Orwell Oinks

Today I had the pleasure of seeing a play production of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm.' It reminded me of Wisconsin.Not that I'm comparing Wisconsin to a communist farm, it's just similar in that it's an area of political strife at the moment. As a kid, I always wondered why communism didn't work, because as far as I could tell the system seemed to make a lot of sense. Now I think I know-- the reason communism doesn't work is the same reason democracy doesn't work; people suck.

I know I'm being a cynic. We all have those days.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Thanks for keeping it real, Jimi.

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of the occasion, we're going to talk about chocolate.
The word 'Chocolate' is said to originate in the combination of two Mayan words; 'choco' meaning 'foam' and 'atl' meaning 'water.' Originally chocolate was only consumed in liquid form, and it contained no sugar. Even without the sweet stuff in it, it was considered the food of the gods.

I think the gods must have had unusual taste buds. Chocolate is wonderful in many forms, but if you've ever taken a bite of baker's chocolate made with 100% cocoa, you know it can be brutally bitter!

Anyway, I hope your Valentine's Day is filled with chocolate and sweetness!

It's almost Valentine's Day!

I don't get too excited about the whole red, pink, cupid, heart part of it all--I don't even like the store bought chocolates all that much, but I'm a sucker for the baked goods. Tomorrow the wonderful people in the COA kitchen--effectionately called Take a Brak, or TAB, are making us chocolate raspberry cookies, dipped in choclate with white chocolate moeuse.

All that, of course, got me thinking about expressions we use with hearts. Why has the heart become the body part we associate with emotion, and, more important, why is it good to melt someone's heart but bad to break it. I think either actually sounds pretty terrible, and if you think about it, putting together a broken heart is probalby easier than reconstituting a melted heart.

Just saying...

Words in a new Context

One of my classmates Melissa is studying abroad in India this semester. Last week she posted a blog on the way that English is used differently in India than it is in The Unite States. I'm stealing a bit from her blog:

"I love the use of the English language! All over, from newspapers to signs, Indians use English in a way totally unique to this area. Some of my favorite examples include: “Overtaking Prohibited” instead of “No Passing”; “Well-come” instead of “Welcome” and a newspaper using the word “topsy-turby” to describe a car accident."

Quotable Quotes

I haven't spent much time developing my theory on what makes a quote quoteable, but I've spent a bit of time thinking about it. I've come to the conclusion that, at least in part, a quote is quoteable not only because of what it says, but how it says it--the quoteable quotes are so because they say things in a way that is memorably wonderful or strikingly terrible.

Here's a quote my friend sent me. It exhibits clever semantics, indeed.

"It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious." Oscar Wilde

Awww, the power of well placed words.

Last Entry Inspired by Duck Tape...

At least, I think it will be the last one. I can't make any promises though, because you never know what new uses you may find for Duck Tape, or is it duct tape?

I was just thinking about the words I used to misunderstand as a kid. Duct tape was one of them, because I thought it was duck tape, (which I guess it often was, but you get the idea.) Another was ear phones, which I thought were ear foams--makes perfect sense, because they're covered in foam pads and they cover your ears, right?

Kid logic can result in some pretty interesting language creation. If I think of any more examples, I'll be sure to post them.

Word.

Brand-Name Words: Not the Real Deal

Yesterday's experiences with Duck Tape got me thinking about many of the brand names that have become semi-official nouns. This could be a very long list, but I'll just include the few that I can think of off the top of my head.

Duck Tape--Duct Tape
Vaseline--Petroleum Jelly
Band Aid--Adhesive Bandages
Pop Tarts--Toaster Pastries
Q-Tips--I don't even know the actual word for them...
Windex--Glass Cleaner

Well, anyway, you get the idea. And according to Earl, my journalism professor, even Dumpster is a brand name. So what do you actually call them? Giant trash receptacles? I'm not sure, but the kicker is that all of these are trademarked, so if you use them without the appropriate permission and the Q-Tip, Dumpster or Pop-Tart lawyers are feeling especially predatory, you're toast.