...you may be wondering about the image on the right. Well, it's there 'cause Burns' dilated eyes remind me of one of my fave Simpsons episodes, the X-Files crossover. Also, I adore potatoes. Fried, mashed, hash-browned, nice and salty, mmmmm... ::licks chops::
...chops, by the way, is short for Pork Chops, a pejorative used to refer to Portuguese folk. You may not know this expression if you've not lived near/around them. Strangely, it's never offended me, as I was inordinately pleased we had any kind of slang term associated with us. Since many folks I run into have no idea what or who the Portuguese are, I guess I prefer a slur to obscurity (as does this blogger). Some Portuguese of my acquaintance consider Pork Chop an endearing epithet and often use it self-referentially (as folks in my family do)...
...my friend Nikki and I saw Paranorman Saturday night. It was a cute, entertaining, and sometimes really gross film. In our opinion, the best of the flick came in the last 10 or 15 minutes, which were dramatic indeed. And I would've taken a different angle in resolving the major conflict of the story (don't want to spoil things here, as the movie's only just opened). Still, it was a bit of Halloweenish fun in balmy August, which only whet my appetite for autumn (as well as for Hotel Transylvania and Frankenweenie, coming to theaters near you at the end of September/start of October, respectively). I'll caution parents of very young children that, though the previews for Paranorman look fairly innocent, it is rated PG and I wouldn't say it's appropriate for children under the age of maybe 9 or 10 (of course, you know your kids' ability to handle violence and gore better than I)...
...I continue to experience surreal dreams. In last night's, I was the object of great sympathy from family and friends as I prepared to marry a man by the name of Carlos de Castro. He was a nice-looking fella (who slightly resembled a friend from the first college I attended and with whom I'm completely out of touch), that I saw at the ceremony only. It was depressing how sad folks'd seemed that I needed to marry this dude, when there was nothing (apparently) wrong with him. Though I don't personally know anyone by this name, I've since learned it's the moniker of a footballer from Uruguay and was reminded it's the name of the Portuguese journalist who was found murdered (and castrated!) in a hotel in Times Square last year. (Quelle bizarre...)
...speaking of bizarre, on Sunday I watched the full six-episode IFC series Bullet in the Face, which I quite enjoyed, though it disturbs me somewhat that I find the lead psycho, Gunter Volger (played by Max Williams) dangerously attractive, if Joker-esque. ::shrugs:: I don't normally go for blonds but I dig this character's hairstyle and, I have to admit, he's got a killer grin (pun intended). It ended on a cliff-hanger, leaving me with the reasonable hope for a second season of this off-kilter action/thriller/comedy...
...I'm researching tattoos; these images have caught my fancy: Celtic Moon, Stars Tribal Tattoo, Sun. Celestial combos also appeal, like this one, or this one. I'm not sure where on my bod to put it/them. I want to be able to see it/them easily without having to contort myself Kama Sutra style (especially without a partner), but don't want the average Joe or Jane to be able to see it/them without express permission from moi. Decisions, decisions...Meanwhile, as I agonize over my as-yet-unchosen-tat(s), I think I'll purchase something less angst-inducing (and probably way less permanent)—the Kindle Keyboard 3G. Any o' y'all use that bad boy? Got any feedback on it for me?
I didn't know that about pork chops.
ReplyDeleteWe really didn't know a whole lot about the Portuguese except for Prince Henry the Navigator and "ain't they Spanish or something like that?"
Until those guys at the Portuguese-American club in town set us straight.
::snorts:: Yeah, I'll just bet the fellas at the club set you straight...right after they made you eat some barbecued sardines (summer's totally the season for it, Stateside). :-D
DeleteI like your title, "Steaming Conciousness." Good luck with your tatoo hunt, I have been hunting for years and still have not found one I want to spend the rest of life with. Kind of like marriage....LOL!
ReplyDeleteAnd almost as painful to get rid of! (Possibly more so!) :-)
DeleteC. Montgomery Burns... Now there is a boss from hell. LOL I've got one tattoo, but plan to get two more, one of which will be a wolfman ala Frank Frazetta. Can't wait to hear what you choose.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the one you've already got?????
