The Penultimate Word

Button for sale at the state convention of the Texas Republican Party.

(Via Marc Ambinder)

Tis a map showing the generic names for soft drinks by area. Interesting that “soda” is bi-coastal, but not much used in the interior.

I once visited a client in New Jersey who asked me what I wanted to drink. I told her I wanted a pop, which prompted her to ask me if I was from Kalamazoo. Apparently in her experience only people from Kalamazoo called it “pop”.

(Via Sullivan)

The group I sing with is leaving shortly to perform JS Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Wilmington, NC Symphony, so we are in heavy rehearsals to prepare. In the bass sectional today the song Fly Me to the Moon came up (don’t ask), and our director remarked that it was originally written in 3 but most arrangements are in 4. I remarked that I have a copy of Astrud Gilberto doing it in 3, but discovered to my embarrassment that she did it in 4 as well. Still, it is a nice arrangement. Naturally, someone has posted it on YouTube.