082 Clichés: tried & true

Clichés: Are they really bad?

Hello there, dear readers. It’s cold here and more bad weather predicted. I needed some humor. I thought I had a grand idea: could I write a whole blog of just clichés?

After trying all week to write in all clichés, I almost threw in the towel. I was about to reach the end of my rope after shooting for the stars. I couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, and, obviously, time was running out. I needed sleep – to be snug as a bug in a rug--so I could get up and smell the coffee.

I bogged myself down, with little creativity, and my feet were firmly planted on the earth. I decided to just roll with the punches. 

I give up flying by the seat of my pants. I will stay cool as a cucumber and sweet as sugar because I feel like I am swimming against the tide. Maybe I should just go with the flow. 

I am laying it on thick, but I do wonder why these clichés seem so dated? I guess it’s not if you win or lose, but how you play the game. The trouble is I have always thought second place is loser number one. 

I really wanted to achieve this blog goal without being dull as dishwater and driving myself up the wall. With all the clichés from over the years, shouldn’t this be easy as pie, or at least as easy as 1-2-3? But, no, it is easier said than done.

So, really, what is it about clichés that makes editors grimace? I believe it is overuse. Sometimes, however, a cliché really fits the bill, is just the ticket, or is there for comic relief. If you do use clichés it is not the end of the world, but one should try to weed them out of formal writing. 

It seems said a Huffington Post article (10/23/13,) that clichés indicate laziness in writing and many make the writer seem OLD. The article continued by admonishing readers not to get their knickers in a twist but to avoid particularly old clichés that most people – other than baby-boomers and their elders--do not even understand: e.g. more troubles than Carter has liver pills, the cat’s pajamas, it’s the bees’ knees, and you sound like a broken record. 

AND if you want to see a list of clichés, try www.be-a-better-writer.com/cliches. This is a list of 681 clichés to avoid in writing or if you really, really want a lot of clichés, try Steve’s Clichés on www.clicheweb.cambriaresearch.com. Steve has amassed 1600 clichés. Who’d of thought?

If you’ve been watching any sports lately, you have heard their own special brand of clichés. Must be hard to be the color commentator with pithy, NEW, words for every play. To wit: it’s crunch time, they’re playing one game at a time, just shy of the first down, they’re being very physical, well, folks, it is what it is, and they need to put points on the scoreboard. (Oh, really--how astute!) 

It seems every field has its own set of clichés. Legal includes strenuous objections, begs the question, eminently qualified, and inextricably intertwined growing body of evidence. Medical – well, we all know an apple a day, pain and suffering, and apparently soldiers know turn your head and cough.So, as push comes to shove, watch your Ps and Qs, and see how many clichés you can think of on a dark and stormy night!

Glenne 

         

081 Snow too much

Snow too much

When snow reaches two feet deep, it loses its beautiful ranking. It becomes a nuisance and hard to shovel and stack. Piles get so high it is often hard to see oncoming traffic.

Pete shoveling

After a day or two, it becomes an eye-sore—freezing, melting, dirt mixing in—you get the picture and it is not a pretty one. You can imagine after a week the gray color it becomes rather than the snowy white.

Schoolchildren love it at first but after six, eight, ten days out of school, they start to get rather contentious, wanting to see their friends and needing a change of scenery. It is hard to believe but they begin to miss school!

John Handley High School grounds--
from our front porch

And don’t even mention the parents. There are not words to describe the overwhelming frustration and futile attempts to keep their children entertained while trying to stay sane.

Simple activities such as driving, which is taken for granted, is treacherous at first but as days pass, the melting makes it a little easier. Finding parking places is almost impossible as snow piles take up residence in the spots and will be there for weeks.

So why do we like snow—actually many of us don’t! I guess it is better than an ice storm and torrential rains that cause flooding.

