FAMOUS SEX QUOTES…

Tom Clancy: “I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy.”

Steve Martin: “You know “that look” women get when they want sex? Me neither.”

Drew Carey: “Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as meaningless experiences go, it’s pretty damned good.”

Woody Allen: “Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don’t have a good partner, you’d better have a good hand.”

Rodney Dangerfield: “If it weren’t for pickpockets I’d have no sex life at all.”

Rodney Dangerfield: “My wife said she’d like to have sex in the back seat of the car… and she wanted me to drive.”

George Burns: “It isn’t premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married.”

George Burns: “Sex at age 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope.”

Lynn Lavner: “There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL.”

Harvey Korman: “Using Viagra is like putting a new flagpole on a condemned building.”

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Hotel Managers…

Next time you think your hotel bill is too high….
….you might want to use this logic!

A husband and wife are traveling by car from Key West to Boston. After almost twenty-four hours on the road, they’re too tired to continue, and they decide to stop for a rest. They stop at a nice hotel and take a room, but they only plan to sleep for four hours and then get back on the road.

When they check out four hours later, the desk clerk hands them a bill for $350.

The man explodes and demands to know why the charge is so high. He tells theClerk although it’s a nice hotel, the rooms certainly aren’t worth $350. When the clerk tells him $350 is the standard rate, the man insists on speaking to the Manager.

The Manager appears, listens to the man, and then explains that the hotel has an Olympic- sized pool and a huge conference center that were available for the husband and wife to use.

“But we didn’t use them”, the man complains.

“Well, they are here, and you could have,” explains the Manager.

He goes on to explain they could have taken in one of the shows for which the hotel is famous. “The best entertainers from New York, Hollywood and Las Vegas perform here,” the Manager says.

“But we didn’t go to any of those shows,” complains the man again.

“Well, we have them, and you could have”, the Manager replies.

No matter what facility the Manager mentions, the man replies, “But we didn’t use it!”

The Manager is unmoved, and eventually the man gives up and agrees to pay.He writes a check and gives it to the Manager.

The Manager is surprised when he looks at the check.”But sir,” he says, “this check is only made out for $100.”

“That’s right,” says the man. “I charged you $250 for sleeping with my wife.”

“But I didn’t!” exclaims the Manager.

“Well,” the man replies, “she was here, and you could have.”

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Newspaper headlines in 2035

Newspaper headlines in the year 2035
– Some are just marvelous!

Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventhlargest country in the world, California.

White minorities still trying to have English recognized as California’sthird language.

Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops &livestock.

Baby conceived naturally…. Scientists stumped.

Last remaining Fundamentalist Muslim dies in the American Territory ofthe Middle East (formerly known as Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and Lebanon.)

Iraq still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least tenmore years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.

Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.

Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reducesmail delivery to Wednesday only.

35 year study: Diet and Exercise is the key to weight loss.

Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.

Average height of NBA players now nine feet, seven inches.

New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screw-drivers, flyswatters, and rolled up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.

Congress authorizes direct deposit of illegal political contributions to campaign accounts.

Capital Hill intern indicted for refusing to have sex with congressman.

IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75%.

Florida Democrats still don’t know how to use a voting machine.

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Maenoumi’s danpatsu shiki

Mainoumi’s danpatsushiki
(top notch cutting ceremony)


(Click to enlarge)
I have spent a wonderful 4 hours at Ryogoku kokugikan, in a masuseki in the 2nd row West, virtually right opposite the dohyo in the company of your wife and her 2 children. The box was quite full with the 3 people and the omiyage bags but I had the fortune of sitting in the box just behind them as those people did never show…

There were juryo matches on as we came in. Mitoizumi (injured during the May tournament) was just throwing his huge handful of salt into the air as we arrived. Before the actual top notch cutting began, two professional hair dressers showed how to style sumotori with his chonnage. Over 400 people cut Mainoumi’s hair; the most famous being some baseball players, Yokozuna Akebono, Mainoumi’s father, and the final cut was made by his stale master Dewanoumi oyakata.

Then, Akebono came in with about 6 attendants who showed how to bind the white ‘Yokozuna’ rope around the large belly of the Grand Champion. Very interesting and hard work. Then, we had the makunouchi dohyo iri ceremony with all active wrestlers in the wing, followed by the 3 Yokozuna ceremonies. Yes, you read correctly: naturally, Akebono and Takanohana did their ceremony but as last came, to our big surprise, Yokozuna Wakanohana. He got a tremendous welcome, and in all truth, he made the best impression among the 3. He should never have resigned that soon.

