Incarnate

The Word of the Day for October 30 is "incarnate."

incarnate: (adjective) Invested with bodily nature and form.

Synonyms: bodied, corporal, corporate, embodied

Usage: He was the beast incarnate, roaring and raging and being destroyed.

Relevance to My Life: When I told him about my bipolar diagnosis, he gazed upon me with a look of such abject horror that I felt as though I were evil incarnate.

In celebration of my status as Evil Incarnate, here is a selection of other evil, sadistic or possibly psychotic women:



Fatal Attraction

Instilling a healthy fear of bad 80s perms everywhere, while at the same time, a craving for Hasenpfeffer








Dangerous Liasons - Final Scene Between Merteuil and Valmont

Despite her villainy, the Marquise de Merteuil is still my favorite character in this film.









One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Nurse Ratched

She makes my blood run cold.







One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Therapy

Stick with it to the very end.









Mommy Dearest - Joan is Particular About the Closet

Really, how could I pass up the wire hangers bit.








Misery - Annie Wilkes Gives a History Lesson

Oh, Annie, Annie. Not the ankles!







ELO- Evil Woman

To my fellow evil ladies out there, happy Friday!

Etch

The Word of the Day for October 29 is "etch."

etch: (verb) Carve or cut a design into.

Synonyms: engrave

Usage: The wedding planner hired an artist to etch the couple's monogram on two champagne flutes.

Relevance to My Life: When my dad sat next to me at my son's funeral, I noticed for the first time, the deep lines that grief and worry had etched into his face; those same lines had been seared indelibly onto my heart.

Who can think of the word etch without automatically jumping to "Etch-A-Sketch?" I still love those things.




Mr. Spock Timelapse Etch-A-Sketch Portrait

This is incredible.










"Whoops 2008!" By The Etch-A-Sketch Man

I could do without the music, or maybe it's just that I'm overstimulated this morning, but this was pretty cool.









Is it a Good Idea to Microwave an Etch-A-Sketch?

These guys are my new favorites.










Is it a Good Idea to Microwave a Lava Lamp?

These guys were too much fun to leave at one video clip today






Is it a Good Idea to Microwave a Glow Stick?

It was either this one or the Axe body spray or the Furbys.

Edifice

The Word of the Day for October 28 is "edifice."

edifice: (noun) A building, especially one of imposing appearance or size.

Synonyms: building

Usage: He had commenced his labors, in the first year of their residence, by erecting a tall, gaunt edifice of wood, with its gable toward the highway.

Relevance to My Life: The day we moved into my childhood home when I was 4 years old, what scared me the most wasn't the spider-infested basement or the creaky stairs, but the dark edifice of old wood in the backyard: the two-seater outhouse, which smelled rank and foul and coated me with cobwebs the minute I pulled open the door.

I can't think of "edifice" without thinking of places like Pemberley, Manderley, or Brideshead.



Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth at Pemberley



Many a gentlewoman's loins were moistened at the Mr. Darcy bathing scene in the shadow of Pemberley.

And wow, I can't believe I typed that with a straight face.









A Walk That Changes Perceptions


At long last, Elizabeth sees a different side of Mr. Darcy. Plus, you get a better look at Pemberley (Lyme Park)










Pride and Prejudice in 20 Minutes- Part 1


This is a pretty good P&P Primer, despite its being the Keira Knightly version, although I have to admit that this adaptation is growing on me.







Pride and Prejudice in 20 Minutes - Part 2









Rebecca


"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again... " the beginning to my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie.

The building itself was like another character.







Brideshead Revisited


Another classic series in which a building plays a significant role.








Lunch With Sebastian


Probably one of my favorite scenes from the original Brideshead Revisited.

Slovenly

The Word of the Day for October 6 is "slovenly."

slovenly: (adjective) Negligent of neatness especially in dress and person; habitually dirty and unkempt.

Synonyms: frowzy, sloppy, slipshod

Usage: He was clad in a professional but rather slovenly fashion, for his frock-coat was dingy and his trousers frayed.

