July 06, 2009
Kate P, Book Goddess
Seriously. if it wasn't for her I probably would not have heard of or bought Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, and I would have missed out on the funniest book I've read in a long long time.
Now I freely admit that P&P is a book and story that I know very well, and I laughed out loud this weekend reading lines like this
"His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion, but little in the way of combat training."
The way the zombie story is woven into Austen's words is brilliant, and with one notable exception it works exceedingly well (and no I'm not going to spoil anything by mentioning the one plot element that rings false, at least to me).
For a quick, fun read I highly recommend it.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:40 AM | Comments (6)
March 31, 2009
NEVER Was a NYT Opinion Piece More
...WRONG.
"...Puns are the feeblest species of humor..."
Miserable jerk needs to have his eyes opunned.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:11 PM | Comments (3)
February 12, 2009
Word of the Day
At first I thought "stimulus" and that Mirriam-Webster had finally succumbed to social commentary. I was wrong. But a great word none the less.
slumgullion \SLUM-gull-yun\
nounMeaning: a meat stew
"Slumgullion" may not sound like the most appetizing name for a dish, but that’s part of its charm. The word’s etymology doesn’t do it any favors: "slumgullion" is believed to be derived from "slum," an old word for "slime," and "gullion," an English dialectical term for "mud" or "cesspool." The earliest recorded usage of "slumgullion," in Mark Twain’s Roughing It (1872), refers not to a stew but a beverage. The sense referring to the stew debuted about two decades later, and while there is no consensus on exactly what kinds of ingredients are found in it, that’s the "slumgullion" that lives on today.
I think that covers the stimulus perfectly.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:10 PM | Comments (1)
October 27, 2008
I Bought the Book Purely for the Title
I stayed around for all the rest purely for the storytelling, even to the point of trying out snippets of gleaned Navajo on Navajo squadron mates. It would take onerous repetitions for me to get one word pronounced correctly. Ah, the diné ~ they came to life.
I LOVE Tony Hillerman. I'm sure even St. Peter will greet him with "Yá'át'ééh ak'is" and trickster Coyote will be laughing outside the pearly gates.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:24 PM | Comments (1)
August 15, 2008
Along With the Hornblower Series
...one of my favorite summer treats has always been a re-reading of this:
Louis L'Amour's Haunted Mesa. It's just the right mix of mysticism, fantasy, detective story and old time Western.
The Navajo called them the Anasazi, the “ancient enemy,” and their abandoned cities haunt the canyons and plateaus of the Southwest. For centuries the sudden disappearance of these people baffled historians. Summoned to a dark desert plateau by a desperate letter from an old friend, renowned investigator Mike Raglan is drawn into a world of mystery, violence, and explosive revelations. Crossing a border beyond the laws of man and nature, he will learn of the astonishing world of the Anasazi and discover the most extraordinary frontier ever encountered.
Many of the plot devices were drawn from Mayan mythology ~ the portals between worlds, the underworld itself. I'm not sure you can imagine my absolute delight (and the source of a shreiking "holy CRAP!!!" email to ebola) when I came across this MSNBC article, but I was stoked.
Portal to mythical Mayan underworld found
Archaeologists discovered maze of stone temples in underground cavesMexican archeologists have discovered a maze of stone temples in underground caves, some submerged in water and containing human bones, which ancient Mayans believed was a portal where dead souls entered the underworld.
Clad in scuba gear and edging through narrow tunnels, researchers discovered the stone ruins of eleven sacred temples and what could be the remains of human sacrifices at the site in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Archeologists say Mayans believed the underground complex of water-filled caves leading into dry chambers — including an underground road stretching some 330 feet — was the path to a mythical underworld, known as Xibalba.
Part of the reason the book spoke to me was personal. I've spent weeks climbing over stones and up pyramids in places like Tikal, Chichen Itza and Uxmal, as well as using a candle for light in the excavation tunnels under Kaminal Juyú, visiting just unearthed sacrificial remains (nothing like confronting a Spielberg-ish silent, screaming skull with skeleton illuminated suddenly out of the dark, 20 feet underground). You hear voices in the jungle in those places, if you're any kind of spook at all, and I am a reluctant but consummate one. (In fact, Tikal translates to "place of voices" and I swear they're still there.)
Oh, man, I so enjoyed my time in the past.
And now Xibalba is real. DAMN.
That's cooler than shit.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:47 AM | Comments (3)
July 11, 2008
Battleship Potemkin
After dinner we decided to watch it last night; what a neat flick.
There are so many scenes and elements of this movie that are familiar, because so many directors have borrowed them from this 1925 classic. We recently watched The Untouchables, for example, and there's the baby in the carriage rolling down the steps amongst the bodies...
I must sadly admit though that in my advancing age I confuse the Potemkin with the Aurora.
With regard to the crew of the Potemkin, I think this is pretty neat (from 1987):
Ivan Beshoff, the last survivor of the 1905 mutiny on the Russian battleship Potemkin, a harbinger of the Russian Revolution, died Sunday, his family said today. His birth certificate said he was 102 years old, but he contended he was 104.Born near the Black Sea port of Odessa, Mr. Beshoff abandoned chemistry studies and joined the navy, serving in the engine room of the Potemkin.
The mutiny over poor food was the first mass expression of discontent in Czar Nicholas II's military and later came to be seen as a prelude to the 1917 Russian Revolution.
The mutineers killed the captain and several officers. The entire Black Sea fleet was ordered to suppress the rebellion, but crews refused to fire on the battleship, and it sailed for 11 days before surrendering.
Mr. Beshoff had said he fled through Turkey to London, where he met Lenin. He settled in Ireland in 1913, saying he had tired of the sea.
