What spellcheck can’t catch

This afternoon in the office, several of us had quite a laugh over an email that was sent to members of our fellowship committee. It was a reminder that Monday is that day members of the department will take turns ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, across the street at Wal-Mart, and we want to serve bowls of hot chili to warm them up when they come back indoors. But one little typo sort of changed the meaning of this message:

Just sending a reminder that you had graciously volunteered to being chili Monday to warm our bell-ringers.

One of our chili chefs promptly informed the committee chair that she was not going to be chili and she certainly wasn’t going to warm anyone. He quickly sent out a correction, with the word BRING in capital letters.

I hadn’t even read the initial email myself. I was busy enjoying the appreciative response I had gotten to an email I had sent, in response to a manager’s notice about a contest to be held next week. Now, there really was nothing wrong with the email he sent – but it was just too tempting to read it a bit differently than he had intended. My response:

Regarding the IT Holiday Re-Work Contest, it says that “all functional teams are eligible.” What about the dysfunctional teams? If they’re not eligible, will there be anyone competing?

Anytime I start laughing over emails, I always remember two from a few years ago. First there was one from someone on another team about how our team could make use of Sharepoint. It’s a wonderful tool for sharing information, and she recommended we use it for “carnal knowledge.” I did a double-take, then asked my manager what she could possibly have meant. Eventually he suggested that she must have meant “tribal knowledge,” but I’ve never figured out what mistyping of tribal led the spellchecker to “correct” it to carnal.

Not long after that, my own manager sent an email out after some incident that had made extra work for some people. He apologized for any incontinence he had caused. I’ve heard since of the same error made elsewhere – it’s not too hard to see how spellcheck does that one. But I still smile every time I think of it.

Books: The Fairy Tales Detectives

Having never seen the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show as a child, my introduction to fractured fairy tales was James Garner’s Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. I was on a business trip in St. Louis, and I had an extra night at the hotel before the conference started (in order to take advantage of Saturday-stayover low fares). I was doing a bit of Christmas shopping when I came across this slim volume in the bookstore. I was going to buy it for my husband, but it was so good I read the entire book before going to bed.

From then on I was hooked. I bought Garner’s Once Upon a More Enlightened Time and Politically Correct Holiday Stories when they came out the following year, along with Chris Fabry’s Spiritually Correct Bedtime Stories. Later I added David Fisher’s Legally Correct Fairy Tales to the collection – though I don’t think any of the latter books were quite as good as the first one.

When Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs came out in 1996, we bought a copy, and enjoyed it so much that we kept it on the coffee table to share with guests. I still think it’s one of the best in the genre. Of course, by then the idea of fractured fairy tales was getting so popular that they started springing up all over the place, many of them not nearly so funny.

My initial impression of the Sisters Grimm, based on the first book in the series, was that it belonged to the “not nearly so funny” class. As another disappointed reviewer on amazon.com points out, it begins with a compelling premise (which is why I happily picked it up from the children’s section in the library). Orphaned sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm find themselves in the home of a strange woman who claims to be their grandmother, in a small town in New York where all the fairy tale creatures from the old stories (which turn out to be true history) now live.

Unfortunately, Sabrina is not a particularly likable character, and the rest of the characters in the story aren’t much better (some are more appealing, but not developed well enough for me to care much what happens to them). There is a mystery to solve, related to a farmhouse flattened by a giant, but the eventual solution does not seem all that satisfying.

Of course, the books are written for children, not adults. But I often enjoy children’s books. (I’m looking forward to reading Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia once our library get a copy.) Some parents do very much enjoy reading these books along with the children – there are hardly any critical reviews at amazon.com from either children or parents. The one critical review I mentioned above does point out that the first book seems to be a setup for future books in the series.

As my 10-year-old is in the target age range, I’ll have to see what he thinks of it (when he finishes the Harry Potter book he’s reading now).

Movies: Abe and the Amazing Promise

I used to buy every Veggie Tales video as soon as it came out, but disappointment with some of the more recent ones, combined with family financial difficulties, made me reluctant even to spend money renting the newest one. (Well, almost the newest one – I just went to bigidea.com and discovered that Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah’s Umbrella just came out but I haven’t seen it in the store yet.)

It occurred to me this weekend, when I picked up Al from his class in the KidzTown area at church, that the KidzTown Public Library just might have Abe and the Amazing Promise. Sure enough, there it was, so I checked it out, and tonight Al and I watched it. He laughed a lot, and commented afterward that its lesson on patience is one he needs to remember. So I have to conclude it’s a good show.

Watching it, though, I couldn’t help thinking that it just wasn’t the same as some of the earlier Veggie Tales shows I enjoyed so much. King George and the Ducky is a family favorite, along with Where Is God When I’m S-Scared? and Are You My Neighbor? I really like Sumo of the Opera, but most of the other recent ones just miss somehow with me.

