Arlene Miller's Blog, page 8

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Home is where the heart is…

There’s no place like home…

Make yourself at home…

Home away from home…

Home sweet home…

Mi casa es tu casa…

 

Home. What is home? Where is home? Is home the house or apartment you live in? Is it your neighborhood? Your city? Your state? Your country? Any place with the people you love? 

I don’t have the answers. And there is no one answer for everyone — or anyone. And these days, most of us have lived in several, or many, different houses. And likely many different cities, possibly many states, and sometimes multiple countries.

I have lived in about 17 different apartments or houses in my lifetime. And about 14 cities in three different states. So where is home?

All of them. But then if home is someplace that feels like home, maybe not all of them.

I was born in Massachusetts and lived there for decades. Then I moved to California and lived there for 26 years. I have now been in Florida for over four years. I guess they are all home in different ways.

I don’t go back to Massachusetts very often. If I have family there at this point, I don’t keep in touch with them. I do have a couple of friends there, and many acquaintances from way back in school. (Thank you, social media!) Last November I went back for a few days, and I saw several friends and acquaintances. It felt familiar, and it felt like home even though I have no really close attachments with anyone there. I regularly communicate with one friend there outside of Facebook. But it felt like home. I wouldn’t want to live there because of the weather and the fact that neither of my children is there. 

My daughter, son-in-law, and little granddaughter are here in Florida. So it is home. I like my home, as far as my villa, although I don’t like the neighborhood, I don’t like the town, I don’t like the surrounding towns, I don’t like the traffic, and I don’t feel as if I fit in. I don’t feel “at home” here, and if it weren’t for my very special people here, I wouldn’t be here. 

Although my business has done well as far as book sales since I moved to Florida (largely due to Covid, I think), otherwise it has not been a good place for my writing/publishing. I belonged to a writing group in California where I made friends and regularly attended meetings. I still belong to my publishing group there, since all the meetings are now on Zoom, and I attend them all. In Florida, I have been sadly disappointed. The writing groups are mostly critique groups, and they don’t seem to have regular meetings with good speakers, so it doesn’t really interest me. My publishing group has a conference once a year and pretty much nothing else.  I have been on the board for over two years, so I feel some camaraderie, but it is not the same as my California group. When I get off the board in a couple of months I will see no one unless I go to the conference. 

Part of the issue is that the Florida publishing group covers the entire state. However, I don’t feel they serve the members without regular meetings that are well attended, and they have not managed that. 

I know most of my comfort with California has to do with the fact that I started my writing there. I learned how to publish my books there. I felt very appreciated there. I got lots of newspaper press there, and a great connection with a local indie bookstore. I did lots of workshops and speaking engagements. 

In Florida, I have done barely anything. I don’t feel as if I have any footing as a writer/publisher. I don’t feel as if anyone knows or cares about my expertise. And there is a dearth of bookstores. Part of it was that I moved here right before Covid, but I don’t think that is the major part. In California I had lots of connections. I don’t feel as if I have any here. 

California feels like home. My son is there, so that is important. And my writing community is there. I have lots of friends and acquaintances there. I fit in there. I fit in politically there as well. (Massachusetts too). Not so Florida. 

I feel like a visitor in Florida. And sometimes like an alien. But here I will likely stay because of family. And that is really the most important thing. I just wish I were geographically close to my son as well.

Home.

 

 

 

Metonymy, Not Monotony

Image by Richard Mcall from Pixabay

Aporia, metonymy, antimetabole, epistrophe. Another group of literary devices we might use and not know we are doing so. See last week’s post for four more.

Aporia –Rhetorical device in which a speaker expresses uncertainty or doubt—often pretended uncertainty or doubt—about something, usually as a way of proving a point. Examples from literature:

From Poe’s  “The Tell-Tale Heart”: True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?From Frost’s “The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

From Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.From Bob  Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind”: How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?

