Smaller World

OK, so I know we live in a pretty small town, but something happened last night that just made it a little smaller.

I went to my regular jazz workshop, and the second person I see is none other than my niece. I hadn't said anything about the show to her, and I'd not seen her in there before, so I wondered how she came to be there. Turns out she is very good friends with a girl whose dad was playing saxophone in the band. I had met him a few years back and worked with him a couple of times.

After his set, I told him that his daughter came in with my niece, and he said, "Oh yeah, she's great. We see her all the time, she's like another daughter to us." So then I met the rest of his family, and now they know the family connection on my side.

I guess those six degrees of separation just closed a bit more.

A Small Grammar Lesson: Bi vs. Semi

Looking at a recent magazine, I saw that it is published every two months, and I thought, is this what bi-monthly means? Because some people define bi-monthly as twice a month, while others say it's every other month. Even dictionaries disagree in their definitions, so they're not much help. Well, here's my thought:

Using "bi" should mean every other (bi meaning two), and for twice per, use the term "semi" (semi meaning half). So a biannual family reunion occurs every other year, while a six-month sales meeting is semi-annual. The magazine we have is published bimonthly, while church services held every Sunday and Wednesday occur semi-weekly.

The most confusing term, I think, is biweekly. Using this definition, however, it means every other week. Since this is roughly twice a month, then, semi-monthly and biweekly are virtually the same. So take your pick for this one. (Even better, just say "twice a month" or "every two weeks." Nobody will fault you for being clear, but many will be annoyed if you confuse them.)

Any grammar specialists out there are welcome to disagree with me, but I think this system is pretty clear...to me at least.

St. Patrick's Day Thoughts

There's something about holidays to get me thinking...and also to remind me that I haven't posted anything in a while. So here goes.

St. Patrick's Day never meant too much to me as a kid. It was a reason to wear green so as not to get pinched. Sometimes I would try to cover up the green in the hope that if someone tried to pinch me, I could show the green and then retaliate by punching them. (Ah, the innocent yet violent games we played as children.) But not being Catholic or Irish (that I knew of), the significance of the day never extended beyond that.

Sometime in college, I found out that I have ties to the Wallace clan. Yes, the same Wallace clan as William Wallace of Braveheart fame. (Break out the bagpipes!) I also found out at this time (from a Scottish classmate) that the Scots celebrate St. Patrick's Day by wearing orange instead of green. So I began wearing an orange shirt and explaining myself to anyone who questioned the absence of green. (No pinching was involved that I remember...I suppose we do grow out of some things.)

Finally, a few years ago on a trip to England and Ireland, my parents found out that my mother's family name, Hurley, is of Irish origin. So I do have a bit o' the Irish in me after all. Now I can wear green, or orange, or both, and still celebrate my heritage authentically. (The only thing I have that's green and orange is an old University of Miami shirt, as those are the school colors. Good thing I've kept it.)