APR 2, excursions: SF Bay, local wildlife

western fence lizard,
Pinnacles National Park

coot, 
Lake Merritt, Oakland 

 

black-capped night heron,
Lake Merritt, Oakland

hybrid duck (male),
Aquatic Park, Berkeley

greater scaup (male), 
Lake Merritt, Oakland

Canada goose,
Point Lobos Natural Reserve

wild turkey,
North Berkeley

turban snails, etc., in tidepool,
Asilomar State Park

cormorant and pelican rookery,
Point Lobos Natural Reserve

harbor seals (mother and pup),
Point Lobos Natural Reserve

flight of the hybrid duck,
Aquatic Park, Berkeley

California gull,
Moss Landing

APR 1, organic brain poetry: cerebral metastases

 

You can view and review all our verses on the topic of 'Organic Brain Poetry' by following this link to the encyclopedic collection on "Edifying Nonsense."

MAR 30, singable satire: "MACADAMIAS"

 PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "Desperado", The Eagles, 1973.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, December 2014.

EXPLANATORY NOTE: 

On December 5, 2014 at JFK Airport,  Korean Air Flight 86 to Seoul returned to the gate before take-off. An executive vice president, also the daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, had demanded the removal of a crew member from a flight for failing to serve macadamia nuts in a ramikin, rather than in a bag.
This episode provoked outrage concerning the ongoing role of the chaebol or family conglomerate in South Korean society. The CEO later appeared on television to apologize, announcing the dismissal of his daughter from further roles within the company.

MACADAMIAS

         

Macadamias, when they get served before take-off,          

It’s a breach you can’t  shake off -  in the bag’s a disgrace.  

Flight procedure - 

I know that you’ve checked the entry,

So do it correctly or

I’ll surely lose face.

Don’t offend the Inflight Service Veep

(Perhaps a tad unstable),

The CEO of airline is my Dad.

Now your manual lists how first-class snacks

Should be laid out on tray-tables -

But your short-cut variations make me mad.

Desp’rate outburst? No, it ain’t ‘cause I’m thirsty,

I’m pained that this purser

Won’t obey protocol.

And cockpit,  the cockpit follows my orders,

We’re delaying departure

Have them radio Control.

Though Daddy might apologize

If he feels this action’s not too wise,

We all must keep respect for Cho chaebol   

You’ll lose access to KA flights,

It ain’t funny, you’ll need days to get to Seoul.

 Macadamias, when they get snarfed on the runway,

 There’s only the one way, the bag just ain’t right. 

 It may be ‘nutrage’, but as the Airline’s chief nutcase, 

 And as Korean Airlines heiress,

 The airline-chief’s heiress,

 And as Korean Airlines heiress,

 I’m aborting this flight.

Mar 29, binomial phrases: "birds and bees"

  Another alliterative example ...

Authors' Note:  Birds and bees is an alliterative binomial phrase used here in a euphemistic sense.  The counterintuitive fact that MENses are a female function could make this poem a companion-piece to the authors' verse on gender-neutral language. 

 

To review the poetic effusion that we have accumulated about binomial phrases, proceed to our blog "Edifying Nonsense", and check out the post  'Grandpa Greg's Grammar: Binomial Expressions'.

 Click HERE !There is also an entire collection of lyrics to patter songs, somewhat older material, dedicated to various kinds of binomials, that provides more didactic material and an extensive series of examples, and allows you to sing these expressions for your own enjoyment, or for that of others around you. Click HERE !

A personal INVITATION: Come along, and enjoy our upcoming trip to California, starting tomorrow !!!

MAR 28, excursions: Berkeley, CA

 

Pictured at left, bottom row, is pride-of-Madeira, a beautiful, but invasive flowering shrub.

MAR 27, death and the afterlife: Will's last testament

 Author's Note:  Although the short forms 'Will' and 'Bill' may be casually interchanged as first names (short forms of ‘William’), the nouns 'will' (as in 'last will and testament') and 'bill' are generally used with more careful scrutiny. ‘Will’ and ‘testament’ being essentially synonyms, the expression is a prototypical example of the redundant binomial expressions that seem to be loved by lawyers.

 Subtle differences in the form of idioms may underwrite important differences in meaning. ‘At last’ and ‘at the last’ seem similar, but in fact their usage and meaning differs considerably.

 You can review more poems about 'Death and the Afterlife' in context ('death and the afterlife') on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

Incidental photo:

 recently added signpost with directions for tourists ...

MAR 26, bar-fauna: at 'The Lizards' Lair'

BTW, should you ever need to log in directly to this blog, its simple address is...

daily.edifyingnonsense.com

(Just type that into your browser search-line.) But, here you are for today, so welcome aboard!

And, here's a photo of the barkeep; he's a fence-lizard, and a little vignette about this species can be found HERE.

                                                                   

photo info: Images of the anole, the skink and the fence lizard were recently captured by G.C. on his i-phone7 camera. 

If you liked this submission, you might want to refer to our entire collection of verses about human and animal denizens of bars, pubs and other watering-holes. Click HERE.

MAR 25, at heart: atrial fibrillation

Authors' Note: Atrial fib, also abbreviated to a-fib or AF, is medical jargon for atrial fibrillation. Causes for AF include various heart and lung conditions, particularly valvular heart disease, but half of cases occur spontaneously.

AF may be symptomatic or not, and may be intermittent rather than sustained, particularly in its earlier phase. In any case, it is associated with the formation of clots in the atria of the heart, leading to an increased risk of brain stroke, caused by emboli.

To reduce the risk of stroke, patients with AF may be asked to take blood thinners for life.    

You can view more poems on this topic by proceeding to "Cardiologic Tracings: AT HEART" (parts #1 and #2) on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!
 