Mr. Beshoff worked for a Soviet oil distribution company and was twice arrested as a Soviet spy, but became a beloved figure in the Irish community.
After World War II, he opened a fish and chips shop in Dublin.
What a funny world we live in.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:05 AM | Comments (3)
October 26, 2007
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
UPDATE: I am gobschmacked. It is local BLACK leaders who want the word replaced!!
Can you believe it? If ever there was a paean to human decency, it's this play.
There is ignorance. And there is IGNORANCE.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:00 PM | Comments (3)
October 25, 2007
There Are Words in This Life That Have a Visceral Thrust
Words that, in the proper context and the proper place, can open eyes and touch lives. Are meant to. Vile epithets meant to teach a moral lesson that transcends the time frame of the work it appears in. So what happens when political correctness tries to smother an American classic? When political correctness tries to tidy up the ugly sentiments expressed so eloquently in order to move hearts and right wrongs ~ to stare hatred and ignorance in the face?
Well, it becomes "To Kill a Mockingbird"...without 'nigger'.
Controversy Over Actual Words In " To Kill A Mockingbird"...It's a story about racial injustice during the great depression.
In the story, the "N" word is often used describing African Americans.
School leaders feel the message of the story is the same without using the "N" word.
A pivotal moment from the play...
Scout: Atticus, do you defend niggers?
Atticus Finch: [startled] Don't say 'nigger,' Scout.
Scout: I didn't say it... Cecil Jacobs did; that's why I had to fight him.
Atticus Finch: [sternly] Scout, I don't want you fightin'!
Scout: I had to, Atticus, he...
Atticus Finch: I don't care what the reasons are: I forbid you to fight...
Atticus Finch: There are some things that you're not old enough to understand just yet. There's been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about defending this man.
Scout: If you shouldn't be defending him, then why are you doing it?
Atticus Finch: For a number of reasons. The main one is that if I didn't, I couldn't hold my head up in town. I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do somethin' again.
[he puts his arm around her]
Atticus Finch: You're gonna hear some ugly talk about this in school. But I want you to promise me one thing: That you won't get into fights over it, no matter what they say to you.
...loses it's punch at the very beginning. There's no need for Atticus to display revulsion when the substitute vile word pops out of Scout's mouth, nor any need to sternly correct her. So why waste his breath on the rest?
Or Bob Ewell's twisted visage ~ his malicious maw saying that word over and over, flung like the filthy spittle that eventually finds its way to Atticus' cheek. Use the substitute word and...the audience wonders what all the fuss about. Ewell's innate, monstrous inhumanity ~ the tangible baseness of his character ~ is stunted. As written, no one wants to be Bob Ewell! No one leaving the theater wants to be seen as a Bob Ewell. That's the power of Harper Lee's writing. But Bob Ewell with her words tidied up for modern, delicate ears?
He's just another cranky guy in overalls.
Who spits.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:10 PM | Comments (7)
June 29, 2007
Great Opening Lines
This NPR story on great opening lines to hook the younger set got me thinking. I laughed at the very last book:
The Narnia books by C.S. Lewis are so popular already that I only want to mention that the first line of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is one of those classic sentences that, once heard, stick in your head forever:"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
Now, THAT'S a classic. Anyone care to contribute their favorites from the bookshelves?
Or, better yet ~ as we once did in a fiction exercise ~ write your own.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:11 PM | Comments (10)
April 23, 2007
Damn, Damn, Damn
Author David Halberstam Dies in CrashHis car was broadsided by another vehicle.
We adored him.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:56 PM | Comments (5)
March 23, 2007
Coincidentally, the M-W Word of the Day
...is...
drub \DRUB\ verb1 : to beat severely
2 : to berate critically
*3 : to defeat decisively
Not much of that being handed out lately from our side, sad to say.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:49 AM
March 12, 2007
Ya Don't Say
Not having me a edjacation commeshurate with HAHvahd's stratosphere, I think I just spotted me a whopper anyways.
Let me see if I can spell 'M...S....uh...N...B...(don't rush me, dammit!!!)...C' right.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:59 PM | Comments (9)
In Pig Latin in the Comments Below, Bingley Notes
...It's much like classical/mythological greece: you name determines your destiny.We all know what Vader told Luke about his 'destiny', so I decided I'd see what Bingley had in store. From the Greek:
bingle [bIngl]ουσ. είδος κόμμωσης "αλα-γκαρσόν" # αθλοπ. (στο μπέιζμπολ:) κτύπημα βάσης
Being a bit rusty Rosetta Stone-wise (and weary from collating scribbles memorized whilst watching a Dead Sea Scroll special last night ~ who says I'm dull?), I went for the English translation of 'bingle', since the word doesn't appear naturally in our native tongue. Not an accident or oversight, I'm assuming.
bingle
A noun
1 base hit, safety, bingle
(baseball) the successful act of striking a baseball in such a way that the batter reaches base safely
From this I guess we infer Bingley will always reach base safely, but the question of 'advancement' is up in the air and entirely reliant upon the good will/hard work of others. Amazingly enough, his modus operandi to a 'T'.
Considering that the closest English equivalent to 'bingley' is 'BUNGLE', I suggest we not dwell on depressing destiny and just give my sweet brother the signal to "swing away!"
And be prepared to duck.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:31 PM
Quote of the Day
Sir John Mortimer, author of the "Rumpole of the Bailey" series (and the "Tea With Mussolini" screenplay, among others), answers a meme question in Sunday's NYT magazine.
...Three little pigs: We acquired the pigs last year. My wife was born on a pig farm and has always been very fond of pigs. Of course, they are for eating, which is why they are named Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. You wouldn’t want to eat Rufus, Marcus and Esmeralda.
