Orotundity

…otherwise known as academic-speak:

“Given the astonishing recrudescence of multifarious efforts to disrupt the free flow of discussion—from the astringencies of political correctness to the minatory dicta of woke ideologues—it is worth stepping back to ponder the career of this subtle but enlivening pillar of liberty.”

JHC.

I know exactly what it all means:  but I resent the time wasted to translate it into comprehensible English.  Once again, a speed bump in my reading enjoyment of what is otherwise quite an interesting essay.

HBC

Brit actress Helena Bonham Carter has often been featured on this back porch, most usually as a figure of fun because, well, because:

   

HOWEVER:

Let us never forget that she got her start playing posh Edwardian ingenues (Room With A View, Remains Of The Day, etc.):

And given that the fashions of the time worked really hard to hide the bodies of women, what those pictures showed was HBC’s two best features:  her extraordinarily beautiful face, and her mass of wild, un-tameable hair.

What the above two movies showed, in a lovely example of life imitating art, is that HBC really, really doesn’t give a damn what people think of her, or how she looks, or how she dresses, and so on.  So, for example, if she couldn’t be bothered to fix that mane of hair, she just lets it go, or else starts off with good intentions, but then just says, “Oh fuck it” (in that exquisite, classy accent):

And of course, her “don’t give a damn” attitude is often on display with her clothing at formal affairs such as on the red carpet:

Which brings me to the topic of her breasts.  They are generally of modest dimensions except when she’s pregnant, when they balloon out quite delightfully:

Sometimes, a mark of a true beauty is how a woman appears in black-and-white pics:

But really, it’s all about her attitude:

And at the end of the day, HBC is undeniably a brilliant actress, and gorgeous withal:

…and who can argue with that?

Fatherly Advice

It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve benefited (or should have benefited) from advice given to me by not only my own father, but the fathers of my boyhood friends.  For some reason, all my buddies had excellent relationships with their dads, and just hanging around with them at their houses — at dinnertime, in their workshops and so on — often led to me getting some seriously worthwhile tips on how to work your way through life’s many difficulties.  Here are some:

Never hang out with losers;  their behavior is contagious.  It’s always easier to go down than up, and this applies to just about every activity.  But the corollary is equally important:  pick your friends carefully.

At work, do exactly what your boss tells you to do.  Sometimes this is really hard, because what you’re being asked to do may seem stupid or pointless.  But often, you don’t have all the information that your boss does, and what seems stupid to you may be what the organization needs as part of a bigger plan.  And the time to suggest a better way of doing something is after you’ve finished.

There’s no decision so critical that it can’t be postponed till tomorrow.  Of course, there are exceptions to this, but it’s true at least 90% of the time, which is close enough.  Certainly, though, a large percentage of decisions made in the heat of the moment will be regrettable.

There’s never enough time to do a job properly, but there always seems to be enough time to do it OVER.   If any of these maxims has stayed with me all my life, it’s this one.  However, there is a corollary:

A job that is 90% quality delivered on time, is often worth more than one that’s 100% but delivered too late to be of use.  Self-evident, yes?  The critical part, I’ve discovered, is learning when this approach is appropriate.

Nobody likes a needy person.  Strive at all times to be as self-sufficient as possible.  And a corollary:

Borrow money only when you don’t need it.  This applies especially in dealing with banks.

Avoid crazy people.  This applies to both men and women.  No matter its allure, “crazy”  will lead to problems, more often than not.

All the above came to me after only a few hours’ thought, and undoubtedly I’ve omitted a few.  I’ll add to this list when another one comes to me.

Feel free to add your own.

Oh Yeah, I Almost Forgot

There’s a new Kim du Toit book on sale.

 

Just be warned:  it’s nothing like my usual fare.

The idea came to me shortly after Connie died, and I wrote most of it while staying at Free Market Towers.

I’m still working on Skeleton Coast;  while it is completed (finally!), I have to reformat it the whole thing to make it work in both print and Kindle, which requires almost a line-by-line edit.  It should all be done by the end of next week.

Quote Of The Day

Via The Lid comes this one:

It is incredible what political simpletons Jews are. They shut their eyes to one of the most elementary rules of life that you must not “meet halfway” those who do not want to meet you.
— Ze’ev Jabotinsky

The same admonition could be applied equally to Republicans.