Mini update

I just updated my links page to include John Scalzi's Whatever and Tom Tomorrow's site . Have to investigate Blogrolling to see whether it's worth it (I suspect it might be) to automate this process.


"Verbing weirds language"
Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin: "I like to verb words."
Hobbes: "What?"
Calvin: "I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when `access' was a thing? Now it's something you do . It got verbed."
Calvin: "Verbing weirds language."
Hobbes: "Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding."

I've always loved that one. Couldn't find the comic online, didn't look very hard (the dialogue is all you need). But I just finished with an interview and a physician told me that one particular feature of a pharmacutical company's behavior "squeamished me off" using their drug. I love this for several reasons. First, the verbing. Second, that the form parallels pissed off, and I would not have expected squeamish (the verb) to subcategorize that way (/geek). Third...because there is always a third thing.



Viva Las Vegas

(rant)
It appears that weddings are less about the two principle players and more about everyone else around them. I'm sure this is news to no one. Likewise, successful weddings apparently have nothing to do with how festive and fun and celebratory they are. Rather, they are about whose feelings are (or potentially will be) hurt and what obligations must be met in constructing the invite list, choosing the various and sundry celebratory attributes, and so on. So, in this way, weddings are apparently like religion. The victory of form over substance, dogma over spirituality. Structure over function. Not being one averse to quoting from popular television, I like to say that LK and I are trying to stay focused on the marriage and not be distracted by the wedding. So eloping to Vegas (and having Elvis perform the ceremony) is looking better and better every day. Okay, it couldn't be Elvis. But Dr. Wendy could wear an Elvis outfit, which as I type this I think would be absolutely key.

This is an unfocused rant, and there is no point except to rant. Oh, and while I'm at it, I am officially boycotting all references in children's fiction and video to "the wicked/evil stepmother." Please join me. I know with the war on, people's energies are expended elsewhere, but we have to draw the line somewhere.

(/rant)


posted by MT at 11:58 AM |