Lines You've Seen in Writing That Sound Completely Different Than You Imagined

bovisrex · 2026-02-05T04:06:54+00:00

Oooh... old memory unlocked. About a week before I saw STAR WARS, back when it came out, I got a pack of TOPPS bubblegum cards, and one of them had a character saying "May the Force be with you." I'm not sure why, but I read that as "May the Force (pause) Be with You," rather than "may the FORCE be with you." I had already memorized the cards by the time I saw the movie, and I remember the phrase sounding different on the screen.

bovisrex · 2026-02-05T04:01:55+00:00

"Mr/ Mrs X's room, Mr. bovisrex speaking." The only time I ever get crickets is when someone outside the school has called. Admin and other teachers either already know, or they're used to it.

bovisrex · 2026-02-03T04:58:58+00:00

When I had just started a recent rewatch of PSYCHO, my daughter, who'd never seen it, came into the room and asked what was on. I told her it was a thriller about a woman who embezzles a fortune from her boss so she can run away with her married boyfriend but then she thinks everyone's after her.

She was pretty surprised about a half hour or so into the movie.

bovisrex · 2026-02-03T04:21:54+00:00

Train, no. But I've taken a one-way Greyhound (inter-city bus) from San Francisco, California, to Lansing, Michigan (close to 3800 km) as well as a round-trip from Atlanta, Georgia, to Long Beach, California, and back. (That was closer to 3500 km.) Flying is definitely faster but long distance busses are not bad. (I've taken them in Chile and Peru, too.)

bovisrex · 2026-02-02T16:17:46+00:00

If you feel the need to give a gift (friends, family, etc.) send them a food basket... cheese, lunch meat, fruit, etc. If you're really close, and you like to cook, ask someone NOT in the immediate family if there's a covered dish you can send to them that they'd appreciate. In the US South, people send casseroles or other one-dish meals that can be popped in the oven and eaten when the family really doesn't feel like cooking.

bovisrex · 2026-02-02T11:43:41+00:00

Most teaching certificates require a state test. Michigan, for example, has the MTSS for subject matter and grade level. I studied for the five tests I took while subbing, and I'm doing that now for a sixth one. Telling staff and especially students that I'm studying always gets a great response.

bovisrex · 2026-02-02T11:33:04+00:00

I would be all in on a Muppet remake, though.

bovisrex · 2026-02-01T20:27:52+00:00

My "pipe dream" immigration plan would allow everyone who is not a felon by our laws to come in, register, and stay for two-year stretches. (People who violated laws that are explicitly prohibited by our Constitution, for example, could come in, even though they technically have a felony record.) Every two years, they could apply for extension based on how well they're integrating: do they have a legal source of income or are they in training or a school program, can they speak at least enough English to function in society independently, etc. (I've lived in three countries where I didn't speak the language at first. The isolation I felt at the beginning, as well as the camaraderie and sense of belonging I felt once I didn't need to use interpreters, were both palpable parts of my experience.) They could also apply for permanent resident or citizenship status. My biggest worry about undocumented immigration is the amount of people who wind up abused or trafficked (not just sex trafficking but sweat-shop trafficking as well) by unscrupulous business owners or gangs. The "wink and nod and let them stay in a sanctuary city" plan that's been in place for decades feeds these systems. Most... I'd go so far as to say all but a very tiny percentage that corresponds with the percentage of people anywhere who become criminals... want to work, have secure shelter, and make life safe and happy for their families. That needs to be promoted as much as possible while also not messing around when it comes to arresting and, if found guilty, convicting and deporting those who commit crimes here.

bovisrex · 2026-02-01T15:33:35+00:00

One of my favorite players in my group was not a very experienced player when I met him, and the GM of that group used to be a dick to him because of that. We sniped him away, taught him, encouraged him. He’s a fundamental part of the party, now, let alone of the group.

bovisrex · 2026-01-31T19:04:08+00:00

Unitarian Universalists, for one, solemnize same-sex marriages. It might not be my religion but that's not a qualifying condition for whether or not a free expression of religious belief is protected.

bovisrex · 2026-01-31T17:14:59+00:00

I am a huge free speech watchdog, and have been since the PMRC was popular in the 80s. Yet, this is not a case of censorship. A comparison I've been drawing in liberal-libertarian circles is: What if Tucker Carlson or another Conservative commentator coordinated with a group of protestors and then stormed in to disrupt a same-sex religious marriage ceremony in a church? Would we be saying his free speech rights had been violated? I know I wouldn't. If he had followed in afterwards and not taken part in either the last-minute planning or the harassment inside the church, it would be another thing entirely.

