34 Comments
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David Gordon White's avatar

Hi Peter,

"Superlative Creep" is your! best!! ever!!!

It's truly unbelievable that you can write such awesome prose. Many of your loyal followers now suspect that "Peter's Substack" is the nom de plume of some rogue AI creation, intent on making the world laugh and weep.

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Peter Newman's avatar

Thank you, David, your response is insanely more than adequate!

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Carol Herbert's avatar

Hi Peter,

You write brilliantly! And I used an exclamation mark intentionally to

emphasize how awesome you are. A really fun piece.

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Richard Wells's avatar

When confronted with a compliment - take it. PS: dope piece.

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Peter Newman's avatar

Incredible comment, insane.

Somehow I missed "dope." Mainly because I'd never heard it. Your linguistic learnin's enlightening.

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Richard Wells's avatar

gotta keep up with the kids: dope, phat, sick.

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Alice Goldbloom's avatar

Sublime.

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Peter Newman's avatar

Ah, I missed that one, but your judgment is absolutely awesome!

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HuFin's avatar

Loved your article, Peter. I used to grit my teeth every time I ordered a club sandwich hold the bacon or similar ordinary meal at a nearby diner and the young waiter would declare my decision "awesome". The dentist told me to stay away from these eateries. Meanwhile, I'm getting ready to enjoy Vivian's "outstanding" peach cobbler with a dollop of Haagen Dazs's very good (not superlative), vanilla bean ice cream. Vivian's cobbler truly deserves the modifier!! And that’s the honest to goodness truth!!! Hugh

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Peter Newman's avatar

Thanks for the comment, Hugh. That cobbler of your Vivian sounds out of sight. Even farther away and more out of sight, there you are over the moon about it.

Happy to know that avoiding your waiter's "awesomes" will save you some root canals.

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Russ Morgan's avatar

Peter, once again you’ve “outdone” yourself. As I read this latest substack and chuckle with just about every line, I “honestly,” “actually” hear it being delivered as a monologue by a comedian I interviewed a few times and we once enjoyed an “awesome” lunch at the Carnegie Deli with Jackie Mason.

Now that would be “mind-boggling.” Glad to hear you’re on the mend. Take care my friend.

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Herb Tanzer's avatar

Loved this piece!!!!

Herb

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Audrey Gran Weinberg's avatar

Absolutely fantastic and funny :). If you can enjoy your awesome Apple pie and ice cream, then I hope it means you’re feeling better?

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Peter Newman's avatar

Thanks Audrey! Yes, I am.

By the way, I suspect ice cream solves most everything. And there’s no need for randomized clinical trials to prove this.

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Sandi Schafer's avatar

Wonderful article. I guess I will have to rethink that word also. I had to hold back on the exclamation marks though. Tough to do.

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Manuela Thiess Garcia's avatar

Ha, ha! In the end, it's all expression and conveying emotion, que no? Very amusing article. I can certainly see why you had fun writing it and it pulled you out of the funk. Here's hoping you are feeling much better.

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Kristine Anderson's avatar

I love it Peter! (Sorry about the exclamation point. ) This was very funny and accurate. I do think that all of the superlatives in the book need to be trotted out for Apple pie and ice cream though, especially if it is one of Renee’s. :-)

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Sue Hammond's avatar

Hi All,

Peter, I loved this. When you next feel linguistically frisky, could you take up one of my generational complaints about media language? Such as "LESS people" (fewer!) and overusing "INDIVIDUALS" when "people" would do just fine. It might even remind us that the collective has merit too. GRRR!!!!!

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Peter Newman's avatar

Linguistically frisky, I love that!

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Brent Kimball's avatar

Thinking Renee should make an increíble opera out of this. The reviews will be asombrosa!!!!

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Peter Newman's avatar

Gracias, Brent. Asombrosa? ¡Guau! ¡¡¡Padrísimo!!!

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Nina's avatar

Is it okay to use the word neat?

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Peter Newman's avatar

Thanks Nina, that would be insane.

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Lee Gould's avatar

fun - come home to Guanajuato - it's out of this world....book a rocket.

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Joan Bosworth's avatar

Thanks Peter for your awesome, witty, fantastic, Over the top, One of a kind, Out of this World, incredibly brilliant Substack!!!

BTW- I plead guilty to overuse of exclamation marks!!! Thanks for “pointing” out the error of my way.

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