Mar 24 2025 - And the word of the day!

 

Is this a feature of the Globe and Mail's Editorial each day?  A word that is so novel and uncommon that it requires research.   I hope it is a feature of the paper - that somewhere, each day, I will find a word that compels me to look it up and find out more.   What is this word?  "Ron DeSantis tried to mock the idea of the maple-leaf tourism boycott earlier this month, saying that 3.3 million Canadians had visited his state.  "That's not much of a boycott in my book," he said." "We agree, Governor - because the number you cite was from 2024, before a US President launched a trade war against his country's biggest trading partner and closest ally.  Mr De Santis's misplaced braggadocio actually served to underscore the vulnerability of his state to a Canuck exodus"  "Braggadocio," originated from the name of a boastful character, Braggadocchio, in Edmund Spenser's epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590).  a. : empty boasting. b. : arrogant pretension : cockiness. the air of swaggering braggadocio that all important men are expected to show in fighting C. W. M. Hart. originates from brag or braggart + the Italian suffix -occio, denoting something large of its kind. Doesn't that make us wonder about  more words - flibbertigibbet?  And cattywampus, gardyloo, collywobbles, gubbins, and malarkey?   OK, I've got a few days worth of words to start the game myself. It would be great if this would be a regular Globe and Mail feature.

I went on a crocus hunt yesterday.  Not in the garden as the squirrels, mice, voles, and chipmunks have eaten the hundreds I planted, or replanted them next door.  I went through the database of pictures and found the wonderful crocuses that I had in the Toronto garden where there probably were more predators and fewer rodents.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 27 2025 - Modesty Ablaze

 

This might seem straight-forward or it might seem strange.  I have noticed a woman in the shower/changing room at the Y on the Tuesday/Thursday aquafit days.  She showers facing out with the shower curtain open.  It is a bit of a shock. And then she spends a long time showering. If one is waiting for her to finish it seems like a long time in your own shower stall. She seems to walk around the changing area nude before she gets dressed. I have figured out her routine timing and so can now avoid being in the area when she's there.  It seems like some form of mild "indecency."  I don't know.  It just seems a bit on the creepy side to me.  Would this be the case for others?  I haven't been involved in sports or other gyms to have a sense of what is common practice.   In general, Canada does not like nudity in public. The Criminal Code tells me that public nudity in Canada is illegal unless there is a lawful excuse.  What an expression:  "a lawful excuse."  Some big reason to not wear clothes must be present where the context is "in public."   So where and how does modesty come into play?  Clothing is a significant part of human culture - protection, social and cultural norms, and personal expression. And clothing has been around since somewhere between 93,000 years ago and 170,000 years ago. The origin of clothing has been described as a primitive modesty instinct by a number of scholars.   Who knows?  So perhaps having a slightly better understanding of modesty and social norms is a good thing, and doing too much investigation not so much fun.

What an interesting picture - looks like nudes walking, don't you think?  It was a glass sculpture with blue sky reflections.

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