim
At great volume whenever she came.
But her man was a fool
Who thought her a jewel
‘Til that night she cried out the wrong name.
Colleen Murphy:
My three-year old often would claim
He tinkled with accurate aim.
When asked why the potty
Was always so spotty,
He said that his dad was to blame.
Scott Crowder:
A woman would frequently claim.
Her husband was lazy and lame.
I’m sorry, my dear,
Now fetch me a beer,
And let me get back to the game.
Steve Whitred:
A fellow would frequently claim
That all women he knew were the same.
Always early, he’d wait
With concern for each date,
And thank god if they finally came.
Tim James:
Some athletes would frequently claim,
“I’d never use steroids! That’s lame!”
They resembled in bulk
The Incredible Hulk.
Too bad there’s no Drug Hall of Fame.
David Lefkovits:
Mr. Christie had put in a claim
For a hurricane (Sandy, by name),
Which his buddy, the Speaker,
Delayed by a week or
A month, to his evident shame.
Konrad Schwoerke:
Our mother would frequently claim
That my brother and I were to blame.
“You boys broke what encloses
My painting of roses.”
Together we cried: “It’s a frame!”
Congratulations again to all the winners for your wonderful limericks. And thanks to everyone for your fun submissions.
In the next couple of minutes I’ll be posting a new Limerick-Off, which gives you yet another opportunity to win Limerick Of The Week.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Bill Klein, Boysan Faletusi, Byron Miller, Chris Doyle, Colleen Murphy, David Lefkovits, Jane Shelton Hoffman, Konrad Schwoerke, Limerick Contest, Limerick Of The Week, Scott Crowder, Steve Whitred, Tim James, Writing Competitions, Writing Contest
Posted in Contests, Limerick Award Winners, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Of The Week, Limerick Writing Contest, Limericks | 11 Comments »
Friday, January 11th, 2013
Every time CES rolls around, we’re bombarded with another slew of silly inventions. And CES 2013 is no exception.
I’ve already versified about the Smarter Socks app for hard-to-sort socks. But today I found an even more ridiculous invention: The WineRack Bra:
Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends!
Better than a Boob Job and Cheaper Too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks.
We developed The Winerack to “Fill Out” our product line if you will. The picture shown here is of our good friend Drea, who is NOT, no offense Drea, Well Endowed. Sporting the Winerack and Voila’ Drea’s giving Pamela Anderson a run for the money.
Take a bottle of wine, a mixed drink or even a fifth of your favorite hard stuff to the movies, concerts, ball games, even PTA meetings. Sporting a rack that will turn heads and serving a beverage that will have guys standing in line for a sip of your secret stash!
With simple blow into the tube it’s easy to keep that full look even as you drink from your secret stash.
This cries out for a limerick, don’t you think?
Yet Another Invention For Boobs (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Here’s another demented invention:
A bra to enhance each dimension
Of your breasts using wine.
Sip your bra while you dine?
Both sexy and oh so thirst quenchin’.
(In case you missed it many years ago, here are my Wonderbra Song Parody lyrics, which you could sing to “Miracle of Miracles” from “Fiddler on the Roof”.)
Tags: Boobs, Bra Humor, Brassieres, Breasts Humor, CES, Clothing Poem, Consumer Electronics Show, Fashion Verse, Food Humor, Food Verse, Inventions Poem, Odd Inventions, Physical Appearance, Underwear Humor, Wine Humor, Women's Fashion
Posted in Fashion Humor, Food & Drink Humor, Limericks, Odd Trends, Physical Appearance | 10 Comments »
Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
Just when you think a problem is unsolvable, a creative company comes up with a solution. I’m referring, of course, to Smarter Socks which, we’re told, “makes sorting socks child’s play” through “interaction between the socks with a communication button, the Sock Sorter and an iPhone app.”
What would Seinfeld have to say about this?
There’s An App For WHAT??? (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
If you find that your socks keep cavorting
And consorting with strangers, your sorting
Can be helped with an app:
Smarter Socks fill the gap
When your laundering skills need supporting.
UPDATE: Alternatively, you could ditch the app and celebrate No Socks Day 365 days a year.
Tags: Clothing Poem, Computer Software, Computer Verse, Fashion Verse, Hosiery Limerick, Household Chores, Inventions Poem, iPhone Apps Humor, Jerry Seinfeld, Laundry Humor, May Holidays, Men's Fashion, No Socks Day, Odd Holidays, Odd Inventions, Smarter Socks, Sorting Socks Humor, Technology Humor, Underwear Humor
Posted in Computer Humor, Fashion Humor, House & Home Humor, Limericks, Odd Holidays, Odd Trends, Technology Humor, Telephone Humor | 7 Comments »
Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
The 9-1-1 emergency number has become so common, you’d think people would know when (and when not) to use it. But apparently not.
How NOT To Use 9-1-1 (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
The 9-1-1 number is meant
For a notably urgent event.
Don’t call to report
A stale pizza or torte…
Or hamsters that breed sans consent.
(Using 911 to report a lion sighting in Virginia is probably okay … even if it turns out to be just a labradoodle groomed to look like a lion.)
Tags: 911 Calls, Animal & Pet Humor, Cops & Police, Crime & Punishment Humor, Emergency Calls, Emergency Line Limerick, Food Verse, Hamster Humor, Labradoodle Humor, Lion Humor, Pizza Humor, Policeman Verse, Telephone Humor
Posted in Animal & Pet Humor, Behavior & Personality, Crime & Punishment Humor, Food & Drink Humor, Legal & Lawyer Humor, Limericks, Telephone Humor | Comments Off on How NOT To Use 9-1-1 (Limerick)
Tuesday, January 8th, 2013
It seems that artificial intelligence has a pun and joke-writing branch called computational humor. For instance, a computer software program called Standup:
Though it’s not quite Louis C. K., the Standup program, engineered by a team of computer scientists in Scotland, is one of the more successful efforts to emerge from a branch of artificial intelligence known as computational humor, which seeks to model comedy using machines.
Some Jokes Just Don’t Compute (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Computational humor is here:
Oddball software whose goal’s the frontier
Of punning and jokes.
But so far, I’d say folks
Who are funny have nothing to fear.
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Comedy Software, Computational Humor, Computer Humor, Computer Scientist, Computer Software, Joke Writing, Louis C. K., Pun Writing, Scotland, Standup, Technology Limerick, Writing & Publishing Humor
Posted in Computer Humor, Limericks, Science Humor, Technology Humor, Writing & Publishing Humor | 2 Comments »
Sunday, January 6th, 2013
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time.)
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A woman would frequently claim…*
or
A fellow would frequently claim…*
*(Please note that minor variations to my first lines are acceptable. However, rhyme words may not be altered, except by using homonyms or homophones.)
Here’s my limerick:
Limerick Claim
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A gambler would frequently claim
That his friends and his spouse were to blame
For his being a louse
And losing his house.
Shifting guilt for misdeeds was his game.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
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Tags: Competition Limerick, Gambling Limerick, Gambling Verse, House & Home, Limerick Challenge, Limerick Contest, Money & Finance Humor, Poetry & Prompts, Spousal Humor, Writing Prompts
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Contests, Gambling & Gaming Humor, House & Home Humor, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Marriage Humor, Money & Finance Humor, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest | 103 Comments »
