Footnotes to a Conversation, May 20, 2024

“We tend to value, and even idealize, the idea of seeing things through, of finishing things rather than abandoning them. Giving up has to be justified in a way that completion does not; giving up doesn’t usually make us proud of ourselves; it is a falling short of our preferred selves… Giving up, in other words, is usually thought of as a failure rather than a way of succeeding at something else. It is worth wondering to whom we believe we have to justify ourselves when we are giving up, or when we are determinedly not giving up.” [The Marginalian]

Ciao!

It’s really hard for me to visit a bookstore without buying a book, and I’m very pleased with my most recent purchase. Word Perfect by Susie Dent offers the stories and etymologies of a word a day for a year. Today’s word was goodbye, a contraction of ‘God be with you’. But even better was learning that ‘ciao’ is an alteration of an Italian dialect word that means ‘I am your slave’. [The Guardian]

Susie Dent has just published a new book: An Emotional Dictionary: Real Words for How You Feel, from Angst to Zwodder. [Amazon]

PS ‘zwodder’ refers to a dull, drowsy state or stupor

Immortal Architecture

Arakawa and Gins designed buildings that were intended to defeat mortality. Two residences they designed employ bold, bright colours, while the interior design is intended to create instability: “Uneven flooring. Irregular room shapes. Poles for structure, or perhaps for climbing? Every movement that the human body makes through these spaces must be calculated.” [JSTOR Daily]

Identifying Misinformation

There is so much information floating around on the internet, and a lot of it is inaccurate. But how do you tell the difference? One possible method is called SIFT. Step One: Stop. Hold off before commenting or reposting. Step Two: Investigate the source. Is it reputable? What is their purpose? Step Three: Find better coverage and verify the information’s accuracy. Step Four: Trace the claim to its original origin and/or check whether it’s been taken out of context. [BBC]

In Search of a New Author

If you’re looking for some new mystery options, the Crime Writers Association awards shortlist is a good place to start. There are first-time authors, historical mysteries, and non-fiction. [Waterstones]

Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.

If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.