I is for iron

You all know that iron is a metal, number 26 on the periodic table, with the symbol Fe, from Latin: ferrum. Magnets are attracted to iron, and vice versa. Such romance.

There's a landmark building in New York City, at 175 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, called the Flat Iron Building, so named because of "its resemblance to a cast-iron clothes iron."

Ironing. Now that's a task I never really got into. I'd probably be like that scene in the TV show Frasier with Niles Crane ironing. I've never had anything catch on fire, but I've scorched a few things in my time. Thank goodness for permanent press, which really isn't "permanent" but close enough.

I discovered this list of idioms with the word iron. One is to iron out. The first meaning is the obvious literal one, but the second is "to ease a problem; to smooth out a problem."

Having too many irons in the fire means "to be doing too many things at once." That describes me this particular week.

Iron is strong, so there are a few athletic references. Pumping iron is to lift weights. An iron man is "a man who is physically very strong and can work hard for a long time," thus the Ironman Thiathlon, which consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.20 km) run, "raced in that order and without a break. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world."

And, of course, those triathletes need plenty of iron in their diets. But they needn't have a cast-iron stomach, which is, figuratively speaking, "a very strong stomach that can withstand bad food or anything nauseating."

I hope you can iron out your schedule, and have the strength and endurance, to participate in this I week for ABC Wednesday.