Fun With Idioms

I overheard an old and colorful idiom today: "When you met me, you didn't know me from the man in the moon." Here's a cool thing I like to do: go to Google Books and type in any idiom and then see how far back it goes. This particular one appears in a book from 1866, Hugh Bryan: The Autobiography of an Irish Rebel, by Hugh Bryan. A slight variation, with "you" instead of "me" takes us to 1851 and a periodical named The United States Magazine and Democratic Review. And the idiom still appears on the streets of Chicago in 2011. At the same time, the reason it caught my attention is because I don't hear it often and I feel like the phrase is on its way out. Who knows, I may have witnessed the last time this idiom was spoken colloquially. I mean, there is always that final, unrecorded time an idiom is uttered.

Snack of the Month

Nutella spread on whole-grain sliced Turano bread which has sunflower seeds in it (genius), washed down with organic ultra-pasteurized whole milk (chilled). The brands are not important, in fact there are healthier and more fairly traded choco-hazelnut spreads out there. As far as milk goes, I go for ultra-pasteurized so it doesn't go bad too quickly, organic and whole because I think it tastes better.

"Falling" by Mission of Burma

I don't think this song is supposed to be about the WTO Towers attack victims, but that's what I always think of when I hear it.

Feeling Kaufmanesque

I sing music that is quite American and I don't have a very noticeable accent when I sing. It's not on purpose and it's not that unusual. But when I speak, the accent comes back in a split second. I wonder if Andy Kaufman as Foreign Man/Latka doing Elvis comes to anyone else's mind.

Fun With Etymology

I never say PJs, primarily because I really like the word pajamas. Always have. It's the same word in both of my languages: pidzama/pajamas.

Oxford English Dictionary:
pyjamas | pajamas, n.
Etymology: < Urdu pāy-jāma, pā-jāma and its etymon Persian pāy-jāma, pā-jāma, singular noun < Persian pāy, pā foot, leg + jāma clothing, garment (see jama n.1)
Originally: loose trousers, usually of silk or cotton, tied round the waist, and worn by both sexes in some Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Subsequently also: nightclothes consisting of loose trousers or shorts and a jacket or other top (now the principal use). The loose trousers were adopted by Europeans living in Eastern countries, esp. for night wear, and the word came to be applied outside Asia (originally in trade use) to a sleeping suit of loose trousers and jacket.

So, to be technical, I usually sleep in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.

My dream job would be to test pajamas, bed linen, and mattresses/bed for the manufacturers. I excel at sleeping.

Mexican Independence Parade

I couldn't see it, because I live in a building hidden behind a building and I had just woken up (really late), was in my pajamas. But I heard the sounds, like a ribbon of brass, bass, voices fluttering by.

Double Door 01/10/11

We opened, D-Nick and the Microphone Misfitz followed, Powers headlined, and in the midst of it all, Bob Rok stole the show. But he gave us these pics and this video!