Category Archives: communication

Mar11

‘is there no privacy in this family?′ everyone at the table answers, ‘no.’- ashley elston

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ah, those wonderful memories

of that wall mounted phone

usually yellow in most houses

began with a 3-foot cord

eventually a 30-foot cord

so important

for one’s privacy

if the phone rang

and the call was for one of us

we’d travel with that cord

way beyond any expected limits

into a corner or another room

with closed door

where we could

listen, gossip, tell jokes, share news, talk about nothing, cry about breakups, listen to music together, compare who got invited to what, predict who was going to ask who out, muse about crushes, complain about our parents and sibs, find out what the homework was because we weren’t listening in class, discuss what you were going to wear tomorrow, make plans…

and then

after what seemed to be about 5-7 minutes

one of your sibs

would start whining, complaining, knocking on the door, telling on you

for being on the phone ‘for hours’

 they were waiting for an important call

or had to make an important call

and they were just going to die

if they didn’t get to use the phone right away

the battle for the phone began

 if someone had to walk

through the room that cord was stretched across

 a taut tightrope about to snap

they had to lift it and walk under

like playing phone limbo

 the curly cord

would get all twisted up

because you had been twirling it around your finger

while you were on your call

you had to wait as the whole thing unspooled

sometimes standing on a chair to do so

when you finally got off of the call

your sibling began the whole process all over again

with her friend

until

another sibling jumped into the ring

to go through the whole ritual again

with her friend

until

your parents

or the friend’s parents

put the hammer down

and said

they were waiting for or had to make an important call

it was time for dinner

 not to stretch out the phone cord

one sib even figured out how to disconnect the cord

right where it connected to the phone

it was an ongoing struggle

for privacy,  phone access, and control

 it was the best, like being in a phone derby

and sometimes i won.

‘the shared phone was a space of spontaneous connection for the entire household.’

 — Julia Cho; The Atlantic—How the Loss of the Landline Is Changing Family Life

 

Feb27

word after a word.

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someone sure has a lot to say
not sure exactly what that is yet
but i think
someone has to pay something.
—
“a word after a word after a word is power.”
― margaret atwood
Jan28

tiny grass is dreaming.

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小草休扈 请勿扛搅

inaccurate translation:

DO NOT DISTURB. / TINY GRASS IS DREAMING.

while the image of blades of grass sleeping soundly is undeniably adorable,

the chinese public lawn sign posted near the grass was actually meant to read,

accurate translation:

GRASS IS RESTING. DO NOT DISTURB.

i personally prefer the first.

 

—

“every act of communication is a miracle of translation.”
― ken liu,  the paper menagerie and other stories

 

 

—

photo credit: university animal clinic

Oct8

all the news that’s fit to print.

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as a huge fan of reading newspapers in print, i loved reading this news in print:

There’s currently a French castle that’s channeling the past and being built using only medieval construction methods. County Highway has a similar premise, but for the publishing industry.

The U.S.-based newspaper, which launched its first edition over the summer, costs $8.50 and will distribute six issues per year. Most notably, it’s print-only, meaning you won’t find any of its stories online.

“People read differently on the printed page than they do on a screen,” editor David Samuels told  The Observer. “The printed page is an immersive experience without constant distractions or the specter of other people’s responses on social media. It’s a much more enriching and human experience.”

Styled after 19th century broadsheets, County Highway cites Charles Dickens, Bob Dylan, Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, and Tom Wolfe as inspirations. And there’s clearly an appetite for it: Samuels said the team hit their year-three subscription and sales targets within three weeks of putting out the first issue. “The response has been tremendous,” he added.

check it out below:

https://www.countyhighway.com

—

“i read about eight newspapers in a day. when i’m in a town with only one newspaper, i read it eight times.”

-will rogers

Apr26

a different vision.

