D’oh! A Fauxcabulary Among Us
Today marks the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons. Whether you like the Fox show or hate it, you can’t deny that it’s infiltrated our culture. And thus, our language. D’oh! Maybe it’s because I’m the resident geek who’s collected dictionaries since she was 11 (actually, I think I’m just the only editor here who’s man […]
You’re Pierced Now?!
My first thought was, Eww. She looked dirty. Like her hair was matted and could have used a long visit with Head & Shoulders. Then there was that huge nose ring. I hadn’t seen many pierced nostrils before—and only “bad girls” did it then—but Christina Aguilera wasn’t afraid to buck society with nasal trinkets. That […]
Guessed List?
Last week, Virginia couple Tareq and Michaela Salahi allegedly crashed a state dinner in honor of India’s prime minister. The Salahis—who also are said to have invaded the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Awards Dinner—claim they were uncertain whether they were invited to the White House. So they showed up “just in case.” Somehow (without tickets, […]
Doctors and Secretaries and Moms, Oh, My!
Last month on a flight to the West Coast I sat next to a young woman who’d just gotten her Ph.D. in sociology. She was also a Christian, and like me, she’d spent serious time overseas. But unlike me, she was appalled by how American women are “marginalized” and “oppressed” when they should be treated […]
Axl Rose Meets Jesus?
I’m wrestling with something. A couple of weeks ago, an acquaintance said that her Denver-area church had sung the Guns N’ Roses’ hit “Paradise City” during its worship service. I considered those lyrics and wondered how they could inspire Christians. Sure, I see the universal longing for heaven in GNR’s words, but there’s “other stuff” […]
The Balloon Boy Has Landed (in Court)
Last week, 6-year-old Falcon Heene and his weird-science family made headlines when the boy was thought to have been caught up inside a helium balloon. For more than two hours the silver saucer-shaped craft drifted from Ft. Collins, Colo., to the field where it landed just north of Denver. Scores of rescue personnel and police […]
Why The Beatles Are More Important Than Pie
That Monday night, like most Monday nights, the Walnut Grove community was going through a dire dilemma. I can’t remember what their trial was during that episode, but I know that I, a child who’d savored each Little House on the Prairie book, was entranced in front of the television. Strangely enough, what I do […]
Put Down the CrackBerry and Talk!
Some friends and I had dinner last night. During our conversation, we got onto the topic of technology and how it’s so addictive—how “CrackBerry” might be a better name for BlackBerry. One friend said, “I can’t sit still anymore. If I have down time, I have to be doing something, and I usually check e-mail. […]