Random Thoughts and Ramblings
It's been a while since I've updated this thing. For some reason, I just havn't felt like writing. But on the overall, things are pretty decent this summer. Working at the Fed has been awsome. I've never worked anywhere before where people are genuinely happy with what they do. I have yet to come across anyone who complains about working here. I only wish in the future sometime I'd be able to work somewhere like this.
So I learned some really random crap lately. People always teased me for knowing all sorts of trivial stuff that is of no consequence to anyone... but fun to know nonetheless. Here's some stuff:
The word "salary." It comes from the same root word as 'salt,' the latin word salarium. Back in the Roman days, soldiers were sometimes paid using salt as a medium of exchange, thus the word salary.
The south is known as dixie quite often. Nobody knows for sure why, but one theory is that way back before we had a national currency, each state had its own bank notes and bank laws. Louisiana had particularly strong bank laws and a stable currency, and one of the most common notes was the Louisiana $10 note. Since it has the french history, the note has the French word for ten, or "dix," printed on the back. They were so common here they contributed to this place being called the land of 'dixie.' That's according to the Fed money museum downstairs.
Lastly, "I heard it through the grapevine." Strange Marvin Gaye song and California Raisins cover. Also a term about gossip. It stems from the civil war. In NY, in what is today a part of Chinatown, near Chatham Square, there was a tavern known as the 'Grapevine," which was a popular spot for Union Officers to go drink. It was also a popular place for journalists and Confederate spies. Everyone knew that they were being spied on and whatnot, so many rumors originated there. Thus the term, "I heard it through the Grapevine."
Completely unrelated to anything, I've now been living in my apartment for more than a year. I remember living there last summer, wasting away. Now this summer I'm still wasting away, but undertaking some home improvement projects while I'm at it. But this summer I've noticed how strange some of the people in my building truly are. For one thing, there is a woman who lives there who has a beagle. Cute looking dog at first glance, until you realize this dog is completely psychotic. Makes these weird hacking noises and aggressively barks and antagonizes anyone it comes across. I want to kick that dog sometimes.
Secondly, the children in my building are really obnoxious. See previous post "Little Kid Lost." There's an Asian family in my building with a kid who is about 5 or 6 years old. In the elevator last week, I accidently hit both the ground and lobby buttons while alone. As the elevator stopped on another floor and this family got in, the kid went over to the button panel, gave me a really dirty look, and said, "Why'd you press boooooooooooooth?" I want to kick that kid sometimes.
So I learned some really random crap lately. People always teased me for knowing all sorts of trivial stuff that is of no consequence to anyone... but fun to know nonetheless. Here's some stuff:
The word "salary." It comes from the same root word as 'salt,' the latin word salarium. Back in the Roman days, soldiers were sometimes paid using salt as a medium of exchange, thus the word salary.
The south is known as dixie quite often. Nobody knows for sure why, but one theory is that way back before we had a national currency, each state had its own bank notes and bank laws. Louisiana had particularly strong bank laws and a stable currency, and one of the most common notes was the Louisiana $10 note. Since it has the french history, the note has the French word for ten, or "dix," printed on the back. They were so common here they contributed to this place being called the land of 'dixie.' That's according to the Fed money museum downstairs.
Lastly, "I heard it through the grapevine." Strange Marvin Gaye song and California Raisins cover. Also a term about gossip. It stems from the civil war. In NY, in what is today a part of Chinatown, near Chatham Square, there was a tavern known as the 'Grapevine," which was a popular spot for Union Officers to go drink. It was also a popular place for journalists and Confederate spies. Everyone knew that they were being spied on and whatnot, so many rumors originated there. Thus the term, "I heard it through the Grapevine."
Completely unrelated to anything, I've now been living in my apartment for more than a year. I remember living there last summer, wasting away. Now this summer I'm still wasting away, but undertaking some home improvement projects while I'm at it. But this summer I've noticed how strange some of the people in my building truly are. For one thing, there is a woman who lives there who has a beagle. Cute looking dog at first glance, until you realize this dog is completely psychotic. Makes these weird hacking noises and aggressively barks and antagonizes anyone it comes across. I want to kick that dog sometimes.
Secondly, the children in my building are really obnoxious. See previous post "Little Kid Lost." There's an Asian family in my building with a kid who is about 5 or 6 years old. In the elevator last week, I accidently hit both the ground and lobby buttons while alone. As the elevator stopped on another floor and this family got in, the kid went over to the button panel, gave me a really dirty look, and said, "Why'd you press boooooooooooooth?" I want to kick that kid sometimes.
1 Comments:
hmmm... in the mood to kick something?
By
All Mixed Up, at 7/20/2006 7:11 PM
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