Metonymy – Figure of speech in which a word is replaced with another word closely associated with the original concept, such as “love” with “heart.” Similar to synecdoche, which uses a part to represent the whole or vice versa.

They had a Monet hanging on the wall (painting).Italian is my mother tongue (language).Wall Street is doing well today (the stock market).

Antimetabole –Figure of speech in which a phrase is repeated, but with the order of words reversed. 

Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”When the going gets tough, the tough get going.Stephen Stills’ “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”Dumas’s “All for one, and one for all.”

Epistrophe – Repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses.

I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.Lincoln’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people”Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman”

She takes just like a woman, yes
She makes love just like a woman, yes, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl

 

 

 

Synecdoche, not Schenectady

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Synecdoche, paralipsis, epanalepsis. Huh? They are literary devices that many of us do not learn in school. We probably wouldn’t have been able to spell them anyway.

Synecdoche — A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

All hands on deck! (It is really not just hands, but all people.)I haven’t worn heels in years. (It is really shoes with heels.)We will put no boots on the ground in Ukraine. (Boots stands for people.)Many faces in the crowd are my friends and relatives. (People, not just faces.)I bought some new wheels last week! (A car, not just the wheels.)

Paralipsis —The literary device of giving emphasis by professing to say little or nothing about a subject.

I am not saying you are the cause of this messy kitchen, but no one else was here today.I don’t want to embarass Teresa, so I won’t talk about what she did.We won’t say a word about all the criminals in politics right now.No one wants to accuse her of shoplifting that expensive purse.I will talk only about his good side.

Epanalepsis —  The repetition of a word or a phrase with intervening words setting off the repetition, sometimes occurring with a phrase used both at the beginning and end of a sentence. It also can occur over two sentences.

We know nothing about that — nothing.He smiled his perfect smile.I know nothing about my neighbor. We have lived next door to each other for years, yet I know nothing.Blow winds and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow! (from King Lear)Take it easy, take it easy
Don’t let the sound of your own wheels
Drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Don’t even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
And take it easy (from the Eagles. Many songs use repetition, so epanalipsis is common in popular music.)

 

Styles of Writing?

Image by Agata from Pixabay

You already know I am a reader. I have noticed a couple of things in some of the books I have recently read.

The first is the “rambing, train of thought, many characters, loaded with details” style I have found in more than one book I have recently read — or tried to read. I already talked about The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store in a recent post. That book was written in that style. I didn’t like the long sentences, mentions of so many characters you cannot keep them straight, and the tedious details. However, I think the plot and main characters in that book were good enough to definitely make it worth reading, and I enjoyed it. You don’t need to memorize who every character is or closely read all the detail to follow the story. And it is a good story with good characters.

On the other hand, I did not make it through Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. Same detailed style, but so boring. However, most people loved it. It has very good reviews on Amazon. I couldn’t tell you what it was about. Totally forgot, and I hardly read any of it. 

The other style I have seen recently is bouncing back and forth in time. Many historical fiction books go back and forth from years ago to now, but some books go back and forth weeks or months and by character, and it can get a bit confusing for this old brain. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult is one of those books, but I liked it anyway. I did skim through many of the parts about beekeeping though. It is primarily a murder story.  And I would recommend it.

Some other books I have read recently:

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren:  Somewhat predictable romance. Not bad.

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro is worth reading. And it doesn’t ramble. It is about friendship between generations and how an event can change everything. Recommended.

I thought I would really like The Librarianist by Patrick DeWitt because I like books about libraries and bookstores. It really wasn’t about either. It is about a retired librarian and a senior center. It is an interesting read with quirky characters.

Looking for Jane is a must read – at least for some people. The Janes were a network of women in Chicago who performed safe abortions before Rowe V Wade. This book actually took place in Canada in the 1980s before abortion was legal there. 

And that is my book wrap-up — minus some of the quirky nonfiction I read!

 

 

One Word or Two?

Image by xenostral from Pixabay

There are many instances of one-word or two-words confusion in the English language. So please, if you must use a lot it is two words! As is thank you.

