What the fuck does he know, friggin' nitwit.

Al, you wrote 'fuck.' ;-)

Best laugh I had all day... thanks for that.

Al made me laugh too.

Hi,

save every pennie; you never know what they might really be worth. In tough times they will save your life. Figure out what things are really worth! Speaking of being polite and considerate I have 50 Gmail invites that I would like to give away. Be sure to ask for them today; you never know what they might really be worth. best wishes;

ctopher... give twenty away and you'll have fifty tomorrow. They're like herpes and keep coming back.

They aren't worth much, but if you want to go short I'll give you thirty to one at a buck each. Think about it. Considering the way they multiply this could be your kids ticket to Harvard -- worst case (for you) it's my ticket to a cheap twelve-pack.

If only that quote were true all the time, dear.

Sadly, I think society has changed since the days that quote was, erm, quoted. Some (like us, of course) try to keep the sentiment alive. Alas, many would take that penny, invest it and keep all the interest for themselves.

Or am I just growing old and cynical?

since the quote doesn't specify a time range its probably always true ... for the faithful (or alchemists), and never for the pessimists

More words! We demand more words!

Where are you? We miss you.

My, my, my...

such interesting remarks from y'all...

I read a blog entry elsewhere that addressed my quotation and it read (I'm paraphrasing) something like "fuck politeness - it doesn't work" ... I suppose adopting the polar opposite of politeness is the norm these days -- I for one choose not to go that route.

A second thought on the topic: of course there are those who practice faux politeness too; and in that case I'd prefer the polar opposite ... hmm, did that make sense?

Yes it did make lots of sense.
Was I by any chance the party being accused of saying "fuck politeness - it doesn't work" because if I woz that's grossly exaggerated.
But I think it is politely possible, for example, to tell somebody to "fuck off."
Much depends on the tone of voice. Politeness certainly doesn't work with some people. I don't know what it's like in NYC but I know in Paris the sweestest-looking of elderly ladies wobbling their way towards a seat in the Métro are also those most likely to thump you very hard if you don't make way for them.

Nick - so it sounded familiar, eh? Of course it was your commentary that led to my follow-up comment. In fact, your commentary was so juicy it was ripe for a blog post about all those built-up "fuck you's" I've got inside, just waiting for a good excuse to let it rise to the surface. Yes, it is indeed possible to politely tell someone to 'fuck off' -- and tone of voice is important. However, sometimes a person doesn't have the opportunity to actually *say* those words and instead must type them. You know what I mean, Nick?

As far as the elderly are concerned, I do hope that you get out of their way and also give up your seat for them. Otherwise you've only yourself to blame if you're on the receiving end of any thumping. :-) Here in NYC, the new thing is that people are being mugged for their iPods; I've yet to hear of any stories where little old ladies are thumping folks in the subway -- the place is nerve-wracking enough though I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.