At Least They Can Spell Ear

This store along W 14th Street is advertising free ear piercing with the purchase of earrings. Not only did they misspell "piercing", but they also misspelled "earrings".

I hope they take more care with the piercing then they do with their signs.

At least this is a hand-written sign. I really don't understand how professional sign-makers in New York misspell words on signs as often as they do. In my mind the gold standard of this type of negligence is how the MTA misspelled "downtown" on a subway sign.

Would You Rather...

A few years ago I attended my company's Christmas party and left with a white elephant gift named Would You Rather?. This is a game where players are asked "to choose between two uncomfortable choices". One example is "would you rather die drowning or suffocating". Another (more creative) example involved using a wood rasp to sand down the hump of a camel.

Camels have large humps.

If you're the kind of person who likes asking these questions, this game is a terrific idea. If you're not, it's not, and most people aren't. Consequently, the first party I took the game to was also the last.

But I like asking questions like these. Well, I liked asking them. I always believed this to be the result of a healthy and natural curiosity. Initially Kelley indulged me. It wasn't long before she started to cut me off as I was explaining the options with a playful - but insistent - "I don't answer hypotheticals!". As her tone progressed to annoyance and then to hostility, I realized my curiosity was neither healthy nor natural. In the interest of domestic tranquility, I made a change. I've stopped asking these questions, but I'm constantly thinking of them.

The Interrogative Mood

So it was with great enthusiasm that I learned about The Interrogative Mood: A Novel?, Padgett Powell's new book. Immediately I showed Kelley a book review. Her response was "It's you!" And then she reserved the book for me from the Brooklyn Public Library.

Powell will be reading at 192 Books on Wednesday, October 21.

Say What?

These days we have way too many passwords for various systems and websites we use. Some systems have password rules that are so complex that it is difficult to come up with - let alone remember - a password.

Today I found Random Password Generator. This site allows you to enter various rules (number of characters, if numbers should be included, etc) and it generates a password for you.

What's your pleasure?

It also includes a phonetic guide to help you say the password. For example, xEFr&e is pronounced "x-ray - ECHO - FOXTROT - romeo - Ampersand - echo". How is ECHO pronounced differently from echo?

And don't say "it's louder".

This Commercial Makes Me Sad

Every time I see these advertisements for Swiffer mops I get a little choked up. Seriously. I feel really bad for the poor, discarded mop.



And this one is even more heart-breaking.