In search of lost commercials

Did you know that “so many of the melodies of well-known popular songs were actually written by the great masters”?

I did, but I had no idea who was speaking those words.

One big revelation

From today’s January 6 meeting: the defeated former president’s election-night declaration of victory — “Frankly we did win this election” — was planned well before Election Day.

*

Another: The Secret Service and other agencies knew of threats of violence against the Capitol well before January 6.

*

One more: The committee plans to vote on whether to subpoena the defeated former president.

*

In related news:

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a request from former President Donald J. Trump to intervene in the litigation over documents seized from his Florida estate.

*

The vote to subpoena is unanimous.

*

The dfp is having a very bad day.

“What they had no conception of”

Anna, Vronsky, and Vronsky’s old associate Golenishchev are talking about the work of a painter, in particular a painting of two boys fishing.

Borometer

Elaine thought it up, but she left it for me to do the work of defining:

bor∙o∙me∙ter \ˈbȯr-ō-ˌmē-tər n [fr. Elaine Fine, composer and musician] (2022) : the little-understood brain mechanism that measures the boringness of a film or a television show <My husband’s ⁓ is functioning well, as evidenced by his falling asleep during this film>

See also humormeter.

Gabbard, Palin, Hitchens

I think this formulation works:

Tulsi Gabbard is the Sarah Palin of Christopher Hitchenses.

Or:

Tulsi Gabbard is the Christopher Hitchens of Sarah Palins.

I can see it both ways. Context here.

[I’ve already reminded myself, many times, that I once thought of Gabbard as a likely member of a Bernie Sanders administration. Good grief.]

Recently updated

As [+ adj.] a [+ n.] as Someone fixed it.

A critical reader

I just cited Bryan Garner once again, so I’ll toot my horn — just once — in this post:

<toot>
I’m a member of the panel of critical readers for the forthcoming fifth edition of Garner’s Modern English Usage. What that means: I was given a chunk of the revised text to read and edit and comment on in whatever ways seemed appropriate. My chunk: from boyish to cigaret, which seems like a chapter from my life. I also read, edited, and commented on other entries that drew my interest. The work was an exhilarating, mind-stretching joy.
</toot>

The fifth edition of GMEU is available for pre-order from Amazon.

Related reading
All OCA Garner posts (Pinboard)

[Cigaret ? A “needless variant.” That chapter closed on October 8, 1989. And yes, “from boyish to cigaret ” makes me think of “from crayons to perfume.”]

As [+ adj.] a [+ n.] as

I was surprised to see this headline in The New York Times, not because of the question but because of the phrasing:

[The New York Times, October 12, 2022.]

From Garner’s Modern English Usage:

As [+ adj.] a [+ n.] as. In AmE, writers sometimes err by inserting of after the adjective. But good usage rejects this — e.g.: “From the sidelines, Nunez became nearly as good of a cheerleader [read as good a cheerleader ] as he was a running back.” Jaime Aron, “Westlake’s Nunez Leads AP Honor Roll,”Austin Am.-Statesman, 26 Oct, 1994, at C3.

The answer to the question the Times poses seems to be “Who knows?” Because “anything could happen.”

*

What has happened: someone fixed it.

[The New York Times, October 12, 2022.]

Angela Lansbury (1925-2022)

Nancy. Edwina Brown. Sybil Vane. Mabel Sabre. Doris Hillman. Myra Leeds. Eleanor Shaw Iselin. Isabel Boyd. Nellie Lovett. Jessica Fletcher. Mrs. Potts. Balloon Lady. Those are the roles I know her from.

The New York Times has an obituary.

Coronation with Zeppelin

I had a crown placed on a molar this morning. It’s a much simpler matter than a root canal: the dentist drills away the temporary crown, does some 3-D imaging, [mysterious gap], makes some small adjustments, [mysterious gap], and cements the permanent crown in place. In the mysterious gaps: the making of the crown and its placement in a kiln. Those things happened offstage, or at least off my part of the stage.

The strangest thing about my adventure in dentistry: the local radio station that plays in the dentist’s office played Led Zeppelin for at least half an hour or so while I sat in the chair. “Squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg”: I never thought I’d hear that in a dentist’s office.

See also How to have a root canal.

[The lyric is from “Traveling Riverside Blues,” Led Zeppelin’s refashioning of a Robert Johnson song. And no, I’m not a Led Zeppelin fan, but I can recognize their music.]