Tag: PIN
Updated photos of my Haunted Mansion room full of collectibles, artwork, and plenty more
Anyone who knows me or listens to my podcast knows I have an obsession with Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction. The once-small group of Haunted Mansion-related merchandise that my wife and I assembled 7 or 8 years ago has grown into a massive all-encompassing Haunted Mansion collection that includes hundreds of pins, sculptures, figurines, art prints, apparel, and much more. The collection grew large enough that we have devoted an entire room in our house to house it.
I posted pictures a few years ago of the room when we first painted and decorated it. Since then, our Haunted Mansion collection has continued to grow as Disney continues to release more Mansion-related goodies. We spent more than 3 hours of reorganizing the room last night and today I’ve snapped some new pictures of how it has all come together.
You can click on each of the photos below to enlarge them.
I apologize for the blurriness of some of them, though it does give somewhat of a ghostly feel to them (or at least that’s my excuse).
Here’s a panoramic overview of the whole room as it looks while standing in the doorway. The windows are real windows and while there are blackout curtains hanging over them, it’s tough to get all of the light to stay out. I have installed a lightning/thunder effect that can flicker in the windows at night.
A closer look at the most interesting corner of the room. The framed prints on the walls (stretching portraits, duelers, etc.) were purchased in the old Disney Gallery at Disneyland on their Print on Demand system. I don’t think the stretching portraits are available for purchase any longer.
The washed out framed pieces are unofficial lenticular changing portrait images. Madame Leota on the chair is also homemade. You can see her in action here. Most of the furniture pieces in the room are reproduction antiques (though one is a genuinely old desk). The chair rail is actually crown molding that I thought matched the feel of the Mansion rather well. The wainscoting is really just brown paint. I didn’t think installing actual wainscoting was necessary.
TweetWEDNESDAY WHINE: ATM Machine and Other Language Annoyances
This is definitely the most whiny of my Wednesday Whines so far…
English Language Annoyances
1. “ATM Machine”
Usage: I need some cash. Let’s hit the ATM machine.
ATM stands for Automated Teller Machine, meaning a machine that acts as an automated version of a bank teller, giving you money from your bank account but without ever having contact with a person.
So when someone says “ATM machine,” it really means “automated teller machine machine”. Get it? Why not just say “I need to go to the ATM.” Doesn’t everyone know what an ATM is? Do you really need to add “machine” in there for emphasis?
There are actually quite a few phrases that drive me nuts that fall under this same category. Here are a couple more:
“PIN Number”
Usage: I can’t access my account because I forgot my PIN number.
Really? You forgot your “personal identification number number?”
“VIN Number”
Usage: My car was stolen so I need my VIN number to give to the police.
I’m sure the cops will be happy when you’re able to provide them with your “vehicle identification number number.”
2. “A whole ‘nother…”
Usage: That’s a whole ‘nother story.
This informal slang drives me nuts. Yes, I know it’s listed in the dictionary, but that doesn’t make it sound any better when said out loud. What’s happening is that the word “another” is being chopped up by “whole” into “a” and “nother” instead of the correct split of “an” and “other.” So instead of saying “a whole other,” which is technically correct but more difficult to wrap your tongue around, many resort to “a whole ‘nother,” which inevitably annoys me.
3. “I could care less!”
Usage: I could care less about your problem.
This popular expression is often misstated. If you don’t care at all about something, you really should say “I couldn’t care less,” meaning that it is impossible for you to care less about the issue at hand. When someone says, “I could care less” about something, it really means that the issue does have some importance as there are other issues for which you potentially could care less about.
To sum it all up, here’s the most annoying conversation ever:
MR. ANNOYING: Man, my car was stolen!
MR. HELPFUL: Was there anything valuable inside?
MR. ANNOYING: Yes, all my cash!
MR. HELPFUL: Do you need me to drive you to the bank?
MR. ANNOYING: Nah, I can’t use the ATM machine.
MR. HELPFUL: Why not?
MR. ANNOYING: I forgot my PIN number.
MR. HELPFUL: Did you at least report the car to the police?
MR. ANNOYING: Yes, but they needed my VIN number to process it.
MR. HELPFUL: And why don’t you have that handy?
MR. ANNOYING: That’s a whole ‘nother story…
MR. HELPFUL: You really should be more responsible.
MR. ANNOYING: I could care less about what you think.
MR. HELPFUL: I hate you.
Do you have a commonly-used expression that simply drives you nuts? Post it in the comments and tell me why it annoys you.
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