flibbertigibbet

flibbertigibbet \ FLIB-er-tee-jib-it \ noun

1. Archaic . a gossip.
2. a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

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Believe it or not, this word sounded familar, then I remembered hearing it in one of the Harry Potter movies - or maybe I read it in one of the books - but I didn't remember in which book or movie or in what context. Thanks to the World Wide Interwebs, I was reminded it was used as a password to get into the Gryfindor dormitory. I also discovered it was used in the song "Maria" in the 1959 musical The Sound of Music as well as in the Tom Hanks movie Joe Versus the Volcano.

I'm betting that I'll never read the word ever again in my life and I'm absolutely certain I'll never use it in conversation, even though I know a few flibbertigibbets.

Release Me - Engelbert Humperdink

My mom used to love the Ray Price version, but this was a new upload by one of my YT subscriptions so I figured I'd post it.

Besides that, I'm pretty sure I haven't posted any other Engelbert Humperdink songs.

Where Dwell the Brave at Heart

You Belong in Gryffindor

You are brave and honorable. You are willing to take a risk if there is a bit of glory in it. You love a good adventure, and you are drawn to action. You get right in the mix, sometimes before thinking. You are a big believer in justice, and you are willing to fight for what's right. You stand up for what you believe in. You hate being bored, and you are always looking for a new challenge. You like to prove yourself to the world.

What Hogwarts House Do You Belong In?

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I've taken other similar quizzes and I've always been placed in Gryffindor in those as well. That said, this quiz is pretty transparent and it's easy to manipulate the answers to get the results you want.

I honestly think that, if I was a young wizard in Great Britain, I would be placed in Gryffindor if for no other reason than the sorting hat would have no other options.  I'm not nearly brainy enough to be in Ravenclaw, not evil or conniving enough to be in Slytherin and I'm basically too damn lazy to be in Hufflepuff.

I'd love to read a book or books about an American school of wizardry - the Texas students would probably have their own Quidditch team.  Not that I've dwelt on it a lot, but I've wondered what position I'd play on the team - I'm too nearsighted to be a seeker and I don't think I'd like keeper - I'd probably be a beater or chaser.

And yes, i love the books and movies and just re-read the series, can't you tell?

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Actually, nothing.  It's the description at the top of the post that's oh-so-wrong.

This is the latest post on the Relish Magazine Facebook page.   I don't have the heart to tell them the vulgar definition of "corn hole". 

I guess they never watched Beavis and Butthead.

(Please note:  if that video doesn't explain the term to you, just do a Google search, but don't say you weren't warned!)

Ameslan

Ameslan \ AM-uh-slan, AM-slan \ noun

1. American Sign Language.

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HANDSPEAK.COM says the word is an old one and obsolete since the 1960's. I've been around since before the 60's but wasn't familiar with it.

I've been acquainted with a lot of people who are hard of hearing and my own hearing isn't all that good, but my experiences with deaf folks are few.  I grew up with a nearly deaf girl whose mom was a teacher in elementary school and sometimes when Mary was acting up, her mother would scold her with sign language.   The thing I remember most about Mary was when her hearing aid would malfunction or the battery would be nearly drained, it made a horrible, high-pitched sound and I was always amazed that she couldn't hear it. 

My nieces learned a little bit to sign some Christmas carols for their church, but I don't know if they learned enough to communicate with deaf folks.  (I guess wishing them a Merry Christmas wouldn't really count as truly communicating)

I do have a dear online friend who is deaf but other than in chat rooms and email, I've never been around her.  She says she used to use ASL when she was younger, but doesn't know it now as she did then and generally just reads lips to understand what people are saying.  She watches a lot of TV and uses closed captioning - so do I, but it's not because I can't hear them, I simply can't understand what they're saying.  Just last night I was watching True Detective and went online to read a transcript of the show to find out what some bits of dialogue were.  

A long time ago, a friend and I were doing the "either/or" conversational game. (The choices offered are a dilemma, with neither option being desirable,  such as "Would you rather be executed by the electric chair or hanging?") The question was posed "Would you rather be blind or deaf?" I said deaf, because I think the world would be a hard place in which to exist if one couldn't see, but my friend said he'd rather be blind,  because he could learn to read Braille, but he didn't think he could live without music.  I still would choose deaf, but I still wouldn't argue with my friend's choice.

Let There Be Light

Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb*, was afraid of the dark.

*It should be noted that historians list 22 inventors before Edison, but his version of the incandescent light bulb is considered to be the true forerunner to today's bulb.

cacography

cacography\ kuh-KOG-ruh-fee \  noun

1. poor penmanship; bad handwriting.
2. incorrect spelling.

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I don't recall writing a letter since I've owned a computer and since I've had a debit card, I don't think I've written more than a dozen checks.  Here lately, due to security concerns, I've been using credit cards instead of debit.  Depending upon the card, unless the amount is over a certain number, I don't even have to sign, but now and then I have to sign the touch pad machine and my signature is usually illegible. (but the machine takes it anyway)  I always imagine my sixth grade teacher- who tried his best to teach me penmanship -  as rolling over in his grave.

I seldom misspell words these days, either, thanks to spell check. 

In fact, it told me I needed to correct "misspell" and "illegible".