A number of days/events slipped by, like the Grammy Awards, Groundhog Day, and Candlemas Day (40 days after Christmas). I went looking for the winner of the best comedy album at the Grammys, and finally, at the bottom of a very long list, between Best children's album and best audio book, was Your Friend, Nate Bargatze, by Nate Bargatze.
Of the three, I personally think we should do more with Candlemas. It would open up the Christmas gift-giving window by over a month, a definite benefit to the procrastinators and terminally befuddled among us.
Another R.I.P.
I first encountered Catherine O'Hara on Second City Television, set in a mythical television station. What impressed me about the show was how much fun everyone seemed to be having making comedy, the quality of the performances, the quirky nature of many of the sketches, and how much they liked each other.
In looking at Catherine's obituaries and tributes, I was surprised at the range of her performances, from the ones I knew like SCTV, her frequent collaborations with Christopher Guest, and Schitt's Creek, but far beyond to films like Home Alone.
She was 71, which is surprisingly young (translation: she's younger than I am) She did a lot to make me laugh and the world a generally betteer place. Thanks, Catherine.
Linguistic observation.
I seem to be using ‘real’ and ‘really’ to the point of overuse and cliche.
Which raises the question, what is real, really?
W.o.W.
anthracite
I didn't intend for this to become the special BBC edition, but here we are.
Where do I apply?
BBC has a great story, which I read, even though I probably wont get to visit any of the story subjects: An Irish pub expert's top five in Dublin.
I wonder if the qualifications for being a pub expert include 'must already have liver donor(s) lined up.'
Ick things I never thought I would read about.
or write about, or wanted to.
But, apparently, the BBC thinks I should: Chinese teens to pay $300,000 for urinating in soup.
That’ll put a dent in the old allowance.
Also, remind me not to order the soup in a Chinese restaurant anytime soon.
Operational requirements.
Any work in residential neighborhoods involving large or noisy equipment, to include air compressors, chainsaws, jack hammers or concrete mixers, shall commence operations no later than 7:45 AM and conclude by 8:15 AM. If additional work is required, it shall be resumed the following day following the same hours of operation.
Uh, no.
The BBC wants us to know The fascinating history of the QR code.
To quote Inigo Montoya, You Keep Using That Word. I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means.
I think 'fascinating' qualifies here.
Whatever happened to...?
- #hashtags
- vegetable 'meats'
- Fortnite
- Wordle
- R.O.I.
- Rickrolling
- Wait. What?
Speculation, idle.
1. In English, there are three pieces of end-stop punctuation: the period, the question mark, and the exclamation point. When you hit one of those, the thought is over (except when periods are used to mark abbreviations). Anything else–comma, colon, quotation mark–is simply a navigation aid. So why do we need Initial Capitals (the capital letter at the beginning of a sentence)? We’ve already been told ‘the thought is over. please move on to the next thought.’ (see? that wasn’t too hard, was it?) This kind of innovative thinking has been going on in social media for much of this century. Let it take the lead in guiding us in print media, too.
2. What does the tooth fairy do with all those teeth?
Too much.
Once upon a time, you could buy stuff. You can't today. It has to be plus, max, ultra, now with, or if nothing else, our old favorites new and improved stuff. Plus, the improved stuff probably smells different, sometimes to the point of obnoxiousness, if not nausea.
But you'll never see truth in advertising, where they explain that 'improved' really means 'the things you liked about this product have been removed,' that 'max' equates to 'flimsier, tackier,' 'ultra' translates to 'almost impossible to use,' '+' is 'we added A.I. and internet connectivity for absolutely no reason,' and 'new! clean scent' is also called 'eau de dumpster fire.'
As you might be able to tell, I generally like the old formulations, also known as 'the product I selected because it met my needs.' Gimmie my stuff back!
Still waiting.
Variety promises 8 Reasons Aliens Exist and Have Visited Earth, According to 'The Age of Disclosure' Documentary.
OK, I looked at the 'reasons,' and somebody has to explain to Variety the difference between 'reasons' and statements detailing 'characteristics,' or whats.
And to quote Sonny & Cher, 'It ain't me, babe.'
I can only hope that this article was 'written' by A.S., because otherwise, if a person was responsible for this piece of instant fertilizer, I would feel very badly for the person.
Incomplete information.
The Wall Street Journal pitches A White House replica in Georgia.
No word on whether or not the owners have torn down the East Wing to maintain authenticity.
If you're interested, the replica is located in Oak Grove, and listed for $35 million.
A thought.
Remember when restaurants had smoking and nonsmoking sections? Then they had just nonsmoking sections, or more accurately, moved the smoking sections outdoors.
I would like to revive the idea, but instead label the sections talking and listening sections. The listening section might include some digestion-friendly entertainment, like music or comedy. Patrons could converse quietly but not loudly enough to disturb others. Patrons on the talking side would be responsible for their own noise, and might be required to have their cell phones engaged at all times.
I haven't been in a movie theater since 2003, so I can't really say, but it might work there, too.
I'll drink to that!
BBC reports Elif Shafak says her writing style is 'a little bit drunk.'
This apparently translates into being guided by intuition rather than adhering to a rigidly organized plan.
I wonder where she got that idea from, that writers might mix drinking and composing.