Human rights, hospice events brighten month
‘April is the cruellest month/breeding lilacs out of /the dead land/mixing memory and desire.”
These lines are from T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland,” a poem which is complex and often difficult to understand, but the first phrase has become part of our common language. Somehow it struck a chord with each person having her own reason for thinking April cruel (and that is not including income tax).
This April, however, will contain some events of joy and commitment. Hospice of Spokane is presenting a live national teleconference, “Living with Grief: Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life,” April 20, beginning at 10:15 a.m. at the Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. After the broadcast, there will be a panel of local doctors, clergy and other experts to talk to. Registration is $20 and includes lunch and textbook. For more information, call 456-0438.
The Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate will host a reception for Rhys Johnson, the new Director of the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d’Alene, on April 18 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Moot Court Room of the Gonzaga Law School. Johnson will make a presentation at 7.
Both events are free.
Ole Cotton mouth
My grandfather used to complain of having a “cotton mouth,” which he blamed on old age. Talking to my most marvelous dentist, I learned that dry mouth is not an inevitable part of the aging process. In recent years, prescribed and over-the-counter medications have emerged as the most common cause of this condition, known as Xerostomia (pronounced zero-sto’me-ah).
In fact, dry mouth is a potentially adverse side effect of more than 400 medications. Aside from being a discomfort, dry mouth can lead to painful sores, tooth decay, loss of taste sensation and difficulty in swallowing. Remedies include toothpastes, gels and tablets which are all designed to increase saliva. It’s best to check with your dentist or health-care provider. Bloomsday is approaching and it’s no fun to have “cotton mouth” on Doomsday Hill.
And speaking of Bloomsday
My husband, Fran, was absolutely devoted to Bloomsday and hadn’t missed it for many years, when he found himself teaching in communist dominated Romania as Bloomsday 1985 approached. Not wanting to miss the event, he mapped out a course on city streets in Timisoara, Romania, and at the exact hour when the race would begin in Spokane, he began running down the streets, much to the astonishment of citizens on the sidewalk.
One bewildered Romanian asked him, “Isn’t life difficult enough?”
Yes, of course, life is often difficult, but that is all the more reason to hold fast to the customs which bring us joy and the feeling of being alive.
Words to be banished
A few months ago, I talked about words so ugly or offensive that they shouldn’t be allowed to exist, and evidently I am not alone with these feelings. Lake Superior State University has released its 30th Annual “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over Use and General Uselessness.”
A sampling included “webinar” (for a seminar on the web), “erectile dysfunction,” “body wash” (formerly soap), “uber” (German prefix meaning super or great), and my old favorite “blog.”
I must confess, however, that I am gaining a new affection for “blog” now because I am trying to start my own blog.
And finally
My friend, Ken Drew, sent me an e-mail which reminded me “how nice it is that wrinkles don’t hurt.”