A girl named Allyn.: November 2010

11.19.2010

Better late than never.

I decided that for Christmas or my birthday this year I want to get my college diploma framed. Random, I know. It wasn't something that mattered to me when I was graduating from Clemson, but for whatever reason I really want to have it framed now. And not just any frame, but a real deal Clemson frame. My good friend Rachel has a really nice one that has a picture of Tillman Hall on it. I want something snazzy like that. I'm kind of leaning towards this one:

I feel a little silly getting my college diploma framed. I mean, in a few years our office walls will be lined with all of Matt's diplomas (minus his college diploma - he has no clue where that wandered off to). His diploma from medical school, residency (?), every time he passes his medical boards......I'm not sure what kinds of diplomas and certificates he'll be receiving, but I do know that my father in law (who is also a doctor) has about 7 framed degrees in his office. Maybe degree is the wrong word. I think some of them are board certifications. Anyways, all this evidence of how smart and accomplished Matt is, and then there's my Clemson diploma. It kind of reminds me of the scene in "Meet the Fockers" when Greg's father shows his soon to be in-laws the "Wall of Gaylord."

At least all my old soccer, tennis and softball trophies (yes, I played softball) are still in Tallahassee. And I won't be bringing those to Charleston anytime soon.

11.11.2010

The shank my dog made.

Do you know what a shank is? There are several meanings. Up until about 5 years ago, when I heard the word "shank", I thought of someone getting pantsed. In middle school we lived in constant fear of getting "shanked" in gym class - having someone yank your pants down in front of everyone. At my first job out of college some of my coworkers were talking about being shanked. I chimed in with, "Oh yeah. When I was in middle school people got shanked all the time." They gave me a funny look and asked if I was from Compton. Ha. No, not really, but I'm sure that is what they were thinking. Because the kind of shank they were talking about, was the homemade weapon prisoners make.

A shiv (from the Romani word chiv) is a slang term for any sharp or pointed implement used as a knife-like weapon, made from metal. However, the word in practical usage is frequently used when referring to an improvised bladed weapon. Shivs are commonly made by inmates in prisons across the world. A shiv can be anything from a glass shard with fabric wrapped around one end to form a handle, to a razorblade stuck in the end of a toothbrush. Some inmates have even sharpened the ends of pork chop bones to make them into weapons.

Synonyms include shank and chib.

Source: Wikkipedia

I am very familiar with this particular meaning now, thanks to my loyal following of MSNBC's program Lock Up.

Anyways, back to the matter at hand. Matt and I were eating dinner the other night when we happened to look over and see this lying on the floor:

This is what's left of Luna's Nylabone. For those of you without pets, this is what it used to look like:
Should we be worried?