Archive for the ‘Nonclassified Nonsense’ Category

The Sam’s, that they’ve been building right down the street from us since we moved here, finally opened last week. That means we don’t have to drive all the way up to OKC to go shopping. We took Arthur on his first Sam’s run on Wednesday. He holds a lot more bulk items than the Miata.

The Sam’s is so new that the concrete floors still look shiny. There was a huge line to get membership cards, and the greeter/bouncer seemed surprised we already had one.

We went back today because we’d forgotten Velveeta and didn’t get onions and bell peppers. The place was jam packed, but there were lots of checkout lanes open, so once we maneuvered the crowds, we got out of there pretty quickly.

We also went to an army/navy surplus (is the air force less wasteful?) store in Norman today that has everything 50% off. Berck got a pair each of navy, green, and cloud BDU trousers, and I got a navy pair…about $12 each. I love surplus stores. This one had crampons available, which would have come in handy on our icy hike in Zion National Park, though I couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse to buy them now in hope saving them for when we embark on some treacherous trek in the distant future.

We had to dash back from Sam’s, because Berck was scheduled to fly in a little while. He flew today and yesterday morning and Thursday night. He said he made himself nauseous tonight practicing chandelles.

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Actual Fact: In 1996 Ringo Starr appeared in a Japanese advertisement for apple sauce. Apparently, that’s what “Ringo” means in Japanese. (I don’t know if “Richard Starkey” means anything in Japanese.)

Berck was practicing flying in the dark tonight, so I made pizza. I tried something new… Chicago style stuffed pizza. And it was really good! Even if I did forget to put the salt and the garlic and the pizza spices in. I made it in our cast iron frying pan.

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Actual Fact: Reg Presley, the lead singer for The Troggs on their five million selling, 1966 hit “Wild Thing”, went on to become one of Britain’s premier UFO experts.

I’m still writing about my Chicago visit. But you can look at the photographs now. (Link up there.)

The word “revamp” means

To patch up or restore; renovate.
To revise or reconstruct.

So so if revamp means to patch up, what does the word “vamp” mean?

To patch up (something old); refurbish.
To put together; fabricate or improvise.
Music. To improvise (an accompaniment, for example) for a solo.

So basically vamp and revamp mean the same thing. Like flammable and inflammable. Except maybe revamp means more to patch up again.

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Actual Fact:

Leon Theremin, inventor of the Theremin, an electronic instrument you play without touching anything but the air around it (featured in the Beach Boy’s “Good Vibrations”), was convinced to the day he died that he could build a machine that would bring the dead back to life. He was still pursuing funding for this project up into his 90s.