Language abuse

I have recently noticed that I over use the phrase 'thank you'. For instance, after I have given someone a flu shot, they often say thank you. I respond to this with, 'thank you', but why? Why am I thanking them? *I* did *them* a service, not vice versa. Sort of.

It is true the person chose to get a flu shot from me and by extension the Visiting Nurse Association of Colorado. In these times, when one has many choices of where to get a flu shot, it is nice that they have chose Colorado's only not-for-profit nursing agency, thereby supporting their community, etc. If this is actually that for which I am thanking them, however, I should be specific, so they remember the substance of the thanks and don't just brush it off as a stock answer. Although after saying to 70 people in a two hour period, it could very well be considered a stock answer.

I have also caught myself in situations where the 'thank yous' being exchanged seem to negate each other. For instance, after a colleague and I had finished a flu shot clinic the other day, we thanked the other -- for what? For doing our jobs? Or was something above and beyond the call of duty done for which to thank the other person?

I worry that 'thank you' is going the way of 'how are you?', which long ago became a generic greeting and not actually a question to which the other person wanted an answer. To lose this most basic expression of gratitude would be a shame. Then again, perhaps English speakers have always been too polite and this is just a move in the opposite direction to correct the problem. Now, before you give your top five examples of English-speakers' rudeness, hear me out.

In the three non-English languages I have taken at least a moment to study, there is no direct translation of 'you're welcome'. French and Spanish both use the equivalent of 'it's nothing' as a reply to 'thank you' and in Nepali one does not use the actual words for 'thank you' unless the person has done something truly spectacular. So, maybe against the backdrop of English-speakers' acute politeness at the back end of the interaction, a more casual use of the phrase at the front end is acceptable...?

On that last point, I disagree with myself, actually, and shall take pains to watch my language when it comes to the use of 'thank you' in order to preserve its integrity. Please join me in my quest to avoid the bastardization of our fine language.

Photo: Self-portrait of me and my newest scarf, patter courtesy of Vogue knits (I think) by way of Nine's grandma.

More than one would expect at the grocery

On a daily basis I am astonished that I have the privilege to live as I wish; today this feeling came over me at the grocery store. I was shopping for molasses at King Sooper's, a local grocery chain. Just before I located the molasses, I came across a bottle of fruit-flavored syrup bearing a sticker of the image at left.

Though I had no need for this syrup I nearly bought it because I am so stinkin' excited that I live in Colorado (finally) and that that local goods initiative exists, which makes it possible for me to easily show my support of local businesses by purchasing their wares at my major grocer. In addition, it's empowering to communicate via my puchasing power to the management of my local grocers that I prefer to buy local. Finally, it's heartening to know that people at a more powerful level than the one at which I exist also care about supporting local businesses (and perhaps the environment, too, though I don't know that the environment was a consideration).

Indeed, it was quite a powerful moment in aisle 7 of the King Sooper's at 10th and Corona.

Image from: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/Agriculture-Main/CDAG/1167928162081

Pre-meal moment

I am in the process of adopting a pre-meal moment of 'thank you' to which I was introduced during the meditation retreat in which I participated in Nepal.

I sit with the meal before me, stretch my arms over my head then behind me in an effort to let go of the stresses of the moment, close my eyes and say 'thank you' to the people who made it possible to have food to eat, such as growers, packers, shippers and grocery employees.

The personal and the political

I recently finished reading Embryo: A Defense of Human Life by Robert P. George and Christopher Tollefsen. I picked it up at the library to do a bit of reading about the other side of the argument and ended up agreeing with the authors -- to a point. The premise of the book is that an embryo is a human being and a person and therefore should neither be experimented upon nor terminated.

I have mixed feelings about the argument against experimenting upon embryos; I consent to participate in research studies on a regular basis. If the embryo, a minor by age as it is not 18-years-old, has a parent consenting for it, what's wrong with performing research upon it? But I also firmly, unapologetically, and undebatably continue to support legal abortion, even after reading a book in defense of human life.

I disagree with the author's argument against 'moral dualism', or that one object can not have two moral statuses. I believe a fetus, until the point of viability (which, for abortive purposes in many states is defined as 26 weeks, although I believe that gestational age could be pushed to 30-32 weeks if one takes into account wanting to avoid having a severely medically compromised infant on life support), is not yet a person. A person is one who can exist outside the womb.