I’ve read speculation that it has to do with Big Idea having been bought by a larger company. I’ve wondered if the creative minds behind the series have used up their best ideas, and continue to churn out shows because that’s “what they do” even when the inspiration just isn’t there. But I read a customer review at amazon.com that points in a different direction.

Abe and the Amazing Promise is apparently “the first full-length episode directed by John Wahba. … Wahba’s emphasis seems to be more focused on bringing to life a film that plays to a child’s sense of imagination and humor, rather than engaging in the asides and in-jokes for adults that adult fans are used to finding sprinkled throughout the VeggieTales series.” Other reviews commented on the lack of wittiness that Veggie Tales fans have come to expect.

It’s hard to say whether this change in direction will work long-term or not. One reason for Big Idea’s big success was that parents enjoyed watching the videos with their kids. Parents do get movies just for their kids sometimes, but if they’re like me, they’re less likely to stick with a series that they don’t enjoy themselves unless the kids beg for it. And since Veggie Tales isn’t advertised all over the place where kids will see it (at least not where my kid sees it), they won’t even know a new video is out, let alone ask for it.

By the end of the DVD, I have to admit it was beginning to grow on me. Most of the songs – even the silly song – seemed far from memorable, but as I headed up to the kitchen I found the last one running through my head. And the second story (unlike most Veggie Tales videos I can think of, the Bible story came first and a purely fictional story was the longer one) really was quite creative, and I think also effective, in getting its point across (about taking the time to do a job right).

Now I just have to be patient until the church library gets a copy of Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah’s Umbrella…

Movies: The Pink Panther 2

I thought we needed some humor (after learning that my husband did not get the job he interviewed for), so I rented The Pink Panther 2. We’ve watched, and enjoyed the original Pink Panther movies starring Peter Sellers, as well as the Steve Martin remake in 2006. I’m not much into slapstick, but the movies are reasonably entertaining.

I see that many of the comments at imdb.com deal with the comparison of Sellers’ version of Clouseau with that of Martin. Many people fault Martin’s depiction of the bumbling police inspector simply for not being true to the way Sellers created and played the character. By that standard, the newer movies would have to be considered inferior. But as at least one viewer pointed out, Martin has said that he is not trying to duplicate Sellers’ work.

The fact that people who have not seen Sellers’ movies generally do like these newer ones is an indication that Martin’s Clouseau is in fact good, just different. Of course, one could also argue that people who have not seen Sellers’ superior performance are satisfied with Martin because they are judging him by too low a standard. A great deal of what passes for good entertainment today is seen as mediocre by those with the good fortune to have seen what was produced in preceding generations.

For myself, I won’t even try to make a judgment in that regard. Both are good, both are entertaining, and neither is exactly high art. I do like Martin’s greater show of what is in his heart regarding his secretary. On the other hand, I found the addition of Lily Tomlin’s character to instruct Clouseau regarding political correctness an unnecessary (though somewhat amusing) distraction from the main story.

It is mostly predictable, except for the outcome of the relationship between Clouseau and Nicole (the secretary). But that’s fine; suspense is hardly the point of a comedy. And it accomplished its purpose, which was to provide plenty of laughs and entertain the whole family.

April Fools fun

I’ve never been a fan of April Fools jokes, and as a child I was always glad when April 1 fell on a weekend so that I didn’t have to worry that someone might try a prank on me. (No one ever had that I remember, but that was no guarantee that someone might not try.) I did mention to my younger son this morning that his shoes were untied, and he looked down in confusion at his crocs. I said “April Fools” and he thought it was very funny.

I’ve been waiting for a few years now for one of our computer packages at work to be upgraded to a new version that lets you customize the color scheme. Normally green indicates everything is working well, and red means an abort has occurred. With the new version, it could be set to the opposite, or to blue and purple, or whatever crazy scheme one chose with the colors allowed. Sometimes I’m asked to fill in at the operator’s desk, and that would give me a perfect opportunity on April 1 to change the colors around. Unfortunately there are some incompatibilities with other software we use, and we still haven’t upgraded.

Family Fun always has suggestions on how to make food that looks like something else. It can be a nice surprise, such as finding out that what looks like green beans is really Jolly Ranchers. Or it could be a bit more prankish, such as zip-locked bags that don’t open or “juice” that is really gelatin. If we had been having a potluck at work today – or if I had known that one of my co-workers has an April 1 birthday, I could have brought in some unusually sweet “sushi.”

