What’s the derivation of the word “meme” anyway? And how do you pronounce it — to rhyme with ‘dream’ or as if it was ‘me-me’? The second choice makes the most sense to me, but I’m so often wrong. But anyway, I first saw this one on Lane’s blog, and although she didn’t specifically tag me, it looked like fun, so I tagged myself. Lane answered each question with a single word. I’m too verbose for that (as you well know), though I did try at times. Feel free to take this meme on yourself if you wish. It’s quick. It’s fun. And somehow it feels not quite so much like wasting time.
1. Where is your mobile? Too close
2. Where is your significant other? At work
3. Your hair colour? Brownish
4. Your mother? En route
5. Your father? With my mother
6. Your favorite thing? Writing well, when it happens
7. Your dream last night? Vivid
8. Your dream/goal? Recognition
9. The room you’re in? Office
10. Your hobby? Violin
11. Your fear? Loss
13. Where were you last night? Theatre
14. What you’re not? Tall
15. One of your wish-list items? Peace-of-mind
16. Where you grew up? New York
17. The last thing you did? Worried
18. What are you wearing? Moccassins
19. Your TV? Old
20. Your pets? Long gone
21. Your computer? MacBook
22. Your mood? Not bad
23. Missing someone? Sisters
24. Your car? Volvo (but not the sensible one)
25. Something you’re not wearing? Earrings
26. Favourite shop? Bookstore
27. Your summer? Martha’s Vineyard
28. Love someone? Oh, yes
29. Your favorite color? Was blue, now suddenly red
30. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Less recently than needed
Morgan Kenney has written to me to let me know that this will be the last year of the Petra Kenney Memorial Poetry Competition.
As you may know, this international competition, based in both Canada and the U.K., has been going on for 14 years under Morgan Kenney’s personal direction as a tribute to his late wife, Petra Kenney. As a former judge and an honorary patron, I am naturally anxious for this year’s competition to be very special, worthy of Morgan’s generosity and friendship to poets over the years and of the memory of the woman who so inspired him.
You can enter the final competition by going to the website,
http://www.petrapoetrycompetition.co.uk , where you will find all the relevant information and an entry form to print out. Please do pass this on to others who might be interested as well.
Sue, ‘meme’ was devised by Richard Dawkins as an equivalent to ‘gene’ for ideas. It does rhyme with dream. Many involved in areas of science covering concepts/ideas etc. consider it to be a dubious concept at best.
Brian — Hi. Nice to see you here, and I’m not surprised that you would know the answer to that question! I really should have known, but since I first came upon the term via blogging, it seemed appropriate that it might actually be “me-me” 🙂 Thanks.
I too thought it was ‘me-me’ because they are usually all about ‘me’ (If you know what I mean). Very interesting to find out where it started from 🙂
You should definately enter the poetry competition but I am curious as to why this is going to be the last year. Do you know the reason?
C x
oh thanks for the reccomendation Sue. I will go buy Leah’s book. The cover is strikingly beautiful isn’t it? The meme looks like fun. I might put it up on a lazy Sunday at some point.
LOL, I have now seen this meme on at least four blogs this morning! It’s definitely doing the rounds.
And I’m with you on holding back on entering contests! Is it fear of failure or fear of success or just plain procrastination, do you think? xx
Thank you, Sue. I hope lots of people will enter the competition. Morgan Kenney said that although the awards are given out at the Canadian High Commission and in that sense it’s officially endorsed, it was always his private tribute to his late wife. He’s getting older – aren’t we all? – and after 14 years has made a new life for himself, so he’s moving on. Good luck to him! And to all who enter the competition.
Again, thanks, Sue, for the boost.
With love.
Maxine at Petrona left this comment on my blog a couple of years ago but I still prefer to think of a meme as “me … me … it’s all about me” –
‘I think that the word “meme” was coined by Richard Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene and other books. I think he devised the concept of an “automatically replicating idea” and called it a “meme” as it sounds like “gene” but isn’t. He first showed this I think via little animated cartoons on a computer screen (long pre-Internet) that “evolved” becuase of various parameters the programmer had set in. I think the word has been borrowed by Internet users to mean replication in the sense of “variants on a set of questions”‘
To all: thanks for the comments.
To Maxine at Patrona via Debi: Thanks for the amazingly clear and in-depth explanation. How great to finally know what I’m saying!