Dear Smiley: I first encountered autocorrect when I emailed you instead of the old "stamp on an envelope" method.
After I told of the bygone days when LSU football fans (especially ladies) got dressed up for games in Tiger Stadium, I heard from Philip Luchsinger with this sad story:
"What did people do before air conditioning?" is a question I've heard since Hurricane Ida wiped out much of south Louisiana's electric power.
Here's an amazing story about people helping people:
While the autocorrect feature on phones and computers can be frustrating, it sometimes gives us amusing "corrections."
There are those who regard LSU football contests as near-religious experiences, and Tiger Stadium as close enough to heaven for them.
Dear Smiley: Once, when I was on a train in France with friend Boquet from Terrebonne Parish, we shared a compartment with two young English ladies.
The auto-correct feature on our devices can lead to some memorable mistakes:
Katie Nachod, of New Orleans, says, "I like to tell folks one of my few claims to fame is that I was the second person in New Orleans to read John Kennedy Toole's hilarious novel 'A Confederacy of Dunces.'
Continuing our cheerleading stories, here's one from Bill Bankhead, of Baton Rouge:
Stories about post-Ida cleanup and helpers from far away bring this to mind:
Every time I feel a bit overwhelmed by the extent of Ida's impact on this area, I check my computer and find some little story that makes me grin and feel better about our plight. For instance:
Dear Smiley: I received an email from Ancestry.com listing "10 Baby Girl Names That Used to Be Popular."
Here's a Mike the Tiger story from 1950 we've told often over the years. There are numerous versions of it out there.
Our seminar on French drew this response from Bill Huey, of Baton Rouge:
While there was nothing remotely funny about Hurricane Ida, there were a few amusing incidents involving folks affected by the storm.
As a former Istrouma High School cheerleader (my one claim to fame), I've gotten a great kick out of readers' recollections of high school and college cheers.
After Scott Rabalais, in The Advocate's Friday Sports section, mentioned Dennis Quaid in the football movie "Everybody's All-American," I heard from Ronnie Stutes, of Baton Rouge:
Dear Smiley: In response to submissions about cheering, here is my cheering experience:
Examples of memorable cheers at athletic contests leads Bill Huey, of Baton Rouge, to see an opportunity to bring a little class to Tiger Stadium:
Our seminar on sports cars reveals that small, low-to-the-ground vehicles can be dangerous. We haven't mentioned this hazard:
Here's a story that made me guffaw loudly:
"Here is one of my experiences while traveling in France," says Peter Dassey, of Kenner:
Marsha R., of Baton Rouge, sent over a collection of memorable sayings seen on T-shirts.
Dear Smiley: I was always one of the fortunate ones who got carded many years after it was necessary, and always loved it!
For years we've had French language experts saying that "geaux" for "go" (or "eaux" for other "o" sounds) is incorrect.
While this column normally devotes its space to searching analyses of Major World Issues, on occasion our readers swerve off into silliness. This is one such occasion:
As a former Austin-Healey Sprite owner (back when I was considerably thinner and more flexible), this little story brought back memories of the joys and sorrows of sports cars:
Readers are still sharing stories of adventures in other countries:
An example of youthful perception, from "Paul":
Dear Smiley: My husband and I took an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon.
Recent items about languages in foreign countries reminded me of my first trip to Italy in 1982," says Carol Gaignard, of New Iberia.
Here's a reason to tip your New Orleans cabdriver well: He might become president.
"I always wanted a red Corvette," says Chuck Pickett, of Lafayette.
I'm enjoying our tales of innocents (and not-so-innocents) abroad:
Gail Stephenson, of Baton Rouge, addresses misconceptions about Louisiana:
Dear Smiley: After the death of our longtime family dog, my wife decided to buy two puppies to fill the void.
I recently got a lot of laughs from an old black-and-white movie. But it wasn't a comedy.
Larry Greenblatt, of Lafayette, has a "language barrier" story:
The current Tokyo Olympics have readers recalling their past feats of athletic prowess, more or less:
T-Bob Taylor recently told of being stationed in Turkey while in the Air Force, and finding that half the folks at his base declined to learn even a few words of the language for trips outside the base.
Thanks to Oneal Isaac, of Baton Rouge, for finding something funny about our current stupidity-driven pandemic:
Dear Smiley: Kids today do not really appreciate small-town life in Louisiana.
Here's a true confession I'm not sure I would have shared:
Louisiana drivers, especially in the urban areas, are all too familiar with road rage. It's a serious subject, but Harvey Pashibin, of "Upper Lafayette," shows us its lighter side:
Our stories of Americans abroad brought this recollection from T-Bob Taylor, of Panama City Beach, Florida:
Our readers continue to provide stories about their experiences with the French:
The naming of the Superdome to promote a gambling empire reminds us that this activity was not always welcome in New Orleans (at least not officially).
Dear Smiley: Many Americans say the French are rude, unfriendly and inhospitable. But I have never encountered anything like that in France.
With the disheartening news about so many folks in the U.S. (and especially Louisiana) still in denial about the dangers of COVID-19 and its variants, it's a welcome change to read about people who are doing better, even if they're in another country.
After I suggested either naming the Superdome for a prominent New Orleanian or sticking with the name of a business, I got some reactions: