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Daily Inflammation

The only rule to Daily Inflammation…There are no rules! If you are afraid of Virginia Woolf then this is not the section for you. The stream of consciousness flows as I share keen insights rooted in common sense, separating fact from fiction, truth from lies, microwave safe dishes from those that arc and explode, developed from seventy years of living what only can be described as “The common, everyman lifestyle” (except for the microwave part which was only recently learned).
This is Controversy Central! I’ll know I’m successful when I have to issue my first tearful apology. “My words were taken out of context…Boo Hoo”

How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?

09.02.2024 by Fred Berman //

Not heart, I meant hearth.  How do you mend a broken hearth?

Create a paste that matches the color of the stone and fill in cracks and chips. The paste can be made from natural stone and adhesives. After filling, the stone can be sanded and polished to restore it.

Everybody knows alcohol and a one-night stand fixes the other thing.

Categories // Daily Inflammation

The Best Mouse Repellents & The Best Rat Repellents For Your Home

09.01.2024 by Fred Berman //

To keep cute little furry mice from your home:

  • Natural Armor All-Natural Rodent Defense.
  • Grandpa Gus’s Extra-Strength Mouse Repellent Pouches.
  • Mighty Mint Rodent Repellent.
  • Victor Mouse-A-Way Mice Repellent Pellets.

To keep ugly rats from your home:

  • Be Kind toward everything.
  • Stay level and steady.
  • Feel happy for any creature anywhere that is happy.
  • Remember that any suffering is yours.

It’s really not difficult…unless you are an old curmudgeon, like me!

Categories // Daily Inflammation

“Gaston, A Bucket for Monsieur!”

08.31.2024 by Fred Berman //

In 1983 five of us, my brother, our wives and my aunt, went to the theater to see Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life,” in my opinion one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time, although I realize there are differing opinions on this film.  I believe this anecdote serves as an example of a universal truth when it comes to comedy.

The classic scene when Mr. Creosote enters the fine dining establishment.  As he is being seated the headwaiter calls for Gaston to bring a bucket so the honored patron, a gigantically obese man, may throw up.  The ensuing scene alternating between ordering, eating and violent vomiting elicited two separate reactions from our group.  The three women wanted to go to the theater manager and demand their money back while my brother and I were laughing so hard we had trouble breathing and maintaining an upright position in our seats.

Although the control group of this experiment only included three women, I believe this alone proves my theory.  Women have no sense of humor.  If that’s not enough proof for you, get this.  Linda also does not think The Three Stooges are funny.  And, I hate to admit this in public, does not like Marx Brothers movies. 

Oh well, she tells me I’m funny and that’s kept us going for 50 years, so all is good!

Categories // Daily Inflammation

The 5 Things You Should Do Every Day to Age Better

08.30.2024 by Fred Berman //

Five “Common Sense” actions to improve your life:

  1. Wear Sunscreen.
  2. Walk 30 minutes.
  3. Laugh often.
  4. Eat protein.
  5. Get a good night’s sleep.

Five “No Sense” actions that scream “IDIOT:”

  1. Go to a tanning salon and lay under UV rays.
  2. Text while driving.
  3. Vote for a lying, cheating, thieving, sociopathic convicted felon for President.
  4. Have a retirement strategy dependent on winning the lottery.
  5. Eat a diet rich in cured meat, salty snacks and food fried in trans fats. 

And when in doubt give me a call.

Categories // Daily Inflammation

17 Things to Never Do in Public

08.29.2024 by Fred Berman //

These gems come to us from “Craft Your Happy Place,” a site that turns up on my MSN landing page. I won’t torture you with all 17 but there are some that seem so simple yet open to interpretation.  For those I feel you will benefit from further explanation.  The first few need no explanation.  Very simple; if when you are in public you talk loudly on a cellphone or to someone next to you, or even worse swear loudly, play loud music without headphones, leave trash,  or cut in line, you are an asshole; no doubt, no argument, game over.  But there is a gray area in some cases so keep these in mind:

  • Public Displays of Affection:  A peck on the lips or platonic pat on the posterior, no problem.  If you are doing a hard target search for your partner’s larynx with your tongue, you best get a room.
  • Invading Personal Space:  We all need to a small buffer zone around us to feel comfortable.  Be mindful of others and if the situation requires you be close, at least have the decency to suck on a TicTac.
  • Picking Your Nose:  You might think this should be under the “No Duh” section but if you think about it…?  If you’re a man in a bar attempting to hook-up for a meaningless night of “can’t wait to brag at the office tomorrow,” it’s a major time-saver.  If she’s still there after the pick and roll you have an 88% chance of scoring.  For women it is the opposite.  They can use it to dump a loser at the bar who is not getting the hint his advances are unwelcome.  But I have bad news for you ladies.  If a guy thinks he has even a remote chance of bagging the big prize, it will take a lot worse than an errant booger search to dissuade him from trying.
  • Talking About Inappropriate Subjects:  Sure it’s important to tell your girl a mysterious thing has popped up on your weenie, but wait until you are alone or, at least, out of the earshot of others.
  • Ignoring Social Cues:  Be aware of others around you.  Understand what they are trying to impart with body language or facial changes.  If they are dry-heaving while you describe this mornings perfect bowel movement, realize they do not share your love of scatology and adjust your conversation accordingly.

