Tag: Free\

My Values

Money for nothing and your kicks for free. I heard that this band was in dire straits but they seem to be doing okay to me.

Prayer for the weak:

Lord, today’s music sucks. Please take Bieber, Beyonce and Swift and give us another British like music invasion. Hey, we’ll even take one from Canada. Please dear Lord hear my prayer.

I keep reading or hearing about some guy here in Canada that wrote a book called Value(s). Interestingly boring I am told. Well here is my take on values:

“Take the word value… please. How I hate this word. There
are so many variations to the theme that surround this word that
any smart-minded non-English-speaking immigrant to our
country would think twice about trying to learn or understand the
English language. For example, an individual or group’s perception
of worth, based upon personal or collective experiences in a
shared environment can only define or measure value. Value is
illusive, as there are more perceptions of value out there are there
are cars on the road. Let me try to exemplify exactly what I mean here:

In 2005, I picked up my dear ole mother’s car: a 1979
Mercury Zephyr, something akin to a Falcon or Fairmont—Ford
only knows. My mother could not drive anymore. She was
ninety-one, for heaven’s sake. The car had about 56,000 kilometers
on the O.D. Mint condition! Lime green with a sickly,
yellowed tan interior. Now the market value of that car in 1979 was $6,500.
Twenty-six years later the book value was about zilch. The
insured value—who knows, but the assessed value was about
$3,000 and climbing, as long as it didn’t disintegrate during the
long hard winters. Its value would continue to rise in value as
long as its condition remains, well, valuable.

Obviously my mother had considerable sentimental value for
that automobile. As I pulled away from the big city for the drive
back to my hometown, I came to understand the hereditary value
of this gift to me and the intrinsic value of the trust she placed in
me to take good care of Betsy.

I made it back home in one piece although the water pump
went out around some godforsaken country hick town.
Between that and thinking about the local Elvis sightings, I
was beginning to ponder the meaning of life and the mechanical
value of the car, the emotional value that this machine may
have had, and its effect on my own sense of value and
well-being.

Arriving home I thought about its economical value as it had
taken over a tank of gas to cover the three hundred miles from
the really big city to my hometown. Had I been taken for a ride?
Were there aspects of this car that were known only to my
mother, the parish priest, her hairdresser, and the bagger at her
local supermarket? I had to contemplate its utility value considering
the other two cars I had. Yet, thinking of my dear ole mother and somewhat excited about the possibility of getting perhaps $3,000 for the car’s
assessed value, I thought hmmm, but quickly shook any thought
of that out of my mind, for if I valued my life I dared not even
think about selling dear ole Betsy.

Trying to define value can be problematic, which in itself is
an extremely overused word. It’s like common sense. Something
that is taken for granted yet is extremely rare in today’s world.
And trying to make sense out of value—as in “What are your
values?” as opposed to someone else’s values—is like an academia
nut trying to make sense out of common sense and coming
up with pure nonsense.”

Taken from:

I Thought I’d Died and Gone To Heaven

An irreverent look at growing up in a parochial, conservative environment in pre-woke era Toronto of the 1950s and 60s.

Just click on “Buy on Amazon” to purchase on line. You can also get this book in audio format. Go to Amazon.ca (Canada) or Amazon.com (US Residents) and type in audible and the book title.

Real cheap. Buy one and support a struggling Canadian author.

Shakeyjay is out of sight, out of mind and out of here.

Words

Without a doubt, words are our best tool for expression and communication.  They can also be a great deal of fun, and, can be downright confusing.

Let me try to put my thoughts into words:

Words!  What is in a word?

“My kingdom for a word!  A horse it may be but a horse is only a word that by      any other name is still a word.”

“Words declare wars, they garner peace.”

“Words can be hurtful, they can be playful.”

“Words describe words as in spiteful words, hurtful words, insightful words.”

“We can have a war of words, crosswords or:  them’s fightin words.”

“Words can be theatrical:  we can have a play on words.”

“Word is law.  It is the word.”

“Words are prophetic. Words can be the gospel truth. So sayeth the word of the Lord”

“Words inspire, they transpire”

“Words transcribe:  you have my word on that.”

