Just a note to the few people who read the joke I posted earlier in the evening--Its deletion was not the work of Phil being mean; I deleted it myself because I thought it could be hurtful. I believe Phil would make a very tolerant Deletion Fairy.

Now I'm wondering what I missed!

Hi Derek--It was just a joke I read today, but it could have been taken as kind of inconsiderate. But I do stand by my belief that "Phil the Deletion Fairy" has a certain ring to it.

LOL! It was a good joke, Ariel, and I'm sure w.c. wouldn't mind. Go ahead and post it if you'd like. I have a similar one I'll share.

(All posts on the forum come to my email -- even those deleted. Keeps me up to date on what's going on.)

Now I feel just plain silly...

With the assurance that the rest of you dear gentlefolk here at SP are safe from having your usernames create any amusing associations in my imagination, and the belief that w.c. has a good sense of humor, as well as the disclaimer that the following story was deemed funny by a person who has spent two decades periodically wondering why no-one else seems to find "Londonderry Air" to be the snicker-producing title to a popular song----I came across this story yesterday in the midst of other ecclesiastical jokes, and having a vivid imagination, I probably would have laughed as much as I did even if I didn't know anyone with the username "w.c.":

It seems that a little old English lady was looking for some rooms in Switzerland. She asked the local village schoolmaster to help her.A place that suited her was finally found, and the lady returned to London for her luggage.

She remembered then that she had not noticed a bathroom, or as she called it, a "water closet." She wrote to the schoolmaster. He was puzzled by the initials "W.C.", never dreaming of course that she was asking about a bathroom. He asked the parish priest, who decided that W.C. stood for Wesleyan Church. This was the reply:

Dear Madam,

The W.C. is situated 9 miles from the house in the center of a beautiful grove of trees. A large number of folks attend during the summer months, so it is suggested that you go early, although there is plenty of standing room. Some folks like to take their lunch and make a day of it, especially on Thursdays when there is organ accompaniment. The acoustics are very good and everyone can hear the slightest sound.

We hope you will be there in time for our bazaar. The proceeds will go towards the purchase of plush seats, which the folks agree are a long-felt need, as all the present seats have holes in them.

My wife is rather delicate, therefor she cannot attend regularly. It has been 6 weeks since she last went. Naturally, it pains her very much not to be able to go more often.

I shall close now with the desire to accomodate you in every way possible, and I will be happy to save you a seat down front or near the door, whichever you prefer.

Sincerely,
village schoolmaster

edit: "Londonderry Air" is the title to the tune of a popular song--"Danny Boy". Am I somehow mis-pronouncing Londonderry Air since I think it's funny? I mean, it's not terribly funny, I agree, but I've sat through several outdoor "Evening at the Pops"-type concerts with the local symphony orchestra, with "Londonderry Air" prominently displayed on the program, and not one of the hundreds of fellow concert-attendees appears to be stifling a laugh.

another edit: Thanks to google, I've just now--finally--been able to solve my privately-baffling mystery...indeed, plenty of other people do think "Londonderry Air" is a pretty song with a funny title.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ariel Jaffe,

That's hilarious. I'm glad you reposted it.

It took me a few minutes to get the Londonderry Air joke.

So, after years of faithful service to his little congregation in Minnesota, the preacher and his wife were given an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii for two weeks. They set out in the winter, when the cold kept everyone inside, and enjoyed walking the beaches and just basking in the warm Hawaiin sunshine. The preacher especially liked watching the young people surf -- how they would get on the board, wait for the waves, stand up and ride the waves until they either came to shore or the wave died out. One afternoon, he even rented a surfboard, but was unable to even stand up on it when a wave came. Nevertheless, he spent lots of time reflecting on how life was a lot like surfing -- you make proper preparations, wait for opportunities, use your skill, etc. -- and after sharing quite a bit on this with his wife, she'd grown rather sick of it.

Upon returning to Minnesota, the preacher decided to give his first sermon on "Life and Surfing," sort of as a way of sharing something useful he'd picked up on the trip which had been so generously provided for them by the congregation.

"Well, if that's what you're going to talk about, I'll just work in the kitchen to prepare things for refreshments after services," his wife replied. "I've heard about all I want to hear about surfing."

The preacher set out for his study, next to the chapel, and as people began arriving, he thought about his wife's words, and then how surfing probably wouldn't mean much to Minnesotans. A lot of them wouldn't really know what he was talking about. So he checked the readings for the day and saw that the theme of sexual morality was strongly suggested by them. Looking over his files, he found some notes on the readings he'd prepared for a talk long ago, but had never delivered. He read them over quickly and then went on to deliver a fire-and-brimstone sermon on the evils of fornication.

After services were over, as the congregation drifted into the reception area, one of the women saw the preacher's wife setting out coffee and donuts. "That was quite a sermon your husband preached this morning!" she said. "Seems the trip gave him more conviction and energy."

"Oh, he doesn't really know what he's talking about," the wife replied gruffly!

Perplexed, the woman replied, "No, no, it was quite good, really."

"Well, just so you'll know. He's only tried it twice in his life: once on our honeymoon many years ago, and once on this recent trip, and he fell off both times."

Good one, Phil!

Very funny jokes, folks.



I think I'll share a few of the SP jokes with my class this week. They'll enjoy them a lot more than their pop quiz....