# The Case of the Missing MMP **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** mmp\ **Created:** [April 24, 2006, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964 "2006-04-24T11:47:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/1 "2006-04-24T11:47:22Z")
I had a great post all set out for you guys, interesting and fascinating (I hope!) but my computer seems to have eaten it. So instead I’ll share an Indian fable, sort of like Aesop. This story will tell you a good deal about my own philosophy. Once upon a time there was a great king who wanted to know the source of all wisdom. He summoned all of his sages together and ordered them to sum up the human condition in one sentence. He promised riches and wealth to whoever did so. The sages hunted and searched and looked through all their research books. They asked each other, quarreled over it, and tried to make stuff up. They could come up with nothing. Finally the day came to state their findings. One by one the sages would come forth and begin to wax eloquent but the king would send them away, reminding them of the one sentence rule. At the end the king was growing frustrated. Finally his last and best minister came forward. The king looked at him and said, “Have you come up with a way to sum up the human condition in one sentence?” And the minister said "I believe I have, your Majesty. It is simply this: _This too shall pass._ And the king and the courtiers and the entire court realized he was right. For whatever is happening to you, be it good or bad, there is always one common denominator: This too shall pass. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/2 "2006-04-24T12:06:57Z")
that’s a good philosophy to embrace in general, in theory anyway. Doesn’t always work in practice. I have to go back to work today. waaahhh. as it is I’m going to be late (not because I’m in here, but this ain’t helping) I wish I could earn my salary (and keep my benefits) staying home in my pj’s. and since when did the dinky little airport a mile from me start in with full sized jets\*? They used to serve only small planes, Sesnas and 2 seaters and the like. Now it sounds like a full sized airport. NOISY. on regular intervals. They can’t grow much bigger tho, the surrounding real estate is all built up commercial. \*probably small military planes, altho what they’re doing here is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/3 "2006-04-24T12:12:57Z")
Is THAT where that phrase comes from? I’m bad at knowing things like that - the origin of words and phrases. Like that - there’s a word for the origin of words and ohrases and it’s not coming to me now… Ok, off to work. Well Done! Hope your computer doesn’t spit out your original, even more fascinating post on the carpet like a hairball, as one of the cats did around here last night. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/4 "2006-04-24T12:22:46Z")
I immediately thought of the George Harrison album of a similar title as the moral of the story. Good one, **mika**. I have to write a self-evaluation this week so I can be ready for my semi-annual review. Of course, it’s been sitting on my desk for a week, and I haven’t touched it yet. I hat those things. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/5 "2006-04-24T12:29:07Z")
You know, a couple of years ago, when I was in the middle of a long distance relationship, I had to go to my cousin’s Bat Mitzvah ceremony, but I was missing my girlfriend something fierce, and so I was somewhat depressed and not very communicative. My great-aunt, with whom I’ve always been friendly but never very close, came over to me and said exactly that. It didn’t make everything all sunshine and happiness right away, but it helped, enough for me to join in the festivities. To this day those words have stuck with me, to the point where I was even toying with making them the title of a novel. So, major props to that minister, eh? 🙂 I spent most of last night working on my final paper for my philosophy class. As with last time, it took until I started writing it for the direction and scope of the paper to finally come together, but now that it has I’m very pleased with it, and I think it will turn out well. I just have to find time to finish the darn thing. For this week’s puns, it’s time for us all to do as our mothers told us. Yes, that’s right, we’re going to eat our Vegetables (and like it): > [@](#): > > Vegetable of the Day: Okra > Okra \OH-kruh\ noun > Definition: Okra, also called lady’s finger in Indian cuisine, is a flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae, originating somewhere near present-day Ethiopia. It is grown throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world for its fibrous pods full of round, white seeds. The best okra, like almost all vegetables, is young and fresh right out of the garden. > Example sentence: Frank wanted to start a farm in his backyard, but first he had to make sure his wife was okra with it. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/6 "2006-04-24T12:31:14Z")
> [@](#): > > there’s a word for the origin of words and ohrases and it’s not coming to me now… Etymology. But what I have yet to hear is the etymology of eytmology. Hey, does anyone else get so used to the order of songs on their iPod that when one finishs, you begin anticipating the next one before it starts- even if you aren’t listening to your iPod? For me, “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” makes me start humming “St. Stephen” (Grateful Dead). ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/7 "2006-04-24T12:32:23Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > For this week’s puns, it’s time for us all to do as our mothers told us. Yes, that’s right, we’re going to eat our Vegetables (and like it): I expected the punchline to reference the talk show hostess Okra Windbag. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/8 "2006-04-24T12:32:44Z")
> [@](#): > > For this week’s puns, it’s time for us all to do as our mothers told us. Yes, that’s right, we’re going to eat our Vegetables (and like it): What does a vegetarian cannibal eat? Swedes! ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/9 "2006-04-24T12:35:54Z")
