Friday, February 16, 2018

Free For All Friday: Some This 'N That Bric-A-Brac Gets Thrown Out (And It's Not Even Thursday)

Let's have a bit of This 'n That, which also happens to be the weather forecast for NEO. Please don't mistake that for A Complaint; I can look out and see grass in the Dept. front yard, and yesterday it was 58 degrees. Today, although it is a full twenty degrees colder, we are not anticipating sn*w, so...Good News.

Anyway.

Here's some Brain Bric-a-Brac I need to download (or is that upload?  I always goof that up):

1. Teacher Tuesday On Friday. I feel like the cumulative IQ of Our Nation is dropping precipitously, thanks to 45* and the moronic spew he emits as well as the elevation of the ninnies who elected him. Everywhere I look I see errors in...well, everything. Not too terribly long ago, I read this comment online: You really nailed it on the head! This individual obviously customized the well-known idiom You hit the nail on the head, which is already perfectly fine and makes more sense.

I also would like to clarify the meanings of the words in this group: pique, peak, peek, also found misused online. Here they are, used correctly in sentences.
The new cat toy didn't pique Webster's interest one bit.
It's not like Fabio is at the peak of his career.
I'm ready to give you a sneak peek at the new me.

2. A Discontinued Product Is Back! Way back in 2011, I lamented and cursed the demise of Reynolds Plastic Wrap. It was such a great product, mainly because its box had a slidey little cutter thing that made using the wrap so easy. Well, it's back! I wish I could take credit for its return after a seven-year hiatus, but I cannot. Instead, I will chortle in my joy and hope that some other Discontinued Products That I Miss will return as well (Oil of Olay facial bar soap, hear my plea).

3. Monday Meme On Friday: Quick Fact Rundown.
~*~My fantasy basketball record right now is 14-3; I have the second-best record in the league (and am the only woman).
~*~I watched Big Little Lies on HBO Now and was enthralled by the acting but stressed out by the stories. So good!
~*~I'm feeling so much better that I have been Primary Snow Shoveller here at the Dept.
~*~I started another knitting project and sorted stash yarn for yet another.
~*~I have Thrown Out Thursdayed even more stuff.  (And discovered moth damage in my yarn. Sigh.)

Check in, won't you, in Comments?

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24 comments:

  1. I've been running into things on political debate sites like your example above: "You really nailed it on the head!" I'm starting to wonder if things like that aren't written by Russians posting disinformation. I wish I knew how to tell when someone is writing in a second language or writing in their own and running it through translation software before posting rebuttals.

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    1. Jean--I'm sure your theory holds up in many cases; however, I don't visit the Comments on sites like that. I encountered that phrase on a blog, and it appeared to be written by a regular commenter. Could that individual have been a foreign speaker (ESL)? I suppose so!

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  2. Oh Nance, I went to the library yesterday, and picked up a few of the little pamphlets they scatter about--like "Readable Classics," and "The NYT 100 Notable Books of 2017" and as I read through them my heart sank. There were numerous typos and I'll spare you the details, but to have a book title in bold, all caps, about some mythical book named PRARIE FIRES: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, was the worst. Wilder was a writer her whole adult life, and I'm pretty sure she knew how to spell "prairie." It just seems so disrespectful to both the authors recommended and to the prospective readers of their books to be so careless.
    I was ready to send a polite email to the local library, suggesting that they might consider themselves the last bastion of respect for our language, (as you said, pique, peek, and peak are actually different words), but then I pictured the librarians laughing and saying, "Wow, I wonder how old she is? Doesn't she know we just download these lists, and nobody cares about typos anymore?" I guess that may be true, but I am always checked in my "willing suspension of disbelief" when I run across one of those clunkers when I'm reading and it bugs me. I didn't waste my energy writing to the library--wise decision--so it is a small comfort to me to know I'm not the only person (of course I'm not) finding it difficult to transition from print to sound-bite communication.

