Tub-thumper

Tub-thumper

Hey, dig this: I guess tub-thumpers discuss their cause with much élan. Huh? Huh? I used an earlier word in today's entry! You know what that means? I may actually remember some of these words and what they mean. I've been getting the WotD for a couple years now, and can't usually remember what a word means five minutes after I delete the email. Thing is, I can't remember what a lot of words mean even after I look them up. Do you know how many times I've looked up "vociferous"? Such a great word, too - just bounces over the gums. The only reason I remember what "odious" means is from reading/seeing Othello numerous times and reading too much Joyce Carol Oates. 

Anyway, back on track. To me, tub-thumpers seem like those people that drive around the neighborhood with the bass of their music so loud it makes their car vibrate. Obviously neither group got enough attention as a child.

"LOOK AT ME!!!!!"

Evidently they don't know that the 21st century way of making up for attention-lacking childhoods is to create a blog where said person talks about little else other than self, and then posts each entry to Facebook and Google+. Hopefully the blog will be at least slightly entertaining, but the important thing is to check the stats every few hours to see just how many people gave said blogger attention. The only problem with this method is that when simply posting on social media, one's "friends" can simply ignore said post and said blogger does not receive the attention said blogger so ignominiously* needs. Damn it! Said blogger needs to quit being so passive-aggressive in said attention getting.

 *I learned that from neither Shaikkespere nor JCO. Not even the WotD. I learned that from a PDQ Bach album. Yes, I said album, and I mean album. "Hmmph," says Shelly Duvall as Olives Oyle.

unbolted

Unbolted

Unfortunately because of a sudden lack of work/life balance (wait, am I back in Corporate America?), I don't really have any time to write today. However, I will say that today's word pretty much sums up how my brain works when I'm writing this blog.

"So, Brie, what's your blog all about?"
"Well basically it's me...unbolted."
Oh yea.

In the meantime, here's what many people refer to as A Celebration of 80s Film Making.

Elan

Élan

So I was thinking I was going to start out saying how everybody should be élan about something in their life, but I usually reserve that for geekdomness. But then I realized that perhaps geeking something is a step beyond elanning it. The woman who sits behind me at work loves romance novels that involve time travel. She also listens to boybands with elan. I asked her if she geeked them or just enjoyed them for the irony: "I genuinely like boybands; I mock romance novels. Does that make sense?" Ya darn tootin' it does! As the kids say nowadays - I'm down with that!

So élan vs. geeking. It's sort of like that fine line betwixt irony and sarcasm. People sometimes say I'm sarcastic. However, I most definitely am not - there's no art to being sarcastic. If I was gonna be sarcastic I'd go all the way to being sardonic. No, I am ironic.

With just a twist of sauciness.

Remember, though, the line betwixt élan and obsession is neither narrow nor fine. Stalking, for example, is not going after someone with élan - it's a crime! Get the psychological help, you need it! Élan good – stalking bad!!!! Unless it's Jamie Bell, then it's understandable.

No wait, no!! Not even Jamie Bell! Bad stalker, bad!*

Thanks, to the interwebs, there is room at the table for all élans! Even if it is totally creepy. After spending a bit of time on The Island** suddenly my élan for Gus Visser*** and his duck isn't so strange, is it????


*But, hmmmmmmmmmmm, Janie Bell...
**Don’t you love words with silent esses? I know I do!!
***I wonder if that’s any relation to the Visser I know?