Feb 14 2025 - Heart Transplant Love

 

It is Valentine's Day and the stories are about love and the origin of the celebration and ... more stories of heart transplant experiences  The CBC covered a story about a woman who received a heart transplant at 50, and then found herself feeling different. the article says that thoughts and memories of her loved ones used to feel warm and tingly, she said. Now, they feel logical or factual, or cold. "I love my husband, but I don't always get twitterpated anymore," she added, referring to the butterflies-in-your-stomach, love-at-first-sight feeling described in the classic Disney film Bambi." On the other side of things, Lindsay Ma met the family whose son's heart was transplanted to her.  They experienced a reunion-like meeting "There was a lot of laughter and joy at dinner that night, though it was mixed with tears and emotion, especially when Debbie got out a stethoscope to listen to Lindsay’s heart. Debbie’s son Tommy’s heart now beats inside Lindsay’s chest." These transplant stories are very curious, aren't they? So we celebrate St. Valentine's Day today.  I notice that St. Valentine's Day does not reference the word "pagan"  in the wikipedia entry.  - "It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world." Of course there are other references that tell a different origin story: "Valentine's Day is steeped in pagan history and full of controversy and tragic violence. There is some evidence that this day was made to replace the pagan celebration of Lupercalia which had to do with celebrating fertility."

These hearts started out as images of a large digital mural in a U.S. mall - my own version of transplants Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 13 2024 - So Many Valentines

 

It seemed unusual to me that there are a few Saint Valentines through history. There there are more than 10,000 saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, so I guess there are a few repetitions of names.  It turns out that the Eastern Orthodox Church also has saints, and some Protestant churches recognize saints.  Only the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches venerate Saints.   I was surprised to find out that Wikipedia says that there are Lutheran saints. I was raised in the Lutheran church, and this turns out to be news to me. We had no saints whatsoever.  Maybe there is a difference between German and North American traditions.  I looked at the list of Lutheran saints. There are lots of names in the list.  Could John Donne really be a saint? He is listed as writer poet and Anglican cleric.  Of course he is the first of the metaphysical poets.  But a saint? That aside, I guess if there are that many saints, then a saint can be connected to every significant cultural event.   So here we are on the day to celebrate romantic love, friendship and appreciation. And our current practices are very interesting. Did you know that a quarter of pet owners give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets?  And that the only year that billions of candy hearts were not produced was in 2019 - that was because the company was sold. And what about the tradition of sending letters to Juliet or Romeo and Juliet in Verona, Italy.  I think the Juliet Club takes care of responding to the letters on her behalf.  Yes, and red roses in flowerography, the language of flowers,  do symbolize love.

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Feb 14 2022 - Finally it is Valentine's Day

 

Is this a confessional day?  I don't think so.  It is a fun day of cards and gift-giving of roses and chocolate.  And possibly more expensive things like diamonds. How did the Romans have people named Lupercalia?  That is the feast's namesake that is identified as the origin. So goats are involved in the history.  This is how the feast was celebrated: A goat and a dog were sacrificed by men on these days and women were whipped with the hides of the sacrificed animals as it was believed that this will make them fertile. Oh dear, that seems a poor beginning to a love festival.  And the name? That came later.  It is after Saint Valentine, a priest who helped Christian couples in getting married, was executed on the 14th of February.  It is also said that while St. Valentine was imprisoned, he took care of the jailor’s blind daughter and even wrote her a card which said ‘from your Valentine’. So confessing one's feelings? I think confessional gets in there because it evolved out of pagan to Roman Catholic traditions.  We need to leap forward to the current day where we chase the cutest, the best, the unique and most romantic Valentine's Day gift.  It is too hard to consider our past social order. Putting it another way, wouldn't you rather click on Valentine's day stuff and see pages of pictures of red hearts?  Well, that's where I am heading. Happy Valentine's Day!

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Feb 14 2020 - Chocolate Day is Here!

