Garrison Keillor wrote a column about special interest groups in the U.S. and then he described his. I loved it because he reminded me of my wordcraft friends. Please indulge me as I quote him in this rather long post:

"I belong to an enormous special-interest group that, unlike Alaskans or hobby pilots, has never exercised much clout, and that is the English-major community. For us, the equivalent of the Gravina Island bridge is the public library equipped with leather sofas and an espresso bar and librarians who are trained in pressure-point massage. Greek columns would be nice, and a pair of stone lions, and a rare book collection and a three-story lobby with marble floors so your footsteps echo as if you were in an Edith Wharton novel. And a statue of Minerva.

I imagine that a superlibrary of that caliber might cost $223 million if you add in the books, the banks of computers with high-speed Internet connections, the movie theater, the Children's Room, the Steam Room, the Nap Room, the Hobnob Room where English majors can gather for a libation, the underground parking garage, and the reference librarian with the bun, the faint moustache on the upper lip, the navy-blue knit dress, the sensible shoes, and the glasses on a chain around her neck. Those ladies have become rare and do not come cheap."

I knew you'd love it! [CW, KHC, Sunflower, we know that you're not what Garrison considers the typical librarian!]

Not all of us are English majors Kalleh, some of us are into more scientific pursuits. Of course, my father and older sister are English majors, so I can't say my family doesn't lean that way.

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Not all of us are English majors Kalleh

Am I right in assuming that an English Major is above an English Captain but below an English Colonel or English Brigadier?

I was an English Lance Corporal in my school's army cadet force.

In US universities, when studying for a bachelor's degree, one chooses an academic subject of focus (in this thread's case, English). Usually, the first two years of undergraduate study are general in nature, and the final two years are spent taking classes in one's major.

As for the rank of Major, the British and US systems have similar names for commissioned officers' grades, except that a British field marshall is the equivalent of a US General of the Army (though unofficially it is called a five-star general).

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except that a British field marshall is the equivalent of a US General of the Army (though unofficially it is called a five-star general

The story I heard was that the first person to be made a 'five-star general' was George Marshall, who said he would be damned if he was going to be Field Marshall Marshall, so they named the rank General of the Army.

Author: W. S. Gilbert
TITLE: I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General
Lyrics


[Pirates of Penzance]

I am the very model of a modern Major-General
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical

I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse

With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotepotenuse

I'm very good at integral and differential calculus
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General

In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
He is the very model of a modern Major-General

I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's
I answer hard acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox
I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus
In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous

I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies
I know the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore

And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinapinafore

Then I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform
And tell you ev'ry detail of Caractacus's uniform
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General

In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
He is the very model of a modern Major-General

In fact, when I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin"
When I can tell at sight a Mauser rifle from a javelin
When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at
And when I know precisely what is meant by "commissariat"

When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy
You'll say a better Major-General had never sat a gee

You'll say a better Major-General had never sat a gee
You'll say a better Major-General had never sat a gee
You'll say a better Major-General had never sat a sat a gee

For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General

But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
He is the very model of a modern Major-General

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Not all of us are English majors Kalleh, some of us are into more scientific pursuits.

No, Sean, but we all love language or we wouldn't be here. I am in a scientific field, too, but that bit by Garrison really hit home. It made me feel warm and fuzzy.

Jerry, that's most definitely one of my favorites!

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who said he would be damned if he was going to be Field Marshall Marshall

Do you suppose Joseph Heller had heard this story?

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It made me feel warm and fuzzy.

I'm trying to picture Kalleh as a kiwi fruit in the sun.

I suspect "warm and fuzzy" is a phrase used more often by women, than by men.

Reading those 2 paragraphs made me want to read a good book! Is that better?

Ah - I can't believe I didn't see this thread until today. Good ol' Keillor. I love his description of the ideal hang-out for those of us who have studied English . . . although my own major was not English. My undergrad degree is in History, and my Master's is Library Science, but I still very much know where he is coming from. I particularly like the idea of steam rooms and massage tables in the library. When we were designing my library building, I kept joking about the hot tub and heliport on the roof. When, half-way through the building stage, the city inspectors caused us to redesign part of the roof to accomodate more AC condensors, it opened up a wonderful spot for a hot tub, but still no one allowed us to get one. Sigh.

Oh - I love that song, too, Jerry! In fact, I just posted a parody of that song, all about librarian, on my blog if anyone would care to have a look.

Warm Fuzzies are the opposite of Cold Pricklies. There was actually a film made - oh my - a while ago - I think it was even animated. Anyone else know what I'm trying to remember?

