2012.07.03 — A Stinker Caught Hook, Line and Baited: A Self Abusive Fushigi*

Undoubtedly what is about to follow will be seen as an abusive stretch of the vaguest connection between a fushigi and anything even remotely considered meaningful. And maybe it is just a little funny, too.

This morning, at work, I was talking with TR about writing. It originated with my passing on to him the praise his writing had received from one of the excellent writers of the WSS creative writing thread in Goodreads. It was fascinating, because it turns out that TR and I had a similar reaction to the process of submitting stories when we were young. And that the pleasure we have in writing in the WSS is in no small part because of the immediacy of the feedback and the give and take of the different writers, good and bad. It is, we concurred, a very definite writing community. He commented that he's already done more writing in the last couple of months than he'd done in ten years. I commented that a part of that may relate to there being in the WSS people actually reading and commenting on the writing, because "writing that isn't read is kind of like masturbation. Yes, it provides some pleasure but isn't really fully satisfying."

Later, around noon or so still at work, NR called me over to ask for my opinion regarding some details of a job. The geospatial drawing for the equipment was in complete disrepair, and after some discussion I was curious to see who was the tech who had left it in

such bad shape. We poked around and found that that person was from a different office, and his name is (first name withheld) Bates. Given how poorly the work had been done, I ironically commented something like 'That would appear to be the work of a Master Bates.'

I added that that wasn't a very funny joke, but to my mind came a scene from the oddly appealing movie, Bob the Butler with Tom Green and Brooke Shields. The movie is both silly and not in equal measure. One of the silly scenes is set up when Bob, who is training to be a butler, learns that the 'proper' butler address for young men, without exception, is Master + name. Of course, his first job is with a woman Anne (Brooke Shields), who has a son by the name of Bates (Benjamin Smith). Drum beat!

So, how does the sort of fushigi complete itself?

Tonight I watched MasterChef Episode#10. At the end of the show are the obligatory teasers from the next episode, showing the people struggling to clean and scale fish of various sorts.

Well, the sound bite they include from Gordon Ramsay

is amusing because he is castigating one of the struggling chefs by snapping at him 'It's 'Master Chef' not master baits." Now, the audio clip was very quick, so I re-listened to it on the later broadcast: Yup, that is what I heard.

Too funny! So silly that I'd notice and even sillier to blog it.

Addendum 2012.07.04

This morning the fushigi extended in a most peculiar way. I finished reading What Uncle Sam Really Wants by Noam Chomsky. And as I usually do I read through the bibliography of the book. I was amused when I read the following:
Bates, Greg, ed. (1991). Mobilizing democracy: changing the U.S. role in the Middle East: Interviews and essays featuring the thoughts of Noam Chomsky and others. Monroe, Me.: Common Courage Press.

Sorry, I'm still finding this funny for absolutely no good reason.