Sure as shit

I've decided that instead of saying "sure as hell", which is a common expression that flows out my mouth quite easily, I'd like to start saying "sure as shit".

The alliterative factor is a big part of the reason. Furthermore, "sure as hell" doesn't necessarily make a whole lot of sense if you take it literally. Many halfway religious people who have not-super-well-defined spiritual leanings might believe in some kind of afterlife, but a lot of them wouldn't think of hell as any kind of certainty. I think people nowadays are probably a lot more skeptical about the existence of hell than they are about some vague kind of afterlife or some kind of sentient superhuman force that can guide our lives.

Obviously, though, an expression like "sure as hell" shouldn't be taken so literally. When people say it, they aren't actually saying that the existence of hell is something they're more sure of than anything. It's a bit like when people say "What the fuck?" They don't actually mean "What in the name of sexual intercourse?" It's more like saying, "What in the name of [strong word for emphasis]?"

Language in general is fascinating, and so is swearing in particular. I could talk about it all day (for instance, it's interesting that "shit" is a stronger word than "hell", even though the former is merely a perhaps unpleasant daily reality, whereas the latter is punishment until the end of time). But at any rate, yeah, "sure as shit" rules.

Clocks are running late

Let's say I tell you that the clock in my kitchen is five minutes late. When my clock says that it's 8:00, what time is it really?

This is a sincere question. Check the comments for elaboration.

On the 14th of October

Those words are spoken at the beginning of the 1985 song "L'Affaire Dumoutier" by Montreal band The Box. If you're not Canadian and/or don't remember the 80s, then you're probably unfamiliar with the song -- and even if you are a Canadian who remembers the 80s, there's no guarantee that you remember the song. I had a vague recollection of it, and thought it had a trippy video, and hence was pleased to have recently tracked that song down.

Anyway, that song got me wondering: what are the most famous examples of songs that mention a specific date? I'm thinking specifically of "name of month" + "number" -- there are plenty of songs containing the words "Halloween" or "Christmas" or "New Year's Day", but fewer that say "October 31st" or "December 25th" or "January 1st".

The three best-known examples that occur to me are:

"Pride (In the Name of Love)" by U2 (Early morning / April 4 / Shot rings out in the Memphis sky)

"September" by Earth Wind And Fire (Do you remember / The 21st night of September)

"Saturday In The Park" by Chicago (Saturday in the park / Think it was the 4th of July)

In support of the serial comma

One more argument in favour of the serial comma:

I was reading somebody's Facebook profile, and she listed her favourite TV shows as:

"Sex and the City, Seinfeld, Friends and the Nanny".

A puzzle

What does this map represent? Why are some areas blue, some red, and some orange?

Tuesday, September 11th

Daily newspaper comic strips are, not surprisingly, composed a few weeks in advance. Occasionally, this can lead to coincidences of timing that can be unfortunate or ironic or poignant.

Perhaps not many of you are aware that Dick Tracy is still being produced as a daily comic strip. This is the Dick Tracy strip that appeared in newspapers on the morning of September 11th, 2001.

Music Trivia

Question 1

What do the following artists have in common?
Missy Elliott
Tupac Shakur
Kanye West

Question 2

What do the following artists have in common?
Pink Floyd
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Foo Fighters

Question 3

What do the following artists have in common?
George Michael
Peter Gabriel
the Beatles
Foo Fighters
Beastie Boys
the Traveling Wilburys
Warren Zevon