Dinner conversation topics turn to Sky King

Questions from Table Topics Dinner Party.

What makes someone a success? – Beats me. I’m relatively happy. Does that count?

Who’s your favorite celebrity right now and why? – Here’s what I’ve learned from watching/reading interviews with “celebrities”: They are actors trying to better their careers, and people who interview celebrities are the same. You cannot believe anything the actor or writer/interviewer says or writes.

Should everyone be required to work in the service industry at some point in their (sic) lives? – First, “everyone” is not “their.” “Everyone” is singular; “their” is more than one. Second, what is “the service industry?” Wikipedia lists “accounting, mechanics, plumbers, computers, tourism, etc.” as service industries. I don’t want someone drafted by the government to work on my computer or plumbing.

Is it more charitable to spend your money or time? – Depends on which you have the most of.

What indulgencies would you enjoy if there were no consequences? – There are always consequences.

How does technology increase your enjoyment of life? – I have a keyboard, monitor and access to the world-wide web. I have access to just about every kind of news, history and literature I can think of, and a loyal fan base taking in my pearls of wisdom.

(Speaking of pearls. Bruce at the dog park said he read this of Dorothy Parker: One day in New York, Miss Parker approached a door. A man opened the door, gesturing for Miss Parker to proceed. “Age before beauty,” he said. Miss Parker replied, “No. Pearls before swine.”)

Back to table topics.

What’s your favorite joke? – A cartoon from National Lampoon magazine in 1972: A young bearded man watching television says, “She’s not really your niece, Sky King! Rip her blouse off!”

From out of the clear blue of the western sky comes ……. Sky King!

“King and his niece Penny (and sometimes Clipper, his nephew) lived on the Flying Crown Ranch, near the fictitious town of Grover, Arizona. Penny and Clipper were also pilots, although they were inexperienced and looked to their uncle for guidance. Penny was an accomplished air racer, rated as a multiengine pilot, whom Sky trusted to fly the Songbird. In the third TV episode, Penny referred to Clipper as ‘my brother.’"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_King