Coffeeology

I'm always looking for fun quotes about coffee, especially since Indiana Joes. Today, while enjoying my cup of joe in the morning, I came across this website: 
https://grosche.ca/75-clever-funny-coffee-quotes/

I already have a few favorites:

“It’s strange how drinking  cups of water seems impossible but 8 cups of coffee go down like a chubby kid on a see-saw.” – Anonymous

“The most dangerous drinking game is seeing how long I can go without coffee.” – Anonymous

“I put coffee in my coffee.” – Anonymous

“May your coffee kick in before reality does.” – Anonymous

“Coffeeology: Espresso yourself. So many blends, so little time. Take life one sip at a time, and stay grounded. Better latte than never. Take time to smell the cover.” – Anonymous

Why "Anonymous"? These people should be praised for their words.

And why does Google underline "coffeeology" as a misspelled word when everyone knows what it means and accepts it as not only a word but also a field of study?

Languages & Life Lessons

 

Orhan Pamuk

"Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen."
Orhan Pamuk

Bildungsroman

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day is
bildungsroman
pronounced BIL-doonks-roh-mahn
a noun meaning (in literature) "a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character"

To see it in context or listen to the pronunciation, check the link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day (March 28, 2023).

Book Review

 

A Handy Editing Pamphlet, by Anne Simone

"I found something very useful in all the pieces included in this anthology, which I will keep handy as I begin to edit my next novel. I especially enjoyed the brief but considerably astute piece by Denis Shaughnessy entitled “Considering Style.” I don’t often think about style, but I know I’ve been resistant to many critiques and to beta readers who have suggested that I change a number of things in my manuscripts.

Shaughnessy mentions common rules and two wonderful authors: Lee Child and Cormac McCarthy—and immediately I knew what he meant. They stick to their own styles and break the rules if necessary. I’ve been enthralled for hours reading novels by these authors! And to tell the truth, I even used McCarthy’s technique that some passages don’t even need translation (from Spanish!) I used this in my first historical western.

So it’s not a minor consideration for an author to think seriously about his / her style and if it can carry over into all of the writing that they do. I write lyrically—yet I was able to carry over this style into a stark historical thriller that I has recently been published. It’s a matter of determination and knowing where the style will not converge with or overpower a scene that needs to be less than lyrical.

Shaughnessy’s article was thought-provoking and important for writers to consider as they edit, hence, his title of the piece. Don’t miss it, authors, or this tiny pamphlet filled to the brim with reflections on what makes good editing. Kudos to all the contributors!"

Rumi

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.”
Rumi

Indiana Joes

 

Sounds of Pain

"Pain is universal. Its expression is not."

I was researching sounds of pain for a project and came across this fascinating article:

https://theweek.com/articles/456736/why-pain-expressed-differently-different-languages#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20way%20is,of%20the%20mouth%20pull%20back.

"World Englishes"

In Languages & Life Lessons, I talk about the different versions of English I encounter in my work:

My lack of social life and my focus on writing also steered me toward Twitter and connecting with other writers, which exposed me to even more versions of English. I met Canadian, British, and Australian authors, each with their own vocabulary and different grammar rules — including punctuation. The editor in me wished they would all agree on one way of doing things, grammatically speaking. I listened to many author interviews and met writers from all over the world on Skype and Zoom to discuss their editing needs. Interacting with other speakers of English was no easy task — I am, after all, the same person who couldn’t understand Harry Potter without having the captions displayed while watching the movies — but like with most things, practice made it better.


This morning, I read an interesting article, by Stuart Allen, about the varieties of English around the world, and I decided to share it with other language lovers: 
https://www.tefllemon.com/the-many-varieties-of-english-around-the-world-and-how-they-evolved

Reflections

 

Haftseen 2023

Nowruz 1402

Book Review

 

William Wordsworth

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

Millard Kaufman

“I glanced out the window at the signs of spring. The sky was almost blue, the trees were almost budding, the sun was almost bright.”
Millard Kaufman

Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

"Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland." (Wikipedia)

What is its significance?
It's the "commemoration of the arrival of Christianity in Ireland." (Wikipedia)

Why do people wear green on Saint Patrick's Day?
"Leprechauns are actually one reason you're supposed to wear green on St. Patrick's Day—or risk getting pinched! The tradition is tied to folklore that says wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, which like to pinch anyone they can see." (Wikipedia)

"March 17th is the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. In the United States, it is also the day of shamrocks, leprechauns, and green beer (and green everything else). Blue was once the color traditionally associated with St. Patrick, but the color green has several links to Ireland, including its use on Ireland’s flag in the form of a stripe, its symbolism of Irish nationalism and the country’s religious history, and its connection to Ireland’s nickname, The Emerald Isle. On St. Patrick’s Day, people turn to their dictionary to look up Erin go bragh, which means “Ireland forever.” The original Irish phrase was Erin go brách (or go bráth), which translates literally as “Ireland till doomsday.” It’s an expression of loyalty and devotion that first appeared in English during the late 18th-century Irish rebellion against the British." (Merriam-Webster)

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day:

Erin go bragh

Erin go bragh is an Irish phrase that means “Ireland forever.”

// The crowd proudly shouted “Erin go bragh” in celebration of their Irish heritage.

This phrase is pronounced air-un-guh-BRAW
https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/Erin%20go%20bragh-2023-03-17

Indiana Joes

 

Garrison Keillor

“A book is a gift you can open again and again.”
Garrison Keillor 

Gallivant

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day is one of my favorite activities: 
gallivant
"to travel or roam about for pleasure"
I used to do a lot of that before I had dogs.

Free Books

 

Dedication

Bill Watterson

“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.”
Bill Watterson

Indiana Joes

 

Languages & Life Lessons

 

Louisa May Alcott

"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."
Louisa May Alcott

They're Here

Remember those "ladybugs" I wrote about in Reflections?
They're here:
Spring is right around the corner. 

When I first arrived in the woods, I knew nothing about Asian Lady Beetles.

On May 29, 2018...

"The place needed a good cleaning as dust had settled everywhere, so while the trio took a nap on the large bed, I scrubbed the entire cabin and swept hundreds of what looked like ladybugs from everywhere — the floor, the window sills, the kitchen cabinet, and even the bed. These were a little less red and more orange than the ladybugs I’d seen before. I found out later that they were called Asian Lady Beetles."
Afarin Rava, Reflections: A Journey of Transformation

Book Review

 

Steve Maraboli

Dare to Be

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.

When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.

When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.

...

Dare to be the best you can –

At all times, Dare to be!”

Steve Maraboli

My First Memoir

 

Spring?

Indiana Joes

 

March

In Iran and for Iranians all over the world, the month of March would normally mean a time for Nowruz preparations and celebrations. 

Preparations include a complete house cleaning and getting the haftseen ready. Haftseen is an arrangement of seven symbolic items whose names start with the equivalent of the letter s in Farsi. Seven of the following items are often used, depending on preferences and availability: sabzeh (sprouts), symbolizing rebirth; seeb (apple), symbolizing health and beauty; seer (garlic), symbolizing medicine; somagh (sumac), which symbolizes the color of sunrise; serkeh (vinegar), symbolizing age and patience; senjed (dried fruit from the lotus tree), symbolizing love; samanoo (a sweet pudding), symbolizing affluence; sekkeh (coin), symbolizing wealth and prosperity; sonbol (hyacinth), a spring flower.

We celebrate by jumping over a bonfire on Chaharshanbeh Soori, the last Tuesday before spring. 

In the third week of the month, spring arrives, the season of rebirth and renewal, which would normally mean visiting family and friends. 

I wonder what Nowruz is like this year for Iranians...