Most assuredly not.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:38 AM | Comments (3)
January 19, 2007
Heh
...Really annoying is the woman who, as soon as she takes her place on the dining couch, praises Vergil, excuses Dido's suicide, compares and ranks in critical order the various poets, and weighs Vergil and Homer on a pair of scales. Grammar teachers surrender, professors of rhetoric are defeated, the entire group of guests is silent; neither a lawyer nor an auctioneer nor even another woman will get a word in. So loud and shrill are her words that you might think pots were being banged together and bells were being rung...Like a philosopher she defines ethics. If she wants to appear so learned and eloquent, she should shorten her tunic to midcalf! . . . Don't marry a woman who speaks like an orator - or knows every history book. There should be some things in books which she doesn't understand. I hate a woman who reads and rereads Palaemon's treatise on grammar, who always obeys all the laws and rules of correct speech, who quotes verses I've never even heard of, moldy old stuff that a man shouldn't worry about anyway. Let her correct the grammer of her stupid girfriend!
A husband should be allowed an occasional "I ain't."
An early version of "Care for some cheese...
...with that whine?"
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:56 AM | Comments (2)
October 27, 2006
"Old Men Forget"
And I did, too, until reminded by Dave's post about St. Crispin's Day. And I have to share why I have such fondness for Branagh's "Henry the Fifth". It's not all the magnificence of a truly magnificent film.
In all of Orange County, it was only playing at a little art house theatre in Laguna Beach. I was desperate to see it and major dad thought we could hit their Saturday matinee with Ebola and be pretty safe. Getting there just as the theatre opened, we found seats we could isolate ourselves in and still see. We warned everyone who went to sit near us that "we've got a third-grader with us." Almost to a one they all said "thanks for letting us know" and would move a row or two away. Except for one guy who, bless his heart, said "Really? That's okay ~ I'd be curious to know what he thinks of it." And he plopped down right in front of us.
This is no exaggeration ~ through the whole long thing, the one and ONLY time Ebola opened his mouth was as the French nobles were staging on the hill above the field. The English were done with "St. Crispin's Day" speeches and scurrying through the cold and damp to their positions behind the barricades. As they stared at each other, Ebola whispered, "Mommy?"
"What honey?" I whispered back.
"Who are the bad guys?" he asked.
"The clean ones."
"Okay."
And that was it.
Magical.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:02 PM | Comments (7)
October 05, 2006
I Know I'm Insufferable But
...aren't there always...two ?
Clinic to separate 2 more conjoined N.D. twins
8-week-old girls joined at the abdomen, Mayo doctors say
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:38 PM
August 03, 2006
[Thy] Tongue Outvenoms All the Worms of Nile*
Warning! Shakespeare's works contain references to adultery, incest, and premarital sex, and is replete with bawdy humor and double entendres. And don't forget the violence. Don't even get me started on the violence. Quick -- name a Shakespearean tragedy where the title characters live through the fifth act. Couldn't do it, could you? Bodies pile up faster in Shakespeare's plays than they do in the Baltimore morgue.**
Insult Me Again
*from
**from Shakespeare Online
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:33 PM | Comments (10)
July 11, 2006
Ladies and Germs! We Have
...a winner.
...“Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you've had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean,” Guigli wrote.“The judges were impressed by his appalling powers of invention,” said Scott Rice, a professor in SJSU's Department of English and Comparative Literature.
John Kerry did better, but that was years ago.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:01 PM | Comments (5)
July 05, 2006
This Artikul
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:57 PM | Comments (8)
June 21, 2006
Our Library System's So Pitiful
...I'm not sure we're faced with such choices.
Grisham En Espanol? No Mas for Ga. Library
The library system in this suburban Atlanta county says no mas - it won't buy any more thrillers, romance novels or other works of adult fiction in Spanish.The decision has angered Hispanic leaders and thrust Gwinnett County - where one out of six residents is Hispanic - into the nation's immigration debate.
Last week, the library board in this fast-growing county of 700,000 people eliminated the $3,000 that had been set aside to buy Spanish-language fiction in the coming fiscal year. It offered no explanation, but the chairman said such book purchases would lead readers of other foreign languages to demand the same treatment.
But, having said that, with the nickel and a half they do spend in an attempt to keep us marginally literate, English would be a good choice.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:08 PM | Comments (1)
June 02, 2006
Miss New Jersey Takes It!!
The spelling crown, I mean.
She was a cool customer. I could barely stand to watch ~ tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Bingley Update and bump: I live in Jersey, so this is great, but I'm sorry, the best part of this for me is that the Canadian Champ was knocked out by "weltschmerz". That's just too delicious.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:06 AM | Comments (6)
May 28, 2006
In Response to This
...unbelievable development...
Kerry Pressing Swift Boat Case Long After LossJohn Kerry starts by showing the entry in a log he kept from 1969: "Feb 12: 0800 run to Cambodia."
...I'm dusting off this fun and educational Swilling exercise. Comments are open, as we may be adding chapters. To recap and refresh...
Now, for My Proposal and it's rules of engagement:1) We are writing a draft screenplay called 'Smoke on the Water:A Cambodian Christmas'. (His life being so full of epic moments, I felt the prudent move is to limit it to just this one.)
2) Please keep your narrative/yarn to at most short paragraph. Pick up the action where the previous poster left off and contribute your own flights of fancy for this riveting saga.
3) Use all of your imagination. And as little foul language as possible, a challenge considering the subject matter. Decorative and artful cursing in the course of conversation between players is not expressly prohibited.
Pencils and legal pads at the ready? Grand!
Now have at it and remember, it's a (Cambodian) jungle out there.
To get you in the mood, I'm including a link to John Kerry's Bad Rap at no additional charge.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:07 PM | Comments (3)
May 04, 2006
I Love Alliteration!
It's so sexy, snappy and succinct!
