A Timeless Word

By now, you’ve probably heard the word. It’s turning up in all sorts of unexpected places, so imagine my surprise when the newscaster used it twice during the weather report. I’ve heard it before, but my mouth dropped open anyway because no one expects to hear that lingo during a weather forecast. Now, a Merriam-Webster tweet is circulating about potentially putting the word in the dictionary. 

“Jawn,” I’m learning, is a unique-to-Philly word. It’s an all-purpose noun. People still use it, and if you need to learn more about its origins, check Google. This word, like many, should only be used by those who know how.  

                                         https://youtu.be/fvTKo6YxOwE

That’s a funny concept, but it’ll encourage people to mangle the dialect. Remember how you laughed at your parents when they used teen lingo? Right on? Jawn, right on, shade, cooyan—when you don’t quite know how to use the word, leave it to the experienced. What word do you wish people knew how to use?    

Words Have Power

After pulling into a pay-for-parking lot, the attendant asked for my license plate number. I recited the first three letter/numbers and couldn’t remember the rest, so I quickly added, “something, something, something.” I guess the attendant wanted more details because he decided to read my plate for himself. I bet most people can’t recall what’s on their license plate—or am I the only one? 

Of course, personalized plates are easy to remember. Think about the strange descriptions you’ve seen on vanity license plates. People use the space to describe themselves, their pets, their hobbies, and other surprising activities. Many times, no one—except the owner—can read the seven-character message. Try to guess what these people had in mind: 

                                          https://youtu.be/XWjuftD86xw  

Maybe people don’t care whether other drivers understand their vanity plates. Still, it seems like a great spot to broadcast your views. If you could create a free vanity license plate, what public statement would you make?        

The Live Encounter

Who doesn’t love Christmas lights? Part of the holiday tradition involves admiring the lights while driving through town. There are a couple of amazing displays in our area. One of them, located in a nearby town, is huge. It probably takes weeks to set up, and includes traffic directors, communication gadgets, and even a port-a-potty. You can imagine the amount of work involved in decorating that property. It’s an incredible sight, but a different Christmas light display grabbed my attention this year.

The display engulfs a modest house that sits several yards from the edge of a busy road. When I first saw the house in the evening, it looked like every part of the property glowed with bright blue lights. As I drove past the house, all of the colors switched from white, then to another color. Imagine a whole property full of colored light flashing as you pass by. The intensity of the light against the darkness made me nervous. I felt like there were silent bombs exploding alongside the road. I wonder what their neighbors think about living next door to silent light bombs. Once the holiday season starts, there’s no telling what your neighbors will do. Don’t we all need a special kind of humor to get through the month? Have a look:   

                                              http://youtu.be/5Az3BmTkhAA

Anyone who lives next door to a light show needs that decoration. I appreciate the big light displays, but I bet many of us would vote for simplicity. What if we picked from an upbeat collection of Christmas words to decorate our homes? What word would you choose?