Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Oct. 27, 2012)

From the Classical Age

The harder you fall, the higher you bounce.

… Horace

 

Entry in Autograph Album

‘Tis done beneath the mistletoe,

‘Tis done “beneath the rose,”

But the proper place to kiss, you know,

Is just beneath the nose.

 

On Unitarianism

“My dear, what makes you always yawn?”

The wife exclaimed, her temper gone,

“Is home so dull and dreary?”

“Not so, my love,” he said, “not so;

But man and wife are one, you know;

And when alone, I’m weary.”

 

From the Word Lab

Cynic. The ancient school of Greek philosophers known as the Cynics was founded by Antisthenes, a pupil of Socrates’, and made famous by his pupil, Diogenes. They were ostentatiously contemptuous of ease, luxury, or wealth, and were given their name because Antisthenes held his school in the Gymnasium, Cynosarges (white dog), so called because a white dog once carried away part of a victim who was there being offered to Hercules.

When Alexander went to see Diogenes, the young King of Macedonia introduced himself with these words: “I am Alexander, surnamed the Great,” to which the philosopher replied, “And I am Diogenes, surnamed the Dog.” The Athenians raised to his memory a pillar of Parian marble, surmounted by a dog, with this inscription: “Say, dog, I pray, what guard you in that tomb?”—“A dog.”—“His name?”—“Diogenes.”—“From far?”—“Sinope.”—“What! Who made a tub his home?”—“The same; now dead, amongst the stars a star.”

 

What’s in a Name?

Capamajian: Turkish in derivation, identified as a trade, capamaji is a dealer in all kinds of ready-made clothing, shoes, etc.

CK Garabed

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.
CK Garabed

Latest posts by CK Garabed (see all)

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*