Holidouble holidactyl

Hey, diddle deity
Jesus of Nazareth
lived in Judea as
part of God's plan

son of a carpenter,
son of a virgin and
teleologically
Savior of Man






(Merry Christmas)

Do I get extra credit for two double-dactylic words?

Lexical vexical
Wanton Logomachy
(reckless misuse of a
word or a phrase)

Hypergrammatical
overperfectionists
rarely admit their
erroneous ways.


more double dactyls:
Ivan T. Sanderson
Goldilocks
Tom Swifty
Sad Scruffleupagus

Down with prescriptivism

I love very many things about this blog post. First of all, I got very nostalgic about the post title, because remember when I made a hilarious joke about Vietnamese soup and logic? Yeah me too. Those were the good old days, when all my post titles were Tom Swifties* and the posts themselves came oftener than trimonthly.

Anyway, in Kory's post are a number of gems. Top three:

• I drafted the reply I wanted to send and saved it to my Nobody Knows The Trouble I Seen folder.

This is the greatest folder name of all time. And now I have one too.

• Everything we’ve done to and for English is for its own good, we tell it (angrily, as it slouches in its chair and writes “irregardless” all over itself in ballpoint pen).

I'm not sure what, exactly, I love about this so much. Except that it seems possible that I, at some point now forgotten, might have written "irregardless" all over myself in ballpoint pen.

• I bet Latin doesn’t sneak German in through its bedroom window, does it?

LATIN. What a goody-two-shoes.

Also the actual content of the response is good too.





*I drove to work the other day behind a car whose license plate was 'T. Swift'. When I told my brother this, and added "Why didn't I think of that?", he responded with:

"Forget "I", Why didn't WE think of that?" he pronounced.

Nice work, Brother Will.

Heys na na

So, I've been sort of obsessed with this song for a few days:



(words)

While I was looking for the video (which I only found after I became obsessed with the song, but, as it turns out, with which I am also kind of obsessed) I found this other video, for a totally different song with the same name:


(I can't find the lyrics anywhere. I assume there's a fair amount of "hey na na" involved.)

And now I am kind of obsessed with this one too.

Why is a raven like a writing-desk?

Here I am in Maryland. I finished my summer of driving all around forcing people to let me sleep in their guest rooms, and made it back to the east coast where I have a new apartment and a new job and all sorts of new ideas. Many of which involve where to get some more bookcases, and where I might have put the pegs that hold up the shelves in the bookcases I have.

Living in a State is okay so far. I mean, I get nervous still sometimes, about all the responsibilities that come with having a real vote and a Representative and everything, but I think I'm handling it all right. I'm trying to do lots of deep breathing and mental walk-throughs so I'm ready for the actual election. At the same time, I kind of miss the old Constitution City political scene. What are all the Vincents up to these days, anyway?

Meanwhile, do you need any artwork for that huge blank wall that's been bugging you? Have I got a deal for you!

Bug Prism

Here's what I've been doing lately:

Now I'm going on a mini-road-trip. Hasta!

Summer not in the city

My dad's land at Georgetown doesn't have anything except a driveway built on it yet, but it has some pretty nice scenery.

Here I am, blocking it:


Back yard:


View from across the street:


Wish you were here!

Competition

If I were going to rank us according to who drove the farthest* in the oldest truck** this week,*** I would probably rank me first and you last.

*2,286 miles
**1987 Toyota pickup
***Sunday-Friday

Traveling cat

Small has been cycling through the stages of Road Trip.

1. Panic

"AAUUUGH WHAT IS THAT NOISE WHERE AM I WHAT IS THAT SMELL I HATE THIS WHY AM I LOCKED IN THIS !#$^$@%$ BOX LET ME OUT AAAAUUGH!"

2. Despair

"Heeeeelp me pleeeeeease let me oooooout I don't liiiiiiike thiiiiiiiiiis"

3. Denial

"I am closing my eyes and counting to 50 and when I wake up I will be somewhere normal where it is quiet and not vibrating"

4. Resignation

"Well, I guess we live in this stupid truck now. God damn it."

5. Nap

"zzzzz"

Stage 1 really only happened for a few minutes each on the first two days. Today was nearly all 4 and 5. Tomorrow's the last day! Things are looking up, buddy.

Weather report

Oh hey internet. Where you been, you slacker? I haven't seen you in ages!

I'm in Cleveland. I'm en route from DC to MT: today was Day One of a projected Six Day Road Trip. DC was hot when I left. Maryland was lovely. Pennsylvania was rough going (full of rain and irritating other drivers) but as soon as I crossed over into Ohio everything was lovely again.

My truck is holding up quite nicely, thank you for asking, and I'll politely pretend I didn't notice the incredulity leavened by disapproval at my choice of conveyance. That truck is a tough old lady!

Tougher than the cat, at any rate. The cat (also doing fine, overall) spent the first hour yowling and the rest of the hours sulking with her face in a blanket with sporadic additional yowls and glares. Whatever, I turned my hearing aids off and she seems to have forgiven me now so she can yowl and glare all she wants tomorrow too. Maybe by Tuesday she'll have gotten used to the routine.

Okay, see you in another 3 months! Just kidding. Maybe.

Who's that swimming up the burning Potomac?

Is it... could it be?.. yes! It is Ghost Abe Lincoln, clutching a tattered copy of the score to the Star Spangled Banner in one hand and a shiny new copy of my dissertation in the other!

My dissertation is over, guys. The last piece of paperwork has been walked across campus to the last office and the last dot of the last i has been dotted. OVER. The world may end, therefore, at any moment. Just in time for the Mayans to win.

I'm in DC til May, teaching 200 classes and plotting my next move. Stay tuned.