Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Anything But Fruital

Surely everybody has watched the original Dick Van Dyke Show, the one that started (and perhaps finished, I don't remember) in black and white lo these many years and included a young Mary Tyler Moore? Cuppa and I used to watch it when we were first married back in 1969. Even then, we were watching reruns although it is possible that new episodes were still being produced — I can't remember that either.


Ever since that long ago epoch, we have freely used a word that was coined on that show: fruital, which I choose to spell with a 'u'. It was used in an episode where a lovestruck teenage youth began to moon over Laura, the character that Mary played.


Aside: I was in high school when the show started, so I could and still can, if I jog my memory, certainly understand the attraction.


In that particular episode, the boy wrote Laura a note in which he acknowledged that "My love is fruital," a rather obvious malaprop of futile. That word has stuck with us, and we still use it almost four decades later.


And it pretty much describes our day, or at least many of the events of the day.


When we moved here from Sarnia, I used my feeble brain for once and loaded up on wax guards for my hearing aids. I change them when I change the batteries: every ten days, give or take. Now, six months later, I'm finally beginning to scrape the bottom of that previously well-stocked barrel.


The nearest audiologist to us works about a half hour away on the fringes of Ottawa. However, I speculate that he may not take his work all that seriously, for when I arrived at the office, he was out, for coffee and/or a chat, I surmise. His young and inefficient secretary couldn't help. I could leave my hearing aids (does that make any sense?) or try again later. Fruital.


I chose the latter option, but he was at a meeting (yeah sure he was), but once again, I could leave my hearing aids and/or make an appointment. At that point I thought, "Not in my bloody lifetime, friend jerk," and off I went. Fruital. (There are two audiologists in a town about a half hour south of here, and I'll give them a call tomorrow.)


But wait! There's more. However, I will slip into my short version mode since you possibly want to read another blog or two today.


Cuppa tried on jeans in an over-heated Sears store for about an hour. She decided on a pair from the sale table. They weren't perfect but adequate for the price. After surviving a rather long and slow lineup at the Cashier, she discovered that one-half of the sale table wasn't on sale. Guess which half? Fruital.


We headed to the only refreshment place closeby in an attempt to regain equanimity after the Sears debacle: Starbucks. Bad idea really: we never seem to have much luck there. In the event, we ended up paying twelve bucks for two drinks and one little, brownie type of dessert. I know that millions feel differently, and you probably do too, but I think Starbucks is an over-priced outfit that serves incredibly mediocre fare. Fruital.


She tried both Sears and Winners for table decorations. She had seen them at both places previously. There was nothing today. Fruital.


We couldn't find any relevant travel guide books for our trip at the end of next month at Mountain Equipment Coop. Fruital.


When we got home, the eavestrough man called to say that our drainage problem was pretty well unfixable. Fruital.


Not so fruital: finding a useful travel guide at Chapters and, especially this: having a very nice visit with daughter over lunch. Made it all worthwhile really. Ah yes, when you've got a kid like that, life is anything but fruital!


 

14 comments:

Granny said...

Good grief - what a fruital day for both of you.

I loved that show. Don't remember that episode but it's been a few years.

Anonymous said...

Funny how some days are just like that. Your daughter was definitely the saving grace.

I remember the Dick Van Dyke Show with fond memories. I loved it and watched the reruns for years.

Norma said...

I don't remember the episode, but loved the show which ran from 1961-1966 (we were married in 1960). Last year I bought a DVD of 6 episodes (probably the first year) for about $3. Classics.

Fruital sounds like a good word to keep in mind. But what is an eavestrough? Is it what USA'ns call a gutter?

Thanks for stopping by my Thursday Thirteen.

megz_mum said...

Don't you hate days like that? Except for the lunch ofcourse. Don't know how all these separate incidences find their way into one day, but somehow "fruital" episodes like to stick together.

PBS said...

I have watched the show but don't remember that episode. I love Starbucks but only the coffee, not the food. However, my co-workers rave over SB's little dried up overpriced goodies!

Bonita said...

Starbucks has quite the reputation here in the Seattle area - the first one is there. But, it is overpriced and the food is not great - one is paying for a name.

Rhonda Gibson said...

I still love that show! Great memories of time spent with my parents laughing. Did you know Laura was the first TV wife to wear capris? Yep!

Anonymous said...

Aww shucks. What a nice thing to say. I enjoyed lunch too.

~Sha

Dale said...

Very nice writing, AC. You had me, from beginning to end. Daughters. Sigh ... Yeah.

Judy said...

Your correct about children.

I've been crying all night, having just visited Karla's blog.

mreddie said...

You are so right AC, the daughters and "grand" ones make life anything but 'fruital'. ec

oshee said...

What a great post! We do all have days like that, and you put it so well.

I used to watch the Dick Van Dyke Show reruns on Saturdays when I was little. But that was long after it was off the air. It was still funny though.

I am glad I found you.
(I came from Gina's)

Turtle Guy said...

Isn't the ambiguity of the English language fun!

...tried posting comments to your maple syrup exploits a few posts back and was having trouble. I'll revisit today to see what I can leave there...

Madcap said...

I knew a Lutheran minister from the States who used the phrase "an exercise in fertility" quite a lot, and it always reduced me to a giggling jelly in the pew. Are you sure your day wasn't "fruital", but "fertile"?