I Am Obsessed with This Particular Exchange of Dialogue

I am just now realizing how amazing Venture Bros. is. I've been watching the first two seasons over and over again for the last few weeks. This one of my favorite dialogue exchanges. Poor Doctor Orpheus. I love that guy!

Dr. Orpheus: "That's why I've been looking everywhere for their souls because I accidentally resurrected their bodies!"

Dr. Venture: "Wait, you saw their bodies?"

Dr. Orpheus: "Saw them? I made them a fucking milkshake!"

Dr. Venture: "Nice. Way to go Brock!"

Brock: "Must have been that power surge."

Dr. Orpheus: "Who is your grief counselor? Mother Teresa?!?"

- Venture Bros, Season Two, Episode One, "Powerless in the Face of Death"

Vocabulary Words Your Kids Can Learn From Disney Movies (Part 2)

As promised, I am back again with more SAT caliber vocabulary words your kids can learn from Disney movies! Make lexicographers out of your offspring!

1. Deplore (/diˈplôr/) - v. Feel or express strong disapproval of (something)

Can be heard in: "Topsy Turvy" - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

It’s the day we do the things that we deplore
On the other three hundred and sixty-four!

2. Expectorating - v. Cough or spit out phlegm from the throat or lungs

Can be heard in: "Gaston" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)

In a spitting match, nobody spits like Gaston!

I’m especially good at expectorating!

3. Façade (/fəˈsäd/) - n. An outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality.

Can be heard in: "Belle" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Now it’s no wonder that her name means “beauty”

Her looks have got no parallel

But behind that fair façade

I’m afraid she’s rather odd

4. Joie de vivre (/ˌZHwä də ˈvēvrə/) - n. Exuberant enjoyment of life.

Can be heard in: "Human Again" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Cheeks a-blooming again, we’re assuming again

We’ll resume our long lost joie de vivre 

Too bad this one got left out of the original theatrical release. It is a really great song and it was seemlessly integrated into the movie:

5. Menagerie (/məˈnajərē/) - n. A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition; A strange or diverse collection.

Can be heard in: "Prince Ali" - Aladdin (1992)

When it comes to exotic types mammals

Has he gotta a zoo! And I’m telling you

It’s a world class menagerie!

6. Paragon (/ˈparəˌgän/) - n. A person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality; A person or thing viewed as a model of excellence

Can be heard in: "Gaston" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)

For there’s no man in town half as manly

Perfect, a pure paragon!

7. Provincial (/prəˈvinSHəl/) - adj. Of or characteristic of people from the provinces; not fashionable or sophisticated; Limited in perspective; narrow and self-centered.

Can be heard in: "Belle" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)

There must be more than this provincial life!

8. Revile (/riˈvīl/) - v. Criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner

Can be heard in: "Out There" - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Out there they’ll revile you as a monster
Out there they will hate and scorn and jeer

9. Uncouth (/ˌənˈko͞oTH/) - adj. (of a person or their appearance or behavior) Lacking good manners, refinement, or grace.

Can be heard in: "The Gospel Truth II" - Hercules (1997)

He ran the underworld

But thought the dead were dull and uncouth

10. Unnerving - v. Make (someone) lose courage or confidence

Can be heard in: "Be Our Guest" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Life is so unnerving to a servant who’s not serving

He’s not whole without a soul to wait upon

Still more to come!!!

Why Is This A Thing?

If you're a member of Geek community, then I'm sure you've caught wind of the "Cosplay is NOT Consent" Movement. Here's a good article that explains it if you're not familiar. Essentially, the movement's purpose is to raise awareness of inappropriate behavior towards costumed congoers and, hopefully, prevent it from happening. The objectification of women in geek culture is, sadly, nothing new. I've gone on tirades before about women finding themselves having to prove how "geeky" they are in order to battle the myth of the "Fake Geek Girl." I've talked until I was blue in the face about how pursuing popularity in the cosplay community has practically destroyed it.

I really didn't think it was possible for anything to take all three of these things that I DESPISE about the geek community and roll them into one.

Yet the universe has managed to surprise me again.

May I present for your disapproval, The Miss Nerd America Contest.

It's a beauty pageant for nerds geek women who, according to the site will be awarded points for, "intelligence, nerd cred, and nerd beauty."

I didn't realize there were subcategories for beauty. Is nerd beauty different from regular beauty? Is nerd beauty supposed to be on such a lower scale from regular beauty that you have to point out that it's specifically nerd beauty?

They had subcategories for winners before: Miss Sci-fi/Comics, Miss Literature, and Miss Math and Science Nerd. These were replaced with the "adorable" and diminutive, "Miss Nerd America Princess!"

Are you kidding me?

Naturally, there are already a sizable number of entries from women whose pictures vary wildly in content: from simple and straightforward profile picture-esque shots to boudoir-quality shots in cosplay.