A new book about the Katrina catastrophe paints a portrait of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin as a clueless, collapsing coward who hid out after the hurricane in a high-rise hotel - and had to be rousted out of Air Force One's bathroom.
GAH-rrrowlllll! Brings my blood to a bawdy burble.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:14 AM | Comments (2)
March 17, 2006
Word of the Day
doch-an-dorris \dahkh-un-DOR-is\ nounScottish & Irish : a parting drink : stirrup cup
We'll raise a glass and ask you to join us, on this most festive of days.
Dum dum, dum dum, dum dum, doodle oodle...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:45 AM | Comments (2)
March 16, 2006
Word of the Day
nugatory \NOO-guh-tor-ee\ adjective
1 : of little or no consequence : trifling, inconsequential
2 : having no force : inoperative
- NOU-gat : see:BINGLEY
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:57 AM | Comments (7)
March 01, 2006
Ya Don't Say...
High school reading linked to college successWhy is it no one ever asks if a 'study' is needed in the first place? The 'study' professionals must have a tighter grip than the teamsters.
Study: Complex reading material is key to readiness
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:46 AM | Comments (2)
February 08, 2006
Children's Books Got Me Thinkin'
...about makin' a little list. My favorites: ones I found for Crusader when he was little, ones that came out when Ebola was a single celled micro unit and ones for middle schoolers that I cherish to this day. I'll start with 'read to me' and at the top. Bar none, the finest children's book ever written.
Others always on hand for evening reading snuggles on the couch? 
"A Woggle of Witches"
"Bears in the Night" and "The Spooky Old Tree"
Anything "Paddington" 
or Pooh 
One can always use a wild rumpus 
, a soothing bedtime story 
and then a not-so-quiet siesta 
.
And 
some poetry 
for the soul, while keeping an eye out for charging rhinocerii. 
Ebola just walked in and saw Ferdinand on the monitor. "Oh, my favorite!" he said, before he even knew what I was doing. (This doesn't include "Go Dog, GO!", "One Fish, Two Fish", etc and the myriad happy little books you read your children.) He got read to quite a bit.
I'm tracking down the novels I read to him next.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:50 PM | Comments (11)
February 07, 2006
The Burden of the Secret
...can be too much for some people to bear. JT LeRoy unmasked.
“He’s wanted to come clean and let JT fade away,” attorney Eric Feig said of Knoop late Monday. “He wanted to take the high road.”He’s also secured a movie deal to tell his side of the story, Feig said.
I'm sure being first to cut to the cash will salve the wounds. Pond scum. As if anyone cared.
At least I hope they don't.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:05 AM | Comments (5)
January 15, 2006
Word of the Day
...in honor of Mr. Summers and the 'split infinitive'.
polymath \PAH-lee-math\ noun: a person of encyclopedic learning
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:54 AM | Comments (3)
December 27, 2005
Word of the Day
snivel \SNIV-ul\ verb1 a : to run at the nose b : snuffle
2 : to cry or whine with snuffling
3 : to speak or act in a whining, sniffling, tearful, or weakly emotional manner
My nominee for 2005? Yup.
I wish I could say I had to think about it, but it shot into my consciousness the second I read the word...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:48 PM | Comments (4)
December 20, 2005
Word of the Day
sequacious \sih-KWAY-shus\ adjective: intellectually servile
Any nominees?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:59 AM | Comments (7)
December 19, 2005
On This Day in 1843
...Jacob Marley dropped by for the evening.
Christmas hasn't been the same since.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:20 AM | Comments (6)
December 13, 2005
Word of the Day
glogg \GLUG\ noun:a hot spiced wine and liquor punch served in Scandinavian countries as a Christmas drink
One of the reasons it's the second most wonderful time of the year.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:06 PM | Comments (8)
November 20, 2005
Damn Your Bawdy Boldness, Darcy!
IT was perhaps a little embarrassing to learn that the British producers of the latest "Pride and Prejudice" released a different ending for American audiences: a swoony moonlit scene of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in dishabille, kissing and cooing in a post-coital clinch.It was as if NASA had prepared an international mission to Mars and felt a need to lace the Russians' Tang with vodka.
Gasp and Grope ~ Austen, American-style. (I didn't read where Mr. Bingley got any extra action, though. He must have been busy trolling online.) And I guess we've infected the homeland with more than just fast-food:
And Austen fans in England who got wind of the American version were incensed that they had been denied a final kiss.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:44 PM | Comments (10)
November 09, 2005
The "Ward Churchill School of Screenwriting"?
"I turned to my friend during the movie and said, 'I have always wanted to see my book on the big screen and there it is; I just didn't get credit for it,' " said Mr. Turnipseed, who served as a truck driver with the Marine Corps for about 90 days in 1991.I mean, how could you possibly screw over a Marine named Turnipseed? That's just un-American.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:15 AM | Comments (7)
November 03, 2005
Word of the Day
catachresis \kat-uh-KREE-sis\ noun*1 : use of the wrong word for the context
2 : use of a forced and especially paradoxical figure of speechExample sentence:
The paper printed a correction for the previous day's catachresis: dubbing a local artist-philanthropist a "socialist" when they meant "socialite."
I find myself calling Bingley a "fascist" when I meant to say "fathead", so this has some relevance.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:54 PM | Comments (10)
Mommy Knows Worst
The Insta-Wife reviews Lileks' newest book, and I agree with her:
...However, this is not to say that the baby boomer's children are without their own problems. Yes, we have learned from yesterday's mistakes in areas like proper sun exposure and showing parental affection. But as a psychologist specializing in adolescents, I have seen the pendulum swing too far in the opposite direction with some current child raising fads....What I learned from Lileks' interesting and entertaining book is that moderation is the key in child rearing and, sometimes, it is best to trust our own instincts. Experts are there to help but Lileks reminds us that they are human and make mistakes, too. Mommy Knows Worst is a great read for those who wonder if child rearing was always this hard. Apparently, the answer is "yes."
