*#%*!!

Everyone has a favorite expletive, the one that slips out unwittingly when they are angry, frustrated, or just plain irritated at life. Some of these expletives are entertaining. For example, "Camel snot!" was popular with my crowd in high school. From there many creative sounds of annoyance were born: "Monkey poop," "Turtle turd," etc. The more creative, the better. There are those who's favorites are Utah's soft swear words: "Darn it!", "Shoot!", "Crap!", and the ever popular "What the heck?!" There are those who use antiquated exclamations such as "Poppycock!" and "Balderdash!" I have even known people who simply cry out, "Swear words!" And of coarse there are those who just let it rip with "*#%*," "&^$@," or even "*&%$ &*$%#%^&!"

But as I was driving down the road this morning behind a garbage truck who was leaving in its wake a trail of unsavory tidbits (and some big-bits), the only thing that came to mind as I swerved to avoid yet another object to the windshield was my mother's favorite expletive, "Oh, garbage!"