Stephen of the sex face

Sometimes you watch The Simpsons and have no idea what the writers must have been smoking.  The other night was one of those times, so I recorded a 5 second clip which I can share with you here.  It's just mad - but it sums me up so well!

Homer rules

Clearing out some photos I found this image.  Although Bart is seen as the main character in The Simpsons, we all know that it's Homer that is the best character on television.

Classic artwork that was my screensaver for a while...

Don't forget that the next "5 on the fifth" is a few days away. Just take 5 random pictures of something that happens to you on the 5th of September (or the days leading up to it) or perhaps go for my suggested theme. This month, the theme is The Blues.

You can join the 5 on the fifth Facebook page here.

Feeling old

Age seems to be a reoccurring conversation theme and it's pretty depressing isn't it!?! I try not to let it bother me, but there are reminders everywhere.

I read that this week was the 20th anniversary of the launch of Sky TV to the mass audience in the UK with movies, news, sports etc (they had just one channel up to that time). I was working for a Cable TV company at the time (I was 18) and it was a major event for us. It feels like a lifetime ago. I am in the middle of this picture - I had hair back then! I have some good memories from those days, but it was a crappy job and I should have left far earlier than I did. We live and learn.

If you can remember when Nevermind by Nirvana was released in 1991, you'll certainly recall the great artwork on the CD/LP. It featured a baby swimming underwater towards a US bank note. Well, that baby is all grown up and has reprised his role. How old do I feel?! The actor was Spencer Eldon and he is now 17 years old - I wonder how much hassle Spencer got at school for this? I have added the Simpson's version too for the fun of it.

And finally... although I wasn't born at the time, I think it's worth mentioning that 40 years ago this week, The Beatles performed live for the last time on the roof of their offices in Saville Row in central London. Some background to the show can be found here - it's a fascinating story as they tried to record a few tracks in a live setting after bickering for weeks. Unfortunately, the police stopped the performance after 40odd minutes. Despite the DVD of the film Let It Be never being released, there are plenty of clips around the net.

Meh

During an episode of the Simpsons (Hungry, Hungry Homer), the word Meh was used by Bart and Lisa:

Homer: Kids, how would you like to go... to Blockoland!

Bart & Lisa: Meh.

Homer: But the TV gave the impression that...

Bart: We said "meh"!

Lisa: M-E-H. Meh.

Ever since then, Pete and I often use the word... followed by M-E-H of course. It's defined as being indifferent/not caring.

To really show how a TV programme can influence society, Meh has been selected for inclusion in the 30th anniversary of Collins English Dictionary. Hundreds of words were suggested by the public including jargonaut (a fan of jargon); frenemy (an enemy disguised as a friend) and huggles (a hybrid of hugs and snuggles).

So next time you are asked a question and your response is complete indifference, you know what to answer.

It's only words...

I saw this article on the BBC website and it's language related, following on from a recent post. The article has gathered favourite words along with their meaning. A few of them made me laugh and all made me ask the question how and why did these words come about?!

Defenestrate - To throw something out of a window.
Omphaloskepsis - is self-absorbed, naval-gazing.
Mallemaroking - the carousing of seamen in icebound ships [how many jokes could I make about this one?]
Tmesis - To break one word with another. For example: dis-bloomin-graceful, un-flippin-believable.
Ischial callosities - refers to the leather-like pads on a monkey's bum.
Petrichor - the sweet smell of rain on dry earth.
Tintinnabulation - describes a sound made by the ringing of a bell.
Borborygmus - the rumbling sound that comes from an empty stomach.
Slubberdegullion - means a worthless person. [you could imagine Mr Burns in the Simpsons using this and, in fact, when looking this up on the net, he did use it!]

Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind

t the weekend, I saw an episode of the Simpsons called Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind. 's a pretty good episode (the standard is always high anyway of course, on the best TV programme ever) - but there was a sequence in it that was brilliant. The episode's title, and the plot, refer to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Homer has lost 24 hours of his life and thinks he has ruined everyone's lives he loves during that period - so he throws himself off a bridge to commit suicide. His life then flashes before his eyes...

Homer's life appears in the form of a Youtube video which is a spoof of Noah Kalina's "Noah Takes a Photo of Himself Every Day for 6 Years" which in itself is an amazing 5 minutes and 45 seconds and worth watching. The music used for both is called Everyday by Carly Comando.

Unfortunately, Fox doesn't like people promoting The Simpsons for them for free and keep removing the Utube clip - there is currently a version of the clip HERE.