Desert (Abandon) the Desert (Sandy Place)

After leaving the Sacred Harp singing last night, Mike, Chris, Lydia and I started talking about blogs. And, Mike brought up a suggestion of what I should write about on mine soon: homographs. I thought, 'Yeah! That would be a good idea!' Little did I know that my brain would be bombarded by direct hits and near misses on the subject over the next seventeen hours (in between sleep, meetings, and conference calls), and I can't shake them.

For those who don't quite remember what homographs are, I did a little research (without looking up tons of examples) to provide a review of a few terms.

homophone: words that sound the same but are spelled differently
Example: Two, to, too

homonym: words that have the same spelling and sound but different meanings
Example: Stalk (corn stalk) and stalk (excessively follow someone)

homograph: also words that have the same spelling but have different meanings (similar to, if not the same as, homonym)
Example: Cleave (can mean separate/divide or can mean adhere to)

Last night, we kept using the word homograph for the words we were exchanging back and forth. But, in my research, it seems I have found a more exact name.

Heteronym (also sometimes called heterophone): words that are spelled the same but have different pronunciations and meanings. (In other words, they are homographs which differ in pronunciation or, technically, homographs which are not homophones.)
Example: Desert (abandon) and desert (sandy place)
Again, same spellings, different pronunciations, different meanings.

So, the challenge is to think of heteronyms (known as homographs or heterophones to some)...but to NOT LOOK THEM UP ON THE INTERNET OR IN BOOKS! You, of course, can look at the Wikipedia page where I did my "research"... but try to refrain from looking at the links on that page or at other sites. From my experience in the past seventeen hours, it is exciting to think of them on one's own. See what you can discover.

My meager findings so far (as examples):
sow (female pig) and sow (planting seeds)
dove (past tense of dive) and dove (bird)
bass (fish) and bass (instrument or singing voice)
close (proximity) and close (shut the door)
dingy (dirty) and dingy (small boat)
address (speech) and address (mailing location)

Bonus fact: I also liked reading about capitonyms, which I had never heard of before.
Capitonym: words that are spelled the same but have different meanings when capitalized (and may or may not have different pronunciations.)
Example: polish (to make shiny) and Polish (from Poland)

Birthday Boys

I'd now like honor two great guys who share a birthday today, October 30.

First, here's my pa...pictured here with my ma (from last Christmas.) They drove down this weekend, and we had a great time visiting. Like always, I just wish the time together was more abundant. Thankfully, Dad is feeling better, and I think this next year - leading up to a big birthday in 2007 - is going to be a great one for him. Sorry about the flopped birthday cake, Dad! (I tried.) But, I am glad that Mom and you were able to go back to my house after church to retrieve the "birthday chunk creation" I made for you. I'll hope for better for you at next year's celebration.

And, then there's Brother John. God is blessing John with great liberty while speaking to many churches around the country. He makes me laugh, and he's a good friend. And, he helps me out around my house (which I greatly need!) I'm currently waiting anxiously for John's birthday present to arrive in the mail. (So is he!) It's been a great week for him... with his birthday and with his team, the Cardinals, winning the World Series. He should be smiling from ear to ear. (I'll have to check on that!)

In an impromptu effort this past Friday night, Mom, Dad, John and I headed out to a new restaurant in town: Mr. Curry's Indian Cuisine. Even though we ended up not even mentioning the birthdays, we celebrated with good fellowship and delicious food. I hope to head back to Mr. Curry's in the NEAR future...and John and I will be coaxing other Little Flock members to join us. YUM YUM!

Happy birthday, Dad! Happy birthday, John! I love both of you very much....and pray each of you will be blessed with a year of happiness!

Smiles All Around

Similar sentiments stated in various ways...

It's easy to grin
When your ship comes in
And you've got the stock market beat.
But the man worthwhile,
Is the man who can smile,
When his shorts are too tight in the seat.
- Judge Smails

I want to be remembered as the girl who always smiles even when her heart is broken. And the one that could always brighten up your day even if she couldn't brighten her own. - Anonymous

'Tis easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows along like a song;
But the man worth while is the one who will smile
When everything goes dead wrong.
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. - Thich Nhat Hanh

S M I L E
Words by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons
Music by Charlie Chaplin

(I've been attempting to smile despite some tough situations today. It would have been easier to do if Blogger hadn't had technical difficulties all day long!)

