General Discussion Thread 08.17.2025

James Matthew Najera · Sunday at 7:00 AM

General Discussion Thread 08.17.2025

Hey GrayViners!

Some of the best laughs come from those little moments when things don’t quite go according to plan. You know—the kind of slip-ups you can laugh about later (and sometimes right away). They might be a bit embarrassing in the moment, but they make for great stories to share over coffee.

So here’s today’s question for you: What’s the funniest error or mix-up you’ve ever made?

Image credit: Pexels/karatara

Maybe you once showed up to a party on the wrong day, mixed up salt for sugar, or wore mismatched shoes without noticing until noon.

I’ll go first—last Monday, thanks to a formatting hiccup, my name in the newsletter got so big it could’ve been seen from space. I wasn’t trying to make it all about me, but the page sure was!

Now it’s your turn—tell us your funniest mix-up in the forum so we can all share a laugh together.

Cheers!
Blue

BarbF · Sunday at 11:13 AM

It’s funny now, definitely wasn’t when it happened!
Years ago, when my son was in Little League, the game was over, we won, and I decided to take my son and dsughter to our local steakhouse for a celebratory meal. The place was pretty crowded, we were kind of standing with our food trays, waiting for a booth. My son saw one, and we headed to it! As we got. Loser, I saw it was a mess! I told the kids, hold on, let me clean up this mess! The people who had been sitting here were pigs! As I cleaned the table and said how bad it was to leave a table that way, I turned to tell the kids to sit down. There was a man standing there also. He looked at me and said that was my table.
I was so embarrassed! I started to tell him I was sorry, but he turned and went to the register to get a container to go. We sat down, I was so embarrassed, and my kids were laughing! I told them, “this is not funny!” They said, “oh yes, we know.” As they cracked up laughing again!

LuLu1955 · Sunday at 11:21 AM

I mistakenly sent an off color comic to my whole department, including the department head. OOPS

ggray · Sunday at 11:30 AM

When I was a young teen, I had just read an article about stores using hyper-realistic mannequins. I was at a store that, unbeknownst to me, had hired models to pose as mannequins. I got right up in the face what I thought was a life-like mannequin and said out loud, "Wow, they even put acne on this one!" Her eyes turned very slowly toward me...I was so embarrassed that I just took off. I still regret not apologizing to her.

Borinquengeorge · Sunday at 11:45 AM

While in the US Navy, stationed on the island of Puerto Rico in the 1960's I met a young lady that was studying to become a school teacher. Her English was perfect in spite of having a distinct New York accent. turns out the nuns at her school were Dominican Sisters from New York.
I decided I wanted to learn to speak Spanish because her momma spoke almost no English and in my upbringing I was taught to better understand the person it would be best IF you understood their family.
Started learning two and three words and one number each day. Every single day then on Sundays I would review what I had learned during the week. One of the words I learned was "vaso" which is what we would call a 'glass' or a 'water tumbler.' There is another word that is very similar to this word and I had NOT learned it yet. That word is 'beso' and that means 'kiss.'
One day when I had 'Liberty' we went with her family up the mountains to a small town and had lunch in a small restaurant. The waitress gave me the can of cola and it actually was not cold enough so I called her over and practiced my Spanish. I said, "Por favor señorita, me puede traer un beso con hielo? (Please miss, can you bring me a kiss with ice). I was so proud of my new Spanish abilities!
THAT caused quite a stir. The waitress went running to the kitchen and there was laughter coming from the kitchen. Then someone peeked through the swinging doors of the kitchen obviously to see exactly who had asked for a 'kiss with ice.' I laughed and my young lady friend and her family laughed. NEVER forgot THAT word again.
Well, I was fortunate because her mother eventually approved of me and we have now been married 58 years and yes, I am completely bi-lingual. THAT mistake was not the only one I made in Spanish - but I persevered and my Sesame Street style of learning paid off.
The important thing is to never give up and to never take yourself too seriously.

connie schlieker · Sunday at 12:42 PM

I was asked to sing at a Christmas Tea for widows. I made the mistake of choosing to sing "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

Betty T · Sunday at 12:55 PM

Funniest,Error. When my son was small he and I would make home made doughnuts. I would fry them and he would sprinkle them with toppings. His dad left BBQ salt on the table. Frank and I mistook it for cinnamon sugar. The result? BBQ flavored doughnuts..Even the dog wouldn't eat them!

NancyCL · Sunday at 2:45 PM

I prepare the weekly bulletin for our church, and one weekend, I listed the needs for our upcoming "Dresser Project," which supplies clothes, diapers, and baby items to needy families. I had listed the items we needed, such as diapers, onsies, baby shirts, etc., only I hadn't proofread the bulletin before I submitted it to the printer, so imagine my embarrassment when I realized I hadn't written baby 'shirts' but instead wrote baby 'shits!" Caused a chuckle in my parish.

