Tag Archives: Humor

The Gift: World Book Night 2013

“The book to read is not the one that thinks for you but the one that makes you think.” Harper Lee

Tina Fey's BossyPantsfor World BookNight

The Gift: World Book Night 2013… Readers in my group received Tina Fey’s Bossypants.

More student Bossypants recipients with program coodinator.

The Gift: World Book Night 2013… Some student recipients with Program Coordinator Claudette Spence(2nd left).

Today is World Book Night, UNESCO‘s International Day of the Book, World Book Day, Shakespeare’s Birthday, and Miguel de Cervantes memorial. To celebrate books and encourage more adults to read, the World Book Night organizers, in collaboration with book publishers around the world, arranged a massive book giveaway. 500,000 copies of 30 paperback books, selected by a special panel, were distributed to readers in organizations, clubs, on the streets and at designated locations. What I found remarkable was how the program, initiated by Book publishers at a Conference in the UK in 2010, became a global event with thousands of volunteers connecting with appreciative book readers.

Program Coordinator Claudette and Instructor Fay admire the books.

The Gift: World Book Night 2013… Program Coordinator Claudette and Instructor Fay admire the books

Box of Books picked up at Barnes and Nobles

The Gift: World Book Night 2013… The box of books picked up at Barnes and Nobles

As a volunteer book giver, I received 20 copies of a special paperback edition of Tina Fey‘s BossyPants. It was one of three books I had chosen from the list when I applied. Earlier in the week, I stopped by my local Barnes & Noble bookstore to pick up my boxed books. The store manager welcomed me with a smile, and presented me with a thank you letter and professional looking certificate. I was thrilled and ready to share the books, but I had to wait till April 23rd to join the global effort and make sure the maximum number of students could be reached. The first World Book Night giveaway was celebrated in the UK and Ireland in 2011. By 2012, it had expanded to the USA and Germany.

Some of the student recipients of the book.

The Gift: World Book Night 2013… Some student recipients displaying their books

Bossypants on display at theYWCA

The Gift: World Book Night 2013… Bossypants on display and admired by instructor Fay

Today, I handed out copies of the book to Students in the Women’s Empowerment/Women in Transition program at the YWCA in Manhattan. To memorialize the event, I took several photos of the books and the grateful students/recipients to share with you here. When I signed up to become a book giver, I identified the program as one of two choices to receive copies of the free book because our students are learning new skills to help them get back to work, and most are on a tight budget. Tina’s hilarious and candid book was the perfect choice for my recipients because during tough times, reading uplifting or funny books, maintaining a sense of humor, and smart planning, can help us develop effective coping skills.  More below!

Continue reading

About these ads

Musings: What Is Your Mondegreen?

“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.” Ludwig van Beethoven

What's your mondegreen?

What’s your mondegreen? A mixed bag of musical instruments

A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near-homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song Wikipedia

What is your mondegreen? Have you ever misinterpreted the lyrics of a favorite song? Do you remember anyone else who has? Recently, I was listening to an NPR (National Public Radio) show on music and the topic was about Mondegreens. If you’ve never heard the term before, it is used to describe what happens when we listen to a song and hear some of the lyrics differently from what the artist is singing/saying. For instance, instead of “Pretty little things” we might hear “Ditsy little finks.” It happens to a lot of us and often with songs we enjoy singing out loud. As I listened to the show, which was quite funny, it took me back to songs I enjoyed in my teen days and how I butchered some of the lyrics because what I heard was different from what the artist was singing.

“Music can change the world because it can change people.” Bono


“Blinded by the Light,” cover of a Bruce Springsteen song by the Manfred Mann’s Earth Band  The line “revved up like a deuce” becomes “wrapped up like a douche”


“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac  The line “Well, who am I to keep you down?” becomes “Well, whoever will kick you down?” “Thunder only happens when it’s raining” becomes “Thunder only helps us when we’re praying.”   ”Have you any dreams you’d like to sell” becomes “Holds you and it dreams you like yourself.”


