My Wasted Space

English huh?

2012-01-20T23:07:00.001-08:00

If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world.

After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he’d prefer six months of hard labour to reading six lines aloud.

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Fe0ffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

English Pronunciation by G. Nolst Trenité

It really has been almost 4 months since I posted

2011-12-29T17:01:00.001-08:00

I am continually amazed how some people continue t be able to post something while I rarely have anything to say. I found this photograph in my late night stumbling and thought it was particularly intriguing. Although different it reminded me of some of the col photos that Allison has posted.

These made my day

2011-09-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

I came across these on the weekend and they completely made my day

I was also told about a site called stumbleupon which I have to say had me enthralled for about two hours. You can find tons of interesting web pages based on your interests.

think about this

2011-09-04T19:51:00.001-07:00

does this remind you of anyone?

2011-08-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Source: imgfave.com via Monique on Pinterest

Follow these directions: Seriously?

2011-08-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

1. Go to www.google.com
2. Click on the maps option at the top left of that screen.
3. Click on get directions
4. Fill in the field From: with China.
5. Fill in the field To: with Taiwan.
6. Scroll down to direction number 48.
7. Read the direction.
8. Let me know if you got a chuckle.

Relief and words for the day

2011-07-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

I am sooo lucky. VISA has just refunded the $12,000 deposit that I put down on the boat that didn't get delivered. It's a huge relief for me.

So now I have to decide if I look for another boat or invest the money. No boat for this year because of the amount of time remaining in the summer and the lack of remaining free time I would have to use it. We're also considering using it for our next trip. The one thing I don't want to do is leave it in a bank account where it would slowly get frittered away.

And now something for no good reason.......

15 Wonderful Words With No English Equivalent

1. Zhaghzhagh (Persian)
The chattering of teeth from the cold or from rage.
2. Yuputka (Ulwa)
A word made for walking in the woods at night, it’s the phantom sensation of something crawling on your skin.
3. Lampadato (Italian)
Addicted to the infra-red glow of tanning salons? This word describes you.
4. Luftmensch (Yiddish)
The Yiddish have scores of words to describe social misfits. This one is for an impractical dreamer with no business sense. Literally, air person.
5. Iktsuarpok (Inuit)
You know that feeling of anticipation when you’re waiting for someone to show up at your house and you keep going outside to see if they’re there yet? This is the word for it.
6. Cotisuelto (Caribbean Spanish)
A word that would aptly describe the prevailing fashion trend among American men under 40, it means one who wears the shirt tail outside of his trousers.
7. Pana Po’o (Hawaiian)
“Hmm, now where did I leave those keys?” he said, pana po’oing. It means to scratch your head in order to help you remember something you’ve forgotten.
8. Gumusservi (Turkish)
Meteorologists can be poets in Turkey with words like this at their disposal. It means moonlight shining on water.
9. Vybafnout (Czech)
A word tailor-made for annoying older brothers—it means to jump out and say boo.
10. Mencolek (Indonesian)
You know that old trick where you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them? The Indonesians have a word for it.
11. Faamiti (Samoan)
To make a squeaking sound by sucking air past the lips in order to gain the attention of a dog or child.
12. Glas wen (Welsh)
A smile that is insincere or mocking. Literally, a blue smile.
13. Bakku-shan (Japanese)
The experience of seeing a woman who appears pretty from behind but not from the front.
14. Boketto (Japanese)
It’s nice to know that the Japanese think enough of the act of gazing vacantly into the distance without thinking to give it a name.
15. Kummerspeck (German)
Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. Literally, grief bacon.

dogs

2011-07-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

As I was out in the forest this morning with jake the dog I was again noticing that he doesn't have the speed or energy that he did before. He still loves to go spend an hour tromping along the trails but I won't take him for a run anymore. He is 10 years old which is the average life span for a large dog. He's in great shape and most people can't believe he's that old for how much he loves to chase the ball but I can't help but feel sad, knowing what is coming, 3 maybe 4 more years max. He gives me pleasure everyday and and I enjoy his company, although in truth I think he is more Robbie's dog, he follows her everywhere I think he feels a need to protect her or something. I know many people just have dogs as pets but my/our dogs have always been an important part of our life.

I know I've put pictures of jake up before but here is also a picture of a couple previous dogs, golden retrievers named suzie and chester. Both lived to be quite old, suzie was almost 15 when she dies and chester was almost 14.suzie is the golden one and chester is the white one.

Dismayed, disheartened, disappointed, disillusioned

2011-06-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned I was purchasing one of these. I don't take being able to do that lightly, I consider myself very fortunate that we both have good jobs and could even consider one of these because they are expensive. Even so, It took a few years of saving because I don't like the idea of going into debt for a luxury item like this.

