The Write Way

19 July 2002

Howdy, Pardner!

Greetings,

Two things conspired to inspire this week's topic: the first was my comment last week that English is a language that has a word for everything, and the second occurred when my husband and I stole a couple of hours to go out for lunch mid-week.

I may have mentioned before (two or three million times) that winter is the best time of year here ... Well, apart from autumn and spring that is ... Come to think of it, summer is pretty good, too ... But winter definitely has its own special magic and this week has been typical - the days are still and sunny; the skies are blue, with a few high, wispy clouds and there's that lovely smell in the air ... sigh. So can you blame us for deciding to sneak away?

The vehicular ferry that serves Moreton Island also leaves from here, and there's a volunteer Coast Guard base. Scarborough is also the quarantine stop for overseas yachts coming to Brisbane ... and there's a marina attached to the MBBC. This is the best photo I could find of the Club,  but it doesn't do it justice.

The Club is only a single level building with a couple of meeting rooms, a small bar and poker machine area up one end and a dining room and lounge taking up about half of the floor space. There's a covered deck that's built right out over the water across the whole length of the place, so you can sit and watch all the lucky people "messing about in boats" while you soak up the sunshine, watch the pelicans drift by and listen to the occasional fish jumping  ... Very pleasant!

As we were leaving, we ran into a woman we knew remotely (you know how it is ... one of those people you know you know, but can't remember any details!) We passed the usual pleasantries and then she turned to the fellow with her and said, "And this is my partner, John." I was so tempted to say, "Howdy!" but you'll be pleased to hear that I resisted the urge.

Once upon a time, she'd have referred to her companion as her friend, boyfriend, fiancé, or even husband, and her "partner" would be someone she was in business with, but now "partners" seem to be the companion of choice. It's just such a cold word, though, don't you think? We really need a better word to describe the person you've chosen to share your toothpaste with for the rest of your life.

I guess it has something to do with all the possible combinations of couples these days - it's sort of a 'one size fits all' type of term that can be used for teenagers having their first romance, twenty-somethings living together, divorced couples setting up house together, and it applies equally well (or poorly, depending on what you think of the word), to heterosexual or homosexual couples.

You'll notice I didn't use that silly term, "gay couples" ... I've never thought that worked - it's just too "twee" to describe a relationship that can involve a lifetime commitment. Besides, I like "gay" used in its original sense to describe something that is joyous and lively; bright and brilliant. The word comes from a Middle English word gay that means "quick, sudden, lively."

There's a great line by Alexander Pope (an early 18th century poet) in his poem, "The Rape of the Lock," a mock-epic that satirises the shallowness Pope saw in his society. The heroine of the tale is Belinda, a beautiful girl who's pursued by all the lads. At a card game, one dastardly baron plots to cut a lock of Belinda's hair:

What dire Offence from am'rous Causes springs,
What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things,
I sing ...

But Belinda is a delightful person, whose charm still shines through this poem after three centuries:

Bright as the Sun, her Eyes the Gazers strike,
And, like the Sun, they shine on all alike.
Yet graceful Ease, and Sweetness void of Pride,
Might hide her Faults, if Belles had Faults to hide:
If to her share some Female Errors fall,
Look on her Face, and you'll forget 'em all.

And this is my favourite part:

Smooth flow the Waves, the Zephyrs gently play
Belinda smil'd, and all the World was gay.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to make the whole world happy just by smiling?

The tale ends with another wonderful image:

When those fair Suns shall set, as set they must,
And all those Tresses shall be laid in dust;
This Lock, the Muse shall consecrate to fame,
And 'midst the stars inscribe Belinda's Name!

Don't you love it? Even though he's having a go at his characters, you can see he's fond of them. You can read the entire poem here. 

That last line reminds me of this terrific site. 

It lets you track the manned International Space Station as it whirs overhead. You can enter details of where you live and then find out when you'll be able to see the ISS - you can even print out a map of the stars! Our ABC site says that, " the ISS travels at a speed of 7.7 km per second in one of the lowest orbits possible, at approximately 390 km. The large solar wings make it one of the brightest 'stars' in the night sky.

"It orbits the Earth 15 times a day, with the orbit changing slightly each time, so most of the Earth is passed daily. But it cannot always be seen overhead. It must be in the path of sunlight so that it glints, and the observer must be in darkness.

"The best time for ISS-gazing is just before dawn or just after sunset, when the observer is in the dark but the ISS is in the sun."

When you get to the site, click on the letter for your country, then enter your nearest main city to get a chart of the best viewing times for the next four days. Click on the 'star chart' link for your star map.

But ... ummm ... what was I talking about? Ah, that's right - words we need. We definitely need a better word than "partner" to describe our Significant Others. We also need a word to describe some of our rellies ... No ...not those words ...Now that's not very kind ...

This topic came up for discussion on the FOTA board some weeks ago. We have words for mother, father; sister, brother; aunt, uncle ... but how do you distinguish between your male and female cousins? You can't, can you?  Someone on the board came up with a brilliant solution: mousins and fousins (pronounced "muzzins and fuzzins") for male and female cousins respectively. Yep ... that works for me :)

I'm sure you can think of examples of other gaps in our language - so, maybe there's an opening for a bright lad to come up with a few new words.

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This week's quiz:

I offer this next piece without comment:

Three sons left home, went out on their own, and
prospered. When they got back together several years
later, they discussed gifts they were able to give
to their elderly mother.

The first said, "I built a big house for our mother."

The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."

The third smiled and said, "Ha, I got you both beat!
Remember how mother loved to read the Bible? And you
know that she can't see very well? Well, I sent her
an amazing parrot that recites the entire Bible. It
took Church elders 14 years to teach him. Mom just
has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot
will recite it."

Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks:

"Adam," she wrote one son, "The house you built is
so big. I live in only one room, but I have to clean
the whole house."

"Jon," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel.
I stay at home most of the time, so I rarely use the
Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"

"Dearest Gerald," she wrote to her third son, "You
have the good sense to know what your mother likes.
The chicken was delicious..."

Last week's quiz:

Match each word with its synonym:

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A Little Something Extra ...

The story playing out in your mind -- the one you're writing down -- isn't the same one your readers will "see," unless you share with them the details that make the story work for you.

Oxymoron:  Bet you sometimes feel you're on one of these: down escalator.

Word of the week: Macarism (n) taking pleasure in another's joy. Isn't that a great word? It comes from the Greek makarizein meaning 'to bless.'  Sadly, my Webster's says it's now rare ... Maybe we could all try to practise a little macarism this weekend :)

And here's an old favourite Latin phrase to help you do just that:

Die dulci fruere. (Have a nice day.)

Regards,

Jennifer

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