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Simon Phipps's personal commentary

Congratulations

Congratulations to Steven Noels on his election to 'Member' at Apache in association with his work on Cocoon - well deserved.

posted at 6:36 PM (UK) | Comment? (0 so far) | links to this post | |

Making Hay

The thoughts that confront one on a long plane journey (I am en route to Las Vegas). I'd be fascinated if anyone knows the origins of the phrase 'making love'. I looked in my etymological dictionary and it doesn't really handle phrases, so I'm lacking a reliable authority.

For me, the phrase is very different from the word 'sex'. It seems to me that the word 'make' plays a similar role here as in 'making hay' - not that something is being created but rather that something is being organised to new effect. You can just 'do' sex, but to make love, you've got to have love to make!

Just like hay, all the small joys of the relationship you have with your lover lay there scattered on the ground and need gathering together into a love-stack. Yes, it takes energy and skill - heavy, sweaty work, and there's a knack to it. Much more importantly it takes the right field. The more love there's been, the more love there is to make and the finer the result. There's no point just showing up there with your intent and your pitchfork - you need to have previously, lovingly grown the crop and harvested it. And hence 'Fields of Gold' speaks of patience more than of passion...

November 24 update: Taran suggests the phrase looks typical of Native American speech:

I can almost see some pioneers at the Thanksgiving table with the braves, and someone asks the Chief what he is going to do later. A religious interpreter would probably have said "Make Love" as opposed to "copulate with squaw"

and is also hooked on researching the phrase, so with two of us tracking maybe we'll find the origins.

November 25 update: Spurred on further by Taran, I found that the Random House Word of the Day had been 'Make Love' back in 1996 and the writer suggests:

The original sense of the phrase make love is 'to court; woo' ... When seen through the lens of modern usage, these examples can seem strange; Jane Austen in particular seems much more lively than we'd normally expect ... The expression make love is probably a translation of the French faire l'amour or the equivalent Italian far l'amore.

Not only does that sound plausible, it also supports my original posting so I'm happy, even if it doesn't say where the French and Italians got the phrase!

posted at 3:31 PM (UK) | Comment? (0 so far) | links to this post | |

"Incidential Charges"

A warning to anyone thinking of hiring a car from Hertz in the UK - it's not like the USA! This is actually nothing new, but I have finally tired of it and thought I should warn my friends. It's not just that you get less car for your money - that's true throughout europe. It's that Hertz UK will try to gouge you for large extra sums of money and you need to defend yourself. If you decide to rent a car from Hertz in the UK, make sure you add 20 minutes to the collection time and 30 minutes to the drop-off time (OK, make that a round hour) to allow for time while first you and then Hertz check for damage, and engage in what may seem like paranoid behaviour to ensure you have an audit trail.

This year I have received bills from Hertz multiple times for damage they claimed I had inflicted on their vehicles while I have used them for a few hours to drive between home and Heathrow. For the record, I have never actually inflicted any damage or suffered as much as a stone chip (yes, Hertz UK try to charge you for stone chips and similar - wear and tear is not included in the price). One bill was £250 for a new bumper (fender) for minor damage I had pointed out to the Heathrow staff but hadn't been recorded on their copy of the documentation so was charged at the Southampton end. Another was £75 to replace a windshield with a bubble in it that was completely undetectable when the thing was wet (which it was on collection) and was only visible if carefully pointed out from the outside.

So why the time? Well, you need to thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly) check the car for the slightest sign of a scratch, dent or scuff and then get the reluctant Hertz staff to add it to the 'damage control' sheet. And then if they claim you've caused damage on delivery, you'll need at least 30 minutes to be humiliated by the desk staff, longer if you want to contest it in any way. And even then there's no promise you'll not receive a bill in the mail. So far I have successfully defended myself against all of the bills, but I know every time I rent from them it's a lottery.

Proving you are right is tough. Hertz claim you should spot everything on pick-up, and will use their original copy of the damage sheet as proof of what you accepted. So ensure the damage you add to your copy of the control sheet is both initialed by their staff and recorded on their copy of the sheet. At Heathrow they may take the "customer copy" so insist on a photocopy at the other end. Be prepared. It's not paranoia - they are out to get you.

posted at 11:28 AM (UK) | Comment? (0 so far) | links to this post | |