The new machine has arrived; since it is not from IKEA, it is ready to go. A punch of the Cappuccino button can produce a heavenly brew that is certain to be addictive. A sip and a wipe of the milk foam mustache can make us ready for the clock. The date is set for July 12, and the location is Arpajon in Northern France. The duration is an hour, and when the plunger is pulled, we land in time to witness a new land speed record.
Driving at 146.16 miles per hour (235.22 km/h) in his Fiat Mephistopheles, Ernest Eldridge of Great Britain broke the land speed record of 145.89 miles per hour (234.79 km/h) set earlier in the week (on Sunday, July 6) by Rene Thomas of France. Both records had been set on a public road at Arpajon, after which the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile announced that it would only recognize records set on closed racing circuits, bringing an end to attempts to set a land speed record on a roadway used by other motor vehicles.
Just when the champagne started flowing, the alarm goes off, and we are once more setting a land speed couch record. There is a text from Linda Hill. It reads
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “can.” Use it as a noun or a verb. Enjoy!
Here is a link to Linda’s post to see what others have done with the prompt. https://lindaghill.com/2024/07/12/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-13-2024/
Can by John W. Howell © 2024
“You snuck the ‘can’ in nicely.”
“Why, thank you. I’m glad you noticed.”
“A question.”
“Go ahead.”
“What made those guys think they could race on city streets?”
“That is a darn good question that I can’t answer.”
“Drat, I thought you were the answer, man.”
“Sorry, this one escapes me.”
“Well, that society put an end to it, so I guess it is a moot question.”
“I suppose you are right.”
“Another question.”
“Shoot.”
“How long are we going to stand here and not mention Voo Doo Ranger?”
“I guess zero time. You call Uber?”
“Yup, he’s over there.”
photo by Dan Antion
“Can you believe it? That’s a 1966 Chevy pickup that has been restored and modified.”
“Looks like enough room in the cab for both of us.”
“Yeah, bench seating makes it possible.”
“Before we go, one last question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do I need to go get my wallet?”
“And disturb the moths? No, I’ll buy.”
“It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Fiction Favorites 
Great time travel, John. When I was a kid, I followed the attempts made at the Bonneville Salt Flats. I even had a model of Craig Breedlove’s Spirit of America.
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Those were wonderful times, Dan. As a Detroit boy I did the same. 😊
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Driving at that speed, he’s lucky he didn’t end up in the can (or doing the cancan)
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He had a can do attitude I’m sure.
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A neat Uber today, John. You really Can pick’em!
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That’s Dan’s contribution. Thanks, GP 😀
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I suppose no racetracks had a long enough straightaway to set the land speed record. That Chevy pickup has sure been modified.
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I think you hit on the reason, Tim. Can you imagine dodging animals and people while setting land speed records.
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Wow!
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I guess those two watched the ‘Fast & Furious’ movies too much. At least the ones that had street racing instead of globe-spanning heists.
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Or maybe a Bullet chase scene.
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I think my neighbors didn’t get the message restricting land speed records on public streets. There goes another.
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Ha ha ha. I feel the same and we live on a cul-de-sac
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We have that, too. However, the police do periodically remind them of it with a traffic citation.
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Good for the police.
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That’s what I say! Now, if they would just stop our neighbor across the street from shooting off his stupid guns when I’m trying to write or read or think . . .
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Sounds dangerous.
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I don’t think any bullets have gone astray. Yet.
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Good thing.
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He’s allowed to shoot in a populated area? That’s strange.
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We checked for a city ordinance against it, but as long as their position is 300 yards from another house, they can blast away to their heart’s content.
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It was probably a good idea to stop racing on city streets without blocking them off to the general public. Could have been a disaster, unlike your sweet Uber ride to the bar. Love the red Chevy truck!
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I’d definitely snap a photo of this beauty. **no need to wave, Mister.** 😬😆
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I had to look up Fiat Mephistopheles. That was really was its name!
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Ha ha ha. Can’t make that stuff up. Thanks, Liz.
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You’re welcome, John.
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My son would LOVE that truck. I can see him tooling around in it! The current record for a piston driven wheeled vehicle is 416 mph. On the salt flats obviously.
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Interesting factoid to have at the tip of your tongue.
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Nah, I was interested and looked it up! 😉
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I knew that. 😀
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Wish my Uber ride a few days ago looked like that. Would have added some adventure to the ride!
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I would love one like that too. Thanks, Michele.
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I cannot imagine travelling that fast. At least not in a car. My speed is more couch like although I would be enjoying a tea.
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Nice thing about couch is spilling tea is a remotre possibility.
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Awesome ‘canned’ responses. Wishing you happy days with the new ‘elixir’ delivery system. ☕️
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It is a miracle machine. I just love it.
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Can you see the face on the front of the cool truck? Even the letters in Chevrolet look like teeth.
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Yes, I can see it. So funny, Jeanne.
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🙂
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😊
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I do miss the bench seating. I had several cars and trucks with it, then it was no longer an option.
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I remember those days as well. I liked the bench with the fold down center console/armrest. 😁
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Those were great.
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I remember my daughter sitting up on that center. Car seat? Uh well……
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I love the red pickup although I’d prefer smaller wheels. We have a problem with drag races here, usually in the wee hours we’ll be woken up to hear revving engines on North Monroe, just a couple of miles from our house 😬
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Good grief. I would hate that. We ave a neighbor who has loud mufflers. Sometimes he leaves the house at 3:00 AM. I wish bubba killing was legal.
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Fortunately it’s not constant. I think the local police manage to stop it for awhile, just not permanently.
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That is good.
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I can certainly see why they put a stop to the street racing, although it still goes on today. Great Uber ride!
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I agree about the street racing. I’m glad you enjoyed the Chevy, Jan. Thanks.
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Definitely moth disturbation is a bad thing, moronic.
However, the way you snuck in the can was quite clever. I was expecting a can, or a can can.
🥫💃🏽 🥫💃🏽 🥫💃🏽 🥫💃🏽
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Thank you, Resa. Glad you liked how I snuck in can (several times) I was almost going to tell a story about success coming in cans and not cannots. Great emoji work on your part. A winner for sure. 🥫💃🏽X 🥫💃🏽 X🥫💃🏽 X🥫💃🏽X
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Yes, canned sneak!
I like the can and cannots. It’s better than a can of carrots.
O🥫💃🏽X 🥫💃🏽 X🥫💃🏽 X🥫💃🏽X
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🥕O🥫💃🏽X 🥫💃🏽 X🥫💃🏽 X🥫💃🏽X
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🥕O🥫💃🏽X 🥫💃🏽 X🥫💃🏽 X🥫💃🏽X🥕
🏆🏆
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YAY
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Hi John, this is very interesting. It’s a good thing the racing on public roads was stopped. Crazy!
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Very crazy. Thanks, Robbie.
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[…] Fiction Favorites: Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt -“Can” | Fiction Favorites (johnwhowell.com) The new machine has arrived; since it is not from IKEA, it is ready to go. A punch of the […]
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Loved reading about your family, Traci. Thanks for the link too.
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Thank you for the link and loved the family stories, Traci
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The Boss CAN do!
You really are stepping up your game with these Uber rides, my man.
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I got a ton of them. 😁
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I bet you do.
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😊
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