Humor
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Some Race Horses Were Talking
Some race horses staying in a stable. One of them starts to boast about his track record. "In the last 15 races, I've won 8 of them!"
Another horse breaks in, "Well in the last 27 races, I've won 19!!"
"Oh that's good, but in the last 36 races, I've won 28!", says another, flicking his tail.
At this point, they notice that a greyhound dog has...Read more
Listening Better, Fighting Less and Asking More in 2025
The final dinner of winter vacation is funereal, death incarnate, the dissolution of rum ball-soaked peace.
It's even more fraught when a season of political mayhem looms. Let's slice into braised chicken and ignore the worst Sunday scaries known to man. Let's pass the salad and avoid reading about how Elon Musk moved into a Trump outbuilding...Read more
A Bag Within a Bag
I always keep a dozen reusable grocery bags in my car so I don't have to buy one when I go shopping. Naturally, I would always forget to take some in, and then mid-checkout, I'd have to make a mad dash to my car to get my bags while a line of annoyed shoppers formed behind me. I thought it was OK for them to wait five minutes while I saved the...Read more
Jerry Zezima: She's got my number
According to statistics that must be true or I wouldn’t have made them up, 87% of grandfathers couldn’t pass a third-grade math test.
This is shocking because it represents almost half the grandpa population.
Unfortunately, I am in this group because I recently got taken to school by my 8-year-old granddaughter, who is in third grade, has ...Read more
How To Know You're Aging Rapidly
One way to know you're in your 40s is that you still open BuzzFeed listicles. I'm sorry, it was beyond my control! My phone's news app spooned me this highly targeted content, and I had no choice but to slap the black mirror for dopamine like an infant gumming pureed banana.
The factory-farmed piece was culled from r/Xennials on Reddit, home ...Read more
When Bad Things Happen to Good Laptops
There wasn't a full moon. I didn't walk under a ladder or break a mirror. No black cats crossed my path. Yet it was undeniably one of those days when I felt cursed. It started with the demise of my coffee maker, followed by the nervous breakdown of my washing machine, and an unfriendly letter calling me for jury duty. I blatantly ignored all ...Read more
Let's All Agree To Not 'Improve' in 2025
January is rearing its perky, crunchy, healthy little head. That means we are contractually obligated to improve -- the worst assignment.
I'm not a huge self-improvement person, not because I don't want to improve, but because I assume everything is a grift. It's rare I get through a self-help book without switching to some literary novel ...Read more
Taking the Plunge
When we got the last-minute invite to a Christmas party at someone's house, I didn't realize I had a problem until I was waiting for the elevator to take us up.
"Oh no! I don't have a gift," I said to my husband.
"What?" he replied.
"I don't have a gift," I repeated. "I don't have a hostess gift. We've never been to this woman's apartment ...Read more
Holiday Inflatables Are Horrific, but Follow Your Bliss
This may come off like another Festivus gripe, just an unpopular opinion about a pointless seasonal irritant. And it is, for sure, but bear with old Fezziwig.
Holiday inflatables have gotten out of hand. They're smooth, homogeneous and overexposed. When hyperactive homeowners barf up six pop culture franchises in a row, narrative arc becomes ...Read more
Jerry Zezima: Tooth or consequences
My orthodontist is a gem. That’s why he suggested I buy an ultrasonic retainer cleaner that my wife can wash her jewelry in.
I got retainers several years ago when I decided to go straight, not because I was a crooked jewel thief, but because two of my teeth were crooked and needed straightening.
I went to the Stony Brook University School ...Read more
It's Raining, It's Pouring
"Is it still spitting out there?" I asked my husband as he walked in the door. It was dark and gray outside and was forecast to rain all day, but I couldn't tell if it was actually raining at that moment or not.
He shook out his umbrella and dropped it on the floor.
"I don't like the word 'spitting,'" he said.
I thought for a moment.
"How ...Read more
Jerry Zezima: Some like it cold
When you get to be a certain age — in my case, old — you tend to run hot and cold, which not only is true but also rhymes.
The reason is that no matter what the temperature is inside or outside, it’s either too hot or too cold.
That is why my wife, Sue, called a technician named Joe to come over and fix the upstairs thermostat, which had...Read more
Will Trader Joe's Save Us?
Almost two years ago, I begged Joe -- Trader Joe, that is -- to send another of his clever grocery emporiums to where I live. I wrote:
We have so many people, Joe, denizens who request, nay, demand your low prices, friendly staff and flavor combinations not available from Larry Q. Publix. Trail mix with mung beans. Vegan tzatziki. Greek ...Read more
Sleeping in C Minor
"Ow!"
I woke up with a start when my husband's left arm whacked me in the head. I rolled over to yell at him and saw that he was sound asleep. His hands, however, were wide awake and keeping a perfect 3/4 time to some mystery concerto.
Sadly, this was not the first time this had happened. My husband works in the music industry, and like most...Read more
Jerry Zezima: The 2024 Zezima family Christmas letter
Since I am in the holiday spirit (and, having just consumed a mug of hot toddy, a glass of eggnog and a nip of cheer, the holiday spirits are in me), I have decided to follow in that great tradition of boring everyone silly by writing a Christmas letter.
That is why I am pleased as punch (which I also drank) to present the following chronicle ...Read more
The Return of the Mom Jeans
I wouldn't say I'm a slave to fashion, but I do like to follow some of the trends each season. I usually get just a few pieces that ultimately look more age-appropriate on my daughter than me, but I get them anyway and I'm happy even if I do look like an idiot. So imagine my dismay when I found out that two of the big looks this year were ......Read more
Jerry Zezima: Pranks a lot
Whenever I pull a prank, which generally involves my grandchildren, whose maturity level is way above mine, I think outside the box.
This is a wise strategy because I can’t fit inside the box. And even if I could, the air supply to my brain would be cut off and I’d be even more immature, which admittedly would make me a better prankster.
...Read more
Finding Holiday Gratitude in a Rescue Possum
"We've got a possum in there," an employee said with a smile. She motioned around a corner, directing me toward the dwelling of the furry friend.
I played it cool, but I already knew about the possum living at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. In fact, I'd announced to my family after dinner the night before that I intended to visit ...Read more
Your Fries Are My Fries
"I'll have the burger," my husband said to the server when she came to take our lunch order.
"Would you like a salad or fries with that?" she asked.
"Salad," he said definitively.
"No, fries," I corrected him.
"I don't want fries," he said.
"But I do, and my sandwich doesn't come with them," I explained.
He rolled his eyes and shrugged ...Read more