Toucan, But You Can’t

The more I think about it, I’ve come to realize that watching Saturday morning cartoons in the 1970s gave me a highly unrealistic expectation of the likelihood of encountering a toucan.

And, before you ask, No. I had no such thwarted expectations of meeting a leprechaun. Or, for that matter, a giant sentient pitcher of Kool-Aid. I mean, I wasn’t stupid! I knew that those things weren’t real. And as for tigers and rabbits, well, those were comparatively commonplace. One could see tigers at any zoo, and rabbits might even show up around the neighborhood. So I harbored—subconsciously, yes, but also definitely—a belief that one could very likely run into a toucan down any random street in Queens. I mean, the kids in the commercials certainly took the bird’s presence in stride.

I’m retrospect, I think much of my general dissatisfaction with life can be traced to such early disappointments.

Monday Miscellany

Warning: This Commercial Contains Explicit Hypocrisy

In commercials for its "Black Friday" deals, Wal-Mart ("the happiest place on earth") used AC/DC's "Back in Black" as background music.  Does anyone else find it interesting that the store uses music in its commercials from a band whose albums it probably refuses to stock?

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At the Baseball Talks, They Did "Nude Descending a Staircase"

At a press conference announcing a tentative deal to end the lockout, representatives of the NBA, the team owners' group, and the players' union took a moment to recreate Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper":

In an unrelated story, Miami Heat forward Lebron James (not pictured) announced that he was "taking his talents to Gethsemane."

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And, for a Great Dane, Scooby-Doo Is Really Cowardly!

I just noticed: On "The Flintstones," Fred powers his car with his feet!  That means that, when he's driving, he's actually just walking--and carrying his car at the same time!!!  What an idiot!