Coco Would Work, Too.

Today is Emma M. Nutt Day! For those without Google or the complete Encyclopedia Britannica, Emma M. Nutt was the first woman to get a job as a telephone operator. Soon after her entrance into 'the biz', the people running the phone companies realized that people preferred the sound of her calm, soothing voice to that of all the male voices. Even though we rarely ever talk to telephone operators these days, the tactic of using a woman's voice in automated calls is still fairly prominent with big businesses. 


Aside from how she could be accredited with changing that part of the telephone industry, she was also smart and efficient. She could reportedly recite any number from the New England Telephone Company at will. For you children out there, I should explain that we didn't used to have phones that could save numbers, so memorizing them or writing them down was the only way you'd be able to keep them. It's surprising to find anyone under 16-18 years old that knows even just 10 phone numbers off the top of their head.


But today isn't a day to talk to younger people about how lame they are (that's an every day thing). Today is a day to remember the inspiration that Emma Nutt was, and to reflect on how many hilarious names you could come up with for your children if your last name was 'Nutt'. I call dibs on "Hazel Nutt" and "Mac Adamia Nutt"


Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

A Wacky Quack

Today is Donald Duck Day! Donald Duck was and is one of my major role models growing up. As a child, I perceived him as a hilarious duck with anger management issues. However, looking at him now, he feels all emotions strongly. Whether it be his flipping out at Goofy and Mickey, or his severe blushing whenever Daisy gave him a smooch. An oft misunderstood duck due to his manner of speaking, it takes a while to really know what he is trying to say, which is probably why he displays his emotions in such an incredible outward way.

My dad used to copy Donald's voice to make me and my brothers laugh when we were little, and when we were older, he tried to teach us how to do it. I wouldn't say I'm in the high ranks of experts when it comes to speaking fluent Donaldian, but I can tackle the smaller phrases such as "I love you" or "Pass the salt" or really anything 3-7 words long. His ranting is by far the easiest to do as it is sometimes just whatever syllables he can manage to push through his fury.

Overall, though, Donald Duck is one of the most beloved and memorable characters in all of Disney history. Today is the anniversary of the first day he appeared on screen in 1934 (Also his birthday)! He certainly has aged very well, and to celebrate, you should watch some of Donald's greatest works (I'll leave it to you to decide which those are) or his original cartoon "The Wise Hen".

You could also try to learn how to speak like he does. I do it by pressing my tongue against the back-left of my bottom row of teeth and breathing out of that corner in order to get the "quack" sound. From there, you just move your lips and try to talk through it. It takes practice, but it's a worthwhile talent to have since you can practice at almost any time.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle