George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.
All the other pirates picked on him and made fun of him.
George felt sad all of the time.
Then, all of the crew came down with the flu.
Except for George.
They were completely helpless and at George’s mercy.
George cooked chicken soup, and prepared medicine, and took care of everyone.
He nursed everyone back to health.
Well, most of them. The ones who didn’t make it, he gave a decent burial at sea.
The crew thanked George.
And then went back to picking on him.
What bastards!
Category: My stories
George’s teeth
George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.
The dentist examined George’s teeth and said “No cavities. Again.”
“That’s good, right?” said George.
“No, that’s bad,” said the dentist. “You’re a pirate. You’re supposed to have lousy teeth. And not many of them.”
George sighed, picked out a lollipop, and slunk all the way back to his ship.
He looked at his toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, waterpick, and tongue scraper for a long time, and then…
He brushed his teeth, flossed, picked the remaining debris with a medical wash, and ran the tongue scraper on his tongue.
George the coward
George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.
He was a lily-livered, chicken-hearted coward of a pirate.
The ship’s doctor confirmed this.
“Based on my vast medical and surgical experience with you, George, I can confirm that your liver is almost completely made from lilies, and your heart is identical to that of a chicken.”
“What can you do for me, Doctor?” said George.
“I recommend that you cringe, cower, and flee at the first sign of a fight.”
“But I already do that,” said George.
“Good,” said the doctor. “Here, have a lollipop.”
It was butterscotch.
George is afraid
George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.
He got scared easily. Loud noises, the dark… you name it, George was afraid of it.
He slept with a teddy bear, and he carried his security blanket around.
“You look silly,” said the captain. “Put that blanket away.”
In time, George overcame his fears. And he didn’t need his security blanket or teddy bear anymore.
The captain was relieved. One less thing to worry about.
And as he went to bed, wrapped in George’s security blanket, he told Teddy “Good night” and he blew out his lantern’s candle.
George and the Treasure
George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.
Instead of searching for buried treasure, he downloaded the Amazon app on his phone and chased the Amazon Treasure Truck around the country.
He caught up to it outside of Birmingham, Alabama.
“Stand and deliver!” shouted George.
A company representative got out of the truck and asked George if he wanted standard delivery or if he was an Amazon Prime member.
“I’m a damn pirate,” growled George. “Give me everything.”
George ended up with 1,000 fidget spinners.
He tossed them in a dumpster and went back to his ship.
George and the road to
George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.
After Bing Crosby and Bob Hope made The Road To Hong Kong, their writers put together a script for The Road To The High Seas.
The studio hired George as a consultant.
“For my vast experience in sea warfare and buccaneering?” asked George.
“No, for your clumsy bumbling antics,” said the studio. “This is a comedy, not a drama.”
Bing was nice, but was consistently drunk.
Bob couldn’t function without a dozen cue cards in every direction.
George gave up, and the picture sank like many of George’s ships.
George tosses pizzas
George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.
When it was his turn to man the galley, he insisted on making hand-tossed pizzas.
The problem was, when he tossed the pizza in the air, it would hit the ceiling and stick.
“Why don’t you roll out the dough?” asked the captain.
“Roll the dough?” said George. “This is the authentic way of making it!”
So, the captain let George toss the pizzas while out on the main deck.
The wind caught the dough and blew it overboard.
The hungry crew tossed George over the rail after it.
The hangup
Every time someone texts or calls me about the election, I tell them that I already voted and I hang up.
When they ask me who I voted for, I tell them “The other person.” And hang up.
Then they call to ask me questions for a survey. I say “I don’t like to be called for surveys.” Before I hang up.
My mailbox is filled with colorful ads. I throw them in the trash.
People knock on my door and ask me questions. I throw them in the trash, too.
They call to complain. I hang up on them.
Nancy 2.0
I think back to my days at the TV station.
There were a lot of people who said “This is the way we always do things.”
The general manager had an elderly secretary.
She had a lot of things to do for him, and I ended up having to do them for her.
Mail merges, contract templates, and other things.
I scanned every address in, merged them to letters and envelopes.
I got sick of doing her job for her, so I quit.
Because that’s the way they always did things.
Drive the new guy mad, and drive him away
Stop standing
If you stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself that you’re a good person, that does not make you a good person.
Instead, go out and be a good person to be a good person.
Then, after you’re done being a good person, stand in front of that mirror and tell yourself that you’re a good person.
The best way to stop standing in front of that mirror is to not own a mirror big enough to stand in front of.
Or to go skiing and break your legs so you stop standing in front of that mirror.