CELL

Cell is a four letter word.

Cell phones and I have... a constant disagreement. When people were raving about how they were going to give up their landlines in favor of their cell phones, I would wonder how they could actually complete a call on them. As people talked about their great deals, I would be amazed that people would pay so much for such poor quality. Yes, I have a cell. And I found one at a reasonable price for my usage... but I just can't see making this my primary anything in favor of nice reliable wires. Tough to have the wires trailing me out of the house, tho, I'll admit.

MESS

Mess is a four letter word.

With the holiday weekend over, its time to clean things up and return to the routine.

TURN

Turn is a four letter word.

Turns are changes in direction. Sometimes we change direction because the path we are following changes direction. Sometimes the new direction is by our choice. Sometimes we must turn back and retrace our steps. Sometimes we must turn and forge a new path.

SOCK

Sock is a four letter word.

Ahhhhhh... the Joy of Socks....

HAVE? GIVE.

Have? Give.

My thanks to those who have shared much with me, and whom I've been able to share much with. Peace, Prosperity, and Happiness to all of you on this day of Thanksgiving.

FOOD PREP

food prep - two four letter words for this day before Thanksgiving.

GLUE

Glue is a four letter word.

I learned today that earlier this week, Dr Harry Coover received the National Medal of Science in a ceremony at the White House. Who is Dr Coover? Why... he's the man who "invented" Super Glue, of course. At a time when we think about science and innovation when it comes to telecommunication and computing... we need to remember that we, as a culture, need good ideas and good research in a wide range of areas. Environmental research is hot now, so to speak, and medical research and technology is always a favorite, but there are so many things that need to be explored and understood that don't get recognized. Glue seems mundane - but work in this field has led to all sorts of innovations in other fields, including medical technology!

Don't discount the new things that we must discover to make real advances for everyone.

DRAW

Draw is a four letter word.

I have almost no artistic ability to draw. Stick figures are about as good as I can do, and I'm not even sure I can do them very well. But my two-year-old is constantly coming to me with a magnetic drawing board and asking me to draw things. I'm pretty good with the shapes, but when he asks me to draw a dog, I'm in big trouble. He doesn't seem to care.

SICK

Sick is a four letter word. Poor kiddo.

DUCK

Duck is a four letter word.

Wanna buy a duck?

Does it quack?

JUST

Just is a four letter word.

There are so few things that are as deceptively simple as the word "just". It belies the complexity that are behind most things, almost becoming dismissive of the complexity. Even if we are able to handle something simply, there is a complex set of issues leading up to it. Do not take things for granted, even if they are "just" so simple.

PLAY

Play is a four letter word.

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.

BLOW

Blow is a four letter word.

Sure seems windy out there today!

TIME

Time is a four letter word.

Daylight Saving Time is ending in the United States. As a morning person, I am somewhat happy about this. It gives some more morning light just at a time it is beginning to get darker in general... so I welcome that. It is only a brief respite, however, as the days get grimmer and grimmer.

NAME

What is in a name?

JULIET:
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

Romeo and Juliet

And yet... names have great meaning and power. In stories as diverse as Vernor Vinge's True Names and Ursula K Leguin's Earthsea trilogy, the name of the thing is what was required to be able to have power over it. Even in the here-and-now, there is much desire to hide behind "anonymous", and many people who wish for it to be not-so-anonymous.

Is a rose by another name really just as sweet? Rose is, after all, another four letter word.

VOTE

Vote is a four letter word.

Voting is our most constitutionally guaranteed way to express our opinion. We may not like the results. We may be the one voice against the many. But it is our opinion and our right to express it and be counted. Avail yourself of that right.