By the way, this was — and is — Elijah the Prophet’s favorite joke. Told Saturday nights around the fire or on Passover as he’s doing the rounds . . .
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Eliya.
Eliya who?
Eliyahu haNavi . . . knock knock.
Who’s there?
Eliya.
Eliya who?
Eliyahu haTishbi . . . knock knock.
Who’s there?
Eliya.
Eliya who?
Eliyahu haGiladi.
Oh.
I must respond to the simply delightful comment by Nicholas Fayrewether III to my last post Marry Marry Quite Contrary. He wrote:
This brings to mind the misadventures of Irish footballer Andrew Myler.
At a recent game, Andrew swiftly drove the ball towards the goal, moving well ahead of his teammates. With no one to back him up, the ball was quickly taken from him. Since that game I have often lain awake in bed, wondering over and over again: Why didn’t Myler tarry more?
What a remarkable remark. And while we are exchanging nostalgic celebrity reminscences, Mr. Fayrewether’s touching story elicited the following:
You might say that writer Norman Mailer has been and continues to be extraorinarily — perhaps even ridiculously — prolific. And busy. He may be described not so much a writer as someone who did stuff with words. Novels, journalism, screenwriting, playwrighting, film direction, creative nonfiction, essay, etc. He even blogs and is not above TV cameos either. For heaven’s sake, he was awarded the National Book Award and twice won the Pulitzer.
Where does he find the time?! It’s almost impossible to keep track of all the things he says and does. Twenty-six books? More? And then the essays and the articles and the blog posts. And when he’s not creating he’s procreating. Mailer has been married six (!) times, and has nine (!) children by his various wives, only one of whom he stabbed with a penknife.
My god, the man is 84 years old. You really have to ask yourself, why doesn’t Mailer tire more?
A couple of the schploggers were playing boggle last night and it was a completely *obscene* boggle board, so it turned into a game of sloggle. Here were all the words on the board.
orgy
porn
only
torn
blew
hewn
whore/s
horse
prod
gory
lewd
whey
Actually, President Tyler was married twice; first to the lovely Letitia Christian Tyler with whom he had eight children, and then to Julia Gardiner Tyler, with whom he had seven children.
Talk about being fruitful and multiplying — fifteen children — and sixteen if you count John Dunjee who claimed to be John Tyler’s illegitimate son from one of his female slaves. Scandal! All these children with only two wives (and possibly a slave).
A little known piece of presidential trivia:
Julia Gardiner was originally betrothed to William Henry Harrison, but she left him for the VP. Turns out she wanted to marry Tyler more!
Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
What’s the big hullabal?
I gave my pet squirrel a new haircut — short on the sides and bangs — and he totally lost it and started tearing the house apart.
Now he’s squirrely with a fringe on top.
