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Words of the year From the Cambridge Dictionary, quarantine.

Mystery actor

[Click for a larger view.]

“That’s him!” I said. Because I would never say “That’s he!” But by him I didn’t mean the actor. I meant a character, one I’ve seen dozens of times. Only that wasn’t him — meaning the character. It was the actor who played him, an actor whose name I had to look up.

Do you recognize this face? I’m guessing that if you do, you, too, will need to look up the name. Leave your answer in the comments. I’ll drop a hint if needed.

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One name I’ll rule out: he’s not Bill Macy, the actor who played Walter Findlay on Maude. No, not him.

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Here’s a hint: this actor may be best known for dancing in a Brooklyn apartment.

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Oh well: it’s been about four hours. I’ll reveal this actor’s name in the comments.

More mystery actors (Collect them all!)
? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ?

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How to improve writing (no. 89) “Is it right to speak of a pair of twins ?”

“Look it up”

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is coming to network television, and The New York Times has an article about the appeal of the original series, with reflections from the people of Stars Hollow. Did you know that Lauren Graham (Rory Gilmore) and Scott Patterson (Luke Danes) gave up smoking to have wind enough to manage the show’s dialogue?

My favorite bit from the Times article:

Popular culture was the lifeblood of the series, and Rory and Lorelai’s conversations, speckled with rapid-fire allusions to bad television shows and great books and distant historical epochs, were the joyous center of the show, offering fans a utopian fantasy of familial love grounded in the deep appreciation of Cop Rock. A single episode might reference Nikolai Gogol, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, the punk band Agnostic Front, the Velvet Underground collaborator Nico, Fiddler on the Roof, David Hockney, and the Franco-Prussian War.

“There was going to be an Oscar Levant mention in there, and if you don’t know who he is, that’s OK! Look it up,” [the show’s creator Amy] Sherman-Palladino said.

Related reading
All OCA Gilmore Girls posts (Pinboard)

Meet H. Neil Matkin

Something to be thankful for: that you’re not teaching at Collin College, with H. Neil Matkin as your president. From The Chronicle of Higher Education:

The news arrived on Friday, nested deep in an email that landed during a Faculty Council Zoom meeting. Only after someone had reached the 22nd paragraph did professors learn what had happened, and when they did, a few began to cry.

“To date, we are aware of one Collin College student who has passed away from complications from Covid-19 and, as of last week, one faculty member,” H. Neil Matkin, president of the community-college district in Texas, wrote. The student’s death had been reported in late October, but the announcement that a colleague had died came as a fresh blow. In the same paragraph, near the bottom of the email, Matkin also disclosed that a staff member was hospitalized.

All of it appeared in an email beneath the subject line “College Update & Happy Thanksgiving!”

One of Matkin’s talking points about COVID-19: “I have chosen to never live my life in fear.” Sounds familiar.

Here’s another example of Matkin in action.

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Words of the year From Oxford Languages, many words.

“Initial protocols”

Donald L. Trump*, tweeting, has recommended that General Services Administration head “Emily [Murphy] and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”

Initial protocols? About what? He can’t even say.

It’s difficult to imagine a less graceful loser. Hurry, January.

Mystery actor

[Click for a larger view.]

This one’s tough, I think. Do you recognize her? Leave your best guess in the comments. I’ll drop hints as appropriate.

*

Here’s a hint: She’s best known for her work in commercials. But even then, you’ll probably need to look up her name.

*

This one is tough. I’m adding the answer in the comments.

More mystery actors (Collect them all!)
? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ?

[Garner’s Modern English Usage notes that “support for actress seems to be eroding.” I use actor.]

A joke in the traditional manner

This one is from my son Ben, shared with permission: Why are supervillains good at staying warm in the winter?

The punchline is in the comments. Thanks, Ben.

More jokes in the traditional manner
The Autobahn : Did you hear about the cow coloratura? : Did you hear about the shape-shifting car? : Did you hear about the thieving produce clerk? : Elementary school : A Golden Retriever : How did Bela Lugosi know what to expect? : How did Samuel Clemens do all his long-distance traveling? : How do amoebas communicate? : How do ghosts hide their wrinkles? : How do worms get to the supermarket? : Of all the songs in the Great American Songbook, which is the favorite of pirates? : What did the doctor tell his forgetful patient to do? : What did the plumber do when embarrassed? : What happens when a senior citizen visits a podiatrist? : What is the favorite toy of philosophers’ children? : What’s the name of the Illinois town where dentists want to live? : What’s the worst thing about owning nine houses? : What was the shepherd doing in the garden? : Where do amoebas golf? : Where does Paul Drake keep his hot tips? : Which member of the orchestra was best at handling money? : Why did the doctor spend his time helping injured squirrels? : Why did Oliver Hardy attempt a solo career in movies? : Why did the ophthalmologist and his wife split up? : Why does Marie Kondo never win at poker? : Why is the Fonz so cool? : Why sharpen your pencil to write a Dad joke? : Why was Santa Claus wandering the East Side of Manhattan?

[“In the traditional manner”: by or à la my dad. He gets credit for the Autobahn, the elementary school, the Golden Retriever, Bela Lugosi, Samuel Clemens, the doctor, the plumber, the senior citizen, Oliver Hardy, and the ophthalmologist. Elaine gets credit for the Illinois town. My dad was making such jokes long before anyone called them “dad jokes.” I continue in the traditional manner.]

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Hagoromo Fulltouch Chalk Now with a tour of the factory.