float_on_alright: (warning opinions in this post)
 
I believe most people wouldn't notice if you were wearing mismatched socks and they wouldn't tell you if you had food in your teeth. I believe no one knows themselves as well as they think they do, and they know even less about everyone else. But, I believe other people know you better than you think they do. I believe there are two kinds of people in the world: those who believe that they know the truth (or, at least know better than everyone else) and those who believe that no one has got anything right. 

I don't trust anyone who profusely uses statistics. I believe we rarely find truth in "simple facts".
float_on_alright: (warning opinions in this post)
 
I believe most people wouldn't notice if you were wearing mismatched socks and they wouldn't tell you if you had food in your teeth. I believe no one knows themselves as well as they think they do, and they know even less about everyone else. But, I believe other people know you better than you think they do. I believe there are two kinds of people in the world: those who believe that they know the truth (or, at least know better than everyone else) and those who believe that no one has got anything right. 

I don't trust anyone who profusely uses statistics. I believe we rarely find truth in "simple facts".
float_on_alright: (Universe Making Fun Life/Crews)
 

One Thing: Reality-Based Romance Novels

One Question: Why? 
float_on_alright: (Universe Making Fun Life/Crews)
 

One Thing: Reality-Based Romance Novels

One Question: Why? 
float_on_alright: (don eppes - seriously.)
 
For some time now I have been searching for the origins of the saying "with bells on". I kept thinking maybe it was because "court jesters" are always depicted as have bells on the ends of their hats and shoes and sometimes hung on their clothing as well. It turns out I wasn't off base by much. There's an old nursery rhyme:

"Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes."

According to the American Heritage "American Idioms" dictionary, this is the origination of the saying "with bells on". I looked through quite a few phrase dictionaries before I finally found this book which is actually for people who do not speak English as a first language.

The book also mentions "paying through the nose" may (or may not, as no one is quite sure) have come from a legendary tax imposed on Ireland by the Danes in the 9th century called the "nose tax" because if someone didn't pay, their nose would be slit. 

I've also found about four different stories for the origination of "rule of thumb". I had once heard that it referred to a law that limited the diameter of the rod with which a husband could beat his wife (it was lawful to beat wives within reason, but apparently "within reason" was not so well defined).

As a side note, I love how most of the little nursery rhymes and sing-songs I sang as a kid turned out to be creepy somehow. I mean "rock-a-bye baby" sounds like it could be the plot for a horror movie, ring around the rosies/pocket full of posies references those dying of the plague, and Jack breaking his crown after going up the hill with Jill means he cracked his head when they didn't have the kind of "tumble" they were planning. And parents complain about Miley Cyrus. 

And since I'm spouting trivia - most people who say they've seen Big Ben are mistaken. Have they seen the building in which Big Ben is housed? Yes. Have they seen the clocks on the face of the building? Yes. But Big Ben is actually the bell inside the tower. Supposedly the word "clock" originally referred to "bell" because the number of times the bell rang signified the hour. Either way, Ben Ben is the big bell, so its more likely that you've heard him than seen him. 

Enough ridiculousness for one night, I've got to be up early tomorrow. 
float_on_alright: (don eppes - seriously.)
 
For some time now I have been searching for the origins of the saying "with bells on". I kept thinking maybe it was because "court jesters" are always depicted as have bells on the ends of their hats and shoes and sometimes hung on their clothing as well. It turns out I wasn't off base by much. There's an old nursery rhyme:

"Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes."

According to the American Heritage "American Idioms" dictionary, this is the origination of the saying "with bells on". I looked through quite a few phrase dictionaries before I finally found this book which is actually for people who do not speak English as a first language.

The book also mentions "paying through the nose" may (or may not, as no one is quite sure) have come from a legendary tax imposed on Ireland by the Danes in the 9th century called the "nose tax" because if someone didn't pay, their nose would be slit. 

I've also found about four different stories for the origination of "rule of thumb". I had once heard that it referred to a law that limited the diameter of the rod with which a husband could beat his wife (it was lawful to beat wives within reason, but apparently "within reason" was not so well defined).

As a side note, I love how most of the little nursery rhymes and sing-songs I sang as a kid turned out to be creepy somehow. I mean "rock-a-bye baby" sounds like it could be the plot for a horror movie, ring around the rosies/pocket full of posies references those dying of the plague, and Jack breaking his crown after going up the hill with Jill means he cracked his head when they didn't have the kind of "tumble" they were planning. And parents complain about Miley Cyrus. 

And since I'm spouting trivia - most people who say they've seen Big Ben are mistaken. Have they seen the building in which Big Ben is housed? Yes. Have they seen the clocks on the face of the building? Yes. But Big Ben is actually the bell inside the tower. Supposedly the word "clock" originally referred to "bell" because the number of times the bell rang signified the hour. Either way, Ben Ben is the big bell, so its more likely that you've heard him than seen him. 

