Here's another interesting phrase origin courtesy of The Phrase Finder.

Given the sorrow of the day, it seems fit to have something light to read.

Meaning

Publicly retell of one's sexual exploits, often with the aim of revenge or monetary gain.

Origin

Kiss and tell is of course a euphemism - firstly, when stories of this sort arise we can take it for granted they will include details of more than just kissing. Also, if as is often the case now, they are printed in tabloid newspapers, sell would be a more appropriate word than tell. It might be thought to be a recent phenomenon, but it dates back to at least the late 17th century and appears in Congreve's play Love for Love, 1695:

Miss Prue: Look you here, madam, then, what Mr. Tattle has given me. How sweet it is. Mr Tattle is all over sweet, his peruke is sweet, and his gloves are sweet, and his handkerchief is sweet, pure sweet, sweeter than roses. Smell him, mother - madam, I mean. He gave me this ring for a kiss.

Tattle: O fie, Miss, you must not kiss and tell.

Miss Prue: Yes; I may tell my mother.

It isn't entirely clear whether the meaning of kiss and tell there is the same as our current usage. The play does imply that noisy kissing is like kiss and tell, presumably because everyone hears it. That does seem to suggest the meaning as we now understand it. The lack of any explanation of the term in the play also suggests that it would have been expected to have been known to the audience - so we should assume a coinage prior to 1695. The phrase didn't become widely used at the time though and I can't find another reference to it for over a century. That's in The Marysville Tribune in June 1856:

"She kissed me then she fled"... "But I never kiss and tell."

Kiss and tell continued to be used occasionally until the mid-20th century but has become more public since then. In 1945, Hugh Herbert's comedy of adolescence Kiss and Tell was made into a film and this gave the phrase something of a boost.

It is only in recent years though that payment for salacious stories about prominent people has come to be called kiss and tell. In 1963, Richard H. Rovere wrote a review of Emmet John Hughes' The Ordeal of Power: A Political Memoir of the Eisenhower Years for The New Yorker magazine:

The Ordeal of Power... is a political memoir... of highly questionable taste and propriety. It is a kiss-and-tell book.

The exposures made in that book were political rather than sexual in nature, but the implication of confidences betrayed in the pursuit of book sales is clear.

Kiss and tell is now a style of journalism, otherwise known as 'cheque-book journalism'. Many high-profile celebrities now oblige prospective staff, and even prospective spouses, to sign non-disclosure agreements which bar them from making any private knowledge they have of the prominent person or their lifestyle public. This also dates to the 1960s, for example, this piece from The New Statesman, May 1963:

"Newspapers should come to a self-denying ordinance to abandon the cheque-book journalism of confession stories by criminals, prominent divorcees and others who have won notoriety."

Of course, that didn't happen and now in the 21st century we see tabloid newspapers printing invitations for anyone who has any gossip about some celebrity or other to contact them. In the UK ate least there is also a new career path for young women, which many are following - offering sex to men in the news in order to sell their story later.

Here's your word power for the day coming from The Phrase Finder.

Meaning

On the whole; generally speaking; all things considered.

Origin

Many phrases are wrongly ascribed a nautical origin just because they sound like mariner's lingo. This one really is and, like many such nautical phrases, it originated in the days of sail.

To get a sense of the original meaning of the phrase we need to understand the nautical terms 'by' and 'large'. 'Large' is easier, so we'll start there. When the wind is blowing from some compass point behind a ship's direction of travel then it is said to be 'large'. Sailors have used this term for centuries; for example, this piece from Richard Hakluyt's The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, 1591:

"When the wind came larger we waied anchor and set saile."

When the wind is in that favourable large direction the largest square sails may be set and the ship is able to travel in whatever downwind direction the captain sees fit.

'By' is a rather more difficult concept for landlubbers like me. In simplified terms it means 'in the general direction of'. Sailors would say to be 'by the wind' is to face into the wind or within six compass points of it.

