Category Archives: Words

Softball Questions

Posted on August 15, 2019 by hessd

I attended a meeting this week at the senior center where I live. The goal of the meeting was for each of the principal administrators to give a report of work being carried out in her or her department. It … Continue reading →

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First dates and last dates

Posted on August 12, 2019 by hessd

“Your subscription has been successfully adjusted.” That’s the response I got when I “unsubscribed” from a site called Trip Trivia. [1] For some reason, it made me think of my early dating years. [2] There were girls I wanted to … Continue reading →

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Alternative antonyms

Posted on July 20, 2019 by hessd

English is a language that is congenial to antonyms, but it is not always clear just what constitutes an antonym for a particular word. For instance, what is the opposite of “responsible?” I can think of two: irresponsible and not … Continue reading →

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Healing the Homeless on the Cheap

Posted on March 28, 2019 by hessd

Very often it seems that one of America’s tribes want to see the vulnerable (undeserving) cared for (coddled) and the other wants to spend as little tax money (government resources) as possible on the nanny state (compassionate social programs). And … Continue reading →

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“Realistic” as a slur

Posted on January 30, 2019 by hessd

I’ve been having fun recently thinking about two sets of terms that are so close to each other, in a way, and yet so very far apart. The first set is real/realistic. It comes from the most recent remake of … Continue reading →

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Thou shalt not share false witness

Posted on January 12, 2019 by hessd

It looks just a little odd, doesn’t it? And yet, you know exactly what I am referring to. The language of the 8th commandment (by at least one ordering of the commandments) reads “bear false witness” and “share false witness” … Continue reading →

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Happy New Years?

Posted on January 1, 2019 by hessd

A barista at Starbucks pronounced her good wishes on me as I left the store this morning with my hands full of Bette’s coffee and mine. “Happy New Years,” she said. I know this is going to sound crabby and … Continue reading →

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Yellow (Caution) lights

Posted on December 22, 2018 by hessd

Since my neighborhood Starbucks closed, I have been walking further in the morning to get coffee for Bette and me. A very urban route it is, too. And when I walk on Broadway going west or on Weidler coming back … Continue reading →

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Am I going somewhere?

Posted on December 18, 2018 by hessd

Where I live there are lots of old people, so, of course, there are a lot of deaths. I have written recently about the effect the high number of deaths has on how we take note of deaths and on how … Continue reading →

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“Grammar Nazis”

Posted on October 18, 2018 by hessd

To tell you the truth, the “Nazi” metaphor was always too much for me. It treated lightly something I wasn’t ready to treat lightly. I am a veteran of a good deal of post-WW II anti-Nazi propaganda. I remember Nazi … Continue reading →

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