Relevance to my life: When I'm deep in a depression, I tend to wear the same comfortable clothes every day and stay wrapped up in blankets on the couch; immune to my outward slovenly appearance, I remain focused inward.

When I'm depressed, I may watch something funny to try to get me to crack a smile, or I may immerse myself in something depressing and soul-crushing.

Here are some of my favorites:



One of my favorite Scrubs episodes, done in musical format


My Musical (1 of 3) - Scrubs


The third song @ 4:17, "Everything Comes Does to Poo" makes me cry, but for all the right reasons.









My Musical (2 of 3) - Scrubs


A rant sung by Dr. Cox @ 2:20.








My Musical (3 of 3) - Scrubs


Guy Love. What more can I say?








Sometimes I want something macabre. That's when I reach for Dexter:


Dexter & Doakes


This is just a great show.









What I usually watch when I'm lost in a soul-searing depression is all 5 seasons of Six Feet Under, from the beginning...


Six feet Under - pilot


"Your father is dead and my pot roast is ruined." Just like that, this series hooked me.








...to the end.




Claire leaves home.



In my opinion, the best series finale.

Overbalance

The Word of the Day for October 5 is "overbalance."

overbalance: (verb) To have greater weight or importance than.

Synonyms: outbalance, outweigh, preponderate

Usage: The ancients were not always right in hiding the goddess in a well; witness the light which Bacon has thrown upon philosophy; witness the principles of our divine faith - that moral mechanism by which the simplicity of a child may overbalance the wisdom of a man.

Relevance to my life: Much like a parent tells a child that her vote counts for two votes to the child's one, my boss told me that his voice overbalanced my own in the matter; consequently, I found myself hearing those awful words, "We've decided not to ask you back."

Yes. Sometimes jobs suck either because you've been fired, made redundant, or brought to death's doorstep from the boredom of it all.




Johnny Paycheck - Take This Job and Shove It

I'm not the hugest fan of country-western music, but how can you not like this song?







Joanna Expresses Herself - Office Space

How many times have we wanted to express ourselves in just that way?

*sigh* That brought a tear to my eye.








Peter Meets with the Bobs - Office Space

The funniest scene from this movie









Inspiration from Michael Scott

As advice from idiot bosses goes, this really isn't that bad.








Tim's Review - The Office (UK)

Ricky Gervais is disturbingly awesome as Bad Boss David Brent.









The Devil Wears Prada Trailer

Some evil bosses are women.

I really love this movie despite its appearing frothy and chick-flicky.









Gordon Gekko - Wall Street

Some bosses are evil and greedy...









The Devil's Advocate

...while other bosses are the incarnation of evil.








A Good Question to Consider

Happy Monday, everyone!

Plop

The Word of the Day for October 4 is "plop."

plop (verb) Set (something or oneself) down with or as if with a noise.

Synonyms: flump, plank, plonk, plump down, plunk, plunk down

Usage: Exhausted, I plopped into the armchair.

Relevance to my life: After whining incessantly about how long she had to wait for supper to finish cooking, kid #2 plopped down next to me on the couch, slumped over on the verge of a mock-diabetic coma, stared at me with imploring eyes and whispered, "Please, Mommy. I'm starving."

After seeing the word of the day, the first thought that popped into my mind was the old Alka-Seltzer commerical.

Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz

Yes, that is Sammy Davis, Jr.







I'm a pepper (so's Popeye)

This diabolically catchy tune would get stuck in my head after this commercial.

I hate Dr. Pepper, too.













I'd like to buy the world a Coke....

... and contribute to a global epidemic of type 2 diabetes













Keep America Beautiful

With Iron Eyes Cody who's really of Sicilian ancestry. Bonus!














Mr. Yuk is mean, Mr. Yuk is green.

I think that they handed out some of these stickers when I was in elementary school.












Lotsa Hair from Prell

I can actually smell that vile green shit after seeing this commercial.












le Jardin du ax Factor

Dear God, I had this stuff when I was in middle school.












