A Phrase I'd Like to Change

I hate the phrase "Plain Jane."

A bagel bakery I frequented years ago had clever names for its bagel varieties. My only complaint about the place was that they used that awful phrase to describe the bagel that could have been called the "No Frills, Great Just as It Is" bagel.

I wonder if other people get upset about their names being used in similar phrases. I could deal with "Even Steven" or "Steady Eddie," but I don't think I would like "Lazy Susan."

Something Extra in the Soup

Now and then, my creativity spills over into the kitchen, with varying results.

I made homemade chicken noodle soup yesterday to use up some assorted leftovers. I had leftover ground turkey (not chicken, but close enough), carrots, celery, egg noodles and chicken broth. That's soup! But wait -- I wasn't done yet. I was looking for a way to use up two frozen pierogies because the box was taking up space in the freezer. I decided to add the pierogies into the soup. I put them in toward the end to keep them from getting too waterlogged.

I'm calling my creation "Chicken Noodle Surprise Soup" because you don't expect to find a pierogi in soup. Hey, it tasted great. After all, people put pasta and potatoes in soup all the time...just not in pierogi form. I offer my apologies to any pierogi purists who are appalled at my use of this tasty food in soup. My husband and I had a good time laughing about it. Next time, he just might look for the pierogi in the soup.

Annoying Words From Our Corporate Friends

Today, I was reading an interesting business article someone sent me. The story was lovely until I came across this word: relook. What? Is that a word? It was used in a quote, so I can't fault the writer. The guy who said it, on the other hand, should be slapped. Was it too much trouble to say, "look at it again?"

While I'm at it, I'm going to rant a bit more. I hate the word "deplane." It just sounds like something the airlines made up. Sadly, this word is in the dictionary. That doesn't mean I have to like it. I prefer "disembark."

Heaven help the English language if we all start randomly adding "re" and "de" to everything we want to do again or undo.

Finding a Better Way

I was just thinking about how I once had to share a phone line with the fax machine in order to get on the Internet. I can't even remember how long it took to get online, but I know it would seem like hours now. Once you've experienced the speed of a dedicated cable connection, there's just no going back.

It seems like it's that way with a lot of things that make life easier. When I find a better way to accomplish a task, I wonder how I could have done it any other way.

Turn Right in 1.4 Miles

In this era of GPS units and web sites that chart out driving routes, I rarely have to ask for directions. Still, there's one thing I do miss in directions from those sources: landmarks. When a friend gives you directions, he or she is likely to include some restaurant or business names that will help you find your way. GPS units and Mapquest don't do that. Instead of telling you to drive past Best Buy and turn right at McDonald's, they'll tell you to stay on Whatever Road and turn right in 1.4 miles.

I have tried to zero in on landmarks online, but they tend to show only the large ones, like malls. That only helps so much. It's a lot more entertaining to watch for a specific building than to watch the odometer get to a certain number so you can get ready to make a turn.

School Shoes

As soon as August began yesterday, it seemed like everybody started talking about getting back in the classroom. This got me to thinking about the different types of school shoes I used to wear. I remember some version of a saddle shoe with at least two shades of brown. Later, there were penny loafers and moccasins. And I have vivid memories of pulling boots over my shoes in grade school. The funny thing is that we used to put a plastic bread bag over the shoe first before putting the boot on. It made it easier to take the boot off. Boots were a necessity in my snowy hometown, and leg warmers were a welcome addition to waiting-for-the-bus gear. Do they even make leg warmers anymore?

What Your Voice Says About You

When two people meet in person after having talked exclusively on the phone, it's not uncommon for one of them to say, "Now I can put a face with the name." I think it's interesting that we start to form a mental picture of what someone looks like based only on a voice. Sometimes the picture is accurate, and sometimes it's not.

One person I talked to sounded older on the phone than he really was. With another person, it was the opposite. In both instances, I was a little surprised when I met the person.

With so many employers doing phone interviews now, it's good to be aware of what your speaking voice conveys about you. Some suggest that standing during a phone interview can be helpful. Smiling while talking on the phone is recommended too. It's great that people can tell that you're smiling on the phone, but they can't tell that you have broccoli in your teeth.