Words hold such promise.

Yesterday morning I received a spam e-mail from someone named Napoleon Mayo. I deleted it right away, of course, but what a name! Napoleon Mayo. It reminds me of Colonel Mustard. Condiments with military prowess.

Sometimes anthropology is so exciting. Yesterday, while doing some editorial work for the department website, I was faced with a document called “What is Luminescence Dating?” Now, this stuff is entirely beyond me—dealing as it does with natural radioactivity and artifacts and other things that concern archaeologists and not people like myself—but what a term! I’d like to appropriate it and twist it a bit. What is luminescence dating, you ask? Why, it’s a date so fantastic that by the end of the evening, both parties are actually emitting light—luminescent, if you will. What a lovely idea.

And a phrase I shall never tire of saying: “Picard: les Surgelés.” It’s the name of a French chain store that sells high-quality frozen foods. Go ahead, say it. Now say it quietly, almost a whisper. Now smile while whispering. French frozen foods are so sexy.