Category Archives: Essays

Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku

 
Happy Friday! Today’s Dictionary.com Word of the Day is Psittacism. Originating around 1895, it is Latin for “parrot”.  Polly may “want a cracker” but is it a cracker he really wants or just attention?

Though we may not use this word today, we are all familiar with a plethora of examples…those annoying platitudes that rattle around in our head. Think catch phrase, cliche, slogan or talking points and you get the the picture. It’s what we say when we don’t know what to say. Manipulative masters use psittacisms to sway, entice or elicit fear. How often have we heard the phrase, “if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes true.” 

Most of us can rattle off a psittacism or two, but the wise will challenge, debate or expound on these rote assumptions. Oft repeated psittacisms can shut down intelligent debate. 

“It was all for the best.” Well, I suppose that depends on one’s definition of “best”.

“Wait an hour after eating before getting into the water.” Why? Who knows? And yet, when at the seashore many of us will think twice before taking a dip right after lunch!

“They’re coming after your guns…” Hasn’t happened yet…and likely won’t, but many people continue to cling to this talking point, hunkering down in fear of the impending “they”.

I know I’ve been guilty of psittacisms when I repeat something I’ve heard just to fill space. It’s all just meaningless noise! True communication requires thoughtfulness and open dialogue. 

You can’t speak your mind if you’re using a script! ~ kat 2016

Have a great weekend! May it be filled with great conversation and enlightening insights!

a few Haiku…

Some psittacisms
like a Mother’s do”s and don’t’s,
haunt the guilty.

Smug bible thumpers
drone vapid psittacisms…
Actions speak louder.

Catchy talking points,
When fools use psittacisms,
There is no debate!

kat – 11 March 2016


Echoes of my Neighborhood

Happy Thursday! It is that time again! Time to take a look at my neighborhood! This week we had an interesting development! I remember sharing a photo of one of our neon landmarks downtown…the Dr. Pepper sign. Back then it had a few visitors…Spider-Man and the Hulk, I believe. This week Batman and Super Man are gracing the platform! 

Let the epic battle commence while an unsuspecting but hopeful population sleeps! 

     
 
  
 The local paper getting ready to run tomorrow mornings paper.  
  
    
    

Thanks to Jacqueline at a cooking pot and twisted tales. Click HERE to see other neighborhoods from around the globe! 

 


Sunday’s Week in ReVerse ~ The Extremes ~ 6 March 2016

cloud9Happy Sunday, The signs of spring are all around here in the Northern hemi. Winter is having a few final hurrahs but her days are numbered. It’s just a matter of time. How comforting to know that the seasons follow their prescribed paths year after year. Just as we weary from the extremes…the cold, the heat…the transitional seasons slip in, right on cue, to give us relief. Spring with its warm, wet fecundity and Autumn with its vibrant, surrendering release. We need the in-between to pause, take a breath and gain perspective.

Today is my in-between. As I lifted verses from the poetry and prose of the past week I began to see that I played a balancing act each day within each piece. Happily I have arrived here today relatively unscathed by the entire rollercoaster ordeal, my usual optimistic, positive self.

It is fascinating to me in retrospect, for truly there were some dark, emotional moments last week. The added burdens of being a caretaker took its toll, exhaustion finally having its way with me Saturday. I slept most of the day. Sleep is good. Generally, life is good. Here in the in-between it’s easy to see. And this is the most interesting thing…I maintained balance through it all precisely because I embraced the extremes, letting the pendulum have its full sway each day eventually settling me back to center softly swaying, giving me pause, time to breathe.

To illustrate this amazing contrast of extremes I give you two lines of ReVerse from each post this week. It is evident from my words that I could have easily lost myself on either side. How clearly the chaos makes perfect sense in retrospect. I know that no matter what the coming week presents, I will survive, thrive even, because of the amazing balancing act of my subliminal self in its ability to center me. It’s a reminder that I am equipped with everything, the tools I need to live this life of extremes…beautiful perspective always to be found in the in-between.

Have a wonderful week!

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse ~ The Extremes ~ 6 March 2016

diurnal dance
                             waning flush
polarized rivals
                            “soft launch”
hint at hidden truths
                            images captured in silhouette
a voyeur is thrilled
                            sitting front row center
while she fumed
                            dilly-dallied
much maligned
                            to bloom
some prefer routine
                            chaotic bliss
stir my imagination
                            Cloud 9

unsung, unpaid
                            also called

duties as assigned
                           do-it-all
when something breaks down
                           a hero with tools
on the wing…
                           fragrant sweetness swirls faintly on the wind   

kat ~ peace out y’all 🙂


Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku – Factotum

factotum

Happy Friday to you! Today’s Word of the Day from Dictionary.com is “Factotum.” The expanded definition is:

  1. any employee or official having many different responsibilities.
  2. a person, as a handyman or servant, employed to do all kinds of work around the house.
Origin of factotum
Factotum has roots in the Latin facere meaning “to make; do” and tōtus meaning “all.” It entered English in the mid-1500s.

Vocabulary.com offers a more expanded description:

“If you’re running late and still need to iron your clothes and make breakfast, but can’t find your shoes, you may wish you had a factotum, or a servant who does a variety of odd job for their employer.

Factotum sounds like the two words “fact” and “totem” spliced together, but this curious noun originally come from the Latin words that mean “do” and “everything.” In current times, since servants aren’t typical anymore, we might call someone who has a paid job like this a jack-of-all-trades or possibly a personal assistant.”

Having been a stay-at-home mom for a number of years as well as performing my current day job as an Executive Administrative Assistant, this is a word that really resonates with me. How have I not heard it before?

Well, it could have something to do with the fact that this is just another one of those historical words that doesn’t really apply in our modern culture…or does it? I can think of at least one application of this word that is true to it’s original meaning. I give you the modern “housewife”, “homemaker”, stay-at-home mom (or dad) who provides a variety of services, often for free. Though some will say that their rewards are intangible things like love, fulfillment and joy. But having lived the life, I can tell you that it is a paycheck that validates what we consider to be “work.”  At any rate, I will leave you with a trio of Haiku that hopefully make good use of this “new” old word.

And…it’s the weekend you know. Don’t work too hard!

They cook, clean, parent
unsung, unpaid factotums
also called “Mothers”!

Admins do-it-all!
They are office factotums
“Duties as assigned.”

When something breaks down
call a handy factotum
a hero with tools!

kat ~ 4 March 2016

Have a great weekend! And don’t forget, you too can join the Dictionary Word of the Day Haiku Challenge. Click HERE to learn more and play along. Some of the words this week were real doozies. I’m interested to see if anyone took the challenge!

 


Echoes of my Neighborhood

Happy Thursday! Next to trees, I love clouds. White clouds, storm clouds, sunrise, sunset…and the sun shining through them is spectacular. They stir my imagination. They inspire me.

Today is a gray, overcast sort of day, so I pulled out some of my favorite sunshiny, blue sky cloud photos (I had so many it was hard to choose!) And I would like to share them with you. Hope these little snap shots of the sky above my head is an inspiration to you wherever you are. 🙂

This post is in response to Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha at acookingpotandtwistedtales.com. If you would like to see other “neighborhoods” from around the globe, click HERE.

I call this little montage, Cloud 9 🙂

cloud5
cloud21cloud6cloud24cloud26cloud19Cloud12cloud14
cloud9