Good morning, fisherpeoples!
I'm getting this out bright and early because, you know what they say, the early fisherman gets the worm.
Happy Fishing Opener!
Out here in the nethers of Wannaskan region, the anglers are chomping at the bit, revving up their boat motors and heading out on the Big Water (aka Lake of the Woods) to bait them hooks.
It's been a brutal winter, even for me, a lover of snow and icy cold. Even I can't help but feel celebratory in spirit as folks cheer the stubborn melt that finally gave way to spring. Just the other day, driving into town, I remarked to the kids, "Look at that water. So blue! And the train cars passing over the bridge look so colorful! Between the music on the radio and that water - it all looks exceptionally vibrant."
It's the month of May, which means flowers, green grass and such - and it's also that time of year for Mark Hamill's tribute to Star Wars on Twitter. As I mentioned in last Saturday's post, he's been posting a daily spin on May The Force Be With You. Here's the update for the week:
May The Fifth Defeat Sith
May The Sixth Transfix You
May The 7th Be Heaven
May The 8th Renew Your Faith
May The 9th Episode Be Perfect & Not Ruin Anyone's Childhood
May The 10th Be Your Favorite Commandment
May The 11th Be The Highest Setting On Spinal Tap's Amps
I've been discovering all kinds of new words in my reading lately. Ensorcell, I believe I read in a Wall Street Journal article. Unfortunately, I didn't save it. My apologies. But good news! If you google ensorcell, you'll find plenty of online articles that use this word. Delightful!
The second word is my new favorite. It describes a character - the crapulent major - in Viet Than Nguyen's book, The Sympathizer. It's taken me nearly six weeks to read this book. But, it's oh so good. So there's my reading recommendation for the week.
Here is just one small taste of the book, including a reference to the aforementioned major.
"Innocence and guilt. These are cosmic issues. We're all innocent on one level and guilty on another. Isn't that what Original Sin is all about?
True enough, I said. I let him go with a handshake. The airing of moral doubts was as tiresome as the airing of domestic squabbles, no one really interested except for the ones directly involved. In this situation, I was clearly the only one involved, except for the crapulent major, and no one cared to hear his opinion. Claude, meanwhile had offered me absolution, or at least an excuse, but I did not have the heart to tell him I could not use it. Original Sin was simply too unoriginal for someone like me, born from a father who spoke of it at every Mass." (p.99)
Another line I like in this book, "He carried a baseball bat of integrity on his shoulder, ready to clobber the fat softballs of his opponents' inconsistencies. Back then, he had been self-confident, or arrogant, depending on your point of view, a legacy of his aristocratic heritage." (p.89)
Self-confidence vs. arrogance
That resonates with me, this idea that perspective determines the decisive adjective, quality, or summation. Right up there with brave vs. audacious, brilliant vs. stupid. Don't believe me? Let's try an experiment. Below are a few of the headlines in yesterday's news. What is your reaction? Self-confident or arrogant? Brave or audacious? Brilliant or stupid? Something else?
Wall Street Journal
U.S. Raises Pressure on Iran With Sanctions on Currency Exchange
AT&T Executive Who Oversaw Cohen Contract Forced Out
Goldman Sachs, Apple Team Up on New Credit Card
Today's Special: Way Too Many Options for One Sandwich
The New York Times
Hiring Michael Cohen Was ‘Big Mistake,’ Head of AT&T Says
As Giuliani Exits, His Firm Undercuts His Statements
U.S. Takes a Risk: Old Iraqi Enemies Are Now Allies
Trump Once Said Kim Was a ‘Madman.’ Now? ‘Honorable.’
In closing, all this reflection on dichotomy reminds me of The Good Soldier Švejk, a novel by Czech author, Jaroslav Hašek. Many an academic has debated: Does Švejk ensorcell his military superiors or is he simply crapulent?
“Sometimes I notice I'm demented, especially at sunset.”
― Jaroslav Hašek, The Good Soldier Švejk
If you have a Star Wars Legos fan in your family, get them this book, Ultimate Lego Star Wars.
2015 - A second major earthquake, magnitude 7.3, hits Nepal less than three weeks after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook the nation and caused thousands of deaths and injuries.
2013 - Pope Francis canonizes a record-breaking number of new Catholic Church saints; Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI submitted the 813 'Martyrs of Otranto' who were beheaded by Ottoman soldiers for refusing to convert to Islam
2012 - A missing piece of the Mayan calendar is discovered, proving the Maya didn't believe 2012 would be the end of the world
2011 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes the second-longest-reigning monarch in Britain
1997 - Susie Maroney, 22, of Australia, is 1st to swim from Cuba to Florida
1993 - Last broadcast of "Cheers" on NBC-TV
1989 - Last graffiti covered New York City subway car retired
(This reminded me of the May 4 W.A. post on graffiti artist Keith Haring.)
1982 - Pulitzer prize awarded to John Updike for 'Rabbit is Rich'
(Viet Thanh Nguyen, quoted above, received a Pulitzer prize in 2016.)
