verbiage
As I was reading David Sedaris’ musings on being a department store elf, I was thinking about all the random little-known stuff you can learn working at a job. Unexpected stuff. Weird trivia. Little-used vocabulary words.
It always strikes me when watching football too. How in other sectors of American society we almost never use words like “blitz” or “encroachment” but they’re downright common on the field. Or “camber” with NASCAR. It turns out sports just might be able to boost your GRE score.
I’ve probably learned all kinds of esoteric crap working in ministry…but that’s not the job I’m thinking about tonight. For 10 years before (and during) my time in college ministry, I worked in a sign shop. I learned all kinds of now-barely-useful stuff in my time there. Things like fonts and kerning (did you know that some people worry about the space typed fonts automatically put between letters? If you’re in graphic design or printing you do…otherwise you’re probably like, “people spend time on spaces? Between letters? Without being held at gunpoint?”). I also became an expert at measuring, bending acrylic, making mitred corners and laying down big sheets of sticky vinyl (think contact paper) without getting air bubbles. I’m sure you know how tremendously valuable these details are in my current day-to-day life.
But, my former job experience has shown itself handy for today. Because I was wanting a letter-related v word, and my brain immediately queued up “verbiage.” It’s a common term in sign-making to talk about letters. And I wanted to (again) today talk about letters…only this time instead of musing on handwriting them, I have in mind eating them. Or, at least, this one:
This is a Dutch letter. A transcendently delicious treat all the way from Jaarsma bakery on the square in Pella, IA. I got to have one for breakfast this morning and I wanted to share it with you. So, thank you Fastsigns for “verbiage”. (And also “squeegee”, “PVC” and “coro weasel”.) And thanks to Mom and Dad (and the world’s least-cheerful collection of bakers) for the VERY yummy breakfast.
Stripper weasels!
Man. Those things show up everywhere.