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The “this poem takes forty-two seconds to read, more or less” poem

This poem takes forty-two seconds to read, more or less —

which, when you stop to think about it, is roughly the time

it takes for the edges of an egg to brown and crisp,

particularly when it’s being fried (as eggs should be) in

     genuine butter.

But unlike that fried egg, this poem is unlikely to repeat

on you, or drip yolk on your tie, or cake itself to your

plate like some alien yellow epoxy.  And of course, this

poem probably won’t cause you to have a massive coronary

     at fifty-one.

So, you know,

     you’re welcomed.

48 Replies to “The “this poem takes forty-two seconds to read, more or less” poem”

  1. Dan Collins says:

    This is Deb Frisch’s brain on Protein Wisdom.

  2. Witheld says:

    Okay, whatever.  Is it me, or that poem is not even rhyme.  SOrry but…

  3. gail says:

    I love it, Jeff.

  4. Dan Collins says:

    Honestly, though, I think you should simply have taken her photo down as a sheerly aesthetic matter.  No putting that fugly genie back in the bottle now, though.

  5. B Moe says:

    I read it in like 20 seconds, I’m not gonna get salmonella or some shit, am I?

  6. gail says:

    And, ha ha, I’m 55 so eggs can’t kill me.

  7. Scott P says:

    You didn’t mention salt and pepper.  Did you actually season it, and fail to mention that, or did you deliberately eat a bland egg, just so your poem would read better?

    BECAUSE OF THE SEASONING!!!!!

  8. Dan Collins says:

    gail,

    This business about eggs not being able to kill you at 55 is a common misapprehension.  Eggs can kill anyone at any age.  Get the details at eggsareevil.org.

  9. Hi Jeff,

    I’m sure you’ve heard this from lots of people, but I extend my condolances for what you’ve experienced.

    This foul woman out to be locked up.

    Unfortunately,she’ll probably just get another job as an `educator’ somewhere. Perhaps those with an interest could keep track of her whereabouts and let potential employers know about her history.

    If you ever need to, you have an open invitation to blog at my site anytime.

    Best Regards,

    Freedom Fighter@ JoshuaPundit

  10. Lisa says:

    Hee hee hee. I did read it faster as well, hmmmmm.

  11. Pablo says:

    Hash and eggs would be lovely. And pie.

  12. gail says:

    Dan, I couldn’t find anything at that link. Maybe eggs killed them all.

  13. gail says:

    Pablo, I prefer parsley or cilantro.

  14. Dan Collins says:

    Given the turn of the comments, I’ll bet Deb wishes she hadn’t spoken with Inside Higher Ed:

    http://independentsources.com/2006/07/08/deb-frisch/

  15. Pablo says:

    Cilantro is the best, especially if you’re going to be drinking tequila.

  16. topsecretk9 says:

    Stating the obvious here, but the irony of Deb turning off comments on her own blog in light of her so-called stated attempt at getting banned from PW is, well, delicious!

  17. Mmmmmmmmmmmm!  Deep-fried egg.

    Still, you haven’t gone far enough:

    Waking up in a Georgian country house

    With a hangover of biblical proportions

    I slide my arm from beneath

    The slender alabaster neck

    Of the recumbent debutante

    I silently pick my way through the detritus

    Of last night’s party to the kitchen.

    As soft golden sunlight arcs low across the

    Paddock and gilds the chromework of the range

    Like melted butter

    I find a big pan.

    I heat an unconscionable quantity of oil to

    A gentle simmer and slip in

    The freshly made local sausages.

    Tea is made as the sausages poach

    A gigantic ‘Brown Betty’ teapot

    Of the type used to fortify British battalions

    Throughout the last Great Unpleasantness

    A spoonful of leaf tea for each person

    And ‘one for the pot’

    Water over tea leaves

    Tea!  The Englishman’s chicken soup.

    (Etc., etc., with mention of Heinz Baked Beans, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, etc.)

    This is not cooking

    It’s an emergency clinical intervention

    Better to die later

    Than now.

    (with apologies to TwoChapsTalking)

  18. Oh, and this poem takes more than 42 seconds.

    But then, were you really looking for the answer to life, the universe, and everything?

  19. Phil Smith says:

    Fuck that shit, just fry it in bacon grease.

  20. Cap'n Billy says:

    My first post here, having been steered here by the brouhaha between Jeff and that lunatic. The Arizona Star has a story, which looks pretty accurate to me, about it:

    http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/137300.php

  21. Well, I was allowing for dietary restrictions.

  22. jdm says:

    From the article (posted by Cap’n Billy):

    Now that she won’t be teaching, Frisch said she plans to finish writing a book on decision-making.

    Well, she’s the expert.

  23. B Moe says:

    Now that she won’t be teaching, Frisch said she plans to finish writing a book on decision-making.

    You all can maybe have some fun with this, my head just exploded and I gotta clean up the mess before it stains the carpet.

  24. MarkD says:

    Wordweb let me down – what’s apoxy?  Epoxy?

    Anyway, eggs are useless without hot sauce.  Coincidentally, om raisu for dinner – a rice omelette, one of my favorites.  And we have hot sauce.

    Later.

    TW:  appeared.  Mark appeared at the dinner table.