Charley

with Mel Torme!

Speaking of nasty perfumes from the 70s...










Jean Nate

I called this stuff Jean Nastay. I got a Jean Nate gift box one year.













Enjoli

'Cause I'm a Woman

But they didn't stop with Jean Nate, although they definitely should have.












The 70s were also about newfangled foods. Like Margarine, for example.



Chiffon Margarine

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature

Ha!









Pringles, the Newfangled Potato Chip

...or improbably perfect potato chips neatly stack in a canister.









Palmolive, You're Soaking in it

Oh, that Madge! I love the paternalistic commentator near the end. Because you know, we poor, flighty housewives need the endorsement of a big strong man, even when it comes to dish washing liquids.

True fun fact: the original green Palmolive is my favorite because I like the way it smells. It reminds me of when I was a kid. Freaky, huh?












Calgon, Take me Away

Are you kidding? I still say this almost daily!












Calgon = Ancient Chinese Secret

There was nothing politically correct about the 70s, man.













The only commercials marketed to men in the 70s seemed to be for men's cologne:

Brut

Starring everyone's favorite QB, Joe Namath













Aqua Velva Man

I can't help but laugh at this: Pete Rose as a sex symbol? God help us.

Slimy

The Word of the Day for Friday, October 2 is "slimy."

slimy: (adjective) Morally reprehensible.

Synonyms: despicable, vile, worthless, ugly, unworthy, wretched

Usage: "You are a slimy little liar," she yelled as she ran from the room in tears.

Relevance to my life: I was not surprised to hear from the slimy bastard again; I'd heard that his chasing 20 year-old tail had amounted to nothing. Lo and behold, he has come knocking on my door again. Apparently he kept me on the books as a back-up plan.

And now, for some slimy bastards in action:



Razzle-Dazzle from Chicago


In Chicago, Richard Gere plays the ultimate in sleazy, slimy bastard lawyers.

True fun fact: I saw him in person years ago in Washington DC when he was introducing a special envoy of the Dalai Lama at a Free Tibet rally. In person, Richard Gere is unbelievably good-looking. I was not expecting that.









Cellblock Tango


I can't post video clips from Chicago and not include this one. This is quite simply the best scene from the entire show.

Whenever I watch this show it makes me wish I'd kept up with my dance lessons. *sigh*








Thank You for Smoking


Aaron Eckhart plays a lobbyist for Big Tobacco, which is kind of the epitome of slimy bastardness, isn't it?

Great movie. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you do.







Roman Polanski in "Chinatown"


Now for a real-life slimy bastard who's been in the news recently. I don't care if he does have buckets of talent and a long history of tragedy in his past.

The fact remains that he raped a child and fled before sentencing. He needs to pay for his crime like any other rapist and fugitive from justice would.

Exhilaration

The Word of the Day for April 20 is "exhilarating."

exhilarating: (adjective) Making lively and cheeful.

Synonyms: stimulating

Usage: Countless climbers flocked to the region to experience the exhilarating effects of the mystical mountain air.

Relevance to my life: There is nothing so exhilarating as that mad dash to bathroom holding a pre-puking child in my arms, praying fervently that I can make it before the spewing starts.

Parenthood
Parenthood is fraught with perils like sudden projectile vomiting, sexually precocious teens, and mass birthday parties.








My Parents are Aliens
Ha! Game shows can be addictive.








Rusty Shares a Beer with Dad
Clark means well.








Cousin Eddie and Hamburger Helper
Thanks to this movie, I laugh every time I walk past Hamburger Helper in the grocery store.








That 70s Show
Red & Kitty finally bust them in the basement.








Holy Crap!
@ 1:00 mark is my favorite Red Foreman line.

Clangor

The Word of the Day for April 17 is "clangor."

clangor: (noun)

1. A loud resonant repeating noise.


2. A loud racket; a din.

Synonyms: clanks, clash, crash

Usage: Then, upon this stillness, there suddenly broke a tremendous clangor of sounds.

