Stigmatize

The Word of the Day for October 14 is "stigmatize."

stigmatize: (verb) To accuse or condemn as disgraceful.

Synonyms: brand, denounce, mark.

Usage: She was stigmatized because she had a child out of wedlock.

Relevance to My Life: At the opulent holiday party thrown by my husband's employer, I came to anticipate his coworkers' and their spouses' questions about my livelihood with a kind of amused dread; upon learning that I was "just a stay at home mom," I could see their eyes glaze over for that brief instant before they fled, leaving me standing there, stigmatized as an uninteresting frump who would have nothing worthwhile to contribute to a lively intellectual conversation.

Please, Housewives are bad-ass.

Teresa at the Last Supper

Someone ought to tell these chicks that they're boring frumps.

Ok, ok, so these chicks don't really count as housewives, but they're definitely something else.










The Real Housewives of Atlanta - Better Tardy Than Never

I don't think a single one of these women spend any time at all doing the endless loads of laundry that seem to be my lot in life. Might wreck their heinously tacky nails.









The Real Housewives of Orange County Visit Bellagio spa and salon

Watch as they try to turn a normal woman into one of them. *sigh* Nearly everything about these women is fake. It is staggering.

I have to admit though, the waxing scene was pretty funny.







Suburban Housewife

"Mother's Cure."








Mother's Little Helper

Or as the Rolling Stones put it nearly 40 years ago...

Untiring

The Word of the Day for October 13 is "untiring."

untiring: (adjective) Characterized by hard work and perseverance.

Synonyms: hardworking, industrious, tireless, indefatigable.

Usage: He was an untiring fighter for justice, democracy, and tolerance.

Relevance to My Life: The kids' untiring pursuit of a sugary snack led them to drag a dining room chair into the kitchen, climb up on the counter and explore the deep recesses of one of the kitchen cupboards where they were rewarded with a crumbling bag of forgotten Hallowe'en candy.

M&Ms Get in the Bowl

This one cracks my kids up, even though they're not the biggest fans of M&Ms.











Snickers Feast Movie

This one cracks me up! I love the Viking. Plus, who doesn't love a Snickers?









Monty Python - Spam

Did someone say Vikings?










Monty Python- Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook

This is one of my all-time favorite sketches.









Monty Python - The Lumberjack Song... auf Deutsch!

Und mit Lederhosen. Brilliant.

Empty-headed

The Word of the Day for October 12 is "empty-headed."

empty-headed: (adjective) lacking seriousness; given to frivolity.

Synonyms: featherbrained, airheaded, dizzy, giddy, light-headed, silly, vacuous, inane, ditzy, flighty.

Usage: She was a pretty but empty-headed young woman.

Relevance to My Life: Aghast, I stared at the new Assistant Director for Alumni Relations, a tall empty-headed blonde, with a bought pair of tits who demonstrated her general vacuousness the second she opened her mouth. Nevertheless, as time went on, she succeeded in garnering large donations and bequests from alumni. As it turned out, she was the perfect person for the job.

Trailer for Clueless

Alicia Silverstone's Cher gave us a perfect glimpse of the vacuous, empty-headed blonde.











Legally Blonde - Girls, I'm Going to Harvard!

This is one of my guilty-pleasure movies. :)








Legally Blonde - The Bend and Snap

The feminist inside me is still not sure if this is more demeaning toward me or women, but it is a funny scene!








Legally Blonde - Case Scene

Elle Redeems Herself. Maybe it's the underdog-lover in me, but I like to see the stereotypical ditzy blonde succeed once in a while.

Zealotry

The Word of the Day for October 11 is "zealotry."

zealotry: (noun) Excessive intolerance of opposing views.

Synonyms: Fanaticism.

Usage: We will continue to support the global fight against terrorism and zealotry.

Relevance to my Life: Her previously-unspoken zealotry became apparent to me as soon as I saw the wide array of bumper stickers on her Ford station wagon, from Westboro Baptist Church-approved sentiments on homosexuality to a pro-life sticker featuring a baby seal imploring me to save the baby humans.

I was going to showcase clips from movies which dealt with zealotry, but started crying halfway through the trailer for Schindler's List, so instead I'll leave this as a short blog entry. I don't have it in me today.

Blooper

The Word of the Day for October 8 is "blooper."

Blooper: (noun) A clumsy mistake, especially one made in public; a faux pas.

Synonyms: blunder, boner, boo-boo, botch, bungle, flub, foul-up, pratfall, bloomer

Usage: During the movie's closing credits, bloopers from filming, including clips of the lead actor flubbing the same line six times in a row, were shown.

Relevance to My Life: If someone were to make a movie of my life, the blooper reel during the closing credits would feature many embarrassing stumblebum moments like tripping over air.

A random assortment of blooper reels from youtube:

The Office season 6 bloopers

I don't know how anyone can keep a straight face around Ed Helms.










Scrubs Bloopers

I love this show.










The Hangover Gag Reel

You know, I still haven't seen this movie, though everyone assures me it's the funniest thing ever.












Pirates of the Caribbean

Sometimes action movies provide the funniest bloopers.












Jackie Chan Bloopers

Jackie Chan's bloopers are among the best ever, though I have to say I wonder if one of these days his policy of doing all of his own stunt work, some of it dangerous, no nets, no safety lines, will end badly.











House Outtakes


Another great show!

Entangle

The Word of the Day for October 7 is "entangle."

entangle: (verb) Twist together or entwine into a confusing mass.

Synonyms: mat, snarl

Usage: The door handle had entangled itself with the strap of her bag.

Relevance to My Life: The pull-string on my canvas jacket had entangled itself in the turnstile at the entrance to one of Seoul's busiest subway stations, and at the height of morning rush hour, no less. Still foggy-headed from jet-lag, I fumbled fruitlessly with the string, hoping to untangle it from the gate mechanism as the line of commuters grew behind me. Red-faced and near tears, I apologized as best I could in my rudimentary Korean, when a gentleman stepped up and quickly helped thread the strings around the bar, freeing me.

Lost in Translation trailer

No movie captures the experience of being in a foreign country where you are so severely jet-lagged that you can only stumble around in a haze, not understanding a thing that is going on around you quite like Sophia Coppola's "Lost in Translation."










For Relaxing Times, Make it Santori Time

The look on his face at the director's shouts of what I can only assume is "Cut-cut-cut!" is priceless.












Sean Connery - Suntory Whiskey Ad

I had no idea that this whisky was even real, but I wonder if Sean Connery would do a spoof ad.

Hilarious.










And now for another whisky advertisement...


Scotch Whisky Commercial - Haka Kilts

Remember, it's a kilt; if they wore anything underneath it, then it would be a skirt.











All Blacks - aka "Ka Mate"

To be fair to the All Blacks, here is an ad showcasing one of their pre-game hakas which must be awesome and terrifying face-to-face.

Dissertate

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

dissertate: (verb) Talk at length and formally about a topic.

Synonyms: hold forth, discourse

Usage: The speaker dissertated about the social politics in 18th century England.

Relevance to My Life: While my Russian professor dissertated about the oppressive conditions in the Soviet Union near the end of Stalin's reign, he grew increasingly animated in his words and gestures, attracting a lot of attention from students waiting in the hall. All dressed in dark hues and with his flashing eyes and long, unkempt black beard, he had an air of Rasputin about him.

Ahhh, college.



First Day of Economics Class

This professor was about as far removed from Vladimir and my other Russian professors as you could get.









Contemporary American History

This is closer, but with less screaming and more Russian.
R.I.P. Sam Kinison.









Kurt Vonnegut

And now for English class...









Revenge of the Nerds - Computer is your Friend

Meeting a girl in computer lab, awww...










And now for some extracurricular activities:


Animal House- Flounder and Neidermeyer

ROTC











Shout

The ever-popular Thursday Night Toga Party

Implore

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

Implore: (verb) Call upon in supplication; entreat.

Synonyms: Beg, pray

Usage: Once more I implore you not to waste so much money upon me.

Relevance to My Life: I implored him not to leave me, to remember his promise that he would never ask for a divorce, but he remained firm in his wishes, bought himself a new house and moved out.

The War of the Roses trailer

The end of a marriage can be Hell.










She-Devil Ruth Blows Up the House

Extreme, but I bet Ruth felt satisfied.











Meryl Streep in SheDevil

She is absolutely hilarious in this movie, one of my guilty pleasure favorites.










Scene from She-Devil

The bit at the end where she says "I said MOVE!" always gets me laughing.

Energize

The Word of the Day for October 3 is "energize."

energize: (verb) To give energy to; activate or invigorate.

Synonyms: perk up, stimulate, arouse, brace

Usage: Coffee and tea energize me.

Relevance to my life: The positive feedback from the editor energized me to finish my half-written novel.

I often have trouble sustaining my level of motivation when it comes to my writing. I get caught-up in second-guessing myself, certain that every word I write is crap, poorly-placed among other crappy words.

When I find my motivation flagging, I often turn to Joyce Carol Oates. Reading her books and listening to her speak inspire me like nothing else. It is almost as if hearing her voice in her writing and her interviews makes my own voice clearer in my head.



Joyce Carol Oates on the thrill of writing

She talks about writing about people in extremis. Yes. This is what makes her writing, her stories so powerful. She writes about some of the worst experiences that people can ever face in their lives, yet she does so so beautifully and so tenderly.








Joyce Carol Oates discusses the craft of writing characters.

I can identify with her when she describes the first 6 weeks of writing a novel as being Hell. Sometimes I don't last as long as 6 weeks. It is a comfort to know that even such a prolific and talented writer as she still struggles as a part of the process.










Creative Quotations from Joyce Carol Oates

More quick inspiration to sustain and energize you.









And now, another struggling writer:


Sideways Trailer

Miles is a writer drowning in self-doubt and stymies by his past. A great movie, even if you don't like wine. :)

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.