I'm sure everyone is as disappointed as I am that there's no erotica section.
(shuts eyes and envisages "You shoulda been gone..." sung by the man with no testicles (other than Brad Delp and that fucked up sounding dude from Triumph) to his hot early 80s big haired lady).
Steve rounds the corner and he sees Tony standing out in the middle of the floor holding his jacket out to the side like a bullfighter. A routine they do everyday about this time. Steve stops, he pulls the lever forward and backwards like a bull getting ready to charge. Then he pushes the lever forward & he heads towards Tony. Tony is doing the bullfighters dance holding his jacket out in front of him. Steve goes passed him and Tony pulls the jacket back.
"Olay!" Tony says.
Steve turns around to make another pass at Tony when Jerry . . .
"You only wish I were kidding". Where's Gary Farber when I need an explanation of what "only" is doing in that sentence? And why is there no English equivalent for the German expression "German language: difficult language"?
If I've got this right, "only" is thought to indicate that what it modifies is at the low end of some scale of expectation.
So "It's only me" indicates that you might have expected someone or something better, or more surprising, or more intimidating, or more something--"It's not a burglar, it's only me"; "It's not Natalie Portman at your door with chocolate and flowers, it's only me."
Here I think "You only wish I were kidding" indicates that "you wish I were kidding" is at the bottom of a scale of desirability, when we rank the attitudes we might have to the proposition "She's kidding." It would be very desirable if we knew she was kidding--because then she would indeed be kidding, and there wouldn't be a Steve Perry fanfic site. It would be reasonably desirable if we hoped she was kidding, because then she might be kidding. But it's not good that we wish she were kidding, because it means (here) that we know that she's not kidding, and we've been forced to the terrible, awful realization that there's a Steve Perry fanfic site.
(Note the switch from "am" to "were." "You know I'm kidding"; "You hope I'm kidding"; "You wish I were kidding." "Were" is a contrary-to-fact subjunctive, used here because it is known to be the case that she's not kidding.)
I can't help you out with the English equivalent for "German language: difficult language." What's that in German?
Thanks for the explication. JFTR, I'm a native English speaker, but some days I wonder why the infamous Barbie didn't say 'English is hard!". Though actually I think English is relatively easy most days.
"Deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache."
Kind of a joke I guess because "schwere" is lazy for "schwierige".
I refuse to click the link, but I am reminded of another Greyhound story: I was once stuck in a Greyhound station in Kansas City for hours talking to a woman who absolutely loved Steve Perry. She showed me the pictures of him that she carried with her, and told me what she thought of his private life and how the woman he was with did/did not understand him. I heard all about Steve, and all about my new friend's devotion to Steve, and all about the True Meaning of Steve's music.
Speaking of Greyhound stories, while in college 20 years ago, I was on my way to Ocean City, Md., in mid-winter, so the bus was nearly deserted. One of the few other passengers was a very pretty young woman of about my own age. I was, of course, too timid to go chat her up, but she astonished me by catching my eye and smiling, then moving over to sit next to me.
There followed the most excruciating three hours of my life, starting with her explaining that she was Pentecostal -- "you know, a holy roller" -- and asking me whether I was a Christian. When I told her I had been raised a Catholic, she expressed disappointment that I wasn't Christian and suggested I come to her church during my visit to Ocean City so I could worship there and drive Satan out of my heart.
Never in my life have I been so glad to say goodbye to anyone. Now I live 3,000 or so miles from there and still get the creeps just thinking about her. I don't think I've been on a Greyhound bus since.
Come to think of it, she probably has a plum job in the Bush administration.
I'm sure everyone is as disappointed as I am that there's no erotica section.
(shuts eyes and envisages "You shoulda been gone..." sung by the man with no testicles (other than Brad Delp and that fucked up sounding dude from Triumph) to his hot early 80s big haired lady).
Now, THAT was quality.
Posted by Pr Goose | Link to this comment | 02-14-05 9:44 PM
Well, I knew it was fiction when I read, in the romance section, that Steve had an affair with Melody.
BADA-BING!
