Friday, November 2, 2007

What's a minim anyway?

Minim: "Equivalent in music and dance to a one-half note...," The Medieval Wordbook, by Madeleine Cosman.

The word minim has had a number of different uses through the ages - in music, calligraphy, and fluids measurement - all describing a small thing or short event in time, but now resides outside of our standard vernacular usage. I thought I'd use it again here as an indicator of the writings I'd like to post.

In every definition I found for minim, there was one cohesive idea that seemed to permeate beyond the mere words ... while something that was a minim could not stand on it's own, the whole the minim supported would not stand without the minim, either.

Perhaps in the following collection of minims, my own short observations and thoughts, a whole will arise that could stand on its own and be enjoyed as you, the reader, take only a 'minim' of time to adventure with me.

Thank you for reading,

-minim


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