Before the makunouchi bouts started, the sumo taiko was brought in. It was the drum that one normally hears when leaving the sumo stadium at 6 PM, after the day’s performance is over. Very impressive in the arena. We stayed only for the first few bouts, and I was happy to see that veteran Terao got a beautiful win over his much heavier opponent. Though he will battle in juryo next tournament, I hope he will bounce back to makunouchi so that at 37, he can continue to try to beat his father’s old record of longest grappling rikishi (Tsurugamine, retired at age 38, when he become Isuzu oyakata).

It was a day full of surprises. I wanted to stay for the cutting only as I had many years ago for Ozeki Wakashimazu. There, as the third in line for cutting his hair (after a top Government minister and a Diet Member), I was even shown on NHK midday news. The wife of a friend saw this and was very excitedly shouting to her husband that he believed she had a health problem. The only thing she tried to tell him was that she saw me on NHK…

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Mileage Bonanza

This is a true story gone truly haywire for a not too brilliantly conceived marketing scheme by Healthy Choice in the US…

FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

At this point, two things seem clear: It will be a very long timebefore David Phillips will have to pay for another airline ticket. Andit will be even longer before many poor and homeless people in theSacramento area will want to see another cup of chocolate pudding.

Phillips, a civil engineer at UC-Davis, has become a cult hero in theobsessive subculture of people who collect frequent-flier miles byparlaying $3,150 worth of pudding into 1.2 million miles. Oh, yeah -he’s also going to claim a $815 tax write-off.
Last May, Phillips was pushing his shopping cart down the frozen-foodaisle of his local supermarket when a promotion on a Healthy Choicefrozen entree caught his eye: He could earn 500 miles for every 10Universal Product Codes (bar codes) from Healthy Choice products hesent to the company by Dec. 31. Even better: Any bar codes mailed bythe end of the month would rack up double the mileage, or 1,000 milesfor every 10 labels.

“I started doing the math, and I realized that this was a great deal,”he said. “I wanted to take my family to Europe this summer, and thiscould be the way.”

Frozen entrees were about $2 apiece, but a few aisles away Phillipsfound cans of Healthy Choice soups at 90 cents each. He filled his cartwith them, and then headed to his local Grocery Outlet, awarehouse-style discount store. And there he hit the mother lode. “Theyhad individual servings of chocolate pudding for 25 cents apiece,” hesaid. “And each serving had its own bar code on it. I did some moremath and decided to escalate my plans.”

Phillips cleaned the store out-bought every last cup of pudding in thewarehouse. He then asked the manager for the addresses of all the otherGrocery Outlet in the Central Valley and, with his mother-in-law ridingshotgun in his van, spent a weekend scouring the shelves of every storefrom Davis to Fresno.

“There were 10 stores in all,” he said. “Luckily, most of them wereright off the freeway.” He filled his garage to the rafters withchocolate pudding and stacked additional cases in his living room. ButPhillips wasn’t finished yet – he had the manager of his local GroceryOutlet order him 60 more cases. “A few days later I went out behind thestore,” he said, “and there were two whole pallets of chocolate puddingwith my name on them.”

All in all, he’d purchased 12,150 individual servings of pudding.Around this time, Phillips began to reveal his scheme to fellow readersof the Webflyer Web site (www.flyertalk.com), where he posted anaccount under the name “Pudding Guy.” Phillips’ tale was met withskepticism, if not outright disbelief, until he uploaded photos of hishaul. They’re still there, at their internet address ofhttp://www.flyertalk.com/pudding.htm .

But then Pudding Guy discovered he had a problem on his hands: Thedeadlinefor earning double miles was quickly approaching, and there wassimply no way Phillips and his wife could tear off all those bar codesin time.
“I had to come up with something to do with all that pudding, fast” he said.
Phillips trucked the pudding to two local food banks and theSalvation Army,which agreed to tear off the bar codes in exchange forthe food donation.

“We’d never seen anything like it,” said Larry Hostetler, communityrelations director for the Sacramento Salvation Army. “We’ve gottensome big donations, but always from companies and institutions, notindividual people.”

Phillips got his bar codes in the mail in time to beat the deadline,and then held his breath. The promotion specifically said I could getthe miles for any Healthy Choice product,” he said. “But still, itseemed like there was a good chance they’d get me on sometechnicality.” But then packages – large packages – started arriving inthe mail from Healthy Choice. In all, they contained 2,506certificates, each good for 500 miles. That’s 1,253,000 miles.

