Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Done

Did your heart just skip a beat?
No worries, the title does not mean what you think it means.
This here lil ole blog is not done.

What it actually means is I am finished with the word d o n e

It's not something I consciously realized, at first.
But after a while, I started to notice that I really do NOT like the word done and I've been replacing it whenever possible.
Without sounding pretentious.


I think my 6th grade teacher had a little something to do with it.  Sure, I can't remember what I did yesterday, but I can specifically remember something he said in English class one day.
Ah, Mr. Ronsevall. Terrifying in every way. Tall, scarily red-faced, short tempered and from Little Rock Arkansas.
One day, Mr. R said "Billy? Have you finished?"
Billy said "Yes, I'm done."
Mr. R became even more red-faced and yelled: "DONE?!? Turkeys are DONE, son, PEOPLE ARE FINISHED!"

And I remembered it.
And I lived by it, and I taught it to others.  I have friends who to this day repeat that back to me.

Now, all of these years later, I'm eradicating that word done from my vocabulary.  I think "finished" sounds polished. I use "finished" a lot at work.
Also, ended. Completed, even.

Now, to train myself not to cringe when other people use the word.

7 comments:

Jennifer said...

Are you done yet, Von??? :)

I can't stand it when people say, "I got"... as in, "I have". Grrrr.

I am, however, DONE, FINISHED, OVER, PAST this weather!!!!

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

I was telling my hairdresser that New Orbleans is a fine antidote to the winters....

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Tall, scarily red-faced, short tempered and from Little Rock Arkansas.

Bill Clinton was your teacher?

Now, all of these years later, I'm eradicating that word done from my vocabulary. I think "finished" sounds polished. I use "finished" a lot at work

Fess up, Von, you have problems pronouncing it- like you do with "bull" and "pole".

mikey said...

Hmmm. Lemme cogitate on it.


...


Nope. Doesn't work for me. It was no less the intellectual luminary than Alton Brown who emphasized repeatedly that you don't cook something for a specific length of time, you cook it UNTIL IT'S DONE!

See, that's an important recognition that when working with or discussing process you cannot always be aware of all the variables in play. Therefore, in order to recognize completion you have to understand the desired outcome, and have a methodology for recognizing it when it occurs.

When cooking, that outcome you are seeking is "Done"...

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

I remember all about Dune.

But nobody from English class ever lectured me about it.
~

fish said...

I use basta

Vonnie said...

B4 - LOL, nope not the case! But I love that you remember that.
Mikey - I agree with you. Only in cooking can done be truly used.
We'll discuss it more when you are cooking for me....
Fish - I'm going to have to steal that, 'k?
J- Ignore it, and it WILL get better. It has too.
Z - sooo let's go!