DeleteTony was born in a small town outside of Lisbon. He came here when he was 10. It doesn't get much more Portuguese than that... yet I have never heard that. And I fear if I start calling him pork chop, he'll start calling me bacon butt. :)
ReplyDeleteGood to know about the movie... ever since Coraline I have wondered what some parents are thinking bringing young ones into these flicks... just because it's an animated film doesn't make it appropriate. *sigh*
I am always in a state of random. It's how I multitask. :)
Small world! And LOL! If he (or you) didn't grow up in/near a Portuguese enclave, y'all probably wouldn't have heard it. Few folks outside my hometown knew it, though I do know a dude from Long Island (where there are at least two big areas populated by Portuguese) who was familiar with that term.
DeleteAnd yeah, a bunch of folks brought really little kids to Paranorman, which tells me they didn't do ANY research on the film. Tsk. (I also remember seeing LOTS OF LITTLE ONES when I saw the South Park movie in the theater. I couldn't believe my eyes, really.)
Hey lady. On the subject of getting a new tattoo. I got my first and only one in 1992 when I was nineteen. Yes, I'm that old. I had Comedy and Tragedy inked into my left shoulder and it hurt like merry hell. It was also a sepia filled less hygienic time when you could drink alcohol and smoke whilst in the chair which was a terrible mistake as the whisky I was chugging thinned my blood and I subsequently bled like a stuck pig. If this is your first foray into skin art, don't let that put you off. My only advice is look into the parlour you have chosen, get to know the artist and don't have a cliche put on your body (dolphins, stars, names and dates), they date. Really quickly. Remember that you will have to look at it for the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteAlso, don't have one on the base of your back. Over here they are referred to as Tramp Stamps or worse still Slag Tags. You see them all over the place on girls and women that think they are cool. will they still be cool when they are 50? 60?. I love my tattoo, even though it needs touching up now and maybe adding to (I'm 40 next year. Maybe a birthday present...)
Finally, if you have a tat already, please ignore the past two paragraphs. You know all of this already and I'm sorry to patronise.!
Rock on,
W.
Thanks, Wayne, I really do appreciate you sharing, as I've not yet got a tat. I did already know boozing was a no-no for getting tats, I think a respectable artist won't tattoo you if you've been drinking (I believe there are legal ramifications) (and anyway, I very recently started taking medication which makes boozing a very bad idea, indeed).
DeleteAnd LOL, we call them "Tramp Stamps" here, too. Definitely don't want that, as I'd *never* be able to see it!
OK as soon as I saw Burns, I heard his high pitched voice, "I bring you loooove!" from that episode you referenced. lol It's my fave one!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a low back/tramp stamp and it's not that bad. I don't see it, only my fiance' sees it. I have a Grateful Dead dancing bear on my ankle. Those are it though and I won't be getting any more.
And I am Portuguese and know very little about my own background. Sad isn't it? My father was from British Guiana in S. America and grew up more English than Portuguese. He used to refer to himself as a 'Portagee'. lol
LOL, that Burns line!!!!!!!!!! HAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that episode!!!!! The way Duchovny says "FBI" always cracks me up.
DeleteAND OMG, another Portuguese, W00T, W00T, W00T!!!!! Do you remember that 80s movie, "Mystic Pizza?" My Sis and I first heard that "Portagee" thing in it...maybe that's a New England thing, as I don't think I've heard it in NY or NJ...
JoJo - I feel I should qualify my previous remark. don't want to appear rude or snobbish about tattoo's (more specifically Tramp Stamps) as I'm not. If you are happy with your tat, then more power to you. It's for you and one else.
DeleteAfter reading my comment back earlier, I inferred that I thought women that have lower back tattoo's were foolish and have them as they are quite hip a the moment. That's a sweeping generalisation and I know that not to be true. It's poor form from me and I apologise.
