Blue Suede Hodgepodge

I interrupt my search for a new vehicle to bring you the following edition of 

the Wednesday Hodgepodge, sponsored by 

Joyce.   Thank you, Joyce. 

One  fuuny thing before I start: my hubby just chuckled at a weather page he saw online: 

"Tonight's Low--11 degrees"

Current temperature:-- 10 degrees"

1. Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English.  Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words were chosen).  Here are the words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2014-

selfie, twerk/twerking, hashtag, Twittersphere, Mr. Mom, T-bone, ____on steroids, the suffixes-ageddon, and -pocalypse added to anything and everything, from the world of politics the words-intellectually/morally bankruptand Obamacare, and from the world of sports the words-adversity and fan base

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

None of those words has bothered me (yet) from overuse. However,  I'm probably most annoyed with all the selfies I see on Facebook. It's not the selfies themselves, but the frequency and the mere fact that they are, by nature, self-focused.  I won't expound here;   I brought up this pet peeve by way of poking fun of it on my Facebook-- and one of my friends got so bent out of shape that she unfriended me. Wow. 

There's a suffix I'd like to see banned: -alicious.  Porkalicious. Waffle-icious.  Swagga-licious. It should  be banned. and so should first grade boys picking their nose and eating it. ("Boogerlicious ?")

2. What one unfinished project nags at you begging to be completed in this new year?

Fixing my old 1948 Singer 15-91 sewing machine so that I can use it.  (The power is amazing in that motor!)  It was useable when it came home from the repair shop (had it rewired for safety) but I decided to take it a little bit apart to clean the dust out, shine up some dull chrome, and polish the black metal.  (Thanks, YouTube, for the tutorial.) The other night I was "this close" to finish my reassembly it when I dropped a little, tiny screw that I cannot find anywhere. My son looked and looked. I used a flashlight. I got down on hands and needs. No can-do.

3. When did you last have a bowl of soup? What kind? Homemade or from a can? What's your favorite soup?

I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but it was a few nights ago and it was Ramen noodle soup, which is something I buy maybe once a year to satisfy my boy's craving for it.  He was so cute when he made it; he declared, "Now I'm ready for college!"  

I guess he's heard a few stories about how I survived on Ramen noodles circa 1985 in my humble apartment that had no stove, just a two-burner hot plate. And I was grateful . Hashtag Uphillbothwaysinthesnowtoschoolstory.

4. Snowed in, snowed under, snow job...which one most applies to your life in recent days, figuratively speaking.

Figuratively speaking, snow job.  I won't expound on this topic either; I have become cynical and am taking 2014 to try to reverse this recent (last 2 years) trend in my heart to believe I can't trust anyone who says they value me, my skills, or my giftings.

5. What's the funniest movie you've ever seen, or at least one of the funniest?

I'm really dating myself with this mention, but I think it was Meatballs.  Do you all remember it, with Bill Murray and all those pranks at summer camp? We laughed so hard. I wonder if I'd still find it funny, or if it just struck me funny in junior high. 

6.  In general, would you say you're clumsy?

In general, yes, and in specific, definitely yes.

7. Elvis Presley was born on Hodgepodge Day (January 8th) back in 1935.  Are you an Elvis fan?  What's your favorite Elvis tune? If that's too hard, which Elvis tune do you dislike the least?  Click here for a list of his songs.

I am an Elvis fan, indeed.   Not sure I can pick a favorite. Most danceable is "Jailhouse Rock," but I can also feel all swoony inside  when I hear "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You."  

Two bits of Elvis trivia:  (1) My husband's oldest brother used to be an Elvis impersonator. Hilarious!  He was particularly enchanting when he sang "Blue Suede Shoes." (Tony, if you're reading this, we must get an encore soon!)   (2) My mom's birthday is the day after Elvis's (but several years after).  Not that she reads my blog, but Happy Birthday to my mom!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Here's a "What Would You Do?" scenario for you, from my real life.  Let me set the background:

Yesterday I had to take my van in for a routine oil change and to have the tire plugged.  What a cold day! On the way to the shop, I stopped at the Exxon station to clean it out. Little did I know the battery was weak; after sitting at the trash can area for all of five minutes with the door open and lights on, I couldn't restart the engine.   I sat there cold, trying to put a plan together.

I closed my doors,  watched for anyone who looked like they knew how to jumpstart a vehicle (to no avail), called my hubby who said to call GEICO. Well, GEICO had me on hold too long; I couldn't waste my battery on that. Eventually my dear friend Bonnie came to my rescue and suggested I go inside and try to find someone with the know-how and confidence to give a hot-shot. I  then walked inside Exxon, summoned my public-speaking courage and cheeriest tone, and then asked, "Excuse me,  my car battery died out there. Is anyone in here able and willing to jumpstart it for me?"

I got the following responses from the six or seven customers in line:

-some pretended they couldn't hear me (but it's a small station and I projected like a cheerleader at a pep rally)

-some got suddenly busy on their phone or in their purse

-one lady asked,"You got cables?" and when I said, "Yes," she did nothing more.  Umm....okay.

Finally, one big, friendly man --who reminded me of former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis--stepped forward like a hero, out of the line he'd been waiting in. "I can help you, ma'am."  

And what did I do? First, I said something to him about getting more jewels in his crown for this good deed.  

Then I asked him, "Are you sure you're warm enough without a coat? I mean, I can call GEICO."   Something in me has to mother everyone I meet; why is that??  He gave Bonnie and me a brief refresher course under the hood: "black-to-black, red-to-red."  I think I knew that, but all things electrical scare the wits out of me. I thanked him profusely and he went back inside.

Anyway, what would YOU do if you had been one of the customers in the Exxon  in the same situation? Be honest. I'm curious.