Enough ridiculousness for one night, I've got to be up early tomorrow. 
float_on_alright: ("sort of" demetri martin)
I've been thinking a lot lately about what I consider "American Proverbs" or our "at the ready" sayings, quick statements we throw at problems when the need arises. They may come from anywhere or any time, some of them may be Confucianism’s. We use them all the time, things like "the more the merrier", "no pain no gain", or "don't look a gift horse in the mouth". Now I use them as much as the next person but what's got me puzzling is that I’m just as likely to throw out a saying that means the opposite. "Two's a company, three's a crowd", "if it hurts don't do it/pain is a warning that something’s wrong", "if it seems too good to be true it probably it is". Now I know things differ from situation to situation, but why do we so often bring the same old sayings over and over to new problems and unique people?

Here’s the other problem. A lot of these sayings that we throw out are no longer ubiquitously and/or culturally relevant to us as a nation. Sure, there are some people who kill their own chicken dinners, but most of us have not chopped off the head of a chicken to find out exactly what it looks like when it runs around headless. Nor have we ever been given a gift horse and even if we’ve been around horses and looked them in the mouth, we wouldn’t know for what is was we were looking, not really. So why keep using them?
It seems these sayings may be keeping us from exploring problems, their solutions, and even the way we communicate with each other. We hear a person who has a problem or complaint and we quickly throw something at them so we feel we've done our bit. We have answers ready before we even have the problem. A comedian once said "A penny for your thoughts, but people put their two cents in. Somebody's making a penny." The comment is silly and ridiculous, but does he have a point?

Can we really claim we're listening if we already know how we’re going to answer?
float_on_alright: ("sort of" demetri martin)
I've been thinking a lot lately about what I consider "American Proverbs" or our "at the ready" sayings, quick statements we throw at problems when the need arises. They may come from anywhere or any time, some of them may be Confucianism’s. We use them all the time, things like "the more the merrier", "no pain no gain", or "don't look a gift horse in the mouth". Now I use them as much as the next person but what's got me puzzling is that I’m just as likely to throw out a saying that means the opposite. "Two's a company, three's a crowd", "if it hurts don't do it/pain is a warning that something’s wrong", "if it seems too good to be true it probably it is". Now I know things differ from situation to situation, but why do we so often bring the same old sayings over and over to new problems and unique people?

Here’s the other problem. A lot of these sayings that we throw out are no longer ubiquitously and/or culturally relevant to us as a nation. Sure, there are some people who kill their own chicken dinners, but most of us have not chopped off the head of a chicken to find out exactly what it looks like when it runs around headless. Nor have we ever been given a gift horse and even if we’ve been around horses and looked them in the mouth, we wouldn’t know for what is was we were looking, not really. So why keep using them?
It seems these sayings may be keeping us from exploring problems, their solutions, and even the way we communicate with each other. We hear a person who has a problem or complaint and we quickly throw something at them so we feel we've done our bit. We have answers ready before we even have the problem. A comedian once said "A penny for your thoughts, but people put their two cents in. Somebody's making a penny." The comment is silly and ridiculous, but does he have a point?

Can we really claim we're listening if we already know how we’re going to answer?
float_on_alright: (take my advice i'm not using it)


"Now that anyone is free to print whatever they wish, they often disregard that which is best and instead write, merely for the sake of entertainment, what would best be forgotten, or better still be erased from all books."


-- Niccolo Perotti 1471

Just to keep things in perspective.
float_on_alright: (take my advice i'm not using it)


"Now that anyone is free to print whatever they wish, they often disregard that which is best and instead write, merely for the sake of entertainment, what would best be forgotten, or better still be erased from all books."


-- Niccolo Perotti 1471

Just to keep things in perspective.
float_on_alright: (anton approves)


Read my review of Michael J. Fox's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future HERE.
float_on_alright: (anton approves)


Read my review of Michael J. Fox's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future HERE.
float_on_alright: (freeze phill better off ted)
Dear Clinique,

I love the purple bottles, really, but I worry that some night when I'm really tired and I just want my eye make up off before I pass out, I will use the Toner to remove my mascara. I mean I know the caps are different, but I'm just not sure that's enough. Just a thought.

Much Love,

~K
float_on_alright: (freeze phill better off ted)
Dear Clinique,

I love the purple bottles, really, but I worry that some night when I'm really tired and I just want my eye make up off before I pass out, I will use the Toner to remove my mascara. I mean I know the caps are different, but I'm just not sure that's enough. Just a thought.

Much Love,

~K
float_on_alright: (Enchilades and Aluminum Cans Veggies)
I have completely wrapped up in the world of Half Bloods and monsters these last few weeks. And because of that I'm posting this. Just for fun.

(I'm quite possibly a half-blood but probably of a minor god/goddess so I "should" be able to live a mostly normal life)

http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/books-for-children/enter-camp-half-blood/ten-signs-you-may-be-a-half-blood/
float_on_alright: (Enchilades and Aluminum Cans Veggies)
I have completely wrapped up in the world of Half Bloods and monsters these last few weeks. And because of that I'm posting this. Just for fun.

(I'm quite possibly a half-blood but probably of a minor god/goddess so I "should" be able to live a mostly normal life)

http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/books-for-children/enter-camp-half-blood/ten-signs-you-may-be-a-half-blood/

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Kate

June 2021

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