WoW: 11/29/04

Hope you all had wonderful Thanksgiving breaks, got lots of rest, and generally enjoyed yourselves. Since there are only a few weeks left in the semester and that means Crunch Time, I thought I'd present a word that deals with the lighter side of things.

Word of the Week for 11/29/04:
deipnosophist, noun (dip-NAHS-uh-fihst)
one who is skilled in "table talk"
n: deipnosophism
adj: deipnosophistic

Thanksgiving in the Ice Cave

Thanksgiving dinner was nice. Although we were fewer in number than is usual, the fellowship was good, the dessert was wonderful, and, if I may say so, the meal wasn't bad either.

We started off the party by watching Timeline. It was okay, but there were some (I thought) serious plot holes. It strengthened my conviction that time travel is a bad idea.

After dinner, we watched Amadeus, which is an awesome movie.

This will sound trite, but I really mean it. Among many other things, I am thankful that I have such a wonderful group of friends, including those who are here now and those who are away celebrating in other places. I'm thankful for the opportunity to study and interact with you all. I hope that in future years, after we've all graduated and moved on, we still keep in touch with each other.

Happy Thanksgiving, and God Bless.

Ponds and Rings...

So, many others were doing it; I figured I would, as well.




The sixth book written, you're nevertheless the first chronologically. You not only describe the creation of Narnia and tell where the White Witch, the lampost and the wardrobe came from, you get to bounce between worlds with the help of Uncle Andrew's weird magic rings.


Find out which Chronicles of Narnia book you are.





You are water. You're not really organic; you're
neither acidic nor basic, yet you're an acid
and a base at the same time. You're strong
willed and opinionated, but relaxed and ready
to flow. So while you often seem worthless,
without you, everything would just not work.
People should definitely drink more of you
every day.


Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

WoW: 11/22/04

I find this word ironic. I mean, it takes five syllables to tell people that you're not really saying anything?

confabulation, noun (kuhn-faeb-yoo-LA-shuhn)
"small talk;" easy, unrestrained, informal conversation

The Circle Widens

I should've gotten these links up earlier, but I rationalize it by pretending I knew all along that they would switch from LJ to other providers.

So, without further ado, let's have a round of applause to welcome The Dreamer, The Vagabond, and The Glorifier.

On behalf of the SCBC (SC Blog Crew), welcome to the Blogsphere. May your time here be enjoyable and fulfilling.

Fiddling with Tevye

Well, you've probably seen this at some other blog already, but here it is again. I'll just add that it was kinda fun doing the whole joint-paper thingy. Enjoy.

Double-Dose WoW! [11/15/04]

As some of you know, I spent most of this weekend studying for tests and writing a paper. In the course of that studying, I came across a new word, which is presented here along with its antonym (which you probably know already).

So enjoy the Double Wow!

Word[s] of the Week for 11/15/04:

euphemism, noun (YOO-fehm-ihzm)
1. an inoffensive word or expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or unpleasant
2. the use of such a word or expression
adj: euphemistic
(in)trans. v: euphemize

dysphemism, noun (DIHS-fem-ihzm)
1. an offensive or disparaging word or expression that is substituted for an inoffensive one (ex: “His favorite dysphemism was to ask for axle grease when he wanted butter.”)
2. the use of such a word or expression
adv: dysphemistically

With Apologies to Mr. Yankovic

Despite my amusement with the very idea of astrology, I sometimes read the horoscopes in a paper just for kicks. And it was worth it yesterday.

Following are relevant excerpts from my horoscope and those of a few friends. (In some cases, I don't actually remember who was which sign, so I just inserted random names.)

"That's Your Horoscope for Yesterday:"

Me:
When I read this, I was sitting at the edge of the little platform in MSC-1.
"Lean back and watch what goes down."

Wheeler:
"You might have counted on a friend coming through for you, but he or she might not be able to."

Scott:
"Someone who has been sure of him- or herself might suddenly waiver or stumble."

Wilson:
"Others go awry."

Gallagher:
"You might be taken aback by what you see."

Crossed Fingers and Folded Hands

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
--James 5:13-16 (NIV)

Most of you have heard of this turn of events, but it merits repeating. This has been a concern of ours for a while now, and we can't stop praying now. I actually know from experience what it's like to be waiting for news of a loved one in trouble, and prayer is about the best medicine there is.

So get busy, UPS (Unofficial Prayer Squad). We've got work to do.

WoW: "Defenestrate"

Well, it's Monday again. Here's wishing you all a good week. *reaches for mug, realizes he doesn't have one*

Ahem. Anyway, since it is Monday, it's time for a new Word of the Week (yay!).

I was rather amused to discover that there's actually a word for this action.

I love the English language. *contended sigh*

Word of the Week for November 8, 2004:

defenestrate, trans. verb (dee-FEHN-ih-strat)
"to throw out of a window"
n: defenestration

At last, they shall have their Revenge...

I suggest "TheMovieBox" (third from the top).

Go. Watch. Be amazed (or disgusted). Now wait for 6 1/2 months.

It's about time!!

The weather today has been awesome. I've enjoyed everything about it. The faint, gentle mist filling the air earlier this morning. The fresh, cool air filling my lungs. The icy, gusty wind knifing across my skin. The gray, brooding clouds filling the sky like a fluffy mass of wool. *sigh* I love it.

And, as I said in the title, it's about time! It's the blasted beginning of November! The weather should have turned this way at least half a month ago!

WoW: "Hypermnesia"

First of all, you will notice a pronunciation guide at the very bottom of my sidebar. Blogger doesn't support the IPA symbols I've learned, and I don't know the Official Dictionary System, so you get to use mine; feedback about its usefulness would be greatly appreciated. The consonants should be fairly self-explanatory; most of them were not done (I include "zh" only for clarity).

Oh, and don't expect to see etymologies too often; it's entirely too much work for me.

Now, without further ado:


Word of the Week:

hypermnesia, noun (hi-perm-NEE-zhuh):
"exceptionally exact or vivid memory"
adjective "hypermnesic"