07 August, 2012

Look It Up!

Disclaimer: C.O.W.* alert!
It's been a pet peeve of mine since I was eight. If I didn't know a word or a definition my teacher in school would urge me to look it up... of course, the age-old conundrum has been: "if I can't spell it how can I look it up?" I'm old enough to remember a certain television show in the 60's that spawned a catch phrase: "look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls'." There's a modern day twist to the same old command now, a 2012 exhortation that I see everywhere on an almost daily basis; this time put forth by my peers, not comedians or my educators: "Google It!". I've heard it used as a throw-away phrase, in an almost elitist manner, and let me tell you... it strikes a big ol' nerve in yours truly! If you have something to say, that I don't understand, please take the time to explain it to me or be courteous and supply me with a link. Rest assured, if there's something I don't know I will, indeed, look it up. I might even use Google as the search engine; but I'm not looking it up because you told ordered me to do so, I'll seek knowledge on my own terms and at my own prompting. I'm stepping down off the soap box now. Thanks for listening and allowing me to rant.

Over the weekend I dribbled some spray adhesive on the front of a knit shirt and I cannot get it out with normal laundering, does anyone have any ideas? Oh, never mind... I might know where I can look that up.

Life is Good!

* Cranky Old Woman  
With credit to Nancy who introduced me to the term.

12 comments:

quiltkeemosabe said...

Well said!

regan said...

My hubby uses spray adhesives all the time, and he uses Mess Master from Design Masters brand to get it off of everything. It's in a spray can, and designed to clean up the sticky mess. He gets it at AC Moore, and online. We just recently discovered an item at the Dollar Store. It's called LA's Totally AWESOME, and it's in a spray bottle, is yellow, and works great on everything in my laundry and elsewhere.....and it's a dollar! Yay! We also used to use GooGone, and it works great, too....but more pricey! Good luck!

And both my parents were teachers.....you can bet I heard "look it up" almost daily! Ugh! lol And, of course, any question throughout the day would magically work itself into an hour lecture after dinner by my father, and we would all suffer for it! If it was a topic my father was particularly interested in, there would be glares from my siblings across the table, as though to say, "Who was the nimwit who asked about this?" Ha!

Nancy Near Philadelphia said...

Moo away! I think you are right. Nice to remember Laugh In, too . . . .

Salem Stitcher said...

Right there with you...when I read your post, I imagined a snooty teen-aged girl flipping her hair as she exclaimed "google it" (with the "old lady" unsaid but definitely expressed). Makes me want to say something inappropriate in response.

Wooh! I'm a little cranky this morningmyself!!

45th Parallel Quilter said...

While I use (and appreciate) many of the modern technologies we have at our fingertips today (as evidenced by being able to read and respond to blogs online) there is still something GOOD about actually touching a book, receiving a handwritten letter in the snail mail and dining without having guests "check their e-mail" at the table. I remember (and miss) a kinder, gentler time in life. So, I consider myself in "good company" if that's what the definition of the C.O.W. is ;-)

Charleen said...

Goo Gone! I use it to remove adhesive from my hoops. It also works to get those remnants of stickers that you didn't notice before your laundered!!

Nane said...

Google doesn't always direct you to the truth either. Like all info you have to decide yourself how to interpret etc. and save those little girl patters in case we need them!!!! That little dress is too cute and looks like something I could actually handle.

Paula, the quilter said...

Hear, hear! ♥ this post.

Char said...

I was in Hancock's yesterday and one customer there was touting the effectivness of Grandma (or Granny) Stain Remover. I haven't tried it myself but she said it was wonderful.

Quiltdivajulie said...

My C.O.W. thought - there needs to be a lot less "attitude" and a great deal more "thoughtfulness" and/or "consideration" in all arenas -- from media broadcasters to screaming marketers, not to mention those we encounter face to face in our daily lives.

Aretha sang it so well . . .
R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Ancestor Collector said...

Uh oh.....if you were looking at my Facebook photos a couple of days ago, you would see I told someone to "Google it" in regard to what kind of cat Brent and Ali have (he's a Nebelung...I never had heard of that breed before this grandkitty). The description of Nebelungs was way too much info to put into a photo comment (I thought) and if one does "Google it", you get beautiful photos of these gorgeous gray cats. Hope I'm not the reason for this COW post!! :-O

Shakerwood said...

I'll make sure not to mention it at Monday night's guild meeting!