1963 - Bob Dylan walks off Ed Sullivan Show
1958 - "Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu" by Dicky Doo and The Dont's hits #40
(Link for your listening pleasure.)
1951 - 1st H Bomb test, on Enewetak Atoll
1930 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Marc Connelly (Green Pastures)
1929 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Julia Peterkin (Scarlet Sister Mary)
1733 - Maria Theresa crowned queen of Bohemia in Prague
1701 - Drenthe adopts Gregorian calendar (yesterday is 4/29/1701)
1082 - Battle at Mailberg: Vratislav II of Bohemia beats Leopold II of Austr
254 - Stephan I replaces Lucius I as Catholic Pope
1950 - Gabriel Byrne, Dublin, Ireland, actor, Hello Again, Cool World
1937 - George Carlin, American comedian, actor, author, Grammy Award winner
1925 - Yogi Berra, American Athlete
1907 - Katharine Hepburn, actress, 'Adam's Rib', 'On Golden Pond'
1889 - Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank
1820 - Florence Nightingale, Florence, Italy, nurse, Crimean War
1809 - Giuseppe Giusti, Italian Poet
In less serious news, at my house, I have a sealed, unopened container of Pecan Turtle Trail ice cream in the freezer. It sits there, whispering to each child, "Eat me." Once it's open, it's a free-for-all. But, until then...no one dares open it. So they wait - for me. Mwah-ha-ha. Ah, the powers of parenting. When in doubt, claim victory in these small moments. When will I open the ice cream? Stay tuned!
Kim
I'm getting this out bright and early because, you know what they say, the early fisherman gets the worm.
Happy Fishing Opener!
Out here in the nethers of Wannaskan region, the anglers are chomping at the bit, revving up their boat motors and heading out on the Big Water (aka Lake of the Woods) to bait them hooks.
It's been a brutal winter, even for me, a lover of snow and icy cold. Even I can't help but feel celebratory in spirit as folks cheer the stubborn melt that finally gave way to spring. Just the other day, driving into town, I remarked to the kids, "Look at that water. So blue! And the train cars passing over the bridge look so colorful! Between the music on the radio and that water - it all looks exceptionally vibrant."
It's the month of May, which means flowers, green grass and such - and it's also that time of year for Mark Hamill's tribute to Star Wars on Twitter. As I mentioned in last Saturday's post, he's been posting a daily spin on May The Force Be With You. Here's the update for the week:
May The Fifth Defeat Sith
May The Sixth Transfix You
May The 7th Be Heaven
May The 8th Renew Your Faith
May The 9th Episode Be Perfect & Not Ruin Anyone's Childhood
May The 10th Be Your Favorite Commandment
May The 11th Be The Highest Setting On Spinal Tap's Amps
I've been discovering all kinds of new words in my reading lately. Ensorcell, I believe I read in a Wall Street Journal article. Unfortunately, I didn't save it. My apologies. But good news! If you google ensorcell, you'll find plenty of online articles that use this word. Delightful!
The second word is my new favorite. It describes a character - the crapulent major - in Viet Than Nguyen's book, The Sympathizer. It's taken me nearly six weeks to read this book. But, it's oh so good. So there's my reading recommendation for the week.
Here is just one small taste of the book, including a reference to the aforementioned major.
"Innocence and guilt. These are cosmic issues. We're all innocent on one level and guilty on another. Isn't that what Original Sin is all about?
True enough, I said. I let him go with a handshake. The airing of moral doubts was as tiresome as the airing of domestic squabbles, no one really interested except for the ones directly involved. In this situation, I was clearly the only one involved, except for the crapulent major, and no one cared to hear his opinion. Claude, meanwhile had offered me absolution, or at least an excuse, but I did not have the heart to tell him I could not use it. Original Sin was simply too unoriginal for someone like me, born from a father who spoke of it at every Mass." (p.99)
Another line I like in this book, "He carried a baseball bat of integrity on his shoulder, ready to clobber the fat softballs of his opponents' inconsistencies. Back then, he had been self-confident, or arrogant, depending on your point of view, a legacy of his aristocratic heritage." (p.89)
Self-confidence vs. arrogance
That resonates with me, this idea that perspective determines the decisive adjective, quality, or summation. Right up there with brave vs. audacious, brilliant vs. stupid. Don't believe me? Let's try an experiment. Below are a few of the headlines in yesterday's news. What is your reaction? Self-confident or arrogant? Brave or audacious? Brilliant or stupid? Something else?
Wall Street Journal
U.S. Raises Pressure on Iran With Sanctions on Currency Exchange
AT&T Executive Who Oversaw Cohen Contract Forced Out
Goldman Sachs, Apple Team Up on New Credit Card
Today's Special: Way Too Many Options for One Sandwich
The New York Times
Hiring Michael Cohen Was ‘Big Mistake,’ Head of AT&T Says
As Giuliani Exits, His Firm Undercuts His Statements
U.S. Takes a Risk: Old Iraqi Enemies Are Now Allies
Trump Once Said Kim Was a ‘Madman.’ Now? ‘Honorable.’