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(perhaps me casually speaking spanish with a new friend i will meet)

—

looking forward to learning

a bit more of the language before i travel this summer

i think i have a really good base though

i’ve been learning spanish with my pre-k classes for 20 years

so i’m pretty good with

animals, colors, family members, my name, yes and no, and hello and goodbye

plus,  i can burst into songs and dances in spanish as needed.

(i’ll keep this as my wild card)

—

” a different language is a different vision of life.”

-federico fellini

Jan17

handwritten.

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“i love handwritten letters. the way the words get jumbled up when the writer’s excited.

the way the words get neat when the writer is trying not to make a mistake.

the way the words get pretty because the writer’s in love.

i love handwritten letters.”

-word porn

 

—

January 17th is National Send a Handwritten Letter Day.

The idea is to save the dying art of letter writing and help the ailing Post Office

by sending a letter(s) to someone you care about.

Who will you surprise with a letter? Saving the world one letter at a time.

Aug3

storytelling.

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not us, but actors with a similar communication style

—

getting together with my friend yesterday to catch up,

with our usual mutual understanding:

“if i’m telling you a story be prepared to have 7 mini conversations and 19 other stories thrown into it.”

Feb15

breathings.

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the long letter

written on the outside of my valentine

was even more important

than the card inside

 the kinder who worked very hard to write it all down

read it out loud to me

confident, proud, with voice inflections, hands moving

and so much to say.

—

“fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

-william wordsworth

Aug8

can we speak in flowers? it will be easier for me to understand. -author unknown

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what is your favorite flower?

do you know what it’s saying?

 

THE HISTORY OF FLOWER MEANINGS – The Language of Flowers

The symbolic language of flowers has been recognized for centuries in many countries throughout Europe and Asia. They even play a large role in William Shakespeare’s works. Mythologies, folklore, sonnets, and plays of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Chinese are peppered with flower and plant symbolism—and for good reason. Nearly every sentiment imaginable can be expressed with flowers. The orange blossom, for instance, means chastity, purity, and loveliness, while the red chrysanthemum means “I love you.”

FLOWERY LANGUAGE OF THE VICTORIAN ERA

Learning the special symbolism of flowers became a popular pastime during the 1800s. Nearly all Victorian homes had, alongside the Bible, guidebooks for deciphering the “language,” although definitions shifted depending on the source.

In the Victorian era, flowers were primarily used to deliver messages that couldn’t be spoken aloud. In a sort of silent dialogue, flowers could be used to answer “yes” or “no” questions. A “yes” answer came in the form of flowers handed over with the right hand; if the left hand was used, the answer was “no.”

Plants could also express aversive feelings, such as the “conceit” of pomegranate or the “bitterness” of  aloe. Similarly, if given a rose declaring “devotion” or an apple blossom showing “preference,” one might return to the suitor a yellow carnation to express “disdain.”

How flowers were presented and in what condition were important. If the flowers were given upside down, then the idea being conveyed was the opposite of what was traditionally meant. How the ribbon was tied said something, too: Tied to the left, the flowers’ symbolism applied to the giver, whereas tied to the right, the sentiment was in reference to the recipient. And, of course, a wilted bouquet delivered an obvious message!

More examples of plants and their associated human qualities during the Victorian era include bluebells and kindness, peonies and bashfulness, rosemary and remembrance, and tulips and passion. The meanings and traditions associated with flowers have certainly changed over time, and different cultures assign varying ideas to the same species, but the fascination with “perfumed words” persists just the same.

—

There is a language, little known,
Lovers claim it as their own.
Its symbols smile upon the land,
Wrought by nature’s wondrous hand;
And in their silent beauty speak,
Of life and joy, to those who seek
For Love Divine and sunny hours
In the language of the flowers.

–The Language of Flowers, London, 1875

 

—

text credits: Old Farmer’s Almanac, Catherine Boeckmann

art credit: Illustrated postcard. Printed in England/The Regent Publishing Co Ltd.-Dumbarton Oaks Archives