Monday, August 31, 2020

Let me count the ways

Once upon a time, 1852-1941 to be exact, there lived in England a man named William Arthur Dunkerley who wrote using the name his parents had given him at birth as well as the names John Oxenham and Julian Ross.

I once thought of writing something using the name Scott Silberman but nothing ever came of it. I actually did write something a few years back using the name Billy Ray Barnwell, but like the narrow way described by Jesus of Nazareth, few there be that find it.

A man named Matthew who was also called Levi wrote down a lot of things he heard J of N say one day to a big crowd on the side of a mountain, and it took up three chapters in his book. One of the things was this: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat: because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

William Arthur Dunkerley writing as John Oxenham composed a poem he called "The Ways" but it was not about a broad one and a narrow one:

The Ways
by John Oxenham

To every man there openeth
A Way, and Ways, and a Way.
The High Soul climbs the High way,
And the Low soul gropes the Low,
And in between, on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A High Way and a Low,
And every man decideth
Thw Way his soul shall go.

It goes without saying, ladies, that in the context of this very old poem "man" includes woman and "his" means his or her. Let's not quibble. For good or ill, I am an equal-opportunity feminist.

This post doesn't seem to have any identifiable theme. Still, I forge ahead.

Eric Blair wrote using the name George Orwell. Mary Ann Evans wrote using the name George Eliot. Samuel Langhorne Clemens wrote using the name Mark Twain.

Tell us, what is the name (other than your blogging name, if you have one) you would use to write your magnum opus blockbuster next book?

Saturday, August 29, 2020

This is my 92nd post of 2020

...and with it my output so far this year has exceeded the annual output of each of the last five years. Here's the proof from the sidebar:

2019 (79)
2018 (86)
2017 (71)
2016 (77)
2015 (91)

My most prolific year vis-à-vis blogging was 2008, when I published 228 posts. I was a busy bee.

Apparently I have had a new burst of energy. At my age, though, I will probably get tired, like these guys:
Hooray! Even Hip, Hip, Hooray! (or as they say across the pond, Hip, Hip, Hip, Hooray!)

This small celebration has occurred because I have just used New Blogger to insert an image into a post!

I followed Tasker's, Adrian's, and even Yorkshire Pudding's advice and logged out of blogger, logged back in, and clicked on "Try new blogger" (I had done this before but eventually reverted to the legacy blogger). This time more icons appeared in the line of editing functions than before. It now includes "Insert image" and "Insert video" -- HOWEVER, COMMA, even this new page DOES NOT INCLUDE THE THREE DOTS (...) THAT INDICATE MORE FUNCTIONS LURKING JUST OUT OF SIGHT.

I may never get the same New Blogger page that others seem to have, but at least I finally received a more complete one than I had received heretofore.

Those two tired kitties up there are Smokey (L) and Bandit (R) and they are recuperating from their hard day at the office on my daughter's verandah in Alabama.

In the feline world, there are no worries about COVID-19, no concerns about presidential elections, and no frettings over the activities of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

I am reminded of an old nursery rhyme:

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, where have you been?
I've been to London to visit the Queen.
Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.


The difference between Buckingham Palace in London and my daughter's verandah in Alabama is simply this:

In Alabama, thrones are occupied by cats, not queens.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

I wish they would tackle world peace instead

While we lesser creatures spend our lives creating blogposts and commenting on the blogposts of others, greater minds than ours ponder things like the following article from the current issue of Scientific American magazine:

"This Twist on Schrödinger’s Cat Paradox Has Major Implications for Quantum Theory"

which has the even more intriguing subtitle, 'A laboratory demonstration of the classic “Wigner’s friend” thought experiment could overturn cherished assumptions about reality'.

I am clearly out of my element and in over my head. I have never heard of Schrödinger’s Cat Paradox and don't care about Quantum Theory, I don't know what “Wigner’s friend” thought experiment proved or didn't prove, or why it is considered classic, and I have no cherished assumptions about reality that I am aware of.

I'm sure it is very important, but it seems like so much flotsam and jetsam to me.

