overhaul / undertow

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Just going off on a tangent--

I love the root word con. What the fuck does it mean? I'm guessing it's Latin--I should check on that. Indo-European of some sort. In some instances it carries a connotation (look, there it is!) of "with," togetherness, in cahoots, coming together, side by side (convivial, convene, the Italian and Spanish "con," congeal). Other times it pops up as "anti," "against," "versus," et al (contra, convict). Hmmm. Which meaning does "contrast" fall under?

It also appears in the contemporary "con," as in "the art of the con" or "what a con job." A con artist makes you think they're with you (meaning number one above) when they're really against you (meaning number two).

That's why I love the title of this blog. I wasn't gonna pick anything too dumb. "Over/haul" and "under/tow" are both words comprised of smaller words, each of which relate to one another, respectively: over / under, and haul / tow. Over and under are opposing, but haul and tow seem similar--both indicate an exertion of effort, possibly great effort, to move or to change or to effect something. I often think of my life as one big overhaul--a monumental effort to pick up the bits of my life and get them over the hump. To where? I don't know. An overhaul, constantly battling the undertow--pulling you down just as you try to get your head above water. A battle of opposites that are, in the end, maybe not such opposites at all. Maybe I don't need an overhaul. Maybe I shouldn't be fighting the undertow. Maybe there's treasure under the water.

Maybe I'm a mermaid. I donno. [Eeeek, I'm channeling Tori Amos! Someone stop me!]

This is what my brain does when it's bored. My apologies.




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