HELLO?

I'm back! Did I miss anything? Did judi take advantage of my absence to post links to pictures of guys in their underwear?

Nah. She would never do that.

Anyway, because I am a trained journalist, here is your

REPORT ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDWEST: The situation in the Midwest remains flat.

Comments

[Drew]

You should already know the answer to that one!

[eadn]

Good tripping for you Dave? With all your travelling, we could sure use your advice on our upcoming jaunt to Hell!

[nouti]

Then, I guess "Terre Haute" really was a code name. Or the folks there are in serious denial.

And, no, you didn't miss anything, your Daveness.

[paperclip]

Florida is the Flattest State (or so Trivial Pursuit taught me, and I'd hate to think a board game would lie) so you can't make fun of the Midwest for it's apparent flatness. Leave that to those of us who grew up there, but live in California now, and laugh every time we take someone home with us (often heard from those who grew up in CA but visit MI: "Where's the elevation?")

[twopuppies]

So how was Terri, and was she?

[velvel]

Dave,
No, just links to the weird news from three days ago with setups that weren't all that insightful.

[JT]

I am not now, nor have I been for 20 years, flat.
So there *is* topography in the Midwest...

[eadn]

Interesting JT, and does your roundedness come in more than one curve?

[twopuppies]

They're as insightful as WE make them velvel. If you can't come up with something clever on your own don't imply that Judi isn't doing her job.

[velvel]

twopuppies,

The setups should be insightful. Not the comments. I don't read the comments unless I have something to say. This isn't a bulletin board for idiots, it's the blog of Dave Barry, award winning humorist.

Why would I want to hear your lousy opinions on Judi's lousy posts?

[Graz]

velvel, don't go away mad......just go away.

[velvel]

I was here before all you morons ever started posting comments and I plan on staying here. Dave asked what happened, and I told him. I don't see why you guys should all get your panties in a bunch.

[Lynsey]

ouch

[eadn]

I wondered if this would happen. Everyone take a timeout for your meds of choice and Thank You for swallowing.

[Gregg]

Once again, I find myself agreeing with Velvel's points. I find the setups to the things that Dave posts to be more funny (and, I guess, "insightful", though I don't expect these silly posts to be particularly insightful in the usual sense of that word). It's just that Dave seems to be able to draw more of a bead on the absurdity and humor in whatever he posts, and the combination of his setups along with the content in the links is what makes it funny. I usually don't get that from Judi's setups.

Now, I'm not expecting Judi to be Dave, and I'm not telling Judi to stop posting. I still enjoy it, even if it might be 3-day-old weird news. Most of the links, I don't see before they're posted here anyway. It's not like I'm digging around for weird news throughout the day. So usually, these posts will be new to me, even though they may be a few days old to the Internet. I'm only stating what is a fact for me: I find Dave's setups to be funnier and better.

I think this is all that Velvel is trying to say. HOWEVER: Velvel, get some manners. Even I *do* agree with your opinions, your manner of expressing them here leaves a WHOLE LOT to be desired. And calling us morons ain't gonna help the situation one bit, pal. Just state your opinion in a professional and/or polite way, and leave it at that. No need to antagonize everyone else on the board, even if you arer somehow getting some sort of rise out of that. I agree with your point of view, but knock off the attitude.

[BarryFS]

I think some of them spit.

May D.Ribble, Sidcup,Kent

[Query Meister]

Important Question: Does this issue relate to the Janet Jackson situation?

[eadn]

Thanks Con! By the way, weren't you the one that patented Punkyvision? Just tryin' to properly pay my respects with one eye shut ;-)

[Jessica]

Welcome back Dave!

[eadn]

By the way, Gregg, I agree with your "terms of genteelness" comments, but I think we need to also respect and understand that Dave has authorized Judi with his own trust and humor. Since she has been billed as his Research / Technical person, I don't think we need to expect "Dave Barry / Pulitzer" presentations from her. A little elbow room for the people who made this commenting happen. Thanks

[Webmom]

Dave we missed you. Thank goodness it is too early to get strangled by a random stalk of fine midwest corn.

