Category Archives: Freak Speak

Freak Speak

The post office won’t give a kid a 6″ piece of tape for his package. What’s with that?

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Humor Post #77 from the world’s Crankiest Curmudgeon’s Middle School Blog (and probably the awesomest YA blog too) –

Last post I had something nice to say. For once. I said I liked my mailman even though I thought his job wasn’t long for this world. Well, I changed my mind. That’s what I get for being nice. Oh, my mailman’s still okay. Unless they move his job to behind the counter at the post office. Then I won’t like him anymore.

“Huh?” you’re saying (and not quietly either). Let me explain. I wanted to send a few CDs I’d made to my cousin yesterday so I got my mom to take me to the post office cause they have those padded kinds of envelopes I needed. So I get the package, which costs $1.79. Sounds fair. Everything’s copacetic so far. I write the address and all that on the package, stick in the CDs, and I’m set to go. I get up to the guy behind the counter, he weighs the package, and I pay him for the stamps. Still everything’s just fine and dandy.

Then I ask him to put an extra piece of tape on the flap of the envelope to make sure the CDs don’t fall out, you know. No big deal, I think, and better safe than sorry and all that.  Well, it turns out it IS a big deal. “You didn’t send your package priority mail so we can’t give you any tape,” the guy says.

Are you kidding me? A lousy piece of tape? What’s it gotta cost the post office — maybe half a cent? I just gave the guy like four bucks for my stuff and this is the gentle kindness I receive. I asked him again about it and he said again that if I sent the package priority mail, he’d put a piece of tape on it. But that would cost me extra, like way more than half a cent extra. Sure, it would get there a couple days earlier but hey, my cousin’s getting the music for free. He doesn’t even know he’s getting it since it’s a surprise. What’s he care if it comes in two days or five days?

So I know the post office is in trouble and all that, but saving your precious pieces of tape ain’t gonna solve the problem, bro’. I just hope that package doesn’t break open or I might have to find a lawyer. One that specializes in kids that would look sweet and sympathetic on the news.

So, ol’ Crankenfuss still likes his mailman. It’s just that he doesn’t feel so bad about the post office being in trouble anymore.

So all of you out there, stay strong, stay smart, and plan ahead if you’re sending any packages at the post office. Bring your own tape.

Have a good day/week/month/year/life.

From Your Dude with the ‘Tude,
Dr. Crankenfuss

Freak Speak

I feel bad for my mailman (and for my mom’s bank teller)

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Humor Post #76 from the world’s Crankiest Curmudgeon’s Middle School Blog (and probably the awesomest YA blog too) –

I like my mailman. He’s a nice guy. He always has a smile and a friendly hello for me when I happen to be walking my dog (which isn’t nearly often enough, my mom keeps telling me). He doesn’t try to run me down or anything and I gotta give him props for that, you know.

But he’s still going to lose his job.

There’s this old saying that goes something like, “Neither rain nor snow nor mean dogs or anything else will keep the postman from delivering the mail.” And that’s pretty much true. But the saying doesn’t mention anything about the fact that almost nobody uses mail anymore to send stuff. I know, I’m exaggerating a bit here. The Crank does that sometimes. But think about it. Thanks to texting or emails, when’s the last time you actually wrote someone a letter? When’s the last time one of your parents wrote anybody a letter? I’m not talking about greeting cards. That’s the main kind of “letter” the post office delivers now. Yeah, they carry a lot of packages too. But Fed Ex and UPS and some others I can’t think of right now do the same thing. If it wasn’t for magazines — especially my favorite, Sports Illustrated — we could almost get along without our mailman. Mostly he brings us junk mail like advertising stuff from grocery stores and department stores and catalogues. I know some people like that stuff, but that’s just not enough to keep a business going. It’s kind of like those Indians that used to hold the important job in their tribe of sending out smoke signals. A while back that was a super cool job, I’m sure. Well, what happened to them?

Another job that I wouldn’t recommend someone to have for their career is being a bank teller. My mom just scanned a check yesterday afternoon and her bank deposited it in her account by 8:00 last night. She was like all happy and she said, “Now I won’t have to go to the bank. Think how much time that’ll save me from now on.” If I was a bank teller, I’d be listening to my mom. That’s kind of like your doctor telling you you have a heart murmur and maybe you should cut back on the cigarettes and double fries.

