About Town with Joni

          Charles Kuralt was a popular TV journalist years ago, and many of us recall his “On the Road” segments for The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.  He always found something quirky or charming in the nooks and crannies of the U.S. And he would have loved my town.  Yes, because it often exemplifies the folksy goodness he so enjoyed. But also because it serves up a continuous supply of material.  Here are just three examples of things I’ve seen lately, simply by tooling around here:

          This one was in a public restroom where, I can only assume, visitors LOVE toilet paper. They simply cannot get enough, and will swipe-a-wipe to satisfy their craving.  OR… they want the heavy bar holding the paper, for who knows what purpose.

          This is a company that has diminished its motto simply by adding quotation marks.  Like saying your café is a “quality” restaurant, it makes the reader question your claim. We’ve all seen people make air quotes as they refer to an “expert” who isn’t one, or a “vacation” that went sideways.

          And in this case, are they not quite changing the rules? Only pretending, perhaps? Or are they changing something, but it’s not really the rules, per se, just perceived rules.  Or maybe we should wonder what’s wrong with the old rules, that they need changing-- Were the old rules too demanding, and now they’ve thrown punctuality and safety to the wind?

          And this one was a pleasant surprise when I was filling out another medical form. On and on the pages went, asking for all my medications, all diagnosed ailments, you know the drill.  Then I came to this section about emotional adjustment, titled CORING.  I know they meant coping, and goodness knows typists can get tired, but this particular typo had me wondering if they wanted to get at the core of all our feelings. AND, if they even glance at these forms before printing them up.

          The top question says, “Since you became ill, have you felt any of the following?” and there’s a blank space for “other,” where you can write something in. I thought about writing, “Increased irritation with typos,” but then thought, nah, these aren’t irritating. They’re entertaining. Awkward and Upward!

Don’t you just want to drive around town all the time and find local  amusement?  FREE local amusement?  I hate to bring up the word, free, and then ask you to buy my books, but they are available here, and for only a modest fee (which is 75% of the word, free).