The There There Letter: Ululation, Undulation, and Utricide
Three things from DAH.
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. Much in this world is foreign to me.
First up this week, Ululation …
Among many things of which I am aware but are uncommon in my cultural corner: Ululation. I do have experience of keening, a cousin of ululation. Once, on a long train journey, a young mother keened tunelessly as she walked up and down the aisle of our train carriage. Her aim seemed calming (by keening) the infant in her arms. I found the lengthy performance unsettling rather than calming. The infant was silent throughout, perhaps thinking, "if I pretend to be asleep perhaps she'll stop." Occasionally, as a party turn, I am persuaded (generally by myself) to repetitiously and randomly keen the words "oh, little baby!" in a skirling falsetto. I'm sure I'm hilarious. Ululation sounds more formed and fanciful.
From South Africa: 2015 Lilizela Tourism Awards: Ululation
Second up this week, Undulation …
I think of undulation in relation to rolling roads and land forms, and to some regular wave patterns. These rolling movements aren't foreign to me. The belly dancer's rolling movements are. Recently introduced to Qigong, I've enjoyed the form "Goldfish Wiggles Tail" because the wriggling movement felt quite nice. But, just as to keen isn't to ululate, to wiggle isn't to undulate. That's a sentence I can't quite believe I wrote (feeling cute, might delete later). I expect that belly dancing undulations could feel quite nice, and are probably good for building abdominal fitness.
How to Do Undulations | Belly Dancing
Third up this week, Utricide …
When I was a teenager we all thought bota bags were pretty cool. Ours were cheap knock-offs, faux leather and plastic rather than bristly goat skin sealed with pitch (the real deal wineskin of Spain). We callow youths imagined bota bags held high and wine streaming into our waiting mouths. Nobody ever shared the thought, "Hey, I could stab this fake wineskin instead of a person!" And yet, there's a rather rare word for that very activity: Utricide. I can get behind this idea, utricide. Aside from the waste of dodgy wine (if it's good wine why is it in a bota bag? no offense intended to the box-wine company of that name). It seems to me the world would be a safer place were more people to stab their wineskin instead of there foe.
Genuine Bota Wineskins
And a bit more:
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. Much in this world is foreign to me.
First up this week, Ululation …
Among many things of which I am aware but are uncommon in my cultural corner: Ululation. I do have experience of keening, a cousin of ululation. Once, on a long train journey, a young mother keened tunelessly as she walked up and down the aisle of our train carriage. Her aim seemed calming (by keening) the infant in her arms. I found the lengthy performance unsettling rather than calming. The infant was silent throughout, perhaps thinking, "if I pretend to be asleep perhaps she'll stop." Occasionally, as a party turn, I am persuaded (generally by myself) to repetitiously and randomly keen the words "oh, little baby!" in a skirling falsetto. I'm sure I'm hilarious. Ululation sounds more formed and fanciful.
From South Africa: 2015 Lilizela Tourism Awards: Ululation
Second up this week, Undulation …
I think of undulation in relation to rolling roads and land forms, and to some regular wave patterns. These rolling movements aren't foreign to me. The belly dancer's rolling movements are. Recently introduced to Qigong, I've enjoyed the form "Goldfish Wiggles Tail" because the wriggling movement felt quite nice. But, just as to keen isn't to ululate, to wiggle isn't to undulate. That's a sentence I can't quite believe I wrote (feeling cute, might delete later). I expect that belly dancing undulations could feel quite nice, and are probably good for building abdominal fitness.
How to Do Undulations | Belly Dancing
Third up this week, Utricide …
When I was a teenager we all thought bota bags were pretty cool. Ours were cheap knock-offs, faux leather and plastic rather than bristly goat skin sealed with pitch (the real deal wineskin of Spain). We callow youths imagined bota bags held high and wine streaming into our waiting mouths. Nobody ever shared the thought, "Hey, I could stab this fake wineskin instead of a person!" And yet, there's a rather rare word for that very activity: Utricide. I can get behind this idea, utricide. Aside from the waste of dodgy wine (if it's good wine why is it in a bota bag? no offense intended to the box-wine company of that name). It seems to me the world would be a safer place were more people to stab their wineskin instead of there foe.
Genuine Bota Wineskins
And a bit more:
The world may end. You're right. But that's not a reason to be scared. None of us know what will happen. Don't spend time worrying about it. Make the most beautiful thing you can. Try to do that every day. That's it. You know? What are you working for, posterity? We don't know if there is any posterity.
From an interview with Laurie Anderson shared in Austin Kleon's blog.
And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …
And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
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