Re: Important parenting tips from Monty Python:

These days, the funniest man I've heard is Ron White. His "I got kicked out of a bar" routine is just hilarious.

I assume your parry shiners are not of a brown skinned persuasion? That if they are then they are congenitally guilty of something or other?

yeah, right. It's always about race. D*****ad!

Dave Hall

When I moved to Pennsylvania, we drove through Ohio on the way up from Texas. We stopped at a restaurant (a chain, maybe Applebee's?), and I ordered a Shiner Bock. After about 5 minutes of repeating the order with decreasing speed and at an escalating volume and using my best attempts at sign language, the pimply-faced waiter finally understood my request, and asked, "What kind of vodka would you like?"

I ended up with a Bud Light. Damn yankees.

Kevin

That's OK - lemme' tell you about the time, shortly after I moved to Fort Worth, I ordered a Coke and she shot back "What kind?".

Swear-to-God, I was "ka-flumoxed" for 30 seconds. She knew I was from "up north" and enjoyed every second of my bewilderment!

That's the way it's done, back home. My favorite coke is Dr. Pepper!

Kevin

In New York that would have meant with cream and sugar. I grew up close enough to NY City (Denville, NJ) that "regular" coffee was understood to mean "with cream and sugar." This was before decaf was quite so ubiquitous. In those days if you wanted decaf you asked for "Sanka."

Anyway, I moved to Virginia and after living here for many years went up to NY to visit some relatives. I stopped into a deli to buy a cup of coffee, and when the counter person asked "regular?" I assumed they meant with caffeine, but when I took a sip my memory was jogged and the true meaning came back to me. ;-)

Bill Ranck Blacksburg, Va.