Geolinguistics at the Truman Household
Feb. 10th, 2022 12:20 pm"How do you spell Kazakhstan?"
"Well, it's the land of the Kazakhs, innit, so write Kazakh and then write Stan."
"Okay, but how do you spell Kazakh?"
"K-A-Z-A-K-H."
*typetype* "How do you know these things?"
"…Do other people *not* amuse themselves by looking up various cities and countries on Wikipedia and jumping straight to the Etymology section?"
"Well, it's the land of the Kazakhs, innit, so write Kazakh and then write Stan."
"Okay, but how do you spell Kazakh?"
"K-A-Z-A-K-H."
*typetype* "How do you know these things?"
"…Do other people *not* amuse themselves by looking up various cities and countries on Wikipedia and jumping straight to the Etymology section?"
Overheard at the Truman Household
Jan. 10th, 2022 10:35 pm"So, about Tennessee…"
"Or Elevenessee, if we're using linguistic inflation."
"No linguistic inflation."
"It's a Victor Borge joke, you see."
"We do not have Victor Borge jokes in this household, fwiss-pwt"
"Well that settles that, then!"
"Or Elevenessee, if we're using linguistic inflation."
"No linguistic inflation."
"It's a Victor Borge joke, you see."
"We do not have Victor Borge jokes in this household, fwiss-pwt"
"Well that settles that, then!"
Sports at the Truman Household
Oct. 18th, 2021 01:41 pm[watching video of a big burly guy lifting heavy rocks at a Highland Games]
"He's doing a lot of lifting-with-his-back."
"Yeah, you see a lot of breaking of the usual rules at high-level competitions like this. The rules are so regular people don't hurt themselves accidentally."
"Ah, I see—this man is a professional; he's hurting himself on purpose!"
"He's doing a lot of lifting-with-his-back."
"Yeah, you see a lot of breaking of the usual rules at high-level competitions like this. The rules are so regular people don't hurt themselves accidentally."
"Ah, I see—this man is a professional; he's hurting himself on purpose!"
Overheard in the Truman Library
Aug. 4th, 2020 09:55 pm(warning: includes Tortilla Flat spoiler, in case anyone cares)
"Tortilla Flat? I liked that one. Very interesting story. Except for the sudden twist downer ending out of nowhere for no reason because Steinbeck. Other than that it's pretty good."
"Errrgh. Yeah, that's why I avoid Steinbeck."
"Yeah. It's a great story if you stop at the second to last chapter."
"What happens in the last chapter? Everybody dies?"
"Nnnnnno, not everybody. Just the main character. Gets drunk and falls off a cliff in the final chapter, if I remember correctly."
"Huh. Well, there's a lesson to be learned here."
"Avoid Steinbeck?"
"Tortilla Flat? I liked that one. Very interesting story. Except for the sudden twist downer ending out of nowhere for no reason because Steinbeck. Other than that it's pretty good."
"Errrgh. Yeah, that's why I avoid Steinbeck."
"Yeah. It's a great story if you stop at the second to last chapter."
"What happens in the last chapter? Everybody dies?"
"Nnnnnno, not everybody. Just the main character. Gets drunk and falls off a cliff in the final chapter, if I remember correctly."
"Huh. Well, there's a lesson to be learned here."
"Avoid Steinbeck?"
Music at the Truman Conservatory
Apr. 26th, 2020 06:38 pm"I think that's just G C G D there."
"But that's the end of a section, so that's time for the two measures of fancy quick chord progression!"
"You are playing chordal accompaniment, not melody."
"Aw."
"But sometimes chordal accompaniment can pretend it's melody by playing lots of chords really fast!"
"Hooray!"
"But that's the end of a section, so that's time for the two measures of fancy quick chord progression!"
"You are playing chordal accompaniment, not melody."
"Aw."
"But sometimes chordal accompaniment can pretend it's melody by playing lots of chords really fast!"
"Hooray!"
Whaling at the Truman Household
Feb. 23rd, 2020 12:02 am"So what do you want to play next? New Bedford?"
"The whale-killing one?"
"Or we could play Call to Adventure instead."
"Nah, whale-killing is fine."
*pause*
"It really isn't though. I mean, there's a whole Star Trek movie about why it's not."
"The whale-killing one?"
"Or we could play Call to Adventure instead."
"Nah, whale-killing is fine."
*pause*
"It really isn't though. I mean, there's a whole Star Trek movie about why it's not."
Botany at the Truman Household
Oct. 2nd, 2019 08:52 am"Why are carrots orange?"
"Carrots are orange because they are the same species as oranges. If you plant the seed right-side-up, it grows upward as an orange tree. If you plant it upside-down, it grows downward and becomes a carrot."
"What??"
"This is also why carrots don't have seeds. They grow from upside-down orange seeds instead."
"What about purple carrots?"
"That's what you get if you plant a plum seed upside-down."
"Carrots are orange because they are the same species as oranges. If you plant the seed right-side-up, it grows upward as an orange tree. If you plant it upside-down, it grows downward and becomes a carrot."
"What??"
"This is also why carrots don't have seeds. They grow from upside-down orange seeds instead."
"What about purple carrots?"
"That's what you get if you plant a plum seed upside-down."
Giant Geography at the Truman Household
Aug. 20th, 2019 02:43 am"So when Brutus fled the Trojan War and ended up in England, he found the isle inhabited by hostile giants."
"Is this Brobdingnag?"
"No, that's from Gulliver's Travels, a peninsula on the west coast of the Americas."
"So… Alaska?"
"More California-ish, I think. Like if the San Francisco Bay was an outie instead of an innie."
"Wait, what??"
"Yeah, you know, because the Bay is the belly button of California."
*pause*
"I have honestly never heard that before."
"Neither have I."
"Is this Brobdingnag?"
"No, that's from Gulliver's Travels, a peninsula on the west coast of the Americas."
"So… Alaska?"
"More California-ish, I think. Like if the San Francisco Bay was an outie instead of an innie."
"Wait, what??"
"Yeah, you know, because the Bay is the belly button of California."
*pause*
"I have honestly never heard that before."
"Neither have I."
Cartography at the Truman Household
Jun. 15th, 2019 10:07 pm[looking at map] "So here's Bum Palace…"
"…You mean Buckingham Palace?"
"Yeah."
"Did you just pronounce it Bum Palace??"
"Yeah, the 'uckingha' is silent. Isn't that how British place-name pronunciation works?"
—————
"So what's that waterway?"
"Saint James Park. Or maybe Sinjim Park."
"But what's the waterway called?"
"Saint James Park Lake."
—————
"How do they get that checkerboard pattern in the lawn?"
"I think they mow it in stripes one way, and then in stripes the other way."
"Huh."
"It's basically just like weaving. Except grass. And also completely different."
"…You mean Buckingham Palace?"
"Yeah."
"Did you just pronounce it Bum Palace??"
"Yeah, the 'uckingha' is silent. Isn't that how British place-name pronunciation works?"
—————
"So what's that waterway?"
"Saint James Park. Or maybe Sinjim Park."
"But what's the waterway called?"
"Saint James Park Lake."
—————
"How do they get that checkerboard pattern in the lawn?"
"I think they mow it in stripes one way, and then in stripes the other way."
"Huh."
"It's basically just like weaving. Except grass. And also completely different."