Yellow Wallpaper

We had this conversation a little while ago: FoxyJ: "I can't believe they're going to build a temple in the Congo. That is just amazing. You know, I still have a hard time calling it 'Congo' because I'm used to it being Zaire. Except it hasn't been Zaire for about 15 years. I guess I'm a nerd because I still remember the old name." Mr. Fob: "Actually, what's really nerdy is the fact that you were in high school when it switched names. How many high schoolers actually know where Zaire is, let alone pay attention to what it is called?"

This is a post that's been rolling around in my head all week, but we've been busy and I haven't had time to write it down and post it. Now it's late and I worry that my thoughts won't be very coherent, but I still thought I'd try and write it out to see what I come up with. The title of this post was inspired by a few things I've read recently on blogs by a variety of people. One poster works with the young women in her ward and has been troubled by their lack of ambition. They don't seem to have solid plans for their future and don't feel a lot of motivation to get educations or to even plan for much besides motherhood. Another post was on Segullah, discussing the importance of education for woman as a component of provident living. A third source was this article from the New York Times that discusses vocational education and manual labor, as well as the role that our chosen careers can play in determining our character and the quality of our liv...

Mr. Fob and I have both studied languages, though more literature than linguistics. However, we still often discuss various nuances of language and find ourselves running to the OED for assistance. Here's a sample of today's dinnertime conversation: FoxyJ: So is N a nasalized sound and M is not? Mr. Fob: No, both M and N are nasalized, but N is velar. FoxyJ: Oh, so S-Boogie says "nilk" because her tongue is already moving back in her mouth in anticipation of the liquid "l" sound, right? Mr. Fob: Yeah, "l" and "k" are both in the back of the mouth. (Sorry I have no idea how to do APA on blogger) Then S-Boogie went on to ask about how to say her teacher's name, which includes a strong Spanish R. So we discussed how to pronounce the "R" sound, but S-Boogie is struggling with it. Then we had a discussion of how mistress evolved into "Mrs". And then I realized that we really are nerds. PS--Little Dude has been listening...

The summer before my freshman year of high school I decided to try out for the drill team. Even though I was pretty much a nerd, I secretly envied the drill team girls. My tryout experience was pretty much like something out of Beverly Hills 90210. For some reason I decided to try out for "banners"--the girls who marched in front with the metal signs spelling out my high school's name. There weren't very many spots, so this was the most competitive section of the drill team, but I didn't realize that before I got involved. I lasted for only two days in the tryouts; the other girls laughed at me, wouldn't give me a practice banner, and basically made my life miserable. I went home, cried, and decided that I was just a nerd and that was never going to change. Thankfully I soon found a way to use my nerd cred. I'm not even sure how I heard about the Knowledge Bowl team, but it was a perfect fit. I loved Jeopardy! and the only physical skills I needed were fa...

Anyone who has known me for a while knows that one of my life ambitions has always been to get on Jeopardy!. I actually tried out for the teen tournament when I was in high school, and though I got to go take the initial test in the studio, I did not make it. My dad and I still spent a fun day in LA and he even treated me to a yummy dinner at a nice restaurant in Malibu. Over the last few years I have sporadically watched the show, and I started to get more into it last summer when my friend Ken was on and we actually got cable so we got the right channel. S-Boogie enjoys watching "Jeppy" as part of our nightly routine, so my interesting in appearing on the show has been renewed as of late. Like any other rabid fan, I had been watching the website to see if auditions will be held anywhere within a reasonable distance of my home. Well, on Sunday morning I was reading the Tribune online and I noticed a little item stating that the Jeopardy! " Brain Bus" would be comi...