Hope

I just bought Pete Souza's collection of photos of Barack Obama during his Presidency. I bought the deluxe edition signed by Souza because I could get it from amazon.co.uk. It has sold out in the US.

The reason I bought it? When the images of the past deliver hope for the future, it's a powerful thing to embrace.

Perspective

It's amazing how much can be said with one word and one photo taken from a certain perspective.

Forgotten writers

Is it worse to be forgotten than never known? BBC author Hephzibah Anderson reveals the reasons why several famous and successful authors have been forgotten and suggests that it's up to readers to keep them alive. Finding the out-of-print books in second-hand book shops is half the joy. Yes it is. Fortunately, we have several charity shops in our town that carry lots of second hand books, as well as a second-hand dedicated book store. And I love them all.

Personally, I would rather be forgotten than never known. At least then there's a chance of being found again.

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20171010-the-great-writers-forgotten-by-history

eReaders can be challenging

Annual Washington Post Neologism Contest

Thank you Washington Post for once again introducing some levity into the national conversation.


ANNUAL NEOLOGISM CONTEST

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.

The winners are:
1. Coffee (N.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (V.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (V.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (Adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (Adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (V.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (N.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (N.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (N.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (N.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (N.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (N), a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (N.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (N.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (N.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

Mea culpa -- reversing the philosophy of the To Do list

First, I feel guilty for not having written much this summer. My last post was the day before my birthday. That was the last day I sat at my computer before sailing off to Spain with Alex aboard Aleria. I don't feel too guilty because in the two months we were there, I recharged. Limited internet, no TV, and no radio meant lots of reading, seeing new things and relaxing. Lots of new ideas and the desire to follow up ensued.

Expertise and self-publishing

Several years ago, a friend who lectures about how to deal with problem teenagers was telling us about her specialty. Alex asked her if she was ever asked for more information. She said 'always' and that she gives the parents a typed handout. He advised her to self-publish her notes in a book and sell it instead. She did just that and now sells enough books to have quit her day job and do what she loves full time.