It looks like I won't be getting it and I may lose my $12,000 deposit. The company that I was buying it from Big Island Inflataboats was in business for 18 years and had a good reputation is gone, It appears they have moved some of the boats and the landlord has changed the locks because of rent payments in arrears. I talked with the bailiff the other day and he indicated the RCMP are involved and they are looking for the boats that they moved. I hope to have more details Wednesday. For now, no boat and no money.

Right now I would like to find out where the woman that owned the business lives and just ask her how she feels about lieing and stealing from people like that.

the other word I should add to the title that didn't start with d..."embarrassed"

Serious?

2011-06-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.kohler.com/numi/#video.html
http://www.kohler.com/numi/#comfort.html

Ok I don't know how to embed this video here but have a look. This is a new toilet by kohler. I could really like a toilet with heated seat, remote control, ability to control water temp, air dryer, foot warmer etc. But really? is this necessary and I understand it's over $6,000!!

That and the location of the toilet in the video, I guess a nice view while you're doing your business would be good.

Am I wrong for wanting one?

it's really been 3 months since I put anything here?

2011-06-08T23:13:00.001-07:00

For the past 3 years robins have been nesting on the support beam underneath the deck out back. We work around them going under the deck and back out they generally ignore us. We've always missed when the little ones have gotten big enough and moved on. This evening however, I heard a noisy commotion out front and saw one of these little babies sitting in the middle of the street with a crow swooping down at it. It couldn't fly yet and was defenseless. There were several robins around trying to defend it and force the crow off. They succeeded to get the crow to move to a light standard. Next thing I see a truck coming down the street towards the little crow baby, fortunately it stopped and went around. The little baby robin just sat there, not sure what to do or where to go. I went to the straight and herded it towards the bushes in our front yard where it had some protection. Hopefully it makes it, avoiding the crows and the cats.

Work

2011-03-05T22:51:00.001-08:00

Me working last Sunday night.

I am so lucky

2011-02-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

I am a very fortunate person; Turkey and Amsterdam last fall, Maui last month and now Indianapolis next month. We are sending four members of the fire department to this

Why me you may ask? Is it my great skill, exceptional performance and dedication? Nah. All that had the qualifications and experience had their names put in a hat (it really was a hat) and mine was drawn.Pretty cool huh?

Jake the jerk dog in his new life jacket

2011-01-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

And there he is in his new life jacket. Needless to say he doesn't look thrilled. But if he goes overboard a couple miles offshore he needs to be safe as well. Yes he is a water dog and swims well but I don't know how long or far he can swim without becoming exhausted.

Upcoming summer fun

2011-01-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

I went out and bought one of these last month, thus Christmas presents were life jackets for us and the dog. Although we both work at good jobs and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be able to by this, I feel guilty and self indulgent. I know there are lots of people out there barely scraping by and those that have nothing. I've always given a certain percentage of my income to charities and have helped out with certain events when possible. I wonder if that's just my way of making myself feel better about what I have.

Risk vs. reward

2010-12-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

this makes total sense to me. I use to read Calvin and Hobbes religiously. It was my reason for getting the newspaper. Over the years I was given several of the books. It was like losing a friend when the author stopped producing it.

PROOF!, my brother wanted me dead

2010-12-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

After having a discussion about siblings and how we inflict pain on them I remembered an incident from my childhood when I was sure my older brother wanted me gone. He was always jealous and wanted to be an only child. Well here it is, proof he tried to kill me. Oh I know it looks like he's hugging me, but let me tell you there was a sinister plot going on there and mom and dad were oblivious to it, but I knew better. It was only out of shear fortune and sleeping with one eye open that I lived.

Human Centipede

2010-11-20T00:03:00.000-08:00

In my late night perusal of all things strange I came across a trailer for this movie. Very very odd. This led me to IFC website which is a distributor for independent films. Anybody want to watch a movie with me?

Finally!

2010-11-08T23:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from my recent trip to Turkey. It was an amazing trip with lots to see. The history and the ruins were incredible to see.

Hand made ceramic plate bought in Avanos

rug we bought from a cooperative in Avanos that supplies looms to women and teaches them to weave.

spice market, Istanbul

Bee hive houses at Haarran

carved heads at top of Mt. Nemrut. We got up at 2:30 to gut up there for sunrise

Carved heads at Mt. Nemrut

Balloons taking off in the morning

view down from our balloon

From the balloon

Some of the rock structures in Cappadocia

Caves at Goreme

guess who!