The earliest known reference to 'by and large' in print is from Samuel Sturmy, in The Mariners Magazine, 1669:

"Thus you see the ship handled in fair weather and foul, by and learge."

To sail 'by and large' required the ability to sail not only as earlier square-rigged ships could do, i.e. downwind, but also against the wind. At first sight, and for many non-sailors I'm sure second and third sight too, it seems impossible that a sailing ship could progress against the wind. They can though. The physics behind this is better left to others. Suffice it to say that it involves the use of triangular sails which act like aeroplane wings and provide a force which drags the ship sideways against the wind. By the use of this and by careful angling of the rudder the ship can make progress towards the wind.

The 19th century windjammers like Cutty Sark were able to maintain progress 'by and large' even in bad wind conditions by the use of many such aerodynamic triangular sails and large crews of able seamen.

 

Four hours and $40, later ...and .. it's done!

 

I was about to toss out the coffee grounds in my drip coffee maker when I found this:

What would YOU do?

Oh yeah, I already drank the coffee. <:-o

Things are much quieter for me now that I'm on the "completed" side of my certification course. The work group I'm in tends to run in a much more casual fashion than I'm used to. That has it's advantages (less picky about process) and disadvantage (less likely to get clear guidance). On the whole, I think I'm on the advantage side of things. 

The biggest challenge for me is presenting training material on plant operation to guys who've been doing it at this site 5 - 30 years. I have no "real" operator experience, although I have been on site for 21 years. My background is in Chemistry, Environmental Compliance, and Training. That said, I do consider myself a professional trainer, so there is a notable difference in my presentation style and methodology as compared to others. To date, that's been anywhere from accepted to well-received.  I plan to build on that.

Business-wise, American Electric Power has some re-thinking and re-structuring to do. (i.e., jobs to remove) The company hasn't been playing well with the people in Ohio and vice-versa. Since HQ is in Columbus, this has caused quite a bit of consternation and financial hard-ball. The details bore me, so I won't burden you with them. Also, AEP is primarily a coal-burning company. Our power plant is the Lone Nuke. There is no Tonto. With global warming becoming more physically obvious, regulations are becoming more restrictive. Finally, the aging workforce is creating a retirement burden.

So ... we've not heard all the details, but health insurance is the first out of the box. If anyone retires prior to Jan 1, 2013, they keep the current retirement health plan (at least as long as AEP keeps said plan).  If anyone retires after Jan 1, 2013, the Retirement Health Plan coverage will be significantly reduced. If anyone HIRES after Jan 1, 2013 - there is no retirement health plan. 

Job cuts will follow - they just haven't been announced.

VERY unlikely that my position would be eliminated. The company just finished investing nearly 2 years in me to fill a position that the industry as a whole is shorthanded (Operations Training Instructors). If anything, we may lose some experienced instructors who opt for full retirement health care benefits ("as long as AEP keeps said plan"), which would simply create more demand for my skills. That would translate into more work for me to do.

LILAC MINISTRIES

Our group continues to be well received in the various assisted living residences where we offer our hymn sing and scripture services. Our high point continues our Wednesday evening Bible Study at one of the residences. Last year, we nearly ended that part of our ministry when we were down to about 5 regular people, which included Donna (my ministry partner) and me. Since then, through a number of interesting spiritual "coincidences" we now average 15 to 20 people per evening. This includes 5 - 6 of us who are not residents, and the remainder who are. The non residents are also not family members. We have 1 staff person, 1 - 2 volunteers who chose our evening to help specifically because of the Bible Study, and 2 men who had loved ones at the facility (a wife, and a mother), but have since passed away. We are their "church" for many intents and purposes. 

FAMILY

@SaintVi and @JoyousWind do a better job at keeping up with the goings on in our lives. For the most part, things are pretty much on an even keel. Our big family concerns are Melinda's mom, who is well into advanced Alzheimer's. Lots of hard decisions that need to be made there. My prayers for her sister Teri, who bears the brunt of those responsibilities, are frequent. Krysten is at the joyous time of the year ... submitting college applications. That's always hard work. And, we've made a decision to replace our 2001 minivan.  Both it and my 2000 pickup have 220,000+ miles on them. Not that this is the best time for us to have to do this, but the reality is that the money to repair is reaching a point of saying, "It's time."

