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The Smokies: It’s Been So Long/Recycled Robot Edition

January 9, 2012 in The Smokie Awards

Soooooo . . . I may have missed posting a new Smokies for the last couple of weeks (or since October 9). Not to fear, for as you know, this site's airtight award system ensures that no comment goes unnoticed. Wordsmoker is proud to present the first edition of the 2012 Smokie Awards, which happen to cover nearly a quarter of 2011. Because it's been so long, the theme "It's Been So Long" is the obvious choice. But that's kind of a gyp, right? Well, so is recycling an old video, yet here we are.

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Smokies – Good Poke Versus Bad Poke Edition

October 9, 2011 in The Smokie Awards

Like you, I’ve always been under the impression that pokes were universally good. After all, we have pokes on Facebook and an award called the Pokie (which I know is referring to fucking, but it derives its name from the playful act of extending one’s finger and sliding it into the side of a neighbor, a friend, or a loved one). So I’ve blissfully gliding through life enjoying all manners of poking and being poked . . . Read the rest of this entry →

The Smokies: Pray for the Hapless Fighter Pilots Edition

September 12, 2011 in The Smokie Awards

I feel bad for fighter pilots and I want you to join me. I mean, I don’t feel bad for them the same way that I do for homeless people or people who just got fired from their jobs, but their star certainly has dimmed in the quarter of a century since Top Gun aired in theaters. That was the hay-day. They never even had to kill anything with their missiles; they just flew around and reaped the benefits of popular actor Tom Cruise’s stellar performance. Then there was an outbreak of peace with Ivan, and the fighter pilots just didn’t seem all that important anymore. Read the rest of this entry →

The Smokies – Brought to You by Shark Week™

July 31, 2011 in The Smokie Awards

Because the ocean isn’t already scary enough, the Discovery Channel is getting ready to air its annual Shark Week™—which also means that shark lobbyists are going around on all of the talking-head shows telling everyone what misunderstood and beautiful creatures sharks actually are. No, a shark would never intentionally attack a human being. People are just always dressing up like shark food, opening their veins, and then lunging into sharks’ mouths. The sharks can’t swim backward so they panic and chew their way through the person’s body, BUT IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT! Right, because sharks just have to hang out near beaches even though they can’t go on land? Bullocks! Read the rest of this entry →

The Smokies: “We Still Have a Long Way To Go” Edition

June 26, 2011 in The Smokie Awards

As many of you know, the State of New York’s legislative body was very busy last week. “Assembly Bill A4146A, which seeks to establish ‘protocols for combative sports and authorizing mixed martial arts events’ in New York, did not get placed on the Ways and Means Committee agenda. As a result, A4146A can’t be voted on by committee members, thus denying it any chance of going to the floor of the full Assembly.”   Read the rest of this entry →

The Smokies: Alphabet Soup Edition

May 28, 2011 in The Smokie Awards

When I first read Nora Darling’s OMGigi, I thought, “Hey, what a clever name for a great article.” I almost immediately asked her for permission to draft an homage that I was going to entitle ZOMAndy. About halfway through writing my tribute piece, there was a glut of other similarly named articles—not just scribed by newbs coming into feed off of Nora’s fame, but written by battle-hardened veteran writers. I realized now that if I didn’t change its name, ZOMAndy would be lost in the alphabet soup. Naturally, I had to act fast. I switched the name and the article was saved. Okey, that looks like enough text to go beside the Smokies logo. I’ll quit writing now so that you can see your awards. Read the rest of this entry →

The Smokies: Spring Plant Sextacular Edition

May 4, 2011 in The Smokie Awards

It’s Spring, everybody! Well, here in South Florida, anyway. The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and bees are sexually assaulting the flora at every opportunity. All is right in the world. I even got off my lazy butt and, with the help of my gracious neighbors, managed to clear a spot and plant a garden in front of my apartment in the courtyard. There are flowers and fruits and veggies and herbs (for the last time, BJ, you can’t smoke cilantro, so please vacate my garden? You’re trampling the zinnias); I am happy, and if I can keep from killing them, I’ll be down right jubilant. Want to see pictures? No? Fine, have some Smokies instead. Read the rest of this entry →

The Smokies: This Day in History Edition

April 17, 2011 in The Smokie Awards

I’ve always enjoyed those “This Day in History” pieces. This is especially true when I don’t have a theme for the Smokie Awards. However, when I Google-searched today’s date, I just came up with a bunch of boring facts like that Ben Franklin died (like he wouldn’t be dead by now anyway) or that the Bay of Pigs invasion occurred fifty years ago today (I don’t like bringing up failures). So, I decided to go back a year in the Wordsmoker archives and see what we were talking about on April 17,2010. The big topic was Arizona’s racist immigrations law (which has thankfully now twice been shot down by the courts) and Iceland’s criminal volcano policies. It was a pretty slow week until the Deepwater Horizon explosion occurred on April 20, killing eleven, doing untold amounts of environmental damage and disrupting Tony Hayward’s life. Good times, last year. Read the rest of this entry →

The Smokies: Super Moon FAIL! Edition

March 27, 2011 in The Smokie Awards

A friend of mine tells me last week about this alleged super moon that’s going to hit, and yeah, I’ll admit that I was pretty excited. But who wants to look at a super moon by himself? “No one” is the appropriate response. So, I broke out my little black book—which has actually been rendered obsolete in the age of cell phone contact lists—and I called a few lady friends. This really got me nowhere. Apparently, most of the girls who haven’t heard from me in five-plus years aren’t all that keen on blowing off their Saturday night plans to hang out with someone “who was quite frankly a little iffy to begin with.” So, I went to Plan B, which was to tether my cat Li’l Knarfles to a tree, while I stand nearby, lighting fireworks and drinking a six-pack. Everything was going great: the fireworks were a-sparkling, L’il K was managing not to strangle herself and I found a great urine bush. The ONLY problem is the super moon. It isn’t. I look up in the sky and yeah, there’s a moon, but it’s that same stupid circle of light I see any other month. No rising tides. No wolf-men. Nothing. Also, L’il Knafles now has worms. Read the rest of this entry →