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A Potpourri of Poetic Curiosities

Viewing comments for Chapter 319 "The note taker"
A collection of poems showcasing unusual words

11 total reviews 
Comment from C. Gale Burnett
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I love this poem! In my younger years, I had been trained well in stenography, winning high school state competitions, then moving on to using it in my employment positions. Today, I'm lucky if I remember a fourth of what I use to know. Now I intermingle cursive and stenography writing when I can to help me remember something before it is quickly forgotten. My brain just does not seem to process as fast as it use to.
Love the illustration, and I love the humor. So well written!

 Comment Written 17-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 17-Nov-2018
    Thank you so much for the delightful comments! Yes, I too am sad that so much of what I once knew is now "gone". Oh well, such is life :) I'm most impressed you won competitions with it. My other half and my mother both learned shorthand, but when my mother tried to explain it to me, my eyes just glazed over. My other half said she wouldn't remember any of it. When she learned it, dictaphones were coming into fashion, so she never got to practice. But she can type at around 120 wpm with 98% accuracy, in full nails lol

    Cheers,
    Craig
reply by C. Gale Burnett on 17-Nov-2018
    Your reference to your 'other half's' typing skills in 'full nails' is truly hysterical. 120 wpm is, indeed, exceptional. I, too, can type 120, BUT NOT in 'full nails'. I'm like, "Dang! Gotta trim down those pretty nails 'cause I just can't type without making mistakes." Blessings to both of you!
reply by the author on 17-Nov-2018
    Well, she doesn't have "full nails" any more. I took her away from the life she knew and introduced her to digging post holes and shoveling alpaca poop - I know how to show a girl a good time! ;-) She does frequently astound me, though, and the people she works with, by her ability to multitask. She can be typing a letter, either from a script, or just from her head, and be having a conversation with three other people about what's happening on "Survivor" at the same time, without pausing at either. That is incomprehensible to me. I can't even read something on the PC and listen to an audiobook at the same time. To me it seems like magic, or more likely severe schizophrenia!
Comment from lyenochka
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Now that is something from the past. I don't know when shorthand has been taken off the list of possible classes. I guess digital recording is so much simpler. Fun poem. We're all slowing down!

 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 17-Nov-2018
    Thanks very much, Helen. Have a great weekend. Craig
Comment from BeasPeas
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Love this. Learned tachygraphy in high school and got a job as a stenographer for lawyers. Not with the stenotype machine, but actually taking dictation by hand as pictured above. I can catch some words here and there and the gist seems to be shorthand vs printed words in books. Marilyn

 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 17-Nov-2018
    I guess I should have been concerned what it might have said, but to be honest, that never occurred to me! Many thanks, Marilyn.
reply by BeasPeas on 17-Nov-2018
    Not to worry. I'm so rusty over this many years that I only caught a few words. Nothing untoward on there.
Comment from Gloria ....
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Shorthand is a pretty cool skill to have, as I can see it would inspire some excellent avant-garde art, yes?

A fun poem and nice connection to the old fast, and the old, new fast. lol

Enjoyed friend, Craig. :)

Gloria

 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 16-Nov-2018
    Thanks again for a lovely review, Gloria. My mother knew shorthand. She tried to explain it to me once or twice. I think she gave up when she saw my eyes glazing over. When I was studying, I acquired a PVR (that's personal voice recorder, for those who might not be as hip and with-it as me), to record study notes. It's still sitting in my draw, and remains, to this day, unused.

    Cheers, Craig
Comment from Sandra du Plessis
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A very well-written poem about the art of shorthand or tachygraphy. We know it in school as shorthand, I could write 120 words per minute in the final exam, but never used it in the workplace so I cannot do it any more either. My typing skills are quite good though.

 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 16-Nov-2018
    Well done learning it in the first place. My mother tried explaining it to me once. It was a lost cause. Cheers, Craig
Comment from Earl Corp
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I don't think I'd get this either. It's kind of like making the jump from a typewriter to a computer. I like the poem. It rhymes, it makes sense, and it's entertaining. That's the trifecta right there.In fact if I had any sixes left I'd give you one. Nice job.

 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 16-Nov-2018
    Thanks very much for the lovely comments and the virtual six. Both are greatly appreciated. Craig
Comment from pome lover
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that is so cute. And I know the feeling.
It took me three tries before I could even pronounce it; I could never learn all the squiggles. Thanks for the new word. I'm enjoying your book also. :) And what a fun challenge, writing a poem about a new word each day.
good job, and good luck.
pome lover

 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 16-Nov-2018
    I found my tongue knotting up trying to get around the word as well :)

    Thanks very much for the kind comments.

    Craig
Comment from Alcreator Litt Dear
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You took a good decision, learning tachygraphy that is shorthand or swift writing, but age and vigour did not suit you came up with a failure, learning unfinished; well said, well done. Keep Writing -- DR ALCREATOR

 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 16-Nov-2018
    Thanks very much. The truth is much more humbling. My mother tried explaining shorthand to me, but all I could see was a pigeon had trod in an inkwell and walked across the page. Cheers, Craig
Comment from Jannypan (Jan)
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This is a great pairing of words plus image. You did a great job, too, with your poem. I like the rhymes and flow of lines. I like how you 'tell' on yourself (anyone, really, if not you). Good job and thanks for sharing. Jan

 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 16-Nov-2018
    Thanks very much, Jan. I'm afraid shorthand is one of those things I'd never have been able to "get". Cheers, Craig
Comment from Sally Law
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This is very unique and original Craig! Very well done and I enjoyed the art. I was a secretary for a long time and I used my own version of shorthanded because I was thrown into it very quickly and was not able to learn it that fast. But it worked for my short-term job. Everything seems to be in a hurry these days except for you and me and a few others. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Check out my Thanksgiving post if you have a chance. Sally

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 Comment Written 16-Nov-2018


reply by the author on 16-Nov-2018
    Thanks very much for the lovely comments, Sally. My mother tried to explain shorthand to me, it was beyond my capability to grasp it. I'll certainly check out your thanksgiving piece. Much obliged, Craig.