“Look, I didn’t mean anything by it, Stan. I like being a gargoyle, don’t get me wrong. It’s just, well… I mean, don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to, y’know, travel? See the world, not stand in one place all the time? I’m just saying.”
I’m Just Not the Gothic Type, I Guess
Technically, gargoyles serve as gutters, with rainwater usually coming out of the mouth. The term actually shares the same root word as gargle. Non-functional creatures on gothic buildings are grotesques. People getting this wrong bothered me a lot in elementary school. I was an odd child.
In any case, these seem more like Vinz Clortho and Zuul to me.
Thanks for the clarification, BFB… I’ve learned something today! I react the same way when people mix up the terms “theater” and “amphitheater” (amphitheater being an oval structure that looks like two theaters were put together. Amphi=around, both)
I’m glad someone is keeping track of this.
Now this begs the question, how the heck does a young kid even know about the difference between a gargoyle and a grostesque?? That’s okay, you’re part of a bigger odd child club, I was one too. Spent my time walking to school talking to squirrels, and probably the birds. I think my mom and teacher had to have a talk about why I was consistently late. Oh and there was the time my mom was helping me with my math by having me play Yahtzee. Teacher was concerned when she asked the class what do you get when you have 2 oranges and 3 apples, and little me yells out “Full House!!”
Anyways, whether these are gargoyles or grotesques, they’re adorable and yes they remind me of Vinz and Zuul. Actually had to look up the reference to remember the movie.
I read a lot of books. Like, a lot. I had undiagnosed ADHD so when my mom discovered I loved reading, history, and science and that books could keep me quiet for hours I was never in short supply. I can’t remember a time before I knew that the ancient Romans used sponges as toilet paper or how to spell “parasaurolophus.” I knew what spiders and snakes were dangerous and where they lived. I also knew a bunch of stuff I wasn’t supposed to because my parents could keep up with my intake and eventually gave up.
Did the squirrels talk back?
Noticed the missing “n’t” just as the timer ran out and now I am sad.
Umm, can’t remember. But even if they didn’t in real life, probably in my mind we were having a full blown conversation. And thank you for that educational nugget today. I was also a member of the all books, all the time club. My mom actually worked as a librarian so she helped feed my habit. Another true story from the odd child club – one time my library privledges had been taken away ’cause I was so busy reading that my homework was suffering, but I needed to read something, anything! … I was found in the pantry reading the labels on soup cans. Sigh, it’s hard to be so young, so awkward and so nerdy. Surprisingly, I somehow managed to make it to adulthood and be relatively normal.
My mom’s siblings are 2, 10, and 12 years older than her, so there is a big age gap in the cousin groupings (24 years between the oldest and the youngest). Of my cousins close to my age (including my brother), I’m the only girl, so at family gatherings I didn’t really have anyone to play with when I was a kid if I didn’t want to run around with the boys. For minor holidays or other non-holiday family parties, I could usually bring a friend, but for Christmas and Thanksgiving of course my friends’ families had their own stuff going on. So I always brought a book.
Sending me to my room wasn’t much of a punishment, either, because it was more trouble than it was worth to remove all my books any time I got in trouble. (Usually when I was sent to my room, it was because my room was a mess and I was being ordered to clean it. I spent more time reading on the other side of the bed than cleaning.)
I was a bookwormy kid too, while my brother was always outside playing with the other kids. The joke in my family: when Jeff gets grounded, he has to stay in the house; when Deb gets grounded (which never happened), she has to go outside.
🙂
My mother couldn’t punish me by sending me to my room because I was either drawing or lip-synching records.?
Whatever they are, I will cuddle them.
However, I always hear “gargoyle” used in documentaries about the architectural details of old buildings, never heard “grotesques” even when the figures are indeed grotesque.
What is it about the name Carl that automatically makes posts even funnier?
I always think of the Llamas with Hats cartoons.
CAAAAR-LL!
Or Bill Murray’s character in Caddyshack!
Nice Galaxy Quest shout out, NTMTOM!