I’ve never heard of such a film, CW, but I'll keep looking. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of Warm Fuzzies before, either, and I know I’ve never heard of Cold Pricklies. But the words and the concepts they evoked intrigued me. So I started looking and, lo and behold, my trusty neighborhood library had a children’s book titled The Original Warm Fuzzy Tale, written by Claude Steiner in 1977, and illustrated by JoAnn Dick.

Everyone, according to the book, was given at birth a soft fuzzy bag. Any time they wanted they could reach into the bag and pull out a Warm Fuzzy. Warm Fuzzies made people feel good and they were freely exchanged. When two people approached each other, they would reach into their bags for Warm Fuzzies to give each other. It not only felt good to receive a Warm Fuzzy, it felt good to give one. Everyone was happy most of the time. Almost everyone.

The local neighborhood wicked witch became upset because everyone was so happy and felt warm and fuzzy all the time and weren’t buying her potions and salves. So she planted the idea that each person had only a limited supply of Warm Fuzzies and they would run out if given out too freely. Up to that time people thought they were endless, since every time they reached into their bags there was a Warm Fuzzy, but the witch’s words made them apprehensive. What if they really did run out of Warm Fuzzies? As a result, people became more stingy. They gave out Warm Fuzzies less often. Now when people approached each other, they would tighten their grip on their bags of Warm Fuzzies and seldom give them out. People began to shrivel up and die from the lack of Warm Fuzzies. They even began buying the witch’s potions and salves again, even though they didn’t seem to work. The witch became concerned. She didn’t want the people to die. After all, dead people can’t spend money. She wanted them alive so they could spend lots of money on her potions and salves. So she came up with Cold Pricklies. Everyone was given a second bag filled with Cold Pricklies. Now people worried about running out of Warm Fuzzies could give out Cold Pricklies instead.

Fewer people died now because when they approached each other they could expect to receive something. Too often, however, it was a Cold Prickly, which left the people feeling unhappy and cold and prickly. But they were still alive and able to buy the witch’s potions and salves, which was all she cared about.

Warm Fuzzies which used to be given freely were now hoarded. They became extremely valuable. The Cold Pricklies were now exchanged much more often and they made the people mean and stingy. People became less friendly, more suspicious and resentful.

Conditions deteriorated. The once happy people were now miserable. They worked hard to earn more money so they could buy more Warm Fuzzies and the witch’s potions and salves. And they connived to trick people into giving up Warm Fuzzies. They began to cheat each other and steal from each other.

A stranger came to the town one day. She was a strong, lovely woman with big hips and a warm smile. She had never heard of the witch and she was not concerned with running out of Warm Fuzzies. She gave them out freely. She even gave them out when not asked. The children loved the Hip Woman, as she came to be called, because she made them feel so good. Some of the adults disapproved of her because they felt she was misleading the children by giving them the idea that they should not worry about running out of Warm Fuzzies. Indeed, the children did begin to give out Warm Fuzzies more freely. The adults enacted laws to prevent this. A license was now required to give out Warm Fuzzies, and giving them out recklessly was a criminal offense.

The children continued to give Warm Fuzzies to each other, despite the law. They gave them out whenever they felt like it and always when asked. There were almost as many children as there were adults so it looked as if the children were going to have their way. The struggle goes on. There are those, like the Hip Woman and the children, who want to share Warm Fuzzies freely and generously, while others want to invoke “law and order,” to prevent people from being “excessively happy.”


I found this a delightful story and encourage you to read it. I added a little commentary in my summary and I borrowed the term “excessively happy” from the movie Patch Adams. (There is also a documentary, The Real Patch Adams, by Bullfrog Films.)

During my travels I ran across this page from Loganberry Books in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Tinman

This is from a June 18, 2003 article. Roberta Cava, president of Cava Management Consulting Services, has presented many seminars to health-care industry professionals.

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ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

Another communication technique Cava recommends is to pass on “warm fuzzies” whenever possible. Warm fuzzies are positive comments or authentic compliments. You can give patients warm fuzzies by remembering their names or paying close attention to what they’re saying.

The opposite of a warm fuzzy is a “cold prickly.” Cold pricklies make people feel bad about a situation or themselves. In some cases we provoke hostile reactions from others by the way we treat them and they become difficult people in response. You can give cold pricklies by making people wait unnecessarily, moving more slowly than necessary when serving others and forgetting someone’s name. The best place for a cold prickly is the garbage can. Mentally throw cold pricklies away. Don’t pass them on.

Just like cars need regular maintenance to perform at their best, nurses need nurturing too.

“Nurses need to be kind to themselves,” Cava said. “They give and give to others and must watch that they themselves don’t get to the burnout stage. They need to monitor their own health and take mental health breaks to rejuvenate themselves. They need a strong support group that they can lean on when things get too hectic or sad at their workplace.”

Tinman

Yes, Tin - that's the story to which I was referring. Thanks for finding it!