APR 15, lexicon of word-pairs: alliterative binomials U to Z

Giorgio's Lexicon of Binomials (alliterative)

 

The alliterative binomial "vim and vigor" has been used in a verse found HERE.

APR 14, photo-collage: life returns to Toronto's 'Brickworks'

red-winged blackbirds
(early season: wing-colour barely discerned)

turtles sunning on a floating island
(exceptionally warm day) 

TO SEE MORE STUFF: To see older or newer material  (posted daily, or at least on most 'good' days), CLICK below the Comments Section, on 'Older Post' or 'Newer Post'.

 

APR 13, patients and their maladies: aldosterone excess (Conn's syndrome)

Authors' Note:  High blood pressure (hypertension), most commonly has no definable cause. Rarely, there is a relatively fixed and excessive production of aldosterone, a hormone produced by the cortex of the adrenal glands to regulate the exchange of sodium and potassium in the kidney. The medical entity was known historically as Conn's syndrome. The abnormal hormone levels are due to an overgrowth of well-differentiated adrenal cells, resulting in either a small localized benign tumor, or to diffuse overgrowth of both glands.

The levels of blood pressure attained are relatively mild, and the local disorder of growth in the adrenal glands does not develop malignant transformation. Nonetheless, the disorder is best treated specifically, sometimes requiring adrenal surgery.

You can view collections of verses on this topic by proceeding to "Nurse-Verse: PATIENTS and their MALADIES" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

APR 12, portraits of couples: Canada goose family

 

 Enjoy an illustrated poem about Canada geese by clicking HERE.

You can view all of our folio-photos from the collection of 'Couples' portraits in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

APR 11, "pictures at a renovation": demolition, day#6

As we get back to the bare walls and concrete floors, these views are beginning to look depressingly unadorned, rather than catastrophically chaotic. But relative to where we've been, that is a heart-warming upgrade for us. Next up will be a focus on the popcorn ceilings. 

Stay tuned!

PREVIOUS VIEWS:

You can follow the whole arduous undertaking by scrolling back through our earlier posts: (you can also click these dates for direct transport back to see the previous views. These earlier posts show the demolition phase, and that may be of particular interest for many viewers.

April 6

April 4

March 31

front hall

'new' office seen from front hall/vestibule.

office seen from master BR
(dividing wall pending)

guest bath

 

APR 10, a brief saga (hellenophilia): Dodecanese islands

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

 For the purpose of this blog, a 'brief saga' is defined as a poem, usually narrative, but occasionally expository, that tell its story in at least 15 lines. Most commonly, the format involves three stanzas in limerick form, constituting a single submission to the online humor site 'Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form'. On the OEDILF site, rigorous standards for content and format are involved in a collaborative editing process that may take several weeks to over a year. 

 There are now over 40 of these lengthier bits of doggerel featured at OEDILF in Giorgio's "Author's Showcase". The OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. We have been blog-publishing these poetic adventures here monthly since January 2020.

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog ("May" 2023), proceed to 'America'. 

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (March 2023), back up to  'Possessives' (adjectives and pronouns).

APR 9, special event: Toronto's Easter parade

 

APR 8, poets' corner: rhotic-poet school

Authors' Note: 

poor, sure, more: words often used for rhyming at the ends of poetic or lyric lines (random example: I'd like to ensure / That our love will bring more); non-rhotic speakers will claim that these words mutually rhyme as indicated in the phonetic renderings paw, shaw, maw.

With occasional exceptions, native-born Canadians using English are rhotic speakers, their Rs being fully sounded, even after vowels. However, large numbers of immigrants have been welcomed to our shores bringing non-rhotic dialects. Their speech pattern is rendered roughly by changing all the relevant Rs to Hs. Many will also use a pronunciation element known as the "intrusive R", as in the verse's third line (flawR). This speech variation, invoked in this particular instance, might lead many North Americans to feel that the word floor is under discussion.

In Canada and substantial portions of the northern US, as reported by our staff-member and poetry coach Larry, the Mary/marry/merry merger, relevant to a related group of words containing the letter R, simplifies the varied pronunciation of vowels prior to that important consonant, with major benefit in crafting rhyme-pairs.

You can find lots of other verses on this blog under the listing "Poets' Corner".  Click HERE. 

APR 7, binomial phrases: "here and there"

To review our poetic effusion about binomial phrases proceed to our blog 'Edifying Nonsense', 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 !