Anyway, it’s not my fault all this is happening. All I do is look around and see it.

Sorry for the bad news, Mr. Mailman and Ms. Bank Teller, but ol’ Crankenfuss is just trying to give you a thumbs up. In the meantime I gotta think of a new career path for myself. My old idea of being a spittoon cleaner ain’t looking so smart anymore.

Have a great day, people.

From your man with the message,
Your Dude with the ‘Tude,
Dr. Crankenfuss

Freak Speak

These stupid quotes will make you feel like you’re a genius!

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Humor Post #75 from the world’s Crankiest Curmudgeon’s Middle School Blog (and probably the awesomest YA blog too) –

Crankenfuss is CRANKY, people. He can’t think o’ nuttin’ to complain about today. What the heck is the world coming to? Well, actually I could, but I don’t wanna. I think I’ll be positive for a change. So today I’m giving you 10 of the dumbest things anybody has ever said. I found these all over the web and I made sure I found every one of them at least twice. That’s the best I can do to find out if they’re true. I could try to contact everyone quoted, but some of them are dead, the others don’t know me, and I’m pretty sure nobody’s going to write back to some twit who’s asking them, “Are you as stupid as this quote makes you look?” and say, “Oh yeah, I said that. I’m as dumb as a rock who gets F’s in rock school.”

And even if these quotes (and the people who said them) are pretty pathetic, at least you can say, “Hey, my life ain’t so bad.” At least I’m not as dumb as this knuckle-dragger.”

So here they are in no particular order, ten really dumb quotes:
1) “We’re going to turn this team around 360 degrees.” (Jason Kidd when he was first drafted out of college to the NBA)
2) “The streets are safe in Philadelphia. It’s only the people who make them unsafe.” (Frank Rizzo, the dumb mayor of Philadelphia a long time ago)
3) “Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.” (Brooke Shields, actress)
4) “Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.” (Marion Barry, another dumb mayor, but this time of Washington, D.C.)
5) “I’m keeping an eye out for those Americans.” (Osama bin Laden. Actually, I just made that one up. Pretty good, if I do say so myself.)
6) “Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?” (President George W. Bush, talking about education)
7) “Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.” (Joe Theismann, former star NFL quarterback, but he was no Norman Einstein)
8) “I’ve been up and down so many times that I feel as if I’m in a revolving door.” (Cher, famous singer and actress)
9) “I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix.” (former Vice-president Dan Quayle. There’s lots of dumb quotes on the web by him. Some of them gotta be true, wouldn’t you think?)
10) “I wished the buck did stop here. I could use a few.” (Dr. Crankenfuss, world renowned sage. Okay, I admit I stole this one, but I really did make up #6.)

That’s it for today, oh posse of mine.
Till later, it’s your Dude with the ‘Tude,
Dr. Crankenfuss

Freak Speak

Baseball Managers Fake It Almost As Much As Pro Wrestlers

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Humor Post #73 from the world’s Crankiest Curmudgeon’s Middle School Blog (and probably the awesomest YA blog too) –

I was watching ESPN’s Sports Center the other night and they had this great video collection of baseball managers blowing up at umpires. There were a lot of red-faced conniptions going on, but some took it way farther than that. Kicking dirt on the umps, throwing bats, tearing bases out of the ground, you name it, they were doing it. There’s this guy Wally Backman on some Georgia team who is famous on YouTube for having a mouth dirtier than a bus station bathroom. I’d put the link here but I don’t want to get in trouble with any parents who might be reading this. They could sic the cops on me for corrupting minors or something.

Anyway, near the end of this ESPN show — and I have to say it was pretty hilarious —  Crankenfuss had a brainstorm. Mightier than a hurricane, you can be sure. Here it is. I’m almost positive the managers are mostly acting!! You know, like pro wrestlers. Now I know a lot of people think wrestling is real, but there are a lot of people out there who claim Elvis sings to them at night. Live!! Folks, the bigger the lie, the more people will believe it. Anyway, even the wrestlers admit they’re faking it, at least some of them. Oh, I don’t doubt they get hurt. (Getting belted in the head by a chair would cause a little discomfort, don’t ya think?) It’s obvious they’re super tough. It’s just that they know who’s going to win ahead of time. I mean if someone stomped on your neck with all his weight, I think they’d have to peel your neck off the mat. But those guys get that done to them all the time and they don’t die. They always seem to keep on fighting.

