Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Dear Mr. P., If someone says they want to be involved with me, and they seem to like being with me when they are, how come they rarely give me the time of day, and though I see them online a fair bit, generally won't say hello unless I do so first?

Thank you for your question, my dear friend. This is indeed a most frustrating predicament for anyone to be in. On the one hand, this potential paramour has certainly expressed an interest. On the other, actions do speak louder than words. However, what exactly are these actions saying. It may simply be that they are quite busy carrying out their lives and while thus occupied have let certain social niceties go wanting. Speaking as one whose digital life is considerably more hectic and complicated than his analog one, I would not neccessarily take this as a sign of waning interest. Then again, I tend to be an optimist. The other possibility you must consider is that building a relationship may not be high on this person's priority list at this time. They are likely caught up in other pursuits; and, while time spent with you is enjoyable, it is not the only thing demanding their attention. What you will need to ask yourself is whether you are willing to put up with being one of many interests in this person's life. If so, then how long are you willing to wait for your turn at the top of the list?

Ask a tiger.

A Deal With the Devil

Dear Mr. P.,I find myself in the awkward predicament of being indebted to a demon. Unfortunately, I am unable to repay the debt at the agreed upon time. What would a tiger do, were he to find himself in my precarious situation?Sincerely,Miss P.

My dear Miss P. you have certainly managed to get yourself into quite a predicament. Deals with the devil seldom end well. Most of the literature on the subject suggests that the best one can hope for is a re-negotiation of the terms. Devils and demons tend to be sticklers for the letter of any agreeement. If you are lucky, you may be able to find a loophole to wriggle through.

You asked what a tiger might do. Well, a tiger would hardly put himself in such a disadvantageous position to begin with. Should he unwittingly find himself in such a predicament, however, he would endeavor to fulfill the terms of the contract with all due haste. Failing that, teeth and claws have their uses.

Ask a tiger.

Trivia Omnibus 2

What drupaceous fruit were Hawaiian women once forbidden by law to eat? Whats the most common non-contagious disease in the world? How many children were in Enid Blyton's Famous Five? What does VSOP stand for on a bottle of Brandy?

Another round of random questions of a trivial nature.

What drupaceous fruit were Hawaiian women once forbidden by law to eat? - This refers to coconuts. As to the reason for this somewhat odd taboo, I have no idea.

The most common non-contagious disease in the world is tooth decay. I suppose that is good news for the Dental Profession. Their services should be in high demand. However, it also points out that most of us do a poor job of following their advice.

How many children were in Enid Blyton's Famous Five? - There were four children. The fifth member of the Famous Five was actually a dog owned by the ringleader of the group, a yong lady named George. The Famous Five were the central protagoinsts in a collection of 21 young readers novels written between 1942 and 1963. Here's a link to the whole set at the author's aetherial space: http://www.enidblyton.net/famous-five/

What does VSOP stand for on a bottle of Brandy? - VSOP stands for Very Superior Old Pale. Brandy is distilled wine, that is the wine has been heated, the vapors collected and cooled. This removes most of the water from the wine and raises the alcohol percentage. Any wine with a an alcohol content above 15% is considered a Brandy. Brandies made in the Cognac region of France are considered Superior. They are made from distilled Champagne. French law dictates the labling of Cognacs. A congnac must be aged at least one and a half years to be labled VS, and at least four to bear the VSOP rating. The Old portion therefore refers to the aging. Pale refers to the use of white grapes, champagne grapes specifically, in the making of the wine from which the cognac was distilled.

Ask a tiger.

Trivia Omnibus 1

Which nation gave women the right to vote first?Which Ocean goes to the deepest depths?What is northernmost land on earth?Where is the Worlds Largest Aquarium?What country has not fought in a war since 1815?

Who am I, Jeeves all of a sudden? Does anyone remember that Ask.com was originally Ask Jeeves? Alright, well, here we go.

Which nation gave women the right to vote first?
New Zealand is often credited with being the first country to grant women the right to vote, in 1893; however, at the time New Zealand was not an independent nation. It was a semi-independent, self governing British colony. Also, while they could vote, women were not permitted to run for a seat in the New Zealand parlieament until 1919. Finland was the first independent nation in the world to give full suffrage, the right to vote and to run for office, to all citizens including women in 1906.

Which Ocean goes to the deepest depths?
That would be the Pacific Ocean. The deepest point on the globe is the Marianas Trench with a depth of 10,924 meters (35,840 feet) below sea level. The trench is located South of Japan and North of New Guinea.

What is the northernmost land on earth?
This geographical touchpoint is known as Ultima Thule, so named in 330 B.C. by the Greek explorer Pytheas of Massalia. Unfortunately Pytheas didn't take very good notes and no one could figure out just where this place actually was. The explorer Robert Perry was believed to have discoverd Thule as the Northernmost tip of Greenland in 1900. More recent explorations, however, have now set Kaffeklubben Island, a spot slightly north of Cape Morris Jesup (83°40'N, 29°50'W), as the spot.

Where is the Worlds Largest Aquarium?
As for natural aquariums, the smart-alec answer is that you will find it off the coast of every major continent. It goes by different names depending on what part of the globe you stand on when viewing it. However, that does not fit the definition of an aquarium as being an artificial enclosure. For the biggest such attraction one must travel to Atlanta. The Georgia Aquarium, located in Atlanta, Georgia at Pemberton Place, is billed as the "world's largest aquarium" with more than 8.1 million US gallons (31,000 m³) of marine and fresh water housing more than 100,000 animals of 500 different species.

What country has not fought in a war since 1815?
Switzerland has not fought a war since 1815, when the Congress of Vienna granted independence and neutrality to Switzerland.

