183 Quiz Answer

In the book “The Great Gatsby,” by F Scott Fitzgerald, the advertisement of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg consists of a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an advertising billboard, a dominant symbol within this novel. 

(Also submitted to Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "G" is for Dr. Goodman.)

Here’s this week’s Berownial quiz question.

With this week's prompt in mind - a road into town - I wrote the following scenelet, thinking it might remind you of a well-known novel.  Which novel?

“Well, I don’t know.  I was brought up in the day when doctors didn’t advertise, especially not with billboards.”

“But, Dr. Goodman, yours is a special situation.  As an eye doc what you need...”

“Optometrist.”

“Right.  What you need is immediate brand awareness as well as long-term recall.  You want recognition as a highly qualified professional, and you want to sell eye-glasses too.  And that’s where we at SkillMedia come in.  Billboard advertising has the capability of engaging your target audience like nothing else, in addition to extending the reach and effectiveness of your marketing message.”

“I wasn’t aware that I had a marketing message, but I guess I do.  Just where were you planning to place this sign?”

“You know the saying – the key to success is location, location, location!  Doctor Goodman, your powerful ad will be on the main highway from Long Island into New York City.  You may anticipate getting ‘em going in to work and heading home.”

“Long Island?  I can see that’s a lot of people, a lot of working stiffs.  I’m sorry to be elitist, but I would prefer reaching an upscale audience.”

“Ah, well, I hope you’ll forgive me if I offer a slight correction about Long Island.  You know there on the north shore, around the town of West Egg and other such communities, that’s the gold coast.  The only people there who aren’t millionaires are multi-millionaires, and they all drive into New York too.  Which means they’re all going to be impacted by your sign.”

“And what exactly is going to be on that sign?”

“Our design team at SkillMedia have come up with something brilliantly simple yet powerfully effective.  Try to picture a solitary person – it will be you, by the way – seen in an extreme closeup, filling the entire billboard.  You will of course be wearing eye-glasses and you will be serenely engaging your target audience, staring right at them.”

“H’mm.  I don’t know.  Folks could think I’m awfully pretentious, as though I was pretending to be some sort of holy spirit fearlessly judging mankind, or whatever.”

“Well, that wouldn’t be so bad, assuming it sells eye-glasses.”

(Also submitted to Sunday Scribblings.)

182 Quiz Answer

The answer, as most folks seem to know, is: the biblical story of the loaves and the fishes.

(Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "F" is for "Food Service")

Here’s this week’s Berownial quiz question.

The following is my distinctly new-age variation of an old, well-known story.  What story?

“I think we’re in trouble.”

“Oh, you’re always worrying.  Relax.  Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Have you looked out there?  There’s literally a ton of people waiting, thousands of ‘em.”

“So?  That’s good.  That’s great.  We wanted this meeting to be a big success.  Our message is powerful beyond measure."

“But they’re all expecting to be fed.  We weren’t prepared for such a huge group.”

“I told you, the job of feeding everyone has been turned over to Christopher, a food service specialist.  He’s the expert in this kind of thing.  He’ll take care of it.”

“So when does he plan to get here?”

“He’ll be here; he’s very dependable.  And he’ll handle all aspects of the food service.  No problem.”

“He mentioned his menu.  Some kind of seafood dish?  Does he know we don’t have refrigeration?”

“Will you stop being irrational!  This is what he does.  You can be sure he’s thought of everything.”

“I was reading this leaflet they passed out to all the folks out there.  It’s a joke!  You think I'm just being sullen?  Listen to this: in addition to the main, and evidently only, dish, it says ‘Each person will also receive a slice of healthy, organic whole-grain bread.’  They get a slice of bread!  What a meal!  We’ll be lucky if they don’t come after us with pitchforks after a lunch like that!”

“I’m telling you, he’s done this many times before.  Every time there were some who challenged him – you can’t serve a huge number of people with such a limited menu, they said.  But he did.  He’s a pro - he’ll pull it off.”
(Also submitted to Sunday Scribblings.)