But this post deals with a specific category in the “one word or two” dilemma. These are the words that are generally two words when used as verbs and one word when used as nouns or adjectives. To further complicate matters, when used as adjectives, sometimes they are hyphenated.

I have seen so many people write, “I am going to the gym to workout.”  Or “You need to login to the computer.” Nope.

Here are some examples of words that are two when used as verbs and one when used as nouns or adjectives. This is not a comprehensive list.

Back up the computer. (verb) –  It’s time to do a backup of the computer. (noun)

Break down the steps for me. (verb) – My computer had an apparent breakdown. (noun)

I need to check up on her. (verb) – It is time for my yearly checkup. (noun)

Clean up this mess (verb). – I am on the cleanup committee. (adjective)

Count down from 100 to 1 (verb). – There is a countdown as the ball drops on New Years. (noun)

I need to follow up on that idea. (verb) – I have a follow-up appointment. (adjective)

I hang out with my friends. (verb) – I know a great hangout for pizza. (noun)

Please hook up my dress. (verb) –  I am not interested in a hookup with you. (noun)

Log in to the computer.(verb) – Do you know your login information? (adjective)

Look out for the train! (verb) – The lookout area is on top of the mountain. (noun)

Take off that awful tie. (verb) – The plane is ready for takeoff. (noun)

Take out the trash. (verb) – I am ordering takeout for dinner. (noun)

I need to wake up early. (verb) – Did you get a wakeup call? (adjective)

Warm up before you exercise. (verb) – Did you finish your warmup? (noun)

I work out in the morning. (verb) – That was quite a workout! (noun)

 

 

Kangaroo Words: What Are They?

Image by G.C. from Pixabay

I had never heard of kangaroo words until recently, when a friend posted about them on social media. And they have nothing to do with Australia!

A kangaroo word carries within its spelling its own synonym, with the letters in the correct order, although not necessarily right in a row. For example: regulate  and rule or encourage and urge. They are difficult to think of, but more common than you might think.

They are called kangaroo words because they carry their smaller selves with them, as a kangaroo carries its joey, or baby, in its pouch. They are also called marsupial, swallow, or joey words. The term was popularized as a word game by Ben O’Dell in an article in The American Magazine in the 1950s, later reprinted in the Reader’s Digest.

Here are some more kangaroo words:

indolent – idlerambunctious – raucoussplotch – spotacrid – aridblossom – bloomchicken – henobserve – seeaction – actmasculine – male

And there are also twin kangaroo words. These words have two synonyms within them:

container – tin and candeteriorate – rot, die (and perhaps riot)diminutive – minute and minifeasted – ate and fed

And then there are grand kangaroo words. These carry two joeys, one inside the other

inflammable – flammable and flameaccustomed – used and usealone – lone and onechariot – cart and car

Yes, there are also anti-kangaroo words, which carry antonyms within them:

covert – overtanimosity – amitycourteous – curtfabrication – factfeast – fastshe – hethere – hereexacerbate – abate

You learn something new every day . . .

 

 

From Head to Toe (or Hat to Shoe)

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Ever think about how many idioms come from articles of clothing? Probably not, but you have likely used many of them.

At the drop of a hat – without delay or good reason

Feather in one’s cap – something someone can be proud of

That’s old hat – old fashioned; outdated

Take your hat off to someone – praise them for something

Put on your thinking cap – think seriously about something; use your brain

Hot under the collar – angry

Give someone the shirt off your back – give someone anything they need

Off the cuff – without preparation

Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve – clearly show emotions

Ride one’s coattails – to have one’s success dependent on that of someone else

Trick up one’s sleeve – a secret method to use when you need it

Roll up your sleeves – get to work

Lose one’s shirt – to lose all your money

To hit below the belt –  to say something unfair or uncalled for to someone

Tighten one’s belt – spend less money

Bursting at the seams – full to overflowing; very crowded

Fall apart at the seams – be in a state of decline

Buckle down – get serious; get to work

Line your own pockets – make money in a dishonest way

Money burns a hole in my pocket – I spend everything I have

Keep it zipped – keep quiet; don’t admit anything or tell anything

Caught with your pants down – something happens that someone isn’t prepared for that embarrasses them

