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Mondegreen Living
A rare thing happened this week. I actually learned a new word!
Mondegreen
So, I recently subscribed to a “Daily Word” email list. I already knew 22 of the 23 I’ve received so far. The one I didn’t know was “mondegreen“.
The funny thing about this word is that it describes such an incredibly vast swath of my life. It is a word for misheard phrases or particularly lyrics.
Seriously, my whole life I’ve listened to all of these Top 40 songs and wondered what the hell half of them are even saying. Tom Sawyer by Rush? I love that song but I had no idea of at least 3 quarters of what the hell they’re saying.
The other day we were driving someplace and Connor was flicking channels and Dorothy chimes in from the back seat saying, “It’s that Jar of Hearts song.” For whatever reason, it hit my ears as “It’s that Dryer Parts song.”
In case you were wondering, the audiologist did say that I was most likely a candidate for hearing aids. We’ll see how that turns out in a couple of weeks.
I’m Not The Only One
I prefer singers who are able to elocute clearly in song. I don’t like REM at all but I already knew it was “That’s me in the corner.“. I never heard it as what they said in the video. I honestly can’t even listen to REM because Michael Stipe sounds like a bag of cats to me.
It’s not just music where this happens but it’s more common because the singer is trying to make the words match the music and it’s not always a perfect fit. Fortunately, there are no mondegreens in bagpipe music. I’ll just stick to what I can understand.
Not Speaking To Me
Treat a work of art like a prince. Let it speak to you first ~Arthur Schopenhauer
I’ve had a bit of difficulty getting back on board with my novel. Some of it is that I’m busy doing other things and don’t find the time. Some of it is that I’m too tired at the end of the day to put fingers on keys. Some of it is that I look back to see where I’m at and when I go to pick up from there, I’m just getting nothing.
My characters are not cooperating at all. Even when I get in something like a groove, there’s always some interruption. Honestly, I’m not the only one who can tie the dog out at night. If I’m typing my story, for the love of God, tie the dog out yourself. It’s not rocket science. Let me type while I’m at it! If he can’t wait til the end of the page, then put your big-girl pants on and flip on the back porch light and tie him out.
So, that’s me at the end of an exciting week in the waning (but not nearly fast enough) summertime. I hope you enjoy your weekend.