I'm sure that there are many tasteful "stamps" out there (especially one's on women who's fathers come from British Guiana and comment on nice blogs like this one), but most of the ones I have seen are generally poorly done or just plain tacky. I live in South Wales and when I am out for a drinky once in a while, I see many girls out there who have made bad choices just to be hip and happening.
I realise I am becoming a bit of a tattoo bore, so in closing JoJo, I send you love, respect and my heartfelt apologies.
Rock on,
W. ;)
Ah. I have just realised that you aren't a woman either. It seems I need a bigger shovel for this hole I'm digging...
DeleteSteady on, Wayne; JoJo is indeed a lady. And a very cool one, it must be noted. :-)
DeleteAlso, you're a lovely fella, and even if she'd taken any offense at your comments, your charming apology must've taken the edge off. (Imagining your accent does it for me, rawr.) (Not that I'm hitting on you, or anything. You're married, right? Uh...never mind the "rawr" then.) ;-)
DeleteJoJo confused me with a photo of a fella on her blogger ID. I'm going to give up on that one now...! Anyway, regarding accents, I'm from South Wales gives you a certain accent. The only way I can describe it is a bit like the way Tom Jones speaks. He is from the the valleys town I'm from and it's called Pontypridd (pronounce the last two d's as "th". Yes, Welsh is bonkers). No I don't know him though.
DeleteWhen I went to drama college in my twenties I had the accent drummed out of me and now I'm very RP (imagine Anthony Head from Buffy) when at work and on the phone, but after a couple of pints of Guinness, my inner Tom Jones rises to the surface.
The Bride (my wife) has always said I look and sound like Ioan Gruffudd (again, dd = th) which is sweet of her but not true. Ioan Gruffudd looks like me. ;)
And getting hit on is a thing of the past for me, but thanks even for the playful one. Rawr back 'atcha Mina. ;)
LOL, I'm now envisioning Ioan Gruffudd getting blitzed at a karaoke bar and belting out, "She's A Lady!" OHMIGOSH, you totally do that song with your band, don't you, Wayne????? ;-)
DeleteVery interesting post! I had never heard that about pork chops. Paranorman looks like a bizarrely good movie. I might need to check it out.
ReplyDeleteAs for tattoos, I have a beautiful whale tat on my back and I never get to see it. A real shame! I wish I could move it. Hmmm...do you think they can skin graph it? I might have to look into that!
Dude, even if it were possible to move it, seems it'd be less painful all around to just get another one within your line of vision! ;-)
DeleteNever knew that about pork chops - come to think of it the Portuguese don't have a really distinct identity, although nobody seems to dislike them which isn't a bad thing. Good luck with the tat - can't be easy to cope with the kid going off to college so the pain of a tat might take your mind off it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the 'guese don't have a distinct identity for those who didn't grow up around them, but I've got a (really bad) joke which can sorta give you an idea of what they're like:
DeleteQuestion: Why are Portuguese men so fond of mustaches?
Answer: Because they remind them of their mothers.
OH, SNAP!!!!! :-D
(Not me, though; I wax regularly. Just sayin')
I've been random at times and seen some pretty random blogs, but you are now the Queen of Random. But it was all connected which is to your credit.
ReplyDeleteLee
Wrote By Rote
Dang, girl, it must have been a lot of work putting all those links in there. Rest assured -- we appreciate it! Great post! :-D
ReplyDelete@Arlee - LOL, thanks! (See, that link-back signature really works, don't it???) ;-)
ReplyDelete@Lexa - Merci! Seems some of the tattoo links went a little weird, though...Hmmm.
Always do enjoy a random post. I do that sometimes, but I'm not sure I have done it as well as you did here.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that Port Chop was a derogatory term applied to Portuguese people. Thanks for the bit of trivia.
@Maryann - Thank you kindly, ma'am! :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, errrr, I've had weird dreams lately too. Like last night's which involved my 1 day old baby talking to people already and giving them sass. hahah
ReplyDeleteAnd is that a baby you do or don't have??? ;-)
DeleteI would recommend putting the tatoo on a part that isn't going to be affected by gravity as time rolls on - like maybe a shoulder or upper arm?