The Cult of Self Esteem is our generation's horrible fad that we are inflicting on our kids.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:05 AM | Comments (8)
November 01, 2005
Word of the Day
golden handcuffs \GOAL-dun-HAND-kuffs\ noun: special benefits offered to an employee as an inducement to continue service
Example sentence:
Ken eventually accepted the golden handcuffs and agreed to five more years with the goat.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:28 AM | Comments (6)
October 31, 2005
Word of the Day
coulrophobia: refers to an abnormal and persistent fear of clowns.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:57 AM | Comments (7)
October 28, 2005
Word of the Day
valetudinarian \val-uh-too-duh-NAIR-ee-un\ noun: a person of a weak or sickly constitution; especially : one whose chief concern is being or becoming a chronic invalid
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:39 AM | Comments (4)
October 24, 2005
Word of the Day
amphibology \am-fuh-BAH-luh-jee\ noun: a sentence or phrase that can be interpreted in more than one way
Example sentence:
Not wanting to voice what I really felt, I resorted to amphibology and said, "Indeed! Bingley IS a rare sort of fellow."
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:43 AM | Comments (7)
October 19, 2005
Word of the Day
Argus \AHR-gus\ noun \AHRRR-gah\ diminuitive*1 : a hundred-eyed monster of Greek mythology
2 : a watchful guardian
3* : castle on an islet in Loch Linnhe at the mouth of Loch Laich near Portnacroish, Strathclyde, Scotland
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:12 AM | Comments (3)
October 17, 2005
Word of the Day
pomaceous \poh-MAY-shuss\ adjective1 : of or relating to apples
*2 : resembling a pome
A much kinder, better sounding word than "pear shaped", not that I'm resentful or anything.
*The word, which is ultimately derived from Late Latin "pomum" (meaning "apple"), was originally used of apples and things relating to apples, but later it was also applied to things that look like pears. (Pears, like apples, belong to the pome family.)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:01 AM | Comments (10)
September 26, 2005
Barry Diller, Literary Archivist
...The genteel butler that has been Ask Jeeves Inc.'s face for nearly a decade is getting ousted in a corporate takeover. Jeeves, the slightly chubby and balding English butler based on P.G. Wodehouse's eponymous and ever-resourceful manservant, isn't the kind of image that e-commerce conglomerate InterActiveCorp wants representing the Ask Jeeves search engine, according to IAC Chairman Barry Diller......Diller announced that his company intends to drop Jeeves as a mascot and shorten the search site's name to Ask or Ask.com. "Not that I don't like that fat butler," Diller said
Nor we the fat cat, classless corporate executive.
Oh, who am I kidding? What's the percentage of Ask Jeeves users who even know who Wodehouse is to begin with? All gentle things coarsen these days or fade away completely.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:42 PM | Comments (3)
September 20, 2005
A Sign From the God of Posts
In the entry below, I note that the NHC discussion correction looked like Haiku. My brain being what it is, I then thought "What fun ~ a Hurricane Haiku Hullabaloo!" Googling proper haiku format to set ground rules, I immediately came across this informative page containing THIS timely, hurricane related GEM:
kono dote-ni(5) noboru-bekarazu(7) keishichou(5) :
"Do Not Climb This Levee - The Police Department"
Seems the auguries
are clear for poetry here.
Have a whack at it.
(This site can also be handy.)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:15 PM | Comments (15)
September 16, 2005
Powerful Words
Favorite lines from favorite works that make you smile.
þæt wæs god cyning!
That was one good king!-Beowulf
Seamus Heaney new Verse Translation
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:23 PM | Comments (11)
September 15, 2005
Hmmm...
"Why didn't they put Tom Bombadil in the movies? One time I asked my brother what he thinks Tom Bombadil looked like, and he said he thinks he looked like a hobbit or a dwarf. But who knows...I wonder who is more powerful, Tom Bombadil or Sauron?"
"Tom Bombadil by far."
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:37 PM | Comments (15)
September 13, 2005
Word of the Day
assay \a-SAY\ verb
Example sentence:
Ah say, sir, ah say I have HAD it up to HERE with these Chicken Soup for the Soul Books! They are about as common as French hookers on Bastille Day, but raise less of a stench.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:03 AM | Comments (3)
September 12, 2005
Word of the Day
apophasis \uh-PAH-fuh-sis\ noun: the raising of an issue by claiming not to mention it
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:28 AM | Comments (6)
September 07, 2005
Word of the Day
bib·u·lous /'bi-by&-l&s/ adjective
Etymology: Latin bibulus, from bibere to drink1 : highly absorbent*
2 a : fond of alcoholic beverages b : of, relating to, or marked by the consumption of alcoholic beverages
*See: Bingley
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:52 AM
August 22, 2005
Looking For The Perfect Gift For The Little Woman?
How about an 8'x 4 1/2' abstract painting of a Feminine Naughty Bit*?
I didn't think so.
*Edited for the tender dispositions of some of our faint-hearted contributors.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:53 PM | Comments (51)
August 15, 2005
Word of the Day
captious \KAP-shuss\ adjective1 : marked by an often ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections
2 : calculated to confuse, entrap, or entangle in argument
This submission arrived in timely fashion. Recent confused examples that spring to mind? (I can't believe I'm waxing nostalgic about those incessant 'Aruba' stories...)
UPDATE: The final shot on Sunday's NBC evening news of said captious newsmaker had her holding a white cross with 'Casey' scrawled on it. She was bobbing it up and down like a campaign sign, waving it at the throng passing by, a huge smile plastered on her face the whole time. There is something desperately, desperately wrong with her. Macabre*.
