Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Jan. 17, 2015)

Self Incrimination

Lives of great men oft remind us

As we o’er their pages turn,

That we too may leave behind us

Letters that we ought to burn.

…Thomas Hood

Folk Saying

History proves that war is better at abolishing nations than nations are at abolishing wars.

The Bear and the Teakettle

Said of a person who injures himself by foolish rage. The story is that one day a bear entered a hut in Kamschatka, where a kettle was on the fire. Master Bruin smelt at it and burnt his nose; greatly irritated, he seized it with his paws, and squeezed it against his breast. This, of course, made matters worse, for the boiling water scalded him terribly, and he growled in agony till some neighbors put an end to his life with their guns.

Classified Ad

The gentleman who kicked the lady at the show last evening seeks forgiveness. He was too dumbfounded to offer an apology at the time. Be assured Madame that he is not in the habit of kicking women—especially when his wife is present.

…Sioux Falls Argus-Leader

Daffy-nition

Nurse: A person who wakes you up to give you sleeping pills.

Armenian Proverb

Alcohol in the glass is tame; in the stomach, it’s wild.

What’s in a Name?

Shahbegian: Persian and Kurdish in derivation, identified as terms of royalty, shah is defined as king in Persian, and beg is defined as feudal lord in Kurdish.

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CK Garabed

Weekly Columnist

C.K. Garabed (a.k.a. Charles Kasbarian) has been active in the Armenian Church and Armenian community organizations all his life. As a writer and editor, he has been a keen observer of, and outspoken commentator on, political and social matters affecting Armenian Americans. He has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Reporter and the AGBU Literary Quarterly, “ARARAT.” For the last 30 years, Garabed has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Weekly. He produces a weekly column called “Uncle Garabed's Notebook,” in which he presents an assortment of tales, anecdotes, poems, riddles, and trivia; for the past 10 years, each column has contained a deconstruction of an Armenian surname. He believes his greatest accomplishment in life, and his contribution to the Armenian nation, has been the espousing of Aghavni, and the begetting of Antranig and Lucine.

Latest posts by CK Garabed (see all)

• A Reminiscence: John Najarian - February 19, 2020
• Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Aug. 5, 2017) - August 7, 2017
• Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (July 22, 2017) - July 22, 2017