It began as the GODFATHER OF MATH, evolved into the GOODFATHER OF MATH. Now this. Go figure...

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The kind of humor I like is the thing that makes me laugh for five seconds and think for ten minutes = G. CARLIN...Stain glass, engraved glass, frosted glass
–give me plain glass = JOHN FOWLES ... Music is the mathematics of the gods=PYTHAGORAS ... Nothing is more fluid than language = R. L. SWIHART
I cannot live without the oxygen of laughter = DAWN POWELL ... !!! ... But laughter cannot survive without the hydrogen of gravitas = PAUL OLIVERIO
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, July 4, 2025

Yesterday's Near-Death Experience

________________________________________________________________________________________________



Just because
today is
the 4th of July,
I do not need
the New York Times
to congratulate me
***


WORDLE
is the brilliant evolution
of 
which I was introduced to
when Eisenhower
was President
 
The hyperlinked puzzle
was shared with
at least
1000 people
since then
 
In all respects but one,
yesterday was a beautiful day
—however—
my third Wordle streak
of more than 
130 days
came to an end
+
a tangible state
of deep depression
overwhelmed me
 
Without a late night
"Genius" 
level word
on 
the Spelling Bee Puzzle
that depression
could have reached
deadly proportions
 
My oversized ego
thought death
might claim me
on July 4th
as it did for
+
 
They both died
exactly 199 years ago 
today
!!!
 
The laughable conclusion
to this very Father-centric
blogger is that
the correct answer
to yesterday's Wordle
was
  
POPPY
!!! 

 
My therapist
demands 
I direct
your attention
to his comment 
below
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Rorschach Cloud-Face ... With A Message

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Have a Happy
and Safe
4th of July

©©                                            ©©
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

For Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon + John Entwistle

________________________________________________________________________________________________


 
   © PhotoVerio #914.5
:::
:::
:::
 
 
if that's 
the way 
!!!! 
________________________________________________________________________________________________

PhotoVerio #914: Quadrilateral With Support Staff

________________________________________________________________________________________________


*
*
 
Geometric Wonderland
Little Green Thingy
named
"Lower Lefty"
*
*
   © Oliverio        Victoria Avenue Industrial Park
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

A Bowl Of Foliage Dedicated To PAUL SIMON

________________________________________________________________________________________________


© PhotoVerio #913.5
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parking Lot Decor Dedicated To PAUL SIMON

________________________________________________________________________________________________


©

Paul Simon's
 Long Beach concert
is scheduled
for next Monday,
 
©
 
Some of the vehicles
transporting people
to this concert
will park in the vicinity
of this triplicated image:
 
© OLIVERIO      
________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Phony + Crappy Cropper Inside His Head = ME

________________________________________________________________________________________________


 
Inside those headphones
are
nothing but 
Paul Simon songs
being piped 
into my ears
 
Paul was singing
about Werewolves,
Angels 
+ 
 
The album
was recorded
 at a time
when
Art Garfunkel
was teaching 
Geometry
at 
 
However,
83-year-old Paul
scheduled a concert tour
this summer
but emergency surgery
required cancellation
of two 
 
He is still scheduled 
to perform
in Long Beach
 
We shelled out
more than 
500 semolians
to bear witness
to the 
+
it suffices to say
this is an ongoing story
 
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, June 29, 2025

If This Aint Poetry ... PAGE TWO ... With 2 Links + Graffito

________________________________________________________________________________________________


If This Aint Poetry ... 
Throw That Word 
Out Of The Dictionary
!!!
!!
!


 
A WOMAN IS A PRISM
________________________________________________________________________________________________
 

No Better Place To Deceive The Eye (Comic Relief # 6409)

________________________________________________________________________________________________


DAN PIRARO
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, June 28, 2025

If This Aint Poetry ... Throw That Word Out Of The Dictionary

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Loudon Wainright III

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Quoting HEMINGWAY ... From Words Written Yesterday

________________________________________________________________________________________________


MARIEL HEMINGWAY
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Clinically Proven ... In The Words Of HOODA HELAMI

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Clinically proven,
her products are movin'
off the shelves,
faster than 
she can stock them

Do they make your skin
feel like silk?
 
Do breast feeders
have God's milk?

—HELL NO—
 

And
you get 
no money back
+
 can soak
your woes
in beer

Because she is
no doctor
but
She is so sincere

Nothing matters more
—not even a little bitty—
than to speak with 
Sincerity

As every politician knows
so what
if the nose grows

Every celebrity
gives us thrills
as long as they take
their sincerity pills
so what if we
have to pay
all the bills
***

© HOODA HELAMI ©
Alter Ego #142857
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

PhotoVerio #913: Gnarly

________________________________________________________________________________________________


© Oliverio

________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Simple Arithmetic Of Memory

________________________________________________________________________________________________



For the equivalent
of 15 years
while teaching
in South-Central
Los Angeles,
I swam one mile 
daily
—five days a week—
at the 

Here is the simple arithmetic:
5 x 52 x 15 = 3900

Effectively,
I swam the distance from
Long Island to Los Angeles
then to San Diego
and back to LA

I'd much rather be swimming
in an actual pool 
today
but 
I can vividly let
memory do 
all the stroking
 