[Gregg]

> By the way, Gregg, I agree with your "terms of genteelness" comments, but I think we need to also respect and understand that Dave has authorized Judi with his own trust and humor. Since she has been billed as his Research / Technical person, I don't think we need to expect "Dave Barry / Pulitzer" presentations from her. exactly that in all of my three or four previous posts on the subject, including the post in this current thread: "Now, I'm not expecting Judi to be Dave, and I'm not telling Judi to stop posting."

[Bangladeshi_gurl]

Mel-Forget abt taking over the planet.we've got a bigger issue on our well manicured but deadly hands.
and with it-I second that motion ( waving deadly hand prettily)

[Gregg]

>Gregg, why does it seem that you've stopped talking about the blog altogether just to piss and moan like a little b.... about other ppl's judgements about you?! geez, if i could have a dime for every time someone complained about me, i'd be a friggin' millionare.first, original post to that effect wasn't really all that bad. He didn't really insult anybody, or say his piece in an antagonizing manner. He simply said that he expected the posts at Dave Barry's Blog to retain the flavor of Dave's humor, as one would normally expect. So it was a plea for more "purity," per se -- to refrain from posting so many non-Dave-like links in the blog.

3. After that first post, which wasn't very troll-like at all, Velvel was immediately trashed, insulted, and told to go away. Is it any wonder that his posts have now turned antagonistic? I don't condone the tone of his recent posts, but I also don't think his initial post deserved that kind of treatment, and well, what goes around comes around. Velvel needs to calm down and approach this in a different manner (or just drop it altogether now), but he sure didn't deserve the initial response he got to his first post. I'd get mad too.

4. I wasn't even going to say anything at akk about Judi's posts, even though I had felt similar to Velvel about them -- that is, until all of the above happened. After all that big to-do with Velvel, I decided to join the fray and stick up for some of the points he was making, even though I wasn't sticking up for the WAY he was making the points. But to immediately trash someone who has an unpopular viewpoint -- and who at least initially expressed that viewpoint in an acceptable manner -- and to call me "pissy" and try to insult MY intelligence ("What? No snappy comeback?") is just beyond the pale. I think it is just as bad or possibly worse than the behavior you are supposedly trying to get rid of in this blog. Wise up.

That's it. Now, I think we all need to calm down.

[Guillermo]

Hi Gregg. i also agree with you. i don't like Velve's attitude but he does have a point. i come here mostly lurking and contributing links to this blog because i really like Dave. and i have been skipping over alot of judi's posts because i frankly get a little tired/annoyed with them. For this to be Dave's blog, it has to retain the essential "daveness" that we all know and love and it is so crucial to its success. if there are more of judi's posts in the blog than dave's then it really isn't dave's blog anymore. Call it "judi and dave's blog" but not just dave's, because multiple posts on stuff like male underwear doesnt really cut it and it makes the blog lose that "daveness" .... I think you know what I mean. It's what i come here for.

[velvel]

Right on. If I say "I like Dave." and "I like Judi, but not when she writes her own posts here." It's perfectly acceptable to say, "I disagree, I like Dave and I like Judi."

But some people like to tell me to go to Hell.

I'll comment when I see something I don't like. And it's too bad for all the people who don't like me.

And I will continue not to use my real e-mail address, like many of you.

[AboutToBeFlamed]

I dunno...I find Judi's posts kind of charming, even if she does obsess a little too much about men's underwear. It's interesting to have two senses of humor here. Besides, I make a game of trying to guess who posted what without looking at the names.

[Wombat]

For whatever it's worth, I'd like to voice my agreement with Velvel and Gregg. (Although I, too, do not always agree with the manner in which Velvel makes his points)

Before someone attacks me as well, and tells me to go play somewhere else, let me first commend Judi for her dedication and hard work on this blog. She deserves it.

However, since it is called "Dave's" blog, the set-ups for the links should have a 'Dave-esque' flair, or flavor, if you will. No one else can actually be Dave, but maybe a bit more of an attempt to emulate Dave would make this blog a bit more cohesive as a repository for random and witty humor.

[elfbrains]

I can't believe I bothered to read all of that. I may not share Velvel's opinions, but that doesn't mean that they don't deserve expression.

And, for the record, I think Judi does a great job, and to make an attempt to emulate Dave would seem insulting. Sing in your own voice, Judi, even if every song is an ode to nearly naked men.

And some of us don't feel the need to hide our identities, regardless of who we may PO along the way.