Fly by the seat of your pants – use your instincts to tell you what to do in an unfamiliar situation

To wear the pants – to be the boss

To have ants in your pants –  to be restless or anxious

Fits like a glove – fits perfectly

Handle with kid gloves – be very careful with

Put a sock in it – tell someone to be quiet

Walk in someone else’s shoes – have someone else’s life and problems for a while

Birthday suit – nudity

Dirty laundry – embarrassing things in one’s life

Cut from the same cloth – alike

Wolf in sheep’s clothing – a person or thing that appears harmless, but is really hostile

If the shoe fits – something that is said or thought about someone is true, and they should accept it

Get along on a shoestring – get by with very little money

Quake in one’s boots – be very nervous or afraid

Knock one’s socks off – strongly impress someone

 

 

 

 

Read Anything Good Lately?

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I have. And I have finally started to read two books (or even more) at a time. I never used to be able to handle reading more than one book at a time, since I can barely remember a book right after I have read it, or even in the middle when I come back to it.  To be fair, I read only one novel at a time, so I read one novel and one nonfiction. And most of my nonfiction lately has been a little out there. Due to what is going on in my life, I have been reading a lot of books about intention, manifestation, and the law of attraction — but also because the topic has intrigued me for a long time. (I am kind of out there!) Most of those books are free with Kindle Unlimited. I  won’t pay for them, and my local library doesn’t have a good selection.

I still like print books, but Kindle books are easier on my eyes. I also must admit I read some large print books. No audio books for me. I have nothing against them, but I think it isn’t really reading; it is listening, like one would listen to a podcast or to the radio.

I am currently reading the 6 Phase Meditation Method by Vishen Lakhiani. It seems like a good method of meditation that doesn’t require much time or repeating a mantra and clearing your mind. I am not a meditator, but I thought I would give it a try. The author is the founder of Mind Valley, which is one of those power-of-intention-be-a-success-and-have-love outfits. I recently attended an online two-day conference they had for $29. It was really good and definitely worth the money. I knew they would eventually get to the $6000 sell! No thanks.

Other than that, the other similar books I have been reading are pretty lightweight: Super Attractor, Just Ask the Universe, Feeling Is the Secret,  and the Audacity to Be Queen (which was actually pretty good).

Okay. Now onto the books you might actually want to read:

I am currently reading Identity by Nora Roberts. I am about 90% done, and I am really liking it. Suspense and romance. I haven’t read Roberts in a long time. Recommended.

I recently read Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller.  It is a nonfiction book about the three female singer/songwriters Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon. To tell you the truth, it is a big book (about 500 pages), and I read only the parts about Carole King because I am obsessed with her. When I was in my preteens or so, I wanted to be a songwriter like her. I have recently started digging out those song lyrics I wrote way back in the 60s, and am scanning them into my computer and seeing which ones I might be able to update and make more mature. I didn’t read much about Joni Mitchell or Carly Simon, not that there is anything wrong with them! Recommended.

On Herring Cove: Mr. Rosen and His 43 Lb. Anxiety by Michael Kroft had been sitting on my Kindle for a long time before I finally got to it. It looked interesting, and I liked the title, so I got it from Kindle Unlimited. Turns out that it was a very good read, for any gender. The only thing I didn’t care for was the ending. It was one of those non endings. Recommended.

I must have heard about End of Story, by A.J. Finn somewhere. It is a popular book with many great reviews, but some agreed with me. I read about 20% of it before I gave up. Boring. Clunky. I guess it is some type of mystery or suspense. 

Convenience Store Woman by  Sakaya Murata was really good with a very interesting main character. Unusual book. Recommended for any gender.