So why even bring up the subject, you may be asking.

Simple. I want you to read the article from start ro finish and tell me what you think.

Only then can we begin to tackle world peace.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

As they say on Facebook...

It's Throwback Thursday!

That, friends, is how the Rhymeswithplague family looked in 1980, a mere 40 years ago. I had my famous Afro hairstyle. Before I got it, some people thought I looked like Engelbert Humperdinck and other people thought I looked like Harold Reid, the bass singer in the Statler Brothers Quartet. After I got it, people didn't say much of anything. They were dumbstruck.

Our children, from left to right, were 13, 16, and 15 years old at the time. It is hard to believe that today they are 52, 54, and 55.

Mom and Dad are also getting on up there.

I must tell you that I have not figured out how to insert photographs using New Blogger. Well, I have figured out how it is done, but my particular version of the New Blogger screen does not include all of the Editing Functions. I'm not kidding. Insert Photo and Insert Video are missing.

I had to "Revert to legacy Blogger" to include the photo in this post.

Keep your fingers crossed that I make headway with New Blogger soon because Old Blogger is supposed to be going away at the end of September.

And then, unless things change, there will be no more photographs, Throwback Thursday or otherwise, from this corner of the blogosphere.

Monday, August 17, 2020

Please, sir, may I have another?

I'm talking about puzzling and even unanswerable questions, of course. What did you think I was talking about?

Here are a few:
  1. Why is antelope pronounced 'AN-tuh-lope' but Penelope is pronounced 'puh-NEL-oh-pee'?
  2. Why is telephone pronounced 'TEL-uh-fone' but Persephone is pronounced 'per-SEF-uh-nee'?
  3. Why do people in the U.K. say 'DEB-ree' but people in the U.S. say 'duh-BREE'?
  4. Why do people in the U.K. say 'luh-BOR-uh-tree' but people in the U.S. say 'LAB-ruh-tory'?
  5. Why do people in the U.K. see Worcestershire and say 'WUSS-ter-sher' but people in the U.S. tend to say 'WERE-CHESS-ter-SHYRE'?
  6. Why do people in the U.K. see Gloucester and say 'GLAWS-ter' but people in the U.S. tend to say "GLOW-CHESS-ter'?
  7. Why do people in the U.K. see Cholmondeley and say 'CHUM-lee' and people in the U.S. see Natchitoches and say 'NACK-uh-dish'?
There are many such questions. Can you think of a few?

I'm after different ways of pronouncing the same word, not why zuchinis are called courgettes or why blackberries are called brambles or why trunks and hoods are boots and bonnets.

Rack or wrack your brain (or both) and join in the fun.

Monday, August 10, 2020

As Robin once said to his BFF...

"Holy place names, Batman!"

Here's a list of holy-sounding place names that I threw together. Can you identify the ones that cannot trace their origin to the Bible?

  1. San Mateo, California
  2. San Marcos, Texas
  3. Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico
  4. St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
  5. Corinth, Mississippi
  6. Phillipi, West Virginia
  7. St. Paul, Minnesota
  8. St. James City, Florida
  9. St. Peters, Missouri
  10. San Antonio, Texas
  11. St. Joseph, Missouri
  12. St. Marys, Georgia
  13. St. Louis, Missouri
  14. St. Charles, Illinois
  15. Santa Barbara, California
  16. Santa Monica, California
  17. San Miguel, California
  18. San Gabriel, California
  19. Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
  20. San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico
  21. San Francisco, California
  22. San Clemente, California
  23. Santa Clara, California
  24. San Juan, Puerto Rico
  25. Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
  26. San José, California
  27. San Leandro, California
  28. St. Augustine, Florida
  29. Mount St. Helens, Washington
  30. Santa Catalina Island, California
  31. Saint-Tropez, France
  32. San Isabel, Colorado
  33. St. Lawrence Ruver, Canada
  34. Santa Ynez, California
  35. St. Simons Island, Georgia
  36. San Diego, California
  37. Espiritu Santo, Brazil
  38. Padre Island, Texas
  39. Santa Fe, New Mexico
  40. Santa Cruz, California
  41. Joshua, Texas
  42. Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado
  43. Mont Saint-Michel, France
  44. St. Petersburg, Florida or Russia (take your pick)
  45. Saint Martin (island in the West Indies)
  46. Saint Kitts (island in the West Indies)
  47. Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada
  48. Port St. Lucie, Florida
  49. St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada
  50. Saint Pierre and Miquelon (a French Overseas Collectivity near Newfoundland and Labrador)
  51. Santa Gertrudis (towns in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, Oaxaca, and Vera Cruz; also a breed of cattle)
  52. San Saba, Texas
  53. Santa Rosa, California
  54. Christchurch, New Zealand
I'm sure there are many others, but these are the ones that sprang to mind.

