Sunday, June 26, 2005

“It’s wafer thin.”

The Movie: The Meaning of Life, 1983 (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam, screenwriters; Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, directors)
Who says it: John Cleese as a Maître d’ in a fancy restaurant
The context: The Maître d’ presses one last mint upon Mr. Creosote (Terry Jones), who has already had far, far too much to eat.
How to use it: To urge more food on someone after a large meal. The Maître d’ pronounces “wafer” as if it had two f’s.

Today's posting wishes a belated happy birthday to my old friend John Mirvish, impresario of JeRM Productions, who turned 40 earlier this month. (Several of my friends are turning 40 this year, which I guess makes sense, since I'm turning 40 myself. But not for a few months yet.) We celebrated John's birthday last night at what I can only call a banquet, in the finest Mirvish tradition. By the end of it, no one could have contemplated even a wafer-thin mint.

If I get on the road right now, I can be in Richmond around 10:00 a.m. Rumor has it that Matthew and Henry got bicycles for their birthdays. I'm sure they will let me ride one, if I ask nicely.

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