Thomas’ dots

I like to read the box at breakfast, or the carton, or the plastic bag. Thus I noticed a typographical oddity on the bag holding a loaf of Thomas’ Cinnamon Swirl Bread.

And before I go any further: no, Thomas’ is not as good as Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl, but the Pepperidge Farm was gone. (There was, however, contra a recent claim, plenty of bread in the store.)

Here’s what caught my eye at breakfast:

[Larger view coming up.]

It’s not an apostrophe. It’s not ®, the registered sign. What is it? And what’s it doing there?

[Click for a even larger view.]

I’d call the customer-service number to inquire, but having called one such number to ask about Hellmann’s Mayonnaise and Best Foods Mayonnaise (is there a dividing line? if so, where?), I’m pretty sure I could expect to get nowhere. Let the mystery be a mystery.

I hope they have Pepperidge Farm next time.

[I’d spell it as Thomas’s, but it’s not my bread.]

You and Your Vocabulary

From the Mary Tyler Moore Show episode “Mary Richards: Producer” (January 4, 1975). Ted (Ted Knight) is increasing his vocabulary. Murray (Gavin MacLeod) is skeptical.

Ted: “Say, the newsroom is certainly redolent of coffee this morning.”

Murray: “It’s what?”

Ted Baxter: “And you call yourself a writer? Redolent, redolent of coffee. It means it smells.”

Mary: “Ted, what’s the book?”

Ted: “You and Your Vocabulary. I’m planning to work in a few words to every newscast to give it a little class. What do you think of the idea, Mur?”

Murray: “I think it’s redolent, Ted.”

Murray refuses to work any of Ted’s vocabulary words into his copy. But that night, on the news:

Ted: “Monsignor Walter O’Rourke is dead at eighty-seven. Until his retirement in 1958, Monsignor O’Rourke served the Twin Cities diocese, where he was much beloved. Let me just say this: I didn’t know the monsignor personally, but I’ll bet you he was never lethargic, redolent, bellicose, or lascivious.”

From the Garner’s Modern English Usage essay on sesquipedality : “Build your vocabulary to make yourself a better reader; choose simple words whenever possible to make yourself a better writer.”

Related reading
All OCA MTM posts (Pinboard)

Heather Cox Richardson’s latest

The March 30 installment of Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American is an especially helpful one, about CBS, Mick Mulvaney, facts, democracy, and authoritarianism. HCR puts events into context in ways that go far beyond what’s available on “the news.”

Miller and Meadowses

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Representative Mary Miller (IL-15) “is benefiting from a $74,054.74 independent expenditure by the Right Women political action committee.” The group’s founder: Debra Meadows. Among its leaders: her husband Mark.

As the Sun-Times reminds us, the Meadowses are suspected of voter fraud, having voted from a North Carolina address where they never resided. As the Sun-Times also reminds us, Miller issued a press release before taking office calling the 2020 presidential election “the greatest heist of the 21st century.” She voted against certifying the result, of course.

Related reading
All OCA Mary Miller posts

Library of Congress pencil pics

My friend Fresca just informed me that today is National Pencil Day and that the Library of Congress Instagram account has an appropriate array of photographs.

Thanks, Fresca!

Related reading
All OCA pencil posts (Pinboard)

The world and the corner

From the Mary Tyler Moore Show episode “Not a Christmas Story” (November 9, 1974). Murray (Gavin MacLeod) has written a new opening for Ted (Ted Knight):

“Good evening. This is Ted Baxter, with news from around the world and around the corner.“

But Ted thinks it would be better the other way around:

“Good evening. This is Ted Baxter, with news from around the corner and around the world.“

And, of course, an argument follows. Perhaps the show’s writers themselves had disagreed about how the line should go.

Who do you think has it right — Murray, or Ted? Which opening sounds better to you, and why? Anyone teaching a writing class: you might bring this question in and ask your students which and why.

Related reading
All OCA MTM posts (Pinboard)

[The episode is at YouTube. The first scene has the argument, but the line is a subject of discussion as the episode continues.]

Advice about news

Advice in The Washington Post: “How to stay up-to-date on terrible news without burning out.”

Yellow Ticonderogas

Eberhard Faber Mongols were on the job in the WJM newsroom during the first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. After that, it’s Dixon Ticonderogas and no-name pencils. A great loss for Mongol fans.

Perhaps one of the writers was using a Ticonderoga when working on the episode “Mary Richards and the Incredible Plant Lady” (March 3, 1973). The premise: Rhoda (Valerie Harper) has borrowed money from Mary to open a plant shop, and she’s taking her time about paying back. The reason: she’s secretly using her earnings to buy Mary a new car, a yellow Mustang convertible. Rhoda knows that Mary has had her eye on a Mustang. But it turns out — uh-oh — that Mary hates yellow. She and Rhoda and Georgette (Georgia Engel) sit in the newly purchased car in the dealer’s showroom:

Georgette: “Yellow’s a lovely color, Mary. It’s the color of the sun, and wheat fields.”

Mary: “Yeah.”

Rhoda: “Ticonderoga pencils.”

Georgette: “And daffodils, and lemons — whoops, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Related reading
All OCA MTM posts : Ticonderoga posts (Pinboard)

A question

Where has Merrick Garland gone? Long time passing.

Representative Elaine Luria (VA-2), last night: “Attorney General Garland, do your job, so that we can do ours.”

Representative Adam Schiff (CA-28), last night: “We are upholding our responsibility. The Department of Justice must do the same.”

Orange tool art

[Kyocera peeler, Harry’s razor.]

We bought the peeler several years ago in an Asian supermarket. I bought the razor a week or so ago, but I recognized the resemblance only last night.

[People without full beards are sometimes surprised to learn that people with full beards still need to shave. That’s how we keep the beard from overtaking the face and neck.]