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    1. Kate--It's sad. I'm sure that they--and others--would say, "We have a largely volunteer staff, and we appreciate their contributions. Those pamphlets were their work, yada yada yada." Well, I honestly don't accept any of that, and precisely for the reasons you gave. Don't we value literacy and accuracy and INTELLIGENCE in this country anymore? Sigh.

      Case in point: I read the old fashioned and laughingly glacially-paced comic strip "Mary Worth" for its ridiculousness. Recently, its panels had TWO spelling errors. I mean glaring ones. It's a nationally syndicated strip, however eye-roll-worthy it may be.

      The whole thing comes down to a lack of effort and respect, as you said, for The Language. I hate it.

      Delete
  3. I am currently taking a break from crocheting a baby cocoon using Bernat Pipsqueak yarn (a Very Annoying Very Fuzzy yarn). Why did I think I needed to use this yarn? Yes, it's soft, but surely it's bad juju to do so much swearing while making a baby garment?

    You don't need another reason to not be on Facebook, but the Death of the Proper Use of the English Language would be the best reason of all. I had no idea that many of my high school friends are basically illiterate. And they vote, apparently for whichever candidate the Russians want them to vote for. Ugh.

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    1. Bug--I'm knitting a cowl using one of those thick 'n thin yarns, and it's driving me nuts. Using circular needles makes me a bit dizzy anyway, but this stuff is so bunchy and random and enormous. And yes, this is also a gift, so I feel the Pressure.

      One of my friends is a devoted FB'er, and I know she gets a lot of her info on there. I'm trying to gently inform her of the specious nature of all the crap circulating on FB, but she merrily insists that all she does is connect with friends and family and poke fun at gossip. If only.

      I think you can easily dismiss any poor cocoon voodoo by giving it a good rinse in conditioner before gifting. That's what I always do, and steam-block that thing.

      Delete
  4. I'm with you on both issues--especially the yarn! I suppose some of the messier kinds are easier to knit than crochet with, since the needle holds your place, but I've yet to see a warning on the label saying "Caution do not use for crochet work that will be done in the presence of others." It's not just the fuzzy ones; I hate Splitty yarn, which looks like plain old knitting worsted, but is just waiting to leave a ply or 2 behind on your very next stitch.

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  5. We loved 'Big Little Lies', such a great show.
    YAY! To visible grass, and also to the return of Reynold's Plastic Wrap. I will buy some next time I am at the store, in support of Keeping The Product.
    Is the Dove bar soap the one that had 1/4 moisturizing cream? I remember my Grandma using that, and the commercials where you would wash one half of your face with the Dove, and the other half with plain soap, and try to tell the difference. I tried it at Grandma's house, and she said she could tell a difference, even on my 10 year old face. That made her very happy.

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    1. J@jj--Wasn't the acting in BLL incredible? I actually had to stop watching about 3 episodes in because it was too intense, and I was feeling a little...dark.

      Dove soap is indeed "one-quarter moisturizing cream". I used to use it, and I don't remember why I switched. I had to switch away from Neutrogena (those clear, brown bars) because they interacted with my Restasis and burned my eyes something fierce. Now I'm using some little teeny Canadian spa soap samples from our inn at NotL that our innkeeper loaded me up with when she found out I liked it, but when it runs out, I don't know what I'll use.

      I love the idea that you and your grandma re-enacted the Dove Soap Challenge when you were ten. I wonder what inspired her/you to do it, but I can just see the whole thing playing out. Did your grandmother use Dove forever? Was her skin soft, dewy and smooth into old age? Even if it was not, you have a great memory, thanks to soap.

      Delete
    2. J@jj--Oh, and do try the plastic wrap. I used it last night (we had an NBA All-Star party with the boys), and it was so smart and handy--just like it was before. And in case it does not stay on the market, I'm saving this box to use with other plastic wrap.