Under the terms of the promotion, Phillips could have the mileageposted in any airline account. He split 216,000 between his United,Delta and Northwest accounts and posted the rest – 1,037,000 miles – tohis American Airlines account. By surpassing the million-mile mark,Pudding Guy now has Advantage Gold status for life, entitling him to aspecial reservations number, priority boarding, upgrades and bonusmiles. While we talked on the phone, Pudding Guy did a little math – asyou might have noticed by now, he’s very, very good at math – andfigured out that the scheme netted him enough miles for 31 round-tripcoach tickets to Europe, or 42 tickets to Hawaii, or 21 tickets toAustralia, or 50 tickets anywhere in the U.S.

“Wow – 31 trips to Europe for a little over $3,000,” I said.. “That’sless than $100 a ticket.” “Oh, it’s better than that,” Phillips said.”Since I gave the pudding to Charity, I can take a tax write-off of$815. So that brings the cost of a ticket to Europe down to $75.”

As it turns out, Pudding Guy didn’t donate all his stash to the foodbanks. He kept about 100 servings for himself, and he’s just aboutfinished them. “Actually,” he said, “I really like the stuff.”

San Francisco Examiner

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A preacher’s problem and a fine parrot stroy

A preachers problem

A preacher wanted to earn money for his church. He had heard there was money in horse racing. So he decided to purchase a horse and enter it in the races.

However, at the local auction the going price for horses was too steep and the preacher ended up buying a donkey.

The preacher figured since he had the donkey he might as well enter it in the races: the next day the donkey came in third.

The following day in the racing forms the Headline appeared:
“PREACHER’S ASS SHOWS”

The preacher was so pleased with the donkey that he entered the donkey the next day also. The donkey won!! The racing forum Read:
“PREACHER’S ASS OUT IN FRONT”

The ranking Bishop was so upset with this type of publicity that he ordered the preacher not to enter the donkey in the races anymore. The headlines read: “BISHOP SCRATCHES PREACHER’S ASS”

This was too much for the Bishop and he ordred the preacher to get rid of the donkey. The preacher decided to give the animal to the nearby convent. The following day the paper read:
“NUNS HAVE BEST ASS IN TOWN”

The Bishop fainted; he informed the nuns to get ride of the animal so they sold it to a farmer for $10.00. The next day the paper read:
“NUNS PEDDLE ASS FOR TEN BUCKS”

They buried the Bishop the next day. The following day the paper read:
TOO MUCH ASS RESPONSIBLE FOR BISHOP’S DEATH”
A Fine Parrot Story.

A guy decides that maybe he’d like to have a pet and goes to a pet shop. After looking around he spots a parrot sitting on a little perch.

It doesn’t have any feet or legs. The guy says out loud, “Jeez, I wonder what happened to this parrot?”

“I was born this way,” says the parrot. “I’m a defective parrot.”

“Ha, ha,” the guy laughs. “It sounded like this parrot actually understood what I said and answered me.”

“I understood every word,” says the parrot. “I am a highly intelligent, thoroughly educated bird.”

“Yeah?” the guy asks. “Then answer this: how do you hang onto your perch without any feet?”

“Well,” the parrot says, “this is a little embarrassing, but since you asked, I’ll tell you. I wrap my little parrot penis around this wooden bar, kind of like a little hook. You can’t see it because of my feathers.”

“Wow,” says the guy, “you really can understand and answer, can’t you?”

Of course. I speak both Spanish and English. I can converse with reasonable competence on almost any subject: politics, religion, sports, physics, philosophy … and I am especially good at ornithology. You ought to buy me. I am a great companion.”

The guy looks at the price tag. $200. He says. “I can’t afford that.”

“Pssst,” the parrot hisses, motioning the guy over with one wing.

“Nobody wants me because I don’t have any feet. You can get me for $20, just make an offer.”

The guy offers 20 dollars and walks out with the parrot. Weeks go by. The parrot is sensational. He’s funny, he’s interesting, he’s a great pal, he understands everything, sympathizes, gives good advice. The guy is delighted.

One day the guy comes home from work and the parrot says, “pssst,” and motions him over with one wing.

The guy goes up close to the cage. “I don’t know if I should tell you this or not”, says the parrot, “but it’s about your wife and the mailman…” “What?” says the guy. “What?”

“Well,” the parrot says, “when the mailman came to the door today your wife greeted him in a sheer nightgown and kissed him on the mouth.”

