73
Thanks to Julie and Carrie for showing me a new way to waste time (although it is edumacational). I give all credit to the number of countries i can name to this game (also addictive): The Traveler IQ Challenge. I also think that "Uruguay" has too many u's in it.
4.25.2008
Rants
There are times when the things people say in the committees I cover just throw me off. I shouldn't get in such a snit about this one, but I couldn't believe it because not one but TWO testifiers said it this morning: "In for a penny, in for a dollar."
a DOLLAR?!
Even the innernets agrees with me: answers.com (citing Oxford University Press and the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms) states, "This term originally meant that if one owes a penny one might as well owe a pound, and came into American use without changing the British monetary unit to dollar."
Must we Americanize everything? Should all idioms and phrases be treated in a like manner? "Wet your whistle" will soon be "wet your mouth"? "Pin money" becomes ... I don't even know what - "small treats or luxury items money"? "Penny wise, pound foolish" becomes "penny wise, dollar foolish"? How garrishly awful. I'd have a hard enough time with updating these idioms to reflect ever-changing, modern language. But just changing it to make dumb Americans understand it is daft - we should raise expectations in language usage, and if these phrases are becoming "extinct," reintroduce them to the next generation.
Furthermore, Americanizing the phrase totally wrecks the alliteration, and the Americanized phrase does not trip lightly off one's tongue, but instead free-falls out of one's slack mouth with a resounding clank.
"In for a penny, in for a pound" has been around since 1695 (E. Ravenscroft's v. i), and has been used in a great number of classics (1841, Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop II. lxvi), and somehow people have managed to understand what it means for years. I do not believe we should change it.
________
In that same committee meeting this morning, we were discussing data practices issues, and in the *ahem* duller moments, I was doing some "research" by looking up Wikipedia articles related to data privacy. Which brought this to my attention: According to dear Wiki, using a social security number in advertising has led to invalidation of that SSN. Apparently this happened in 1938, when a NY company promoted its product (wallets) using a sample SSN card in the product to show how it would look. Which made me think of this guy. Not that you can trust everything Wiki says (or Todd Davis and his company, either, for that matter), but I wonder if "SSNs used in advertising have rendered those numbers invalid" will have any effect on this guy's number. Will the SSA decide it's tired of having 40,000 people try to use Todd Davis's number to apply for benes?
a DOLLAR?!
Even the innernets agrees with me: answers.com (citing Oxford University Press and the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms) states, "This term originally meant that if one owes a penny one might as well owe a pound, and came into American use without changing the British monetary unit to dollar."
Must we Americanize everything? Should all idioms and phrases be treated in a like manner? "Wet your whistle" will soon be "wet your mouth"? "Pin money" becomes ... I don't even know what - "small treats or luxury items money"? "Penny wise, pound foolish" becomes "penny wise, dollar foolish"? How garrishly awful. I'd have a hard enough time with updating these idioms to reflect ever-changing, modern language. But just changing it to make dumb Americans understand it is daft - we should raise expectations in language usage, and if these phrases are becoming "extinct," reintroduce them to the next generation.
Furthermore, Americanizing the phrase totally wrecks the alliteration, and the Americanized phrase does not trip lightly off one's tongue, but instead free-falls out of one's slack mouth with a resounding clank.
"In for a penny, in for a pound" has been around since 1695 (E. Ravenscroft's v. i), and has been used in a great number of classics (1841, Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop II. lxvi), and somehow people have managed to understand what it means for years. I do not believe we should change it.
________
In that same committee meeting this morning, we were discussing data practices issues, and in the *ahem* duller moments, I was doing some "research" by looking up Wikipedia articles related to data privacy. Which brought this to my attention: According to dear Wiki, using a social security number in advertising has led to invalidation of that SSN. Apparently this happened in 1938, when a NY company promoted its product (wallets) using a sample SSN card in the product to show how it would look. Which made me think of this guy. Not that you can trust everything Wiki says (or Todd Davis and his company, either, for that matter), but I wonder if "SSNs used in advertising have rendered those numbers invalid" will have any effect on this guy's number. Will the SSA decide it's tired of having 40,000 people try to use Todd Davis's number to apply for benes?
4.23.2008
On Legalizing Pedal Pubs:
The day after one of my Senate committees discussed making this venture legal (and actually had one in front of the Capitol for committee and staff to gawk at; I love show and tell committees), a report has been released letting us know that Minnesota has the third worst record for drunk driving. I don't know if the pedal pub is a good idea or a bad one in light of this information...will it cut down on drunk driving? Probably not - it's not a cab service, and once your ride is over, you have to get home somehow.
Unfortunately, this report probably just lends credence to the idea that those people from the cold midwestern states must drink to make it through the winters (which is not entirely true - it may be for some, but on the whole, I doubt the state will start using that in an explore Minnesota advertising campaign; but I'm sure as a theory, it will get more circulation).
And although the thought of pedaling one of these pubs around the lakes might sound like a good idea, I'd imagine the demand for it might go down when it's 95 degrees with 95% humidity in the middle of July.
*By the by: my favorite part of the pedal pub advertising brochure is that it is touted as a "Wedding Carriage." It makes me laugh to think of a well-dressed wedding party cruising about on this thing. It then made me laugh harder to see on their liability waiver a check box to decline the offer of the free use of a helmet while riding the pedal pub. A joyous couple dangling off the bar stools, complete with wedding finery and helmets? Priceless.