NIBOR0 · Sunday at 3:53 PM

This isn't a mistake that I made but what happened to me. I had made and sent a set of cat coasters for my Sister that I made for her for Christmas. Her friend (Whom I've Never Met), liked them so much that I decided to make a set for her. I mailed them off to Phoenix. My first name is Robin just so you understand the funny part. I got a card in the mail addressed to me but when I opened it, it said "Dear Aunt Rosie" and went on about how much she missed her etc. It kind of made my brain take a couple of steps back lol. I called my sister cracking up because I knew what had happened. Her friend was going to mail 2 cards out that day and put them in the wrong envelopes. I asked my sister if her friend's Aunt found it funny also and that's when she told me that her Aunt, sadly had dementia and wouldn't be able to figure out what happened.

Becky Danielson · Sunday at 8:31 PM

A work friend was out on maternity leave. None of us had heard from her since she left on leave. One day I was shopping and literally ran into her as I turned to the next aisle. I saw her still looking very large and said' "Margie, you haven't had that baby yet!???!" since she looked very pregnant. She replied, '"Yes- it's 2 months old," I was mortified and tried my best to pull my foot out of my mouth stammering how slim she looked-- too late though- and completely embarrassed, I just walked on by. I NEVER ask about a pregnancy when I see anyone out any more and make my greeting very "generic"!

NIBOR0 · Sunday at 8:39 PM

Becky Danielson said:
A work friend was out on maternity leave. None of us had heard from her since she left on leave. One day I was shopping and literally ran into her as I turned to the next aisle. I saw her still looking very large and said' "Margie, you haven't had that baby yet!???!" since she looked very pregnant. She replied, '"Yes- it's 2 months old," I was mortified and tried my best to pull my foot out of my mouth stammering how slim she looked-- too late though- and completely embarrassed, I just walked on by. I NEVER ask about a pregnancy when I see anyone out any more and make my greeting very "generic"!

I actually had people say that to me before I lost a bunch of weight so I know I won't say it to anyone that looks remotely pregnant lol!

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:07:38-0400

BarbF said:
It’s funny now, definitely wasn’t when it happened!
Years ago, when my son was in Little League, the game was over, we won, and I decided to take my son and dsughter to our local steakhouse for a celebratory meal. The place was pretty crowded, we were kind of standing with our food trays, waiting for a booth. My son saw one, and we headed to it! As we got. Loser, I saw it was a mess! I told the kids, hold on, let me clean up this mess! The people who had been sitting here were pigs! As I cleaned the table and said how bad it was to leave a table that way, I turned to tell the kids to sit down. There was a man standing there also. He looked at me and said that was my table.
I was so embarrassed! I started to tell him I was sorry, but he turned and went to the register to get a container to go. We sat down, I was so embarrassed, and my kids were laughing! I told them, “this is not funny!” They said, “oh yes, we know.” As they cracked up laughing again!

Thank you for sharing that story @BarbF !

I can just imagine how embarrassing that must have felt in the moment, but I love that your kids found it hilarious and still teased you about it. Do you think they ever let you live that one down, or is it still a family joke that comes up now and then?

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:11:19-0400

LuLu1955 said:
I mistakenly sent an off color comic to my whole department, including the department head. OOPS

Thanks for sharing that @LuLu1955 !

I bet your heart sank the moment you realized who all had received it. Did your department head take it with a sense of humor, or was it one of those “wish I could crawl under a rock” moments?

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:12:16-0400

ggray said:
When I was a young teen, I had just read an article about stores using hyper-realistic mannequins. I was at a store that, unbeknownst to me, had hired models to pose as mannequins. I got right up in the face what I thought was a life-like mannequin and said out loud, "Wow, they even put acne on this one!" Her eyes turned very slowly toward me...I was so embarrassed that I just took off. I still regret not apologizing to her.

Thank you for sharing such a funny memory!

I can just picture that moment when her eyes moved—what a shock that must have been! Do you ever tell that story to friends or family, or has it stayed one of those cringe-but-hilarious teenage memories?