I have loved all the Kristin Hannah books that I have read, and her latest, The Women, does not disappoint. It is about a woman who, against her parents’ wishes, becomes a VietNam War nurse. Great book for anyone.  Highly recommended.

I heard about The Sound of Settling by Tara Dublin on a streaming political television show I watch. She was a guest. I had no idea who she was. She said she was an unemployed writer and she showed a book she had written and is trying to sell to Hollywood.  She said it was about being a super fan of Dave Grohl of  the Foo Fighters. The book, however, is a fiction book that takes off from that situation. Since I was about to embark on a similar book with a similar situation, I identified with her, even though my book will be nonfiction, probably followed by a novel, if I get to it. I thought it was a great love story, although fiction! Recommended.

I had heard a lot about The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by  James McBride. It is one of the big books of the year. It takes place in Pennsylvania in a little neighborhood settled by Jewish immigrants, where blacks are moving in from the South along with other European immigrants.  There are a ton of characters, some minor, and the book kind of rambles on, but even if you can’t remember who everyone is,  you can follow the plot just fine.  It is a lot, but it is a wonderful book. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

Please Don’t Say That!

Image by philm1310 from Pixabay

Well, I already got the “myself”-used-everywhere-incorrectly off my chest a few weeks ago…and the drug used-as-a-past- tense of drag. But there are more.

Less and fewer is still an issue, even with the people who get paid to talk on television, but sometimes they get it right. Even the express lanes in the grocery store are beginning to get it right.

But…..what’s with have went? I hear it everywhere — from friends to, once again, people who get paid to talk on television. I have went, I should have went.…NO please stop! Go is one of those irregular verbs that has three different forms: go, went, have gone. I go, I went, I have gone. 

Other irregular verbs also cause problems. I have ate is a common one. This is said by those who are very educated and make a lot more money than I do (even though I am very educated!). I have swam is a common one, and sometimes you can’t even convince people there is such a word as swum! Same with drink, drank, have drunk. It isn’t have drank.

Let’s see…are there more? When I was a kid, lots of people I knew said I seen instead of I saw. It drove me nuts, and I still hear it today.

And more…

I have drove? (driven)

I have rang? (rung)

I swang? (swung)

I have wrote? (written)

I have boughten? (bought)

I brang? (brought)

As I scream into the night……

 

 

Fear of Food????

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

There is a phobia for just about everything. Here are some that might help out your diet!

Acerophobia- Fear of sourness – no Sour Patch Kids for you!

Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens – I don’t know if this includes after they are cooked!

Alliumphobia- Fear of garlic

Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth – Eat with caution!

Carnophobia- Fear of meat

Cibophobia- Fear of food – That’s a tough one!

Consecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticks – You can also use a fork.

Deipnophobia- Fear of dining or dinner conversations

Dipsophobia- Fear of drinking

Geumaphobia or Geumophobia- Fear of taste

Hemophobia or Hemaphobia or Hematophobia- Fear of blood – I will have that well done please!

Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish

Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables – Probably pretty common! Especially broccoli, which I like, ut still cannot spell.

Leukophobia- Fear of the color white – So add cauliflower to that.

Mageirocophobia- Fear of cooking – There’s always Door Dash!

Mycophobia- Fear or aversion to mushrooms – I might have that one.

Nosophobia or Nosemaphobia- Fear of becoming ill – Watch where you eat!

Obesophobia- Fear of gaining weight

Oenophobia- Fear of wines – Very weird. Red? White? Rose?

Olfactophobia- Fear of smells – Bland food only?

Ostraconophobia- Fear of shellfish

Phagophobia- Fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten

Porphyrophobia- Fear of the color purple – Guess that eliminates eggplant! And some plums and grapes!

 

Thanks to phobialist.com

NEXT WEEK: One or two of those nasty mistakes I hear n TV all the time. STOP, people who are getting paid to talk!!