Nonsense - So YOU say!

In winter. when the fields are white
I'll sing a song for your delight.
In Spring, when things are getting green
I'll try to tell you what I mean.

In Summer, when the days are Long,
Perhaps you'll understand this song.
In Autumn, when the leaves turn brown
Take pen and ink and write it down.
.......from Lewis Caroll

What is better on a sunny day than a little nonsense?  In fact, what is better on ANY day?
Nonsense brings whimsy to a dull day and a hint of lightness into the mundane world.
Nonsense makes the monotonous bearable, and the everyday enjoyable.

Although this poem continues and expresses some rather dark and angry sentiments, the pure inventiveness transforms it into an interesting narative.

I sent a message to the fish
I told them THIS is what I wish.
The little fishes of the sea
they sent an answer back to me.
The little fishes answer was,
"we cannot do it sir, because..."

I sent to them again to say
it would be better to obey."

(This is where the tide begins to turn)

The fishes answered with a grin
"My what a temper you are in"
I told them once, I told them twice.
They would not listen to advice.

The tale goes on, there is a planned murder.  The murder is thwarted by a door:

When I found the door was locked
I kicked and screamed and pushed and knocked....
And when I found the door was SHUT,
I tried to turn the handle, but...."

And the poem ends.  Do you have days like that?  I occasionally do. 

The Peripatetic Coffee Vendor

There is a coffee vendor at work.  One of the morning's first adventures is finding out where he is stationed....Is he in the Central court?  Not today...In the Rotunda?  No...There! in the Bamboo Garden!

I have decided that he fits all definitions of Parapetic.

From ANSWERS.com:

Adjective:
1.Walking about or from place to place; traveling on foot
2. Of or relating to the philosophy or teaching methods of Aristotle, who conducted discussions while walking about in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.


Noun:
1.One who walks from place to place; an itinerant.

2.Peripatetic A follower of the philosophy of Aristotle; an Aristotelian.
 
Actually, once he settles, he's usually in one place for the day- but not always.  If you get coffee in the morning and then want an afternoon pick-me-up you may be destined to go on another adventure.
 
Should you find the vendor in a loquacious mood, you may be treated to a discussion of local signage, the need for handicapped access, the small idiosyncrasies of local ordinance or other errata - Very logical and jam-packed with information. 
 
Peripatetic.  A good word to know. And, a bright spot in the day.

Small Talk...

This area of the world is unusually cold.  I've heard some areas are hotter than usual, or more stormy.  We're just cooler.  Still, September and October are often very hot. There may be some interesting days ahead.  I relate it to global warming.  My older brother says it may be part of the normal world temperature shifts, that for the last several hundred years we have been in an unusual time because temperatures have been more stable than usual.  We may just be dropping into the usual chaos.

Small talk is an interesting concept.  Pick-up lines are one example, but those have limited use.  It generally deals with items of no great concern (thus small).  The topic does have to include points of interest, however.  It is often a way to pass time with friends.  Sometimes, it includes a 'hook' or an attention grabber meant to gain interest from a particular person.  It also serves to create a feeling of commonality when groups are forming.

I've never been good at small talk.  I tend to use conversation in a utilitarian way.  "Why mince words?"  Often, I tend to consider small talk a waste of time.  But still, I love language.  Lack of good small talk skills makes it difficult for me to integrate into groups when I don't already have an established relationship with a fair number of the people. 

I've learned that small talk serves a social purpose, and I accept that.  I recognize that small talk is a skill, and that it's one I lack.  If it's a skill, there must be a way to learn it. I look in awe at people who are good at it.  How do they find those words that just flow out so smoothly? 

More Discussion?

I believe that there are actually 2 items that warrant more class time: Analysis of advertising and Analysis of political statements. These are items that affect us daily, and that we are bombarded with. It would be helpful to have significant practice in picking them apart. Perhaps an assignment that involved a review of a political argument in the same way we looked at advertisements might help. However that is not sufficient.


Essentially, this class is an introductory class. I know it is designed to cover a broad spectrum of concepts and applications. It is impossible to work with any one item until it is truly internalized. I think the best we can hope for is to maintain awareness of the general points and some interesting examples that have been presented.

So, I say advertisements and politics – where bad arguments, contradictions, fallacies, innuendo, and strong bias NEED to be recognized for what they are.

What learned this Summer...

Over the summer, I learned a lot about the importance of vocabulary. If there is no common vocabulary, then communication is impossible.  The more the vocabulary matches, the easier the communication.  This is true at work, where people from many cultures mix and communicate every day.  We get calls from all neighborhoods, all income levels and many many ethnic backgrounds.  Language is important. And by language, I mean vocabulary. As people who work in a phone environment, we need to be able to explain things in many different ways, to find understanding with these varied populations.

My friend brought to my attention how difficult English is, with its different words that mean the same thing, words that sound the same but mean something different, and slang terminologies.  It is easy to be misunderstood - and to misunderstand.

One very good thing about this class was that it taught us a common vocabulary.  When discussing arguments, claims and conclusions, we should now all mean the same thing.  Our definition of a good argument and a bad argument and an argument not work saving should all match.  This should make communication easier.

What I Learned from the Class

Much to my surprise, I found I really like to blog. I can see how people get hooked on it and spend all their spare time reaching out through e-space.  It's quite an intriguing concept and a very interesting experience. 

I also learned that I need to be very careful not to step on toes and to hold back when I dealing with people I don't have face to face contact with, especially until a relationship is established.  I need to stifle my own feelings of 'the product will be inadequate unless I fix it'...even though it may, if I fix it, it subverts the group process.  And I think a large part of this class was the group process.

When I think of the people new to the workforce, they seem to have a totally different outlook on life than the students in this class. Part of this, I'm sure is focus.  At work, one has only the goal of work in mind (essentially) - for an extended period. While in class, it only takes up a small proportion of time, so it requires less dedication and attention. 

Examination of 2nd Paper Argument.

I had a discussion at work today with a group of 4 friends. We started talking about Cause and Effect.  I brought out my paper and read it to them.  They commented all the way through my reading.  Essentially, they had no difficulty accepting the argument. In fact, there was no real challenge to our points.  Their valid comment was that it was difficult to tell how true what we said was, because they were not looking at the website.  Very true.  For something like a website review, it's difficult to accept things at face value.  This is really a third or fourth person account of what the organization is about.  I accepted their argument and suggested they review the website. Logically, our paper hung together well.

In truth, I do not accept website reviews.  I need to see for myself.  In a way, I have the same approach to advertising claims.  This makes it very hard for me to buy on the Internet or by mail unless I am familiar with the product.  Even 'satisfaction guarenteed' is not a draw to me. I know from experience that even if I'm dissatisfied I will rarely take the trouble to ask for a refund.