Unfortunately, this report probably just lends credence to the idea that those people from the cold midwestern states must drink to make it through the winters (which is not entirely true - it may be for some, but on the whole, I doubt the state will start using that in an explore Minnesota advertising campaign; but I'm sure as a theory, it will get more circulation).
And although the thought of pedaling one of these pubs around the lakes might sound like a good idea, I'd imagine the demand for it might go down when it's 95 degrees with 95% humidity in the middle of July.
*By the by: my favorite part of the pedal pub advertising brochure is that it is touted as a "Wedding Carriage." It makes me laugh to think of a well-dressed wedding party cruising about on this thing. It then made me laugh harder to see on their liability waiver a check box to decline the offer of the free use of a helmet while riding the pedal pub. A joyous couple dangling off the bar stools, complete with wedding finery and helmets? Priceless.
4.21.2008
Misdemeanors
Quite a bit of my job involves looking at MN crime laws and sentencing guidelines, and whether the offense involved equals a felony, gross misdemeanor, misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor. Which might be one of the reasons why Ambrose Bierce's definition of the misdemeanor has such great meaning for me:
Misdemeanor: (n.) An infraction of the law having less dignity than a felony and constituting no claim to admittance into the best criminal society.
Misdemeanor: (n.) An infraction of the law having less dignity than a felony and constituting no claim to admittance into the best criminal society.
4.18.2008
Signs you might be getting a cold:
-Your nose runs when you eat cold lettuce.
-Your nose runs when you eat pudding (also cold)
-Your nose runs from eating a doughnut
-Your nose runs when you eat anything, no matter what its temperature, period.
-Your nose runs when you eat pudding (also cold)
-Your nose runs from eating a doughnut
-Your nose runs when you eat anything, no matter what its temperature, period.
4.15.2008
and Greatest
Last week was the latest. This week will be a good one. (I'm already hedging my bets that this won't be the greatest, but it will be much better than snow/rain/sleet/clouds/snow and lots of work as so many of my recent weeks have been.)
-Finished the book by Clarence Thomas; I highly recommend it.
-I may have lost the office NCAA March Madness pool (eh, Memphis! How you kill me with your pitiful and pitiable free throw shooting), but at least I came in second place. I won my lunch money back.
-It's supposed to be 70° today! (Yes, 70°!!!) And the sun is shining simultaneously.
-I started reading books I should've read in high school but never did. Up now, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
-I got off work ON TIME last night...and then promptly got stuck in traffic the whole way home. It's amazing how a few months of leaving work late most evenings causes one to forget what rush hour traffic is like.
-I'm no longer a C&E violinist. I actually am playing in the church orchestra again this Sunday (and it's not Christmas or Easter! A first this season!).
-Our rowing season starts in a few weeks. The disadvantages of working so much is the lack of working out. There is light at the end of the tunnel, though, and I have started back up, albeit rather slowly. I am still quite afraid that I will die the first few weeks of practice, with the most likely cause being having left a lung out there somewhere on the river.
-Finished the book by Clarence Thomas; I highly recommend it.
-I may have lost the office NCAA March Madness pool (eh, Memphis! How you kill me with your pitiful and pitiable free throw shooting), but at least I came in second place. I won my lunch money back.
-It's supposed to be 70° today! (Yes, 70°!!!) And the sun is shining simultaneously.
-I started reading books I should've read in high school but never did. Up now, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
-I got off work ON TIME last night...and then promptly got stuck in traffic the whole way home. It's amazing how a few months of leaving work late most evenings causes one to forget what rush hour traffic is like.
-I'm no longer a C&E violinist. I actually am playing in the church orchestra again this Sunday (and it's not Christmas or Easter! A first this season!).
-Our rowing season starts in a few weeks. The disadvantages of working so much is the lack of working out. There is light at the end of the tunnel, though, and I have started back up, albeit rather slowly. I am still quite afraid that I will die the first few weeks of practice, with the most likely cause being having left a lung out there somewhere on the river.
4.07.2008
the Latest
-I'm currently winning the NCAA March Madness office pool. I have both teams in the championship game. I need Memphis to win tonight to win, or else I'm stuck with 2d place. Never before this year did I think I'd be cheering for the Memphis Tigers...
-I'm reading My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas. It's very good thus far (I'm about half way through it).
-I did my taxes this weekend. I really do not enjoy doing them, and despise having to send in even a small amount to the feds...
-It snowed again on my way to work this morning. I'm so over the snow. Begone already!
-I'm reading My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas. It's very good thus far (I'm about half way through it).
-A couple months ago I taught myself to knit with four needles (no seams!), and have to admit I'm enjoying it immensely - it's even more fun than all the two-needle projects I've done over the years. It's soothing to start a new project, and then about halfway through it, I just want to be done with it, and impatiently knit faster and faster until it's complete. (Baby projects for friends are preferable since they're so small.)
-I did my taxes this weekend. I really do not enjoy doing them, and despise having to send in even a small amount to the feds...
-It snowed again on my way to work this morning. I'm so over the snow. Begone already!
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