Some Other Words...         September  2018

  

 

Hello, everyone.

So, summer is officially over this weekend. We can all settle back into normal, whatever that is for each of us. For me, it means my schedule completely changes as many of my students go back to school. (I get that that sounds weird, but it makes sense if you're me.) You know what I think I'm going to miss most? Outdoor movies. I really enjoyed those this summer.

You can learn more about Harry Houdini in this month's New Stuff. And get a really great twist on the basic grilled burger in In Good Taste. And the cartoon is one of my best!

Susan

o 
   New Stuff!!

I've got a podcast up now about Harry Houdini.  Well, not just about him.  I spoke with the director of the Jewish History Museum and their current exhibition on Harry Houdini.  Yes, if you didn't know it, Houdini was Jewish.  And there's a whole lot more about him you don't know.  Check it out, along with  other adventures there, on Podbean.     
Writing Tip Tip
 
e Flammable vs Inflammable  Sounds like they should be opposites, but we know they are used to mean the exact same thing.   In English, when you put in in front of a word, it usually negates it, right?  It means not or no.  

But it doesn't come from our language.  It comes from Latin.  You can check Merriam-Webster if you want the details, but it makes sense when you know the derivation.  These days, inflammable is being used less and less.  A new word was created: nonflammable.  That works.  Since living languages grow and transform, inflammable will probably become archaic.  Which will be much less confusing.

Mosquitos Have No Right to Life!

I was at RIE yesterday and I saw these Mosquitobands pictured on the right.  Now, I am one of those people who doesn't kill bugs when I find them in the house. I trap them and take them outside to let them go.  I figure if it is alive, it has a right to be alive and I have no right to decide otherwise.  

Except mosquitos. Mosquitos have no right to life  I feel no pangs of conscience killing them every chance I get. I love being outside in the evening in the summer, when the heat has mellowed to a comfortable warmth. I hate putting bug spray on because it's sticky and I always feel like I have to shower afterwards.  

I've seen other non-spray items that profess to repel mosquitos and other biting insects, but I've never quite believed them. Citronella is great, but you have to stay in a finite area, you can't go walking.

I've been very lucky this summer, though. Not a single bug bite, not even when I sit on my blanket on the grass to watch outdoor movies.  

Then I saw this wristband. It says it's been scientifically tested and proven to work.  And it only uses essential oils, no chemicals, and was just $5. I instantly knew that if I did not buy it, I would get bitten. Never mind that I hadn't been bitten all summer. I knew I would be if I didn't buy it. So I did. I'll test it out this Wednesday at an outdoor movie.

Now, you may say that if I don't get bitten, it's because I wasn't getting bitten anyway.  But I will know, in my heart, that it will be because of the wristband.

September is National ...
Backpack Safety * Bourbon Heritage * Chicken * Classical Music * Home Furnishings * Honey * Sea Cadet * Subliminal Communications * Save the Koala * Piano *  Service Dog * Sewing * Save a Tiger        
                                                                                     ...Month
And National ... 
1st - Tailgating * 3rd - Great Bathtub Race * 5th - Be Late For Something * 8th - Ampersand * 10th - Swap Ideas * 13th - Chocolate; Peanut * 15th - Dot * 17th - Country Music * 17th - Goat * 18th - Cheeseburger * 22nd - Chainmail; Fish Amnesty * 26th - Dumpling * 28th - Drink Beer                      ... Day
Click here for more.

TO YOUR HEALTH

September is Drug-Free Pain Management Awareness month. It's not listed above because it's too long, but it is true.  So, let's talk about some ways to manage pain that do not required medications.

Massage is one way if the pain is muscular.  If there is an injury or skin condition involved, vet your massage therapist well.  But for the muscle pain, massage is great.  Ice, too, can go a long ways towards alleviating pain.  If you're dealing with itching, try apple cider vinegar.  It doesn't work for all itching, but it can't hurt, so give it a try.  It's also very good for sunburn.

Now for some approaches that many of us do not believe work.  Acupuncture and meditation.  Personally, I hate acupuncture because I can't stand needles.  But I use it because it really works.

So does meditation.  It takes some practice, but it's a tool you can use for a lot of things. A lot of people swear bio biofeedback, too.  Give it a try.

Look, I don't care if you take medications or not.  I'm just presenting some ideas because it is, after all, Drug-Free Pain Management Awareness month.

Glad to have you aboard!  Please invite your friends to join my mailing list so they, too, can get the latest writing and editing tips.  For more on anything in this newsletter, see my blog &/or web site.  And I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn or Facebook!  

And please like my Facebook Fan Page: 
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Take care and have fun,

 

 

 

Susan Scher

In Other Words... 

In This Issue
Join Our Mailing List

We were born to  
unite with our fellowmen, and to join in community with the human race.
 
 

Cicero

Just for Fun
o
You know these.  They're movie mashups.
 
1) Rat and Mole visit
Toad Hall plantation
shortly before it is
destroyed by the
Union Army.

2) A man takes 
custody of his 
older, autistic 
brother and, during 
their cross-country 
adventures, 
discovers he is a 
dancing savant.

3) Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia bravely penetrate Mordor and cast the evil ring into the fires of Mt. Doom.

4) After their ultimate weapon is destroyed, the Emperor goes back in time to keep Darth Vader from falling in love.

5) The life of a once-promising boxer comes undone when he is consumed my jealousy until he later finds love as a minor league baseball player in North Carolina.

6) It's the ultimate battle: dinosaurs versus the undead.

Answer to August:
1) Anarchy - 
       Lawlessness
2) Vitality - Life 
3) Vindictive - Spiteful
4) Opprobrium - 
       Disgrace
5) Panacea - Cure
6) Alleviate - Lessen

In Good Taste
We've still got some good grilling time in the season.  I figured it doesn't get any more basic for grilling than hamburgers.  So, I found a recipe that gives the basic burger just a bit of a kick.
                    
Ingredients :
   1lb. ground beef
   Kosher salt
   freshly ground black 
      pepper
   3 Tbsps olive oil
   2 Tbsps sweet chili sauce
   1 Tbsp honey
   1 Tbsp sriracha
   Juice of 1 lime
   1/3 C mayo
   2 C slaw
   4 hamburger buns

Directions :  
1) Form beef into 4 
    patties,  season with s/p; 
    in meduim  bowl, whisk 
    together oil,  chili sauce, 
    sriracha, honey,  and lime
    juice
2) In separate bowl, 
    combine  half chili sauce 
    mixture  with mayo    
3) Heat grill; cook burgers 
    until charred - about 4 
    mins., flip, grill another 
    4  mins., baste with 
    remaining  sauce 
    throughout grilling
4) Place burgers on 
    bottom  buns, top with 
    slaw, drizzle  with mayo 
    mixture, replace  top 
    buns, serve immediately

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