181 Quiz Answer

 This week's answer: "Psycho" is an American suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh.
(Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "E" is for "Ellen")
Here’s this week’s Berownial quiz question.
I wrote the following, thinking it might remind you of a very well-known motion picture.  Your assignment, should you decide to accept it, is: name the movie.

My friend Ellen has a problem and she wants my advice.

First off, I should tell you that Ellen and I go way back; we were in high school together.

I thought I knew her well.  I would not have guessed that she, a grown woman now, would ever find herself in the situation she’s in.  Trouble is, I’m pretty sure I don’t know how to solve her problem, which is unfortunate because I would certainly do anything I could to be of help.

I’m afraid that it’s strictly a legal situation she’s mixed up in.  Calling the police would solve it but that may well mean she’d be arrested for what, from what she tells me, was basically a criminal act.

Again, she’s the last person I’d ever think would leave the habitual straight and narrow path and actually do such a thing but the fact is, she stole some money – a large amount.

She was working for a fairly successful real estate company and was doing fine at her job.  One day a man came in who had been shown a certain home and had decided to buy it.  He walked in with a huge bag of cash to seal the deal.  Ellen took care of all the paper work and realized she should get the cash to the bank as soon as possible.

As she drove off in her car she thought of all the things she could do with this pile of money.  Instead of heading for the bank she turned off onto the interstate highway.

After driving for a couple of hours, Ellen, distraught, realized she had made a huge mistake.  Her boss would have called the cops; probably the state police had her license plate number by now and were already on the lookout for her.

She decided that she would go back and try to regulate things by returning the cash next morning.  She would spend the night right where she was; there was a humble though rather creepy-looking motel nearby.
(Also submitted to Sunday Scribblings.)

180 Quiz Answer

Here's the quiz answer.

The courtship between Beatrice and Benedict is one of the things that makes the play Much Ado About Nothing so memorable.

Bea and Ben are constantly arguing, wittily, but Will Shakespeare makes it clear that they don’t really mean the spiteful remarks and are actually crazy about each other.

(Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "D" is for "Dolores")

Here’s this week’s Berownial quiz question.
I wrote the following; I thought it might suggest a Shakespeare play.  Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is: name the play.

Dolores and Dave can’t stand each other.

Dave:  “Ah, Dolores!  Here she comes, to bring some bright sunshine into my life!  Or, more likely, some crummy storm clouds.”

Dolores:  “Don’t worry; I don’t enjoy these visits any more than you do.  I was sent here with a message for you.”

“And of course the rule is, we should not shoot the messenger.  Though we may be able to work out an exception in your case.”

“Ha!  Such dazzling wit.  All the more surprising because the remarks come from one so intellectually challenged.”

“Another Dolores insult; I won't quibble; I’ll add it to the long list I have of them.  All originals, no duplicates.  Nothing I enjoy more in the evening than to sit by the fire, my dog in my mouth and my pipe at my feet, to sift through your insults.  They’re like a book of memories!”

“Glad you appreciate them, Dave.  You deserve them.”

“You are a remarkable young woman, to be able to combine such an unpleasant personality with such an unappealing physical appearance.”

“Your self-absorbed personality, on the other hand, has given the word ‘repellent’ new meaning.  And don’t worry about my physical appearance; I do all right, if you follow my meaning.”

“Yes, of course.  I know that quite a few chaps seem to prefer a full-figured woman.”

“Ha.  I’d rather be a full-figured woman than a bone-headed man – of which there seems to be at least one in the immediate vicinity.  Well, I won't go berserk over it.  Anyway, the message is, it’s time to join the company for lunch.  So there; I can leave now.”

“Well, since we have taken care of the social niceties and sparkling repartee, will you do me the dubious honor of allowing me to accompany you?”

“The dubiousness is all mine.”

(Also submitted to Sunday Scribblings.)