Welcome, peeps! So glad you came by!
I thought since I’ve undergone a name change, I might offer a brief explanation as to the old name, before it fades completely from our minds…
One of my favorite movies of all time, ALL TIME, is Waiting for Guffman, a mockumentary about small-town community theater. Basically, it’s my life. It makes me laugh til I snort.
So, when naming my blog, originally, I thought it would be fun to make the name a reference to something I really liked, but not anything too obvious. Then probably, people who liked that same thing would notice, and let me know they got the joke in some way. And we would laugh, together, the smug self-satisfied laugh of those who are in the know.
I picked a reference to Waiting for Guffman, because in addition to it being one of my favorite movies, it’s not hugely well-known. People that picked up on it would obviously be people who went past the mainstream, artsy, movie-loving folk with incredible senses of humor. Like me, of course.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned yet that the reason I picked this one singular word, ironical, out of the entire movie was for one particular reason. Well, ok, two reasons - the second being that the other memorable quotes from the movie either involve words that I couldn’t in good conscience use in my blog, knowing that my mother reads it, or involve references to working at the Dairy Queen, and I didn’t want anyone to get confused and think that I am currently employed there. But the FIRST reason, the really important one, is that a character in the movie uses this totally made up word in an interview early in the movie and Bryan and I have always hooted through the entire scene.
Oh, how funny that made up word is. The only thing I worried about (in my grand master scheme of blog naming) is that someone might make the mistake of thinking that I had extremely bad grammar. But I was willing to take the risk, in the hopes of finding fellow Guffmanite snobs.
Well, my plan failed. No one recognized the reference, no insider jokes were traded. It’s okay, I thought, I guess I’m just a little more culturally elite than I thought. Oh well!
And then I read a book this summer. Halfway through it, the word ironical appeared. And then it appeared again. And again.
Apparently NOT a made up word. So much for my clever reference.
None of that this time around - just a name, a description, an outlook - hey, I might as well embrace it!
yes, but you will always be ironical to me
indeed being one of those ‘grammar snobs’ that you mentioned, the first thing i did was check my favorite online standby- http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ironical
ah, yes, even i missed your joke entirely. so ‘the dramatic’ will have to grow on me but i’m sooooo very glad you’re back after your holiday sabbatical.
did my picture show up?
nice to see you new home. and i think i finally got my gravatar. let’s see if it works!
hey, look at y’all - i’m so proud! i think i’m going to get bryan to see if he can make them display a little bigger…
what’s with everyone getting their pic on here?Â
i saw guffman once but didn’t remember the ironical reference, either. maybe because it was a real word? and that i saw the movie so long ago …
it was a good name for your blog — and the new name is great, too!
but your explanation brings up good memories of christopher guest movies (all the way back to spinal tap and princess bride). makes me want to go rent every one — except for your consideration, which was mostly not funny.
I know you wrote this almost three years ago, but I myself, just realized that it was, in fact, a real word. I noticed that word for the first time in Waiting for Guffman and I thought it was great because it’s such a stupid sounding word. All this time I was convinced that it was an awesomely bad misuse of the word ironic. Anyway I found it amusing that I googled the word and this particular blog popped up. I instantly recognized the reference! You are not alone! :)
Also I’m going to guess what the other line was that you were considering:
“I hate you and I hate your a$% face.” Â
I totally own that movie.
Cheers!
And this is what is SO great about the internet. I’m so glad you came by! I totally own Guffman, too, and yes, that is another of my favorite lines. There are so many.
Cheers to you too! Great to meet a fellow fan!