  25. JWebb says:

    Excellent poem, Jeff. And thanks for not bringing grits into it.

  26. topsecretk9 says:

    from Cap’n Billy’s link

    “These people think I should be incarcerated, that I’m mentally ill or that I should be shot,” Frisch said during a telephone interview from Eugene, Ore., where she is living now. “This whole thing has been crazy to me. People have spent their whole weekend on this.”

    UNBELIEVABLE and yet….

    Now that she won’t be teaching, Frisch said she plans to finish writing a book on decision-making.

    While she still hopes to fill the need for “edgy lefties,” Frisch said the entire debacle has taught her where to draw the line.

    She’ll continue to write inflammatory comments, but she’ll stay away from personal attacks.

    “I don’t want to get anywhere near that line again,” Frisch said. “It’s been scary, overwhelming and exhausting.”

    Again, UNBELIEVABLE…this woman decides to make hideous comments, doesn’t understand the fuss, but is writing a book on decision-makings! (apparently BAD decisions)

    Deb, I suggest you look into the topic of consequences of bad decisions.

  27. wishbone says:

    From Cap’n Billy’s link.

    Now that she won’t be teaching, Frisch said she plans to finish writing a book on decision-making.

    I’m on the brink of hysterical laughter or cerebral hemorrhage or both.

  28. Witheld says:

    Um, BWT, shouldn’t be “epoxy”?  Just sayin’.  Mr. Oh-I’m-Almost-Got-My-PHd. 

    And hear I thought you were the “so-called” export on all things paste.

  29. Witheld says:

    Oh, so now apoxy is just down the memorey hole.  Okay.  I see.  I got screen grabs, Pastey so, don;t even.  The truth will come out in the wash.

  30. Fried eggs in butter…an all-time fave, especially sunnyside up over mashed potatoes. But if I can’t have them that way, I would prefer them in a pie. I nice quiche Lorrain, with Gruyere, ham and bacon and eggs whipped in a lovely cream, baked in a five inch pie shell, so that I don’t have to share with anyone. Yes. That is the best way to eat your eggs and your pie.

  31. Dan Collins says:

    Witheld,

    That’s a slander.  Export paste?  Jeff eats 100% American paste.

  32. wishbone says:

    Could be NAFTA, CAFTA, or Chilean paste, Dan.

    Viva comercio libre!

    tw: Stop paste piracy!

  33. Cafe Alpha says:

    I love posts like this.

  34. klrfz1 says:

    Hah, haw!

    Witheld misspelled rime. Hang your head in shame, ding boy.

    tw: been

    Hah, haw! TW misspelled bean. Hang your bytes in shame, ding brain.

  35. McGehee says:

    Deb turning off comments on her own blog

    Hey, hold up—wait a minute! Don’t you people realize what this means!?

    We’ve all been banned from her blog!

    SCORE!!!

    <high fives all around >

  36. Hash and eggs would be lovely. And pie.

    Hash and eggs is awful.

    Buds and flowers can be nice in an omelet or frittata.  But hash needs chocolate.

  37. Dante says:

    That took about five seconds to read. After it was finished, I felt like having a heart attack because it was so awful.

  38. Big Bang Hunter says:

    Well would you allow someone that hands out cowbells to post on your blog McGehee… Huh?!…Huh?!

    (annnnnd….just who did that….. Ermmmm…. we all did?)

    TW: ‘Twas verily a labor of da love…..

  39. McGehee says:

    Well would you allow someone that hands out cowbells to post on your blog McGehee… Huh?!…Huh?!

    Nope. Never.

    <bans self>

  40. Jeff Goldstein says:

    After it was finished, I felt like having a heart attack because it was so awful.

    Well don’t let any concern about hurting my feelings stop you, “Dante.”

    Speaking of which:  Yeah, Clerks II!

  41. steve says:

    Back when “epoxy” was spelled with an “a” I thought there was a clever cross-reference to apoplexy going on here.  But now it’s been fixed.

    Being in my ‘50’s, and liking fried eggs (with various types of meat, potatoes fried in butter and heavy cream, fruit juice, milk, hot cocoa, coffee, and mounds of hot buttered carbs of various kinds—just the meal for going back to bed and dying) the message of this poem will stay with me for awhile.

  42. gail says:

    It’s a Shakespearean reference. A poxy on both your houses.

  43. nk says:

    Butter spatters too much.  I use olive oil and baste the egg by spooning a little over the yolk towards the end instead of turning it over.  If you do it just right the yolk is nice and runny but all the white is perfectly cooked.

  44. KM says:

    Just reading this post for 42 or so seconds sent a frischon of paedophilic sexual energy surging up my spine.

  45. I personally like pico gallo upon the whole eggs, lightly toasted in butter. Even better is bearnaise sauce over poached eggs on Canadian bacon and crumpets. But tiny eggy pies with diced Jalapeno peppers and monterrey jack cheese, you bake them in muffin cups, well those are just precious.

  46. frank o'hara says:

    nice try, bud

  47. Ken Harkins says:

    No one mentioned that eggs don’t cause heat attacks.  Dietary cholesterol has almost no relation to blood cholesterol.  Eggs are as safe to eat as any other food containing the same amount of fat.

  48. Stephen says:

    Fine. I’ll take the time. Where’s the poem.

Comments are closed.