Is It Just Me?

I often see announcements or posters, or advertisments, which amuse me or perplex me because they just seem somehow out of plumb. It's not quite parallel to a photograph being slightly out of focus - and there's a lot of that. It's more like the intent and the attempt don't quite blend, or like the thought is half a bubble off, or the intended meaning has been detoured by a mischievious word imp. It's like the language kind of skidded past the original idea and ended up a bit cockeyed.. The words in the mind are not synchronized with the words before the eye. Jay Leno does a great bit on these phenomena as found in newspaper "headlines".

This morning, entering my oil painting class, I saw such a sign. In fact, I went on into the classroom, did a delayed mental double-take, and trucked back to the hallway to confirm what must be an unintentional "extra meaning". After this one finally registered, having caught my mind's eye, it struck me as funny. So, how about you? Can you hear the unspoken questions? Can you imagine a scenario where this would be a legitimate public announcement? Can you put your finger on what's awry?

Or Is It Just Me?