Relevance to my life: One memorable parenting moment came when I was recovering from a triple shot of The Flu, Bronchitis and Pneumonia, only to be awoken by a terrible clangor from the laundry room. The ensuing shitstorm was legendary.

The Trumpet's Loud Clangor
A little Handel to soothe your Friday








The Trumpet Shall Sound
More trumpet, more Handel.








Hayden Trumpet Concerto, Mvt 1
The trumpet is almost bigger than the kid is, but he blows the hell out of it.








Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
More classic trumpet playing

Persona

The Word of the Day for April 16 is "persona."

persona: (noun) The role that one assumes or displays in public or society; one's public image or personality, as distinguished from the inner self.

Synonyms: image

Usage: The singer's larger-than-life persona belied the fear and insecurity she truly felt.

Relevance to my life: At the end of the semester, my class went out for drinks and I do believe I shocked some people. I had let my Serious Student persona slip off, let my hair down and was Just Me. Although there were no beer funnels or table-dancing, I could see that my classmates weren't expecting the Real Barbara.

You Don't Know Me
I really am surprised how many times I've felt this. Maybe I'm bad about letting people see who I really am. Or, maybe people are idiots.








The Breakfast Club
Sometimes we make our personas ourselves, other times we're type-cast. Those seem to be the hardest to break.








The Doors
Larger than life, he was. For God's sake they have a memorial plaque at Barney's Beanery where he once got banned for pissing on the bar!








The Marquise de Merteuil and Valmont
This scene sets up the next one. The Marquise had a reputation, a public persona of the model lady of French nobility when in reality she was as corrupt and devious as the worst scoundrel. She was still my favorite character in both the book and the movie.








The Fall of the Marquise
Here, her persona is shot to Hell. *sniff* Nobody likes her anymore!

Peck

The Word of the Day for April 15 is "peck."

peck: (noun)

1. A large quantity; a lot.


2. A unit of dry volume or capacity in the U.S. Customary System equal to 8 quarts or approximately 537.6 cubic inches.


3. A container holding or measuring a peck.

Synonyms: good deal, hatful, lot, passel, mint, slew, spate, was, stack, raft, mountain, pile, plenty, mass, batch, heap, deal, flock, pot, mess

Usage: The class clown was sent to the principal's office, where he found himself in a peck of trouble.

Relevance to my life: One of my favorite expressions, which I heard from the s2bx one time when we were washing potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner, is "You gotta eat a peck of dirt before you die."

The Bucket List
"Eat a peck of dirt" is not on my official Bucket List, but skydiving is.








Kopi Luwak
I have laughed like this. *crosses off my list*








"You fooled 'em all."
A good scene from my favorite Jack Nicholson movie








Andy plays Mozart
One of the best scenes from my favorite Morgan Freeman movie.








Wild Bill
Another excellent movie adaptation of a Stephen King novel. That Wild Bill's a pissah.








The Shining ending
This brings us back to Jack Nicholson. Full-circle, how lovely.

Chafe

The Word of the Day for April 14 is "chafe."

chafe: (verb)

1. To rub and cause irritation or friction.
2. To feel irritated or impatient

Synonyms: scratch, rub, fray, fret

Usage: The wool sweater chafed against my neck, and I longed to change into something more comfortable.

Relevance to my life: All through High School, I chafed at the restrictions placed on me by my parents but still managed to appear obedient because I had no choice; when I got to college, however, with no supervision but my own, I exploded.

Bluto's Advice
I know El Borracho will like this.









Shout
I actually did go to a toga party one year. I think I had purplish paisley sheets.









Paradise by the dashboard light
Speaking of songs that we used to dance to when drunk...









Twist and Shout
...and here's another one!









Shake your tailfeather
Speaking of fun dance scenes from movies...









I love to boogie
A great compilation of dance clips to an awesome T Rex song.

Derisory

The Word of the Day for April 13 is "derisory."

derisory: (adjective) Incongruous; inviting ridicule.