UPDATE REDUX: Although I don't recommend anyone look for it, as NBC seems to have sanitized the end of Kelly O'Donnell's report from last night. If anyone out there had the same horrified "WTF is she doing?!" reaction that Major Dad and I shared, please don't hesitate to let us know.
I FOUND IT: A still at any rate. The TV cameras have started rolling, as you can tell. The cross in her hand has her son's name on it.
If you suspect that "captious" is a relative of "capture" and "captivate," you're right. All of those words are related to the Latin verb "capere," which means "to take." "Captious" actually comes from "captio," a Latin offspring of "capere," which literally means "a taking" but which was also used to mean "a deception" or "a sophistic argument." Arguments labeled "captious" are likely to capture you in a figurative sense; they often entrap through subtly deceptive reasoning or trifling points. A captious individual is one who you might also dub "hypercritical," the sort of carping, censorious critic only too ready to point out minor faults or raise objections on trivial grounds.*From my friends at Merriam Webster ~ all of the below synonyms apply.
Synonyms appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrid, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, shocking, terribleRelated Words bloodcurdling, dire, direful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, hair-raising, terrifying; abhorrent, deplorable, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, obnoxious, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening; abominable, evil, foul, heinous, noxious, odious, unspeakable, vile
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:34 AM | Comments (4)
August 04, 2005
Word of the Day
chivy \CHIV-ee\ verb1 : to tease or annoy with persistent petty attacks
*2 : to move or obtain by small maneuversExample sentence:
As she told Brendan about her bad day, Megan chivied the last olive out of the jar and plopped it into her dry martini.
Now that is a sentence!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:40 AM | Comments (3)
July 29, 2005
Word of the Day
crabwise \KRAB-wyze\ adjective1 : sideways
2 : in a sidling or cautiously indirect manner
Would it were going that well...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:13 AM
July 27, 2005
Word of the Day
baleful \BAIL-ful\ adjective1 : deadly or pernicious in influence
2 : foreboding or threatening evilThe "bale" of "baleful" comes from the Old English "bealu" ("evil"), and the "bane" of the similar-looking "baneful" comes from the Old English "bana" ("slayer, murderer"). "Baleful" and "baneful" are alike in meaning as well as appearance, and they are sometimes used in quite similar contexts — but they usually differ in emphasis. "Baleful" typically describes what threatens or portends evil (e.g., "a baleful look," "baleful predictions"). "Baneful" applies typically to what causes evil or destruction (e.g., "a baneful secret," "the baneful bite of the serpent"). Both words are used to modify terms like "influence," "effect," and "result," and in such uses there is little that distinguishes them.
I'm gonna use this six times today, starting with Ebola.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:02 AM | Comments (3)
July 21, 2005
Word of the Day
smarmy \SMAR-mee\ adjective1 : revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, or false earnestness
2 : of low sleazy taste¹ or quality¹See "Bingley"
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:28 PM | Comments (3)
July 12, 2005
Word of the Day
turophile \TOOR-uh-fyle\ noun: a connoisseur of cheese : a cheese fancier
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:10 PM | Comments (18)
July 01, 2005
Word of the Day
bunkum \BUNG-kum\ noun: insincere or foolish talk : nonsense
... in the case of "bunkum," you could almost say it was an act of Congress that brought the word into being. Back in 1820 Felix Walker, who represented Buncombe County, North Carolina, in the U.S. House of Representatives, was determined that his voice be heard on his constituents' behalf, even though the matter up for debate was irrelevant to Walker's district and he had little to contribute. To the exasperation of his colleagues, Walker insisted on delivering a long and wearisome "speech for Buncombe." His persistent — if insignificant — harangue made "buncombe" (later respelled "bunkum") a synonym for meaningless political claptrap and later for any kind of nonsense.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:51 AM | Comments (1)
June 17, 2005
Word of the Day
Brobdingnagian \brob-ding-NAG-ee-un\ adjective
: marked by tremendous size
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:40 AM | Comments (8)
June 12, 2005
Powerful Words 2
I can't claim that this installment of the exercise came after quiet contemplation under a steaming shower head. No, this frantic scribbling ensued after a commercial during 60 Minutes (don't even start...). It was for a special, airing Tuesday, June 21st and called "AFI 100 Years ~ Movie Quotes" and we were off to the races.
When making their selections, jurors were asked to considerCultural impact: Movie quotes that viewers use in their own lives and situations, thus circulating through popular culture and becoming part of the national lexicon.
Legacy: Movie quotes that viewers use to evoke the memory of a treasured film, thus ensuring and enlivening its historical legacy.
After winnowing their 'gimmes' from our short list, we were left with the following for starters:
1) "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." ~ Casablanca
2) "Snakes! Why'd it hafta be snakes?" ~ Raiders of the Lost Ark
3) "Shaken, not stirred." ~ Any James Bond
4) "I'll be back." ~ The Terminator
5) "You had me at hello." ~ Jerry McGuire
6) "I made him an offer he couldn't refuse." ~ The Godfather
7) "What we have here is a failure to communicate." ~ Cool Hand Luke
8) "Rosebud." ~ Citizen Kane
9) "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." ~ The Wizard of Oz
10) "Houston, we have a problem." ~ Apollo 13
11) "We're gonna need a bigger boat." ~ Jaws
12) "Go ahead. Make my day." ~ Sudden Impact
13) "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?" ~ Dirty Harry
14) "They mostly come out at night...mostly." ~ Aliens
15) "Who ARE these guys?" ~ Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
16) "Toga! Toga! Toga!" ~ Animal House
17) "Life is like a box of chocolate."
