Category: funny

the most annoying phrases

You’ve likely seen this already.  Last week the folks at Marist Poll released their list of the most annoying phrases.  There were five choices respondents could choose from:

  • “at the end of the day”
  • “it is what it is”
  • “you know”
  • “whatever”
  • “anyway”

If my wife represented the average respondent, than the phrase “it is what it is” would have ranked as the most reviled of phrases.  (Seriously, if you ever want to provoke an audible sigh and possible eye roll from Maggie, just drop the vaguely fatalistic “it is what it is” in conversation with her.)  I’m probably most guilty of the second most annoying phrase, “you know”.  It’s a handy phrase to gauge whether a conversation partner is following a train of thought.  You know?

And the most annoying phrase?  47% of respondents agreed that “whatever” should immediately be dropped from our collective vocabulary.  While I agree and would prefer never again to hear this sarcastic phrase in conversation, what can we actually do about it?  After all, it is what it is.

giant waterslide jump

The quietness of the blog is evidence of my post-Lollapalooza state of mind.  Two days of non-stop music in the Chicago elements (rain all day Friday and blazing sun on Saturday) wore me out.  Tiredness notwithstanding, the festival was a lot of fun and I’ll post some tunes from my favorite musical discovery on Saturday.

I’ve got two Lollapalooza related articles in the works, so this blog continues to get the shaft.  However, thanks to my mom, I have the following video to share.  (That is, my mom sent the link.  That’s not her in the video.  At least, I don’t think it is.)

Vodpod videos no longer available.
So, is it real? Or even possible? Regardless, it looks fun.

noodling for catfish

While I was born in east Tennessee and went to college in western North Carolina, and even though Maggie’s extended family lives almost exclusively in the American South, I cannot in good conscious call myself a southerner.  I do, however, enjoy our annual visits to Brownsville, Tennessee to visit family and if geography and climate were the only criteria we would choose to live in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina.

This video of two guys catfish noodling (and I say this with no trace of sarcasm) brings additional fondness for the type of culture that is most often found south of the Mason-Dixon Line.  I’m not sure you could pay me enough to stick my hand down a catfish’s throat, but these guys seem to be having a blast.

Any Signs of Life readers ever tried fishing this way?

(via kottke)

happy saturday: bad christian facebook ads

Every once in a while I notice a particularly goofy ad on the New Community Facebook page.  There must be an algorithm that attempts to place Christian-like ads on our church page.  (Click an image for a better view.)

These ads leave me in quite the bind: do I tattoo my Facebook profile with the Virgin Mary, the crucifix, or an Old Testament image?  Do you think Deuteronomy 23:13 would be considered among the “various images from the Old Testament”?