On the upside - we remain healthy, and as I said above, I should remain well employed. We had a nice 3-family Thanksgiving and enjoyed Abraham Lincoln at the movies. Krysten and I did our annual Black Friday shopping NOT EARLY in the morning.  We found that most of the best deals were online, but we had a nice dad-daughter time. I'd love her even if she wasn't my own. I enjoy who she is as a person.

 

(Display outside our house)

Oh Krysten has also been dabbling with the bell choir in our church. Funny thing, I have one work colleague who also attends our church. We are friends, but only talk to each other at work. He noticed Krysten in the bell choir and said as much to me later in the week. I thought it neat that he both knew who she was and noticed her in the bell choir ... and that she had the jumbo-steeple-sized Godzilla-hand bells.

ODDS and ENDS

Saw Wreck-it-Ralph. Think I mentioned that a while back. I still get a giggle out of it. If you've ever played Mario-Kart 64, you'll recognize many of the race tracks. Plus the comedienne Sarah Silverman is just a hoot. I had to pull out an old Monk episode she was in after we watched the movie. She was an obsessed fan of his and played the part hilariously well.

Looking forward to The Hobbit, though one does wonder how that small Tolkien book rates 3 films when The LOTR Trilogy got "only" one film a piece. Granted - about 3-4 hours a film (extended, director's cut, with all the floor scraps, and extra scenes, and Bilbo's kitchen sink added in) ... but still.

Saw Skyfall, the new James Bond movie. Daniel Craig is awesome and the movie was as well.

Want to see Oz the Great and Powerful, Les Miserable, and maybe Jack Reacher. Lots more in 2013, assuming we get past Dec 21, 2012.

Which, I'm sad to say, a lot of young people are apparently really anxious about. I heard an interview with a NASA rep who has spent full time this past year calming people down about this idea of a rogue planet hitting earth on that day. He said most of the worried people are young, and some are even contemplating suicide rather than face the Apocalypse.  Here's their scientific rebuttal to the psychic-tific fears: NASA-Beyond 2012 

Oh - Messiah Sing at 1st Congregational Church in Kalamazoo was wonderful, as always. Oddly, the tenor section actually sang well this year! Usually, it's about 2 rows of older guys who aren't so good with either rhythm or/and pitch. Not so this year, a few of us had our parts down pretty well and boosted the rest of the group. (Shout out to Melinda for rehearsing with me prior to the service.) Ironically, the stronger voices near me dampened my ability to hear the other sections, so I missed out on some of the chorus beauty. But, the arias were lovely, and the words still move me deeply.

On a curious note, the church removed a window-box silk floral arrangement between the urinals in the men's room.  I always found that to be a nice, albeit curious, woman's touch in the men's facility. We heard the church is between pastors, so perhaps removal of the flowers is one of the changes.

Hmmm ... thought I had a photo of it, but guess not. A shame. It was cute. This year they have this INSIDE each of the urinals:

Yeah ... a stick-on fly target.

Ladies: Come back! We promise to not make fun of the flowers ever again!

With that, I'll turn the page ...

 

We have an attic that is used solely for storage.

Long ago, wasps liked to find their way in, but I've not seen them in years.

Bats like to take up summer residence and leave little brown sprinkles on the floor. When I find them, I catch and release them, unlike @SaintVI and @JoyousWind who prefer to put on a sitcom performance.   (Read Holy Wingspan, Batman! for details)

Needless to say, I've been in close quarters in our attic with some creatures I would just as soon not. Today was a little different. 

I found a broom and dustpan to clean up after the free-loading, well-hidden bats and then headed upstairs. When I got to the access door, I noticed a string hanging down from it.  The door was still closed when I first noticed it, but you can see the string in the picture below.

