Home > Jane Too > Archives > 2006 > July > 26 > Entry
A shady question
Q: My husband and I received a 1950s Aladdin alacite lamp for our wedding two years ago. The base of the lamp has a beautiful bride and groom relief. The problem is that for the life of me, I can’t find a lamp shade to go with it. It has to be short enough to show the sculptural relief but still look appropriate for the lamp (which is an odd shade of periwinkle and cream).
Where can I go to get help? I have failed twice, so the lamp just sits here naked!
Thanks,
C. M.
A: A terrific lamp shade stock (and yes they can fashion a new one) is at Tiplers on West Fifth Street. Heads up — they are pricey but you cannot beat the selection.
Q: You probably have published an answer to this type of question before. I have an antique bentwood rocker that has suffered the ire of a heavy friend. The old caning in the seat is destroyed. Is there someone in Austin who recanes chairs or can replace the seat with another material?
Thanks!
R. S.
A: Contact Smithers Furniture at 472-9159, or Bob Morgan, Antique Wicker and Wood, at 263-2060.
Q: We are going to be out of town for about three weeks the end of July, and would like to know what is best for the AC unit, whether to completely turn it off or put on a low setting. I have heard different ways and would like your expert’s opinion.
Your help is appreciated.
Sincerely,
J-P. S.
A: Turn off the air conditioner, says Ed Clark, spokesman for Austin Energy. Even if you set the thermostat to 85 degrees, your air conditioner will run about eight hours a day in the August heat. Concerned about delicates? Place them in a cool environment (candles in the refrigerator, family photo albums at your son’s home). Turn down the pilot light on the hot water heater and unplug appliances. Place a cup of vinegar in each drain as well as in the toilets. (If you have a septic system, check to make sure the vinegar is advisable.).
Your computer? Turn it off and unplug it. That is the advice of Nick Sauer, owner of Laboratory Computers, 5400 N. Lamar Blvd. High temperatures will not harm the computer, but an unexpected power surge could.
Q: I enjoy your column very much. Would you please send me the Web site of the organization that has the free download of Citizen of the World or something? This was published in the last two weeks.
Thank you so much.
M.A.
A: Download a free copy of the executive version of the World Citizen Guide. Pick up tips such as trying to speak some of the language of a foreign county even if it is merely “hello.” The effort is endearing. In addition, interesting facts dot the pages: “There are at least 300 languages spoken in India.” “In Japan it is considered rude to look at a person directly in the eye for more than a few seconds.”
The more extensive student version will not be available until fall, says Cari Eggspuehler, executive director of Business for Diplomatic Action, who worked on the project. Reserve a copy at the Web site above. The price for the 60-page student version has not been set. For more information, visit businessfordiplomaticaction.org.
File under ‘Today’s grammar lesson’ … .
Q: I read and enjoy your column all the time and I’m grateful to you for all the information you’ve shared. But I wanted to let you know about your headline today, “Let bleach sit ” Unless your bleach can cross its legs and jiggle its foot, it “sets” on the bathtub. Only people sit. No offense intended.
K. C.
A: Here is the reply from the copy desk. Again thank you for your interest in the column!
Our dictionary is fine with inanimate objects/concepts sitting (a “house sitting on a hill,” “cares sit lightly on him”) in the sense of resting or lying. Thus, my dictionary is “sitting” on my desk right now. (Associated Press’ style book and Strunk & White don’t comment on a distinction.)
“To set” is ordinarily a verb that takes an object, as in “I set the dictionary on my desk,” kind of like lay vs. lie. There is an intransitive use of the verb meaning “to become hard” (as in glue setting) or “to become fast” (as in dye setting). I could make a case for the bleach “setting” in the enamel of the bathtub the way dye sets in fabric, but since we were instructing people to allow the bleach to remain on the enamel for a period of time, I think “sit” is the correct choice.
So “set” without an object would have been incorrect, unless one argued that it was “becoming fast,” which isn’t precisely the process we were describing. And there is no reason why things that aren’t people can’t “sit.”
Q: Well, I learn something new every day. Very interesting.
Thanks,
K. C.
Comments
By ceecy
August 2, 2006 10:56 AM | Link to this
I have had similar discussions regarding “lie” versus “lay”. I always go back to the old saying, “only chickens lay eggs” when my daughter makes my ears curl with her declarations of going to “lay out” (translation: working on her suntan). Would you please give a similar run-down on the finer points of this verb and its conjunctions as you did with “sit” versus “set”? Thank you very much!