We were discussing location of the buildings we worked in and I explained to her that my building was kitty-corner from hers. She looked at me completely puzzled and said, “what is kitty corner????”. I said.. ” diagonally”. She then responded (in a very matter of fact tone), “then why didn’t you just say diagonally??”.
I have posted the origin of kitty-corner to the bottom of this blog for your general information…
I have been thinking a lot about language recently. Realizing I don’t know a fraction of what I should for a writer. I also don’t write nearly enough to be confident boasting about being a writer. I think about writing additional poems or short stories… I think back to the few novels I have begun but never finished.. and I think about the various authors out there (like Neil) who don’t write for a living but still get published constantly. Such a wierd dynamic!
I recently went to a meeting for the Alberta chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (I am a Senior Member – FYI). Being in a room full of people who are also members and probably doing far more “writing” than I do, really makes me feel inadequate. So this year, I plan to write more. Anything.. even if it just means this blog becomes plump with text…
In an effort to broaden my horizons and skills (and resume), I have begun taking the Business Analysis Certificate program at Mount Royal University. Some classes are2-3 day in-person courses which seem to be painless and over in a weekend. Where I have failed to register in time for an in-person course, I am subjected to the online version.
Ok so before I begin complaining about the online course, I will say that the online version seems far more thorough and complete and I tend to absorb more in the process… As a matter of fact, I tend to finish early (when I can) which I think we should be allowed to do since the in-person course is over in 2 days.. why should I be forced to drag the online course out for 4 weeks???
Throughout this process of learning, I have learned a lot about myself as well. I realize that I am not patient when it comes to choosing my pace. I have a semi-short attention span and I like to be a keener. I would prefer getting everything done in a couple days than dabble in the assignments over a long period of time… I get bored. I am sorry, but I do.
So right now, I have 2 online courses on the go with one more set to begin/and another end, next week. I am ahead of the class in pace in both courses and am screeching to a halt because some genius decided it was better for everyone to do things at the same time.. isn’t the purpose of online courses to work at our own pace?? That is my opinion anyway. I need to find a happy medium between the two… more thorough than the in-person class but paced at my own rate.
Once I finish this semester, I can write the Final Assessment Paper. Its something I know I will do well at but I also have to really concentrate to get it done which is a struggle for me. Also, I have to choose a topic which is really difficult because it has to be complicated enough to allow me to cover all the components required for the paper but not too complicated that it makes me go over the 20 page limit…
Anyway, I know it will all work out but I realize that I really do like to be in complete control… especially when it involves my brain…
The best definition of kitty-corner is posted below:
The first part comes from the French word quatre, four. It’s actually quite an old expression that first appeared in English as the name for the four in dice, soon Anglicised to cater. The standard placement of the four dots at the corners of a square almost certainly introduced the idea of diagonals. From this came a verb cater, to place something diagonally opposite another or to move diagonally, which can be found in the sixteenth century. Some English dialects had it as an adverb in compounds such as caterways or caterwise. By the early years of the nineteenth century it was beginning to be recorded in the USA in the compound form of cater-cornered. It had by then lost any link with the French word; people invented spellings in attempts to make sense of it, often thinking it had something to do with cats, which is why we have forms like kitty-corner.” – Taken from http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-kit1.htm)