Oooh, brrrr. Here’s a chilly subject. Appropriate considering we’re getting freezing rain here. Tiny little glaciers falling from the sky. The kind of weather that lifts your shoulders to your earlobes.
Speaking of cold shoulders, (what a segue, eh?) the first synonym in my thesaurus for glacial is antagonistic. Along those lines are also inimical (I absolutely cannot pronounce that word. Can you?) and unfriendly. This immediately brings trolls to my mind; the glacial denizens of the internet.
We’re all waiting to cross that bridge, aren’t we? If we haven’t already of course. That icy, slippery causeway to misery – commentary’s dip into a hostile Arctic abyss.
Or.
Just ignore them and they’ll go away.
The word, “glacial” also brings to mind my childhood and my favourite pasttime back then – figure skating. Although I practiced for eight years, I never did perfect the art of the axel. For those of you not too familiar, it’s a jump that involves taking off from a forward facing direction, spinning one and a half rotations (for a single axel) in the air and landing on the opposite foot facing the other direction. I simply didn’t have the guts to really give it 100% of my effort. I did enjoy coaching, though. Figure skating is one of those things that fits well into the adage, “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.”
What are you better at teaching than doing?
April 8, 2015 at 8:40 pm
I love this word. We had a pond in the field behind our house when I was a kid. I love skating and I wanted to do it again for years. I got skates for Christmas this year and finally tried it and it came back so naturally, but I will need a lot of practice. I just wrote a blog post on it. I always marvel at anyone who could figure skate though. I don’t like the thought of jumping into the air on skates.
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April 8, 2015 at 10:08 pm
Great to know it all came back to you! You give me hope. 🙂 Thanks very much for your comment. 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 8:23 pm
Oh you twirler you, Holding out on us, eh? 😀 There are not a lot of subjects that one can teach without being able to do it. I wasn’t aware that you were that heavy into skating when you were young. I am always so amazed by the world class skaters who do all the fancy moves.
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April 8, 2015 at 10:05 pm
I suppose the majority of things that we can teach but can’t do involve physical things. Understanding the theory is one thing – having the dexterity to do it is another.
I used to love watching Toller Cranston… he just died not too long ago. Elvis Stojko was great too when he was in his prime.
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April 8, 2015 at 6:28 pm
I used to skate but I had racing skates because my uncles and aunts had done some racing when they were younger. They looked so cool with one arm behind their back, taking those long strides. For awhile we lived on a lake in Michigan and we used to skate right in front of the house. I can’t think of anything I can teach better than I can do. I guess I usually teach things that I’m good at 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 7:31 pm
Oh you were so lucky to have a lake to skate on! I had one of those rinks in my back yard that my dad made out of a big plastic bag of water – not much speed skating going on there I tell ya! 😛
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April 8, 2015 at 5:52 pm
Nice connections between glacial and ice skating. If you think inimical is bad, try saying inimicable. 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 6:28 pm
That IS what I end up saying when I try “inimical.” It’s like when people put an extra syllable in “phenomenon” or “indubitably.” 😛
Thanks, Deborah. 😀
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April 8, 2015 at 5:43 pm
OH! I always wanted to be able to skate!
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April 8, 2015 at 6:25 pm
I’m sure it’s much more fun as a child than as an adult, but what do I know? I gave it up so long ago!
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April 8, 2015 at 6:29 pm
But I am sure you remember more than you have forgotten!
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April 8, 2015 at 6:43 pm
Oh I remember HOW to do it. Actually doing it is another matter. 😛
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April 9, 2015 at 2:02 am
🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 4:58 pm
I used to ice skate when I was a kid, but I certainly couldn’t teach it. Not sure what I’m better teaching than doing.
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April 8, 2015 at 6:13 pm
There are many things we teach without even realizing it. 🙂 Thanks for your comment, Erica! 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 4:04 pm
I like how you touched on so many topics here. Cold shoulder – sometimes you have to give trolls a cold shoulder just to get them ,to lay off. Figure skating, something new about you. How fun that must have been.
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April 8, 2015 at 6:09 pm
Skating was fun! But then I discovered boys… 😛 Thanks very much for the comment my dear. 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 3:27 pm
Oh gosh. I can say inimical, but I’d just say glacial.
I can’t ice skate well, and could only do axels resulting in bruises.
I’m not sure what I am a better teacher than doer at, but pointing out Moo’s stride issues when she runs strikes my mind. I don’t run often, and she’s literally a runner.
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April 8, 2015 at 5:02 pm
That’s a good one. 🙂 As long as she’s not running away from you. 😛
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April 8, 2015 at 3:26 pm
great post, Linda… I love figure skating, but have never tried it. I have a hard enough time standing on my own two feet on solid ground without tripping. As for teaching… I don’t really teach anything. I do offer advice, giving it freely, but yes, I have a hard time taking my own advice. I would love to teach poetry writing, but alas, I am getting up in age and doubt I could get hired anywhere now. Thanks for the wonderful words today!
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April 8, 2015 at 4:48 pm
Giving advice is in many ways teaching, as is simply living a good life, being patient and kind, and even tripping over something – chances are the guy behind you will avoid what you tripped over! 😀
Thanks very much for your comment, Lori! 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 5:53 pm
As always, Linda, you have wonderful insight! Thank you!
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April 8, 2015 at 7:31 pm
🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 2:54 pm
Great post! I should learn how to ice skate or do it just once. I may have to put that on my bucket list. 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 4:45 pm
It’s so much fun! 😀 Thanks very much for your comment. 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 2:45 pm
Great word Linda. I can’t even stand up in ice skates so the fact that you can do a twirl in them at all makes you pretty talented in my eyes! 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 4:40 pm
Thanks, Edwina! 🙂 I probably twirl in my skates any more – I gave it up ohh… about thirty five years ago. 😛
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April 8, 2015 at 4:40 pm
I bet you could still do it though! 🙂
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April 8, 2015 at 4:53 pm
I should give it a try again when my shoulder’s better. 🙂
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