It will be fun, they said.

Thankful that English is my native language for many reasons, but today I am thinking once again, about how fun American English is and about why it is so hard to figure out why it is fun.  Certain expressions gain popularity for some unknown and unpredictable reason and whenever you hear them -- it brings a smile or a pause.  You notice the play on words or maybe get some sense of the "underneath" humor intended.  Can't explain why or how this even comes to be.  Consider...

On Facebook the other day, I watched Fredrik Backman, one of my favorite authors, speaking at some gathering. He was self-deprecating and funny - making everyone laugh when talking about his feelings of standing up in front of them at the suggestion of his agent and others.  He brought the house down with something like - Take this speaking engagement, they said. "It will be fun,  they said".  I thought that was very funny  -  especially in combination with his facial expressions. Why though?  Why did I (and what seemed like everyone there) find that funny? How do these expressions come into being and spread like wildfire?  

In search of an answer, I asked my new friend AI (artificial intelligence -- that  I have come to think of as AL -- short for Alfred -- my personal nickname).  Although the exact origin seems to be a bit of an internet mystery, the phrase is a current popular Internet Meme. Al tells me that, interestingly enough, the concept's origin dates back to WWII with the classic military expression of frustration and complaint -- "See the world, they said".  Later on that phrase or a variation of it appeared in TV's MASH and more currently in video games in the 90's such as Warcraft 2.   Even more recently (in the memes of  2010-2012) it became the "go-to caption for images of people enduring miserable camping trips, DIY disasters, or chaotic family events" (AI Overview). "Build a pool, they said. It will be fun, they said."  Anyone who has ever taken care of a pool gets the humor in that.  Anyway ...

Next on my list to explore is:    Be afraid. Be very afraid.  Is this a threat one should take seriously? Or ... what about the origin of "Sh** eating grin"??? Perhaps I don't really want to know about this last one....

Do such things only appear in American English? Our language is chocked full of odd expressions that make sense perhaps only to us.  Personally  -- I think we Americans are an interesting and fun people. Unfortunately our language is difficult for non Americans. Try to figure out American expressions, they said.  It will be fun, they said.

Wheels and AI

"Round and round it goes, and where it stops nobody knows"  -- an interesting phrase sometimes used to describe the uncertainties of life or the seemingly cyclical nature of things.  It is also used within the context of gambling -- more specifically in roulette. Spin that wheel... 

Was working on an acrostic puzzle the other day when I encountered the clue: "The 'wheel of death' may be part of this act (2 wds., hyph.)"  The title of the puzzle is "Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh my!" So, for some reason, I immediately thought about a circus  when, perhaps, I should have been thinking of the Wizard of OZ.  Anyway ... this led me to remembering knife-throwing. It fit the puzzle.  Now the thing is, I cannot for the life of me wonder why I never thought about how stupid this particular entertainment is.  Really.  Think about it!  Now I am wondering if this is still done in circuses or magic shows anymore.  Does a circus still exist anywhere in the world?  Hmmm.... Be right back....  Just looked it up.  It does -- but with an emphasis shift away from animals to a focus more on humans doing things like acrobatics and aerial acts.  Interesting.  Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey still exist.  Nice. Wonder where is the world they are right now?

Back to the knife-throwing wheel of death.  As I remember it, some woman who was unfortunate enough to have landed this job, was tied (splayed actually) to a wheel (wrists and ankles).  Then ... potential victim securely attached, the wheel was then set in a spinning motion, while a man, most likely blindfolded, threw knives at her.  Yikes.  Anyway -- it got me to thinking about the stupid and dangerous things that people do, so I asked AI to give me a list. AI found no results.  Yes, you read that correctly.  No results in a search for stupid and dangerous things that people do. I mean I can think of a dozen things off the top of my head. All this being said...

I don't think I am ready to trust my safety and health to AI yet.  Perhaps AI is still too young to have good judgement.  Or ... perhaps I didn't ask it correctly.  Either way ... I sometimes think I have dealt with enough huge changes in my 3/4 of a century.  I am tired of all the adjusting.  Changes, like AI -- "round and round it goes, and where it stops nobody knows."  It's exhausting to think about and ... perhaps more than a bit of a gamble. Not sure I want to play this game. Too late now. I told the AI on my phone to go away and not come back.  It appeared one day --  uninvited. It's still there.  It doesn't seem to follow instructions well. 

Think I will go water my flowers.