Julie Luongo

“His name changed from Gerry Dorsey to Engelbert Humperdinck. I mean, I just wanted to be in the room when they were working that one through.” ~Eddie Izzard

-”Zingelbert Bembledack. Yingybert Dambleban. Zangelbert Bingledack. Wingelbert Humptyback. … Slut Bunwalla.”
-”What?”
-”All right, Kringelbert Fishtybuns. Steviebuns Bottrittrundle –”
-”No, Gerry Dorsey. I like Gerry Dorsey.”
-”No, we can’t, who we got? Zingelbert Bembledack, Tringelbert Wangledack, Slut Bunwalla, Klingybun Fistelvase, Dindlebert Zindledack, Gerry Dorsey, Engelbert Humptyback, Zengelbert Bingledack, Engelbert Humperdinck, Vingelbert Wingledanck –”
-”No, no, go back one. Go back one. Engelbert Humperdinck, that’s it.”

I’m late to the Eddie Izzard party. This is from 1998. I just watched it a couple days ago and am now on board with the genius of Izzard, in case you were worried I wasn’t ever going to get around to it. Whew, right? Subsequently, I agree with him that the Germans and Japanese should be the peacekeepers of the world.

“One forgets words as one forgets names. One’s vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die.” ~Evelyn Waugh

Rice Paddy Art in Yamagata

I might have posted this link years ago, but it’s still a great site for word-geeks. Free Rice is a multiple choice vocabulary “game” that, as you play, generates money from banner ads to donate rice to the World Food Program. The words get easier or harder depending on your vocabulary level. It’s fun, like the multiple-choice section of the SATs!