can i be chiastic?

i have become a whole lot better about looking up words that i know i have heard before but cannot remember the meaning.  this week i was looking through some course notes for a creative writing course and one of the topics was "the use of chiasmus through the ages in the english language".  a good place to start would be to dust off the dictionary (ok - you caught me out - over to the computer, google, cut and paste).  a shame really the dictionary is becoming defunct.

chiasmus [ky-AZ-mus] (plural -mi), a figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second. This may involve a repetition of the same words ("Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure" —Byron) or just a reversed parallel between two corresponding pairs of ideas … . The figure is especially common in 18th century English poetry, but is also found in prose of all periods. It is named after the Greek letter chi (x), indicating a "criss-cross" arrangement of terms. Adjective: chiastic.

it is so easy to access information today that i feel guilty when i don't check up on meanings and facts (unfortunately i do not remember them for too long). chiasmus sounds a whole lot more posh than it really is and i ended up staying up very late last night reading online excerpts of a book by mardy grothe called "Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You".   he traces the use of chiasmus from biblical days through to the present:-

genesis 9:6.

He who sheds the blood of man, by man, shall his blood be shed

isaiah 6:10

Make the heart of this people fat,

and make their ears heavy,
and shut their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed

to shakespeare:-

King: Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern
Queen: Thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz

(Hamlet)

The world is grown so bad
That wrens make prey where eagles
dare not perch.
Since every Jack became a gentleman,
There's many a gentle person
made a Jack

(King Richard III (1592))

a couple from winston churchill that i had not seen before:-

Now this is not the end
It is not even the beginning of the end
But it is, perhaps,
the end of the beginning

oscar wilde was another master:-

When we are happy we are always good,
but when we are good we are not always happy

I wrote when I did not know life;
now that I do know the meaning of life,
I have no more to write.
Life cannot be written; life can only be lived

(i like that one, clever man)

those are the older and more classic ones. 

in 1991 vanity fair published an edition with a naked (and very pregnant) demi moore on the cover.  her hands and arms were placed to cover certain strategic places.  the photographer annie leibovitz caused controversy by combining sexuality with pregnancy and motherhood.  ellen goodman who wrote for the boston golden globe at the time had this to say:-

a few more:-

Love is the irresistible desire
to be irresistibly desired
or should it be:-
Love is the irresistible desire
to be desired irresistibly

Lust is what makes you keep wanting to do it,
even when you have no desire to be with each other.
Love is what makes you keep wanting to be with each other,
even when you have no desire to do it.

Judith Viorst

I find Paul appealing
and Peale appalling

Adlai Stevenson

Errol Flynn died on a 70-foot boat with a 17-year-old girl.
Walter has always wanted to go that way,
but he's going to settle for a 17-footer with a 70-year-old.

Betsy Maxwell Cronkite, wife of Walter Cronkite.

Charm is a woman's strength …
strength is a man's charm - Havelock Ellis

it is now very late and i am hesitant to publish this post.  this slightly academic post from a nonacademic is probably leaving you wondering what i have been drinking and now is time to confess (one glass of rockfield sauvignon blanc, promise).  really, here is the reason:-

after looking up "chiasmus" and reading bits of "Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You" i saw the quote below and had to share.  the only way to include it in the post would be to give you some background:-

"I've been fucking busy

and vice versa"

Dorothy Parker

to include it any other way would just not have been "right" ;)

sorry mum

(and apologies to the two english teachers who read my blog)

smells and memories

a while back dalene and i were taking a walk together on a cold and crisp night.  on getting back to her front gate we both took a deep breath and sniffed and at the same time said "it smells like johannesburg".  when dalene was about 7 my mom, dalene and i moved to johannesburg for a couple of months because our doctor had told my mom that dalene would not be able to survive another wet cape town winter.  the previous year she had had such bad bronchitis and pneumonia that my mom had taken her off to a farm in the karoo called "melton wold" for a couple of months.

melton wold

 wonderful place near victoria west

the next winter started and dalene was no better so a move with me this time, to johannesburg, where we could both attend school took place.  my mom had family there and we moved into a boarding house of sorts close by to where they lived.  neither of us had been exposed to the icy, dry, cold of a johannesburg winter and every house had fires or anthracite heaters burning.  to this day the smell of coal or anthracite burning in cape town always brings back those memories of a school term spent in johannesburg to both of us.  this was not a particularly happy smell but it does evoke lots of memories.

the "smell" of johannesburg in the late '60's

a happier smell for me is the smell of old spice.  why don't men wear that aftershave anymore?  it reminds me so much of my grandfather.  when i was young i used to sit on the toilet (closed) and watch my grandfather shave.  it was a fascinating ritual.  he had this tub of soap in a cup and a bristle brush.  he would make so much lather and always give me a dollop on the nose or cheek.  years and years later when he used to babysit gareth for me 2 mornings a week gareth was also shown his ritual (not sure why he always shaved at odd times).  anyway gareth was very honoured to be given his old red bristle bush.  for years it was in our bathroom at parry road and even moved to albion road with us (wonder where it is now?).