Ask a tiger.

Victorian Jewelry

Dear Sir, I am seeking to purchase some Victorian Era jewelry for my Second Life wife..what sort of gemstones were popular during the era ..should I be looking for a particular design in a ring? Thank ye kindly.

Sir, you are a gentleman and I commend you on being so thoughtful of your beloved spouse. In order to properly answer your question I had to do a little resarch of my own. I shall summarize some of that information here and will provide links to the articles themselves should you or my other dear readers wish to peruse them. <adjusts his professorial mortar board>

The Victorian era spanned 64 years and is divided into 3 major periods, The Early Victorian Period, or Romantic Period, spanning 1837-1860; the Mid or High Victorian Period, also known as the Grand Period spanning 1860-1885; and the Late Victorian Period, or Aesthetic Period spanning 1885-1901. The world of nature, inspired from styles of the Renaissance and Middle Ages, were very popular motifs in Victorian Jewelry. Bouquets of flowers, branches, leaves, grapes and berries remained fashionable. There was a symbolism associated with flowers that carried through the first half of the century. Snake and serpent motifs, as symbols of wisdom, reached their peak in the 1840's. The most popular metals incorporated into the jewels of the era were 18k to 22k gold, tri-color gold, silver, rolled gold and electroplate.

In the late 1830's to early 40's, lady's clothing fashionably covered all of the body. High necklines and bonnets covered the ears, therefore, necklaces and earrings were not often worn. Extremely large brooches were in vogue, and worn at the neck during the day, or at the low décolletage, often combined with fresh flowers, for evening wear. Adornment of the hands and wrists became increasingly important, with Victorian rings and large bracelets designed to make the hand look dainty and feminine. The most widespread gemstones used in jewelry during the Early Victorian Period were diamonds (rose-cuts and brilliants), amethyst, pink and golden topaz, turquoise, chalcedony, coral, garnet, ruby, seed pearls and cameos. Cameos were fashioned out of many elements, including shell, lava, coral and micro-crystalline, layered quartz varieties.

The latter half of the century saw a revival of Egyptian, Etruscan and Phoenician style jewelry. The passing of the Duchess of Kent, and later Prince Albert, the American Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln brought death and mourningto the forefront of peoples minds and influenced fashions as well. Lockets became an important fashion accessory. They were often suspended on "book chains" that could double as bookmarks at night.

Although originally considered bad luck, opals became very popular, reaching a peak in 1886. Other popular gemstones in the mid-Victorian period were amethysts, cabochon garnets, crystal, emeralds, diamonds, onyx, pearl, ruby, black glass, bog oak, jet ivory and tortoise shell. Also popular was so-called "Cock Cover Jewelry" fashioned from the ornately hand pierced cock covers from watches made in the previous century. The earliest examples of Victorian solitaire diamond rings, set in both gold and silver were seen in 1895. The most popular gemstones in the late Victorian period were amethyst, aquamarine, chrysoprase, chrysoberyl, opals, moonstones, sapphires, turquoise, peridot and rubies.

For your additional reading:
http://www.langantiques.com/university/index.php/Victorian
http://www.jewelryexpert.com/articles/antique3.htm

And a gallery of Victorian era pieces.
http://www.joden.com/cat/victoria/index.htm

Ask a tiger.

Formality and Friendliness

Why do so many people insist that formality means one is being cold? Or that one cannot be both friendly and formal at the same time?

To my great and good friend I, your humble servant, send this my most heartfelt appreciation for your insightful and poignant query. Pray, allow me now to tender this response. In this present day and age, when the norm of social discourse has become somewhat less genteel than was the case in previous eras, formality has become associated with either pretentiousness or aloofness rather than polite respect. This is aided by conventions of the English language. English has no equivalent to the honorifics of Japanese, for instance. Not so long ago young ladies and gentlemen were instructed in proper deportment and ettiquete. Ones education was not considered "finished" without these important lessons in smoothing the rough edges that so often lead to social frictions.

I am of the firm opinon that it is indeed still possible to conduct oneself properly, with respect and gracious good will toward others. In short that, yes, one can be both formal and friendly. Unfortunately, some with which one interracts will not appreciate this as a show of respect but will revile it as a pretentious affectation.

Once again, I extend my most heartfelt gratitude for thinking of presenting this quandry fo my elicudation. I pray you recieve it in good health and that it will ease your mind.

Formally and unpretentionsly yours,

Onyx Plutonian

Ask a tiger.

Friends no more?

I have been friends with someone for several months recently I get the feeling he is not interested or cares about our relationship anymore should I just move on? I have talked to him in the past but thinks he just pacifies me and doesn't know how to end.

OK, I got real busy after soliciting these questions two weeks ago and just now have time and energy to answer them. I apologize to the questioners and pray your forgiveness for this delayed response.

Dear friend, thank you for this question. It is a normal progression in any relationship for the initial excietement of discovering one another to wane after a time. This does not neccessarily mean that either party has grown tired of the other. It may simply mean that a comfortable equilibrium has been reached. They may still enjoy one another's company, but not with the same intensity or immediacy as there once was.

Should you move on? I don't think so, at least not in the sense of entirely cutting contact with your friend. If you are dissatisfied with his seeming aloofness, then perhaps, yes, seek out others with which to share your time and interests. It may also be that your friend simply has other concerns on his mind. People shift the focus of their concentrations from time to time. Your freindly neighborhood tiger, for instance, had to shift focus away from this public service for a while. It does not neccessarily mean the thing shifted away from is any less important, merely that some things have become more urgent. Note: there IS a difference between important and urgent.