“What happened then?” asks the guy. “Then the mailman came into the house and lifted up the nightgown and began petting her all over,” reports the parrot.

“My God!!” the guy says. “Then what?”

“Then he lifted up the nightgown, got down on his knees and began to lick her body, starting with her breasts slowly going Down and down…”

The parrot pauses for a long time…

“What happened? What happened?” asks the guy, now really frantic.

“I don’t know,” says the Parrot, ” My d*** got hard and I fell off my perch….

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Collection of jokes

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS
Smart man + smart woman = romance
Smart man + dumb woman = affair
Dumb man + smart woman = marriage
Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy

OFFICE ARITHMETIC
Smart boss + smart employee = profit
Smart boss + dumb employee = production
Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion
Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

SHOPPING MATH
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t need.

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

HAPPINESS
To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.
To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

LONGEVITY
Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

PROPENSITY TO CHANGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change, and she does.

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, “You’re next.” They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.
A family matter
A couple drove several miles down a country road, not saying a word.An earlier discussion had led to an argument, and neither wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules and pigs, the wife sarcastically asked, “Relatives of yours?”
“Yep,” the husband replied, “In-laws.”

An excellent consulting job
I was in the VIP lounge last week en route to Bonn. Whilst in the lounge, I noticed Bill Gates sitting on the Chesterfield enjoying a cognac. I was meeting with a very important client who was also flying to Bonn with me but she was running a bit late. Being a forward type of guy, I approached Mr. Gates and introduced myself.
I explained to him that I was conducting some very important business and how I would appreciate it if he could throw a quick “Hello Chris” at me when I waswith my client. He agreed.
Ten minutes later while I was conversing with my client, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Bill Gates. I turned around and looked up at him.
He said, “Hi Chris, what’s happening?” to which I replied “*censored* off, Gates, can’t you see I’m in a meeting?”

In the retirement home
A couple is having trouble taking care of their elderly father, as both of them work. After a long discussion they have decided that he would be taken care of better in a retirement home. After a long search the couple had decided on a nice home and took the old man there so he could check it out.
When they entered the facility they sat the old man down in the lobby as they had to fill out paperwork with the administrator.
After a few minutes, the old man started to lean to the left. He got about about 45 degrees over when a nurse passing by straightened him up. “There you go, sir,” and she walked away.
A couple of minutes after that, the old man started to lean to the right. He had almost reached another 45 degrees when an orderly grabbed him and said, “Here be careful, don’t want to fall over,” and walked away.
Minutes later the old man began to lean forward when his kids walked back with the administrator. The administrator seeing the old man leaning forward quickly righted him.
The couple assured that their father liked the placed asked him what he thought of it.
The old man just looked at them and replied, “It’s okay, but what does a guy have to do to fart around here?”

At the Gates of Heaven
Two men waiting at the gates of Heaven strike up a conversation.
“How did you die?” the first man asks the second.
“I froze to death,” says the second.
“That’s awful,” says the first man. “How does it feel to freeze to death?”
“It’s very uncomfortable at first”, says the second man. “But in the end it isn’t too bad. How did you die?”
“I had a heart attack,” says the first man. “I knew my wife was cheating on me, so one day I went home unexpectedly. I found her alone in the bedroom, doing some knitting. Then I ran all over the house looking for the man, starting in the basement, but just as I got to the attic, I had a massive heart attack and died.”
The second man shakes his head. “That’s so ironic.”
“What do you mean?” asks the first man.
“If you had only stopped to look in the freezer, we would both still be alive and kicking!”

Do you have a match?
Ole and Sven were fishing one day when Sven pulled out a cigar. Finding he had no matches, he asked Ole for a light.
“Ya, shure,I tink I haff a lighter,” he replied, reached into his tackle box, and pulled out a BIC lighter 10 inches long.
“Yiminy Cricket!” exclaimed Sven,” vhere did yew get dat monster??”
“Vell,” replied Ole,”I got it from my Genie.”
“You haff a genie?” Sven asked.
“Ya, shure, right here in my tackle box,” says Ole.
“Could I see him?”
So Ole opens his tackle box and sure enough, out pops the genie. Sven says, addressing the genie, “Hey dere! I’m a good friend of your master.Vill you grant me vun vish?”
“Yes I will“, says the genie. So Sven asks the genie for a million bucks. The genie disappears back into the tackle box leaving Sven sitting there, waiting for his million bucks.
Shortly, the sky darkens and is filled with the sound of a million ducks flying overhead. Sven yells at Ole, “I asked for a million BUCKS, not DUCKS!”
Ole answers, “Ya, I forgot to tell yew, da genie is hard of hearing. Do yew really tink I asked for a 10-inch BIC?”