“Failing that, can I have a word with you?”

“Words are not enough.” That’s why we have lawyers.

“Words can be despotic, or chaotic.”

“A single word can inspire poetry, lyricism:”

Lennon and McCartney understood words to such an extent that they had a song with two words called “The Word” to describe a single word.” An extract:

“Say the word and you’ll be free

Say the word and be like me.

Say the word I’m thinking of.

Have you heard the word is love” (Lennon and McCartney; Rubber Soul, (1965)

“Ah yes, LOVE.” The English language’s most poignant and, perhaps, most dangerous word.

When a few words are taken together, we have a phrase.  And when a couple of phrases are linked together we have, in a word, a “sentence.” And when a group of sentences are grouped together we have, in another word, a “paragraph.”  And, to describe or summarize a paragraph, we can go right back to the beginning of this word-train of thought – to “paraphrase!”

We can combine words to make quotable quotes: some profound, some sublime, some simplistic, some stupidly clear:

“To be or not to be – that is the question.”  That may be but on Jeopardy it is the answer!

“If things are good in moderation then they must be great in excess.”  My favourite.

“If something is worth doing, then it is worth overdoing.”  My other favourite.

“Baseball is 100% physical. The rest is mental.” (adapted from Berra).

“A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.  A woman does what she wants.”

“A consultant is someone who is adept at making the simple… complex.”

“The problem with theory is that it’s just not practical enough!”

“A wise fool is an oxy moron.”

“Those lefties are so darn righteous!”

“She was at a loss for words.”

or paradoxically:

“Words cannot describe what she said.” Huh?

Yet words are not enough when communicating.  Context and understanding are crucial. Without context confusion arises to the point of ridiculousness.  Let me try to illustrate:

Take the word “nit.” The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines “nit” as a stupid person, a louse.  Then add the letter “k” before the “n” and you have “knit.” Yet the word “nit” from the word “knit” is a whole different kettle of fish.  And what is that anyway: a kettle of fish?

Now, let’s take the word “wit:” defined as someone with a sharp sense of humour, a player of words perhaps.  As in “that man possesses wit.  He has a sharp mind.” But then add the letter “t” before the “w” and you have “twit.”  Or, combine the word “nit” with the word “wit” and you have a “nitwit.” But “nit” and “twit” together doesn’t sound quite right – “nit-twit?”

Nonetheless, given that a “nit” is already defined as a stupid person, and “wit” is someone who has a sharp mind, then “nitwit” defiles all logic in a descriptive sense except perhaps to define someone who possesses a stupid “wit” – which is in itself oxymoronic.  But “dimwit” already has that locked up.  Yet what is really frustrating about the undercurrent of this word is that “dimwit” is the opposite of someone who has a sharp “wit.”   So, that being the case, let’s call him or her a “blunt-sharp” person!

To make matters worse a “twit” could be someone who has a sharp “wit,” and is still a “nitwit” or a “dimwit.”  So why can’t we call him or her a nit-twit?  Or a “dim-twit”?  Confused?  I am. The bottom line is that “nitwit” or “dimwit” sounds better.  The other bottom line is that English words are just downright confusing without context and a shared understanding of the contextual environment we are communicating in.

Who ever thought that a single word, like “please”, in context, could be so humorous?  Yet Henny Youngman made a comedic career out of four simple words: “Take my wife….. please” (Youngman).  Yes, the word “timing” says it all.

Words can mean different things to many different people.  It is how we shape them, construct them, and construe them that are key to our success in using them.  Timing may be one thing but context is everything.

Finally, we do not have to worry about the size of our vocabulary in how we use words. Hemingway is said to have had a very limited working vocabulary.  Yet, like a sculptor working his clay, Hemmingway formed, molded, shaped and plied his words into words – of art!  And like any art form, it was no easy matter.  As Mark Twain once remarked: “Brevity takes longer.”

And what is my favourite word? – “Imagine.”  Not the song but the word. I hate the song.: an anarchist’s anthem.

Imagine that!   Imagine the possibilities in that word.

Take my word for it.  You’ll be surprised at how much fun words can be. You’ll be truly amazed at your wordiness.

You have my word on it.

SJ…Out