What lists have been waiting to spring to your mind?

Friday, August 7, 2020

Bloggia est omnis divisa in partes tres*

According to one source, the "seven deadly sins" (also called the "seven cardinal vices") are lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.

Their opposites, the "seven cardinal virtues", are chastity, temperance, charity (or generosity), diligence, patience, gratitude, and humility.

Why bring these up now?, you may ask.

I'll tell you why.

Because we need less of the first list and more of the second in our world today, that's why.

Here are 14 Latin words: humilitas, luxuria, gratia, gula, patientia, avaritia, industria, acedia, caritas, ira, moderatio, invidia, superbia, castitas.

Can you match the Latin words with their English equivalents in the two lists?

*Note. The three parts into which my blog is divided -- I can't speak for other blogs -- are the facts, the fun, and the frustration. You heard it here first.

My personal frustration at the moment is that since New Blogger came along I have lost the ability to insert a photograph into a post. All helpful hints will be appreciated.

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

If it’s Tuesday, it is time for another post

...so here it is.

The fact that your correspondent has absolutely nothing to say is beside the point.

The fact that his brain has been slowly turning to mush during these endless months of inactivity due to pandemic-caused quarantines/shelters in place/lockdowns/ever-changing new normals is of no consequence whatsoever.

The fact that the only thing in this post with which some of you might disagree is the word slowly means nothing in the greater scheme of things.

It is Tuesday (except where it's Wednesday), and it is time for another post.

Saturday, August 1, 2020

He ain't heavy, Father, he's my chicken

(Editor's note: The following meme is not original with me. It appeared for the umpteenth time today on Facebook so I decided to capture it and make it available to you. Why should I be the only one to suffer? It is supposed to make you laugh, or at least smile, or nod your head knowingly. This will be easier to do if you live in the United States. If you do not live in the United States, I can only hope that you recognize some of the individuals and then laugh, or at least smile, or nod your head knowingly. --RWP)

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

DONALD TRUMP: I've been told by many sources, good sources -- they're very good sources -- that the chicken crossed the road. All the Fake News wants to do is write nasty things about the road, but it's a really good road. It's a beautiful road. Everyone knows how beautiful it is.

JOE BIDEN: Why did the chicken do the...thing in the...you know the rest.

SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!

BARACK OBAMA: Let me be perfectly clear, if the chickens like their eggs they can keep their eggs. No chicken will be required to cross the road to surrender her eggs. Period.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Chickens should not be forced to lay eggs! This is because of corporate greed! Eggs should be able to lay themselves.

JOHN McCAIN: My friends, the chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: What difference at this point does it make why the chicken crossed the road?

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white?

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he is acting by not taking on his current problems before adding any new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross the road so badly. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a NEW CAR so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way the chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price droped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR. SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ENEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

KING DAVID: O Lord, why dost the chicken cross the road And why art the chicken hawks beset around it? Surely in vain the road is crossed in the sight of any predator.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart-warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2020, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2020. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

<b>Remembrance of things past (show-biz edition) and a few petty gripes</b>

Some performing groups came in twos (the Everly Brothers, the Smothers Brothers, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Steve Lawrence and Edyie Gormé, ...