True Prep

BEHOLD!  The Ambivalent Weimaraner!

Weimaraner was the overwhelming winner this week, but ambivalent held its own. 

Online, ambivalence is depicted with the usual “Am I ambivalent?  Yes and no” buttons, billboards, and posters.  Clever the first time, predictable thereafter.  There is evidently a German singer called Ambivalent who looks fully male to me.  This stock photo is meant to explain ambivalence:

(I think she’s German as well.)

Having met the great Weimaraner photographer William Wegman not too long ago, I feel ambivalent about using one of his images without permission.  But hey, they’re fab so why not?

You realize of course that the weimaraner gets its name from the Weimar republic in Germany.  I got my name from Germany too.

Now onto the other thing:

Being the disciplined [from the German side] contest provider (as opposed to content provider) that I mean to be, as I was trolling both Facebook pages to count the entries, I found that all mentions of this week’s Word of the Week had evaporated!!!  It took a number of attempts to forage in the history of mentions to find them.  WHAT THE HELL, ZUCKERBERG?

Has this happened to you?  Oh Facebook, sometimes I just want to quit you. 

Let me know if you want more Word Of the Weeks.  The numbers of participants is growing, but the technical part is wearying.  Post here or on FB.

Bow wow,

Lisa

A note here on tumblr, began this discussion.  It’s probably just beneath this post in the vintage typewriter, but because I think it’s important — relatively — I am posting it anew, as a new item of its own, so that it gets read. Thanks to the writer of the original note. This distinction has become blurry over time.  Remember:  nerds and hipsters will come and go; preppies are here for the duration.

 Lately the fine line between preppy and nerdy has become a dotted fine line.  For example, take classic tortoise-shell framed eyeglasses.  They were always “ours,” and now hipster/nerds think they own them.  Silly, foolish hipster/nerds!

 One difference between them and preppies is that preppies — while often sloppy, are very strong in the personal hygiene department.  Also, while we now wear clothes that have discreet amounts of synthetic stretch in them, we don’t wear anything near our skin that is 100% fake.  That includes tans.

Dear Rock and Roller,

Of course, I don’t know how you dress, or as the great Ryan Seacrest would put it (a joke), “What you rock,” so it’s hard for me to give you personal advice.  Lately the fine line between preppy and nerdy has become a dotted fine line.  For example, take classic tortoise-shell framed eyeglasses.  They were always “ours,” and now hipster/nerds think they own them.  Silly, foolish hipster/nerds!

 One difference between them and preppies is that preppies — while often sloppy, are very strong in the personal hygiene department.  Also, while we now wear clothes that have discreet amounts of synthetic stretch in them, we don’t wear anything near our skin that is 100% fake.  That includes tans.

I’m glad you wrote.  I think this was an important distinction to make.

Cheers,

Lisa

Voting has already begun on the Facebook pages.  I think I am very confused this week, and I blame the weather.  (But Mother Nature does have the last laugh, so don’t say a word to her.)

Inflicted

Ambivalent

Weimaraner

Timorous

Vote now, friends!  

Lisa

You voted for Misanthrope.  It means one who distrusts or dislikes humankind.  How to illustrate this Winning Word?  (Truth be told I was hoping macaronage would win, for two reasons.  One was I had just seen the word for the first time ever, and second was the yummy pictures that would look pretty running through our typewriter.)  

Comme Ca:  

or comme ça:  

(I have this image on a handkerchief I bought in Japan last year.  Always gives me a little jolt of the preposterous when I blow my nose into it.)

But instead we have people who don’t like other people.  I have a few people-haters on my radar, but don’t want to even think about them.  Even putting the dreadful Coulter here is difficult for me, but we had to have someone, and she qualifies as a person.  (It’s not even political.  She is just plain mean and mean-spirited.)  If you have a more worthy misanthrope, let me know.  I’d be happy to replace her.

This set of words was inspired by Mike Anthony, who offered up “Mingle.”  I like that word too.  

And having had a weekend of high school theatricals, I am coming to you a day late.  My apologies.  Eat a pistachio macaron.  By tomorrow at this time, the new words will be up and voting will have started.

Ta Ta,

Lisa

Hurry,hurry! Have you people spent so much time thinking about the Michigan primary that you’ve forgotten about the WORD OF THE WEEK?  I hate to think so.

Mingle, Malady, Macaronage, Misanthrope

Above, you’ll see the four words on offer for this week.  The contest ends on Saturday, March 3.  It’s March already.  Lordy!

(My first “Lordy” since 2010.)  (It’s funny that I know these things.  How peculiar my brain is.)

But, back to you.  Please vote here, on our Facebook page (True Prep), or wherever else you find yourself this last day of weird February, 2012.  

—Lisa

Hello Everyone,

If I were a streetwalker, or a person who defends them, I’d be pretty upset with everyone who didn’t vote for the humble “www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/streetwalker

prostitute; especially : one who solicits in the streets.”  Where is 

Gloria Allred (left) when you need her?

And neither Altitude nor Application got any business.  

Which means…. drumroll please…… We Salute the Whippoorwill!

© Kevin T. Karlson

http://youtu.be/GXnnfg1CepE  (The song of the whippoorwill.)  It’s catchy, shapely, and best of all only 51 seconds long!

Identification Tips:

• Length: 9 inches
• Very short bill
• Medium length tail
• Upperparts mottled heavily with gray, black, and brown
• Underparts pale with gray and black mottling
• Black throat

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the lifestyle of the whippoorwill sounds like that of many of my single friends:  Because of its nocturnal habits, the Whip-poor-will is infrequently seen. Its cryptic coloring keeps it hidden during the day, too. However, its loud calling at dusk makes it well known wherever it breeds.

Then too, let’s not forget Westchester County’s (NY) Whippoorwill Club, founded in 1928.  

The Whippoorwill Club is a private country club facility near Armonk, New York. In 2010 GOLFWEEK magazine ranked the Whippoorwill golf course as the 73rd best classic course in the United States. The club is not just a golf course and there are a few members who do not golf. For these members there is a swimming pool, tennis courts and paddle ball courts, as well as the traditional club house where lunch and dinner is served.

(Note to Jimmy Wales:  lunch and dinner are served.)

Next contest details forthcoming.  After all this research it’s time for my mid-morning nap.

Congratulations to all of you who voted!  It was an enthusiastic turnout!

Lisa

I was the technical advisor.  I had to represent life at the prep school, since our director, Peter Weir, is an Australian, and wanted the nuances to be exactly right. It was a dream job.

—L.

Dear Jacob,

The Nantucket Reds seasonal question has been posed several times, here and on our FB page.  My feeling is that they are definitely year-round wear, and so they should be roomy enough for a pair of long underwear to fit underneath them when it gets very cold out.  A Saint James style sweater would look great with them!  Send a picture!  

Cheers,

Lisa 

I’m biased, because I worked on “Dead Poets Society,” which I think is pretty damn good.  Also like “Metropolitan” and “Animal House.”  Three more different movies you won’t find.

Lisa