Thursday, July 16, 2009

from niobe's big book of helpful hints

While, in general, I’m all in favor of literary allusions (and, for that matter, literary illusions), before you decide to name your business, say, Tom Sawyer Painting Company or Oliver Twist Daycare, you might want to think about actually, y'know, reading those classics of children’s literature.

Just trying to be, um, helpful.

For more of Niobe’s helpful hints, click here.

16 comments:

JW Moxie said...

Tea flew out of my nose with those. Heh.

Clarabella said...

I keep coming back to this page just to snort & giggle at Oliver Twist Daycare. Oh dear, that's hilarious.

Clementine said...

Damn. I should have named my business Oliver Twist Daycare!

still life angie said...

Maybe the painting company was named after Tom Sawyer, the song by Rush..."Catch the mystery, catch the drift." Not that that is necessarily any better.

niobe said...

Also (and this just another sign I've been reading too many infertility/pregnancy/loss blogs), on my commute in this morning, I saw a van labeled "AF Painting Co." and all I could think was: maybe they specialize in red

painted maypole said...

bwa ha ha ha ha

reminds me of the store i passed all the time in LA - AA liquor. my husband and i liked to come up with slogans like "for when you fall off the wagon"

Amelie said...

Well, others name their car Phaeton...

Furrow said...

But if you become a customer, you can't say they didn't warn you.

Tash said...

There's a car sales guy out this way named "Fred Barnes" and I SWEAR TO GOD every time I see that name on a sign or license plate, umpteen years later, I think "Fried Beans." Mmmmmm.

Oliver Twist daycare is a riot. Someone maybe should rip out some pages and highlight a few passages and send it to them?

Unknown said...

Some days I feel practically illiterate and others I think, "What did you DO at school?" Oliver Twist Daycare is my favourite, I can just imagine the bright, peppy teacher welcoming a prospective parent in.

Wishing 4 One said...

There are so many crazy names of places here in Cairo. I cant think of any now, but will try to remember and get back to you. I think though they are more funny as their english is whacked...they mean one thing but spell another.

Cara said...

AF Painting is the absolute best! Clearly, started and maintained by a man...

(sorry, but it has to be)

Unknown said...

damn, that's funny.
we have a doggie day care in town named, "That Doggie In The Window," which is fine. The funny part is that there windows are completely darkened, like blacked out, no visibility inside & no decor outside whatsoever.
It is like looking at the dog you will never ever have.

Lindsay said...

he he..

Amelie said...

That reminds me, we have a coffee shop here called "Bra Cafe" -- actually the name is just derived from "Brasilian", but I find it very entertaining.

Bon said...

when i lived in Korea and was first pregnant, the English-speaking OB i went to had named his clinic "Our Lady of Mercy Virgin Mary Obstetrician & Gynecologist."

he'd been educated at a Catholic school in the States, he informed me earnestly. no shit, i thought.

i wondered later if mebbe i shoulda stayed in Korea and stuck with our Lady there, in hopes of things going better.