Various magazines, and now websites, post ridiculous stories or advertisements on April 1. Usually they’re so out-there as to be obvious hoaxes, but occasionally some people get fooled – especially if they haven’t paid attention to the date. Here are some that are considered the best of this year’s efforts. I wasn’t overly impressed by any of them, though I suspect I could food my younger son with the 3D web browser and the do-it-yourself 3D glasses.

Our computers at home are all turned off for the day, however, due to concerns over the Conficker virus. (So I’m posting this from work.) I’m not sure they’ll actually be any safer tomorrow, so I’d better check on whether they have all the latest security patches installed.

I thought of trying to make up some bogus news to post here, but I’m not particularly good with jokes. So instead I decided to try to come up with the headlines I’d like to be able to find in the news – if they were real and not just April Fools pranks.

Canine Translation Device Available for Beta Testing (lets you and your dog understand each other)

Global Warming Caused by TV Broadcast Signals (get rid of all those worthless TV programs and take care of climate change at the same time)

Hybrid Fruit-Vegetable: Great Taste and Great Nutrition (all the health benefits of broccoli and carrots, as tasty and versatile as an apple)

Movies: Monsters vs. Aliens 3D

It’s not often we go to a movie the day it opens. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time we did. Of course, we don’t go to many movies to begin with, and the local theater doesn’t always carry them the week they are released. And when we did live in an area where it was always easy to find a theater showing a movie the day it opened, the crowds that would show up discouraged us from trying. We tried one time, and it was sold out before we made it to the ticket office.

But Muscatine is a relatively small community. As it was, the theater was more crowded than it has been for any previous movies we’ve seen there (and it was still less than half full) – except for the free movie-and-popcorn sponsored by the company I work for every December, for kids 12 and under (and their parents, so I get to go too). Even so, I wouldn’t have thought about going to a movie if the present I had ordered for my son’s birthday hadn’t been back-ordered. One week before his birthday, I found out the gift wouldn’t arrive until April, so I started trying to think of alternatives.

Food is the easiest gift, especially for a teenager. Almost anything chocolate works (he didn’t like the chocolate cheese we tried one time in Frankenmuth, MI). And cheese (just like his dad). So we had lasagna and Texas toast for dinner, brownies and super fudge brownie ice cream for dessert, and breakfast this morning was sausage strata, accompanied by chocolate milk. Plus I got him some boxes of his favorite Little Debbies snacks (Nutty Bars, Swiss Rolls, and Fudge Rounds).

But when I discovered that Monsters vs. Aliens was being released on his birthday, and that our local theater not only was showing it but had the 3D version, I decided we’d found a perfect way to both celebrate his birthday and have a family night out. It’s the great sort of movie that isn’t too scary for our 9-year-old, but still plenty fun for our now-17-year-old (he was thrilled at the idea and greatly enjoyed the movie).

I’m sure my husband and I enjoyed it just as much. I had never seen any of the 50’s B-movies it borrows from, but I did at least get some of the other movie references (the Vulcan hand sign, “E.T. Go Home,” and the word spaceballs). But those are just little extras – I think the movie is a lot of fun to watch even if you have no idea what inspired the screenwriters and animators.

Basketball as entertainment

When my sister and I used to watch “Harlem Globetrotters” on Saturday mornings, I don’t think I even knew that the animated series was based on the antics of a real basketball team. Years later, I read a book or something about the history of the world-famous team, and was disappointed to find out they just played fancy basketball.

In the cartoon, the team finds someone in trouble and stops to help, and they use a basketball game to resolve the matter. The villains arrange things so that they have a huge advantage, and by half-time the Globetrotters are losing badly. Then they rally, use their amazing skills with the ball – and a tendency to play in a very unorthodox manner – and end up winning the game.

The real team certainly has done a lot of good over the years. Besides proving that African-Americans could play basketball as well as white teams (the team was started to give African-Americans the opportunity to play basketball, back when they weren’t allowed on professional basketball teams), the team has, over the years, donated millions of dollars to charitable causes such as the struggling youth in South Africa and the tsunami victims in Asia. For the past six years they have put on a Holiday Military Tour, entertaining U.S. troops stationed overseas.

Admittedly, that doesn’t have the drama of the cartoon heroes I remember from my childhood. Their ball-handling skills are just as impressive, though. The team stopped in the Quad Cities today as part of their 2009 Spinning the Globe World Tour (that is, one of their teams did – they actually have at least two teams touring simultaneously), and we decided to take advantage of the discounted tickets made available by my employer.

Discount tickets put us in the “upper bowl” of the arena, but even there I was impressed by how well we could see the action. Balls spinning on fingers – even on one player’s head – balls rolling down arms and around shoulders, under legs, around the back – and all to their wonderful signature tune, a whistled version of ”Sweet George Brown.”

