chocolate-chip chooky Posted January 15, 2016 Posted January 15, 2016 You know you're at the quirky end of the spectrum of 'normality' when... you have a family discussion over dinner about your favourite collective nouns. For the record, mine is a loveliness of ladybugs :) 6 Quote
Dmmetler Posted January 15, 2016 Posted January 15, 2016 Quiver of Cobras and army of frogs are both favorites around here :) 2 Quote
rwilk Posted January 15, 2016 Posted January 15, 2016 A sounder of boar is a current favorite. Because it not only says it's a group of boars, but the size of the group. 2 Quote
tm919 Posted January 15, 2016 Posted January 15, 2016 Doesn't everyone do this?! A tower of giraffes is great, I love so many of them though! 4 Quote
purpleowl Posted January 15, 2016 Posted January 15, 2016 We're partial to a flamboyance of flamingos in my house. :) 3 Quote
Miss Tick Posted January 15, 2016 Posted January 15, 2016 A sussuration of sparrows. But it is hard to pick a favorite! 2 Quote
Donna Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 A prickle of hedgehogs! This is our favorite! Quote
Kerileanne99 Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 Sorry, my little princess is partial to a bevy of beauties! 1 Quote
lewelma Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 DS is trying to learn all of these in Chinese. It is bewildering! 3 Quote
chocolate-chip chooky Posted January 16, 2016 Author Posted January 16, 2016 Ooh, this headed off in a direction I didn't expect, but I LOVE it. I particularly love the flamboyance of flamingos and the prickle of hedgehogs. I was expecting stories of odd things discussed over family dinners or odd (read: nerdy) ways we pass our time for fun. For example, right now (literally) my husband is quizzing my daughter on currencies of various countries - at my daughter's request. I think he'd rather be watching the cricket :glare: Quote
nobeatenpath Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 As well as the above mentioned murder of crows, I love a charm of goldfinches. Not to rain on your parade but - having lived in a few different households (and eaten at the tables of many others) I feel we can all get a bit self-congratulatory in thinking how 'quirky' we are, especially if we are homeschoolers or have 'gifted' kids. Frankly many households across society discuss all kinds of things at the table - I have been at many a solidly middle class or working class table of 'average' people who discussed all manner of esoteric matters over the family meal. Sorry, but the whole self-identifying as quirky/different/abnormal (with the implication we are somehow special or even better) is a personal bugbear of mine. 6 Quote
Mike in SA Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 How about a Horde of Mongols? :) Boys... 5 Quote
chocolate-chip chooky Posted January 18, 2016 Author Posted January 18, 2016 Nobeatenpath, your comments have really made me pause and think. I do have a tendency to throw around terms like 'quirky' and 'nerdy' very readily and breezily. Too readily? Too breezily? Maybe. I'm not sure. But I'm thinking about it now. But I certainly don't feel that relating to descriptors like these somehow makes us better than anyone else. And I'm certainly not referring in any way to socioeconomic class. I think we all have our own unique flavour of normal, so that across society there exists a whole spectrum of versions of normal. What's normal in our household may be quite different to what's normal in yours. Our flavour of normal lends itself to plenty of possible descriptors: tight-knit, chicken obsessives, bookworms, board game fanatics, pun tellers, introverts... and yes, nerdy and quirky. We do self-identify as these things (much like others may self-identify as sporty or arty or religious etc) and I've never paused to think that this could be insensitive or viewed as self-congratulatory. I apologise if I've offended in any way. That has certainly not been my intention. Thank you for making me stop and think. 2 Quote
Dmmetler Posted January 18, 2016 Posted January 18, 2016 Apparently DD's current research specimens count as an intrusion of roaches. Luckily, they're contained to a tank, as are whatever the collective nouns for crickets (clatter? chirp?), darkling beetles of two species and their larvae (chomp of grain beetles?), and one loan house spider count as. Plus the knot of snakes and the army of frogs. Hey, is there a collective noun for zoologists? Or biologists? 2 Quote
chocolate-chip chooky Posted January 18, 2016 Author Posted January 18, 2016 And is there a collective noun for collective nouns?? 2 Quote
scoutingmom Posted January 19, 2016 Posted January 19, 2016 Wisdom of Owls Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk 2 Quote
pinewarbler Posted January 19, 2016 Posted January 19, 2016 Discussing collective nouns at the dinner table isn't normal?? I guess I have no idea where the spectrum is. I grew up in a family where this was a typical conversation, and it is with my kids now... although they add many dimensions to these sorts of topics. To be even geekier... my dad helped me wire a project board when I was in grade 4-ish where I had the animal in one column and the collective noun in the other. The user had to use a metal bar on a wire to connect the animal with the noun. If they were correct, a bulb would light. I loved collective nouns, and it was the one time I got to do an electrical project with my dad, instead of my brother. I was in seventh heaven! 2 Quote
EndOfOrdinary Posted January 20, 2016 Posted January 20, 2016 I did not realize how far from normal we were until Ds began actively wanting to be with other kids and "hanging out." I hang out with my friends and we totally talk like this! Ds adores my friends too, and many are very close with him, but school subjects do not count as conversation. I know they will soon, but right now, it is all about cultural references not academic ones! So Ds and I walk this wierd balance. On Friday a group of us are getting together to eat junk food, watch Inside Out, and play video games. While doing this, we are discussing the next book club book, comparative government philosophies, and probably a bit of cultural mythology stuff. Ds will call it "hanging out." He will have a blast and is SO excited. When we did this with his age peers the night consisted of kids looking at personal, individual screens to view obnoxious Vines, play various games, and then do some bullying/posturing stuff. Ds liked that he felt normal, but was far less enthusiastic. Conversation was basically various grunts, laughing at whatever someone found online that was "so cool", and insulting one another (which is a wierd tween/teen boy game according to Dh). It was so very stereotypical that it seems I would be making it up. It has since been explained to me that this scripted format is completely the point for these boys. They want to appear as normal as possible and thus base their behavior off of Hollywood interactions. Ds plays along, but in order for it to work, the interactions he really likes have to be able to be described as "hanging out playing video games" or "chillin' watching NetFlix." The shows can be documentaries or completely in Spanish, but "chillin' watching Netflix" is acceptable lingo to peers. 2 Quote
bakpak Posted January 21, 2016 Posted January 21, 2016 A Congress of Baboons tickles my funny bone 3 Quote
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