Is it just me?

Quote of the Day: 10/14/2011

2011-10-14T07:35:00.000-05:00

"History, schmistory

....I mean, Concord here or there, Paul Revere's Midnight Ride "to warn the British troops not to take our freedom". Since when has facts mattered to the GOP crowd...?
You can lead a Republican to facts, but you cannot force him/her to think...."

From the comment section of an article on HuffPost: Rick Perry: Revolutionary War

Quote of the Day: 10/13/2011

2011-10-13T08:04:00.000-05:00

"Wow. If I were a cow my third stomach would have just thrown up into my second stomach."

From the comment section of a CNN article: Rosie O'Donnell: Gaydar

Quote of the Day: 10/12/2011

2011-10-12T07:08:00.000-05:00

"jeez, I was forced to ride asn off route listening to a bych talk for 25 blocks who was so du-mb, I feel like I was mentally molested........."

From the Comment section of an article in the Chicago Sun Times: Take the Bus: City Employees Ordered to Use Public Transportation

Quote of the Day: 10/11/2011

2011-10-11T07:09:00.000-05:00

"A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election."

From a comment in a CNN article: Occupy Wall Street

Quote of the Day: 10/10/2011

2011-10-10T07:03:00.000-05:00

"It's official...I'm going to the Onion for all my news now!"

from the comment section of a CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/07/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/thornton-daughter-sentenced-ppl/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7

Quote of the Day: 10/09/2011

2011-10-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

"WOW, I honestly still can`t believe how stupid this post is. Nothing else i can say. I hope no one else reads this. I know i for one feel dirty and much dumber for having read it."

From the comment section of the Suntimes article: 4 Killed 23 Wounded in Shootings Across Chicago

Quote of the day: 9/06/2010

2010-09-06T08:25:00.000-05:00

"Zombies, they really freak me out."-Dennis Hopper in Land of the Dead

TPS Reports

2010-09-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

When I was offered my first teaching position I had to leave behind a company, job, and most importantly an awesome boss in a technology company. This was no ordinary VP. He was very hands off with management. As long as he knew you were doing your job, well, he gave you your space to do the work. I loved this boss. On the day I had to tell him I was offered a position teaching (a degree that was underutilized for 2 years) he was of course upset yet very happy for me as well.

During the course of our half hour meeting we chatted about work and making sure all bases were covered. He was a very big fan of "Office Space". We would often quote lines from the movie. The topic rested on "Office Space" and TPS reports. I jokingly told him he should send out a memo about TPS reports. He then showed me a pdf of a TPS report on his pc. He modified it to reflect the company name then wrote a very business-like e-mail to the entire department stating that effective the following week TPS reports would be mandatory for all work submitted.

I haven't laughed so hard with a boss. I sure miss that job, boss and company.

Your turn: Describe your most humorous experience with a boss.

Quote of the day: 9/05/2010

2010-09-05T13:53:00.002-05:00

"Heather my love, there's a new sheriff in town."-Heathers

Did they fight, or like fight fight?

2010-09-05T08:32:00.000-05:00

I took my son's aunt to a university class with me years ago. She was all of 15 and excited to sit in a university classroom and listen to a lecture. The class was an east Asian history course. As the professor did an excellent job of explaining the clashes of the Mongols and Chinese this young lady in my class raised her hand and asked, "Did they fight or like fight fight?" The professor, slightly taken off guard by the question had to pause for a moment before answering, "They fought" and continued the lecture.

I have been writing about language and lack of usage. This was an example I would use in my own classroom. My son's aunt was a little shocked at the level of questioning. I was embarrassed that she had to see that. I only hope for the girl in the class, her language improved. This reminded me so much of the Bill Hicks monologue about his adventures in a Waffle House. Where the waitress asked him "What are you reading for?" Now what are you reading, but what are you reading for? Bill's response, "So I don't end up as a waitress in a Waffle House."

Your turn, what have you heard someone say that makes you go, "Did I just hear that?"

Quote of the day: 9/04/2010

2010-09-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

"Everybody wants to be a cat. Because a cats the only Cat who knows where it's at."-The Aristcats

Ya wanna sack fur it?

2010-09-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

"Ya wanna sack fur it?"-Being from Chicago I had no idea what this Bagger was talking about. A sack is:

"a large bag of strong, coarsely woven material, as for grain, potatoes, or coal". (per dictionary.com)

Where as a bag is:

"a container or receptacle of leather, plastic, cloth, paper, etc., capable of being closed at the mouth; pouch." (Also courtesy of dictionary.com)

I had to ask repeatedly what the person bagging my purchase said because I honestly had no clue. This is an Oklahoma expression I believe. What ran through my head as I left was, Are they called sackers? Is that an official job title? If so, wouldn't they be confused with people who fire other people?

