Awesome sauce

Awesome!

It’s always so fun to say that.

What is awesome? I thought about that and went looking for clues. Here’s what I found.

This is true under any circumstances. Image found Out There.

"Awesome" is a compliment to be proud of. Image found Out There.

Sometimes awesome can't be put into words. Image found Out There.

Don't let this stop you from trying. Image found Out There.

"Awesome" itself is awesome! Image found Out There.

This post has received the Seal of Awesomeness!

Thanks, Alot!

A blogger named Allie has recently posted about her pet peeves concerning spelling and grammar. One thing that really puts a bee in her bonnet is when people spell “a lot” as one word: “alot.”

She’s thought a lot about “alot,” and drew a picture of the image that came into her mind.

Allie's imagined Alot. Found at http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

She’s incorporated her feelings for Alot in another drawing.

Does Allie care for ALL Alots, or just this one? Found at http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

What kinds of Alots are in Allie’s imagination? All kinds! Like this:

This Alot is hot! Found at http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

When it comes to Alots, Allie reaches out with love and understanding.

Allie listens, Alot. Found at http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

But there’s one thing Allie would like to get straight. When Alots (or anyone else) are spelling “a lot,” they had better make it TWO words, not ONE.

Yadiloh greetings!

Dan’s Mom writes:

Dear T,

I would like to tell you about a fabulous new holiday celebration. It’s called Yadiloh, the Festival of Brooms and Mice, and it happens on the second Sunday of December, right before the traditional holidays begin. I had an artist friend of mine make up a card for it.

Yadiloh card drawing by Dan's Mom's artist friend.

Yadiloh begins early in the morning as each and every kid in the family sweeps (or vacuums) their room and then cleans the whole house. Then, in the spirit of Yadiloh fun, they hide the broom (or vacuum).

After that, for even more fun, they sit quietly together and draw a picture of an adorable mouse. The fun doesn’t stop there! At this point, Mom or Dad takes on the role of Atnas, the Yadiloh Broom Finder. Atnas asks the kids (the Mice) where the broom (or vacuum) is. They tell him (or her), and then go outside to quietly play while Atnas takes a much-deserved Yadiloh nap.

Let’s get cracking and help make Yadiloh a part of every family’s holiday tradition! Here are a couple of rousing Yadiloh carols to get everyone in the mood.

Oh, Yadiloh!

(Sung to the tune of Oh, Tannenbaum)

Oh, Yadiloh! Oh, Yadiloh!

My favorite time of year.

Oh, Yadiloh! Oh, Yadiloh!

I’m glad you’re finally here.

I cleaned my room

and swept the house,

then hid the broom

and drew a mouse.

Oh, Yadiloh! Oh, Yadiloh!

You fill us all with cheer.

And:

Here Comes Atnas

(Sung to the tune of Here Comes Santa)

Here comes Atnas, here comes Atnas,

looking for the broom.

Here comes Atnas, here comes Atnas,

checking every room.

Searching twice and asking mice for any little clue,

Atnas knows a broom hunt is the funnest thing to do!

T replies:

Hey, Dan’s Mom. Yadiloh sounds like a real hoot, but if I didn’t know better, I’d think you made it up to get Dan to clean the house before the regular holidays begin. If so, you get credit for a very crafty plan. Let’s see if Dan (or anyone else) falls for it!

It’s and its, and Cousin Itt

The Addams Family's Cousin Itt: It's got its own style. Photo (c) 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Jude from Bennington, VT writes:

Dear T,

The school year is well underway for me here at college, and I’m a Teaching Assistant for an English Composition course. I love helping people learn the craft of writing, but I’ve got a big beef. In paper after paper, the students in my classes are confusing IT’S with ITS. These are college kids I’m talking about, not elementary schoolers. If you ask me, they should have figured it out by now.

I don’t want to sound like a nag, but please, please, please let me remind people one more time:

It’s is a contraction for it has or it is. Example: It’s a pleasure to meet you!

Its is a possessive pronoun meaning of it or belonging to it. Example: The fire truck is on its way.

There is NO SUCH WORD as its’, and so THERE IS NO EXAMPLE FOR ITS’!

I appreciate you letting me vent. This has been driving me crazy.

T replies:

You can vent here anytime, Jude, especially when it concerns questions of grammar. I don’t think you’re being a nag, although I do think you sound a little high-strung. If you ask me, you need to unwind a bit. You should rake up a pile of crisp, clean autumn leaves and then jump right into it. All kidding aside, its and it’s can sometimes fool the best of us, and it’s good to be reminded of its meaning. Thanks for putting its in its place, and it’s in its place, too.

The Rainbow Connection

Missouri rainbow photo by Dan Bush, found at missouriskies.org

Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side?

Kermit the Frog asked this interesting question in song at the beginning of The Muppet Movie. Here are a few of the songs about rainbows:

(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow

I’m Always Chasing Rainbows

Look to the Rainbow

She’s a Rainbow

In Rainbows

… and that’s just SOME of them.

Why are there so many songs about what is basically simply an optical and meteorological phenomenon? Probably because the rainbow has traditionally symbolized good news, hope, the promise of a better tomorrow, and the ending of gloom. Certain gypsies say that to dream of a brightly colored rainbow means a happy change is coming.

At any rate, the song Kermit sang is called The Rainbow Connection, and I can listen to it happily at any time of day.

Listen to Jason Mraz sing it. He really gets into it!

The Rainbow Connection was written by Paul Williams, who is one of my favorite songwriters. Paul wrote the songs for the movies Phantom of the Paradise and Bugsy Malone, as well as many classic hits. He’s also an actor. He played the genius orangutan Virgil in the movie Battle for the Planet of the Apes, of all things.

In 2003, Sixth Grader Colin Reboy from Tonawanda, NY began to interview exemplary people for the closed-circuit TV station at Fletcher Elementary School. He has since collected more than 100 video clips of his various interviews, and they can all be seen at Studio Kaiju.

Visit Studio Kaiju

Colin interviewed Paul Williams in 2005 in Bradford, PA.

Watch Colin’s interview with Paul

And now … because I just can’t help myself …

here’s something that has a VERY WEIRD connection to rainbows …

RAINBOW TOE SOCKS.

Injinji rainbow toe socks, found at besportier.com

Dear dictionary…

Karly from Bronxville, NY writes:

Dear T,

I’ll be a sophomore at college next year, and I can’t believe how many things I still haven’t figured out yet. I was on the town with a friend last night and we wondered why some streets are called Streets while others are called Lanes or Avenues or Boulevards. I’m sorry to say that neither of us knew the reason, even though we’re both Honors students!

As soon as I got home, I turned to the dictionary. Here’s what I learned:

A Street is a public road in a town or city, especially one that is paved, with sidewalks and buildings along one or both sides.

A Lane is a narrow country road or city street.

An Avenue is a street running at right angles to others called Streets.

A Boulevard is a broad street often lined with trees.

So, a Lane can be a street, and a Boulevard can be a street, but a Lane can never be a Boulevard! Don’t you love the dictionary?

T replies:

Hi, Karly. Thanks for taking the trouble to clear all that up. I’ve asked myself those same questions, but I’ve never bothered to look up the definitions. I do love the dictionary. The only problem with it is that in order to look up a word to see how it’s spelled, you’ve got to know how it’s spelled! By the way, I currently live on an Avenue, and I grew up on a Street and a Boulevard, but I haven’t yet lived on a Lane.