Miscellanea

~~~My post yesterday sounded angry.  At least a teensy bit angrier than I meant it to be.  I was also being contrary because the whole "end the word" campaign is so very very nice.  "Please don't use that word around me" is seriously low key.  I want my objection to be understood on the cellular level.  I want it to have impact.  Be paradigm-shifting.  Yet I've said the very same thing myself - "Please don't..."  And implying [various critical people in my life] are asses with my snazzy pre-planned comeback might not be the best long term familial/social/employment plan.  So I will ratchet it down a bit.  Tone/context/speaker, right?

~~~I've received several reminders that in addition to the wedding dress and the forgetting-the-ring fiasco, lo these many years ago, there were Random Hook Ups, inappropriate late night knocking on hotel doors, etc.  The usual party-with-open-bar shenanigans.  But I cannot believe I left off the grand finale - we had an EARTHQUAKE.  7.1 at 2:46am (I just looked it up).  This thoroughly impressed all of our mid-western guests.  Especially since they were mostly staying at the specially retrofitted hotel on springs.  And the mileage Matt has gotten out of this is ridiculous - let's just say the "rock my world" jokes are well-worn (*cough*).   [Except we were both sound asleep by then so didn't notice.  Romantic, huh?]

~~~I could not WAIT for winter to be over.  My soul was tired of chapped hands and blue toes and no time at the park.  It's finally no longer freezing... but the dogs are doing what animals are wont to due come spring.  Great.big.clumps.of.dog.hair.  Clouds of it surround them as they walk, like Pigpen from Charlie Brown. Tumbleweeds roll down the hall, moments after I vacuum.  And I lost the dog brush over the weekend.  But it doesn't matter because I can gather fistfuls of fur in seconds simply by petting them.  So, yes, apparently I can always find something to complain about. 

~~~Also the mud -  The big dog has worn a trench along the fence where he races to and fro in a fury anytime one of the Small Neighbor Dogs ventures outside.  When it rains, or the snow melts, the trench collects water.  Did I mention we are living on a massive clay quarry?  It's my retirement plan - to dig up the backyard and start throwing bowls.  Of course the hose is still off because it's occasionally dipping back below freezing and wouldn't-that-be-a-kicker, to have some pipes burst on the edge of spring because we had to hose off a muddy pup?  Needless to say they're all spending a lot of time outside right now. 

~~~Speaking of emails, the day after our mirabile dictum of emails discussing kerfuffled lamarkism, there was a flurry of family missives as to whether or not "kerfuffle" had another 'L' in it.  [Answer:  dictionary.com went both ways; blogger spell check vetoed the extra L].  Only my family could be so passionate about an L.  Love them.  Then they branched off into a discussion of "shibboleth" and the ultra-techy shibboleet", or the uber-geeky "shibbol33t".  Gold star for you if you followed along because I was suddenly busy with, ya know, work stuff.  I can barely use blogger.

~~~And speaking of words (again. because I can't let it go.):  I'm clearly not an academic.  I know there is much more that could be said on history and sociology and power of language.  There have been many interesting articles about how the republican party's success has been due, in part, to their ability to effectively manipulate use language ("death panel" anyone?).  And, to put it simply, --anything-- said with a sneer is insulting.  Don't be such a girl.  In that moment the speaker co-opts the noun (or adjective), owns it, and deems it unworthy.  Even if briefly.  There are, of course, examples of groups taking back certain words and making them their own - which I am obviously & intentionally being vague about.  No one wants to be the humorless word police but, even after circling the issue, in my heart I end up in the same place - not THAT word, not MY daughter.

But I do want to take back "Mama-bear" from what's-her-name.