Tewish song
Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Cohen lived next door to each other for over 40 years, and over the years became loving friends. One day Mrs. Murphy came to Mrs. Cohen and said, “These houses are becoming too much for us, let’s sell them and each move into a home for the aged.”
Each went to a home of their respective religions, and were soon placed. Mrs. Murphy felt very lonesome for Mrs. Cohen, and one day asked to be driven to the Jewish Home to visit her old friend Mrs. Cohen. When she arrived she was greeted with open arms, hugs and kisses. Mrs. Murphy said”So how do you like it here.”
Mrs. Cohen went on and on about the wonderful food, the facility and the care takers. She then said, “You know the best thing is that I now have a boyfriend.”
Mrs. Murphy said, “Now isn’t that wonderful. Tell me what you do.”
Mrs. Cohen said, “After lunch we go up to my room, and sit on the edge of the bed. I let him touch me on the top, and then on the bottom, and then we sing Jewish songs.”
Mrs. Cohen said, “And how is it with you Mrs. Murphy?”
She said it was also wonderful at her new facility, and that she also had a boyfriend. Mrs. Cohen said, “So what do you do?”
“We also go up to my room after lunch and sit on the edge of the bed. I let him touch me on top, and then I let him touch me down below.”
Mrs. Cohen said, “And then what do you do?”
Mrs. Murphy said, “Since we don’t know any Jewish songs, we *censored*.”

Cought in the act
Mary was having an affair during the day while her husband, John, was at work.
One day she was in bed with her boyfriend, Ralph, and she heard her husband’s car pull in the driveway. She yelled at Ralph: “Hurry! Grab your clothes and jump out the window my husband is home early!”
Ralph looked out the window and said: “I can’t jump out the window! It’s raining like hell out there!”
Mary cried: “If my husband catches us in here, he will kill both of us!”
So the boyfriend grabbed his clothes and jumped out the window! When he landed outside he found himself in the middle of a marathon race… so he started running along side the others — only he was still in the nude, carrying his clothes on his arm.
One of the runners asked him, “Do you always run in the nude?”
Ralph answered, while gasping for air: “Oh yes, It feels so free having the air blow over your skin while you are running.”
The other runner then asked the nude man: “Do you always run carrying your clothes on your arm?”
Ralph answered breathlessly: “Oh yes, that way I can get dressed at the end of the run and get in my car to go home!”
The runner then asked: “Do you always wear a condom when you run?”
Ralph answered, “Only if it’s raining.”

Small breasts
A husband, tired of his wife asking him how she looks, buys her a full length mirror. This does little to help, as now she just stands in front of the mirror, looking at herself, asking him how she looks.
One day, fresh out of the shower, she is yet again in front of the mirror, now complaining that her breasts are too small. Uncharacteristically, the husband comes up with a suggestion. “If you want your breasts to grow, then every day take a piece of toilet paper and rub it between your breasts for a few seconds.
Willing to try anything, the wife fetches a piece of toilet paper, and stands in front of the mirror, rubbing it between her breasts. “How long will this take?” she asks.
“They’ll grow larger over a period of years,” he replies. The wife stops. “Why do you think rubbing a piece of toilet paper between my breasts everyday will make my breasts grow over the years?” she asks.
The husband shrugs. “Why not, it worked for your butt, didn’t it?”

The two drinkers
Two married buddies are out drinking one night when one turns to the other and says, “You know, I don’t know what else to do.
Whenever I go home after we’ve been out drinking, I turn the headlights off before I get to the driveway. I shut off the engine and coast into the garage. I take my shoes off before I go into the house, I sneak up the stairs, I get undressed in the bathroom. I ease into bed and my wife STILL wakes up and yells at me for staying out so late!”
His buddy looks at him and says, “Well, you’re obviously taking the wrong approach. I screech into the driveway, slam the door, storm up the steps, throw my shoes into the closet, jump into bed, slap her on the butt and say, ‘You as horny as I am?’ … and, she always acts like she’s sound asleep!”

Olympic condoms
A man is out shopping and discovers a new brand of Olympic condoms. Clearly impressed, he buys a pack. Upon getting home he announces to his wife the purchase he just made.
“Olympic condoms? “ she blurts, “What makes them so special?”
“There are three colors”, he replies. “Gold, Silver, and Bronze.”
“What color are you going to wear tonight?, she asks cheekily.
“Gold of course”, the man said proudly.
The wife responds, “Really, why don’t you wear the silver, it would be nice if you came second for a change….