What is a unique term you have heard in travels?

Quote of the day: 9/03/2010

2010-09-03T07:45:00.000-05:00

"I do not think this word means what you think it means"-Princess Bride

What words set your teeth to chattering? Where has our language gone?

2010-09-02T08:10:00.000-05:00

I know that language is always evolving. New words are created. Old words seem to fade away. Maybe it is because I am getting older but sometimes hearing the misuse of a word can really irritate me. The one phrase that use to drive me crazy when I taught was "You is a lame". I would make my teeth chatter. I found myself correcting the word use of a slang term. "It's, you ARE lame." I wonder if it looked as silly to someone watching as it did while played out in my head.

Your turn. What words set your teeth to chattering?

Quote of the day: 9/02/2010

2010-09-02T07:17:00.000-05:00

"The anger sharks are swimming in my head!"-Anger Management

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger". It is not a good idea to say that when......

2010-09-01T07:25:00.000-05:00

Happy September All!

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"-I know most of us have heard this expression at one time or another. It is often said to someone who is either going through something traumatic or has just ended something traumatic. Though the expression can be true most of the time there are times when you should never say this. It will only leave the person it is said to irritated, angry, or confused.

When not to say it

Example: When your fiance of 3 years is breaking up with you. Following it up with the quote from a few posts earlier "It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." Talk about sending someone over the edge.

Your turn:

It is not a good idea to say that when....

Quote of the day: 9/01/2010

2010-09-01T07:18:00.000-05:00

"A little help goes a lot further than a lot of pity."-Celtic saying

It's for your own good

2010-08-31T07:14:00.000-05:00

Why is it that whenever someone says, "It's for your own good", the situation is pretty awful for you? I heard that phrase so many times it could make my head spin. I guess some of the times it can be true but for the most part the only thing it does for me is make me never want to do that task again.

Perfect example: My mother use to give me Cod Liver Oil, EVERYDAY. Not in a pill form but a spoon full of the horrible stuff. She then learned about the wonders of garlic and decided I needed that too. By then they began making the liquid gel pills. Every morning I would have to take a cod liver oil and a garlic liquid gel pill. All day long I burped but garlicky fish. My mother always said, "It's for your own good". The only thing that experience taught me was to hate fish. I can't touch the stuff. The smell and taste is horrible to me.

Now it's your turn. When was this ever said to you and the outcome was less than good for you?

Quote of the day: 8/31/2010

2010-08-31T07:00:00.002-05:00

"Take a stand, make a mark."-John Jakes

5 things I have to have

2010-08-30T07:43:00.001-05:00

I use to think it was crazy to prepare for the end of the world. There have always been some sort of doomsday group or another that tried to scare people into repenting for sins and what not. As I get older and see the types of shows on Discovery and NatGeo about survival in cities and in the wilderness, it makes me wonder if there is something we should be a little concerned about. If we no longer had our technology and comfort, how would we survive as a population?

My question today is: What are the 5 things you would HAVE to have if technology and civilization broke down? (Remember these things would need to be portable in case you needed to move around)

5 things I have to have:

1-A really good pair of shoes

2-Charcoal/sand for water filtration

3-Case of matches or lighters

4-Big sturdy backpack

5-Good set of knives/tools

Your turn:

5 things I have to have:

Quote of the day: 8/30/2010

2010-08-30T07:20:00.000-05:00

"Things we do naturally often become lost when over intellectualize them."-Frank Herbert

Quote of the day: 8/29/2010

2010-08-29T10:44:00.000-05:00

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."-Carl Marx

It is alright to use this quote when....

2010-08-28T09:24:00.000-05:00

"It is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all."-Is this ever something that should be said to someone who has lost a love? Or even to yourself? What a load of crap.

Has anyone ever said this to you? Worse yet, has the person ripping your heart out and stomping it on the floor ever said this to you? It almost makes you want to slap that person.

If you had never loved at all then you would not know of the pain of loss. Is there ever a time when this is appropriate to say? If so, tell us.

It is alright to use this quote when....

Quote of the day: 8/28/2010

2010-08-28T07:20:00.000-05:00

"We are always what our situations hand us. It's either sadness or euphoria."-Billy Joel

Quote of the day: 8/27/2010

2010-08-27T12:42:00.000-05:00

"Got to admit it's getting better, can't get much worse..."-Beatles