 

I climbed up the ladder/stairs as I usually do. The light switch is above where that string is hanging down. 

Instead of turning on the light, I took hold of the string and thought I'd pull it to see what it was connected to.

 

It pulled back.

 

Okay. 

I kept my cool, and turned on the light.  I gave it another tug.

 

It tugged back.

 

I think it was probably hanging on something that was pulling back. And rationally speaking, I'm SURE that's what it was.

But the skin on the back of my neck and shoulders still aren't convinced.

Tony Stark famously stated: "I am Iron Man." 

After much consideration, I now feel compelled to announce: "I am Mr. Darcy"

Per the standard of accurate Internet information, WikiHow, here are my Mr. Darcy superpowers:

• Evident intelligence and wit. Elizabeth is able to participate in witty conversations with Mr. Darcy precisely because both of them are intelligent and thoughtful. Mr Darcy tends to think things through rather than jumping to conclusions. 
   
• Ability to support himself. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy is independently wealthy. Clearly, most men you meet will not be so wildly independently wealthy as Mr. Darcy was portrayed. However, it is important that your modern-day Mr. Darcy finds purpose in working and values what his money can help him to achieve.
   
• Is unafraid to speak his own mind. Mr. Darcy is known for being straightforward.
   
• Is loyal. Mr. Darcy is very loyal to his family and those he considers as friends.
   
• Is caring about those close to him, both friends and family. For example, Mr. Darcy is more than ready to stand in and bail out family when Lydia runs off with Mr. Wickham, and he is always protective of his sister Georgiana.
   
• Is a good listener. Mr. Darcy is shown to be able to listen to Elizabeth. He also proves himself to be "teachable" after she rebukes him for wrongful behavior she believes he has committed.^[1] Leah Orcutt suggests that men who are "teachable" are on the way to being of "high character".^[2]
   
• Is able to express his opinion and feelings.
   
• Has a good reputation.

Now ... If I ever get around to reading my biography ... er ....Pride and Prejudice.

Although my trip to the Hope Creek Nuclear Plant near Salem, NJ wasn't particularly "fun," it was professionally worthwhile. It was the first Boiling Water Reactor "BWR" that I've ever visited. For the uninitiated in nuclear vernacular, a Pressurized Water Reactor "PWR" heats water to about 550 degrees, but keeps it under pressure so it doesn't boil. That hot water is sent through tubes in a "steam generator" where the heat goes to water in our "secondary" system, which makes the steam, which turns the turbine, which spins the generator, which makes the electricity, which powers the tools to construct the house that Jack built.   In short, the steam going to the turbine is not radioactive.

A "BWR" bypasses that whole pressure and tube and steam generator thingy. The water boils atop the reactor and the steam turns the turbine that spins the .... you get the idea.

Anyway - I helped the folks at Hope Creek review their training program for strengths and weaknesses. We found some of each, as one would expect. Most of my work days were from 7 AM to 5-6 PM, so it was pretty much dark-to-dark the whole week I was there. 

Plane trip wasn't too bad, so far as plane flights go.

There was cramped seating:

There was a surge of humanity:

And eventually, I made it where I needed to go:

Kind of looks like the cooling tower is attached to the training building. It's not, but it made for an interesting, albeit blurry cellphone photo.

Here's a picture of Hope Creek's sister nuclear plants: Salem 1 and 2

Here's a picture of me in the parking lot in the cloudlight. I did step outside long enough on the last day to have evidence I really was there.

On the last day, I was able to do 20 minutes of sightseeing on my way to the the Philadelphia Airport. I stopped at the Hancock House. The Hancock house was the site of a 300 troop British attack of 15 people, mostly colonial soldiers and Judge William Hancock. The order: "Go -spare no one - put all to death - give no quarters." British General Mawhood was miffed at the people of Salem County for supporting the colonial rebel army.  The troops bayonetted everyone, not one shot was fired. 10 died.