Surviving is a skill I have worked on diligently for decades. One thing is to have plenty of a melting agent to get rid of the snow and ice as fast as possible. I get out as soon as I can to shovel or sweep the steps and then I spread the miracle mix. Some people say it will damage the concrete, but I say better the concrete than me!

Other tips for helping with cabin fever include having plenty of sweets including chocolate cake and ice cream and gallons of wine. Books, IPad, and movies also help pass the time. Those projects you put off can be finished in no time when you are stuck in the house.

It’s like camping out but inside the house. No businesses are open so it doesn’t matter because you couldn’t get there anyway. So think about being dropped in the woods or on a mountain top and rescue is days away.

When we do make it out, we survey the damage to see how much has been done or not done in our fair city. It is always a mystery until we can venture out past our street. Facebook has helped with friends posting photos of the snow around them, documenting the accumulation.


The extreme snow of January 2016—about 36 inches—melted at a steady pace but with that much snow it takes weeks.

But what is especially frustrating are the family and friends who live in warmer climates and the brilliant comments they text:  “That’s a lot of snow,” “How pretty,” “We didn’t get any.” The urge to kill surfaces but then rational thought takes over and I realize these people have no idea!

Oh well, hopefully the worst is over for the year—not really—we still have weeks and weeks of winter! 

Frances      

080 typewriter adventures

Typewriter Memories

In my last blog posting that was devoted to spacing after periods, I mentioned the non-proportional spacing of typewriters. That thought brought forth reminiscences of my typewriting adventures. 



I took a high school typewriting class in 1963.  The room was crammed with gigantic manual typewriters.

Thirty manual typewriters all clacking, clattering and ringing at each carriage return--what a din!

I came from Phys. Ed. to typing, was usually one of the last to arrive, and so was left with the oldest and crankiest machine. I remember a hot topic in class was where to place those brand new zip codes when typing the address line!

I was a very good student but not a very good typist. I came in early each day before school to practice.  It was difficult to press the keys with my pinkie fingers hard enough to move the type hammer lever to strike and make a dark impression. 

The qwerty keyboard came about because the first typewriter keyboards had the most common letters in the center and constantly jammed together when r and e and a, etc., were typed in close succession.

Jam still happened--how aggravating when you were typing at a good rhythm!

I eventually became a slower and more accurate typist. I went off to college with my own portable typewriter. (I was so proud!) Being an English/journalism major, I had many papers to type.

I used erasable bond, and would stop every few lines to check my work, and then get out the typewriter eraser. It had a brush on one end to brush the eraser crumbs off the paper and often right into the typewriter works!  I ended up with some convoluted sentences in my attempts to correct the error in the newly erased space. The erasable bond that corrected most cleanly also came with a bonus--very easily smeared text--when even lightly touched. I carefully removed each typed page and then sprayed it with hairspray. No smears but the page was slightly perfumed--what message was I sending to my professors?

How I hated typewriter ribbons!  I would type several lines only to discover the ribbon had fallen below the strike plate, and there was no text to be seen. I was cheap and did not change ribbons often. I also flipped over the top part of the ribbon to the bottom in an attempt prolong its life, which worked for a brief period.

After college I started using an electric typewriter--those wonderful IBM Selectrics! My work compatriots and I were delighted when new typeballs became available.  No more 
Courier!


The selectrics also eventually added a correction feature although I never achieved the perfect corrections that the company promised.  I might back up to the wrong letter or the correction tape did not completely cover.

The other typewriter task I never completely managed was centering a line.  Count the number of characters in the line to be centered, move the carriage return so that it is ready to type at the center of the line, than backspace half the number of characters in the line to be centered.  I did but somehow it never looked exactly right. Being somewhat obsessive compulsive, I hated when the line to be centered had an uneven number of characters. Yes, I obsessed--do I backspace the higher number or the amount that was one less?

In conclusion, I looked for a picture of a high school typing class by searching typewriting lab:

I bet his typing was as good as mine!

Trish           

079 My Mother, the "chef"

My Mother, the “Chef”

My mother was born

 on February 18, 1916. 

