March 3, 2011
Writer’s Mail
by Cathy Riddle
Quote of the Day. . .
“Expectation is what colons and semicolons are all about; expectation and elastic energy. Like eternal springs, the colon and semicolon propel you forward in a sentence towards more information.”— Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss.
About the EITR (the Elephant In the Room) . . .
Writers and storytellers observe and comment on the world around them. That’s our job and calling—to notice the big things and little things. Can’t miss that Madison, the city where our group meets at Barnes & Noble, is in turmoil now over unions, collective bargaining, a budget bill and political power grabs.
Just today in west Madison, at a routine physical appointment at the UW Health, this editor noticed a tiny lapel pin that read “AFSCME,” worn by a pretty young nurse preparing to draw her patient’s blood. A pass-the-time polite conversation ensued:
Patient (seated, holding bare arm out): So you’re in Afs-mee. I see your pin there.
Nurse (whispering): Yeah, we all are here. And my husband belongs to the ess-eee-eye-you. (She swabs the vein site and tightens a rubber band around patient’s upper arm.)
Patient: The S-E-I-U. And that stands for…
Nurse Hold still. (She procures a needle and touches the extended arm): Good veins here. (Furrows her brow.) “SEIU. S. S. The S is…You know, I can’t remember what it means! God, I should know that. (Inserts needle.) Don’t move.
Patient: Is it the society of emergency…? (more…)
Tuesdays with Story 