From the silly to the sublime

On these Thanksgiving ABCs posts, I have tended to start with grand themes (eternal life, love), then finish with more prosaic things (exercise equipment, legs). I started to do the same here, but the title “From the sublime to the silly” really didn’t sound right. So I switched it around.

Silly songs
For a long time one of my favorites was “The Billboard Song,” which I learned from the other girls in my Girl Scout troop. I’ve been trying to remember it, but could only come up with one line: “Simonize your baby with a Hershey’s candy bar” (perhaps because “Simonize” was an odd word, that I figured out when I leafed through the old Life magazines my father kept in the attic). I finally found a website today with the lyrics and history of this song.

I don’t know if “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” counts as a silly song, but the first time I heard it – sung by a small choral group at a young adults event at church – I laughed nearly till I cried. I know some people thing it’s stupid more than silly, or that whatever humor it had wore out off long ago, but I still smile at it (perhaps in part because one of the gifts I got for my husband for our first Christmas was a tape containing this song, because he had expressed a wish for it).

When our older son was a toddler, he liked watching “Lamp Chop’s Play-Along” at the house of the friend who watched him while I was at work, so we got him a Lamb Chop videotape. He watched it many, many times, which of course means that we did too. And we all learned “The Song that Never Ends.” The tape had vanished by the time our second son came along (seven years later), but he now knows and loves the song also.

Now of course we have an abundance of wonderful (I realize that’s a matter of opinion, but of course this blog does reflect my opinions) silly songs, thanks to Big Idea. I never bought or even rented any of their compilations of silly songs, which seemed like just a tool to sell more DVDs – even “The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown” (so I only learned from Wikipedia which silly song was actually voted the silliest silly song). I happen to like “The Song of the Cebú” better than “His Cheeseburger”, but I have to agree on the top three, “Love My Lips”, “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything,” and “The Hairbrush Song.”

Seasons
It’s still officially fall according to the calendar, for another whole month, but it sure is starting to feel wintry outside. My favorite season is Fall, and I am not exactly thrilled with having to bundle up just to take Kyra out to do her business, or having to scrape frost off my windshield in the morning. But sometime soon (?) we’ll get some snow, and I will watch with delight as the flakes dance through the air before falling to earth. It will be fun also to see what Kyra thinks of the white stuff.

7H

The letter H has some great words to be thankful for. The one at the top of my list is

Hope
The title of this morning’s sermon at church was “Hope for the Hard Times” (our pastor compared our current economic crisis with that of the people of Jerusalem in Nehemiah 5). A current newspaper headline says “Obama puts hope on hold in days of transition” (trying to counter people’s unrealistic expectations of what he can accomplish short-term). Hope is one of the most important things to have, but it has to have some ground in reality to remain alive.

The first speech I ever gave (in a required public speaking class in college) was on hope. I don’t remember a lot of what I said, but I remember that I quoted the words written at the entrance to hell in Dante’s Inferno: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” There is nothing worse that I can imagine than having no hope at all. As long as there is hope, one can find a way to get through just about anything.

Humor
Humor is almost as important as hope when it comes to getting through hard times. And one study, at least, has shown that humor increases hope. As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to be too serious. Maybe it’s time to pull out some Calvin & Hobbes or an Adrian Plass book.

Movies: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything

I had missed seeing this one in the theater (I’m not sure it even made it to our town), so when my son saw it in the store today and asked to get it, I agreed. Generally I wait for movies to drop in price, but my experience is that VeggieTales shows take a long time to drop in price. Anyway, watching it was something we could do together (provided I could get Kyra to settle down long enough).

I’m glad now we didn’t watch it in the theater. I think we’d have eventually bought it on DVD anyway (my son is now watching it for the second time, with our old son who just got home, and I can hear them both enjoying it), and this way I only paid for it once. It’s a good enough kids movie, but not as good as “Jonah,” in my opinion.

I found it interesting to read through the comments at imdb.com, which ranged from very enthusiastic (great movies, fun for kids and adults, good message) to extremely disappointed (boring, no Christian message), and averaged somewhere right in the middle. I agree with those who say it’s not as good as some older Veggie Tales shows, and probably also with those who point out that Veggie Tales was developed for the shorter time from of a half hour video and does best in that format.

Still, it is a fun story (if fairly predictable from an adult’s point of view), with some of the silliness that only Veggie Tales can do. There are less of the sly allusions to things only adults will get (the very first Veggie Tales video I saw featured the USS Applepies, and I knew this was something worth checking out), though I did catch the references to “Love Boat” and “Edward Scissorhands” (but missed the ones to Scarface, “Rock Lobster,” and “Days of Our Lives”). One parent pointed out that this can be seen as a plus, as this means the movie really is geared to kids.