Have you ever noticed how persistent glitter is?
If you ever have cause to handle anything with glitter on it, you know what I mean. No matter how careful you are, it sticks to you -- sometimes for days.
You can't rub it off. The shower seems to have no success at washing it away. And you can't really lift it off your skin very well. It sticks to you no matter what.
And not only does it stick to your skin, it shines. Glitter will not be sidelined, cannot be forced to sit quietly, unheralded. No! It advertises its presence at every opportunity, catching the eye of anyone around.
Not long ago I bought a party blouse that sparkles. I wore it to a special event and then hung it in my closet to wait for the next party.
The next day I noticed that I had glitter from the blouse on my collar bones. I brushed myself with a towel. I washed with soap and water. I tried to wipe the bits of glitter away with a tissue and with my hand. No luck. I put on a high-necked shirt.
Next I noticed that my car had been glittered. Apparently, wearing that blouse in my car going to and from the event had left an indelible mark on my car. There were specks of glitter on the leather seats and on the carpet. Now I guess the glitter will transfer to all my other clothes when I drive my car anywhere.
Just last week -- almost a month after that dress-up event I attended -- I saw glitter on the carpet on the stairs at my house. And that same day I saw some of the glitter at my desk at the office. It's everywhere.
Doesn't it make you wonder how we might apply glitter's persistent stickiness to other things that we WANT to keep handy?
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Words
Anybody who has spent any time around me knows that I love words and the use of words. It's also true that I find great amusement in the misuse of words.
Over the years, bosses, preachers, and tv announcers have provided many opportunities for an unexpected grin.
After sitting through a seemingly endless meeting of negotiations, I enjoyed hearing my boss say, "Now that we've got the basic tenements established, we can begin to flush out the skeleton." The best part was that he uttered these malapropisms with a straight face and utter unawarenes. It almost made the hours locked up in that conference room worthwhile.
I once had a girlfriend who described her mistakes as "fox paws". . . of course, she meant faux pas. She was also fond of saying that something had become a mute point. (If only that had been true!)
My family has always enjoyed spoonerisms. We frequently talk about something happening in one swell foop, and we apologize for getting our tangs tungled.
When I was a teenager, my dad went through a long period of enjoying this sort of word play. He liked to observe that his favorite singer was Boney Tennett. Shoes and socks became sues and shocks. Salt and pepper because palt and sepper. He drove us crazy with his mangling of words until he finally came out with some accidentally inappropriate phrases and embarrassed himself out of the spoonerism habit.
What finally stopped him? He mangled the phrase "tool kit" in front of the whole family.
Over the years, bosses, preachers, and tv announcers have provided many opportunities for an unexpected grin.
After sitting through a seemingly endless meeting of negotiations, I enjoyed hearing my boss say, "Now that we've got the basic tenements established, we can begin to flush out the skeleton." The best part was that he uttered these malapropisms with a straight face and utter unawarenes. It almost made the hours locked up in that conference room worthwhile.
I once had a girlfriend who described her mistakes as "fox paws". . . of course, she meant faux pas. She was also fond of saying that something had become a mute point. (If only that had been true!)
My family has always enjoyed spoonerisms. We frequently talk about something happening in one swell foop, and we apologize for getting our tangs tungled.
When I was a teenager, my dad went through a long period of enjoying this sort of word play. He liked to observe that his favorite singer was Boney Tennett. Shoes and socks became sues and shocks. Salt and pepper because palt and sepper. He drove us crazy with his mangling of words until he finally came out with some accidentally inappropriate phrases and embarrassed himself out of the spoonerism habit.
What finally stopped him? He mangled the phrase "tool kit" in front of the whole family.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
More signs
We went to Seattle recently.
The early morning flight caused me to be at the airport before I was fully awake. I decided to make a trip to the restroom before boarding the plane. I was stunned to see a NO EXIT sign just outside the restroom.
I immediately rethought how badly I needed to go.
Once in Seattle, it was inevitable that we would visit Pike Market. I love that place. All the little shops and their wide variety of wares are just plain fun. One sign hanging outside a storefront near Post Alley caught my eye: "Swiss Blades, Bavarian Meats, Espresso." Something for everyone, I guess.
In Pioneer Square, the historic district, we were amused to see an old sign outside a Victorian era building that had served as a hotel: "Rooms 75 cents, Baths 5 cents in Basement."
When we went north to visit the locks on the canal that connects Puget Sound to Union Lake, we drove by a tiny building where only walk-up service was provided. The sign advertised "Ice cream, Salmon, Burgers." Definitely not a sign you would see in Texas.
By the way, that "no exit" sign at the restroom was really meant to indicate that the hallway past the bathroom was closed due to construction. I guess they just placed it over near the restroom so that it wouldn't block the already closed hallway.
The early morning flight caused me to be at the airport before I was fully awake. I decided to make a trip to the restroom before boarding the plane. I was stunned to see a NO EXIT sign just outside the restroom.
I immediately rethought how badly I needed to go.
Once in Seattle, it was inevitable that we would visit Pike Market. I love that place. All the little shops and their wide variety of wares are just plain fun. One sign hanging outside a storefront near Post Alley caught my eye: "Swiss Blades, Bavarian Meats, Espresso." Something for everyone, I guess.
In Pioneer Square, the historic district, we were amused to see an old sign outside a Victorian era building that had served as a hotel: "Rooms 75 cents, Baths 5 cents in Basement."
When we went north to visit the locks on the canal that connects Puget Sound to Union Lake, we drove by a tiny building where only walk-up service was provided. The sign advertised "Ice cream, Salmon, Burgers." Definitely not a sign you would see in Texas.
By the way, that "no exit" sign at the restroom was really meant to indicate that the hallway past the bathroom was closed due to construction. I guess they just placed it over near the restroom so that it wouldn't block the already closed hallway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)