Synonyms: absurd, cockeyed, idiotic, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous, ridiculous

Usage: The shareholders dismissed the lowball offer as derisory.

Relevance to my life: The girls first viewed my changes to their favorite recipe (boxed Mac and Cheese) as derisory, but I won them over with the homemade baked mac and cheese in the end. Lucy gave me an enthusiastic two thumbs up and said, "Gee Mommy, this is the best 'smack and cheese' ever!" Damn straight, kid.

The Battle of Wits
The Sicilian certainly thought The Dread Pirate Roberts's challenge to a battle of wits to be derisory. "Inconceivable!" Too bad for him.










The Battle of Wits in Legos
I am easily amused.









Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya...
Yet another great scene from a timeless classic.










The Wedding
"Mawwige." I can't help but snicker at weddings now.









The Most Reverend Mr. Bean
One funny wedding scene deserves another.

Stilted

The Word of the Day for April 10 is "stilted."

stilted (adjective) Stiffly or artificially formal; stiff

Synonyms: artificial, contrived, hokey

Usage: She knew no other way to express her genuine feelings than the stilted language of The Family Herald.

Relevance to my life: When I attended the welcoming reception for the Soros Foundation's Teaching Fellows in Tallinn, I remember how stilted the Estonian teachers' speech was. At first I attributed it to degrees of language fluency, but after mingling and talking to them I realized that this program was one of the first to recognize Estonia's statehood on the international scene. Intense emotion and national pride, not language inadequacy or cultural differences, choked their throats and affected their speech.

The Estonian National Anthem
I learned this song fairly early on, since people played it often. I was there from 1993-1994, shortly after their independence from Moscow. While Estonians have always maintained a strong ethnic identity quite separate from Russians, you could say that just after full independence, it was fiery and fervent.







The Finnish National Anthem
Interestingly, it is exactly the same melody. Finns and Estonians and culturally, linguistically and ethnically very closely related to one another.








Onnenpyörä
I got to watch a good deal of Finnish television when I was in Estonia. My favorite show was Wheel of Fortune in Finnish.







Conan O'Brien in Finland
Conan had some segments a few years ago where talked about his similarity to the Finnish President Tarja Halonen. He later visited Finland and visited a few television shows. Hilarity ensued.









Finland
My sentiments exactly, and I'm not being facetious. I loved visiting Finland and would like to go back again some day. It's a beautiful country and I love the sound of the language.

Fortnight

The Word of the Day for April 9 is "fortnight."

fortnight: (noun) A period of fourteen consecutive days.

Synonyms: two weeks

Usage: Most major tennis tournaments last a fortnight.

Relevance to my life: Although I was taking enough medication to knock out an elephant, I can still remember the fortnight immediately after my son's death with crystal clarity. My recall of the intervening years is spotty, but nearly every hour of those 14 days is burned onto my memory.

This one was hard, not because it's a difficult word, but because it is such a completely British word. Perhaps it's common in Australia, New Zealand and Canada as well, but it is not at all the norm in the US. It's hard not to feel pretentiously Anglophilic using it, and I'm something of an Anglophile.

In honour of our sister tongue, here are a bunch of thoroughly British clips.




Do you speak English?
Damned foreigners!








Four Yorkshiremen
This could easily be Four (Crotchety Old) Yankees.








Eddy Izzard on the differences between British and American English
One question: is he wearing pajamas?








Britain's Got Baton Twirling
The Billy Elliotness of this clip always makes me tear up.

Unswerving

The Word of the Day for March 8 is "unswerving."

unswerving: (adjective) Firm and dependable especially in loyalty.

Synonyms: staunch, steadfast, constant, steady

Usage: Such characters do not elicit the joyous and unswerving devotion which Lavalle commanded throughout life.

Relevance to my life: I never expected unswerving allegiance from all of our joint friends, but I did not anticipate his gaining sole custody of most of them.

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius"
Even as a slave, he garnered unswerving devotion. That's charisma, baby.








