[Peanuts, October 18, 1971.]
Yesterday’s Peanuts is today’s Peanuts. But does anyone still diagram sentences Reed-Kellogg style? The book to read on these matters is Kitty Burns Florey’s Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog: The Quirky History And Lost Art Of Diagramming Sentences (2006).
Monday, October 15, 2018
Decorate, diagram
NPR, sheesh
Such deference this morning, NPR. Donald Trump wasn’t “making an argument” about climate change in his 60 Minutes interview. He was making an unfounded assertion: “Something’s changing and it’ll change back again.”
Related reading
All OCA sheesh posts (Pinboard)
[Argument: “a coherent series of reasons, statements, or facts intended to support or establish a point of view.” Assertion: “a declaration that something is the case.” Definitions from Merriam-Webster. The meanings of the two words make my statement about Trump an argument, not an assertion.]
Hallmark “trees”
The sappy, saccharine Hallmark movie Falling for Vermont has everything: a Famous Author, a cozy bookstore, a gazebo, even a “town meeting.” It’s a bit like Gilmore Girls with amnesia. That is, the protagonist has amnesia, not the movie itself.
An additional treat: the opportunity to watch for the same four or five gold- and orange-leafed artificial trees as they travel from scene to scene to scene to signify fall. Look, here come two of the trees now.
We saw most of Falling for Vermont last night. Me: “This has another hour to go.” Elaine: “That’s not a problem.” The movie airs again on October 20.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Main Streets
[Zippy, October 14, 2018.]
In the final panel of today’s Zippy, Griffy proclaims Main Streets “th’ antidote to strip mall America.” I love it. As Elaine will attest, I still fantasize about coming across a thriving downtown in some long-lost midwestern city. The closest we’ve ever come to it was in Jackson, Ohio, though that wasn’t close enough for me. Not downtown-y enough. Not Twilight Zone-y enough.
There’s a clue to location in today’s strip: the yellow sign reads “Waureg . . . otel.” That’s the Wauregan Hotel in Norwich, Connecticut. Here’s a view of Broadway from Griffy and Zippy’s perspective. Sigh.
Related reading
All OCA Zippy posts (Pinboard)
Main Street, Hackensack, New Jersey
Old barber, old joke
“I eat thin spaghetti, so I don’t get fat”: Anthony Mancinelli, 107, is the world’s oldest barber.
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Another headline
From the New York Daily News: “Cultured klepto who swiped painting worth over $1,000 in the Bronx wanted.”
A painting worth over $1,000 in the Bronx? And in the other boroughs?
A possible revision: “Wanted: cultured klepto who swiped $1,000 painting in the Bronx.” I think it’s safe to omit “worth over.”
This post marks the first and (I hope) last time I’ll have reason to type the phrase “cultured klepto.”
A related post
A garden-path Daily News headline
Today’s Saturday Stumper
Today’s Newsday Saturday Stumper, by Frank Longo, was tough. I stared and stared, and now and then a word suggested itself as right. I finished in forty-seven minutes — after practically going to sleep with quandariness, as Frank O’Hara might have, if he had tried this puzzle.
Three clues that I especially liked: 8-Across, six letters, “Racket clubs.” 22-Down, six letters, “Scorch with pans.” 47-Down, five letters, “David : Milhous :: Delano : .” That last clue is not especially tricky, but it’s quietly disorienting. And it woke me up.
No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.
[“After practically going to sleep with quandariness”: from the Frank O’Hara poem “The Day Lady Died.”]
Friday, October 12, 2018
“Like winter”
[Nancy, October 3, 1953.]
At least kinda like winter: 36° this morning. Elaine and I will reenact this scene when we go for a walk in the near near future.
Related reading
All OCA Nancy posts (Pinboard)
One!
Our granddaughter Talia turns one year old today. So big! She is talking the talk (da, ma, &c.) and walking the walk (sixteen steps in the direction of a blasé kitty). Talia is also teething the teeth. She is a lover of books, a sharer of toys, an investigator of everything, and an aspiring comedian. E.g.: when someone is feeding you, grasp spoon in mouth. Do not let go.
Big hugs to the birthday girl and her mom and dad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
