Whine - "It is what it is." and "You know."
Of course it is what it is. It can't be what it isn't, can it?!!? It also isn't what it is. Think about it... I used to work with someone that said this. A lot. They actually had a sign on the wall with that written on it. And I've seen other signs with that written on it for sale too.
It bothers me. Why? I'm not sure. But it does - maybe it is because of the obviousness of it. But I'm not the only one that doesn't like that phrase. The Marist Institute for Public Opinion shows that phrase as being the third most annoying phrase uttered by Americans. There is nothing you can do about that either. After all, it is what... oh, nevermind.
Have you ever seen an interview, say, with a professional athlete? Let's say, since at the moment it is baseball season (post-season too), a baseball player hits the winning home run and is interviewed by a reporter at the end of the game. This is what you may hear:
Reporter: "So tell us about hitting the game winning home run!"
Player: "So I was standing there, you know, waiting for my pitch. The pitcher threw a fast ball, you know, and I swung and hit it right on the money, you know. As the ball started headin' t'ward the wall, you know, I started running t'ward first. Once I saw that it was over the wall, you know, I started my home run trot, you know. I was glad that I was able to hit the game winning homer, you know?"
Really? No, we don't know. That's why it was asked! If we all knew, we wouldn't need your opinion now, would we? Let's sarcastically break down what this genius said with respect to the reporter's response:
"So I was standing there, you know" Yes, I know what it is like to stand there. Or here. In fact, I'm standing here right now interviewing you.
"waiting for my pitch. The pitcher threw a fast ball, you know" Based on the commentator's response, and what I saw on the replay, it indeed looked like a fastball. Or a curve. I don't know, I'm a reporter, not a player.
"and I swung and hit it right on the money, you know." Not really. I remember when I was in little league, I hit a home run once, so yea, I sort of have an idea what you're talking about. But probably not too many of the viewers....
"As the ball started headin' t'ward the wall, you know" Uh, I guess. It looked like that's where the ball was indeed heading.
"I started running t'ward first. Once I saw that it was over the wall, you know" No, I don't know. Did you see it was over the wall? Or did you base it on the fan's reactions? My eyesight isn't so good anymore in my older age, so I don't know if I would have seen it over the wall. You may have though.
"I started my home run trot, you know." I've seen many players make a home run trot, so yes, I have an idea what you mean. Had you been on that pace had it stayed in the park, if I were you manager, I'd have you fired.
"I was glad that I was able to hit the game winning homer, you know?" Uh, no. That's why I asked you.
OK, so maybe this is a little extreme. I guess it might be a generational thing. Much like some used to fill in the gaps with "like", maybe the next phrase to fill in the gaps is "you know?" I can imagine if any (or worse, all) of the presidential candidate used any of these phrases as a thought filler. Could you imagine what the debates would have been like? I'm not going to go into it here, but take the above conversation, substitute the baseball situation with, say, the war in Iraq.
Much like "it is what it is", "you know" is not only annoying to me, but also to others. "You know" is the second most annoying phrase on the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
I didn't list these two because they were on the survey. I listed them because they are annoying to me. And, as I've found, to others. Many others.
Why is there an "e" in Muenster? Isn't it pronounced "Munster", like that creepy family on that TV show? There is a French variety of Muenster too, though that one is spelled "Münster". What's really funny is the original name of the French cheese comes from Alsatian abbey of Munster. So again I ask, why is there an "e" in there?!!?
Muenster is a mild cow's milk cheese. It is pale yellow in color with a bright orange rind (though unlike Edam, this rind is more of a coating that a hard rind that is cut off). Muenster is a great melting cheese and is frequently available as a burger topping in restaurants. I personally like it on a baloney or ham sandwich.
You can find more information about muenster here.