Monthly Archives: September 2009

¿Por qué? Pourquoi?

Why?

  1. Why do people turn nouns into verbs? On Facebook this morning, I noticed someone was “homeworking,” which didn’t bother me, by the way. But it brought to mind a misdirected noun from my graduate work that does. It is the one word that the Rat Fink simply cannot bear to hear. PK knows. I can barely type it. OK, I will, just this once. Musicking — as in the act of making music. I plan to shoot the man who made it up. Music. Is. Not. A. Verb. I know there are those who don’t care about this, but…yeah. You know the drill. :-)
  2. Why does talking about critical pedagogy bother me? I really, really get itchy about it. It’s the poster child for the selfish, crybaby, “gimme what she has” generation of public education. *scratching head really fast* I dunno. I just hate it. Moving on.
  3. Why does a person write a bomb threat note and leave it in the men’s room at school? (Especially when kids have to sign out to go to the rest room, and there are cameras in the hallways?) Hmmm. Anyway, it was a terrible way for everyone to spend most of their day: evacuated and locked up in the middle school gym.
  4. Why does time fly when you’re having fun, and drag when you’re not?
  5. Why are my keys always in the other pocket?
  6. Why do people insist on self-destructive behaviors? (I myself am guilty of this at times.)
  7. Why are some people unkind? I’ll never get it.

Answer me these questions…um, seven.

FO

Monday morning funnies

Remember the “funny papers?” Dad used to go out early on Sunday mornings, sometimes returning with “Bismarcks” from the bakery, but always with a copy of the Sunday Tribune, which always had an extra-large comics section that I’d scan, until Mother would utter the dreaded phrase, “Come on, girls. Time to get ready for church.” No more lazy.

Anyway, these are as good as funny papers. From Reuters:

1. Some honked-off customer is suing Bank of America for 1,784 billion, trillion dollars. Awesome.

2. PROM DRESS!

And from random page openings in Schott’s Miscellany (thank you Helen and Lars!):

1. Research from Yale University and the University of California found that those whose first names began with a C or D earned lower grades than those whose names began with an A or B. (The E-Z people got no mention.)

2. “Stars Fell On.” <– that’s what’s written on Alabama’s license plates.

3. State with the most cars per capita: Iowa.

4. According to a 2006 Harrah’s report, the most popular Las Vegas casino game is video poker, with a 74% ranking.

And now, my fiends, I must fly. My day’s over at 8:30 tonight. Yay! (I think)

FO

Jake Turns Informant

The Most Amazing Toddler in the World is now officially holding up two fingers. And, the Thriller and I went to see The Informant! last night. This post addresses both; hence, the catchy title.

Before I go back to researching for my delightful class assignment…

Clicky:

What a little rock star.

Obligatory cake photo. Good thing Hannah strips him down to his nappy.

After the party, #1 Son took him to the county fair to see his first-ever demolition derby. His reaction upon seeing the first collision:

That's no yawn, BTW

He also loved his gifts. Boy is going to be bizzy for awhile. It was a great party.

Later, Grammie & Grandpa Thriller went to the movies. The Informant! started out a bit on the slow side (too many sidebar meetings & conversations for my taste), but really picked up in the second half. Advice: if you don’t know the Eric Mark (sorry, got him confused with a choral composer) Whitacre story (the movie is based on an actual event), then don’t read up on it before you leave. I saw this same advice in a movie column yesterday morning, and I’m glad I took it. The last 20 minutes of the film are *much* more satisfying and revealing if you don’t know how everything ended in real life.

Suffice it to say that the story’s twists are really twisted, and Damon is dead-center in capturing Whitacre’s bizarro personality. On the brand-new “Rat-O-Meter” movie scale of five cheeses, I give it:

Have a grand Sunday. Back underground…

RF

All things fair

<bulletin>

Before I get started this morning — congrats to RtB poster Meg, who was elected Homecoming Queen last night at the football game. YaAaAAay for a fellow Finkite — we heart her.

</bulletin>

The county fair has been here this week. I didn’t get a chance to go, but boy, I used to do the fair bigtime when my kids were little.

And when I myself was a tiny fink, we used to do the carnivals every chance we got. I don’t mean county fairs (I can’t even remember going to a bonafide fair — the kind with ani-mules and baking contests and ribbons and royalty and such — until coming to Ohio in ’73) but rather the carnies that came to town. Mavis and I, along with a gaggle of friends, would look forward to being dropped off at the carnival and staying all day, into the evening hours.

Fellow crusties, do you remember when these were THE rides to ride for every daredevil in town? Long before upside-down roller coasters were the norm, we feasted on these, of the Wonders of Physics/Vomit Comet variety. If you could ride all of them at least twice in one night and not hork your dinner everywhere, you were a champ indeed…

Octopus. They still have these at a lot of the major theme parks.

The Rock-O-Plane and the Roll-O-Plane (we also called it the Bullet). Awesome thrill rides.

The Rotor -- one of the scariest for me, especially when the floor disappeared.

Ah yes, the Roundup, with its accompanying question: If someone barfed, what are the chances....?

Still see these everywhere and in different colors. I like the old silver.

I get woozy thinking about this one.

The Matterhorn or Himalaya. Bad memory here...almost lost a 3-year-old Lars on this one.

The number-one most awesome carnival ride EVER. The Zipper.

~

Thanks to all the FlickR sites and other places from which I janked these photos. A nice Saturday retro experience for the crusties.

OK fiends. Enjoy your weekend, because it is now officially about half over. Yay.

FO

So much hatred…

…so little time.

I hate:

  • oversleeping — like this morning, especially when I had a late rehearsal last night
  • the groggy, sick feeling from oversleeping
  • not being able to enjoy my quiet time in the morning — blast it all
  • trolls
  • having poor eyesight, but lacking the guts to have the surgery that would fix it
  • getting ready in the mornings
  • feeling behind the 8-ball

However…

  • it’s almost Finkday
  • the Thriller and I are going to Jakey’s birthday party on Saturday (can’t wait to give him this and the baseball and bat), then to the movies to see The Informant
  • I have all day Sunday to finish a paper
  • my choir tour itinerary is in place and looks great, and everyone has paid his/her deposit
  • the numbers we rehearsed last night are looking good
  • I think I’ve decided on next year’s musical, but I’m not telling anyone

I always like the “however” parts after a particularly negative post. Indeed, I think it’s the howevers of life that get you through it, you know?

I really gotta git. Almost to the weekend…

FO