She died at 92, still a character and known to many, even her minister, as the “Bea Arthur of Berryville.” 

On her 90th birthday

Mother as a bride

She said many, many, many times that she wanted to live to be old enough not to have to be “politically correct” or filter her remarks. Gee, my sisters and I often agreed – we hadn’t heard many filters so far. But a character she was! 

Some of my favorite stories, though, were not her sassy remarks, but her “prowess” in the kitchen. (She’ll be turning in her grave now and still telling me I need a haircut!) One of the most hilarious memories was shortly after Mother gave birth to my two younger sisters (nine and seven years younger than I) and she decided to stay home and be a dedicated housewife and mother! Because she was so busy carting around three daughters along with her schedule, she bought a pressure cooker to save herself time. This did not work out. 

Mom was an avid reader, bridge player, and civic volunteer. I don’t know whether she just forgot to return to the kitchen after said pressure cooker was filled or got distracted by one of her duties or…. But the final mishap was the top of the pressure cooker exploding up in to the ceiling and green beans and little new potatoes all over the kitchen. (In her defense, I found a blog site, 

www.missvickie.com/history/pressurecooker, that states that pressure cookers were flawed and the frequency of accidents founded the expression “pressure cooker” implying imminent disaster.) Yes, we had that disaster and Mom was teased about it for 50 years!

One of my friends, hearing Mom-in–the-kitchen stories, asked if she was ADHD. No, I don’t think she was. She wasn’t about anything else. If you said you would do something, you had better follow through AND in a timely manner. Even piano practice! She set the bar high on follow through and she was a great example to us. No, I think she was a “laisse faire” cook. Maybe “benign neglect” of the kitchen is even better. 

For example, I did not know rolls were not supposed to be black on the bottom until I was old enough to pay attention at good restaurants.

One of our favorite family holidays was Thanksgiving. It was a command performance until her death.

Mom would stick the turkey (a BIG one) with a piece of aluminum foil draped over it into the oven and tell us it was time for church. After church, we headed off to a Clarke County tradition known as the “Stirrup Cup.” This was the annual hunt club taking off at noon in their “pink” coats on horseback with the hounds following.

Refreshment at this event was whatever might be in a carried flask or a beverage known as hot-buttered rum mulled in a huge apple butter size kettle over a wood fire in the field where the hunt was to take off. It’s a beautiful site on a crisp November day to watch the hunt take off and to meet and greet local friends. We always stayed longer than expected. 

After the hunt, it was home to prepare for the Thanksgiving spread. Remember that the turkey has been in the oven at some temperature from about 7:30 a.m. and it’s now approaching 2 p.m. The family joke is that no one in family ever had to carve a turkey. “Oh, damn,” she’d say every year as the turkey fell apart being transferred to the platter. Surprisingly enough, the meat was always moist. Maybe the aluminum foil? 

Now, as potatoes, stuffing, the GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE, etc., etc., etc. were warming, we all gathered around the TV to watch whichever football game was on and have one more drink before eating. The signal that all the food was ready and the rolls duly burnt was the sound of the smoke alarm.

Here’s to you, Mom! I am not a big fan of cooking myself, but my oven timer works!

Glenne           

078 The BIG 7 0

The big 7 0

Seven decades--am I really there? How did it happen so fast? I just turned 30 the other day (or so it seems like the other day) with two small children, thick dark brown hair, and weight so low I couldn’t give blood.

One candle is the best!

Fast forward four decades and here I am with gray hair, four amazing grandchildren, and a weight total that definitely allows me to give blood.

It has been an eventful journey full of triumphs and challenges. I had planned to work until the age of 70, but about a year and a half ago I hit the wall. I had heard from many friends when you are ready to retire, you will know it, and boy were they right! I could hardly wait to get out the door.

So far, 70 seems pretty uneventful as an age --- the only big point is I am starting a new decade. I also feel fortunate to make it to this age and celebrate this birthday as many of my friends did not.





