Burst Your Bubble

“I knock!”


“What? You ain’t got no PAD HAND!”

These famous lines grace the classic movie Stand by Me, one of the BEST Stephen King adaptations if not one of the BEST movies in cinema history. These famous lines also hold a special place in the hearts of JMH.

Countless New Year’s Eve parties, weekend get togethers, and just simple texting and phone conversations…These words are used. Why? Not really sure. All I remember is that at one get together, Matt and I were playing cards. I suddenly had the image of the Stand by Me boys in my head and I rapped the table with my knuckles.

“I knock!”

Without hesitation or thinking, Matt instantaneously replied the proper way, “You ain’t got no PAD HAND!”

Then we both erupted in laughter and another JMH classic saying was created.

One night, Matt and I were playing cards. It could have been Rummy 2000, Spades, Phase 10, or Uno for that matter, but we were playing cards. I looked at my hand and then up at Matt. He was looking through his cards trying to keep his best Poker face, but it was obvious he had a good hand. He was grinning from ear to ear and salivating a little. I decided to distract him…

I rapped the table with my knuckles…

“I knock.”

When I looked up at Matt for the return, I got something else.

Matt had a cold. He had been sneezing and coughing all night long. I knew this, but I didn’t expect to see what I saw.

Matt looked right at me and opened his mouth, obviously to give the candid reply. Instead, when he opened his mouth, he sneezed a little. It was this sneeze that caused the EVENT.

A snot bubble, the size of the TITANIC or Kirstie Alley before the weight loss programs, expanded out of his nose. It expanded and then deflated in one quick movement without popping. It actually was quite the sight to see.

Matt’s eyes met mine. We both erupted in laughter. No one else in the room had seen it, but us. And I really don’t think anyone else would have considered it to be as humorous as us.

To this day I relate those famous lines from Stand by Me, with Matt’s infamous snot bubble…A classic moment in JMH history!

“I knock!”

JM