Haikus

Someone on Wordcraft has gotten me interested in haikus, so I am going to write one from time to time here. I had never gotten into them like I have with limericks and DDs, but I am trying to learn to appreciate them. Here is a site that explains them.

Squirrels with acorns,
There's a chill in the evening,
Golds and reds and orange.

Identity politics

Identity politics has been in the news lately, though I really don't want to start a political discussion on Wordcraft. Therefore, I will talk about it here.

Interestingly, the Republicans are complaining about Obama's supreme court nominee, after analyzing to death one sentence from her many talks and writings. I know that Democrats do this too, but it's incredibly stupid to make a judgment based on taking something out of context. However, all the conservatives are doing it, including of course my least favorite (rather dimwitted John Kass) in today's column where he says, " Identity politics is so tiring and vulgar." Does he by any chance remember Sarah Palin??? I would write him, but I have several times, and he apparently only answers those who agree with him.

For those who think identity politics is "vulgar," I wonder if they want to do away with our representatives. Aren't they, by definition, identity politicians? Or maybe it's only the Democratic representatives who are? Um hmm! And don't get me started on what happened in Kansas recently!

I had a chance...and blew it!

I could have used the word epicaricacy today. The time was right. As I began to say it, Schadenfreude creeped out of my mouth.

Background: We are starting a publication. When we approached a reputable publisher, they refused us. "We already have a journal on that subject," they said. We didn't agree because we thought we had a different audience. But what can you do? We went ahead with our plan and are going to publish it ourselves.

So today I received a copy of the reputable publisher's rival journal. It had precisely 5 articles: One by me; one by another author; and three by the editor-in-chief. That's it. Might one think they aren't doing that well? I told my colleague..."I am feeling Schadenfreude!" Not epicaricacy. I suppose I didn't want to sound arrogant with a word that surely he'd not understand. However, I had the chance and blew it.

Internet reactions

It has been awhile, I know. That's because I have been thinking about different reactions on blogs, and I don't much like mine. Perhaps it's because I am newish to blogging. I find myself reacting (ranting?) without really giving both sides a chance. When I give the issue more thought, then I do consider all perspectives. However, there is that period of time where my temper flares a bit. Perhaps it's because of my ethnicity? The Irish part in me? I don't think so, though, because I am also English, Scotch, Dutch, Norwegian, and German...somewhat of a mutt. Whatever the reason, I am going to try to change. Hopefully, there will be no more rants!

Are you amazed?

A poster on Wordcraft says, "Pardon my cynicism, but I think it goes deeper: I am not amazed at what humans can do to one another or think they can get away with." That is in response to this: "It is amazing what politicians think they can get away with, isn't it? Just imagine that our ex-governor wanted money in exchange for Barack Obama's senate seat! We Illinoisians may have you beat!"

I wasn't sure what the "deeper" means. It seems to me that he is just saying that humans have the capabilities of doing awful things to each other. When you think about Nazi Germany or what's going on in Africa or other places, I see his point. But in general, I am not that cynical. In everything, including with human beings, there are outliers. However, the normal person I will trust with my life.

Epicarcacy is scarce

It has been a dry season for "epicaricacy." I checked Google news to see if my alerts haven't been working, but there is nothing. When I put it in Google, there still are 6,200 sites that come up, but it is positive that my Blog is on the first page! Otherwise, there isn't much to get excited about with this word.

"Schadenfreude," on the other hand, has 360 sites on Google news and 1,330,ooo on Google. Woe is I (in case there are any prescriptivists who read this)!

Last words

On Wordcraft our dear Jerry has died. This is a great YouTube to remember him by (yikes! I've ended a sentence with a preposition!). What struck many of us is that this was his very last post, on April 3, 2009, with us:

"When my second wife was dying I overheard her saying to a helpful Hospice person, 'I'm dying.'

The reply, worthy of thought, 'All of us are.'"

Did he know, even though he hadn't been diagnosed yet?

Then there was Craig Arnold, a professor and poet from Wyoming, who also loved volcanoes. Indeed, he was hiking a volcano in a tiny island in Japan when he accidentally fell and was killed. His last Blog entry was on April 26th and included this comment:

"There is a rustle in the canes, and out comes a long lean tawny body, rippling squirrel-like over the sidewalk: a mongoose or a weasel. Clearly it is thinking about crossing the road, and a car is coming. You click your tongue at it, tsk-tsk, and it stops and gives you a look before ducking back into the brush. If nothing else you have saved a life today.

A life other than your own, that is. Danger has a way of cutting through melancholy, the real fear blinding you to the fear dimly imagined. If you could only always just have escaped death, you would never be sad again."

As a nurse I've seen so many patients live just until their daughter got married or make it just to their next birthday or to Christmas. I've always wondered about that. Clearly there is a mystery to death that we don't know about.

Good bye, Jerry. We know you are smiling upon us.