FOLKS

I was in Williams, AZ for the entire Memorial Day weekend. We took the train from Williams to the Grand Canyon. The 2 hour train ride was fun for about 25 minutes, then it got hella long. A pig tailed, freckled faced cart attendant was responsible for making the trip fun and active. We sang, told jokes (real bad ones like knock knocks), guessed riddles, were robbed by some really bad train robber actors (they actually took money, tips), and yelled out "Elk!" every time we saw a few. On the way to the Grand Canyon all this was ok but on our way back, when we were all tired and sleepy, well let's just say we weren't thrilled to hear "She'll be coming around the mountain" with guitar and harmonica right next to your ear. Suffice it to say, the country air was nice but next time I think we'll just drive to the Canyon.

Besides the bad jokes, and cowboy hats, the other thing that was in ample supply was the word folks. "Howdy folks!" "Where you folks from?" "Folks y'all better hang on to your boots........" Everywhere you went there was folks just ready to greet you, warn you, ask you, and mosey you down to wherever. Geez!

Yet, we had a great ol' time. Besides all the folks, the folks in Williams, AZ are really nice people. If you ever find yourself there check out the ice cream parlor called Twisted Sister. Great sundaes and floats! It was rainy and cold, but the ice cream was great! Y'all folks come back and see us, ya hear.

image: http://www.whybenormal.today.com/

Whatever!

Ok, I don't actually dislike the overuse of this word. I don't know if it's because I'm a native Valley girl and like to give a Valley girl spin on it, a short WHAT and long EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR, but the fact is I use it more than my husband would like. I really don't think I overuse it, but whatever!

This got me to thinking of Valley words I used to say a lot. These words or phrases were not created by Valley girls. We just put an annoying little spin on them when pronouncing. Hearing a teenage Valley girl speak is the most annoying thing. I'd like to apologize to my high school teachers for the daily torture. Here are some of my favorites:

Like ( Like totally, like for sure, like oh my God, like peachy keen, like yeah right, like as if) This is actually a fabulous word. It goes like with everything, you know? (the question mark here is just me trying to preserve the grammatical form, but no one really cared about a proper question tags.)

You know?

Totally

For Sure

Oh my God

Peachy keen

Yeah right

As if

For those of you wondering, when I write Valley I'm referring to the San Fernando Valley. There is only one Valley. Anything else is a wannabe, never will be.

image: www.j00wish.com

LOL

Lola Orders Liver, Lavender Orderish Laundry, Living Outrageously Large, Lonely Old Logger. I'd rather have LOL stand for any of these except for what it's used for now. Don't get me wrong I love to laugh and out loud is fine, but I can't stand seeing LOL everywhere. "That was funny! LOL" Ok, what is wrong with this sentence? The person has already stated that something was funny, why add the LOL? Was it put in case we didn't know what "That was so funny." meant? C'mon folks!

Lulled Otter Lounge

Low Organized Land

Lipstick Overuse Laws

Laurence Olivier Lives!

Join me and add your own!!

image: www.derenegade.blogspot.com

Maverick

Mel Gibson's Maverick was really bad. I can recall sleeping through parts of it. The 1994 movie sucked and Jodi Foster was not a tad bit convincing, but still the word maverick did not go South, that actually happened in 2008. Maverick derailed and loss its essence when used to the point of vomiting during the 2008 election when referring to John McCain. "He's a real maverick, that McCain." "The old maverick was rallying for support in Texas the other day......" You couldn't escape it. Everywhere you turned there was that annoying word. I got tired of hearing it, as well as, "change", but that's another blog, that anytime news came on regarding the elections I'd switch the channel or turn the set off.

No longer the friend of cattle gone astray, maverick has become the person who isn't beholden to anyone, who is not for sale. Ruled only by independent thought and action. The funny thing is that maverick is usually attributed to politicians. Now why would anyone, alive on planet Earth, define any politician as a maverick? Not beholden to anyone? Not for sale? Independent thought and action? Somehow this meaning does not lead me to use it to define any politician of any sort. Surely we all know politicians and know they say one thing and do another. Buy and are bought. Go along with whoever makes it worth their while. Cynical, perhaps. With a lot of truth in it, you bet.

Ah well who understand anything any longer anyway. I personally never used to think of a maverick as a stray cow or a politician. When I heard the word the image of Yosemite Sam would come to mind. Now there was a maverick. He didn't like Bugs and wasn't afraid to say it. How many times, with more gump than Elmer Fud, did he try to kill Bugs? Too many for this Looney Tune watcher to remember. Here was Yosemite going against all the odds, beholden to no one, independent and willing to eliminate that dang rabbit we all knew and loved. Who doesn't recall the old piano cartoon when he loads the piano with dynamite so that when Bugs hits a certain note..............BOOM! Of course, like Elmer and Wild E. Coyote with the Road Runner, Yosemite never seemed to get his way and Bugs got the last laugh. But did that deter Yosemite? Did that make him give up? No sir! He was determined, goal minded, independent, go getter, and yes...................a real maverick!

image of Yosemite: www.math.ku.edu

Engage

Captain Picard of Star Trek The Next Generation said it often. He would take his seat at the helm and in his typical Jean-Luc Picard voice say, "Engage." Sometimes he would say it more forceful, like when they had to hurry up and get the heck out of there because they had to go rescue someone from the Romulans or because the super inter binary galactic mass was going to close in on itself and take them with it ( I made the name up). Anyway, engage was just one of Picard's favorite words to say, but when he said it it didn't sound over used.

Today engage is like a really cheap prostitute that anyone can afford. It is tossed around and used in, in my opinion, the stupidest and more unnecessary ways. To me it has always meant when a couple decides to get married. They announce to their friends and family that they are engaged, ok good use. To say someone has a knack for keeping people's attention, that the person is fascinating or very interesting, he or she is said to be engaging, good use. When Picard says engage to mean "Let's get the heck out of here." we again have good use of the word. When we say we started up a conversation with someone, "We engaged in conversation." is also a good use of it, but it gets ridiculous when they over use it in this last meaning. "If we engage into the issue I'm sure we'll resolve it." "You must engage them in order to better understand their situation." "If we have an engaging engagement we will finish our work faster." Ok, I haven't really heard the last one, but wait it'll come. I'm sure it's just ready to pop out of some dumbass' mouth. I just don't understand why people don't just speak plainly. What's wrong with "Let's talk about the issue and see if we can resolve it." or "I'll speak with them to better understand their situation." These sentences are just as good.

The excessive use of a word makes it sound so fake, so phony baloney. It seems people think that by tossing engage around they sound smarter or more PC. I don't think they do. I think they sound like they jumped on the band wagon of excessive use of words. Frankly I find it disengaging and not at all part of true engagementalism.

Let's do our part to stop these excessive use of words fanatics. Next time you hear an engaged phrase that really didn't need to be, stop the person, preferably in mid-sentence, and say, "You know what, NO you cannot over use it." and then just walk away.

picture of Picard from: www.itusozluk.com