Update on NOTEFLIX’s production of “Troubles in the Garden.” Our hero, The Multicolored Bluebird of Happiness has an ear-worm stuck in his brain and can’t get it out. All day long he keeps chirping “Bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word A-well-a bird bird bird, bird is the word. A-well-a bird bird bird, well-a bird is the word. A-well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word.”…Let’s hope he does not get anything stuck in his nose.
THEY’RE ONLY WORDS:
- GRAB: Which usage of this word do you relate to? #1) The Singapore based ‘Super App’ called GRAB, (public company) which provides an all in one App with 187,000,000 users. This App is like having Uber, DoorDash, Venmo, Expedia, Netflix, and Amazon – all rolled together in one swipe. Or #2) “SMASH GRABS”, or “FLASH GRABS.” These are new terms (So new, the Media and Law Enforcement has not settled on exactly which one to use) and are defined by a group of people who descend upon a store and steal goods from that store – all at once, and disperse immediately thereafter. (Up to 80 GRAB ‘n GOERS descended on one store last week). “FLASH GRABS” are social media network driven through Instagram, FaceBook, etc., and they ply their trade in the High End as well as Low dollar stores. The stolen goods are usually fenced (sold) online. Or #3) “GRAB your Coat and and get your Hat. Leave your worry on the doorstep. Just direct your feet To the sunny side of the street.” (-Sung by Ella Fitzgerald and others) You pick; there is no right answer to this question.
- GLOW UP: A significant transformation, i.e., A better job, or nicer partner, dress better, or whatever. When I saw this word combo in an article I thought it was in error. But no, I have traced this usage all the way back to 2015, which in American English is a long time.
- PAYWALL: Have you ever read a headline that made you want to read an article to the bitter end, a message comes up and says you have to subscribe (money) to continue reading? That is what a PAYWALL is. This malicious hustle, or whatever you would call it has been around since 2010.
- NOSE WORM: There was no such word-until now. I just invented it. You know when you can’t get a musical tune out of your mind and they call it an Ear Worm? Well, a NOSE WORM is when you can’t get something that stinks out of your mind…Like a PAYWALL, or 80 FLASH GRABBERS, or some idiot telling you to “GLOW UP”.
TWO UNRELATED TOPICS I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO THINK THROUGH:
1) I notice we are deep in the Age where we do not understand when something does not work (The iPhone, the TV remote programming thing, etc; even though we do not understand when the thing does work. I guess this knowledge gap began in earnest with the Industrial Revolution – when most of us could not grasp how electricity and the steam engine worked. But way back in time, I think we had a hold on lighting a fire, or drawing water from the river… Today, I get the feel nobody knows anything about anything -except the techies, of course.
2) A lot of us want to cut down on pollution but at the same time we are interested in more oil being produced; so we can pay less at the pump. I think there is bit of a self-infestation of a NOSE WORM here.
And now, a few words from MATHUZALA, our resident rodent columnist:
MATHUZALA SPEAKS:
- “I read the above posting and I tell you the writer is on to something about NOSE WORMS. It is pretty smelly down here on the ground these days – and unless we do something about it soon, we are all going to have more problems with worms than just the ones in your ears and noses.
Ed. Note: If you would want to know more about MATHUZALA and see what he and his pals are up to, and how they cope with real worms down on the ground, please go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and buy “THE RAT PAPERS”.
NOTES FROM TUSCANY:
- I purchased a jar of ‘Castagno’ Honey (which the Bees made in concert with the Chestnut Trees) from the ‘Honey Man’ in the market today. I asked him if there was a Bee Collapse problem here. He said “No…the Bees here are affected primarily by the climate…and the seasons for most of my types of honeys are getting shorter…It is becoming a little more humid here…and that does not auger for a large yield.” I think that is what he said. I am only in Season #1 of the Italian language.
Proof of Purchase:
A Few Quotes:
- “Only the paranoid survive.” -E. Musk
- “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” -Epistle to the Ephesians.
And that’s all there is for now. Hello to Baz…wherever you are…
