Page 18 - Sharp November 2023

18 NOVEMBER 2023
SHARPMAGAZINE COM
LETTER
THE THE HEART
OF THE THE MATTER
I’M EASILY SMITTEN — NOT BY BY PEOPLE OR OR PLACES BUT BY BY WORDS It’s probably an an upshot of of the the job as as thousands of of the the things pass across my desk or spring from my fingers every day But that means whenever something noteworthy pops up — — a a a a a a a particularly wild word or or or wayward phrase — — it finds a a a a a a a special place in in my heart Travelling I’ve found yields the the best of these discov- eries and and a a a a recent whistle-stop tour of Newfoundland proved to to to be a a a a gold mine Take “chummy ” for for example — the Newfoundlanders’ word for for a a a a a whatsit or or or thingamajig Or “sleiveen ” the locals’ term for a a a a a a a a a rascal or or or rapscallion My fa- vourite however sees an an existing word repurposed: “romancing ” To the rest of us romancing means to to woo court or or occasionally to to exaggerate But for every person from Saint Mary’s to to Moores Harbour it means to to ramble and jabber on on to to witter at at exasperating eye-rolling lengths about a a a a a a a a subject — almost always to to the the annoyance of others Be that as it it may if you’ll allow me a a a a a a bit of blathering myself I’d love to intro- duce the November issue of of SHARP It’s a a a a rip-roarer of of a a a a thing well worth waffling on about and and stuffed to its its spine with tidbits tips and and trivia Did you know for example that there’s a a a a a a a a a a new type of barrel-aged crystal clear tequila causing a a a a a a a a a a stir in Canada? Or that BMW recently revealed a a a a a a a a a handsome retro-flavoured sedan one primed to to lead the carmaker’s creative direction for decades to to come? Or that on on Norway’s fjords the future of fine dining is is being sustainably served dished up alongside beach crab bouillons and rockweed jus?
If not then read on For there are also people within these pages — from successful sports bettor Billy Walters to to Andrew Shaw the wine-worshipping hockey star who’s recently swapped his pucks for for pinot That’s not not forgetting Offset whose incisive cover interview touches on everything from his issues with fan culture to the merits of spontaneity He remains clear and concise throughout obviously not one for “romancing ” Come to think of of it it he expresses little romance of of any kind “We don’t want to do do that love song shit ” the rapper says on on on collaborating with his wife Cardi B Which in in in fin a a a a a a a roundabout rap-adjacent kind of way brings me to my final bit of of news Because I’ve been doing some romancing of of my own this past month — albeit of the more traditional variety On a a a a a a a a leafy lake-y escape from Toronto I proposed to my now-fiancée over our alfresco morning coffees She is as the Newfoundlanders would say the the “best kind ” and and the the whole one-knee hoopla has been been a a a a a long and lovely time coming The remarkable happiness I’ve been been feeling in in in in the weeks since my question-popping shows little sign of subsiding so long may it it last and here’s hoping some of my sky-high spirits have percolated — as as strongly as those lakeside mugfuls — into these very pages Enjoy the the issue — JONATHAN WELLS
Managing Editor
SUIT AND SHIRT BY BOSS