The Hancock house also has quite a bit of history before and after this event. I spent about 10 minutes on site. Here's my proof:

If you look carefully, you may see the face of a ghost in the window over my shoulder.

The patterned brick work is also something that is reflective of the 1734 period, when the house was built.

Almost 300 years old, and all I could spare was 10 minutes. Ugh.

My other 10 minutes was at a brief stop to see the Great Salem Oak.

Estimated to be more than 400 years old, this ancient tree is said to have shaded the Lenni Lenape, and local lore maintains that John Fenwick treatied with Native Americans beneath its branches upon his arrival here in 1675. What is certain is that the Religious Society of Friends, Salem Monthly Meeting, has owned the tree and surrounding property since 1681. This was the site of Salem’s first meetinghouse and is still maintained as the Friends Burial Ground. The Friends Meeting cares for the grounds and the tree to this very day.

 

More than 400 years old, with a surrounding cemetery that would make a great place for a geocache. I'll bet I was within 100 feet of one, and all I had was my other 10 minutes. Ugh.

Anyone remember that scene from National Lampoon's Vacation where Chevy Chase nods a couple of times at the Grand Canyon and then hustles off his family? Kind of felt like that.

The above picture is of a building near the Great Salem Oak, and of the city water tower. If you look very carefully, you can see a ghost looking out the leftmost window on the second floor.

I did eventually make it across the bridge and back to the Philadelphia Airport.

You can see it was a scenic drive for me.

When I got home, I needed to tend some siding about 25 feet off the ground, so I wasn't done with my time in the air even after my plane landed. @SaintVI needed to run some errands, but told me to put a cell phone in my pocket in case I fell off the ladder. It was high ...

... and it was scary ....

... and I came close ...

... but I didn't fall.

I did get this close up of the siding problem,

and also of a view of our back yard from near the BOTTOM of the roof of our house.  It has a really high peak.

I'm glad to be back on the ground again. The siding isn't as good as new, but it is back in place.

Kind of like me. I'm not as good as new from New Jersey ... but I'm back in my place.

 

I've noticed over the years that many in the Christian community refer to the Bible as God personified. 

That irks me. Frankly, I believe that approach to scripture is idolatry. Here's an example:

 

The inference is that the Bible "believes" in this political position.

Using the Bible to support political agendas also irks me. 

'nuff said. 

Those of you who go to worship today, I pray you the presence of the Spirit of God.

 

Some of you have been following the wine, women, and song of @murisopsis as she's been on her business trip. 

I too, am about to heading out of town for a business trip. Whereas she went to glamorous Minnahsoota, I will be leaving Michigan for the equally exotic paradise of New Joisey.  I really don't know too much about Jersey, save that many of the residents speak about where they live in relation to an Interstate Exit. I'm not mocking that - I discovered Michiganders (weird name, in and of itself) use their hand for the same purpose:

New Jersey has been in the news quite a bit, lately. Here is what I know - 

I do know that they just endured Superstorm Sandy:

The Governor Christi flip-flop on love-hate President Obama:

A small earthquake:

And a little nor'easter visit from Old Man Winter:

As for me, I'll be spending most of my time at the Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant, helping them with a Training Department self-assessment. All of our nuclear sites do periodic reviews of our training programs. We invite peers from other sites to help, so that we have eyes from outside the organization taking a look at how we do business. This will be my first assessment as an Operations Instructor, so I look forward to seeing how another facility runs that part of their training program.

However, I'm told that the site "will provide all your meals."  Hmmm ... can you say KFC and Pizza Hut while poring over procedures and lesson plans?  I did call the local Hampton Inn and verified I still have a reservation. So I guess the hotel has survived. If not, I'm sure the Hope Creek people would give me a refugee cot.

Even if I DO get away from the nuke plant ... here's a picture from the Salem, NJ homepage:

Um ... yeah. I'm not sure what that's all about. 

I'll there for most of next week. Keep your eye on the news.

Val, we need to rethink our business trip plans.