I’m Just Saying

You Say Kadigan, I Say Menopause

/ Ally Bean / 12 Comments

HERE is something that I learned & maybe you will find it interesting, too.

There is a word to describe the linguistic phenomenon when a person uses a generic placeholder word  for a specific word because that person cannot remember the specific word.  This placeholder word is called a KADIGAN.  More here & here.

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TO WIT, I will first tell you a sentence filled with kadigans;  it is the sort of sentence that a menopausal woman might say.

Charming example sentence filled with kadigans:

  • Sunshine, I’d love to buy you that gewgaw with the gobbledygook on it, but out here in Podunk, USA, they don’t take credit cards and I don’t have my thingamadoodle to get money from the ATM.

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THEN I will interpret what I said, translating said sentence into pre-menopausal speak.

Charming example sentence devoid of kadigans:

  • Susan, I’d love to buy you that piece of jewelry with the monogram engraved on it, but out here in this small town, they don’t take credit cards and I don’t have my bank card to get money from the ATM.

# # # 

AND THAT, my gentle readers, is what kadigans are all about.  They are the ability to keep speaking, as if you know what you’re saying, even when you are experiencing your own personal summer & cannot for the life of you remember that word you need to use right now… so you fill-in the blank as best you can.

My Report On The U.S. Flag Complete With Commentary

/ Ally Bean / 33 Comments
American-Flag-222x300

{ image from Library of Congress}

Today is Flag Day.  On this date in 1777, the Continental Congress officially approved the design of the U.S. flag as we know it today.

•  But you knew that, of course.  You paid attention in history class and it’s right there on your calendar, in small print.

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In adopting the flag the Continental Congress stated: “Resolved, That the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”  It is interesting to note that the colors of red – white – blue did not have meanings when this resolution was adopted.

In 1818, after 5 more states joined the Union, the U.S. Congress passed legislation fixing the number of stripes at 13 and requiring that the number of stars equal the number of states.

•  Smart thinking if you ask me.  Have a plan, stick to it.

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In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14th as a national day of recognition for the flag.  According to this declaration, the flag is to be flown everywhere on this day, not just on government buildings and schools.

In 1949, while President Truman was in office, the U.S. Congress established June 14 as National Flag Day.  The next year on June 14th he proclaimed it as such.  However, this does not make June 14th an official federal holiday so no one gets the day off from work because of this Act of Congress.

•  I fail to see the reason why the U.S. Congress did what they did, but that’s nothing new.

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The U.S. flag has three nicknames: “Stars and Stripes” – “Star-Spangled Banner” – “Old Glory.”  And as you can imagine, no matter what you call it, there are etiquette rules for flying the U.S. flag.  Reading through them you will discover that We, The People, break these rules almost daily.

•  I direct your attention to the Decorative section of the list.  ‘Nuff said.

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In 1960, on July 4th, the last new star was added to the flag when Hawaii became the 50th state.  That is the last time there has been a change to the U.S. flag itself.  But there is more to the story than mere design changes.  You see, on June 14, 2004, the U.S. Congress unanimously voted to declare that Flag Day originated in Ozaukee County, Waubeka Wisconsin, thereby acknowledging another little known historical fact.

And with that I have nothing more to add to this report.  ‘Tis time for me to go put my cute little red, white & blue flags in my large blue green flower pots filled with dark pink geraniums, so that I can say that I’m [stylishly] observing this holiday.

•  How about you?  What are you going to do to celebrate Flag Day?

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Revenge, I Now Know, Is Lime Green

/ Ally Bean / 27 Comments

A few years ago I attended a good-bye party for a woman who lived across the street.  At this party were other neighbors who I met for the first time.  One was a nice woman who, until not too long ago, lived up the street.

During the party this woman got talking about her husband who feared color.  She told me that he would only allow her to have pure white walls and trim in their house.

Fear?  Allow?  Say what?!  What decade is this?

Naturally I was curious.  So I asked her how fear of color manifested.  I mean, I dislike certain shades of color but I do not fear them.  They are not my enemies.  I do not cower in their presence.

She told me that for her husband seeing anything that wasn’t uniform made him uneasy– so much so that different shades of any color, including white, were anxiety producing for him.  She also said that they had nothing hanging on the walls because that made him crazy, too.

I asked her if she, too, feared color.  But she didn’t.  In fact, she volunteered that she liked all colors a lot.

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Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was out for a walk and saw a For Sale sign in the front yard of this couple’s house.

Not surprisingly, they had divorced.

She had kept the house for a while after the divorce, but now had put the property on the market using a realtor who always puts photos from inside the house on the For Sale sign outside the house.

When I got a close-up of the For Sale sign I almost couldn’t stop laughing.  On the sign was one large photo of the interior of this modern, open-concept house which features 14′ cathedral ceilings on the first floor.

And what color were these large dramatic walls inside this house?  They were a shade of citrus-y lime green so glaringly bright that parrots would look pale standing near them.  Bold + loud.  A decidedly in-your-face color.

Yes, that’s the color that this newly divorced woman painted the walls after all those years of living with a color-phobic husband.  And, damn, do those walls look good.  Finally.

Way to make a statement, girlfriend.  Way to go.  😉

In Which I Staycate & You Questionate

/ Ally Bean / 11 Comments

This week Zen-Den and I are taking a staycation.

We are planning on doing projects around the house [paint stair railings + bannister] and around the yard [replace perennials that didn’t survive the winter].  Plus we hope to go out to eat a few times… maybe go to the zoo… perhaps check-out the deals at an outlet mall… see a movie.

You know, do stuff.

So this week instead of writing about anything in particular, I thought that like Carol Burnett I’d turn up the house lights and take questions from the audience.  Then next week, on a subsequent post, I’ll answer your questions making sure to let the world know who asked me each question.

Deal?  Okay then, let’s get things started in here.

Just remember that the success or failure of my next post rests on you, my gentle readers.  I’m counting on you to questionate like a pro!  Please leave your questions in the comments below.  And thank you in advance for your kind attention to this matter.

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Updated late in the afternoon to include…

HEY! Look at this:

“Carol Burnett, who became famous for playing a variety of characters in sketch comedy routines on her namesake television show, was named the winner of the nation’s top humor prize on Tuesday.

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said Burnett will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Oct. 20 in Washington. “

AND WHO POSTED ABOUT CAROL BURNETT TODAY BEFORE THIS PRIZE WAS ANNOUNCED?  Could it be me?  Why yes it was.  Is that a trippy coincidence or what?

[Source article here.]