I wish I had been there.

This is my daughter, a junior at college. She doesn't always dress like this, thank the good Lord. She only wears her boa for special occasions, like, playing in a dodgeball tournament. I'm surprised her team didn't come in first. I mean, the whole team dressed like this. With all that pinkness and feathers flying around, you'd think the other team's eyes would be blinded. Maybe stopping to apply lip gloss was their undoing.

Manunka Chunk

I got thinking about the word "caucus." Diane Sawyer enlightened me this morning that "caucus" is a Native American word (in the old days we would have called it an "Indian" word) that means "gathering." The word reminded me of a small village near my elementary school that was also named by Native Americans: Manunka Chunk. I think that it meant something about water, being that it is on the Delaware River, which of course was also named after Native Americans. I always thought Manunka Chunk was not only funny, but really cool. I would have loved to live there, just to tell people, "I live in Manunka Chunk. No, really! I do! No, I haven't been drinking. If I were, I wouldn't be able to pronounce Manunka Chunk." Although, it just hit me that it sounds like something you might do into the toilet if you DO drink too much.

Anywho, I also realized that as much as I like "Manunka Chunk," I really dislike "caucus." My cats make that sound before they cough up a hairball. "CAU-cus, CAU-cus!"

And speaking of cat noises, another word, or rather, acronym I dislike, is that which describes our local 2 year college:

HACC.

Yeah, HACC.

Harrisburg Area Community College. Now, I want to know who's responsible for this. I mean, would it have been so hard to name it "Central PA Community College"? Or, "Harrisburg's Interior Community College"... then it would have been HICC, which, I'm tellin' ya, WAY more accurately describes our area... any courthouse that has to ask if you when applying for marriage license if you and your fiancee are related surely can be described as "hick." And yes, that did happen to Hubs and me. NO, we are NOT related.

If they ever rename HACC, I'm going to suggest "Manunka Chunk Community College." And part of the application will be spelling it correctly.

It's time for the UN-decorating. Am I a bad mother to store Christmas trees in my now somewhat-absent college son's room? I need to convince him that I'm actually enhancing his room by adding natural outdoor (at least outdoor-looking) elements so that he will feel as if he's sleeping under the stars. It will be like camping with the Boy Scouts when he was a kid. Will he buy it? His shower schedule resembles that of a camper, so shouldn't his room also?

And what is up with him and cars? Three times this year, since August, he's killed... okay, maimed, 3 cars... ingitions, batteries, transmissions, oh my! He's on his own now. And the Good Stepfather of the North can't rescue him as our magic green fairy dust ($) that we use to buy parts is now used up.

I guess I should go. I have trees to haul before The Boy finds out.