“Diamond in the Back” by Curtis Mayfield. The line “Gangster whitewalls TV antenna in the back” becomes “Against the white world, To be answered, sit in the back.”

Do you have any examples of a Mondegreen to share? Above are some examples of popular songs we’ve butchered (some are mine and some from Wiki).  I remember when Fleetwood Mac’s huge hit came out. I fell in love with the album and would listen to the song “Dreams” on the radio or on TV and sing along loudly. In classic mondegreen fashion,”Well, who am I to keep you down?” became “Well, whoever will kick you down?” and it stuck in my head like an earworm. On the NPR show, they invited a Mondegreen expert and he pointed out that when we mishear the words of a song, we hold on to the incorrect lyrics because we truly believe we have the correct information and everyone else is goofing off. And, like an earworm, which is a song that won’t leave your brain, a mondegreen lingers too. Checkout the poll below and add your vote. Thank you! More below

Continue reading

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact

“Making eye contact with adults while dressed as a clown is risky.” Doug Coupland

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact  - Dress like a clown

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact – Dress like a clown

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact - Want a Cat's love

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact – Want a Cat’s love

someecards.com - I hope you understand that staring at you makes me anxious, mad and sad. I shoot the arrows and you get the girl.
When You’re feeling anxious, mad or sad.

How/When to Avoid Making Eye Contact: ♥When dressed as a clown – wear dark glasses or look down. Some people are deathly scared of clowns.
♥Apparently, Cats don’t like being looked at – Sneer instead or wink at them. Let them do the staring and save you the hassle. My cat has it down.
♥If you’re feeling anxious, mad or sad – stay away from the source of pain

It’s common knowledge that eye contact is an important part of communication. We make eye contact to establish trust, familiarity, confidence and even friendship with others. Some use eye contact to intimidate or stare down an opponent. For a shy person, making eye contact can be a challenge because it’s uncomfortable for some of us to look directly into the eyes of other people; especially the eyes of strangers. With some effort, we can learn to look without feeling terrified.

“If you go flying back through time, and you see somebody else flying forward into the future, it’s probably best to avoid eye contact” Jack Handy

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact  - Wear Google glass

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact – Wear Google glass

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact - Public stalls and urinals

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact – Public stalls and urinals

someecards.com - Listen, I had a dream and a guy on something called a TV was saying, Google me, tweet me, facebook me. Maybe I'm drunk.

How/When to Avoid Making Eye Contact: ♥While wearing Google Glass… Just say “okay glass,” and it takes care of everything – no eye contact needed. ♥When Sitting in a stall or using a urinal at a public bathroom, it is definitely not a time to stare – feel free to close your eyes.
♥Watching your favorite TV character in a drunken moment demands averted eyes – feel his pain with eyes cast asunder.

When I researched the topic online, there were lots of articles on how to make  effective eye contact, articles on cultures that don’t encourage direct eye contact out of respect, and on the benefits of looking directly at others when we speak. For this post on “How To do something,” I decided to take the path of humor which is always a great way to break the ice. Some of the suggestions are true and others are tongue in cheek.

“I’m hopeless at small talk and have a problem making eye contact.” Gary Numan

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact  - Be Pinocchio and tell a lie

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact – Be Pinocchio and tell a lie

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact - Eat a banana

Humor: How & When To Avoid Making Eye Contact – Eat a banana

someecards.com - When I'm feeling inferior, I go for a drive. My car makes all the eye contacts I usually avoid.
When you’re feeling inferior/insecure

How/When to Avoid Making Eye Contact: ♥When telling a lie, the eyes will give you away unless you’re a seasoned pathological liar – best to avert the gaze of another when fibbing.
♥When eating a banana or a lollipop, keep your eyes to yourself – don’t ask me why, do the math.
♥If you’re feeling insecure or down on yourself, avoid eye contact especially with manipulative types – they know the look and feed off it. Take a De-stress ride.

I found it quite interesting reading some of the articles on making eye contact. There is an impressive body of work with great insights on the subject. A Google search gave me about 539,000,000 results and I’ve added some links in the post. More below!

Continue reading