Realtor or REALTOR®? Either Way, Royal Bullshit

I have long been suspicious of the word Realtor, Realtor®, REALTOR®, or whatever it is. It began years ago when I noticed that the National Association of Realtors stressed that they were called the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and that their members were obviously called…REALTORS® That’s right. All caps and with the registered trademark symbol.… Continue reading Realtor or REALTOR®? Either Way, Royal Bullshit

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Merchant Ivory-Speak

My son Lucas, when he was 2 1/2 years old, began speaking like an actor in a Merchant Ivory movie. “Merchant Ivory” refers to a film production company established in 1963 which filmed covers of high-falutin’ texts from Henry James, E.M. Forster, and others.  Interestingly enough, James Ivory was born in the decidedly un-high-falutin’ town… Continue reading Merchant Ivory-Speak

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“The Year 2000”: Lost Forever

Is the phrase “the year 2000” or, more widely, “the year 20XX,” lost to history forever?  I believe it is–except preserved in old movies and TV shows. Before 2000 rolled around, people almost always referred to this future event as “the year two-thousand.” I remember wondering, pre-2000, if people would continue that usage. They didn’t,… Continue reading “The Year 2000”: Lost Forever

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Secret Stash

Secret stashes tend to fall along the lines of either those crappy fake hollow books you buy at Bed Bath & Beyond or DIY stashes (for the herb!) that simply do the job but look like Hell. Yiting Cheng has gloriously overturned these assumptions with his/her (?) art project, Secret Stash. Glasses of orange juice… Continue reading Secret Stash

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