Residents of the ruins at Caunos

Tombs in the wall at Dalyan

A couple that would deliver pancakes out to the boats in the bays for breakfast

Some of the hundreds of tombs at Necropolis

Amphitheatre at Ephesus

Library at Ephesus

Vacation time!

2010-09-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

Off to Turkey tomorrow with a couple day stop over in Amsterdam. Back in 3 weeks

3 more sleep!!!!!

2010-09-12T18:04:00.001-07:00

Now that's great cinema!

2010-09-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

WHY?

2010-08-22T17:37:00.001-07:00

I wasn't searching for this so don't think I'm weird

2010-08-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

While searching for vintage travel posters this one came up. Kind of left me scratching my head.

things that make me giggle (not jiggle)

2010-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

If anybody is going to France in the near future please think of me.

2010-08-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

I brought back a couple bottles of this bottle of heaven
and I savoured it and saved it for as long as possible. It's now all gone and now I'm sad. I wouldn't let any guests even taste it. I really really need more. Mailing alcohol into Canada is not allowed. Arrrgggghhhhhh

I want one of his photos

2010-08-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.clarklittlephotography.com/gallery/

And on a lighter note......

2010-08-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon was a lazy time for me. I poured an unusual afternoon cup of coffee and turned on the TV. I don't recall what channel it was but this movie came on. I rarely turn the tV on during the day but fortunately for me I did and the movie Hank and Mike waqs just starting. I loved it. Ok so I suck at movie reviews. (Barb, watch it and do a proper review please)

Horrible hate mongering propoganda

2010-07-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

I was recently sent this in an email by somebody that I have been "chatting" with for a while. She is an American. I watched it and then she asked for my thoughts. I told her that I was disturbed and troubled by it. And she said she was as well. After a few sentences I realized that we were troubled for different reasons. She was upset because she viewed everything in there as fact and that America can not let Muslims take over their culture. I was troubled becasue I viewd it as one sided fear mongering with a bunch of false made up statistics. There is next to no sources and no credits in the video. I was troubled because it promotes a need to "do something" I was troubled for many reasons. I was troubled because this person is an intelligent well spoken person. Afterwards I spent about 3 hours researching things like migration, birth rates etc. I found that most of the stats in the video are wrong, the quotes are not accurate. I found many forums to do with this video that quickly degrade into anti-everything but white Christians. I guess more accurately what they perceive Christians to be. I know it is all based on fear and our wonderful media that only reports the extremist Mulsims which account for very few of the entire Muslim world. The same as the radical Christians account for a small portion of all Chritianity.

Oh well the weekend is coming and I'm going to a BBQ fund raiser on a private islnad about an hours boat ride from Campbell River. I will take a camera. I will take a camera...........

Laugh for the day

2010-07-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

I saw this and was reminded of the time when I lived in Winnipeg. I was in a downtown mall and in comes Richard Simmons. He is certainly unique

I'm thinking this guys business won't be around for long

2010-07-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

Copying and cheating?

2010-06-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

Following in the vein of Allison's "7 pictures that made me smile" these are "7 pictures that intrigued me today"

I am so unoriginal

Fishing weekend update

2010-05-10T23:15:00.001-07:00

Was a good weekend fishing up off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island. Fish was caught, prawns and crabs were caught, beer was drank and I didn't get sea sick. I did take extra precautions; scopolamine patches and bonamine capsules as well as sea bands.

My big catch was a 43 pound halibut. If you've never seen one before here is a picture, nobody I know in the picture, I just never took a camera. They are tiring even at that size and they can grow up to several hundred pounds although average is probably 35-55 pounds.

Upcoming weekend fun

2010-05-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

This Thursday I am off to the Broughton Archipelago for 3 days of prawning and crabbing. It's a beautiful unspoiled area off the northeast side of Vancouver Island. I expect to come back with 600 large spot prawns and several large dunganess crabs. Living on Vancouver Island is a very good thing. People in other places pay huge money for this kind of seafood, mind you it will cost a bit by the time we pay for fuel and food.

Also, we have booked our fall trip to Turkey....can hardly wait.

I can't get this out of my head...arrrgghh!

2010-03-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

The other night at the pub during karaoke one guy got up and sang this song. I had never heard it before. Now I'm singing it wherever I go (only to myself). If you haven't heard it, I'm sharing it. If you have and forgot it, here's a reminder. For some reason embedding has been disabled for this but you can find it here, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CYwNWHZuT0

the song is "three little pigs" by green jelly (jello)

Reminder of a nightmare

2010-03-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

Other than being a bleach jug as something else this isn't related to this post. well I guess it is because it's about bleach jugs as something else, but really it's about how things can suddenly evoke such strong memories you can almost see it.