In closing, all this reflection on dichotomy reminds me of The Good Soldier Švejk, a novel by Czech author, Jaroslav Hašek. Many an academic has debated: Does Švejk ensorcell his military superiors or is he simply crapulent?
“Sometimes I notice I'm demented, especially at sunset.”
― Jaroslav Hašek, The Good Soldier Švejk
On to our regularly scheduled program...
Kid-provided Star Wars Fun Facts
- Not all Clone Troopers followed Order 66 to kill all the Jedi.
- The Resistance in two movies went from about a billion members to just about 20. All of them were killed by the First Order.
- Han Solo has had a wife before Princess Leia.
If you have a Star Wars Legos fan in your family, get them this book, Ultimate Lego Star Wars.
On This Day
Historic Highlights (credits)2015 - A second major earthquake, magnitude 7.3, hits Nepal less than three weeks after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook the nation and caused thousands of deaths and injuries.
2013 - Pope Francis canonizes a record-breaking number of new Catholic Church saints; Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI submitted the 813 'Martyrs of Otranto' who were beheaded by Ottoman soldiers for refusing to convert to Islam
2012 - A missing piece of the Mayan calendar is discovered, proving the Maya didn't believe 2012 would be the end of the world
2011 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes the second-longest-reigning monarch in Britain
1997 - Susie Maroney, 22, of Australia, is 1st to swim from Cuba to Florida
1993 - Last broadcast of "Cheers" on NBC-TV
1989 - Last graffiti covered New York City subway car retired
(This reminded me of the May 4 W.A. post on graffiti artist Keith Haring.)
1982 - Pulitzer prize awarded to John Updike for 'Rabbit is Rich'
(Viet Thanh Nguyen, quoted above, received a Pulitzer prize in 2016.)
1963 - Bob Dylan walks off Ed Sullivan Show
1958 - "Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu" by Dicky Doo and The Dont's hits #40
(Link for your listening pleasure.)
1951 - 1st H Bomb test, on Enewetak Atoll
1930 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Marc Connelly (Green Pastures)
1929 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Julia Peterkin (Scarlet Sister Mary)
1733 - Maria Theresa crowned queen of Bohemia in Prague
1701 - Drenthe adopts Gregorian calendar (yesterday is 4/29/1701)
1082 - Battle at Mailberg: Vratislav II of Bohemia beats Leopold II of Austr
254 - Stephan I replaces Lucius I as Catholic Pope
Happy Birthday to You!🎶
1978 - Jason Biggs, actor, breakout role, Jim Levenstein in movie, 'American Pie'1950 - Gabriel Byrne, Dublin, Ireland, actor, Hello Again, Cool World
1937 - George Carlin, American comedian, actor, author, Grammy Award winner
1925 - Yogi Berra, American Athlete
1907 - Katharine Hepburn, actress, 'Adam's Rib', 'On Golden Pond'
1889 - Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank
1820 - Florence Nightingale, Florence, Italy, nurse, Crimean War
1809 - Giuseppe Giusti, Italian Poet
In less serious news, at my house, I have a sealed, unopened container of Pecan Turtle Trail ice cream in the freezer. It sits there, whispering to each child, "Eat me." Once it's open, it's a free-for-all. But, until then...no one dares open it. So they wait - for me. Mwah-ha-ha. Ah, the powers of parenting. When in doubt, claim victory in these small moments. When will I open the ice cream? Stay tuned!
Kim
Thanks Kim for educating me. I always thought crapulent was related to crap, which is something to be cast off, related to chaff, with German roots, while crapulent has Greek roots and means something entirely different. I'll keep that in mind. And don't forget crappola, which is definitely related to crap. And on behalf of your kids, please open the ice cream.
ReplyDeleteYes! I assumed it was related to crap as well. However, as you can see, I got "nethers" wrong, unless you consider my neck of the woods to in fact be the nethers of Wannaskan region. So in a way, I might be a bit like Švejk and you can debate with the other W.A. writers whether I am brilliant or stupid. ;)
DeleteP.S. It's Mother's Day, so it's ice cream and peanut M&Ms for all!
Gosh, Kim, you've gone and become personally, perfectly prolific. How's that for consonance? I fear, however, that I must question your word, "nethers" when it comes to the description of Wannaska. Here's the definition: lower in position. "the ballast is suspended from its nether end" - synonyms: lower, low, bottom, bottommost, under, basal; underground - "the nether regions" I call attention, in particular, to "bottom," "under," and "nether regions." Also, we use the word, "nethers" to refer to the furry place between Willa's thighs. She likes those nethers scratch-a-scratched. Cheers, Moi.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification. I meant farthest out, most far-flung part of the region. I have a blog post in the works called "So you think you know a word." You know me - it's not the first time I have used a word incorrectly.
Delete