Posted by FL | Link to this comment | 02-14-05 9:46 PM
well, at least there's a "romance" section.
Posted by Alameida | Link to this comment | 02-14-05 9:46 PM
Unintentional slash Fan Fic?
Steve rounds the corner and he sees Tony standing out in the middle of the floor holding his jacket out to the side like a bullfighter. A routine they do everyday about this time. Steve stops, he pulls the lever forward and backwards like a bull getting ready to charge. Then he pushes the lever forward & he heads towards Tony. Tony is doing the bullfighters dance holding his jacket out in front of him. Steve goes passed him and Tony pulls the jacket back.
"Olay!" Tony says.
Steve turns around to make another pass at Tony when Jerry . . .
Posted by jbbuhs | Link to this comment | 02-14-05 11:12 PM
"You only wish I were kidding". Where's Gary Farber when I need an explanation of what "only" is doing in that sentence? And why is there no English equivalent for the German expression "German language: difficult language"?
Posted by rilkefan | Link to this comment | 02-14-05 11:50 PM
If I've got this right, "only" is thought to indicate that what it modifies is at the low end of some scale of expectation.
So "It's only me" indicates that you might have expected someone or something better, or more surprising, or more intimidating, or more something--"It's not a burglar, it's only me"; "It's not Natalie Portman at your door with chocolate and flowers, it's only me."
Here I think "You only wish I were kidding" indicates that "you wish I were kidding" is at the bottom of a scale of desirability, when we rank the attitudes we might have to the proposition "She's kidding." It would be very desirable if we knew she was kidding--because then she would indeed be kidding, and there wouldn't be a Steve Perry fanfic site. It would be reasonably desirable if we hoped she was kidding, because then she might be kidding. But it's not good that we wish she were kidding, because it means (here) that we know that she's not kidding, and we've been forced to the terrible, awful realization that there's a Steve Perry fanfic site.
(Note the switch from "am" to "were." "You know I'm kidding"; "You hope I'm kidding"; "You wish I were kidding." "Were" is a contrary-to-fact subjunctive, used here because it is known to be the case that she's not kidding.)
I can't help you out with the English equivalent for "German language: difficult language." What's that in German?
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 02-15-05 9:39 AM
Thanks for the explication. JFTR, I'm a native English speaker, but some days I wonder why the infamous Barbie didn't say 'English is hard!". Though actually I think English is relatively easy most days.
"Deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache."
Kind of a joke I guess because "schwere" is lazy for "schwierige".
Posted by rilkefan | Link to this comment | 02-15-05 10:03 AM
Given our ...idiosyncratic... spelling, maybe "English language, tuff language?"
Posted by mike d | Link to this comment | 02-15-05 10:39 AM
I refuse to click the link, but I am reminded of another Greyhound story: I was once stuck in a Greyhound station in Kansas City for hours talking to a woman who absolutely loved Steve Perry. She showed me the pictures of him that she carried with her, and told me what she thought of his private life and how the woman he was with did/did not understand him. I heard all about Steve, and all about my new friend's devotion to Steve, and all about the True Meaning of Steve's music.
For hours.
Posted by bitchphd | Link to this comment | 02-15-05 11:02 AM
Speaking of Greyhound stories, while in college 20 years ago, I was on my way to Ocean City, Md., in mid-winter, so the bus was nearly deserted. One of the few other passengers was a very pretty young woman of about my own age. I was, of course, too timid to go chat her up, but she astonished me by catching my eye and smiling, then moving over to sit next to me.
There followed the most excruciating three hours of my life, starting with her explaining that she was Pentecostal -- "you know, a holy roller" -- and asking me whether I was a Christian. When I told her I had been raised a Catholic, she expressed disappointment that I wasn't Christian and suggested I come to her church during my visit to Ocean City so I could worship there and drive Satan out of my heart.
Never in my life have I been so glad to say goodbye to anyone. Now I live 3,000 or so miles from there and still get the creeps just thinking about her. I don't think I've been on a Greyhound bus since.
Come to think of it, she probably has a plum job in the Bush administration.
Posted by peter snees | Link to this comment | 02-16-05 6:04 AM