King Arthur on the Ice
Arthur, whether he was real or just a legend, also laid claim to charisma and loyalty. In "King Arthur," the battle on the ice against the Saxons is eerily similar to the scene in Eisenstein's "Aleksandr Nevsky" where the Teutoninc Knights fell through the ice.
Nevsky is a masterful bit of anti-German propaganda, and Kind Arthur is worth watching for Stellan Skarsgard as Cerdic the Saxon king..








"Arise, riders of Theoden!
This scene always gets me.
Of course, by the time I've reached this spot, I've been in a dark room, watching 8 hours of Lord of the Rings, so I'm already kind of shell-shocked and weepy. lol








And Justice for All
Not all epic battles require swords. This is one of the top endings of any film.

Whine

The Word of the Day for April 7 is "whine."

whine: (verb)

1. To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch.
2. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.
   
3. To complain or protest in a childish fashion.

Synonyms: creak, screech, squeak

Usage: As I merged onto the highway, the car engine began to whine, and I quickly pulled onto the shoulder.

Relevance to my life: My scariest airline experience came on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Odessa. Many of the seat backs flopped down, only half of the seats had seat belts, and the inner window next to me had a massive crack spidering in the glass. By far the scariest moment came when we were circling endlessly over the Black Sea, in concentric circles drifting lower and lower, listening to the whine of the ancient, shaking engines. My friends and I dubbed the airline "Scare-o-flot."

Beagle Puppies Whining
Whining is cute only when it's puppies, and even then I have a limit.








Cute Kid Whining
Classic, though subdued, whining technique with gratuitous tossing of the menu at the end. The judges award him a 7.5. He'll come in to his own in about a year or so.







Brat in full meltdown
Technically this is screaming and screeching, not whining, but it's pretty funny!








Why waste a temper tantrum?
This just proves that kids throw tantrums for the attention.

Formulary

The Word of the Day for April 6 is "formulary."

formulary: (noun) A book containing a list of pharmaceutical substances along with their formulas, uses, and methods of preparation.

Synonym: pharmacopeia

Usage: The doctor consulted his formulary before writing out a prescription for his patient.

Relevance to my life: At one point I was so overmedicated I felt as though I needed to check a formulary before taking an Ibuprofen, cold medicine or even grapefruit juice for fear of drug interactions.

Brian Regan Going to the Doctor
Don't you love going to the doctor?







Brian Regan Going to the ER Pt 1
He asks a good question: why don't they have valet parking at the ER?!








Brian Regan Going to the ER Pt 2
The cracked femur bit slays me!







House Bloopers
Would you want these people treating you?!







Hugh Laurie and British vs. American slang
Who knew?

Admittance

The Word of the Day for March 27 is "admittance."

admittance: (noun) The right to enter.

Synonyms: access, entree, admission, accession

Usage: Anyone who picked an apple gained admittance into the golden castle, and there in a silver room sat an enchanted Princess of surpassing fairness and beauty.

Relevance to my Life: My kids labor under the misconception that since they are my flesh and blood, they needn't ask for admittance when I seek "special quiet time." Cloaked with a child's self-entitlement, they burst in on me fearlessly, asking, "Mommy, where are you? What are you doing? Are you peeing or pooping?"

Parenthood trailer
Before kids, I used to think that this movie was funny; after kids, I have come to realize that it is screamingly funny, and right on the mark.








Frank Buchman Needs Advice
He's probably right; it never ends.







Steve Martin & the Muppets do Dueling Banjos
That's no joke. Steve's hell on a banjo.








Dueling Banjos
I had to do this one too.








World's Fastest Banjo Player
I think I've posted this before, but it's too amazing to pass up.

Lade

The Word of the Day for March 26 is "lade."

lade: (verb)

1. Fill or place a load on.


2. To burden or oppress; weigh down.

Synonyms: load

Usage: The captain ordered his crew to lade the ship with provisions and weapons before they embarked on their expedition.

Relevance to my life: If my kids had their way, on our trips to Price Chopper, they would lade the cart with nothing but doughnuts, cookies and chips instead of the bags of vegetables I pick.