> [@Happy Clam](#): > > Hey, does anyone else get so used to the order of songs on their iPod that when one finishs, you begin anticipating the next one before it starts- even if you aren’t listening to your iPod? For me, “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” makes me start humming “St. Stephen” (Grateful Dead). oh, absolutely. In fact, I still anticipate the next song from a mix tape I made in 1979 - Billy Joel’s Barracuda to Joni Mitchell’s Twisted anyway, it’s the reason I now have the iPod on ‘shuffle’. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/10 "2006-04-24T12:39:30Z")
> [@Happy Clam](#): > > What does a vegetarian cannibal eat? > > Swedes! :dubious: :dubious: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/11 "2006-04-24T12:46:18Z")
> [@Happy Clam](#): > > What does a vegetarian cannibal eat? > > Swedes! I don’t get it. ☹ Morning, MMP! I’m at work, and I don’t want to be. I didn’t sleep very well last night, and I totally have the blahs. This too shall pass. 😃 At least my boss is out of town! (See? It’s all about perspective!) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/12 "2006-04-24T12:54:01Z")
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedes) Near the top of the page: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > _“Swede” redirects here. This article is about the Swedish people as an ethnic group. For information about residents or nationals of Sweden, see demographics of Sweden. For swede, the vegetable, see rutabaga._ Y’see, in Britian, we call rutabagas “swedes”, which is also a name for the inhabitants of Sweden, and… _sigh_ forget it. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/13 "2006-04-24T12:57:13Z")
Oh. I thought it was a bad pun on “sweets.” You’re all missing the really important question anyway: What does a vegetarian zombie eat? … graaains, graaAAIIINNSsss … ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/14 "2006-04-24T13:05:15Z")
Hmm… and here I thought cannibals ate French Fries when they wanted their veggies. Good OP **Mika**! It’s a good philosophy to adopt. My other philosophy, which carries me well through work is: _ **It all pays the same.** _ I’m much better when I remember that. Actually though, some stuff pays more, like when I have to do all this traveling around the country stuff. I make more money when I do that plus get all expenses paid. So, that’s good, too. This morning I am [del]torturing[/del] testing somebody. I guess I better get back and see how the poor fella’s doing. Later y’all! ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/15 "2006-04-24T13:09:26Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > _This too shall pass._ I think that every time I sit down to eat. What? ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/16 "2006-04-24T13:09:51Z")
Excellent, **mika**! Even if it isn’t your original. Oh my goodness, the MMP is barely open and already with the bad puns. :rolleyes: I do not have an ipod so I cannot relate. I am, however, now reading a new Beatles biography by Bob Spitz. It’s very interesting but I don’t have a clue how accurate it is. I always knew the stuff published about them at the time was was a lot of rubbish but a couple of them aren’t around anymore to refute any of his details. Still, a good read. Hey, what’s everybody paying for gas? I filled up on the way home Friday night and it was $2.95 for the middle grade. Here we go again. :mad: Tupug ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/17 "2006-04-24T13:12:47Z")
> [@Happy Clam](#): > > Y’see, in Britian, we call rutabagas “swedes”, which is also a name for the inhabitants of Sweden, and… _sigh_ forget it. It’s not your fault we’re uncultured. 😃 Happy Monday, everybody! Or, as I’m more likely to say, _urrrrgggghhhh_. I’m so tired. But, as **Mika** so beautifully pointed out, this too shall pass. Friday night, Roomie and I watched _Brokeback Mountain_. Well done, not so big on the laughs. We did a little making fun for the first half, but eventually we were so depressed all we could do was watch and wait for it to be over. Then we watched _Breakfast on Pluto_, which seemed hilariously funny in comparison, though it probably wasn’t. Both good movies, though. Saturday was my co-worker’s wedding, where I had to get up and sing in **gasp** a _Catholic church_. I didn’t screw up, God didn’t smite me, and everyone spent the rest of the night praising me, so that was pretty cool. Yesterday was Roomie’s birthday, and we went into New York to see the new production of _Sweeney Todd_, because who doesn’t love a musical about murder and cannibalism? It was _awesome_, totally different than any other version I’ve seen, and well worth the trip. We had very close seats, just out of spitting range, and I got a souvenir apron that says “Mrs. Lovett’s Meat Pies” and has a bloody handprint on it. Cool. And then a friend stopped by for the night on a long road trip, and we stayed up too damn late. I’m tired. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/18 "2006-04-24T13:17:34Z")
> [@Happy Clam](#): > > Y’see, in Britian, we call rutabagas “swedes”, which is also a name for the inhabitants of Sweden, and… _sigh_ forget it. By rutabaga, you mean “turnip”, of course. 🙂 This confused the heck out of me when I read “Watership Down”. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/19 "2006-04-24T13:26:09Z")
> [@Happy Clam](#): > > Y’see, in Britian, we call rutabagas “swedes”, which is also a name for the inhabitants of Sweden, and… _sigh_ forget it. If you’d’ve hit us with an Ole and Lena joke, I would have probably laughed my head off. I’m quite proud of my Swedish ancestry, too. Just another joke lost on us stoooopid Americans, just like the Ford Prefect… ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964/20 "2006-04-24T13:29:19Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > IJust another joke lost on us stoooopid Americans, just like the Ford Prefect… I understood that like … last year. :smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-case-of-the-missing-mmp/353964.md?page=2)