When I was young, as in 4 or 5 we lived in a two bedroom house, with 4 kids it was a bit tight. My brother and I being the oldest slept in a makeshift room in the basement with a curtain for a door. I know these days it seems kids have to have their own room and people don't think of putting their kids in the basement until much older. I kinda liked it down there. There was a comforting sound to the noises the furnace would make and hearing the floor creak and mom and dad as they walked around the kitchen and living room. I don't know why, maybe because us kids were dirty or dad had lots of white shirts but there were several empty bleach bottles under the basement stairs. One night I had a nightmare that involved all the bleach bottles rising up and joining together in the shape of a man and coming out from under the stairs. The weird part is, another night my brother who is 3 years older had a dream about the bleach bottles but in his I was sitting on the floor laughing while it came towards me and he was afraid and trying to get me to come to him. I had not even remotely remembered or thought about that basement or those dreams forever. Until today. I was walking the dog home through an elementary school yard and tied to the fence was what looked like a kids art project, dozens of milk and bleach jugs tied in various forms. The memory of my dream hit me instantly and it was like I was waking up from it for the first time except without the anxiety and fear associated with the nightmare of a 5 year old

Although I don't necessarily believe in hidden meanings in dreams etc. I do find them fascinating. I enjoy them, even nightmares after realizing that they are just dreams I think wow thats amazing how powerful they are.

My kingdom for a can opener that cuts the lid all the way around instead of leaving spots uncut so you have to use a knife and pry the lid up!

2010-02-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

kingdoms don't really amount to much anymore do they?

Just to make Allison's Google Reader go off, I really have nothing to say

2010-02-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

Now my next task is how to get pictures from my phone (which I've had for over 3 years and just took pictures for first time). You know I am really not this bad technologically. I've replaced hard drives, and other parts, figured out software issues etc. Some stuff i just never get around to doing.

And the Swedish women's hockey team. Couldn't even get in the dressing room damn. And there were no issues where our services were required. And then the reality check...the "old" woman on the team was 34, most between 18-24. I will be 47 in 2 weeks....sigh

I am such a dork!

2010-02-06T23:31:00.001-08:00

I just discovered I had some comments that needed to be moderated. I didn't know that was turned on. How the hell did that happen? I was just about to delete this thing because I figured people weren't commenting because I wasn't blogging

I spent part of this afternoon working as first aid for the Swedish womens hockey team. They are over here doing some practicing for before the Olympics. I'm sure some of them might be really hot under all that gear but I'll have to leave it up to my imagination. Tomorrow they play an exhibition game against the Chinese womens team.

How could someone be nostalgic for this?

2009-11-21T21:56:00.001-08:00

I was attempting to watch a movie called "My Winnipeg"..is it just me that doesn't get it and only last 20 minutes? I ended up here googling? googleing? whatever, for pictures of the Woleseley elm....a tree that was in the middle of Wolseley Ave and was dynamited 51 years ago. Anyhow...I came across these photos of the Wolseley area where I lived for 3 years. Even though I never got to know many people there, it had more of a sense of community than any other area I have lived and looking at these winter pictures made me kinda nostalgic for it. I walked the dogs down every street and alley of that area. Now I live on Vancouver Island, mountains, forests, ocean...the works. And in spite of the 12,000 feet of rain we had this week I don't think I will ever move. Anybody who hasn't spent time there won't understand it but, it has a lot going for it, ok its cold in the winter and mosquitoed in the summer

Here's a few pics I found at of the Wolseley area in winter

My Grandpa

2009-11-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

In keeping with Remembrance Day, a couple months ago I found my grandfathers attestation papers online. We was 16 and a half when he signed up and went to war. I look at the 16 year old kids now and couldn't imagine sending them. Different times, but maybe there are some that have the maturity and just don't show it. Reminds me of a quote.."Cris doesn't create character, it exposes it"

A card for me and it wasn't even my birthday

2009-11-07T12:58:00.001-08:00

This is the front of a card I received recently. Put it here just because I am a lazy ass blogger and I am always at a loss for words or anything of substance

France

2009-10-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

The Thinker....just to show you we did some culture

R and the dog that started following us shortly after we started a 16km walk, I wonder why?....A certain someone is causing trouble

Have to have one picture from a Paris fire station

me!

me again

my favourite Eiffel tower pic that I took

A chicken for sale in the grocery store

really nice chantrelle mushrooms

my bike and a neat door, I took a gazillion pictures of doors

OOPS!

2009-09-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'll attempt to fix this once we are back from France