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:21:38-0400

Borinquengeorge said:
While in the US Navy, stationed on the island of Puerto Rico in the 1960's I met a young lady that was studying to become a school teacher. Her English was perfect in spite of having a distinct New York accent. turns out the nuns at her school were Dominican Sisters from New York.
I decided I wanted to learn to speak Spanish because her momma spoke almost no English and in my upbringing I was taught to better understand the person it would be best IF you understood their family.
Started learning two and three words and one number each day. Every single day then on Sundays I would review what I had learned during the week. One of the words I learned was "vaso" which is what we would call a 'glass' or a 'water tumbler.' There is another word that is very similar to this word and I had NOT learned it yet. That word is 'beso' and that means 'kiss.'
One day when I had 'Liberty' we went with her family up the mountains to a small town and had lunch in a small restaurant. The waitress gave me the can of cola and it actually was not cold enough so I called her over and practiced my Spanish. I said, "Por favor señorita, me puede traer un beso con hielo? (Please miss, can you bring me a kiss with ice). I was so proud of my new Spanish abilities!
THAT caused quite a stir. The waitress went running to the kitchen and there was laughter coming from the kitchen. Then someone peeked through the swinging doors of the kitchen obviously to see exactly who had asked for a 'kiss with ice.' I laughed and my young lady friend and her family laughed. NEVER forgot THAT word again.
Well, I was fortunate because her mother eventually approved of me and we have now been married 58 years and yes, I am completely bi-lingual. THAT mistake was not the only one I made in Spanish - but I persevered and my Sesame Street style of learning paid off.
The important thing is to never give up and to never take yourself too seriously.

Thank you for sharing such a wonderful story @Borinquengeorge q!

What a fantastic example of turning an embarrassing mistake into a funny memory—and even better, one that became part of a love story lasting 58 years. Do you and your wife still laugh about that “kiss with ice” moment today?

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:27:31-0400

connie schlieker said:
I was asked to sing at a Christmas Tea for widows. I made the mistake of choosing to sing "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

Thank you for sharing that memory @connie schlieker . I can see how that song choice might have felt like the wrong one in that moment, even though your heart was in the right place.

Did the group take it with grace, or was it one of those times you wished you’d picked a cheerier tune?

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:28:40-0400

Betty T said:
Funniest,Error. When my son was small he and I would make home made doughnuts. I would fry them and he would sprinkle them with toppings. His dad left BBQ salt on the table. Frank and I mistook it for cinnamon sugar. The result? BBQ flavored doughnuts..Even the dog wouldn't eat them!

Thank you for sharing that @Betty T — it gave me a good laugh!

BBQ-flavored doughnuts definitely sound like a one-time experiment. Did you and your son try to make another batch right away, or did that little mix-up put you off doughnuts for a while?

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:35:10-0400

NancyCL said:
I prepare the weekly bulletin for our church, and one weekend, I listed the needs for our upcoming "Dresser Project," which supplies clothes, diapers, and baby items to needy families. I had listed the items we needed, such as diapers, onsies, baby shirts, etc., only I hadn't proofread the bulletin before I submitted it to the printer, so imagine my embarrassment when I realized I hadn't written baby 'shirts' but instead wrote baby 'shits!" Caused a chuckle in my parish.

Thank you for sharing this @NancyCL — it really did make me chuckle!

What a typo to sneak through, especially in a church bulletin of all places. Did your parish tease you about it for weeks afterward, or did they let you off the hook quickly?

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:39:32-0400

NIBOR0 said:
This isn't a mistake that I made but what happened to me. I had made and sent a set of cat coasters for my Sister that I made for her for Christmas. Her friend (Whom I've Never Met), liked them so much that I decided to make a set for her. I mailed them off to Phoenix. My first name is Robin just so you understand the funny part. I got a card in the mail addressed to me but when I opened it, it said "Dear Aunt Rosie" and went on about how much she missed her etc. It kind of made my brain take a couple of steps back lol. I called my sister cracking up because I knew what had happened. Her friend was going to mail 2 cards out that day and put them in the wrong envelopes. I asked my sister if her friend's Aunt found it funny also and that's when she told me that her Aunt, sadly had dementia and wouldn't be able to figure out what happened.

Thank you for sharing that one @NIBOR0 — it gave me a smile!

What a mix-up, though I can imagine it really did make your brain pause for a second when you read “Dear Aunt Rosie.” Do you still keep in touch with your sister’s friend, or was that a one-time connection through your thoughtful gift?

TriciaR · 2025-08-18T00:41:02-0400

Becky Danielson said:
A work friend was out on maternity leave. None of us had heard from her since she left on leave. One day I was shopping and literally ran into her as I turned to the next aisle. I saw her still looking very large and said' "Margie, you haven't had that baby yet!???!" since she looked very pregnant. She replied, '"Yes- it's 2 months old," I was mortified and tried my best to pull my foot out of my mouth stammering how slim she looked-- too late though- and completely embarrassed, I just walked on by. I NEVER ask about a pregnancy when I see anyone out any more and make my greeting very "generic"!

Thank you for sharing that story @Becky Danielson !

I think so many of us can relate to a moment like that—it always seems to happen when we’re just trying to be friendly. At least you learned the golden rule of “never assume” from it! Do you still bump into Margie now and then, or was that the last time you saw her?

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