Saw the inauguration speech. Amazing stuff, I was overcome by positive feelings for the future. He has a rich voice. He evoked powerful imagery. He said all the right things with jaw-dropping eloquence and smoothness. Fantastic stuff.
He has my sympathy.
Anyone else coming after Bush would have a cakewalk, but he carries a messianic burden. Nothing but perfection will be lauded. Considering the hand dealt, perfection will have to be more perfect than usual.
Good luck Obama!
___________________________________________________________
[EDIT: after sleeping on it. This little ditty really does not paint me in a nice light at all. So I changed bits and pieces to seem nicer]
Went to my first room-viewing. On the walk over it struck me that a viewing is like a date. After a pause, I pffffed derisively at myself. Any social interaction is like any other. One illustrates by action, word and appearance the values one wishes to represent and provoke or evoke in others. [EDIT: We do like to be liked]
The viewing went well, it is the kind of place I would like to live- lots of space, friendly housemates and a choice of white walls to shine the projector on. 8D
I believe: "If you can't be rude to your friends, you can't be rude to anyone"
At Salsa last week, I bumped into one of the lads I know by name. To be friendly, I offered an opinion about the current meteorological state of Dublin, with which he agreed.
Three years ago an American exchange student and I spent a lot of time together. We were in Dublin for the summer away from our families and our classmates had more groups than us vying for their time. Once, walking down Henry st, Courtney commented on the weather. I met this with stony silence. She knew my stance on idle banter.
The word bastard has been used in reference to me, and I will admit that the above anecdote supports the malediction. I have a reason.
Idle banter is far from idle. When idle banter is brandished, somebody is probing, testing, either consciously or unconsciously, obliquely checking for common ground and appeal. It is amazing how much we give away by word choice and mannerisms.
I think conversation serves a purpose- it teaches, entertains, informs or instructs.* I think idle banter is proto-conversation, a precursor, a prelude and other things pre-.
I was affronted when Courtney brought idle-banter to bear on me. Since that summer, I am less irked by idle banter amongst friends. Some have trouble with silence. Depending on how entertaining- some people babble**- and sensitive- my mother doesn't care for it-they are about being met with silence, I'll accommodate them [and we dip back into the bastard region]. But I feel justified in loosing a bolt of it at a stranger. So I ain't a hypocrite, but maybe a sophist. :|
I concede that appearances can be misleading. Apparently idle banter can be pregnant with subtext, be it flirting or some kind of verbal fencing, which of course is not idle at all and lots of fun.
I dealt Gleb a bout of silence today, I've seen brooks that babbled less :P
*It is an idea my junior certificate English teacher mentioned with regard to written compositions. I figure it holds for all media, except maybe the internet.
**In the Discworld books based in Ankh-Morpork (Guards, Guards, Feet of Clay, Jingo, The Truth, Going Postal, etc.), the Patrician's favoured interrogation technique is silently letting babble run rampant
He has my sympathy.
Anyone else coming after Bush would have a cakewalk, but he carries a messianic burden. Nothing but perfection will be lauded. Considering the hand dealt, perfection will have to be more perfect than usual.
Good luck Obama!
___________________________________________________________
[EDIT: after sleeping on it. This little ditty really does not paint me in a nice light at all. So I changed bits and pieces to seem nicer]
Went to my first room-viewing. On the walk over it struck me that a viewing is like a date. After a pause, I pffffed derisively at myself. Any social interaction is like any other. One illustrates by action, word and appearance the values one wishes to represent and provoke or evoke in others. [EDIT: We do like to be liked]
The viewing went well, it is the kind of place I would like to live- lots of space, friendly housemates and a choice of white walls to shine the projector on. 8D
I believe: "If you can't be rude to your friends, you can't be rude to anyone"
At Salsa last week, I bumped into one of the lads I know by name. To be friendly, I offered an opinion about the current meteorological state of Dublin, with which he agreed.
Three years ago an American exchange student and I spent a lot of time together. We were in Dublin for the summer away from our families and our classmates had more groups than us vying for their time. Once, walking down Henry st, Courtney commented on the weather. I met this with stony silence. She knew my stance on idle banter.
The word bastard has been used in reference to me, and I will admit that the above anecdote supports the malediction. I have a reason.
Idle banter is far from idle. When idle banter is brandished, somebody is probing, testing, either consciously or unconsciously, obliquely checking for common ground and appeal. It is amazing how much we give away by word choice and mannerisms.
I think conversation serves a purpose- it teaches, entertains, informs or instructs.* I think idle banter is proto-conversation, a precursor, a prelude and other things pre-.
I was affronted when Courtney brought idle-banter to bear on me. Since that summer, I am less irked by idle banter amongst friends. Some have trouble with silence. Depending on how entertaining- some people babble**- and sensitive- my mother doesn't care for it-they are about being met with silence, I'll accommodate them [and we dip back into the bastard region]. But I feel justified in loosing a bolt of it at a stranger. So I ain't a hypocrite, but maybe a sophist. :|
I concede that appearances can be misleading. Apparently idle banter can be pregnant with subtext, be it flirting or some kind of verbal fencing, which of course is not idle at all and lots of fun.
I dealt Gleb a bout of silence today, I've seen brooks that babbled less :P
*It is an idea my junior certificate English teacher mentioned with regard to written compositions. I figure it holds for all media, except maybe the internet.
**In the Discworld books based in Ankh-Morpork (Guards, Guards, Feet of Clay, Jingo, The Truth, Going Postal, etc.), the Patrician's favoured interrogation technique is silently letting babble run rampant
I'm not a fan of silence in conversation, anyone can probably tell you this. I use banter/babble to maintain a conduit of conversation. If we're standing about I will either babble or ignore you (and if I'm just going to ignore you then why am I there?).
ReplyDeleteI have to confess, I even ramble at myself when there is nobody else about and I even get on my nerves ;p
The trouble with silence is that it sometimes just contrives to make people not want to talk to you.
You are right.
ReplyDeleteThe silence at the end of an argument, if you walk in on it, feels uninviting, like putting a hand on the frozen steel.
Other silences are like feathery down.
Something to look for.
God I sound like an eejit in that last comment... google should see about using "pretention goggles"..
ReplyDeleteMairtin, you are not a bastard, but you are also not a sophist. By any definition though, you are indeed specious.
ReplyDeleteI trust you will wait expectantly for mine own thoughts through the ether. We could then comment ad nauseum upon each others' speciousness.
As the French may say, Je l'attend avec impatience.
Yours,
Anonymous Tony
just looking for the symphathy vote, there Anon. T ;)
ReplyDeleteI look forward to you ponderances