MAR 24, excursions: Oakland, CA

plaque at Heinold's Saloon, founded 1883,
Jack London Square

The saloon had been patronized by iconic American writers such as  Oakland resident Jack London and visiting guru Robert Louis Stevenson. 

statue at Lake Merritt,
evoking the aboriginal myth (Ohlone/Castanoan)
of a sea monster

In a recent rehabilitative project, Lake Merritt, landlocked during the period of development, has had its connection to  San Francisco Bay restored.

drum circle near lake Merritt

Australian teatree, planted in the first decade of the last century,
part of an arboretum function

black-capped night heron

Lake Merritt is claimed to be the US's first wildlife refuge.

a greater scaup, more or less

a great number of scaups and other waterfowl congregate at the lake

trail-break at the nearby Reinhardt Redwoods Park

 

a resident socializes with visitors

MAR 23, poetry of healthcare: treatment compliance

You can view these informative verses in a wider context by proceeding to the collection 'Poetry of Healthcare' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

MAR 22, organic brain poetry: non-organic versus organic (introduction)

Authors' Note:  A psychiatric workup for mental disorders starts with the separation of causality into two streams. In the first, brain function, thoughts and behavior may be altered by subtle or unusual manifestations of disease in body systems outside the brain — these are sometimes termed exogenous. In the second stream, manifestations are attributable to disorder of the brain itself (usually of unknown cause) in patterns reflective of neurosis, schizophrenia and depressive illness. In somewhat archaic, but still utilized descriptions, psychiatrists may refer to this distinction as indicating organic versus non-organic mental disorders. 

You can view and review all our verses on the topic of 'Organic Brain Poetry' by following this link to the encyclopedic collection on "Edifying Nonsense."

MAR 21, reptiles: anole pole-dancer (photo-collage)

 You can review photos and illustrated herpetologic verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Verses about Reptiles (don't worry -- no snakes)' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".

MAR 20, singable satire: The Animals sing Lewis Carroll's "JABBERWOCKY"

  

 "Dr. JJ" enjoyed playing the electric guitar among other instruments. He frequently enlivened major family events by performing parody songs written for the occasion, using base songs from the golden oldies period. His favorite song vehicle was undoubtedly the folk-rock classic "The House of the Rising Sun" (1964) as recorded by the British band The Animals. (A YouTube version is found HERE.)  

"Jabberwock", Giorgio's copy,
 drawing by John Tenniel,
illustrator of Carroll's books

  The authors of this daily blog, Dr. G.H. and his registered pseudonym Giorgio, have been fans for a long time of "Jabberwocky", the iconic nonsense-poem revealed and discussed in Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" (1871). A sneak preview; later this month, you will be able to find the poem "MERGERWOCKY", a parody on Jabberwocky that we later realized could similarly be sung to the tune of "The House of the Rising Sun". Your current authors do acknowledge that singing a version of "Jabberwocky" itself had been otherwise achieved by the British folk-rock singer-composer Donovan, a pastiche that is recorded in his 1971 album of childrens' songs "HMS Donovan". (Click HERE for the YouTube version). 

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "Jabberwocky (the Animals' version)", on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

To review the rest of the lyrics and chord-charts, follow this link to our song-blog "Silly Songs and Satire" by clicking HERE.

For historic interest, here is a slide used as part of an open-mike at a ukulele club when the concept of this pastiche was first entertained.  

Incidental Photo:

Dr. JJ, Bermuda, 1965

MAR 19, funny bones: foot-floggers' (metatarsal) fracture

Authors' Note:  Stress fractures are injuries caused by repeated undue physical stress applied to normal bone. These injuries, sometimes called march fractures, are common in the midshafts of the bones of the forefoot, particularly metatarsals #2 through #4. They characteristically occur in military recruits and in athletic individuals with heavy training schedules, but also may show up in otherwise unremarkable individuals who have recently increased their level of physical activity. Fortunately, healing is usual in those prepared to reduce activities for a number of weeks.

    To read more about this important topic, check the online medical periodical Bone Bloggers: Opinion by Orthopedic Surgeons.

 You can view verses on this topic in a wider context by proceeding to the post 'Breaking News: FUNNY BONES' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

links for any date: scroll over to the calendar-based listings of 'Past Posts' in the righthand column on this page, choose your month of interest, and then select (by clicking) the post of your choice.

MAR 18, culinary verse: barbecue (BBQ, southern)

 

Here is another verse dealing with eating (or avoiding) meat. 

Find the collection of illustrated poems dealing with culinary issues on the post 'Culinary Verse' on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

MAR 17, palinku (poetic novelty): lust indulged

verse in honour of Dr. JJ, whose love of life included comedy and the music of poetry ...

  In this post, we continue with a novel form of poetic wordplay. Inspired by Japanese haiku poetry, this new form is used for a terse verse with a total of 17 syllables displayed on three lines. This concoction, however, does not mandate the precise distribution of the syllables among the three lines, but does stipulate that each word in the poem be included in a palindromic phrase or sentence in English (i.e. one that can be read either forwards or backwards). Some of the  palindromes exploited here are found in the classic repertoire of such wordplay, part are variants on these classics, and a part derive entirely from the distorted mental processes of the authors. 

  To help the reader discern the origin of the lyrics, each palindrome (generally occupying one of the three lines of the poem) has been color-coded. 

Further poetic discussion of Dennis's sins can be found HERE. 

 You can view all our verses of this type if you  proceed with a single click to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. (Or if you prefer, you can stay on this particular blogsite and look for the offerings for the 17th day of each month -- there are now more than 60 of these.)

Incidental Photo:

Dr. JJ starting out as a lecturer, 1948

MAR 16, hellenophilia: tipping on Santorini

 

 Other verses discussing our appreciation of Greece and things Greek can be found on our blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE.