Sidetracked Charley

  Beware the power of words. Especially the simple words. Because they are not simple. They allow for too much misinterpretation. Fuck was once a euphemism. Then it became the worst of things to say. And not it is believed to be the sign of a creative mind. My father believed it represented an impoverished mentality. One word. Four letters. What did you mean by using that word. I worked as a freelance writer and from time to time still do. I became familiar with the phrase of " what did you mean to say here ," used it seemed to frequently by editors. I learned to ask it of myself. I am also a reader and used that phrase on books I read. So many books and so little time so I learned to speed read. Does not allow time to ask that question often enough. There are authors I speed read for pure enjoyment and admire that they deliver lessons to me. Just been through a binge of J.A. Jance books. Then a pre-purchased Louise Penny book popped up. I do not speed read her. And especiall...

The last couple of days seem to be all about words. Reminding my yet again one needs to choose your words wisely. In a community post about an electrical outage I used fast instead of quick. Not the same thing. And as regards Pence's visit to the detention centers, his words, I use the words concentration camps. And that he had no sympathy - feelings of pity or sorrow, when he in fact had no empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. At the risk of sounding like a grammar Nazi words do matter. Take for instance the matter of Big Blue, the GMC pickup not starting. You get taken a lot seriously by a mechanic if you use the right words. The truck won't start is actually a symptom not the problem. It takes a key, the ignition, a battery, a starter, and a starter cable to start the GMC. It has a new battery and the starter is just a couple years old. But I have been having a starter cable issue or more specifically the connection of the starter cabl...