Moan, moan, moan----get it off your chest or have a chat

[Rodger Whitlock]

Cats!

I was sowing seeds yesterday, and as I prepared each pot, they went into a flat outside. I placed the flat up on a bench on my patio in the (mistaken) belief that this would keep them out of the way of harm.

Moan, groan, grumble, bitch, complain: it wasn't to be so. A few hours later, several of the pots had quite deep paw prints in them, probably from my fat cat Gypsy investigating Something New. Grrrrrrr. At 18 lb, Gypsy's a pretty hefty cat and her paw prints go deep.

Now I know to put a second flat over the pots to protect them from feline curiosity.

Cats!

[Maggi Young]

Holy moly, Rodger, your cat is a big as my dog!  


 I am reminded of ye olde saying..... "is a fifteen pound  Robin fat?"

[ranunculus]

Holy moly, Rodger, your cat is a big as my dog!  

It's as big as my WIFE!!!   

[Rodger Whitlock]

Holy moly, Rodger, your cat is a big as my dog!  


 I am reminded of ye olde saying..... "is a fifteen pound  Robin fat?"

After my charming little fluffy white cat, Lily, had to be put down at the end of September (an extremely distressing event which still causes tears on occasion - yes, I am a softy), I adopted a mother-daughter pair from . Their owner had to go into a care home because of ill health and had to give up her cats. Her daughter, who lives here in Victoria, arranged for them to be flown down.

Gypsy is an 18 lb love-bug, her daughter Cuddles a 10 lb I'm-not-quite-sure-of-you-yet kind of cat.

Yes, Gypsy is grossly overweight, but I'm hopeful that now that she's no longer cooped up in a small mobile home, she will gradually lose the excess poundage. In Salmon Arm, they couldn't be let outside because they'd have been eaten by the coyotes.

I used to have another 18 pounder of a cat, Shadow, but he was solid muscle, not fat like Gypsy.

[johnw]

While I am on a rant this is one that really gets to me.

About 10 years ago I noticed teenaged girls would state something and the last word in the sentence was always intoned as a question. Within a few years all teens seemed to be doing it.

Last week on the radio a young scientist was being interviewed and he was doing it too. It drives me absolutely bats. Is this a North American phenomenom or is it rampant worldwide and in other languages?  A summer employee at work did it ad nauseum and I would always stop him and "answer" the "question". He got confused a bit but never did get it, I got bored with it all.

Yee gads.  (BTW - Where's the happy face with bulging eyeballs and hair shooting up straight in the air?)

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Oh yes, I'll join you in this particular rant John. In fact, I thought it was a peculiarly NZ/Australian phenomenon, the upward inflection of the voice at the end of just about every sentence even though no question is being asked, but as if implied, is the question "do you know what I mean?" or "isn't that so?" Drives me mad too but it happens ALL the time here not only with teenagers but with just about everyone. At the risk of being called elitist or a snob, I'd suggest it is most prevalent among those whose education is less than the best. At least half the population of New Zealand is only semi-literate.

[johnw]

Oh yes, I'll join you in this particular rant John.

Lesley - I must be getting stupider. It never occured to me that those teenager 10 years ago would grow up someday and continue the practice, even amongst the educated.  I almost dropped when I heard that otherwise perfectly articulate scientist doing it.  I wonder how he defended his thesis and the reaction of the judging panel?

Does this mean "eh?" - the Anglo Canadian n'est-ce pas -is on its way out?

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

New Zealanders (many of them, present company excepted) use "eh?" on its own when they didn't hear or didn't understand, as others may use "sorry?" or even "what?" but they use "eh" at the end of a whole sentence for God knows what reason, and, oddly, NOT with the upward inflection. "I'm going to the moveies tonight, eh" or "that's really gross, eh." When I've moaned about the standards of modern NZers' speech, grammar etc, I've been told that it's a healthy sign of a living and developing language. Maybe so but why are all such developments on a rapid journey toward the lowest common denominator, rather than the highest? Are we all so disgracefully lazy?

I believe even the Oxford Dictionary finds split infinitives acceptable now. They may be acceptable to them but NOT TO ME.

[Paul T]

Yes Lesley, anyone with split infinitives should see a doctor for treatment immediately.  They can be very painful. 

[Diane Clement]

Oh yes, I'll join you in this particular rant John. In fact, I thought it was a peculiarly NZ/Australian phenomenon, the upward inflection of the voice at the end of just about every sentence even though no question is being asked, but as if implied, is the question "do you know what I mean?" or "isn't that so?" Drives me mad too but it happens ALL the time here not only with teenagers but with just about everyone. At the risk of being called elitist or a snob, I'd suggest it is most prevalent among those whose education is less than the best. At least half the population of New Zealand is only semi-literate.

It is a strange phenomenon.  When I first heard it (about 10 years ago) I thought it sounded like a NZ accent.  I heard a radio programme about it a while ago, it's called "upspeak"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upspeak

[Tony Willis]

New Zealanders (many of them, present company excepted) use "eh?" on its own when they didn't hear or didn't understand, as others may use "sorry?" or even "what?" but they use "eh" at the end of a whole sentence for God knows what reason, and, oddly, NOT with the upward inflection. "I'm going to the moveies tonight, eh" or "that's really gross, eh." When I've moaned about the standards of modern NZers' speech, grammar etc, I've been told that it's a healthy sign of a living and developing language. Maybe so but why are all such developments on a rapid journey toward the lowest common denominator, rather than the highest? Are we all so disgracefully lazy?

I believe even the Oxford Dictionary finds split infinitives acceptable now. They may be acceptable to them but NOT TO ME.

My father had a quick and painful solutionto the use of 'eh ?' or 'what ?',it was a quick slap and the phrase 'speak properley or not at all.

My current hate as well as the two mentioned is 'journey' Whatever somebody is doing they are on a journey. The BBC has picked it up and I just want to kick the screen when I hear it.

[Martin Baxendale]

While I am on a rant this is one that really gets to me.

About 10 years ago I noticed teenaged girls would state something and the last word in the sentence was always intoned as a question. Within a few years all teens seemed to be doing it.

Last week on the radio a young scientist was being interviewed and he was doing it too. It drives me absolutely bats. Is this a North American phenomenom or is it rampant worldwide and in other languages?

johnw

Young women and girls here do it, John. Very widespread and incredibly annoying! I believe it originates with those ubiquitous Australian TV soaps.

[Paul T]

Hey, don't blame us!! 

[Maggi Young]

Yee gads.  (BTW - Where's the happy face with bulging eyeballs and hair shooting up straight in the air?)

johnw

 It's here:

or you may prefer:

[Martin Baxendale]

Hey, don't blame us!! 

Sorry, Paul. But I think that in the UK that's considered to be the commonly accepted source of the rising, questioning inflection at the end of sentences amongst younger people. It started with my 21-year-old daughter's generation but seems to now be being passed on down the generation as my ten year old daughter is now picking it up from some of her friends (despite our best efforts to stop her). It seems to be more prevalent amongst young women and girls than with young men and boys.