my one grandmother "granny carlson" wore elizabeth arden's blue grass.  i was walking through woolworths the other day and saw it on the shelves and could not resist a spray.  still definitely my "granny carlson smell" and brings back memories of her neat flat in kenilworth and tidy cupboards (she kept her shoes in the boxes and her jerseys in zipper bags). but sorry granny carlson i headed back to the office and had to wash it off my wrist.  there are not many perfumes that i can wear because as soon as they hang around my nose for too long, i start feeling sick.  no offence (that is just me).

my other granny "granny housego" was the homely one.  i don't think she bothered much with blue grass and tidy cupboards.  her home was filled with those ducks that fly up the stippled walls, like these:-



(amazing what you can google).  i think this was her set.  i remember that the one in the middle always looked frightened. she had lots of glass ball-and-claw display cabinets but when you visited her you spent time in the kitchen around her formica table.  

around this table she would tell you stories while she cooked or washed up.  she made up the best stories about fairies who drank dewdrops and used your teardrops to cook their rice, also about forests and houses inside old trees (and she would do her best to make dalene, my 2 girl cousins and i cry).  she did it so well though, she got us all to the point that the tears were filling our eyes and then she made everything alright with a couple of happy words.  her kitchen was always full of people, lots of steam and good smells.  the smell that reminds me of her is the smell of vanilla custard (she made it the proper way) and which she served in a jug just like this one:-

after "granny housego" (house-E-go) died my aunt asked me to come around and take anything i wanted.  at the time there were only a couple of photographs that i wanted (who in their right mind would want those ducks and cracked old jug).  now sitting here looking at those ducks and the jug i wish that i could have them in my kitchen (yes, the ducks too).  i also wish that i one day i will have my grandchildren around the kitchen table while i cooked and told them stories to make them cry.

men and women and colour

we had a discussion in the office the other day about colour.  it all came about because we were choosing colours for the new carpets.   jan came through and looked at the swatches and picked out his two favourites.  the women in the office were mortified.  the two that he picked were a chocolate brown and a dark purple brown.  he then left for golf totally unaware of the stir he had caused because this led to some discussion which was made worse when michael came through and chose the reddish purple colour (i still hope that he was joking) as he thought it would match the new red blinds very well.

do men and women see colour differently?  is my teal not your teal?  i know women do see more colours than men




but the funny part is that we do confuse them (men - not colours - but colours too).  the other day michael wanted to know what shoes to wear with his dark tan (nearly brown) pants.  i told him definitely the black ones.  "but i was taught that black and brown don't go together?".   i also remember that but the rules do change and i told him so.  a couple of days later he came through to the kitchen wearing navy pants and brown shoes.  "no, no, no", said i.  "so black and brown go but why not navy and brown".   i did not have an answer.

when we did the decor for nina and glenn's wedding in march it was amazing to discover how differently people perceive colour.   nina had mentioned that the bridesmaid's dresses were "kind-of- purple".   once we got the swatch of the colour there was much debating.   from periwinkle blue to dark lavender, no one could actually put their finger on it.

 lovely bridesmaid lauren and her girls



looking at the chart below, i would say it is somewhere between blue and lavender.

Men’s Favorite Colors	Women’s Favorite Colors
Blue	Blue
Green	Green
Black	Turquoise
	Pink
	Lavender

The table is courtesy of Live Silver Prices

and to me the lavender above is not lavender.  but who am i to argue with the professionals?  the picture below of little gracie (michael's sister jennifer's granddaughter) running in a field of lavender proves my point, or does it?

gracie (in the fields)

i hope you don't mind me using your picture janet? *

the colour debate goes on.  gareth thinks he is colour blind but is definitely not afraid of colour and often wears bright cardigans and sweatshirts.    i am afraid of colour - chromophobic, i believe is the word.  i was not always like this.  i did wear a long red dress to my matric dance and i do love colourful things in my life and home but not to wear them.  i am happy to wear a touch of colour subtly sticking out from something black or grey.  denim is fine too.  i love pretty floral shirts (and have a couple of unworn ones in my cupboard) but never wear them. i even put them on sometimes and get dressed but run back inside to change.  weird.  even when it comes to make-up i will stick with the neutral.  gill (who i share the front office with) wears lovely bright lipsticks and always asks why i have "pimple stick" on my lips.  i can't count how many lipsticks and eye shadows i have given away.

i remember years ago when the boys were little and they asked me "what's your favourite colour, mom?" - grey was my answer.  "grey is not a colour" was their reply.

years later when they were teenagers, i could prove my point (and do i love proving my point) when their favourite song of that time - mr jones by counting crows used to be played and re-played in the car or on the cd player:-

lyrics go as follows:-

I will paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and grey
All of the beautiful colors are very very meaningful
Grey's is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a grey guitar and play
Mr. Jones and me look into the future
Stare at the beautiful women
"She's looking at you.
Uh, I don't think so. She's looking at me."
Standing in the spotlight
I bought myself a grey guitar
When everybody loves me, I will never be lonely

mr jones (if you have forgotten) and want to listen



sorry, seriously sidetracked again and better finish off before i end up talking about the us open or something completely off the subject.  

conclusion - the colour of the carpets chosen for the office is a neutral grey/beige (we women do have a way of getting our way)!!

