IVIV quadrille paper // waitress at the Belaying Pin

Michael Bailey michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com
Tue Oct 6 04:36:34 CDT 2009


a) waitress at the Belaying Pin, she was jarring, and especially the part where
she goes, "if my husband ate any of [the entrees on the menu] I'd throw his
Iron Butterfly records out the window" (or words to that effect...)

anyway, jarring because, people today are more diffident, maybe,
and don't watch over their spouse's diets as much?  or at all...
and if they do, they don't throw their records out the window, and
they don't discuss it with their customers?

But it occurs to me that by talking about a husband,
she tags herself as a wife,
and being associated with fish, she's, like, a fishwife?

No?  Not even partly funny?
Trick question!

b) quadrille paper, I never read those words without thinking of the
Lobster Quadrille:

  “Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail,
  “There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my
        tail.
  See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
  They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the
        dance?
    Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the
        dance?
    Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the
        dance?

  “You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
  When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out
        to sea!"
  But the snail replied, “Too far, too far!” and gave a look
        askance—

  Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join
        the dance.
    Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join
        the dance.
    Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join
        the dance.

  “What matters it how far we go?” his scaly friend replied.
  “There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
  The further off from England the nearer is to France—
  Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the
        dance.
    Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the
        dance?
    Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the
        dance?”

-- 
--- "Can't say it often enough -
change your hair, change your life."
- Sortilege




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