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2 stories in German

In einer Sauna

Eine Gruppe von Männern sitzt zusammen in der Sauna, als plötzlich und überraschend ein Handy klingelt. Einer der Männer greift zum Handy und antwortet:

‘Hallo?’

Die Frau: ‘Schatz bist Du das? Und was sind das denn für Geräusche? Bist Du in der Sauna?’

‘Ja.’

‘Schatz, ich stehe hier gerade vor einem Juwelier-Geschäft und die haben hier das Diamant-Kollier, das ich schon immer haben wollte. Kann ich mir das bitte, bitte, bitte kaufen? Es ist auch wirklich preiswert.

‘Wieviel mehr?’

‘Na ja, so knapp 45.000 DM’

‘Na gut. Ausnahmsweise. Aber bezahle auf gar keinen Fall mehr als diese 45.000.- DM. Verstanden?’

‘Das ist aber wirklich lieb von dir. Ach Schatzi, weil wir schon gerade dabei sind. Ich bin gerade bei unserem BMW-Händler vorbei gekommen und der hat doch gerade mein Traumauto im Angebot. Genau mit der Ausstattung und in der Farbe, die ich immer schon so gerne wollt. Er würde mir das Auto zum Sonderpreis von nur 120.000 DM überlassen. Bitte, bitte Schatzi, kann ich das kaufen?’

‘Na gut, mein Schatz. Aber versuch’ den Preis noch auf 115.000.- DM runter zu handeln. Ok?’

In diesem Moment erkannte sie, dass heute ihr Glückstag war, und sie hakte sofort nach.

‘Schatz, Du weißt doch das ich es gerne hätte, wenn meine Mutter bei uns leben würde. Ich weiß ja, dass Du das nicht möchtest, aber könnten wir nicht mal für 3 Monate einen Versuch starten? Wenn es nicht funktioniert, kannst Du doch immer noch ‘Nein’ sagen. Was denkst Du darüber?’

‘Na gut mein Schatz. Lass es uns einmal versuchen. Aber wenn es nicht klappt?’

Ich danke Dir mein Schatz. Ich liebe dich über alles. Ich freue mich sehr darauf, Dich heute Abend zu sehen.’

‘Ich auch, mein Schatz, bis später dann.’ Der Mann legt auf und blickt fragend in die Runde:

‘WEISS JEMAND, WELCHEM ARMEN SCHWEIN DIESES HANDY GEHÖRT???’
Gernlish is a combination of German and English

Weihnachtstime

When the last Kalender sheets
flattern through the Winterstreets
and Dezemberwind is blowing,
then ist everybody knowing
that it is not allzuweit:
She does come – the Weihnachtszeit

Manche holen sich a Taennchen,
when this brennt, they cry ‘Attention’.
Rufen for the Feuerwehr:
“Please come quick to loeschen her”!
Goes the Taennchen off in Rauch,
they are standing on the Schlauch.

In the kitchen of the house
Mother makes the Christmasschmaus.
She is working, schufts and bakes
the hit now is her Yoghurtcakes.
And the Opa says als Tester:
“We are killed bis to Silvester”.
Then he fills the last glass wine
yes, this is the Christmastime!

All the Menschen, Leute, people
flippen out of ihr warm Stueble,
run to Kaufhof, Aldi, Mess,
make Konsum and business.
Kaufen this und jene things
and the Churchturmglocke rings.

Day by day does so vergang,
and the Holy Night does come.
You can think, you can remember,
This is immer in Dezember.

Then the childrenlein are coming
Candle-Wachs is abwaerts running.
Bing of Crosby Christmas sings
while the towerglocke rings.
And the angels look so fine-
Well – this is the Christmastime.

The family feels kerngesund
when unterm Weihnachstbaum they are hocking
then nothing can them ever shocking.
They are so happy, are so fine-
this happens in the Christmastime.

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Netsuke in my Collection

Hereafter are some of my favorite netsuke presently in my collection. The majority of the netsuke shown on this page are by old masters; however, I am also including two contemporary pieces.

Please click on any of the frames below and a larger picture will open. When you want to go on to the next image, just close the large window by hitting the “Back” button and you will return to the main page.

Japanese Zodiac (junishi) by Meigyokusai, ca. 1960 front view Japanese Zodiac (junishi) by Meigyokusai, ca. 1960 rear view Ivory tigress with cub by Tomotada (before 1781)

The ivory Japanese zodiac netsuke above was the first netsuke I purchased from Tsuruki in Shinmonzen Street in Kyoto in January 1967. It was initially ‘signed’ Masatsugu and I bought it as a late 19th century export model. Later I found out that it was carved by a living carver, Meigyokusai of Kyoto, in the early 1960s. I managed to meet the then already 70 year old netsuke shi in his new home in Shiga Prefecture. Mr. Hiraga (his real name) recognized his work but when asked why he used someone else’s signature, he replied: When Mr. Tsuruki orders 100 copies of this model from a insignificant carver like me, you are happy that he remembered you and you inscribe whatever name he asks you to place on the netsuke, after all you have got to feed your family.

The other is a large rendition of a Tiger and cub by Soken Kisho carver Tomotada. It has a wonderful age patina and lies sweetly in the hand. A German collector once coined a fitting word for such netsuke: Handschmeichler. This could be translated literally as ‘hand-charmer’.

Large Baku in boxwood, signed Hidemasa, 18th century,
ex George Lazarnick, Anne Hull-Grundy Collection
Standing Ivory Baku, unsigned, 18th century Ivory Dog and pup on a round base, attributed to
Masanao of Kyoto, 18th century
Base of the previous netsuke, clearly showing
a ‘cross, a sign of outlawed Christians
Boar Tusk with a number of crabs,
unsigned, 19th century
Ivory Crane looking back by Ohara Mitsuhiro,
early 19th century
Dragon with inlaid eyes & teeth, boxwood,
signed Hidari Issan, 19th century
Dragon, boxwood, unsigned, 18th century Dragon on Boar Tusk, 19th century, signed Kamman
with seal and dated
Baying Kirin, ivory, signed Tomotada,
18th century
Same Kirin from the other side Baying Kirin, ivopry, unsigned, 18th century
Sitting and snarling Tiger, inlaid eyes and fangs (ivory),
boxwood, signed Toyomasa, late 18th century
Snarling Tiger, ivory, signed Otoman
19th century (Bushell Wing at LACMA)
Large Shishi, ivory, unsgned, early 19th century
Large Rat, clutching a daikon, ivory
signed Msanao, 18th century
Same Rat from the other side Curled Rat, boxwood, signed Masakatsu, 18th century
Rat on inkstick, ukibori writing on base
kurogaki, signed Tomiharu, 18th century
Semi on log, umimatsu (sea pine),
signed Kamman, 19th century
Semi on tfolded aro leaf, kurogaki
signed Kamman and kakihan, 19th century
Snail with young, translucent buffalo horn,
signed Kamman to, 19th century
Snail on folded taro leaf, ivory,
signed Tomiharu, 18th century
Centipede on Boar Tusk, 18th century
signed Tomiharu 61 years old, with 2 seals
2 Sumo wrestlers with body tattoo in ‘kawazu’ position,
ivory, signed Masaka, 18th century
2 Sumo wrestlers in ‘kawazu’ position,
boxwood, signed Seihosai Meikei, living artist
Dog holding a ‘kemari’ ball, ivory,
unsigned (in the style of Gechu), 18th century
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Thailand – The Tooth Saga (11.11.to 16.12.2003)

Turning back: Bangkok to Chiang Mai by road, November 2000.

…. In the evening, we stayed at the Amarin Lagoon Hotel in Phitsanulok and took a city tour on a bicycle rickshaw to see the night market. This was great experience.

Earlier in the evening, I had bitten on a piece of hard matter in the rice at the Amarin Lagoon Hotel and, although I thought nothing of this at the time, I developed a toothache which was to turn into a serious long-term mouth infection. We did a lot of sightseeing but for one day, Uschi had to do all the guided touring in and around Chiang Mai by herself as I spent time to take care of that infection.
With my toothache increasing, despite pills prescribed by the doctors at a Chiang Mai hospital, I went back to the hospital on Sunday afternoon as an emergency patient. After cleaning my teeth, the doctor merely gave me some antibiotics, and I was OK for a while.

Finally, suffering from intolerable pain, I visited another dentist on the hotel compound, Dr. med. dent. Supachai (his first name – his family name has about 20 letters or more!). He had been warmly recommended by Mark Dumur, at that time the GM of the Amari Rincome Hotel. He immediately took an X-ray, which hinted that the last molar might be broken. He drilled and soon found that this was the real cause of the infection. Root canal treatment was necessary. After that the infection was under control – not an experience to make one’s day, though I felt like a new person after the pain had finally gone.

