Sunday, April 6, 2008

The Management Responds.

Matt has posted Part XXI of Sophie from Shinola. The beginning and the explanation of the whole thing can be found here.
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In today's topic Polybliggimous Goes Edumacational, Justin Ryan asks a question and has a couple of excellent suggestions. I deem this worthy of its own thread and solicit UCF evaluation. Also, I realize that there are 1 or 2 others out there who may feel themselves to be in the Netherworld that Justin imagines himself in. Feel free to ask your status and face the UCFers verdict.

P.S. Even if you've been lurking since day 1, you're not UCF material. You're welcome to keep lurking or to delurk at the time of your choosing and be considered for PAL membership, but the UCF is a noisy bunch who have a deep distrust for those who put a lot of thought into things before yelling their opinions at the top of their lungs.

So, this is what Justin had to say:

"Though I'm not sure if I arrived in time to be a UCFer or will be consigned to being a PAL, I most humbly suggest that the term of venery for the PAL be "cackle," as they're merely scavenging that which is left by the far more luminary UCF.

I further suggest that the whole lot of us, UCFers and PALs alike, be christened a flange.

My answer is:

To quote a favorite movie around here, "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

ven·er·y 1 (vn-r)
n. pl. ven·er·ies Archaic
1. Indulgence in or pursuit of sexual activity.
2. The act of sexual intercourse.


Moving past that however, this is a difficult question to answer since, technically, you did arrive before the cutoff and have participated marvelously in Sophie from Shinola."

And beyond that, I'm most pleased with both of your suggestions.
I'm not going to decide until others have had a chance to mouth off, but 'Cackle' conveys all that 'Giggle' does but without the adolescent girlyness. And Flange evokes 'fringe' but it's funnier. These two now stand atop the heap unless someone else comes up with something better.

I've thus decided that the UCF should decide whether or not you have earned inclusion and I shall heed their decision.

However, before you and they decide, I'd like to offer an alternate position. First Chairman of the PAL. I'm envisioning that the PAL will be Polybloggimous' Commons and the UCF, The House of Lords. As First Chairman you would have great powers that I'd make up later regarding the PAL membership (including nominating folks for membership).

You'd also have the right to blather away to your heart's content, hijack any topic at the moment of your choosing, disagree with management and ridicule my spelling, grammar and ideas...so, yeah, pretty much like everyone else here, just with a nifty title.

In thinking about this, I believe the post would last for a year and then some other worthy would be elevated to this exalted position. The incumbent would move on to Emeritus status. (And to clarify, the position being offered is first 'First Chairman'; the next guy'd be the 'First Chairman' too...just the second one.)

Frankly, this whole thing is giving me delusions but WTF, I'm having fun.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

"To quote a favorite movie around here, 'I don't think that word means what you think it means.'"

Ah ha, a challenge! *strides up to Nathan and smacks him repeatedly with a babelfish* I accept your challenge. En garde!

The definition you provide is quite correct for the word "venery." However, I didn't use the word "venery," I used the phrase "term of venery" which has a quite different meaning, id est, the one I alluded to. "Term of venery" is a quasi-synonym for "collective noun," but more specifically refers to a collective noun for a group of animals, à la the various and sundry examples used in the original post. Wordinfo.info has a brief but decent explanation.

Now, having blathered away to my heart's content, disagreed with the management, and ridiculed not exactly your spelling and grammar as much as your vocabulary, I hereby declare my submission to whatever decision the Holy and Righteous UCFers shall arrive at, whether to admit me as one of their own or banish me to the realm of the PAL, albeit with a nifty title.

I have the honour to remain Your Psychotic Majesty's most humble and obedient servant, Just.

Anonymous said...

*Justin waits to see if anyone will look up the venereal definitions of cackle and flange.*

Nathan said...

Bastard!

Sgt. At Arms! Someone get me my Sgt. At Arms!

::What's that? Hmmm.::

Someone kindly remind me I gotta get a Sgt. At Arms.

Random Michelle K said...

I suggest Jim.

I'd make a terrible Sgt at Arms.

Court Jester is much more in my line.

Shawn Powers said...

I move that our membership be determined by, "The Great Sophie Divide."

This would suggest all bloggers participating Before Sophie (or, more appropriately, "BS") officially be offered UCFdom. All those coming after would be considered PALs.

Justin, since he must have existed BS (in order to sign up and all), would be allowed as a member. Mid-Sophie-joiners, unfortunately, would be subject to a life of PALism. Albeit those arriving Mid-Sophie should in fact get fancy PAL titles.

Do I have a second?

MWT said...

You know what would make it simpler? We could just go with Jim's alternate definition of UCF - "Us Cool Folks" - thereby negating the whole conundrum of founderness.

Or, if we really must draw lines, just say that those BS are Founders and those post S are Cool Folks. That way we're still all UCFers.

(Incidentally I hate cliques and want no part of being in one no matter how far up the food chain I personally am in it.)

Shawn Powers said...

Well, honestly, I figured the rules would all change in a day or so anyway -- and we were just continuing our commonality of insanity. ;)

Or, we could claim the UCF really stands for Ugly Cheese Factory, and future membership requests would dwindle anyway. :D

Unbelievably Corny Friends?
Unusually Cantankerous Fools?
Unintentional Spelling Folly?
Undercover Chicken Farmers?

Random Michelle K said...

Oh, you mean THAT great Sophie divide.

I thought you meant the divide of whether or not we liked not-Sophie.

