Pop Culture References That Are Now Engrained in Loften Culture

February 24, 2010 by cloften  
Filed under General Insanity, Silliness and Rants

I have said on various occasions that you could get a pretty funny 30 minute reality show out of what goes on at our house in a week.  Heidi would hate it.  Maylee would love it.  Lauren and I would take it our leave it.  We appreciate whatever audience we have to our insanity, be it just the family, her classroom, or the poor people at Fellowship who have to hear/see our routines frequently.

Anywho, I was struck the other day by the number of ridiculous references from pop culture that are now just a part of our collective vocabulary.  This will be an ongoing list of such things as they happen and/or I remember them, not a fixed list like some of the ranking lists I have put out in the past.

Second Breakfast from The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.  The full quote is

Pippin:What about breakfast?
Aragorn: You’ve already had it.
Pippin: We’ve had one, yes. What about second breakfast?

It is common for us on a day where somebody gets up early and someone else gets up later, for the early bird to eat once and then eat again when the family is up.  A phenomenon now known as Second Breakfast.  You must, of course, say the line, “We’ve had one, yes. What about second breakfast?” in your best British Hobbit accent.

“It’s your birthday. It’s your birthday. You’re the birthday boy or girl.” from the Simpsons 

In my college days, I will confess that I watched the Simpsons.  As most college students did/do, I found it hilarious.  However, at some point it became too much for me, as I was maturing and the show kept going wherever it was going.  Anywho, a handful of Simpsonisms still are a part of my vocabulary, with this being the biggest.  This is from an episode where they are celebrating one of the kid’s birthdays at some place that was supposed to be like Chuck E. Cheese.  The mechanical mouse is displayed and sings that line.  The Loften family tradition is now, on birthdays, to multiple times throughout the day to sing that line to each other.  Even though the girls have never seen one minute of one Simpsons episode, they do it as well.  The best was early on when the girls were younger and they would say, “Dad, I am not a boy or girl.  I am a girl.”

Two-face from Seinfeld.

This is from one of the most famous episodes of Seinfeld, the one with Festivus.  Jerry is dating someone who looks really good in certain light and terrible in others.  He refers to that as a two-face.  A common phenomenon, we believe, in celebrities/actresses.   So Heidi and I will be watching a movie or the Olympics or anything and one of us will say, “He/she is kind of a two-face.”  Yes, we do that.  We evaluate celebrities good looks together.  Is that weird?

Other options? (said in Scottish accent) from Braveheart

So the scene is William Wallace has returned from York to discover that the English have invaded and sent a huge army.  He is trying to rally the nobles where they have this interchange:

Craig: With such a force arrayed against us, it is time to discuss other
options.

William: Other options?  Don’t you wish at least to lead your men onto
the field and barter a better deal with Longshanks before you tuck
tail and run?

You are not allowed to utter the words other options without doing it in Scottish accent.  If you do forget, someone must and will point it out.  You then correct yourself.  There are no exceptions.  None.

John Coc…tos…ten from Fletch

From perhaps the most quotable movie of all time.  Fletch is trying to pretend that he knows a woman and introduces him to her as her husband’s friend, John.  “John, who?”  “John Coc…tos..ten”  He mumbles the name hoping it will sound like some name she recognizes.  So now around the house if someone asks you for someone’s name and you don’t know, then you mumble ala Fletch, “Sam…er.ta Li.bah.soe.gooz?”  A pastor and his wife, shouldn’t one of us be good at remembering names?

“These pretzels are making me thirsty” from Seinfeld

Kramer is hired to have a bit part in a movie and this is his only line.  He practices saying it in front of the gang and everyone critiques it and says it their own way.  Now at the Loften house, if someone says something of the same cadence, for example, “This shirt is making me hot,” someone will, not may, will respond back with “these pretzels are making me thirsty.”  At that point, everyone has to repeat the phrase back with their own inflection.  Last, almost always, is Mom.  Sometimes she has to rebuked by one of her daughters, “(clearing throat loudly) Mom!”  “Oh, sorry.  These pretzels are making me thirsty.” Again, as with much of this, our girls have never seen this.  They play along, no problem.  They love it.  I pity their therapist when they are older.

She Blinded Me with Science, by Thomas Dolby

There was a time when I got on Youtube with the girls and showed them the goofiest songs/videos that I could remember from the 80’s:  Down Under, Run Runaway, Safety Dance, Girls Just Want to Have Fun and She Blinded Me with Science.  Their two big takeaways were the guy swinging the giant log on Run Runaway and the song Blinded Me.  Now anytime someone says the word science, someone else will sing the line “she blinded me with science.”  Then someone else must make the beep, boop, beep sound.  (Optional, a third person shouting in a serious voice, “SCIENCE!”) If you are confused, go listen to the song.

PIV-OT! PIV-OT! from Friends

Heidi and I were both pretty big Friends fans back in the day.  I know that I am supposed to be embarassed by that, and I should refrain from mentioning that public.  Someday, when I’m respectable, I will.  Anywho, there is an episode where Ross has talked a couple of the others into moving a couch.  The couch is way too big and they trying to take it up a winding staircase.  The whole time he is shouting, “Pivot, pivot” in one of the most annoying voices ever.  Of all of these on this list, this one is Heidi’s.  First of all because that’s her sense of humor.  Second, because she is always making me move furniture.  So, of course, we are holding a couch, chair, table, etc. and she is shouting, “PIVOT!”  Isn’t good that we found each other?

Comments

2 Responses to “Pop Culture References That Are Now Engrained in Loften Culture”
  1. Brado says:

    Share a couple of Marx Brothers quotes for the uneducated out there…

  2. Greg says:

    If this is pastoral confession time, I’ll join Charlie with a few of the popular pop culture references around our house. We all love to say, “I ain’t takin’ no stupid pills,” which is a quote from Jon Voight’s character in “Holes.” It’s classic when your six-year-old mutters this line with dripping sarcasm.

    We’re also big fans of, “I like the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” a line from a somewhat effeminate young man standing in line waiting to see Santa Claus in “A Christmas Story.”

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