With everything under control tooth-wise, we left for our trip to Burma, which we greatly enjoyed, but with the knowledge that I had to return to Chiang Mai to get the dentist to make a new crown, and also replace the one next to it, which had also shown a crack, probably from the same incident but not problematic by itself.

A good thing I cleared the tooth problem in Thailand. By chance, we observed a Burmese dentist treating a patient, and this in the busy market street. He operated his drill with a foot pedal!!! Probably no anesthetics, either, and the drills rusty….

Turning back: In Chiang Mai, November 2002

No sooner did we finish the first inner cleansing treatment than yours truly developed yet another toothache. Staying again at the Amari Rincome, I visited Dr. Supachai late at night because I wanted something to help me pass the night without pain. He scolded me for not having brushed my teeth carefully enough. Plaque had developed and sure enough an infection resulted.

During the treatment of the infection and the tooth cleaning, he checked us out and found that the crown he had made 2 years ago showed a small chip, so he offered to replace it free of charge. Uschi needed 2 new crowns, and I one. There had not been enough time for this in 2000. Dr Supachai managed to do it all in record time. In my case, the free crown actually was a double crown; the dentist’s assistants had misplaced his records, and the discovery was only made when the “single” crown did not want to come off the stump… The whole treatment for the both of us cost about what ONE crown would have cost in Switzerland.

At present: Chiang Mai, November 2003

On the TG flight from Geneva to Bangkok on Nov. 11, I felt a strange symptom on the right
side of my jaw. Sure enough, the minute we settled into the Northern Heritage Resort & Spa, 30 km from Chiang Mai in the Mountains, I developed another pulsating infection in the same general area where I had problems in 2000 and 2002.

At 5 PM on the arrival day, Nov. 12, I called Dr. Supachai and, although he expected to finish with his last patient at 6:30, he agreed to stay and wait for me. We immediately booked a car and were in his surgery at 7 PM. Another tooth with deep a deep pocket from plaque was giving me problems. The dentist felt it might have to go, as it had given me problems before and the pockets had become even deeper. He took an imprint so as to be prepared for this, gave me antibiotics and pain killers, and sent me to a computer tomography service where they had a machine which x-rayed all my teeth in one shot. The dentist had called ahead to ensure that the service would stay open for me after 8 PM. Fortunately the hotel driver was excellent and found the place without any difficulties. My next appointment will be on Monday night, Nov. 17, again at 7 PM, probably to take the tooth out and make a temporary bridge…

The offending tooth was pulled on Monday and the gums stitched (I could follow this on the little mirror on his head light!), then he inserted the already prepared temporary bridge covering the gaping hole perfectly. The final bridge will be place one week later, but not before I will have undergone extensive additional periodontal work on the other side of my mouth.

Isn’t it absolutely amazing that whenever I go to Chiang Mai, I start having tooth problems? Fortunately, I have a fine dentist here, and with prices far lower than at home despite his high fees (for Northern Thailand that is), he is first rate, and also speaks good English. He is the head of the local dental university, probably drawing an appalling salary, but always being up to date with all the new machines and treatments in his own practice. Thus he makes his living from this private surgery, which he runs afternoons and evenings.

***************

The following is a quite amusing and strange coincidence. Dr. Supachai is also a “denwa ma”, Japanese for “phone maniac” or someone who loves to use the phone frequently and always has the latest mobile phone. Well, as I got to his surgery in November of 2002, with my costly Swiss cell phone (think of the high roaming charges!), I found that he had just bought himself a brand new handy that had come with a SIM card with a Baht 500 call credit. As he already owned a handy whose SIM card he was going to use in the new model, to keep the number everybody knew, he had no need for the new SIM card, but I had. When I offered to buy it from him, he even discounted it to a mere $10 (from $12) but the real steal was that I did not have to go through the registering process at the phone store.

During my visit on Nov. 13, 2003, I did have a local prepaid SIM card bought via the hotel which had only a one franc credit remaining on it. I did not know how replenishments had to be made – I had tried in vain to pay online or via a phone call. Well, the good doctor took one look at my display and immediately said something to his assistant who called the nearby 7-11; they delivered a Baht 500 recharge card within less than 5 minutes right to the surgery! So again, he was of great assistance to keep me in money to make and receive phone calls on the Thai SIM card.

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