There are lots of countries who don't celebrate Valentine's Day.  Practicing Muslims consider the concept against Islamic Law.  The Islamic authorities created the religious ruling of fatwa, banning celebrations of Valentine's day. So that would be Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.  I had no idea - living in the "Western World" is bubblesome. Given that chocolate has a reputation as a love food, it isn't unusual it is part of Valentine's Day.  Marie Antoinette brought her personal chocolate maker to Versailles.  Known as the official Chocolate Maker to the Queen, he created such recipes as “chocolate mixed with orchid bulb for strength, chocolate with orange blossom to calm the nerves, or chocolate with sweet almond milk to aid the digestion.” Chocolate producers were creative: Richard Cadbury  marketed his chocolate with Cupids and rosebuds on heart-shaped boxes.  The boxes were used to keep mementos such as love letters. And the Hershey "kisses" were supposedly named for the smooching noise the chocolate made as it was manufactured.  These facts come from the Smithsonian so there's some confidence in the facts - silly as smooching production noises seem. The biggest spenders on Valentine's Day?  Supposedly Singapore.  And the biggest Valentine's box of chocolates? On 2 April 2008, confectionery retailer Thorntons and prop-maker Russell Beck Studio created a box of chocolates that towered 5.04 m (16 ft 6 in) tall. It weighed 1,690 kg (3,725 lb). From the Collection of hearts on my Redbubble site...

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Credit Chaucer

I am tracking down Geoffrey Chaucer.  His work is in the British Library.  They must have created their website a very long time ago - it is bl.uk. Not a very descriptive or identifying name. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote in the 1400s - this is hard work to read - it's "Old English".  The idea of Valentine's Day as a day for lovers is thought to come from his Parliament of Fowls. He would have spelled it "The Parlement of Foules". It describes a group of birds which gather together in the early spring to choose their mates for the year. It is humorous and philosophical in its exploration of the idea of love.   ‘For this was on seynt Volantynys day / Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.’  Birds in England do not mate in mid-February. They mate later - and it has been proposed by scholars that Chaucer was actually referring to the 3rd of May - when Valentine of Genoa, a bishop who died around AD307 was commemorated.  There were quite a few Valentine martyrs in the 3rds century.  I found two stories on the earliest/oldest Valentine.  The first has the earliest surviving romantic Valentine missive written by Charles, Duke of Orleans while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, after being captured by the English during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Written to his wife Bonne of Armagnac, the love poem repeats phrases using "Valentine" as a term of endearment several times: Je suis desja d'amour tanné Ma tres doulce Valentinée This French prose translates to “I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine” in English. Sadly, the Duke’s wife died before receiving the words of love of her imprisoned husband and today his words reside in the British Library. The next is a letter that might be called a valentine.  It was written in 1477 by Margery Brews - and says 'my right well beloved Valentine'.   If I may skip ahead to curious and entertaining Valentine's Cards - here's a series on bored panda.com  - they reference famous people - and are done by Ben Kling.  I apologize that they start with Hitler, but after that they are great. Please don't embargo my love Happy Valentine's Day - Fidel Leon Trotsky Thinks you're Hotsky Live without you?  I Kant. And the image today comes from a guard rail in Toronto - a wonderful little bit of graffiti for us to enjoy.

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Whoa on Cupid as a Cherub, Please!

Where would a name like Valentine come from?  It isn't really a name anymore - it is a "thing" - a card or gift on the specific day of Valentine's.   However, it is also a sweetheart that is chosen on Valentine's Day. Vanlentine originates as a name -  a unisex given name.  It is derived from the Roman family name Valentinus - from valens, meaning strong and healthy.  It turns out to be the name of a few Saints who were martyred and are commemorated along with Saint Valentine from the third century.  Supposedly he died on February 14th.  I say that wondering how 3rd century documents on dates can match up with our current calendar. And how does a cupid come into the scene for Valentine's Day? Cupid comes from Roman mythology, son of Venus who was the goddess of love and beauty.  Would Venus still be with us today given she's a goddess - and I should write "is the goddess of love and beauty."  His representation as a little boy can be traced. The Italian painter Raphael who was known for creating characters called "putti" - they looked like male babies or toddlers.  They represented the presence of pure love around people - often with wings like angels.  Cupid started out as  being portrayed as a young man - but he got "converted" to being a baby or young child, and often with angelic wings.   Cupid is a little angel-like boy - but that isn't a "cherub".  Cherubs were known as cherubim.  That was a heavenly "rank" and have the role to protect God's heavenly glory.  This religious designation got swept up into being associated with Cupid and similar depictions.   The through line from St. Valentine the martyr to celebrating Romantic love is still to be outlined - I think we might accord that to Chaucer.  In the meantime, let's enjoy a few more Ringling Circus images.