My family really took it as a time for celebration as my children surprised me with special visits and tributes. Nothing is more celebratory than grandchildren honoring you with hugs and kisses. It was probably one of the best birthdays ever because we were all together.

Friends have also been so attentive especially those younger than I am. Cards and messages aren’t nearly as severe as when turning 50 or 60. One card actually took a mild tone by calling them “colorful years.” Another card phrased 70 as “Don’t think of it as being 70. Think of it as being 7 perfect 10’s” I can definitely live with that idea.


It is still hard to say 70 so I don’t if I can help it. I really feel no different than I did a few weeks ago when I was 69. But my grandfather, Nonno Pasquali Alampi, used to say you finish that year on your birthday and are really starting the next. So according to him, my true age is 71!

I have also realized that it takes some creativity to master older age and retirement--what do I really want to do, what do I really have to do, and when I can say the heck with all of it?

Hand-decorated
gift bags are best!

There are some days the third option will take over and I do only what I want to do--that sometimes feels really good. But mostly I handle what I have to do in my own good time, not rushing unless absolutely necessary. How nice it is to run around during the day, stopping wherever I want, shopping at will (that is my true passion), and trying out new eateries (not too good on weight figures but I try not make it a habit).

As one retired friend has repeatedly advised me--ease into the day--and I definitely take her advice on many days.

Plus this age, affords one the pleasure of no deadlines, bosses, or tasks hanging over my head. Sometimes I miss the more creative work pursuits (not the daily routine),  but that feeling usually passes quickly.

So I embrace the age of 70 and all it means--taking on a new decade with enthusiasm and hope--and wondering if I will make it to the next one!

Frances                        

077 Period space space

Period, space, space

Whoops, backspace

Recently my husband Harry told me that I was the end-all authority on grammar. (Those of you who follow my blog know this is not entirely correct.) I am more knowledgeable than he [catch that pronoun choice?] and he wanted an opinion on a heavy topic:

One space or two after a period?

As with many baby-boomers, Harry was way behind the times, but I sympathize. My thumb just won’t stop that double-up on the spacebar. My usual strokes after a period are two spaces and a backspace. It give a feeling a completion—I have completed a sentence! I also double space at the end of a paragraph. Another completion celebration!

I, of course, turned to the net to find out how we got here. The usual discussion points to old typesetting and typewriters with monotype (non-proportional) spacing. There is a standard diagram included in each discussion. Modern word processing, etc., adjusts the spacing between letters so that an i or l take up less space than an m or w. Typewriters gave every letter the same space; therefore, the double space was necessary to indicate the end of a sentence and to aid reading flow.

Another argument is that typesetters, who had no standard for spacing after a period for hundreds of years, started changing to a single space while the rest of us were still using typewriters. Think how many pages of paper a publisher could save in a big book with just one space following the period instead of two. I guess it adds up. I did like one commentator who stated that a masterpiece of literature would still be a masterpiece whether there were one or two spaces.

Blogspot, the purveyor of this blog, as with most web applications does not tolerate double spaces. Backspace, sigh, I am trying to change!

And then I discovered I was being rude in my text messaging because I end a sentence with a period! My text messages are usually about meeting times and places, not running conversations. The thought is that the period emphatically shuts down the conversation. Okay?! (Question marks and exclamation points are not considered rude.)

I am getting tired of backspacing after each sentence so I guess I will quit

Trish            

076 Surprising celebrations

Surprising Celebrations for the January 11!

Happy 2016, dear readers. January always seems to me as the “blah” month. I am as bad as a ten-year-old hoping for snow. If you remember, I am the one Savvy Broad who loves snow. 

So far, since the weather is not cooperating, I figured it was time to play on Google and make January a bit more fun. Doing a search for January 11 (due date for my blog), I found a number of interesting items that are considered noted activities on this date.