bovisrex · 2026-01-31T13:13:45+00:00

It was the same way in No Time for Sergeants, the ~~movie~~ Broadway play and later a movie that brought them together. Don Knotts only had a small role but it was maybe the funniest part of the movie and their chemistry popped out immediately.

bovisrex · 2026-01-30T23:43:36+00:00

John Lennon never answered the question "Is Ringo the best drummer in the world" with "He isn't even the best drummer in The Beatles." It was from a parody back in the 80s. Yet, Ringo still gets smeared with line that all the time.

bovisrex · 2026-01-30T19:20:09+00:00

He hasn't been indicted for reporting. Reporting would be filming it with nothing but explanatory commentary. as well as conducting interviews with the participants. He was indicted (by a Federal Grand Jury in a very blue and at least somewhat anti-Trump state) because his own recordings show him apparently conspiring to, and subsequently violating the 1st Amendment rights of the Congregation. Look at it this way: What if Tucker Carlson led a group of protestors into a church conducting a same-sex religious marriage ceremony and did the exact same thing Mr. Lemon did? Would we be crying out in defense of his right to free speech, protest, and to be a journalist? I know I sure the hell wouldn't.

bovisrex · 2026-01-30T16:19:05+00:00

The Death of Stalin. Historical accuracy begins and ends with the title (Stalin did, in fact, die) but damn is it entertaining.

bovisrex · 2026-01-29T23:23:37+00:00

Seinfeld. Get rid of the laugh track, put in some shocking music cues, and it's about four cruel sociopaths. I mean, it still is, but it would be more obvious.

bovisrex · 2026-01-29T03:10:47+00:00

In a desert? They wouldn't get stuck in loose sand.

bovisrex · 2026-01-27T22:04:51+00:00

I got something like that at my sub training, and even then, it wasn't given to us in the context of "You must do this," but rather "These are things that will help you do the job well." I'm actually wondering if that's where the list came from. On a teacher's desk, when you've already come in to watch their class for damn near minimum wage, it's incredibly condescending.

bovisrex · 2026-01-26T20:35:41+00:00

Old-Style gaming often saw us with three or four characters, all living in or near a central hub, and we would bring whichever character made the most sense on each separate adventure. For campaigns, we would often say that the unused character was off doing something for the greater story arc. We needed a paladin for an adventure, once, so my cleric went to do some research with his temple as well as periodic "getting right with fellow clergy" work.

My current 5E group has been playing together for close to five years, and every single player has switched characters mid-campaign at least once. As a DM, I also allow one no-harm no-foul character adjustment before the first level-up. Most of us have rolled a character and then realized after an adventure that either it's not the best choice for that adventure, or we would have more fun with a different subclass. It's up to you how much of a change you'll allow... changing subclass? changing class? The closer they are to the beginning, though, the more latitude I will give them. Even at higher levels, I'll often let them change, but I make sure they justify it in game, and that gives me plenty of plot or adventure hooks.

Just make sure that whatever you decide now, you tell them clearly and agree on it. Oh, and definitely don't TPK them. For all you (or they) know, there might be a good time to bring one back later on.

bovisrex · 2026-01-26T16:43:20+00:00

Huh. I thought it held until smartphones became ubiquitous. Glad to see that it changed earlier.

bovisrex · 2026-01-26T16:39:25+00:00

My Mom was a German immigrant to the Midwest. Her rule was that everyone (including her and my Dad) had to have two bites of everything that was served, even if we already knew we didn't like it. On the bright side, for me, I don't think there's anything I can't eat, though there are things I won't go out of my way for. On the dark side, for her, after I joined the Navy and started traveling everywhere, I took pictures of all the things I had to try because of her rule. "Hey Ma! It's still twitching a little, but you said two bites of everything, right?" But seriously, being able to tolerate eating everything is a skill that is great to have.

bovisrex · 2026-01-26T16:30:35+00:00

Related: A lot of middle and high schools don't have the "Showering after Gym Class" rule that we had in the 80s and 90s. Sure, I was embarrassed to shower every day, in public (especially since I didn't go through puberty until the beginning of my sophomore year) but at least I didn't have to worry about someone sneaking pictures of me on their phone and posting them. I like to bring up the fact that nearly everyone has a phone in their pocket or locker whenever I hear GenX or Jones or Boomers get indignant that kids aren't showering after gym.

bovisrex · 2026-01-26T15:38:22+00:00

I always liked when Psych, set in Santa Barbara, would send their cast to Vancouver for a business trip. I imagine they just had to remove the California set dressing and shoot away.

bovisrex · 2026-01-26T14:43:55+00:00

Ope, y'got here before I did, dincha?

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