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Feb 10 2020 - Doggie Talk Bubbles

How would my little dog Dezi's words look in 'talk bubbles'?  Would she speak in Comic Sans?  Vincent Connare, the inventor of Comic Sans wrote the casual script typeface for Microsoft.  They wanted something that would work with cartoon bubbles for children. It became one of the default fonts in Windows 95, much to his surprise.  It was extensively distributed - by Apple, and others. In an interview with CBC on Saturday, he didn't complain about not receiving any special compensation. He said it was unusual to have a job as a typeface designer and that he loved his job at Microsoft.  He was young - the font came out in 1995.  He was born in 1960, and currently lives in France.  So he's made enough to retire on his various typeface creations. His website is quite brief - it is HERE. Comic Sans is loved and hated -  its intended use was specific - to be casual in informal documents and children's material. The CBC interviewer asked - should Rudy Giuliani use Comic Sans as a font in one of his submission letters to the Department of Justice?  Connare laughed and then responded that there are restrictions on the fonts that can be used in legal documents.  Comic Sans MS is not likely not allowed anywhere. Could it be used for a sandwich shop sign?  He found that a curious choice. Not a typical use. It got me thinking. Which font would Dezi and Baxter speak in if I were to write a story?  Baxter's tail tells many stories. He swooshes and wags his tail often - he is most curious about things and attentive to all movements in the yard.  I interpret his swooshing as friendly and dominant.  You can look up cat charts that show variations of cat speak. Dezi's tail wags a lot but doesn't swoosh that I've seen.  I don't know of any dogs who swoosh their tails.  Supposedly wagging to the right is friendly and wagging to the left is trepidation or anger.  And then they have lots of things to say with their body positions, ears, and mouths, and their various wiggles.  It seems they have lots more to say than cats do. This makes me think they each need their own font. Our Valentines continue today in graffiti and grunge findings.

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Feb 9 - Parentese with Dezi the Dog

I find that the way I 'talk' to Dezi the dog - high pitched, exaggerating words, and 'patronizing tone' is known as Parentese.  It is proven to increase baby vocabulary significantly.  A CBC radio interview told me this yesterday. The Guardian article is perfect so HERE it is. It is as good as all the jokes I can find.  This is the opening excerpt: Name: Parentese. Age: Popular since the mid-80s. Sounds like: A bit like you’re being patronised. I don’t like being patronised. Oh yes you do. Yes you do. Yes you do, my little sweetheart. What on earth are you doing? I’m talking parentese to you. And by the look of it it’s working. Yes it is. Yes it is. OK, let’s track back a little. What is parentese? I’m glad you asked. It’s a method of communicating with babies that utilises vowel hyperarticulation, pitch modification, slow speech rate and simplified wording. That didn’t help. OK. You know the way you talk to a baby? It’s that. Goo goo ga ga? No, that’s baby talk - when you don’t use any words and just make strange, cutesy noises instead. Baby talk is useless. Talk baby talk to a baby and you are just going to end up with a baby who talks baby talk. But talk parentese to a baby and you are going to end up with a baby with a colossal vocabulary." The CBC reporter interviewed the University of Washington researcher referenced in the article.   Here are the instructions: "Over-enunciate in a high-pitched sing-song voice, repeating words with a happy tone. “Hellooooooo bayyyyybe, doooo youuuu want a baaaaaanaaaaanaaaa? Oooooh, niiiiiiiice baaaaaanaaaaanaaaa.” The font used here is Comic Sans MS -  I heard the originator of this font interviewed on the CBC a little earlier than the parentese story. I'll report on that wonderful interview tomorrow.  Our Valentine theme is accompanied today with railroad images of the layout of Sam Furukawa in Seattle. We visited it in 2006.  He's a dedicated railroad modeller who comes to all the conventions.  What a great view from his house.