APR 6, "pictures at a renovation": demolition, day#5

PREVIOUS VIEWS:

You can follow the whole arduous undertaking by scrolling back through earlier posts: (you can also click these dates for direct transport back to see the previous "pictures at a renovation"). Today's vistas, as well as the earlier posts show the demolition phase, and that may be of particular interest for many viewers.

April 4

March 31

front hall 

'vestibule' off front hall

'new' office space

kitchen

LR/DR

guest bathroom

APR 5, "pictures at a renovation": demolition, day#4

front hall, seen from den 

kitchen

LR/DR

den

master bathroom

guest bathroom

 

APR 4, "pictures at a renovation": demolition, day#3

 At the end of a busy day. (Availability of the service elevator is an issue for the demolition crew.)

No poetry today!

front hall (newly opened up 'vestibule')

kitchen

LR/DR

den

en suite master bath

APR 3, ambulatory verse: strut

 

 You can review all our verses on this topic, accumulated for you on two posts (eight verse each) on our companion blog "Edifying Nonsense", by clicking HERE.

APR 2, "pictures at a renovation": demolition, day#1

March 29 was demolition day #1. See below for a photo-tour. 

Click HERE to get some information on the demolition plan and to see a few pics of the pre-renovation suite.

Authors' Note: Contractors will describe the first phase of your tired old home's renovation as demolition, forgetting that, to the sensitive older homeowner, that term may conjure up visions of damage caused by aerial bombing, earthquakes or cyclones. In fact, we now have photos showing that the removal of half-century old linoleum tiles, popcorn ceilings and built-in cabinets may require almost that much destruction. We give thanks for the invention of the dumpster, and hope that things will look better in the next phase. 

Here are some pics from the first day of the demolition-in-progress. We hope to follow up with further views as they become available.  

 

front hall

kitchen

LR/DR

den

master BR

APR 1, lexicon of word-pairs: alliterative binomials R to T

DEMOLITION UPDATE (2023)

Yesterday there was a lot of cleaning up, and some further tearing apart!

master BR

 Giorgio's Lexicon of Binomials (alliterative)

Quite a few alliterative binomials have been hightlighted in other short verses by the authors:  

Matching the selection on the second slide, these include "cool and calm". 

Matching the selection on the first slide, these include "right or wrong" and "short and sweet". 

You can easily find all of these on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE, and following the links. 

MAR 30, singable satire: decaffeinated version sung by The Ink Spots -- "REFLUX ROMP"

 PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "Java Jive", The Ink Spots, 1940. 
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, January 2014, originally blog-posted January 10, 2014. Thanks to Steve McNie of Corktown Ukulele Jam / Toronto Ukes for providing chord charts and other help!

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele (and guitar) chord-charts to help you accompany "Reflux Romp" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

REFLUX ROMP

(to the tune of "Java Jive")

Cope with Sanka, it's decaf

It cuts the acid burn down by half.

If you can't purge that Java-jive urge

Reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux.

Craving chilies cheery hot ?

Doc's got them jotted in the "ought not" slot!

Lesson you'll note in the back of your throat

Reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux.

I love wine while dining fine

Wait! a late dinner-date at eight or nine!

When I recline and that wine is supine

Reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux.

So hoist up the head of the stead of that bed

We'll slide out she said, bet we'll sled 'til we're dead.

A dose of Zantac whacks the acid.  Flaccid!

Function, function, G-E junction *.

Cope with Sanka, it's decaf

It cuts regurgitation down by half
If you can't purge that Java-jive urge
Reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux.

Coffee urn!   Gas burn!
Acid burn!  Can't learn.

You know I've no control, sell my soul
To spurn prohibitions to caffeine. 

Your tongue may be furred from refractory GERD *

Your breath, in a word can deter a whole herd.

Confer with surgeon - a well-trained one, famed one!

Sphincter sloppy, lap'roscopy!

Cope with Sanka, it's decaf
It cuts the acid burn down by half.
If you can't purge that Java-jive urge
Reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux, reflux !

*  Readers might want to review our lengthy (20-line) poem that explains the GE (gastro-esophageal junction) and GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease); click HERE ! 

MAR 29, homophonous verse: deserving/commendable

Authors' Note: 

syl: jargon used in the doggerel trade; a short form of syllable

Although the adjective deserving has come euphemistically to be applied to the needy, it classically was applied only to people or things that were commendable or admirable.

You can view our whole collection on this topic -- verses intentionally crafted with contentious repetition of the rhyming syllables --  in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Check the post "Homophonous Verse" by clicking HERE.