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    3. Nance, I had the idea to try it from the commercials, and because in her bathroom, I noticed the bar of dove and also the bar of regular soap (assuming that was for hands, or perhaps for my grandpa, I don't know.). I just tried it like the commercial, then went out and asked to tell me which side of my face was softer, and she touched them both, then told me what she thought, and then I told her what I had done. She loved it. I didn't often use her bathroom, there was a guest bathroom, so I don't know if she used it until it went away. She lived until 2015, so like it left before she did, unless it was very recent.

      What a good idea, to keep the box. That's the important part!

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    4. Sadly, the Reynolds plastic wrap is not currently available in our area. I will keep my eyes open for it and see if it appears, and if it does, I will buy some.

      We have a lot of various Dove bar soaps available. Which one are you dreaming of? I don't see one specifically for the face, but then again, they don't say 'not face' either....

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    5. J@jj--No, I'm not dreaming of Dove face soap. I'm lusting after Oil of Olay facial beauty bar. They stopped making it and went to a foaming facial cleanser which, is for me, not cost-effective. I'm cheap. I just double-checked my post to make sure I did, indeed, type Oil of Olay! Hee hee.

      Sorry about Reynolds Plastic Wrap not being available in your area yet. I WILL SEND YOU SOME IF YOU REQUIRE IT.

      Delete
    6. We have Olay Beauty Bars here, too, which say they are gentle enough for the face...but probably not what you are looking for. Sigh. Why must they do that? Not fair.

      Thank you for the offer to send me some wrap. I'll hang tight and see if it appears. I'm guessing Amazon has it.

      Delete
  6. And then, of course, there is "Peaky Blinders" on cable (which is too violent for moi). I've never gone on Twitter and don't go on FB these days - people are just shouting about their lack of education/ignorance/spiteful behavior/what-have-you. I'm finding my ignorance to be bliss.

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    1. Vera--My eldest son is a big PB fan. I fell in love with Cillian Murphy (hard!) when I saw him in "Girl with a Pearl Earring", so I keep flirting with the idea of starting that series on Nflix. (It is still there, isn't it?)

      FB has a lot to answer for. A lot. That's an understatement from me (without profanity).

      Delete
  7. OH Reynolds Plastic wrap. Im so there. Thank yoU!!!!!!! Im all Olympics until they end later this week.

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    1. kathy b--J in California says it is not available in her area, which is SO UNFAIR. I am hopeful that it is available in yours.

      I am (don't be upset) thoroughly bored with the Olympics. I feel like we don't get to see anything really fun, and all we see is halfpiping and figure skating. I want to see curling at least for a little while (to try and figure it out and crush on their outfits), and more death-defying speed skating. Oh, and skeleton, which scares me to death.

      If only there were a dog show in there someplace. I'd be so much happier.

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  8. I've not seen Big Little Lies and am looking forward to when it makes it sway to Netflix or Hulu, my two ways of seeing good TV. I've given up on even thinking about the ways in which people misuse idioms, what with comment sections a-go-go & tiny smartphone screens-- mistakes are everywhere. Plus it's winter and I'm tired.

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    1. Ally Bean--I wonder about that situation, whether successful series on one platform ever cross to another. Do they? I know some cable TV series, like Breaking Bad, which ran on AMC first, went to Netflix. But would HBO, who put a ton of cash into developing BLL, ever sell it to Netflix? I suppose for the right price. I hope so, because Jared just dropped HBO Now, and I'm not going to pick up the $$ just to watch BLL! ;-)

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  9. I am so going to look for that Reynolds Wrap! I loved that little slider thing, and wondered why they discontinued it.

    Sent you an email. XXOO

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    1. Ortizzle--If they discontinue it again, it's a Conspiracy against me.

      Got your email. Will respond soon, but my concern is IMMEDIATE! XXOO

      Delete
  10. I can understand that box with a slidey little cutter thing...... I found that only brand uses a practical cutter (for the Aluminium foil) and most of the time it is off the shelf !!!!

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    1. Haddock--Welcome to the Dept. I love the practicality of the sliding cutter, and as I said, will be saving the box just in case. So glad it's available in my area.

      Delete

Oh, thank you for joining the fray!

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