Update: Added this gem to enable posting on certain media sites.
This lovely is mine, from my days as a wannabe copywriter,
for a spec ad for Ivory Soap.
I wrote in an earlier post, (National Popcorn Day) that you would not see any profanity at Sadie's. Here are my reasons:
I have days, like many others, that I would get little else written, if I allowed myself the luxury of putting to page every BEAUTIFUL, IMAGINATIVE, CATHARTIC, expletive that crossed my mind. Yes, it's that many. Also, as I said before, something gets lost; the emphatic quality of SCREAMING IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
As I have two young impressionable, as well as intelligent and impish daughters, one guess as to how much I get to do just that. In fact, my husband and I have come up with a gaggle of mundane words to substitute, such as BISCUIT! or PICKLE! or even FLOCK! These have been so successful, that last night I was especially proud. I was reading with my 8 year old, David Gets In Trouble by David Shannon. There is a point where David gets a bar of soap in mouth, only to rationalize, "But Dad says it!" My daughter repeatedly asked what he said. I replied, "A word that he's not supposed to say." "But what word?" "I don't know... " This went on and on, till I thought of the response, "maybe he called his sister 'stupid'" Which ended the Q&A session of bedtime.
I gloated afterword, thinking she had to ask because we've been so successful in our "alternative expletives". Then I came to the more likely reason: she was trying to bait me. Either way, with the "stupid sister" statement, I had the last word; thus, I consider it a win. Hey, I have never claimed to be the height of maturity.
I also possess the ability to cast a smile so that you would never guess the "lovelies" I have streaming through my mind. I was born with red hair and freckles and that "fresh off the boat" look, that often gives people the impression, that I am a naive, insecure, albeit goodhearted, soul. We'll see.
Then there's a line in my Words of Wisdom. Not every thought needs to come out or get put on a social medium. I just don't want to read it, or hear it for the most part. Exceptions are most books by Henry Miller, or any of the late great George Carlin videos. Love 'em both and the world is poorer without them.
There are blogs that I read that have quite a few adult terms, or comments made with the use of very "colorful language. " I know, it's early in the life of Sadie's Gathering, but I am hoping for it to be around for a while. Given that I spend quite a bit of time on it, I feel it won't be too long before my daughters are curious as to what Mom's been up to. I am simply too tired to come up for a rationale for why I use it here and they can't say it... whenever. Plus, let's face it: that time will come soon enough, with or without my help.
Lastly, I love language. I had five years of French, two of Spanish, and try to pick up as much as I can of other languages as I find, that pique my interest at that time. Whether it be Italian, Russian, Greek, Swahili, or German; I am intrigued; love the cascade of sounds; and am in constant awe of the omnipresent differences in all. There are over 6,000 languages in the world today. Now, it is estimated that a lot of those have less than 1,000 speakers, but still; 6,000. Mandarin Chinese is the most popular with over a billion who speak the language. Visit Omniglot.com, an amazing language site that features languages, alphabets, and even fictional languages. Explore, and find some new words in another language and you will grow an appreciation for all the ways you can say thank you, and good night, and other useful phrases.
Ciao Bella!
Sue I am truly enjoying your blog.
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