"Stupid is as stupid does." ~ Forrest Gump
18) "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." ~ Apocalypse Now
19) "Well Pilgrim..." ~ The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
20) "Sometimes, dead is better" ~ Pet Cemetary
21) "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti." ~ Silence of the Lambs
22) "There's no crying in baseball!" ~ A League of Their Own
23) "I feel the need, the need for speed!" ~ Top Gun
24) "Smokin'!" ~ The Mask
25) "I'm the king of the world!" ~ Titanic
26) "It's alive!" ~ Frankenstein
27) "I am Dracula" ~ well, duh
28) "Love means never having to say you're sorry." ~ Love Story
29) "You talkin' to me?" ~ Taxi Driver
30) "You'll put your eye out!" ~ A Christmas Story
I'm sure Major Dad will be lobbing more at me, as soon as he finishes his cocktail. Even if they don't make the Top 100, it's great, great fun, isn't it?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:14 PM | Comments (17)
June 11, 2005
Word of the Day
quincunx \KWIN-kunks\ noun: an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle
And I do NOT want to see this used in a sentence, especially by Mr. Summers...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:36 PM | Comments (2)
June 02, 2005
Powerful Words
I'm talking about the words that stand alone, that resonate within us by their mere existence. By the sight of them scrawled on a sheet of paper or flashed on a TV screen, voiced by a moderator or spoken in conversation. Singular names ~ people, places, things ~ of such power that their mention or reading takes one to that very place or conjures that very image, without aid of date, map or explanation. Sometimes Major Dad and I will be listening/talking/reading and one of those words will strike me and I have to say to him "that is one of the most beautiful words in the English Language". And then I say that word again for good measure ~ and nod 'yeah' in satisfaction ~ before going back to whatever it was we were doing. A good word, a powerful word, is like cream to a cat.
You all are the most literate, incredible, weirdly wonderful group I've ever had the honor to call 'friends'. So bear with me. I've had this little exercise running through my brain and thought, if it made any sense at all, I'd share. Invite you to join. Maybe jangle loose some long buried treasures. Maybe make you smile and 'a-ha!' when you recollected them, if this makes any sense to you at all, celebrating words.
I thought I would start with something easy, in a profound sort of way. Consider this past weekend and all the beautiful tributes for the fallen from Bingley, Sheila, Ken's links and the B-sphere in general. It led me to battles. Those mighty struggles on hallowed bits of earth that are timeless in their right and momentous in their speaking, no matter how removed from the present. No dates, states or countries needed, nor excluded. I'll lead off. I always appreciate your indulgence, but would relish very much more your good company.
Shiloh.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:26 AM | Comments (38)
May 25, 2005
Well, Rats
Sad to hear this. Filmmaker Ismail Merchant dies
With one notable, Gawdawful exception*, the quality was unsurpassed.
*Shall remain nameless to spare Bingley pain.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:02 PM | Comments (1)
May 16, 2005
Word of the Day
Brought to you not by email from M-W, but Tom Maguire of the Maguire Report.
émi·nence grise
Pronunciation: A-mE-näns-grEz Function: noun
: a confidential agent; especially : one exercising unsuspected or unofficial power*
Used to describe Carl ROVE, get outta town!!
Although one can scarcely tell by checking Memeorandum, there is other news than Newsweek in the "Immedia" - Bill Frist may press the nuclear button this week on behalf of Judge Priscilla Owens of Texas. The Times tells us that Karl Rove is the eminence grise behind her rise, which is the sort of connection that Avedon Carol loves to read about.
Oh Lordy! Well-read fellas who write all purdy make me tingly...
*Inflected Form(s): plural éminences grises /same/
Etymology: French, literally, gray eminence, nickname of Père Joseph (François du Tremblay) died 1638 French monk and diplomat, confidant of Cardinal Richelieu who was known as Éminence Rouge red eminence; from the colors of their respective habits
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:20 PM | Comments (9)
April 18, 2005
Speaking of Tolkien
Somebody asked me "Why don't you write more on LOTR?" I dunno.
Look, I love Lord of the Rings; my beloved and much-dog-earred copy was given to me in 1975, fer goodness sake, and it's falling apart from being read a gazillion times. In the late 70s I was fairly proficient in written Dwarvish (I never could figure out Elvish, although I was quite a hounddog in college...). "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" is one of the finest chapters ever to spring from the mind of any man. I watch "The Ride of the Rohirrim" once a month with the surround sound friggin' cranked and I blubber like a baby through it. But it's just not something I write a lot about, and there are so many other folks who do it so much better.
Want to meet for a beer (or six) sometime? We'll discuss all of his related writings for hours; hell, even a few of his unrelated writings. But I don't see me writing about it any time soon. Unless I do.
I will, however, link to Dwarf and Elf Jokes.
And gnomes are an entirely different matter.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:14 PM
April 14, 2005
Word of the Day
The example sentence was simply swill...
oracular \or-RAK-yuh-ler\ adjective*1 : resembling an oracle (as in solemnity of delivery)
2 : of, relating to, or being an oracle
Example sentence:
*A knowledgeable wine drinker herself, Roberta refuses to assign an oracular status to professional wine critics; she drinks what she likes, not what has been well-reviewed.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:57 AM | Comments (1)
April 12, 2005
Perish Podsnappish Predilections
On Bullshit
There! I said it.
"One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit," Harry G. Frankfurt writes, in what must surely be the most eyebrow-raising opener in modern philosophical prose. "Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted."
I found this little gem of a review by Roger Kimball while deleting unread/unopened Opinion Journals. I was immediately intrigued by his description of the Grey Lady's sudden onset of blushing priggishness...