Evolution of Shopping Carts
This was... odd. I enjoyed his use of back formation to get the verb "evolute." Clever. lol








The Cart Whisperer
Ok, same guy. *snort*






Shopping Cart Fail
Whoops.








Numa Numa Fail
Most Numa Numas are a fail anyway.









Numa Numa
Don't say you didn't see this one coming!









Evolution of Dance
Apparently this is the most-viewed video on Youtube with over 116,000,000 views.








Robert Muraine
As amusing as the previous guy was, this next one kills me. He's just not natural.

Accession

The Word of the Day for March 25 is "accession."

accession: (noun) The attainment of a dignity or rank.

Synonym: attainment, addition, inheritance,

Usage: The circumstance which chiefly availed was the marriage of his daughter with a man of fortune and consequence, which took place in the course of the summer -- an accession of dignity that threw him into a fit of good humour, from which he did not recover till after Eleanor had obtained his forgiveness of Henry, and his permission for him "to be a fool if he liked it."

Relevance to my life: Few events have affected me as profoundly as my accession to the rank of Bitter Divorcée To Be: in this change I have lost money, stability, friends and the more elusive creature, my self-esteem.

You Don't Own Me
Aww, aren't these gals spunky? They make it look so easy.








The War of the Roses
Isn't this closer to the truth? Ok, maybe not the details, but the hate.









The Break Up
After only two years together? How much hate and resentment could possibly have built up after only two yeras?







Death Becomes Her
Oh my. This is so funny and yet... so not funny.

Woebegone

The Word of the Day for March 18 is "woebegone."

woebegone: (adjective) affected by or full of grief or woe

Synonyms: sorrowful, woeful

Usage: Some cling to you in woebegone misery; others come back fiercely and weirdly, like ghouls bent upon sucking your strength away; others, again, have a catastrophic splendour; some are unvenerated recollections, as of spiteful wild-cats clawing at your agonized vitals; others are severe, like a visitation; and one or two rise up draped and mysterious, with an aspect of ominous menace.

Relevance to my life: Upon hearing the verdict, the child looked up at me with such a woebegone expression on her face: huge eyes brimming over with tears and bottom lip trembling. I weakened for a second and nearly relented, but recovering my determination, I repeated, "No cookies before dinner."

I can't hear the word woebegone without thinking of all those Saturday nights listening to Prairie Home Companion on the radio with the family. Garrison Keillor's updates from Lake Woebegon (his hometown) were always my favorite.

Dusty and Lefty
This is a clip from the movie based on the radio show







Coffee
Also from the movie







Darryl Tollerud's Long Day
Here is a bit from one of his updates from Lake Woebegon.

"It's been a quiet week in Lake Woebegon... my home town."








On Being a Dad
Priceless

Studious

The Word of the day for March 17 is "studious"

studious (adjective) Characterized by diligent study and fondness for reading.


Synonym: bookish


Usage: She was a quiet, studious child and always had her nose in a book.


Relevance to my life: In high school, many of my peers who did not know me well mistook my smart and studious exterior for stuck up and snotty. My friends knew better, but this did not change the relative inactivity of my social life.

In over twenty years, I still have not made it back to any of hte high school reunions. I had been planning to go to my 20th, but I changed my mind because that was the weekend my husband was moving out of my house. I didn't relish explaining why I was attending solo only to see triumphant looks on some people's faces, "Ah, husband's leaving her, so she still is a loser! I knew it! Some things never change."

"They" say that the best revenge is living well.

Sure.

I am not there yet.

Perhaps by the time the 25th reunion rolls around, I'll be in a better place. Until then, I suppose that I can always fake it, like Romy and Michele.




"Businesswomen"

Sometimes clothes do make the part, but only if you know what your business is.








Formula for Glue
Ok, you know that this is a movie, because who really looks like that at a 10-year reunion?
Oh, it's a dream sequence!








Part of the reunion clip from the movie
Romy to Heather Mooney "I bet in high school, everyone made somebody's life hell."