Ode to Urgo

Dom Deluise reminds me of my dad. Not that they are anything alike. I just remember my father really appreciating his humor with belly laughs back in the day.

My children only know and love him as Urgo. And also as the father of Peter Deluise, one of the directors of Stargate who uses potty language a lot, and David Deluise, the guy who tried to steal Sam from Jack. (But he redeemed himself on Wizards of Waverly Place in their eyes.) His sons inherited his humor and timing, and continue his legacy.

I am sure there are angels belly-laughing now.

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Quote of the Day

I was just tagged in a Facebook note to write 25 random things about myself. (What did I just say? Our speech is so permeated by our technology!) The person who tagged me, our Stargate buddy Allison, had this to say about science fiction and fantasy. I found it worth repeating:

#23. I truly believe that good science fiction and fantasy, in literature, movies and television, can illuminate the struggles of the human condition by stripping away the mundane and banal and getting right to the heart of the matter. Topics that are clouded by prejudices or taboo can be unpacked in an unthreatening setting, allowing for deeper contemplation of root issues. And, it's just plain good escapism to rid the mind of the quotidian in order to process our daily lives.
[Allison McVay]

I love big words used properly. I had to look up a few of these, so here we go with the sharing of our beautiful language. Use it or lose it.

Etymology moment:

quotidian: found in the ordinary course of events; "a placid everyday scene"; "it was a routine day" (from Latin, quotidianus, daily).

banal: repeated too often; drearily commonplace and predictable; trite
(from French banal, adj. form of ban "decree, legal control;" originally designating things like ovens or mills that belonged to feudal serfs, or else compulsory military service; in either case generalized through "open to everyone" to "commonplace, ordinary," to "trite, petty."
[www.etymonline.com]

Thank you, Allison, for your insights, and for providing an etymology opportunity!

Always Have an Escape

The flight attendants tell us to look around and find our nearest emergency exit, just in case we may need it. I find that to be a metaphor for life. The performing arts have for centuries been a place for audiences to escape, whether it be from the drudgery of serfdom, or from the ravages of war, or from the piles of laundry. The escape can be a retreat from overwhelm, a safe haven while procrastinating, or just a reprieve from boredom. There's even that word that we learned in high school English class: catharsis. The term was first used by Aristotle, and implies emotional cleansing brought on by experiencing the emotions (sorrow, anger, laughter, pity) of the actors on stage. These displaced emotions (felt without risk) result in an emotional restoration and