Blond or Blonde?

     My blog had not even been up and running for 24 hours until my spelling was brought into question.  Somehow, this did not surprise me. I have to admit, it was about a word that I briefly questioned in my own mind, but dismissed with little thought. The word is blond…or blonde. Of course, it had to be in the title of my blog, and my blog address, and every post I write. Oh, and in my profile. Anyway…

     I decided to look up the answer on the best authority on the subject—Wikipedia. (It’s where I pretty much get all my information.) After wading through the mumbo jumbo of English and French etymology, I discovered that the blond or blonde question is fairly simple. Blond is for men and blonde is for women.

    Wikipedia has some ideas as to why the spelling is different for each gender, but I have my own assumptions, which you can take or leave as you will.  

Reason number one:

Men are by nature blunt, to the point, and rather simple compared to women. That is why their spelling of "blond" is short and useful with no frills. Women enjoy beauty, words, and extras. We appreciate the spelling of "blonde" more than men would.

Reason number two:

I’m not positive, but I think some woman just wanted to add a little something to the spelling and decided on an “e” because it made the word look so much prettier. I’m pretty sure she lived in the 1800s, but I don’t remember the date. I do know she had blonde hair, though.  

Reason number three:

I’d rather not say because it makes me look bad.

     Apparently, the person who pointed out my spelling error wants me to leave it in. I don’t really get it, but I want to know what my readers think. That is, if I have any.

     If I get more votes for changing it, I will. If I get more votes for leaving it as it is, I will. And, if no one votes, I’ll make the decision myself! The end.

So, You Kayak?

I have other talents than being blond, believe it or not. Sometimes I’m klutzy and sometimes I just have embarrassing moments. I know what you’re thinking right now. “Wow! All of that in one person?! I’m so jealous. She must have so much fun.” I do, actually.

One day, I was returning a kayak to the store where I rented it. (The whole kayak story is very long, but it includes backing into a raccoon-ridden garage, stinging nettles, walking along the road like a homeless person, and snakes. ) The kayak story may be for another time,  but I don’t have the time or room for it now. I was returning my kayak, affectionately dubbed Sweet Pickles, and I had to take in the life vests and the paddle.

I admit that I felt pretty cool carrying these items as it made me look like I was an experienced outdoors woman, aside from the office clothes, of course. I was feeling fairly confident as nice-looking young man opened the shop door for me. Well, instead of holding the paddle vertically, I held it horizontally, and the one end hit the door frame, blocking me like a fence, and the other went up and nearly smacked the young man in the face. Thankfully, he dodged it, but he wasn’t amused. So much for my suave entrance.

I Haven't Seen That One

     Vincent is the only male student at school, but he takes it in stride and is pretty cool with all the estrogen overload around him. At first I felt sorry for him, having to be with all us girls, but now…well, I still feel sorry for him.

He and I were discussing music and I said that I would like to hear Broadway music overhead. (I usually have a deep aversion to the music we normally hear. I mean, how stupid can a song really get? Do you honestly want someone to love you like your dog does? Eww!) Anyway, he asked me what kind of musicals I liked.

I said, “Oh you know, Oklahoma!, Music Man, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, and stuff like that.”

“Do you listen to them in your car?” he asked.

I couldn’t quite hear him, so I asked him to repeat himself.

“Do you listen to them in your car” he repeated.

“No, I haven’t seen that one,” I answered.

I honestly think that the root of my problem is hearing. I mean, I am pushing 25, and I think it’s all downhill from there.

Can I have a whopper, please?

Sometimes for lunch break at school, I’ll go through a fast-food drive through to grab a thrifty and healthy lunch. (If you consider a burger, fries, and milkshake healthy, which I do occasionally.)

So one day, I was going through MacDonald’s and began ordering. When I asked for a whopper, there was silence on the other end.

“Uh, we don’t have those here.”

Oops. I probably blushed at the intercom. One thing about me is that I blush whether people are looking at me or not, and yes, I do blush over the phone. It's embarrassing.

When I got back to school and shared my little adventure, Donna said she wanted to go to lunch with me because it sounded fun. She said we should go to Taco Bell and order a pizza. Not a bad idea…

Say that Ten Times Fast!

Due to my mother’s suggestion, I’ve decided to write this blog entitled “The Blond Blog”. Say that ten times fast. If you can’t, you’re blond. Gotcha!

Hi! My name is Evangeline Rupp, and although I technically have brown hair, I am blond at heart. My brother even stated in our 2009 Christmas letter that he’s pretty sure I dye my hair brown to cover up the blond. He’s wrong, of course, but I’m not giving out my stylist’s number just in case anyone gets the brilliant idea to double check.

Sometimes I hate the fact that I say or do dumb things, but this blog is my attempt to embrace my blondness and become famous and/or rich in the process.  We’ll see how that works out…

Fortunately for me, there are lots of other people in this world who have the talent of being blond, and since we need to stick together, I have added some of their moments in with mine. (This makes me look good, and also gives other people the chance to be famous, so it’s clearly a win-win situation.) I hope you all enjoy this glimpse into my flaxen world.