In a word, wrestlers E–X–A–G–G–E–R–A–T–E everything. They exaggerate their moves, their pain, their anger, their meanness toward each other. If they did’t, how could they go to the same locker room after a brutal match and not kill each other back there?

The Crank is getting off topic again. Too much chocolate or ADHD, one or the other. Back to baseball managers and their E–X–A–G–G–E–R–A–T–I–O–N–S. How come it’s only baseball bosses who go nuts like that? I watch tons of sports. I never see a football coach throw a football at a referee’s or get up his face, spit flying out of this mouth. Or how about basketball coaches. They wear zillion dollar suits, at least in the pros, and act very professionally. If they say something nasty and the ref hears it, they get hit with a technical foul and the other team gets free throws. In other words, their team GETS HURT when they act up. NOT IN BASEBALL. Nothing happens to the team at all when the manager throws a hissy fit.

Warning alert: New Crankenfuss brainstorm. It probably all starts with the fact that baseball managers dress up in baseball uniforms. How stupid is that? Do basketball coaches dress in shorts and sneakers? Football coaches in helmets and pads? Gimme a break! The managers are already playing make-believe so they just take it all the way. Now I admit I could be wrong about this, amazing as that sounds. I’ll admit it when you show me another sport where the managers/coaches do the same type stuff as often as those baseball guys.

Until then Dr. Crankenfuss thinks there’s something very fishy about those whacked out managers. Maybe there should be some kind of acting award for those performances.

Just sayin’.

From Your Dude with the ‘Tude,
The Doctor

Freak Speak, Uncategorized

You want better Olympic events? Let’s start with tug-of-war, then move on to hip hop dancing.

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Humor Post #72 from the world’s Crankiest Curmudgeon’s Middle School Blog (and probably the awesomest YA blog too) –

Just a few thoughts today on what I think should replace some of the silly sports in the Olympics that few of us care about. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just have a look at my post from a few days back. In no particular order, here are some new events that I am POSITIVE would bring scads of new viewers to Olympic broadcasts.

1) Tug-of-war. We’ll start with an oldie-but-goodie. Tug-of-war actually used to be an Olympic sport like 100 years ago. Well, Crankenfuss says, “Bring that baby back.” While most people can’t tell you anything about how to score synchronized swimming technique, everyone knows how to figure out who wins tug-of-war. The guys who drag their opponents over that line as the losers are wimpering and crying for their mamas. Men’s, women’s, hey, why not the under 2’s. Man, that would be sweet.

2) Dog tricks. Hey, while most everyone who competes in dressage, which is also known as “horse ballet” — editorial comment: GAG!! — is no doubt rich, even a poor guy can train a dog. The dog trick competition would make the Olympics truly democratic. Yes, the border collies would probably have an advantage, but I’ve seen them at rescue places so it’s not like they wouldn’t be available. Everyone loves Letterman’s stupid pet trick pieces so I’m sure it would be the same in the Olympics. And we could throw in dog frisbee too.

3) The world’s funniest videos. That show has been on since like Roman times and I still laugh at it all the time. And those are just the American ones. You don’t think they couldn’t come up with some funny ones from, say, Japan. I’ve seen some of their game shows; those guys are whacked. All you need is an IPhone or a Droid and you’re set and you can get them all over the world.

4) Olympic Wipeout. Always a tv winner in my book. People falling into mud baths and getting fish thrown at them (or spaghetti) or getting jiggled to death by some death machine. What’s not to like?

5) Okay, some of the ones above might be frowned upon by a few of you. But who can really disagree with the next one: DANCESPORT. Yeah, you heard me right: DANCING. Look who keeps winning on Dancing with the Stars — ex pro athletes. They certainly think it’s cool to dance. And the Winter Olympics already has ice skating and — get ready for this — ICE DANCING! Oh, so it’s okay to dance on ice, but not on a floor. Gimme a break. I don’t care how many categories they have. They could have waltz and quickstep for the old people and hip hop and crunk for the young dudes like yours truly. C’mon, if they have BMX cycling in the Olympics now, how much longer can they keep out salsa or hip hop? Huge ratings, here we come.

I have more ideas, but no more time right now. Gotta go, never be slow, make some dough, maybe buy a chateau, make the big show, that be me, yo. That would be
Your Dude with the ‘Tude,
Dr. Crankenfuss
Peace out. Word. And whatever else works.