OOB #23
Oops! Just a tad late due to the Honeymooner’s Special going on all week here at the Zone (if you missed it, click to see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 or Part 4). Plus, I’m in Chicago today for the Big Bash of the Year, SOBCon08. But what the hey; better late than never, I always say!
Anyhoo – since it’s that time of the month again (no, silly, not that time!), here’s a roundup of just a few of the more unusual things I ran across out there this past month…
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen – the time has come for another exciting edition of… OOB!
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Hero Dept.
A policeman in Eugene, Oregon earned the rank of Hero after rescuing a woman from the hungry jaws and threatening coils of a Burmese python, who apparently decided to make a meal of her. Upon arriving on the scene (and no doubt letting loose his best Tarzan yell), he managed to pry the snake’s jaws open enough to let the woman loose.
Now that’s what I call “above and beyond”! If it had been me, I have no problem admitting I’d probably have screamed like a girl and run as fast as I could the other way. I think I’m with a lot of other folks who would wholeheartedly agree with Indiana Jones’ succinct and somewhat pithy assessment of similar situations:
“Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?”
Why Didn’t I Think of That Dept.
For those of us who remember when public phone booths were useful for more than just making a phone call (for instance, you could use them to change into your super crime-fighter costume, or travel through time and/or space) it’s disheartening to say the least that they are becoming fewer in number.
The reason: the practically ubiquitous cell phone. Yep, by spreading through our societies like a plague, these things are turning the old phone booth into a totally useless and practically obscure technological oddity, like vinyl records, transistor radios, and Macs.
Unfortunately, the transition has not been easy. One of the most irritating things about these, er, things is the fact that people will whip one out no matter where they are. Then they start talking on ‘em with their “outside voice” such that anyone within throwing distance is ready to pick up the nearest rock and do just that!
But not to worry! Thanks to a chance-discovered link, I’m here to tell ya, artist Nick Rodrigues has a solution: the Portable Cell Phone Booth! Yessir; you carry it like a backpack, and whenever you feel the urge to make that call, well, no matter where you are, you reach over your shoulder, flip it over your head, and voila! instant phone booth!
So if you’re one of those folks who simply don’t know how to speak softly on a cell phone (I wish I could say you know who you are – but alas, you usually don’t), well I’m here to tell ya: get one! You can trust me on this; everyone around you will thank you!
Dept. of Strange and Unusual Holidays
In South Korea, on Valentine’s day, women give gifts to men. Alright, guys, altogether now: “That sounds OK to me!” And, in a trend that’s been sweeping Asia, a new holiday called White Day (March 14) is when the men give the women gifts (sound of millions of women cheering).
But in North Korea, they have one more related day, called Black Day (April 14), in which those who haven’t managed to find love can, er, celebrate commiserate their poor fortune. But, it’s the way they celebrate that makes this story qualify for the OOB column.
They, um, dive head-first into a vat of noodles. Yep; you read it right.
Head first. Vat of noodles.
Oh, well; when you consider the date (right next to April 15th, which in the U.S. is affectionately known as Tax Day to the local denizens), maybe we Americans might just feel like doing the same.
(Image: Ooooodles-of-Noodles-Posters)
Dept. of Self-Promotion
Did you know there’s a new installment of OOB every month? Yes indeedy! So if you’re interested in an even bigger helping of the strange, the unusual, and the extraordinarily whacko (that is, as opposed to just plain whacko), you might want to check out previous editions.
Hey, it’s easy! Just click on that cute little Archives button up there at the top, then scroll down the categories list and click on OOB. In fact, I double-dog dare you! (But don’t say I didn’t warn you.)
(By the way, if you have any great suggestions for future OOB items, by all means drop me a line at rhruzek@sbcglobal.net. If I use one of your suggestions, to demonstrate my undying gratitude, I’ll mention your name and link to you. But hurry! This offer expires on Dec. 31, 2597!)
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Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
I thought you were going to say “celebate” instead of “celebrate”.
Good one, Chip; actually, that may not be too far from the truth, I suppose… :-\
DELICIOUS NOODLES!
On a side note, the trick to getting people to talk quieter on their cell phones is sidle right up to them and listen in on their conversation. And when they say, “Hey, I’m trying to have a private conversation here!” you say, “But you are not in private. You are in public. Which makes your conversation a public one. So if you want it to be private, go to a private place.”
You know, Sam, I’ve always wanted to try that. The only problem is the first guy I did it to was about 3 times bigger than me! Luckily I could run faster than he could!
ROFL!!! This was seriously funny! I love the portable cell phone booth. I’ve learned that Michiganders are not as bad as Californians with cell phones. In many places you get “the look” if you talk on your cell phone while in line,checking out. Since moving here I am much more conscious of when I use my phone and tend to hang up before entering a building, store, etc. Okay, off to go dive in a vat of noodles.
I suppose diving into a vat of noodles is better than being lashed 50 times with a wet noodle. But not by much. But hey, have fun!
With all the famine in North Korea, I’m thinking that after a few divers the noodle level will have dropped precipitously!
Mike
Oil shortages, gas shortages, and now noodle shortages! Good gosh, what’s next?! Somebody better alert the media! :-O