It’s all just common sense, but for you social misfits, I am happy to navigate for you on your voyage of discovery.

Categories // Daily Inflammation

How Do Cults Recruit and Keep Members?

08.28.2024 by Fred Berman //

Cults are sinister organizations that feed on the needs and insecurities of its members.  Think of it as a toxic friendship.  It starts off fun and exciting but soon it becomes controlling and isolates you from your support system.  You become totally dependent on the group and lose your individuality and perhaps your ability to think for yourself.  If only there was a way to avoid this trap and find a group that would care for me.  Now there is such a group.

Introducing the BetterFredThanDead Social Club. Come join us, friend!  We are here for you. Your every wish is our command.  You will at last find that home you long for and the parental and sibling love you were denied your whole life.  Your worries will melt like ice crystals in the spring (Good writing like this is not easy).  No need for money or possessions, everything is free!  We will take that bank account, jewelry, bonds, cars and free your mind to contemplate the universe.

You’re not buying it, are you?  Forget about it then.  Go join a cult.  I would have treated you better!  Maybe?

Categories // Daily Inflammation

Get on Board With the Newest Exercise Trend: “Gentle Movement” or “No Movement” You Choose!

08.27.2024 by Fred Berman //

You may associate working out with a whole lot of huffing, puffing and sweating, but there is a new trend called “gentle movement,” and it has its own set of health benefits.  Holistic therapist Jenny Flora Wells explains “Gentle movement helps us reconnect with a slower pace in a world that’s constantly moving at a very fast pace.”  It includes practices like yoga, Pilates, walking, meditation, and even gardening — essentially, any activity that allows you to slow down and foster a stronger mind-body connection.

I offer you an even better solution.  In Association with Professor Harold Hill, star of The Music Man, I have adapted his “Think System” from learning to play an instrument to getting your daily exercise.  You can join the wave of devotees to No Movement by merely thinking about strenuous physical activity.  While sitting, or better yet reclining, think High Intensity Interval Training, your brain will assume the exercise is done and you will get the same benefit as if you had actually gone through the motions.

Sit down, put your feet up, relax and get fit!   I don’t make this stuff up, it’s science!

Categories // Daily Inflammation

Today in History: The First Televised Major League Baseball Game

08.26.2024 by Fred Berman //

On August 26, 1939, announcer Red Barber called the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York.   Regular programming did not yet exist, and very few people owned television sets.  There were only about 400 in the New York area.  It was part of a technology exhibit at the New York World’s Fair.  Let me put this in historical perspective for you:

  • Network broadcasting did not begin until 1946.
  • No candidate had bragged about his ability to grab women’s genitals with impunity, mocked a disabled reporter, stole money from a charity and still managed to get elected President.
  • The majority of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States were not bought and paid for by unscrupulous billionaires.
  • Gas was $0.19 per gallon (equivalent to $3.96 in 2022 dollars). This for the morons who think that the price of gas 4 years ago is a reflection of the monetary policies of one president.
  • People had long conversations without gazing at their cellphones.
  • The U.S. Congress was not populated by petulant children who do more name-calling than legislating.
  • There were no Daily Inflammatory blog posts by a whining old curmudgeon who thinks he knows more than anyone else and believes he is right 100% of the time.

(That last one may be true?)

Categories // Daily Inflammation

Remember the Name: Bennett Kleinman, King of “No-Duh” Advice

08.25.2024 by Fred Berman //

He may not be universally recognized as a genius yet, but he will soon get everything he deserves.

Bennett writes articles in The Better Report, internet spam that shows up daily in my inbox.  The articles are not really “news you can use” as they are touted but more aptly described as “News that’ll make you snooze.”  Bennett has, in the past, imparted to us unique life-sustaining ideas.  On the subject of saving money Benny suggested getting a library card and cutting dryer sheets in half.  There’s 12 cents right back into our pocket.  I guess the kids get milk this week!  The Klein-Meister General didn’t stop there, more ideas included shopping at discount stores and showering with cold water. Awesome!

There’s more.  The Benster also blew the lid off bubble wrap by teaching us how to curl hair by wrapping it around bubble wrap for a few hours.  No more wasting 5 minutes with a curling iron!  His article “6 Garbage Day Mistakes You’re Probably Making” warn us all to put the cans out on the correct day, not to overfill them and, for the love of humanity, DO NOT recycle greasy pizza boxes.

And still Bennett Kleinman, I salute you!  I share the wisdom of kings to my reader(s)? and have yet to make a penny.  You recycle banal bits of info from “The Hicksville Penny Saver” and are raking in millions. 

A grateful nation awaits your next revelation!

Categories // Daily Inflammation

What If? A New Feature Exploring Innovative Ground-Breaking Ideas for Improving Life as We Know it!

08.24.2024 by Fred Berman //

What if, as a society, we unanimously decided to reverse our living schedules; that is, do all our living, working, shopping during the night and sleep during the day?

For those that didn’t finish at night…the day awaits.  Can you even fathom how productivity would skyrocket and scientific discovery accelerate?  The benefits are too numerous to count and the down-side non-existent.  And if we get a jump on the competition we can corner the market on black-out curtains which are sure to be in greater demand than toilet paper during Covid-related lockdown!

Who’s with me?

Categories // Daily Inflammation

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