* (janet writes a brilliant blog http://wordsthatcanonlybeyourown.blogspot.com/ - take a look)

some winners of the weekend

winner number 1:-

nicky deacon's sweet potato and ginger soup:-

1 bunch spring onions - chopped
2T sunflower oil
3t fresh ginger - peeled and chopped
1 fresh chilli - chopped
1kg sweet potato - peeled and cubed
3 cups chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
coriander leaves
salt and pepper

gently soften onion and chilli in oil, add sweet potato and season a bit.
leave for about 5 minutes then add stock and coconut milk
simmer for 20/30 minutes until tender. 
puree and check taste
serve with coriander

i bought those sweet potatoes at woolworths and it looks more like butternut soup when cooked.  not so easy to find the light yellow sweet potatoes anymore and i think their flavour is better.  my soup never quite matches nicky's special blend.  my friend in new zealand, cheryl was visiting me and the night before nicky left for her holiday in namibia she brought around a large pot of this special soup.  it is still my favourite comfort food and, even the smell, brings back wonderful memories of her.

on the weekend we doubled the ingredients and made a really big pot which we had with ciabatta breads and a greek yogurt, chopped chilli and grated cucumber type of tsastiki (dalene got that recipe from her hairdresser - thanks abeda).  the greek yogurt mix was divine on the crispy warm ciabatta breads which we ate with the soup.

winner number 2:-

this not because i drank it either.  i just thought this label was brilliant:-

if it is too small to read, it says:-

the siren

shiraz / mourvedre / viognier

soft, ripe & juicey.  unpretentious

"this wine is a manifestation of me

if you don't like it.....enjoy your beer"

me, myself, the guy that made this wine

gareth had found this wine at the bottle store on the corner of raapenberg road in mowbray for R19 a bottle.  a really nice, lightish red wine.  if i did not love my ice cold white so much i may have been tempted to have a glass (or two). gareth and nic told me a bit more about it and that the wine started off as a blog (a bit like my book / blog vibe, but not really).  free bottles of wine were given away to wine bloggers.  this was about 7 years ago.   their website needs more investigating when i have some time so not 100% sure of all the details and whether there is much of the wine available in cape town.  this is the site:-

http://www.stormhoek.com/blog

“The one with the back label on the front”

i also found this story:-

"The first 500 people, aged 18 or over, who send me a pic of themselves in Tesco’s, holding a bottle of Stormhoek, will receive a £5.00 Tesco voucher from us, to cover the cost of the wine [N.B. These vouchers are not sponsored by Tesco's. We're covering the cost out of our own pocket]. And hey, you don’t even have to buy the wine if you don’t feel like it. You can spend the voucher on whatever you want. Nor do you have to blog it. Frankly, I’m more interested in the photos.

And to make it a bit more interesting, we’ll post our favorite pics on the Stormhoek blog, and each week we’ll send a complimentary case of wine to the person who took our favorite picture that week.
[AFTERTHOUGHT:] To get the ball rolling, I’ll send a case of Stormhoek [6 bottles] to the first six people who send in a photo [on condition that you're over 18 years old, of course]. Again, you don’t even have to buy the wine, nor do you have to blog it. [CAVEAT:] Though this promotion is in most Tesco stores, it isn’t in all of them. If your local Tesco doesn’t carry Stormhoek, apologies in advance. Drop me an e-mail if this happens and I’ll see what I can do. Thanks. [P.S. For all you Wine Geeks:] The Stormhoek Pinotage that won the “Best Pinotage in The World” award last year is part of the promotion. Rock on.
This might turn out to be quite groovy, it might not. Whatever. Fail fast, fail often etc."

nice marketing.......i like it (a lot) and may just venture out to find some of their white wines to try.  do you know the wine - ellen?  hope?  judy??  nix???? (names in no particular order, lest you think it is "ability to drink white wine" order)

winner number 3:-

caroline's cheese bread.  easy and divine and now i know the ingredients (because i did the shopping)!!  i am not a great baker so she is in no danger of me taking over the role that she has made her own.  i only hope i am not going to be in trouble for sharing the information but as kelly loves to say "sharing is caring":-

500 grams self raising flour

500 ml buttermilk

1 packet brown onion soup

1 cup cheese, grated

little bit of salt (brown onion soup is fairly salty)

heat oven to 190 deg. C

mix flour, butter and soup powder together by hand

mix in some of the grated cheese

place mixture in greased loaf tin (makes 2 medium sized loaves)

sprinkle grated cheese over batter (as much as you like)

bake for 45 minutes in pre-heated oven

get creative too:

add a tin of sweetcorn, some pepperdews or bacon (or both), garlic and parsley and other interesting things to the batter before putting it into the loaf tin. the sky is the limit with this basic recipe and you can change it up any way your heart desires!

makes great toast too!!

more to come.....