1)  The origin of the word “meh.”

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Frequently, I will be IM-ing with someone and I will ask them politely, “How are you?” which is something I was taught by my mother to ask rather than talk about myself all the time, and the other person will answer me back by writing, “Meh.” 

I see bloggers saying “Meh” all the time.  I don’t remember seeing the term “meh” before I started blogging.  I always wondered if it was an internet term like LOL.  The mystery is now solved, thanks to a blogger from the East Coast.  Apparently, the use of “meh” instead of the old school “blah”  was popularized in “The Simpsons,” specifically in an episode titled “Hungry Hungry Homer” in 2001.

Homer: (after watching blockoland commercial) Alright kids… who wants to go… to… Blockoland?
Bart and Lisa: Meh.
Homer: But the commercial gave me the impression that…
Bart: We said meh.
Lisa: M-E-H. Meh.

(Update:  Sophia finds evidence that meh is from Yiddish.)

2)  The truth about tailgate parties.

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Until yesterday, my impression of a tailgate party was this:

A group of people would drive to a football game an hour or two before for the game.  They would open the back of their van or truck and make some sandwiches (or grill some burgers) and drink beer until it was time to go to the game.

After speaking to a blogger who lives in one of the Big-10 towns, I learned that I was totally off the mark.  Tailgate parties are BIG EVENTS. 

People come to the tailgate parties with NO intention of going to the game.   College football fans have even made tailgating a business.  They set up big screen TVs outside and charge for food and entertainment.  Sometimes, there are membership fees and you have to to apply for admission to a certain tailgating group, as if it were an exclusive club.  In some towns, the tailgate parties on the days of a big game are THE social event of the month!

Meh.

3)  What the hell is a hoodia? 

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In between all my spam for Viagra and porn, I get messages with the words hoodi, hoodia, hoodie, and hood written in the title.

At first, I assumed it was typical porn spam, and had something to do with the “hood” of the clitoris, although it didn’t make a whole lot of sense.  What type of clinical pornography was being sold here and why was “Citizen of the Month” attracting so much clitoral spam?  The irony was not lost on me, considering it took me many years to figure out where the clitoris actually was located, and still frequently lose my way without the GPS on my handheld device.

Then, one day I read an article in the Style section of the LA Times about how “hoodies” with logos are popular with the surfing and skateboarding crowd.  A-ha! — the spam was less about the clitoris, and more about sweatshirts!

Now I’ve owned a pullover sweatshirt with a hood for most of my life (sans logo).  I just didn’t know that they were now called “hoodies.”  Apparently, spammers are trying to sell “hoodies” to all the hipsters who read my blog. 

Wrong again!    Thanks to a friendly blogger in Texas, I now know the truth.  Hoodia is… what else…  an ineffective and dangerous weight loss pill  (Trimspa).

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