So, I’ve been tapped for the Inspiring blog award (from the estimable Hajra Khatoon) …Which means that I have a few things to do- and then get others to have to do the same thing….And, so with no further ado…
My Seven Favorite Words or Expressions…
OK, so there’s needs to be “ado”…. These may not be my most favorite, because this blog is not X-rated!!!!
1. Screw you and the horse you rode in on….
This is an expression that I learned at least 55 years ago. It’s one that has stuck with me. And, it expresses my feeling about many a lost soul…
2. Going to hell in a handbasket…
I have no clue when I learned it… But, when I am in that situation- or see others in such situations, there’s no better way to sound the alarm to change one’s path!
3. SNAFU
I learned this when I was about 6. Thanks to a 10 inch headline on the NY Post. Which described the subway situation (NY City) that obtained that day. You should have seen my father’s expression (as I ducked from his hand) when I asked him what it meant… Oh, he lied.. he said it was “situation normal…all fouled up”.
4. Ma Nishtana ha layla haze?
Some of you will get this one. It’s Hebrew. It’s said every Pesach (Passover); it’s the beginning of the Four Questions. And, it means- why is this night different from other nights? It’s what I use when someone complains about something that is so regular that ….
5. Eschew Obfuscation
It’s something to which I often refer when a client asks a question about a medical regulation, a section of the tax law, or when a politician (fails to) answer a question (you know- they describe the oceans and the trees, but not the issue). (It means avoid confusion, if you don’t already know.)
6. Thanks for the blinker…
Now that I don’t travel 100,000 miles a year (via airplanes, of course), I spend more time visiting clients driving on the highways. And, I wonder where these folks learned to drive. (This expression may also be replaced by a close 8th one… Where’d you get your license? Nunley’s Happyland? [For those of you who did NOT grow up on Long Island (Sorry, Charlie, we can’t all make the grade)… that was a great amusement park on the outskirts of Levittown or a smaller sister just over the line from Freeport, in Baldwin. Yes, they sold all kinds of fake things…]
7. I’m so glad you’re here.
Because I am. I love seeing my friends. I invite them over often for an evening of dinner, wine, and schmoozing. And, want to see them more often than that…
Seven little known facts about me
Really? There’s something about me that is not known? This is a lot tougher…
1. I love little kids. I love their wonder, their delight, and their innocence. (This was written about three weeks ago. I also feel for the lost innocence in Newtown. Let’s ban ALL semiautomatic weapons. They are not for hunting or ‘protection’. They are only meant to create vast destruction.)
2. I love to ride my bicycle.
3. I love to read. Which is because I love to learn. It’s my goal to learn everything. REALLY!
4. I really don’t feel that bluetooth in my ear.
5. I love seeing the “aha” on someone’s face, when they get it.
6. I detest those who exemplify, “Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up”.
7. I also detest those folks who send around “news items” that are Pure, Unadulterated Bulls…t. Who then entice others (idiots?) to send them around further, without determining if they’ve just been had. (Now, that second part of this issue really coincides with the 6th item above.)
Seven Nominees
These nominees are supposed to be people who inspire me. That does not mean that other folks blogs don’t interest me or that I don’t like their writing. But, I take the word “inspire” pretty literally…and, I can’t nominate others I know who’ve already been granted this award. THIS LIST IS NOT IN ANY SPECIAL ORDER!
- Stuart Nager. Who has a new blog series that is worth examining. Now.
- Janet Callaway. Who has put away her pen (sniff, sniff) to resort to video. She not only covers interesting items, she spends copious amounts of time and energy promoting others.
- Michael Hyatt. If you have not read his blog, then you’ve missed a lot.
- Marie Loerzel. Because she describes life as it is…not as one wishes it were. With humor and sass.
- Rav Shmuel Herzfeld. (Facebook) Who doesn’t write a blog (unfortunately), but posts on Facebook, writes for magazines and newspapers. (I’m honored that he is the rabbi of the shul to which I belong, too.)
- SueRae Cobbs Stein. Who doesn’t blog enough (hint, hint), but offers a great view of things that matter… Small things that make us smile.
- Jennifer Boykin. I know she thinks I stopped reading her blog long ago. Some assumptions (ok, many) are wrong…
I hope you find their writing as enjoyable as I do!
Many thanks, Roy! This is quite an honor, coming from someone who is so inspirational himself! What does SNAFU stand for anyway? I’ll have to really think through this one and I hope to get back to blogging on a more regular basis (I hear a new year’s resolution coming….) Great post!
Suerae Stein recently posted..Fab Foto Friday – Contrast…
I thank you for your thoughts, Suerae…
And, SNAFU is situation normal, all F….d up. (It’s a GI expression from WWII or the Korean War…)
Roy, aloha. Let me begin by thanking you for inclusion in your post. What an honor both that you selected me from your many choices and to be in such august company.
In reading the “Seven Little Known Facts,” I smiled when I read 1 & 5 which are so delightfully similar. Roy, anyone who knows anything about you would know #3. It is obvious from your thoughtful posts and comments.
Since I too use “hell in a handbasket” when I saw your comment I visited google for a quick search. While some date it back to Charlemagne, others date it to only the 1920s. While we may never know the true origins, for those occasions when we feel compelled to use it, there is no expression more appropriate.
Roy, this post was fun and thought provoking. Thanks the the smiles and stirring the brain cells. Until next time, aloha. Janet
Thanks so much for your comments, Janet. I truly appreciate your writings and efforts, as well!
Roy I loved learning a bit more about you. I definitely think that you deserve this award. I rarely have come to your site and not learned something or been inspired.
I laughed when I read your comments regarding your favorite words or expressions. I had no idea what SNAFU meant either. I also learned a few new ones I am sure I’ll use today when I head out (like “thanks for the blinker” lol)
Bonnie recently posted..Self Love – It’s not what you think!
Glad to have made you laugh, Bonnie!
No one ever accused me of “politically correct” comments!
Congrats on your nomination, Roy. Funny, I did not know what SNAFU stood for (and I usually ask on acronyms). See, learn something new every day. 🙂
I hope that this season find you afflicted with NONE of the potential SNAFU’s, Cathy!
Thanks for passing it around! Loved your phrases. Off to read a bit more about the nominees.
Hajra…
Thanks for your visit- and the award!!!!
Wow! I hardly imagined you a bicycle kind of guy. =) Can you ride without hands? Do you practice throwing a coffee cup off your bicycle whenever you get a new one? =) Kidding!
I can ride without hands- but I no longer find that an acceptable risk, Samantha. I prefer to control the bike- and move at respectable seepeds (although the local gendarmes may not find htose speeds acceptable)! And, I don’t generally drink while riding my bicycle 🙂 (and certainly, nothing stronger than coffee!)