JUAN SEBASTIAN RESTREPO
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Or A Football Player Or A Hoopster

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Take away
our churches
and we will worship
a baseball player
***

 (1972)
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

NEIL HOOS, Street Photographer

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bussing
NEIL HOOS
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Monday, June 23, 2025

The Power Of FEAR + The Words of HOODA HELAMI

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Fear generates talent
on Earth
—here under the Sun—

The Fear being
—talent-wise—
of having none
***
© HOODA HELAMI ©
Alter Ego #142857
 
________________________________________________________________________________________________

A Page That Ends With A Quote From ... ROUTE 66

________________________________________________________________________________________________


 
 :::
 
Hyperlink has
deleteable
advert 
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Praying For What Happens ... THERE

________________________________________________________________________________________________


© PhotoVerio #912.5
________________________________________________________________________________________________

PhotoVerio #912: Green Dance

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Botanical Boogie
© Oliverio
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, June 20, 2025

Homegrown (Comic Relief #6397)

________________________________________________________________________________________________


He wanted to have
a sex change
but he didn't want
to lose his job.
 
You won't lose your job,
the boss said.
But if you change 
your sex,
I'll have to cut your pay
twenty percent.
 
***
 
© PAUL OLIVERIO ©
1983
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, June 19, 2025

A Song To Celebrate JUNETEENTH

________________________________________________________________________________________________


The song was sung by
as the opening act
for the 
1969 Woodstock Festival
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Harry's Health Food Emporium ... A Poem by HOODA HELAMI

________________________________________________________________________________________________


FOOD EMPORIUM

*************************
Located
on Highway #9,
Harry sold healthy food
that tasted divine
and 
went down easy
with his
home-made wine
 
But what
customers liked most
was Harry's silly patter
because 
his brain
was full of
vegetable matter
***

© HOODA HELAMI ©
Alter Ego #142857
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Home Grown (Comic Relief #6394)

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Carnal knowledge is something
most people acquire
in the back of a car

© Oliverio ©
1982
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

What The Dodo Did Until Fate Found Him (Comic Relief #6393)

________________________________________________________________________________________________


GARY LARSON



Post-humously,
Lewis Carroll
was named 
Godfather of Gary Larson

Mr. Larson's
first public statement
about the author of
Alice in Wonderland
is highlighted below
with minimum
italics:

I didn't do it
Post-humously
I did it
Post-humorously
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Once Upon A Time In The Land Of Lady Luck

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Upon being mandated to bury her INNER SELF
________________________________________________________________________________________________

We Know When You've Been Sleeping ...

________________________________________________________________________________________________


© PhotoVerio #911.5
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Worst Teaching Job I Ever Had = The Last Job I Ever Had

________________________________________________________________________________________________


My retirement certificate
from Jefferson High School
in South-Central Los Angeles
was still wet
around the edges
:::

In 2004,
I moved from California
to Virginia
to be close to my 
Sister
+
her family
:::
 
For something to compromise
my disturbing surplus 
of free time,
I got a job
teaching math
at a school named for
a Confederate General
 :::
 
The most serious subject
discussed
in the faculty lounge
had to do with
"The Process"
as in
How many of your chickens
were processed this week?
 :::
 
was within walking distance
of the school
 where I fit in
like a brown shoe
on a warm hand
:::
 
Out of 250 students
in my roster,
only one has been 
remembered
by both
first name
+
surname:
 
That student was
TOBY KNIGHT
which was the same name
as a Long Island student of mine
whose basketball skills
were good enough
for him to play
professionally for
 :::
 
The student photographed here
is named
"Antonio"
 

He was a bit of a wise ass
in every class
but mine
:::
 
I earned
genuine gratitude
from numerous
Turner Ashby teachers
because
whenever Antonio
misbehaved
in their classroom,
they sent the Mexican boy
 to Mr. Oliverio
 
Then 
he would sit quietly
in the back of my classroom
and draw cartoons
:::
 
Like a real idiot,
I never saved any
of the ones
he gave me
BUT
they did make me 
laugh
:::
 
The one year
I was there,
the student body
of Turner Ashby
was 95% white,
3% Negro,
2%  Latino,
+
3 Asian students

The faculty was virtually
all white
with the exception
of Oliverio
whose heart and soul
was as black 
as Harlem
where my father
had lived
and 
where my mother
had some wonderful
experiences
BUT
not as many
as I would have,
fresh out of college
 ::: 
:::
:::
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, June 15, 2025

PhotoVerio #911: Pixilated Crosswalk

________________________________________________________________________________________________


© Oliverio
________________________________________________________________________________________________

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

________________________________________________________________________________________________


To The Fathers
The Fatherless

Kiss them
if you have them
Miss them
if you don't
but do not
diss them
today
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, June 13, 2025

Original Art By ... Mrs. CarPeo

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Hot Lips
On
Charcoal Street
© Mrs. CarPeo ©
________________________________________________________________________________________________

PhotoVerio #910: Window Shopping

________________________________________________________________________________________________


© Oliverio
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Once Upon A Time Machine (Comic Relief #6385)

________________________________________________________________________________________________


GARY LARSON
________________________________________________________________________________________________