Spasmodic Dysphonia

I just wanted to take a few moments to comment on the recent Yahoo article that has been posted about the creator of Dilbert (my favorite comic strip), Scott Adams. (If you have the time, I urge you to read the short article on Yahoo or Scott's actual words on his October 24 Dilbert blog post.)

He has been diagnosed with Spasmodic Dysphonia, a rare condition that is absolutely baffling to me. As I understand it, the condition is caused by spasms of the vocal cords which cause interruptions in speech or diminished speech quality. (Specifically, it may cause jerky, quivery, hoarse, tight, or groaning voice. Periods of no sound (aphonia) in the voice may also occur.)

The most fascinating part? Symptoms sometimes improve or disappear when an individual does the following:

speaks in a high-pitched, falsetto voice

sings

whispers

speaks in rhyme

receives small botox injections within the affected portions of the larynx

For more information, please refer to the NSDA (National Spadmodic Dysphonia Association) or the NIDCD (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) web sites.

(Maybe our good friend Liz, the speech pathologist, can chime in with more information.)

If I Could Talk To The Animals, Just Imagine If...

In addition to the various scriptures, chapters, books, pamphlets, brochures, newsletters, quarterlies, bulletins, letters, street signs, billboards, chore lists, and car dashboard indicator lights that I am currently reading, I am also reading The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst. This novel is also published under another title, Lorelei's Secret.

It is the story of a grieving widower, Paul Iverson, who does not understand how or why his wife fell from an apple tree in the backyard. Was it an accident? Was it suicide? With only their dog, Lorelei, as a witness, the linguist tries to piece together clues while attempting to train the dog to talk.

I did not buy this book at a store, nor did I purchase it online. Instead, I think it was sent to me through a "Bestsellers Book Club" that I once joined. I was surprised to find out that this was the #12 selection for the Today Show Book Club Series.

I sure wish I could understand what animals are saying. I wonder, are my cats, Penny and Simon, just telling me over and over, "I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm hungry..."? It seems I will never know for sure. When I was in Arkansas, we played one of the board games that I took on the trip. It was Would You Rather...? (Classic Version), and one of the questions posed that night has remained with me: Would you rather.... automatically understand all foreign languages or understand all animal languages? Unanimously, we agreed on the foreign languages...but I keep rolling the options around in my head - weeks later. Hmmmm.....

The book's lead character carries out various attempts at teaching the dog to speak the English language, and that reminds me of Talk to the Animals by Sammy Davis Jr. (I can't find a site with him singing the song, but here are the lyrics.) It also reminds me of several talking animal jokes I've heard.

One day a man went to an auction. While there, he bid on a parrot. He really wanted this bird, so he got caught up in the bidding. He kept on bidding, but kept getting outbid. So, he bid higher and higher and higher. Finally, after he bid way more than he intended, he won the bid. The parrot was his at last! As he was paying for the parrot, he said to the auctioneer, "I sure hope this parrot can talk. I would hate to have paid this much for it, only to find out that he can't talk!" "Don't worry." said the Auctioneer, "He can talk. Who do you think kept bidding against you?"

A man and his dog walk into a restaurant. The man proclaims, "I'll bet you a $1000 that my dog can talk." Waiter: "Yeah! Sure... go ahead." Man: "What covers a house?" Dog: "Roof!" Man: "How does sandpaper feel?" Dog: "Rough!" Man: "Who was the greatest ball player of all time?" Dog: "Ruth!" Man: "Pay up. I told you he could talk." The waiter, annoyed at this point, throws both of them out the door. Sitting on the sidewalk, the dog looks at the guy and says, "or is the greatest player Mantle?"

Two roaches were munching on garbage in an alley when one engages a discussion about a new restaurant."I was in that new restaurant across the street," said one. "It's so clean! The kitchen is spotless, and the floors are gleaming white. There is no dirt anywhere. It's so sanitary that the whole place shines." "Please," said the other roach frowning. "Not while I'm eating!"

Q: What's smarter than a talking horse? A: A spelling bee.

Q: What does a frog say when it washes car windows? A: Rub it, rub it, rub it.

Q: How do you get a parrot to talk properly? A: Send him to polytechnic!

A guy driving around the countryside and saw a sign in front of a house: “Talking Dog For Sale.” He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a Labrador Retriever sitting there. “You talk?” he asks. “Yep,” the Lab replies. The man asks, “So, what’s your story?”

The Lab looks up and says, “Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my gift, and in no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired”

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. “Ten dollars,” the owner replies. Astonished, the guy yells, “Ten dollars?!?!?! This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?” The owner retorts, “Because he’s a liar. He never did any of that stuff!”