"Manners," Edmund Burke wrote, "are of more importance than law. . . . The law touches us but here and there and now and then. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform and insensible operation like that of the air we breathe in."Manners determine not so much what is right and wrong as what is seemly and unseemly: what is and is not decorous or appropriate. Consider the latest bestseller from Princeton University Press by a philosopher named Harry Frankfurt. It's called "On Bull----"--well, many American newspapers, including this one, forbear to print the word, but you know what it is. Even the New York Times, whose lifestyle sections celebrate all manner of "transgressive" habits in detail, can't bring itself to spell out the book's title on its bestseller list.
...and completely hooked by the 'Mr. Podsnap' thing. How cool is that? (Never having been one to wade through Dickens, I still have a fine appreciation of the gent's bent for characters.) I have penned this post in honor of Mr. Podsnap. Please consider my share contributed in full, of bull.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:20 PM | Comments (10)
April 10, 2005
Word of the Day
Yes this...
sylph \SILF\ noun1 : an elemental being in the theory of Paracelsus that inhabits air
2 : a slender graceful woman or girl
...would be me.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:18 AM | Comments (2)
April 09, 2005
Word of the Day
Too precious to waste.
vermicular \ver-MIK-yuh-ler\ adjective 1 *a : resembling a worm in form or motion b : marked with irregular fine lines or with wavy impressed lines 2 : of, relating to, or caused by worms
Appropriate with the Carnival of the Recipes up and Bingley's
Pamelas front and center...ahem, as always. (Thanks Amanda!)
Did you know? What does the word "vermicular" have in common with the pasta on your plate? If you're eating vermicelli (a spaghetti-like pasta made in long thin strings) the answer is "vermis," a Latin noun meaning "worm." If you dig deep enough, you'll find that "vermis" is the root underlying not only "vermicular" and "vermicelli," but also "vermiculate" (which can mean either "full of worms" or "tortuous") and even "worm" itself.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:27 AM | Comments (3)
April 08, 2005
Waffle House Littrachure
As the spouse of an educator (and I use that particular bromide solely because it will make her cringe), and particularly one who's specialty is English Littrachure, I have a heightened awareness of edjumacational issues, and my spider-senses are trained to tingle when I hear people about me discussing such topics. So imagine then how my soul leapt for joy this morning at 6am while I was having breakfast at a Waffle House in Columbia, SC.
Now, mind you, eating at the Waffle House is, in and of itself, normally a cause for celebration (oh, and I had 2 eggs over easy, grits, sausage, buttered (slathered really) toast and lots of coffee. Heaven. Oh yes, heaven indeed.) as the cultural backwater in which I find myself domiciled doesn't have any. But the extra joy this morning was provided by the local folk, decent hard-working fellows who seemed to be in their late 40s or so, and who didn't appear to be the college type. Yet to my wandering ear was brought such rapture by their words extolling the virtue of Shakespeare! Oh frabjous day! In a Waffle House!
One fellow was quite adamant in his insistance that Shakespeare was the BEST, and he would brook no other opinion. "In my experience" he declared "all the others ain't worth a damn next to Shakespeare." And he kindly provided a website for his dining companions so that they too could verify his claims...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 04:53 PM | Comments (4)
April 05, 2005
Word of the Day
yawp \YAWP\ verb1 : to make a raucous noise : squawk
*2 : clamor, complain
Example sentence:
Bob was unpopular with the office supervisors because he was always yawping loudly about his working conditions.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
In our house, it simply means 'yes', as in:
Did you feed the dog yet? Yawp
Did you know?
"Yawp" first appeared sometime in the 14th century. This verb comes from the Middle English "yolpen," most likely itself derived from the past participle of "yelpen," meaning "to boast, call out, or yelp." Interestingly, "yawp" retains much of the meaning of "yelpen," in that it implies a type of complaining which often has a yelping or squawking quality. An element of foolishness, in addition to the noisiness, is often implied as well. "Yawp" can also be a noun meaning "a raucous noise" or "squawk." The noun "yawp" arrived on the scene approximately 500 years after the verb. It was greatly popularized by "Song of Myself," a poem by Walt Whitman containing the line "I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world."
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:20 PM | Comments (9)
March 28, 2005
Word of the Day
Saturday's was too good not to post:
gorgonize \GOR-guh-nyze\ verb:
to have a paralyzing or mesmerizing effect on : stupefy, petrify
The bus driver could gorgonize any unruly child with a single glance.
That isn't the only word that starts with 'gor' and winds up being stupefying...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:59 AM | Comments (18)
March 27, 2005
Culture Alert
Daughter has the week off from school, so I'm taking her to the Frick on Tuesday.
And maybe tea at the Plaza, for the last time.
And then we'll go look at the good stuff at the Met!
(my sweet bride has to work, and she's very jealous about this)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:19 PM | Comments (2)
February 24, 2005
Hemingway ~ Garden of Eden
As far as the Hunter Thompson/Hemingway brouhaha (ala Andrea), I've only read this one of his books and it was a doozey. (I won't claim to be an academic of Bingley's ilk and am not even worthy to consider wiping the shoes of the family scholar nj sue.) In Papa's defence, I offer...
Garden of Eden
"A sensational bestseller when it appeared in 1986, The Garden of Eden is the last uncompleted novel of Ernest Hemingway, which he worked on intermittently from 1946 until his death in 1961. Set on the Côte d'Azur in the 1920s, it is the story of a young American writer, David Bourne, his glamorous wife, Catherine, and the dangerous, erotic game they play when they fall in love with the same woman*. "A lean, sensuous narrative...taut, chic, and strangely contemporary..."(*emphasis mine, for Ken's sake.)
I will admit to actually rereading...ahem..once...or twice. But purely for the descriptions of life on the Mediterranean. Not for any of the other...stuff.
Yow...gotta go take a cold shower..
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:42 AM | Comments (4)