Wipe Away a Tear For Mr. Whipple, And 2-Ply Times – washingtonpost.com

Wipe Away a Tear For Mr. Whipple, And 2-Ply Times – washingtonpost.com

Dick Wilson, the actor who played Mr. Whipple in more than 500 Charmin commercials from 1964 to 1985, died Monday at age 91, at a hospital for ailing movie and television actors, way out in the San Fernando Valley. He’d done other parts, in sitcoms, but showbiz can only be counted on to give a guy one sure thing, if he’s lucky, and Wilson got to be Mr. Whipple, forever.

Wilson died on what just happened to be World Toilet Day, in which global health advocates and public bathroom accessibility proponents annually remind us that not even 20 percent of the planet’s population enjoys daily access to a clean, working toilet — to say nothing of “squeezably soft” rolls of tissue.

This just made me smile.

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Tags: Washington-Post, Charmin, toilet-paper, TV, advertising, funny, death

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Took a small vacation to Lancaster County

Intercourse, Pennsylvania – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We stayed in Intercourse, PA and drove all around the immediate area. We took a buggy ride hosted by an Old Order Amish farmer named Lloyd. He gave us the lowdown on who owned property, how good their property was and how many tragedies occurred there. Lloyd had a taste for the tragic – fire, accidents and death. Who knew!

The town is very lovely albeit it very touristy. I suspect you can overdose on cutesy very quickly. However, my weakness was the food – pretzels especially. We toured the Intercourse Pretzel Factory and I was trained to form a pretzel. I couldn’t leave without buying at least one bag – well, make that 4.

We stayed at a charming bed and breakfast – Carriage Corner Bed & Breakfast. The host was very amiable and the breakfast delicious!

The best part was just driving through the back roads. I haven’t seen so much farmland and corn in years. Fortunately, the Amish don’t sell their corn for fuel. They use it for food, seed and feed only.

technorati tags:vacation, tourism, Amish, Lancaster, Intercourse-PA, food, pretzel, rural, corn, summer

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"The Simpsons won. Good night, John Boy.”

The Guys Who Go With the ‘D’oh!’ – washingtonpost.com

Here is a fun article from today’s Washington Post talking about the Simpsons.

On the campaign trail in 1992, George H.W. Bush promised voters that if he were reelected president, “we’re going to strengthen the American family to make it more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons.”

The Simpsons won. Good night, John Boy.

“When Bush said he wanted us to be the Waltons, we thought, what? He wants us to be poor and sleep in the same bed?” This is Al Jean, one of the founding writers for “The Simpsons,” which has been a pop culture trademark for 18 years and 400 episodes on the Fox network.

“We also wondered, why the Waltons? Weren’t they, you know, set in the Depression?” This is David Silverman, one of the original animators for the show and now director of “The Simpsons Movie,” opening nationwide on Friday.

It’s a fun article with info about the early Simpson development on the Tracy Ullman show and some teaser info on the movie. Give it a read.

technorati tags:Simpsons, funny, silly, television, pop-culture, comedy, family, Washington-Post

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Found Magazine – a quirky site

FOUND Magazine | Find of the Day

“We collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids’ homework,
to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles –
anything that gives a glimpse into someone else’s life. Anything goes…”

This is the concept for Found Magazine. Very simple yet strangely compelling. The other interesting component is where and how the objects were found.

We are all such pack-rats and litter-bugs. Be careful with your stuff because it may end up here.

technorati tags:found, trash, detritus, fun, odd, stuff

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The art of storytelling

This American Life

What is This American Life? I think it’s small slices of Americana given through storytelling. It’s like sitting around and listening to stories from the relatives who have the best stories and great memories.

My niece Sarah introduced me to this radio broadcast. I subscribe to it as a podcast through iTunes. This way I’m not tied to a radio broadcast time and I can stop and start it as needed.

I wish my dad could have heard this program. He would have liked it. He was a great storyteller. So was my mom. I miss hearing their stories told by them. Sometimes I tell them to myself but it’s not the same. I wish I could have captured some of their stories on tape.

I recommend this show not only for the great stories but to serve as an inspiration to ask your family to tell their stories.

technorati tags:storytelling, family, NPR, radio, podcast, Americana

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