Writing

R is for Randy Rainbow

Fandango15 Comments

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I’m very excited. My wife and I are going to see Randy Rainbow tonight.

Who?

Randy Rainbow.

Who’s Randy Rainbow?

I’m so glad you asked. Randy Rainbow is an American comedian and singer, best known for his videos published on YouTube, in which he spoofs interviews with famous figures and parodies musical numbers, often with a political focus.79BEB09B-A461-4B88-89EB-CA909DE3BFAB.pngTo be honest, up until recently, I wasn’t familiar with Mr. Rainbow. He started off his “career” conducting mock interviews with politicians and celebrities. But he eventually showed off his singing abilities in parody music videos based on Broadway tunes and pop hits. And best of all, Randy Rainbow has taken a particularly keen interest in President Trump and his administration.

And that’s how I first heard about him, because you know what a fan I am of Donald Trump.

Randy Rainbow is like a political “Weird Al” Yankovic. He has a versatile singing voice and has demonstrated a talent for writing hilarious — and biting lyricist. And his parody songs are guaranteed to make you laugh. Well, unless you are a Trump supporter.

I’m attaching two of Rainbow’s parade musical videos. Judge for yourself.

Previous A to Z Challenge 2019 posts:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Q is for Quixotic

Fandango10 Comments

F20B82C1-EC28-43D9-8509-DF03ABD60836In my A to Z Challenge post yesterday, I wrote about pragmatism and described myself as a practical pragmatist, someone who is guided by practical considerations, someone who self-describes as a logical, rational, and reasonable person.

Today I’m going to write about the word “quixotic,” which is a word I would use to describe my wife. She can be impulsive and often rashly unpredictable. She can also be exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic, and impractical, albeit with a sense of romantic nobility.

F53F863E-9E44-46F7-9904-0CD7C07E0699The word “quixotic” is taken from the name of the hero of Cervantes’ 1605 novel with the themes of chivalry, romance, and sanity, “Don Quixote.” Quixote dreams up a romantic ideal world, which he believes to be real, and acts on this idealism, which most famously leads him into imaginary fights with windmills that he regards as giants, leading to the related metaphor of “tilting at windmills.”

I’m not suggesting that my wife is tilting at windmills. But she is highly idealistic, can be impulsive, and does have a sense of romantic nobility. And her quixotic nature serves as a perfect complement to my practical pragmatism and is the best explanation I have for why we will be celebrating 43 years together later this year.

Previous A to Z Challenge 2019 posts:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

P is for Pragmatist

Fandango7 Comments

25487965-BD7E-41FE-8860-576F5C95D157I am a pragmatist. So what, exactly, is a pragmatist? A pragmatist is a person who is guided more by practical considerations than by ideals and who takes a realistic approach to addressing problems and finding solutions. A pragmatist is an adherent of pragmatism, which is an approach that assesses the truth of meanings, of theories, or of beliefs in terms of the success of their practical application.

Pragmatists stress action over doctrine. Pragmatists embrace the notion that ideas base their meanings from their consequences and that the best way to evaluate the practicality of ideas, policies, and proposals is through their workability and usefulness.

I describe myself as a logical, rational, and reasonable person. I am not ruled by emotions but by facts, observations, and evidence.

But that doesn’t mean that I am devoid of emotions. I am empathetic and have been known to shed a tear or two when I encounter the pain or suffering of others. I may not feel as intensely as some others feel, but I feel nonetheless.

So, as a self-identified practical pragmatist, my perspectives — in my posts on this blog and in my life — are borne out of practicality and pragmatism.

And that works for me.

Previous A to Z Challenge 2019 posts:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

O is for Onomatopoeia

Fandango19 Comments

8D49DF05-F2CF-4889-89BB-79573476844CO is for what? Onomatopoeia, that’s what. What is an onomatopoeia, you ask? Well, you already know what it is if you’ve ever written or said words like “buzz” or “hiss.” Because onomatopoeia is a literary device that involves the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it, like “bang,” “boom,” “ca-ching,” “cluck,” “moo,” “oink,” “purr,” “snarl,” or — well, you get it.

From my perspective, onomatopoeia is not only a great word to say, but it comes in handy when writing. It adds color and description using something almost every reader can relate to. I mean how would you write about the low, continuous, vibratory sound that a contented cat makes if you couldn’t use the word “purr”?

But the word also brings back fond memories — for me, anyway — of the time when my fifth grade teacher introduced the class to that beautiful, six syllable word. Why? Because I had a crush on a girl whose name was Anna. And because I was an immature, smartass of a fifth grader.

I thought I would impress the hell out of Anna when I heard the word onomatopoeia by looking at her and saying, “So, Anna-wanta-pee-ah?”

I did impress Anna. Unfortunately, not in a good way. In fact, it only took two times of my saying, “Anna-wanta-pee-ah?” for her to suggest that I do something to myself that is both physically and anatomically impossible.

But even though I lost Anna when she told me to go “cluck” myself, I still love saying the word onomatopoeia.

Previous A to Z Challenge 2019 posts:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z