March 9, 2009

Day 10

We are down to the last week. Seven short days between now and the grandest of days. Each year, as I add new friends and acquaintances to the list of recipients, I am asked, "What's the big deal about St. Patrick's Day?" Well, after I mutter to myself, "Damn heathen.." I realize that in this day of diverse cultures not everyone has had the opportunity to grow up experiencing the joys of Irish culture. The Irish, you see, are a race of people who hold love, laughter and friendship in higher regard than anything else. Does that mean that we don't fight? You must be daft!! But every fight ends with a laugh and a new found friendship. When we cry, it is accompanied by a song that is just bad enough to make you laugh. And when we drink, and we do drink on occasion, we create new songs and stories of past loves, laughs, and friendship. The Irish are not that different from other peoples, but it is best summed up by the words of one of Ireland's most talented and famous writers, Oscar Wilde, "Life is far too important to be taken seriously."

Please, if it is political correctness you are looking for, read the Congressional Record. But if you would like a smile with your reality, sit down with an Irishman.


Late one Friday in Dublin, a policeman spotted a man driving very erratically. He pulled the man over and asked him if he had been drinking that evening.
''Aye, so I have. 'Tis Friday, you know, so me and the lads stopped by the pub where I had six or seven pints. And then there was something called 'Happy Hour' and they served these mar-gar-itos which are quite good. I had four or five o' those. Then I had to drive me friend Mike home and o' course I had to go in for a couple of Guinness -- couldn't be rude, ye know. Then I stopped on the way home to get another bottle for later...'' And the man fumbled around in his coat until he located his bottle of whiskey, which he held up for inspection.

The officer sighed, and said, ''Sir, I'm afraid I'll need you to step out of the car and take a breathalyzer test.''

''Why? Don't ye believe me?''

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Paddy just arrived in America from Ireland on holiday. Now, never having seen a baseball game before, he decides that now would be a good time. So, he goes to the park, and gets himself a bleacher seat.

Now, Paddy sees a guy step up to the plate with a stick in his hand. The guy standing on the hump of dirt throws a ball at the guy with the stick, who then *crack* hits the ball and starts running down the side. Everyone around Paddy stands up and shouts "GO! GO! RUN LIKE HELL!"

A second guy steps up to the plate, and damn, if the guy on that hump of dirt doesn't throw that ball again. And again, the guy with the stick *crack* hits the ball and runs down the side. And again, everyone around Paddy again, stands and shouts "GO! GO! RUN LIKE HELL!"
Now, a third guy steps up to the plate with a stick in his hands. This time, when the guy on the hump of dirt throws the ball, the guy with the stick doesn't do anything. And the guy squatting behind the guy with the stick tosses the ball back to the guy on the hump of dirt. And Paddy is thinking to himself, "What's happening? Why didn't he hit the ball?" This happens three more times, with Paddy wondering more each time.

After the fourth time, the guy with the stick drops the stick and strolls up the side. Now Paddy stands up and shouts "GO! GO! RUN LIKE HELL!" and the guy sitting next to Paddy says that he doesn't have to run. So Paddy asks him why, and is told that the batter has four balls.

So Paddy shouts instead, "WALK WITH PRIDE, MAN! WALK WITH PRIDE!"

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The old farmer was getting ready for bed in his hotel when a lovely young girl in a see-through negligee bounced in.
"Pardon me," she said with confusion, "I've come to the wrong room."
"Not only that," the farmer sighed, "You're twenty years late."

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Mrs. Riley went into the confession box and was about to start when she noticed an unfamiliar face behind the shutter.
"You're not Father Donlan. What are you doing there?"
"I'm the cleaning man, M'am."
"Well, where is Father Donlan?"
"I couldn't tell you, but if he heard anything like the stories I've been listening to, he's gone for the police."

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