Jack’s Winning Words 12/11/14
“Everybody has their taste in noises as well as in other matters.”  (Jane Austen)  Today we’re listening to a Josh Groban CD of Christmas music.  Yesterday my sister told me of an Iranian 5-yr-old who’s excited to be learning holiday music for the first time.  Seasonal noises: pa rum pum pum pum, the Red Kettle bell, the car engine that starts on a cold winter morning, the voice of a loved one on the phone.  Do you have a personal taste in noises?    ;-)  Jack

FROM PAUL IN ST. PAUL:  we are off to Seattle this morning for the weekend.  how about the roar of jet engines?====JACK:  ...or, the strange sounds you hear when the plane is descending.  Creak, groan, bang etc.

FROM EEC IN MICHIGAN:  That's an interesting one! A good one to ponder!====JACK:  In silence...or, is silence a sound?

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Am reading a book entitled "Jane Austen's England".     Very interesting. ====JACK:  Her relatives referred to her as good quiet Aunt Jane.  Evidently she preferred the quiet sounds of the early 19th century...a crackling fire, a cat's meow, the tick tock of a clock.

FROM IKE AT THE MIC:  At the risk of "nit-pick picking"Jane Austen should have used the  word sounds not noise.No one likes noise,what you described are various forms of sound.
Noise is irritating ,non-structured & if loud enough can cause hearing loss. My wife & I love various forms of music & we've decided to categorize music  into 3 categories by way of the acronym *BIG..Boring    Irritating   Good          Just suggestin..====JACK:  You might be on to something.  It seems as thought the word, noise, comes from the same root as, nausea.

FROM PC IN MICHIGAN:  The purr of a cat……..====JACK:  I wonder how a cat makes that sound?  I should look it up.

FROM TARMART REV:  "Southern Gospel, four part harmony!"====JACK:  Especially the low bass and the high tenor.====REV:  I sing all the parts while showering each morning!!====JACK:  Is this one of your songs?  "I'm dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower
 Ladade ladada ladada (hey)   Singing in the shower   Ladade ladada ladada 
 You got me singing in the shower   Ladade ladada ladada   Singing in the shower
 Ladade ladada ladada"

FROM RI IN BOSTON:  For me it's tintinnabulation.  At this time of year I like a cold, crisp, starry night and the sound of kettle bells, sleigh bells, the village church bell, and the university carillon bells.  On a night walk with snow on the ground, those noises are pleasantly hushed.  By contrast, there are many out there in business who prefer the sound of ca-ching!====JACK:  Some of those sounds that you hear might be tinnitus.  Older people sometimes have that problem.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  We love laughter. ...especially the sound of our grandchildren or for that matter any laughter!===JACK:  Guffaws accompanied by snorts are sometimes a bit much.  Of course grandchildren don't usually laugh in that way.

FROM KANSAN DON:  I think I heard of "The Sounds of Silence."  Is that related to "Silent Night"?====JACK:  Sound of Silence is a Simon and Garfunkel song, not related to the carol.  A couple of lines that cause me to ponder..."People talking without speaking    People hearing without listening."  Could that relate to the pulpit and the pew?

FROM STARRY KNIGHT:  My personal taste would be beer and bratS.====JACK:  Are you from Wisconsin?

FROM CHESTER THE GOOD:  Listen to the John Denver/Muppets Christmas CD. It is absolutely my favorite noise of all time Christmas Album.====JACK:  Even better than the Burt Bacharach Christmas Album??????

FROM LA VIE EN ROSE:  I love the Josh Groban Christmas CD, it's a great way to get in the holiday spirit. Good choice!====JACK:  Is there any season that has more songs than Christmas?

FROM MAR MAR:   One of my favorite sounds is the laughter of  babies and children.====JACK:  You've got that right!

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  One of my favorite songs at Christmas is Still, Still, Still by the Cambridge chorale.====JACK:  I first heard that song when it was performed by the Augustana Choir.  It's a German carol...and it's one of my favorites, too.

FROM DAIRYLAND DONNA:  Real jingle bells...Also, Silent Night - the song. (I know it's not a noise) Can't hear it enough.====JACK:  I like the sound of the bells when they are on the horses when they pull sleighs.====DONNA:  Yes. And my brother plays Santa Claus and has some amazing bells he wears around his neck.====JACK:  Bells on Santa!  Even better.

FROM SBP IN FLORIDA:  I love the sound of the word "tintinabulation" and the sounds it evokes as in Poe's poem "Bells." Bells, bells, bells...the tintinnabulation of the bells.' I don't like the sound/noise of a revved up motorcycle motor. It's intrusive "noise".====JACK:  Your "tintin..." word reminds me of one that I like...onomatopoeia.  As far as an irritating noise is concerned, I choose the severe weather attention-getter that interrupts TV programs.  However, it does its job.  When you hear it, you know what it means.

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  silence is golden.====JACK:  Zip the lip!