What I can't figure out is why? I'm sure there are some women who'd get a kick out of entering in a nerd beauty pageant (I'm calling it what it is, because a half-naked picture will probably get more votes than a woman that's a rocket scientist for NASA on this thing because voting for the winner is open to the public) but who is running this thing? That's the first burning question I would have to ask myself before divulging my personal information on poorly, cobbled together website.

Who IS Groovy Nerd Media? I haven't been able to find ANYTHING of note about them and their website is about as informative about them as their Facebook page

So a couple of guys running a computer business started the Miss Nerd America Contest  Geek Beauty Pageant to crown the Miss Nerd America Princess and give her and her royal court an Amazon Kindle and some (apparently) much needed nerd cred?

Okay....

Why is this a thing?

Vocabulary Words Your Kids Can Learn from Disney Movies (Part 1)

This will soon become abundantly clear, but I really, really like Disney movies. A sizable percentage of my music library is Disney music. On one particularly boring night, I wrote the lyrics to every song in Robin Hood (except "Whistle Stop" because I hadn't figured out a way to phonetically write a whistle).

I know the words to a lot of Disney songs but that hasn't always been the case. When I was a kid there were quite a few lyrics I could never make out. I did the usually kid thing and just cobbled together some syllables I thought sounded like whatever Robin Williams was singing and kept rolling. As I got older, I began to realize that the reason I didn't know what they were saying was that there were some seriously amazing words stuck in there that were WAY beyond my 6 year old mind.

So I now present to you a list of vocabulary words that your kids can learn from Disney movies:

1. Amorous (/ˈamərəs/) - adj. Showing, feeling, or relating to sexual desire

Can be heard in: "Prince Ali" - Aladdin (1992)

Prince Ali, amorous he, Ali Ababwa!

Heard your princess was a site, lovely to see.

2. Asunder (/əˈsəndər/) - adv. Apart, divided; into pieces

Can be heard in: "Prince Ali" - Aladdin (1992)

He’s a winner, he’s a whiz, a wonder!

He’s about to pull my heart asunder

And I absolutely love the way he dresses 

3. Bona Fide (/ˈbōnə ˌfīd/) - adj. Genuine; real

Can be heard in: "Friend Like Me" - Aladdin (1992)

So don’t you sit there slack-jawed, buggy-eyed
I’m here to answer all your midday prayers
You got me bona fide certified
You’ve got a genie for your chargé d'affaires

It's worth noting that Genie pronounces bona fide a little bit differently than I'm accustomed to:

4. Calumny (/ˈkaləmnē/) - n. The making of false and defamatory statements in order to damage someone's reputation; slander

Can be heard in: "Out There" - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Out there they’ll revile you as a monster
Out there they will hate and scorn and jeer

Why invite their calumny and consternation?

5. Chargé d'affaires - n. A subordinate diplomat who substitutes for an absent ambassador or minister

Can be heard in: "Friend like Me" - Aladdin (1992)

So don’t you sit there slack-jawed, buggy-eyed
I’m here to answer all your midday prayers
You got me bona fide certified
You’ve got a genie for your chargé d'affaires

6. Consternation (/ˌkänstərˈnāSHən/) - n. feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected

Can be heard in: "Out There" - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Out there they’ll revile you as a monster
Out there they will hate and scorn and jeer

Why invite their calumny and consternation?

7. Coterie (/ˈkōtərē/) - n. A small group of people with shared interests and tastes, esp. one that is exclusive of other people

Can be heard in: "Prince Ali" - Aladdin (1992)

Now try your best to stay calm

Brush up your Sunday shalom

And come to meet his spectacular coterie 

8. Genuflect (/ˈjenyəˌflekt/) - v. lower one's body briefly by bending one knee to the ground, typically in worship or as a sign of respect

Can be heard in: "Prince Ali" - Aladdin (1992)

Prince Ali, fabulous he, Ali Ababwa

Genuflect, show some respect

Down on one knee

9. Nabob (/ˈnābäb/) - n. a person of conspicuous wealth or high status; a Muslim official or governor under the Mogul empire

Can be heard in: "Friend Like Me" - Aladdin (1992)

Mr. Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three
I’m on the job you big nabob

10. Nom de Plume (/ˌnäm də ˈplo͞om/) - n. a pen name; an alias 

Can be heard in: "Prince Ali" - Aladdin (1992)

One jump ahead of the slow pokes

One skip ahead of my doom

Next time gonna use a nom de plume

This is by no means an exhaustive list! Stay tuned for more!

I'd Like to Begin with a Quote

I am making my glorious return to the blogosphere (assuming that blogosphere is a word. If it isn't, you're welcome. Now it is). My old Xanga blog is too full of angst and tragedy to be of any use to me now. I also have no idea what's going on at Xanga anymore.

Wait. Is Xanga still around?

Excuse me for a second...

It is! Fancy that!

While I plot and ponder more interesting things to say, I'll leave you with a few words from one of my favorite movies:

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."