As for the book, I wish I remembered more of my undergraduate courses in philosophy and ethics in order to fully appreciate the author's arguments. However, even without such recall, I was left feeling that some of their conclusions lacked evidence to back them up.

I am struggling with my part in the pre-election season. Last Sunday I attended a house party for moveon.org and made phone calls to Moveon members, who are also Obama supporters, to make known to them opportunities to work for the Obama campaign. I was handed a script written by Moveon.org and a list of folks in Boulder to call. No trouble, right?

Part of the script was to ask folks if they've been following the campaign, and then to as a follow-up question or two. This implies that the caller has been following the campaign and knows enough to sound intelligent. I followed up with the next scripted line on the page. What a foul Obama supporter I am, or am I an Obama supporter at all?

I have very mixed feelings about having helped his campaign even for those two hours. It's not that I agree with the current administration. It's not that I think McCain will be any different than Bush, Jr. and therefore whole-heartedly support him. It's that I'm not sure Obama will be any different, either.

Maybe I'm too cynical to be alive, but what's keeping him from saying the right things now, and then changing his mind later? Or just not being able to carry through on his campaign promises? Really, what it comes down to is that I'm not sure I can get excited about another candidate; I'm still too politically tired from Gore's bid in '00. So, what to do? as the Nepali would say.

I've signed up to volunteer to register voters at Denver's Oktoberfest on Saturday. It's not a particular candidate's campaign, but it's still a contribution to the election effort. I won't have to make small talk about the presidential race I'm barely paying attention to. And I won't have to profess belief and faith in something I don't believe in. Although voting failed us in 2000, didn't it?

Shite. I wanted something to believe in.

It’s official, I’ve moved in

It’s official, I’ve moved in; I’ve started hanging pictures on the walls of my apartment. Found three crazy affordable frames at the Salvation Army on Colfax, took them apart, and reassembled them with my photos in place. I keep forgetting to take ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of such projects to impress y’all. Dang it!

The job hunt is not going quite as well as the picture frame hunt. I’ve determined that I don’t really want to work, so I’m having difficulty mustering the motivation to get excited enough about a job to convey that excitement to a potential employer. Unfortunately, the funding to support my not working is quickly dwindling; perhaps once I start panicking about making rent, then the job-hunting motivation will kick in?

Actually, I have successfully convinced the Visiting Nurse Association that I want to give flu shots this fall. I’ve been to a day of training, mostly about company policies and procedures, and my first flu shot clinic is in 10 days. I also have the option of working at other ‘wellness’ clinics, such as blood pressure and cholesterol screening. So, technically I am not unemployed, but I am under employed.

I ran with the Denver Full-Moon Hash House Harriers on Thursday. The Hash was a bit disorganized, as the car of the harrier (the guy setting the trail) had broken down and he was taking at least two forms of public transport to get himself to the on-in (the start), but there was running and beer and rabble-rousing, so overall it was a good time. As a result of meeting folks there, I’ve signed up for HashSpace.com, the online community for Hashers. So, if I know you, come find me; my Hash name is ShaggyMama (of course there’s a story; I’m not posting it here).

Photo by Josh Bartok (www.shobophoto.com), framing by moi.

A little more settled

Last we spoke, dear readers, I believe I was apartment and job seeking. I've managed to lay the apartment seeking to rest; I moved in August 28th to a place close to everything. It's in a really quiet building on a noisy street; fortunately I'm a heavy sleeper. I've been struggling a bit with not having a schedule, but that may quickly be coming to a close as I had an interview for a registered nurse job this past week and I'll have an interview for a nurse practitioner position next week. YAY!

I've started running, and the breathing is getting easier, but I'm told it takes three months at altitude to get to 75% of one's sea-level conditioning... or is it 25% conditioning per month up to 85% and then *much* longer for that last 15%? Oh heck. In other words, it's gonna be a while before I'm running any marathons. The best part of the running is not the conditioning, but that I've found some folks with whom to run, as I continue to miss the camaraderie and the folks from the Himalayan Hash House Harriers. Unfortunately I haven't made it out to any Hashes here, so no drinking group for me... yet.

I've had a million and one ideas to blog, but now, of course, can't remember any of them so all you're getting is this mundane update on my life. I'll be more philosophical next time. Promise.