Other funny stories from Professor Oaks

Professor Oaks recounted a story to us today about two of his children and how his family is just a little bit different. Enjoy!

Two of my kids were sitting at the dinner table eating McDonald's Happy Meals and I was in another room and just happened to hear the following exchange. My daughter said "I love chicken nuggets!" and the boy, in standard child fashion, replied "Why don't you marry them?" Instead of the conversation ending there, like a conversation between NORMAL children would, my daughter said "Okay!" and proceeded to perform the marriage ceremony complete with her personal rendition of "Here Comes the Bride." After the ceremony was over there was a moment or two of silence. My son then said, "You can't eat them now, can you?"

Language Lover?

"Ella Minnow Pea is set on the fictitious island of Nollop, an isle off the coast of South Carolina, and home to Nevin Nollop, the supposed creator of the well-known pangram "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." This sentence is preserved on a memorial to its creator on the island, and is taken very seriously by the government of the island. Throughout the book, tiles containing the letters fall from the inscription beneath the statue, and as each one does, the island's government bans the contained letter's use from written or spoken communication.
The plot is conveyed through mail or notes sent between various characters, though with the banned letters missing, creating passages that become more and more phonetically or creatively spelled, and requiring more effort of the reader to interpret." (Quoted from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Minnow_Pea).

This book was a joy to read! Watching the phenomenal language skills of the Nollopians diminish as their beloved alphabet was stripped of its elements was as heart-wrenching as reading the accounts of those torn from their families because the banished person had used a "forbidden letter." I highly reccomend this novel for anyone who loves language, letters, and cleverly phrased commonalities of daily life. Read it, and enjoy.

Muffin vs Cupcake

If I had to choose between a muffin and a cupcake I would definitely choose the muffin.

Any time of day.

Any day of the week. Any variety of muffin.

All hail the muffin!