The ultimate cowcatcher When I was a kid, the railroad that linked my hometown – Asbury Park, New Jersey – with New York City, about 90 minutes up the line to the north, ran on steam. That’s right, for years – until diesels took over – the trains were pulled by steam engines. I’d often […]
Here’s a word that, in my view unfortunately, has been creeping into use in the U.S. – “bespoke,” as in a “bespoke” suit or shirt. Taking myself as a representative moderately well-educated American native speaker of English, I have to admit that the first couple of times I came across “bespoke” I was completely […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bespoke2.jpg720960Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2017-04-30 16:44:222017-04-30 16:44:22‘Bespoke’ vs. ‘Custom-Made’ or ‘Made-to-Order’
Howard Daniel, age 4 or thereabouts To all readers who may be interested in stories about Danelectro and my dad, Nathan I. Daniel, and his many innovations in the field of electric guitars and musical instrument amplifiers, this post is for you. A few days ago, I got an inquiry from John Ward, editor and […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Howard-in-amplifier-e1492959320531.jpg32642448Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2017-04-23 15:40:052018-06-29 19:25:24Boyhood Memories of the Danelectro Factory
Russian Easter Eggs Have you ever locked yourself out of the car? With the motor running? On a narrow street? With traffic stuck behind you? Because you’re just outside the Russian Orthodox Cathedral as the Midnight Easter Service is about to begin? Yup! It happened to me. Which is a self-exculpatory way of saying, “Yes, […]
The defeat of evil: burning a Dusshera effigy of Ravana In the late summer of 1970, as I was nearing the end of my Peace Corps service in India, the local Peace Corps office asked if I would be willing to stay on for another three months to help train a new group of volunteers […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Dussehra.jpg600733Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2017-04-09 17:25:572017-04-09 17:38:21Courage and Fear
Dormitory No. 6, Leningrad State University (Neva River hydrofoil in foreground) (Photo: Michael Alberts) Here’s a bit of color about a little-heralded aspect of life in the bad old days of the USSR. The story comes from my first visit to the Soviet Union – as a graduate student – in the summer of 1967. […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Dorm-No.-6-credit-Michael-Alberts-1.png324578Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2017-04-02 17:47:572017-04-02 17:47:57Just Across the River From the Czar’s Palace
Nearly a year ago I wrote about unnecessarily windy phrases like “next week Wednesday” and “15-year anniversary.” It seems, however, that the wind never stops blowing. Have you ever noticed how people sometimes appear to forget simple words and instead use liberally loquacious locutions (there’s one!) whose extra length only makes reading tiresome? Want another […]
When I was a teen, I would occasionally hear my parents and their contemporaries say “Life begins at 40,” a reference not only to advancing middle age, but – whether they were aware of it or not – to the title of a book, song and film from the 1930s. The phrase came back to […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Life_Begins_at_Forty_FilmPoster.jpeg338220Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2017-03-19 17:01:032017-03-19 17:01:03What Exactly Is It That Begins at 40?
Leo Tolstoy began his novel Anna Karenina by observing that “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” As a devoted student of Russian literature, human folly, and baloney in its many guises, it seems to me a similar pattern may apply to many of the life events we […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Stinking-Rose.png584555Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2017-03-12 17:54:422017-03-12 17:54:42The Power of Garlic
Regular readers* of this blog probably realize by now that I often react to poor usage almost as I do to the sound of fingernails on a blackboard. So – Surprise! Surprise! – here’s something else that bothers me: seeing “regards” written in place of “regard.” One extra letter makes a big difference. The […]
Cowcatcher Evolution
/0 Comments/in North Bay, Places I've lived, Recollections, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County /by Howard DanielThe ultimate cowcatcher When I was a kid, the railroad that linked my hometown – Asbury Park, New Jersey – with New York City, about 90 minutes up the line to the north, ran on steam. That’s right, for years – until diesels took over – the trains were pulled by steam engines. I’d often […]
‘Bespoke’ vs. ‘Custom-Made’ or ‘Made-to-Order’
/0 Comments/in Language, Writing & editing /by Howard DanielHere’s a word that, in my view unfortunately, has been creeping into use in the U.S. – “bespoke,” as in a “bespoke” suit or shirt. Taking myself as a representative moderately well-educated American native speaker of English, I have to admit that the first couple of times I came across “bespoke” I was completely […]
Boyhood Memories of the Danelectro Factory
/16 Comments/in Danelectro, Recollections /by Howard DanielHoward Daniel, age 4 or thereabouts To all readers who may be interested in stories about Danelectro and my dad, Nathan I. Daniel, and his many innovations in the field of electric guitars and musical instrument amplifiers, this post is for you. A few days ago, I got an inquiry from John Ward, editor and […]
Happy Easter!
/2 Comments/in Holidays, Humor, Places I've lived, Recollections /by Howard DanielRussian Easter Eggs Have you ever locked yourself out of the car? With the motor running? On a narrow street? With traffic stuck behind you? Because you’re just outside the Russian Orthodox Cathedral as the Midnight Easter Service is about to begin? Yup! It happened to me. Which is a self-exculpatory way of saying, “Yes, […]
Courage and Fear
/2 Comments/in Places I've lived, Recollections, Thoughts /by Howard DanielThe defeat of evil: burning a Dusshera effigy of Ravana In the late summer of 1970, as I was nearing the end of my Peace Corps service in India, the local Peace Corps office asked if I would be willing to stay on for another three months to help train a new group of volunteers […]
Just Across the River From the Czar’s Palace
/0 Comments/in Places I've lived, Recollections /by Howard DanielDormitory No. 6, Leningrad State University (Neva River hydrofoil in foreground) (Photo: Michael Alberts) Here’s a bit of color about a little-heralded aspect of life in the bad old days of the USSR. The story comes from my first visit to the Soviet Union – as a graduate student – in the summer of 1967. […]
Windiness Is Ubiquitous
/0 Comments/in Language, Writing & editing /by Howard DanielNearly a year ago I wrote about unnecessarily windy phrases like “next week Wednesday” and “15-year anniversary.” It seems, however, that the wind never stops blowing. Have you ever noticed how people sometimes appear to forget simple words and instead use liberally loquacious locutions (there’s one!) whose extra length only makes reading tiresome? Want another […]
What Exactly Is It That Begins at 40?
/0 Comments/in Places I've lived, Recollections /by Howard DanielWhen I was a teen, I would occasionally hear my parents and their contemporaries say “Life begins at 40,” a reference not only to advancing middle age, but – whether they were aware of it or not – to the title of a book, song and film from the 1930s. The phrase came back to […]
The Power of Garlic
/0 Comments/in Humor, North Bay, Recollections /by Howard DanielLeo Tolstoy began his novel Anna Karenina by observing that “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” As a devoted student of Russian literature, human folly, and baloney in its many guises, it seems to me a similar pattern may apply to many of the life events we […]
‘Regard’ vs. ‘Regards’
/0 Comments/in Language, Writing & editing /by Howard DanielRegular readers* of this blog probably realize by now that I often react to poor usage almost as I do to the sound of fingernails on a blackboard. So – Surprise! Surprise! – here’s something else that bothers me: seeing “regards” written in place of “regard.” One extra letter makes a big difference. The […]