Here we go:

1. Secret Pal Day

Now declared worldwide as a day to do something nice for a special friend--something small, thoughtful, and unexpected. Send a card (unsigned), drop some homemade cookies in their mailbox, or call someone you didn’t catch up with over the holidays.

2. National Step in a Puddle and  . . .
    Splash Your Friend Day

Research did not provide the origin of this celebration, but most mentions were from southern states. Guessing that there are more puddles in the south in January than elsewhere in the U.S. Just for fun, look at the ecards sites for lots of funny and sweet pictures of friends splashing friends. 

3. Clean Off Your Desk Day

Oh, dear! I gotta do this one! The average home desk, says the celebratory explanation, harbors more germs – about 400 times more – than the average toilet seat. I have no idea how valid this research is, but I believe that in this season of colds and sneezes and coughs, cleaning the desk (not just tidying) but really disinfecting your desk (and keyboard and mouse and phone) is worth doing! Dusting doesn’t do! Grab your Lysol wipes.

4. Hot Toddy Day

This might be just the drink to have while cleaning your desk! The drink originated in Scotland to make the taste of Scotch whiskey more palatable to women who did not like the smoky flavor. There are many recipes using whiskey, brandy or rum with different additions for taste--honey, lemon, and cinnamon are often options. Here is a basic recipe: 2 oz. of whiskey, 1 tbsp. honey, 4 oz. of hot water, 1 slice of lemon. This is a basic alternative to cough syrup according to food.com/recipe.

5. Milk Day

The website called MooMilk about the dairy industry is fun for the whole family. Cows, games, dairy news, and a poll. Grab the last few Christmas cookies, a glass of milk and guess outcome of the poll,“favorite use of milk.” Your choices are cheese, butter, beverage, or ice cream. (The poll results were ice cream 62.6%, cheese 20%, beverage 12.7%, and butter 4.7%.) The dairy industry is not delighted that dessert and cheese come before the once-touted, most important drink for your body and bones.

6. Human Trafficking Awareness Day 

This serious event worth noting is dedicated to raising awareness of sexual slavery and human trafficking worldwide. Adopted by the U.S. Senate in 2007, the United Nations is also highlighting this topic for global awareness.

7. And, finally, we will be celebrating Savvy Broad Frances’s birthday somehow. Poor Frances, birthday in January when she prefers sand and sun! May she have a happy day!



That’s it for this week! 

Regards, Glenne              

075 Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions --- Not!

New Years’s Eve has come and gone--noise makers and hats in the trash---with reveling, celebrating, and sometime reflections over and done with for another year.

The word “resolutions” is brought out of mothballs each year, kept around for a few days or weeks, and then shoved into the memory bank until the next New Year’s Day.

Anyone who can keep them going is a much better person than I am. After years of resolving to do whatever I needed to improve, I have given up. 

January is the worst month to try anything new. There’s the letdown of the holidays being over, cold weather settling in often with snow and ice, and a couple more months of bleak weather looming in the future.

Gyms are packed with resolution-making clients who are going to get in shape and lose weight. That lasts a few weeks at the most and then it is back to business as usual which does not include exercise.

So what to do instead of resolutions or how to make change? It is definitely different strokes for different folks. Most people know what works for them so don’t get caught up in the hype for a new year and new you. 

Take changes slowly. Make them any time of year – don’t wait for Jan. 1. It is only one day a year. There are 364 other to start making changes. Evaluate what changes you think are needed or wanted –- a new look, better organizational skills, new job – and work out a plan. Each month tackle one goal and try to realize some parts of it.

My mother always encouraged moderation – in eating, drinking, and everything else you do. That worked for her, and I have seen moderation recommended in many diet and exercise plans.

If going to the gym to get in shape is one of your goals, start with one or two days a week and build up. Don’t jump in and burn out before you make any progress.

Don’t worry about making resolutions at the start of the new year. Do it any time you want – the first of March, the last of July – whenever it suits!

Frances