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Feb 8 2020 - Quarantine Cruising

This is the Lantern Festival Day.  The full moon was out last night.  I experienced it when Baxter went to the greenhouse instead of outside in the night.  This is now a ritual for him.  He bangs on the window blinds in the bedroom, races off to the dining room for the exit, I pick him up and take him to the greenhouse where he has a basket and extensive view of everyone in the back garden.  I think there are also mice in the greenhouse, as sometimes he is reluctant to come out in the morning. The full moon through the curved glass ceiling is amazing.  It seems like a lantern with the diffusion caused by the slightly frosted glass.  And then there is the magic of shadows in the night.  There is one stunning picture of the lantern festival that is repeated over and over - so I screen clipped it for you. You can see that the posting was made on December 25th.  Without the presence of the coronavirus outbreak, it was a delightful article on the traditions of the New Year celebration.  The scenario changes so quickly:  There are more than 28,000 confirmed cases in China, with a worrying 15% daily growth. The sensational news is about a quarantined Norwegian cruise ship, Dream Cruises World Dream, with more than 3,600 passengers and crew onboard.  They will be isolated in their cabins for about 2 weeks - that will be a story told for a while.   Social media makes it possible to send out news and messages easily - these are things like people not getting meals, pictures of the miserable-looking meals, and concerning stories of a diabetic not getting any meals.  This meal theme makes sense, because people always come back from cruises boasting about food and meals. There's news that impacts all of us -the closing of factories - global automakers are the first to suspend operations.  The world supply chain is laid out clearly - the world's biggest maker of smartphone chips Qualcomm has sent out the alarm of interrupted supplies.  According to a study by the World Bank, a severe pandemic could cause economic losses equal to nearly 5% of global GDP, or more than $3 trillion. Losses from a weaker flu pandemic, such as the 2009 H1N1 virus, can still wipe 0.5% off global GDP.  But then - Wait!  Incoming news not surprisingly based on yesterday's topic:  The 2020 hourly rates of lawyers in Grimsby might surprise you!  (Sponsored: Top Lawyers/Sponsored Listings).  What's the picture?  A glass head with one of those 'lawyer/judge' wigs on it.  Continuing our Valentine's theme - our Valentine today comes from the Sarasota Ringling Museum display.

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Feb 7 - Successful Lawyers in Beamsville

One of the sponsored ads on the Weather Channel is "The Most Successful Lawyers in Beamsville" and the picture is of a young woman with long hair and casual top.  This is a 'dating-style' picture, rather than the picture of what you'd expect a lawyer to look like.  And what makes them choose Beamsville rather than Grimsby?  It all gives rise to curiosity to find.  That's because we know what a 'stock lawyer' looks like. Photo stock pictures show us people dressed in dark suits and white shirts.  There is an exception -  pictures from the careerist.com in an article about successful Chinese Female lawyers.  Are the three women in the pictures are lawyers - they have no names, so I expect they are stock pictures of some sort. Their clothes are too colourful to "represent" lawyers in the workplace.  The article is about Chinese lawyers in top firms, but it is too liberal with personal opinions rather than facts. The fashion advice from lawandstyle.ca matches up with the images of lawyer on stock services: "Choose conservative pieces: sheath dresses with jackets, shoes in pristine condition, simple jewelry and accessories. For skirts, go with knee-length or slightly above the knee. Always wear a cardigan or jacket if you’re meeting with clients or if you’re wearing a sleeveless top. To make daring fashion choices when you’re just starting out takes the focus off your talent as a lawyer during that precarious time when you’re trying to stake out space and build your identity at the firm. Once you’ve proven yourself to be bright, capable and hard-working, then you can experiment with fashion within your comfort zone (and that of your workplace)." What is the advice for men?  Well-kept facial hair is fine. Just no soul patch. Ever When the collars or cuffs start to wear, toss the shirt Skip the bow tie So I completed my investigation by googling "best lawyer in beamsville" and took a look at the top three lines of images - all wearing dark suits, white/light shirts.  After that, the flaws of google retrieval come forth and anything can show up - purple bricks ads abound. Our Valentine today is the spring flower "Bleeding Heart".

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