There is a flavor at the zoo called "Mackinac Island Fudge." In recent days I've done an informal study of how many people call it Mackinack (pronouncing the hard c at the end) versus how it's supposed to be pronounced, Mackinaw. I was surprised that most people pronounced it Mackinaw as opposed to the incorrect way, which I'd been calling it. I suppose I thought the w-ended pronunciation was a regionalism. But I was wrong, because the Indians who named the place pronounced it Mackinaw. This has forced me to give some credit to the supposedly geographic-illiterate U.S., where even Wisconsin residents can pronounce a foreign-looking word correctly.
(But can they tell me what the capital of Ecuador is?)
Just a few more observations:
--I've seen more strollers in the past few weeks then I think I've seen in the preceding 22 years of my life. And I keep calling them "prams."
--A young girl came in today named Kennedy. I thought this was a strange name and wondered where it came from, and what kind of a parent would name their child such. Apparently, according to behindthename.com, Kennedy is the 110th most popular girl's name in America, right above Amanda (!).
--A different young girl, about 10 years old, came in and said the following: "Chocolate? I've never had chocolate ice cream before!" How, I asked myself, is this possible?
--Yet another young girl came in and said of her companion's choice of getting her ice cream in a dish: "You're eating ice cream with a spoon? That's funny." What is it with kids these days?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Ice Cream Happenstancery
As the zoo transitions into its Fall Hours, I have been shuttled to several different stands (no doubt to test their reactions to my awesomeness). The past few days I have been shoveling ice cream in the dairy part of the zoo. Here are some things I've noticed and experienced from my time there, and please note that some of these apply to the other stands at the zoo as well:
--At least twice a day I will hear a mother/father say to a child some variation on the phrase "you need a nap!" (the most common variation being "you're taking a nap as soon as we get home!")
--On the other hand, at the opposite end of the energy spectrum, you wouldn't believe how often kids are upset at the prospect at having to eat ice cream. "No, Mom, I don't want any!"
--This happens most often with Blue Moon: a kid will pick a flavor and her mother will give an "icky" face and explain that, honey, you won't/don't like that flavor. The mother will then usually end up picking vanilla or chocolate for the child. Now, I know it's none of my business, but I feel that on most of these occasions the mother is letting her own bias get in the way of what the child wants--she thinks Blue Moon tastes bad, so she won't feed it to her child. Not that Blue Moon isn't bad, mind you--it's a terrible, terrible flavor.
--I don't care if "ice creams" is a proper plural form, I still find it weird.
--The other day a very nice man walked up to the counter and said the zoo was one of the best he'd ever visited, and he'd "visited quite a few." He said it was very clean and the staff was very friendly. I suppose that counted as his tip.
Lastly: Please make sure you have change before you hand your money to the person at the register. Don't suddenly remember you have some after we've entered the cash into the drawer. Most likely we will try doing the calculations in our heads and you will end up shortchanged.
--At least twice a day I will hear a mother/father say to a child some variation on the phrase "you need a nap!" (the most common variation being "you're taking a nap as soon as we get home!")
--On the other hand, at the opposite end of the energy spectrum, you wouldn't believe how often kids are upset at the prospect at having to eat ice cream. "No, Mom, I don't want any!"
--This happens most often with Blue Moon: a kid will pick a flavor and her mother will give an "icky" face and explain that, honey, you won't/don't like that flavor. The mother will then usually end up picking vanilla or chocolate for the child. Now, I know it's none of my business, but I feel that on most of these occasions the mother is letting her own bias get in the way of what the child wants--she thinks Blue Moon tastes bad, so she won't feed it to her child. Not that Blue Moon isn't bad, mind you--it's a terrible, terrible flavor.
--I don't care if "ice creams" is a proper plural form, I still find it weird.
--The other day a very nice man walked up to the counter and said the zoo was one of the best he'd ever visited, and he'd "visited quite a few." He said it was very clean and the staff was very friendly. I suppose that counted as his tip.
Lastly: Please make sure you have change before you hand your money to the person at the register. Don't suddenly remember you have some after we've entered the cash into the drawer. Most likely we will try doing the calculations in our heads and you will end up shortchanged.
Grammatical craziness
OK, a little bit of politics. There was a political ad I saw on TV not a half hour ago that featured a glaring grammatical error:
RGA TV Ad: Tom Barrett - Wisconsin
The ad, critical of gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett, features two bar patrons arguing whether Barrett was responsible for "Higher Taxes" or "Less Jobs." I cringed when I saw this commercial, because the latter claim should read "Fewer Jobs." The word "less" refers to something that can't be counted, as in "I'm in less pain than I was yesterday;" meanwhile, "fewer" refers to something that can be definitively quantified, as in, "If only I'd taken fewer doses of epinephrine."
Way to go, Republican Governor's Association. A focus group thought of this commercial, editors approved it, and a bunch of actors read their lines without anyone noticing? Or were these naysayers dismissed for being too grammatically elitist like they came from the East Village or something?
And perhaps it wouldn't get my goat so much if "Less Jobs" wasn't screamed repeatedly throughout the ad, and featured in two additional TV spots where it is also shouted at the top of everyone's lungs. Come on, RGA.
This is what I get for reading the Language Log.
RGA TV Ad: Tom Barrett - Wisconsin
The ad, critical of gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett, features two bar patrons arguing whether Barrett was responsible for "Higher Taxes" or "Less Jobs." I cringed when I saw this commercial, because the latter claim should read "Fewer Jobs." The word "less" refers to something that can't be counted, as in "I'm in less pain than I was yesterday;" meanwhile, "fewer" refers to something that can be definitively quantified, as in, "If only I'd taken fewer doses of epinephrine."
Way to go, Republican Governor's Association. A focus group thought of this commercial, editors approved it, and a bunch of actors read their lines without anyone noticing? Or were these naysayers dismissed for being too grammatically elitist like they came from the East Village or something?
And perhaps it wouldn't get my goat so much if "Less Jobs" wasn't screamed repeatedly throughout the ad, and featured in two additional TV spots where it is also shouted at the top of everyone's lungs. Come on, RGA.
This is what I get for reading the Language Log.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Still here
Yes, I'm still alive. There hasn't been much to report at the zoo since the mad rush of a la Carte (oh, you didn't hear about that? My bad). In the future I'll try to report on the madcap hijinks that go down in the fall and winter, all in preparation for that brilliant three-act zoo play I'll write (no animals will be in the play, and in the end the message will be that humans are the real animals). Samuel Beckett mixed with David Mamet, anyone?
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