When this happens, it is my very own Meme and it comes straight from Mimi. Nearly every day I catch myself doing or saying something or behaving in a way that traces back to Mimi. The term “meme” literally means “that which is imitated,” and has been applied to internet concepts which are spread from person to person in a way which is analogous to the transmission of genes from parent to child. Meme is pronounced “meem,” and is the shortened version of “mimeme” a term first coined by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. Even if she didn’t always agree, she still wanted to hear.Īn internet “meme” is a concept or idea that spreads virally from one person to another on the internet, most often in the form of an image or video file. She took an interest in what we all had to say. Even when her ears no longer worked as well, and it became harder for her to hear, she still sure tried. In fact, she generally preferred listening to talking. It turns out that the word “mimi” means “ears” in Japanese and is represented by the symbol 耳. Well it is supposed to look like a Roman Numeral II, but it also means something more. I imagine you’re thinking that the 耳 is supposed to be a Roman Numeral II (you know, as in the second version of this blog). So, it is fitting to start Lend me your Ear 耳 with a post about Mom. It was always good for a laugh, but it was also the truth. I used to say that I didn’t have any “pieces” that I was working on at the moment, but “I did have a blog that my Mom really liked.” In fact, I remember attending some writing classes back then which always seemed to start with a discussion of the latest “pieces” that all of us aspiring writers were working on. The first version of this blog gave us some common ground and she supported my work on it. I figure it is time to see just what this Mimi word is all about. A long lifetime that ended just over five years ago, and a lifetime during which Mimi was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, great-aunt and so much, much more to so, so many. Mom got the nickname when her little sister had some difficulty saying “Mary” and turned it into “Mimi”. Mom’s name was Mary Elizabeth (Mary Elizabeth Sanderson actually – and eventually DesRochers and for a while Bradley). And she did not get her nickname in the usual way. Guess that means we could have called Mom- “Momosa” – but I digress…) These include: Amie, Emily, Jamie, Mia, Miari, Michaela, Michelle, Milena, Mimosa, Mindy, Mirabel, Miriam, Misty, Naomi, and Sammie (Yep, Mimosa. Many girls acquire the nickname when their given names are shortened to Mimi. This first installment of the second version of my Lend Me Your Ear blog is dedicated to my Mom who was best known to all by her nickname, “Mimi.”Īs I have discovered, Mimi is a fairly common nickname for a girl. “I speak the truth not so much as I would, but as much as I dare, and I dare a little more as I grow older.” A blog devoted to words, expressions, and more than occasional ramblings.
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