Sheeps Where?!

OK, let's lighten up a little for the weekend, shall we?

For yuks, check out David Letterman's Top Ten Questions Bush Asked The Dalai Lama.

Update: Carol of Seattle in the comments is right -- this bit in Slate imagining Bush's private remarks to the Dalai Lama is a knee-slapper, too. We'll forgive them the tired headline.

Then, for further yuks, here's a list I've been saving of bizarre web searches that have somehow guided folks to DODR. The only criterion for inclusion is that each actually made me laugh out loud when I saw it. You may post your instant psychological profiles of the searchers in the comments:

1. exploded owl diagram
2. peeing on the pavement
3. raw oyster in dream changes into octopus when eaten by a man
4. old woman carrying horse
5. misfits are a result of social issues [this is the only one I actually related to -- ed.]
6. photos of sheeps in Mongolians [see #9 -- This is really not that kind of site! You people searching for this go away! -- ed.]
7. master race hootenanny
8. old lady nose room
9. mongolian humping camels
10. what are the hazards when being a botanist

Then, we have new material for another episode of the...

Zendette Memorial Geography Quiz

Four new countries' citizens have attended the circus here of late. See if you can guess what the nations are from these clues:

#112 has the same last name as #114 and 115 which, come to think of it, is a first name. One citizen from this country might be a bore at a party.

#113 The citizens of this country almost certainly all have brown hair. If you kind of think of it in a French way.

#114 This country had a census once, but then under a strict new regime the tally was banned.

#115 The capital of this country sounds like a drunk shouting to Superman's alter-ego to throw him the ball.

And, finally, I was mortified to discover I left out of my latest South Gobi post the crucial details of the new birds I saw! After dreaming about it forever (these are the kinds of things I pine for in my monastic life, what can I tell you?), I finally laid eyes on a Siberian Accentor, charming as I'd hoped. Another kind of bird flitted about in some abundance but, despite really distinctive markings, I couldn't find it in the stinky China field guide. But then the Collins guide came through: gorgeous Red-flanked Bluetails. Then, the small flocks of birds I was trying to turn into the elusive Rock Sparrow were, in the final analysis, not. They were twittery packs of somewhat shy, seed-munching Meadow Buntings.

Comments

[KT]

And to think I just missed linking to this post in the MM! KT

[Carol of Seattle]

Letterman was funny, but Slate was even funnier
http://www.slate.com/id/2176015/

#114 is afghanistan? I'm to tired to hazard a guess at the others.

Oh, and what gets in to people and these searches? They don't even make a hint of sense!

Oh, wait, #112 is Kazakhstan.

You know, my ex used to do home furniture repair for Sears, and he didn't ever want to hassle with the usual question of where are you from, particularly when you never know who is Greek or Armenian (he's a turk). So we would tell people he was from Kabristan. Which in Uzbek, means 'graveyard'. Worked like a charm, no one had ever heard of it, and it didn't raise any political or religious ruckus.

[Konchog]

Ding Ding Ding! Carol nails two of the countries and earns herself an insertion into the main post with her Slate catch.

I tried British-style clues this time but should have made them a little harder, I guess. #112 hints at Borat, the fictional newsman from Kazakhstan, and #114 at the Taliban.

Her thing about her husband reminds me of my catering days. When we were serving some kind of French cheese that we didn't know the name of, and a guest asked what it was, we'd cheerily inform them that they were enjoying the rare and exotic "noclue."

[jules]

Okay, I'm guessing #113 is Brunei, and #115 is Uzbekistan ("Tash, Kent!") :)

Also, I'm going to Google "master race hootenanny" right now!

[Zendette]

#113 Brunei?

Ooops, looks like Jules beat me to it.

[Konchog]

Very good, ladies! Prizes and showers of confetti all around.

[Jenn]

I think #7 frightens me the most of all.