ReplyDeleteI wish they would make kid movies I can bring my kid to.
Tonja, that's a great suggestion, thanks!
DeleteCool post Mina. Love that episode and also love potatoes! Glad to read your review of Para-Norman. Been wanting to see it since I first saw the previews. Since you didn't give it a total lesuck rating, I will give it a whirl. As for the dreams...maybe you'll get some great writing ideas from them.
ReplyDeleteTats, I only have one. A rose and tribal on my ankle. Might get more in the future not sure. Kindle keyboard I dunno about sorry. Did just order and receive a Nook Simple Touch and am in love with it. Can't believe I was so stubborn about getting an e-reader! Thought it was an insult to books etc. No worries though dear paper...I could never turn my back on you. :) Yes, I did just include a note to books in my comment lol.
Tracy, I feel like I should give you an award, or at least a cookie, for hitting so many of the points I addressed in this post! ;-)
DeleteParanormal was fun, but 'cause moooovies are so danged expensive nowadays, I'd say try for a cheaper matinee ticket, if they're available in your neck of the woods. I would give it 3.75 out of 5 stars.
I'd love to see a pic of your tat! Ever consider posting one on your blog?
Also; books are kewl. :-)
I have no idea about the Kindle Keyboard. Will have to click through on the link, but am thinking maybe it is like something I was looking at for a tablet. On tats, how about your abdomen? I have two, but one is on my left chest/breast and the other is...sigh...a tramp stamp. Doubt I would have done it differently had I known the moniker, though.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm usually an intense dreamer, but I either stopped dreaming or, more likely, just wasn't remembering my dreams for a period of time surrounding the fire here. I'm thinking maybe my brain was protecting me? Perhaps it did not know that suddenly being dreamless would disturb me just as much as any nightmares?
You know what my favorite cross-over was? X-Files and Cops. That episode of X-Files was hysterical.
You, too, deserve a cookie for hitting a variety of points from my post! :-)
DeleteThanks for the abdomen suggestion; it's a promising one!
I've been through a recent phase of dreamlessness and then suddenly POW! Last night I dreamt...never mind...I'll spare us all our blushes. ;-) I wish we knew more about the purposes for dreaming...Star Trek called space the final frontier, but I think that honor goes to our minds.
And dang it, I don't remember seeing the Simpsons/Cops crossover! (Or maybe Momnesia's made me forget it!)
Hey, lots of goodies in this potpourri posting!
ReplyDeleteHad no idea about the "pork chops" -- I thought they were just the chops of the pig, kinda like lamb chops, and that the sideburns were called that 'cause they had the same basic shape. But I guess we humans can take any seemingly harmless word and turn it into an ethnic insult, if we say with enough hate and vitriol: "You lavender!!!"
Good luck with the tattoo search -- if you're going to do it, I commend you for taking your time and making sure you find just the right thing.
And no thoughts on the Kindle keyboard -- But I've got a Fire and I love it. It's pretty useless for creating content (never gonna be my go-to box for writin'), but it's great for portable reading and watching and browsing. And for under $200? Such a deal! (But they're coming out with a new version, so I might wait for that if you're leaning Fire-side).
"You lavender!!!" - LOL!!!
DeleteI was thinking about a Fire too, but decided something a little bit cheaper would probably make my wallet happier. Though the idea of being able to do bloggy stuff on it seriously appeals... Thanks for the Kindle feedback!
I'm a little bit behind in my blog reading these days. I really enjoyed reading your stream. As for the tattoo, I really like the Celtic moon the best, since it fits my image of you the best. The stars and sun are a bit too sharp and pointy, prickly-seeming, which you so are not. As to where, I've got no clue, having no tattoo experience. I secretly (from my daughter and other friends not reading this blog) want a tattoo but figure it will remain just that. A desire.
ReplyDeleteAwwww, thanks! Yeah, something about that moon feels good...I kinda feel like I want to explore the idea a little more before I settle on something, though. You know, be sure I've chosen the right one. "Tattoo in haste, repent at leisure," as it were. :-)
Delete