Say what?

I like to look things up. You need to know this about me.

I have two dictionaries, three style guides (well, sort of two, but really three), a literature handbook, a research handbook, a writing handbook, a copyeditor's handbook, and I still own and use a set of encyclopedias. And that’s not even counting the myriad websites I use to look stuff up: google, wikipedia, imdb, etc. (Fun fact: the correct wording is NOT "the myriad of websites." I read "myriad of" somewhere this week and Inner Editor sighed and shook her head. So go forth and use "myriad" correctly. Don't believe me? Look it up.)

I come across words I don’t know, I look ‘em up. Recently my boss sent out an email apologizing for errata. Great word. I looked it up. You should too.

I see an actor/actress that I think I’ve seen in another movie, I look ‘em up. Recently we caught part of “Road House” with Patrick Swayze (or is it “Roadhouse?” I should look it up.) In this movie there was a guy that I thought had been in an episode of The Sopranos, so I looked it up. It wasn’t him.

And for a long time, I’ve been wishing and dreaming and sighing for a website that would tell me the origin of phrases. And I think I may have found one—wisegeek.com. Problem is, as soon as I found this website, I couldn’t think of a single phrase whose origin I want to know. If you’d’ve asked me yesterday I probably could’ve rattled off five. (Fun fact: The correct phrase is "should've" NOT "should of." Makes me cringe every time.) But today? Nope, not a single phrase comes to mind.

Actually, that’s not true. ("I cannot tell a lie!" But, see, I know the origin of that one!) I thought of “Kill two birds with one stone” and “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” What’s up with the bird stuff, you ask? It’s leftover from A Fairy Tale (With No Fairies). You should read it.

But that’s beside the point. I need more phrases. I need to know if wisegeek.com is the answer to my informational longings. I need to know if, the next time I use or hear a familiar saying and wonder how it originated, wisegeek will be my fount of knowledge and happiness. So help me out, people. What’s a saying that you use that, when you stop to think about it, must have an interesting, obscure origin? Let’s test wisegeek out.

Be sure to check out Chloe and Halle's new blog, The Artistic Pen for original artwork, poetry, and stories.

Hot Links

So I'm totally wasting time on the internet, reading important news stories, and not-so-important news stories, and Stephen King's superb writing on what-have-you, and I stumble upon this intriguing link: 12 Months of 5 Easy Dinners.

The part of my brain that thinks the loudest says, "Yeah, right. This is going to be more food that nobody really eats," while the quieter, more hopeful part of my brain whispers, "Maybe not. Maybe this one time it will be real people food. Maybe all my cooking woes will be over and I'll have 12 Months of 5 Easy Dinners That My Family Will Eat and Love and Eat As Leftovers."

And so I click on the link and find this: Linguine with Clam Sauce. Gingery Shrimp and Couscous. Crispy Prosciutto and Scallion Frittata.

If you know anything about me and my family, you'll know we're just not clam sauce, gingery shrimp, prosciutto, couscous people. Maybe the occasional frittata. But more likely macaroni and cheese with hot dogs. Yup. It seems loud, cynical brain has won out again. Thanks a lot, Real Simple magazine. I'll just go read my Kraft magazine. It's where us normal people find our food; things like Layered Enchilada Bake, Santa Fe Stuffed Peppers, or Velveeta Nacho Bake.

And, okay, maybe the occasional Easy Herb Frittata.