Janiece said...

::pokes head in. head explodes. retracts bloody stump::

Nathan said...

I'm not gonna take these in order. Too much head bending involved.

1. UCF shall remain Union of Collaborating Founders. You guys helped me get this going and shall be recognized whether you like it or not.

2. Cliques are formed from shallow judgments and haven't had any bearing on who is or isn't UCF. The only criteria are and have been 1. the fact that you/they participated and 2. date of starting to participate. I'm grateful that I've had participants since the beginning and I'm going to recognize that participation. In my mind, the UCFers helped me get this going and whatever happens from hereon out, you are deserving of credit or blame for helping me do it. Live with it. (Bwahahahaha)

3. I'm willing to go with the Before Sophie cutoff line. It works for me. (Also, anything that gets shortened to BS is fun.) So, Justin, you're in. Charles, if you want anything to do with us, you're in. Matt is in. Bryan, you're married to Jeri and broke every rule by signing onto the Sophie madness after it had already started. You're definitely in. Everyone I've ever heard from prior to this date is in. Anyone checking in from here on out is invited for PAL membership. Those who I haven't mentioned who have been showing up regularly or periodically, are officially in.

4. I still like the idea of having a First Chairman of the PALs, so the first person who delurks for the first time may claim the title of first 'First Chairman' of the PALs. (Tania is looking for guidance regarding her upcoming trip to Sitka,AK. I know I've had a periodic lurker from there, so I smell an opportunity.)

5. UCFerness (new word) is not dependent on participation in the Sophie madness. Once again, you all know who you are.

6. email just popped up with Janiece's comment. Please put a band-aid on that.

7. Last but not least,this whole subject is making my delusions grander and grandeur. Someone please step in and slap me down.

8. Last, and really last, Michelle, we all love Not-Sophie. some of us just like killing her on a regular basis.

Anonymous said...

"I'm not quite dead... I feel happy..."

Random Michelle K said...

not-Sophie will remember that Nathan.

Anonymous said...

Justin, you're in.

Yay! *runs off to post excitedly on Twitter*

The only way I can think of to eliminate your delusions would be antipsychotics, and considering this group, if you took them, you'd have to throw yourself out. I say keep the psychosis, keep the delusions, and keep on keepin' on.

Oh, and I still think we should be referred to as a flange.

Nathan said...

Justin,

Cackle and Flange it is.

Michelle,

Future Rick-rolling will be met with serious consequences. Srsly!

Tom said...

Nathan, please remember that delusions of grandeur are just that, delusions. I believe you are actually having what is known as "pretensions of grandeur," a similar but non-neurotic malady. These are easily dealt with. Stop pretending. It's not necessary. You are truely Master of Your Domain. No pretensions necessary.

I second the BS Divide. It is, after all, what was happening when you made the decision to stop new memberships. A very natural milestone by which to deliniate pre- and post-. But if we say Before Sophie (BS), and After Sophie (AS?), what then do we call the Sophie Interregnum? That time after "Before Sophie," but before "After Sophie." I would think it would be included in "After Sophie", thereby becoming "Ano Sophie" (AS). Of course, you are the Decided, and the Accepter, and the Banisher, so it must be up to you.

Michelle, in my current "high-fallutin thinker" persona, it seems to me that if there was Sophie, she was singular. Not-Sophie would, of course, be all that was not Sophie, to include you, and me, and all the rest. I doubt that an author or two can really have much effect on such a powerful collective as Not-Sophie!

Not-Sophie Rules!

Anonymous said...

But if we say Before Sophie (BS), and After Sophie (AS?), what then do we call the Sophie Interregnum? That time after "Before Sophie," but before "After Sophie." I would think it would be included in "After Sophie", thereby becoming "Ano Sophie" (AS).

Perhaps "Amid and Subsequent to Sophie"?

Random Michelle K said...

Nathan,

Believe it or not, that wasn't me.

If it was me, not-Sophie would have pulled a six-shooter on you, remember?

Nathan said...

Jeebus!

And I though I was overcomplicating this!

MWT said...

During Sophie (DS)!

Random Michelle K said...

Could be worse.

I could be adding to the suggestions.

Nathan said...

All hear this! All hear this!

Much like B.C. and A.D. ignores the years that Christ was alive, we shall ignore the 33 years it takes for Sophie to get out of our systems.

BS ended when we started writing and we exercised some latitude for Bryan. (Although if I were him, I might be scared off by now.)

That is all.

Anonymous said...

I finally finished part 22 - damn day job takes up too much of my time during the day. ;)

And Bryan tells me he's having fun. Confused, but having fun.

Anonymous said...

Postscript - not-Sophie rocks, stop killing her!

Nathan said...

Well I really wasn't tempted to before, but...

Random Michelle K said...

not-Sophie rematerializes and pulls her six-shooter out of the ether.

"You're tempted to what Nathan?"

The nails of not-Sophie's hand that is not holding the six-shooter, tap insistently on her metallic hip. Click click click click. Click click click click.

Random Michelle K said...

Damn you Nathan! It's all past my bedtime and everything but you stuck a short in my head and I had to go write it and now if I'm all cranky tomorrow it's your fault and I am so going to take back all those appliances.

Nathan said...

Already read the short. Loooooved it.

I love the appliances too. Please let me keep'em?

Random Michelle K said...

Well.... as long as you can continue to behave, you can keep the appliances.

But remember! Not-Sophie is watching you!