WoW: 3/28/05

Yay for wordplay!

Word of the Week for 3/28/05:
antanaclasis, noun /aent-aen-uh-KLAES-ihs/
A play on words in which a key word is repeated in a different, often contrary, sense.

Examples:
o Your argument is sound, nothing but sound. -Benjamin Franklin
o If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.
-Vince Lombardi
o Learn some craft when young, that when old you may live without craft.
-Anonymous

The Cross-Road Comes Full Circle

I was going to write about how Easter is the foundation of the Christian religion. I was going to write about how Easter is the reason we celebrate Christmas. I was going to be eloquent, poetic, hauntingly beautiful. But then I realized that all that has been done before, and better than I ever could.

One of the great things about songs is that they can speak to both our emotional and our rational sides. Music has the power to touch our emotions in powerful ways, and well-written lyrics can speak volumes of truth and reason.

The songs that follow might not be the greatest songs ever written, but they are some of my favorites. As you read the words to the familiar songs, think of the beautiful music and ponder the meanings of the words. Contemplate God's sacrifice and His love for you.

***

Hark! The herald angels sing: "Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth, and mercy mild; God and sinners reconciled."

For unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given. And the government shall be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing. Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the Son of Mary.

Noel, noel, noel, noel, born is the King of Israel!

O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

Gloria in excelsis Deo!
...
...
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.

Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our trangressions; He was wounded for our iniquities.

And with His stripes, we are healed.

...

Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

Christ the Lord is risen today! Allelujah!

O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory?

Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever, Amen!

Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain and hath delivered us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. Amen!

Winds of Change

Well, I said there would be some changes, and I wasn't lying. New title, new base template, and a (relatively) new commenting system add up to a considerably different look for this blog. "But why the change?" you ask?

For the past few months, I've been struggling with my plans for the future. I wasn't sure where I was supposed to be heading after graduation: what to study, where to study it, what to do as far as job searching...I wasn't sure of anything. After much thinking, praying, and discussing with others, I now have a better idea of what lies ahead.

The more I learned about linguistics, the more I didn't see myself going that way for a career. The study of language (and languages) still interests me, and I hope to incorporate it into what I do study, but there was one major problem with the field: linguistics isn't quite prescriptive enough for me. Most of you are probably aware of the fact that languages change over time. Although some linguists try to halt or reverse this process, it never works, and most linguists today have reached the point where their work is more descriptive than prescriptive.

As my position as self-styled "Grammar Gestapo" might hint to you, I tend to be more prescriptive when it comes to language. I recognize that language changes and that the purpose of language is communication, but something in my brain just likes to see order and conformity when it comes to writing and (to a lesser extent) speech. Thus, I didn't think I would particularly enjoy working in a descriptive field.

Two alternatives were prominent in my mind: philosophy and logic. From the classes I've taken in these subjects and the (little) extracurricular reading I've done, I think I would enjoy these. As I thought about these ideas, rhetoric came to mind as another possible field of study. These fields involve critical thinking, analysis of arguments, and searching for truth. Language is an important element in all of these, and the language that is used must be precise; thus I get my fix for prescriptive grammar.

I think I would enjoy these fields, but there's another question to answer: Could I succeed in these fields? I like to think I usually do pretty well with critical thinking, but it's not something that comes easily for me. There are times when I find myself missing an obvious point or overlooking something that everyone else seems to catch. Am I cut out to be a philosopher/ logician/ rhetorician?

But the more I thought and prayed about it, the more it felt like one of these three fields would be the right way to go. And besides: the whole point of studying is to learn about these things and get better at them, right?

So, right now my tentative plan looks something like this:

Summer 2005:
(1) get a part-time job at CBU (again)
(2) take courses at CBU (again)
(3) carry out internship with Reasons to Believe (for both English Internship and Physics Research credit)

Fall 2005:
(1) complete courses at LU

Christmas Break 2005:
(1) relax a bit
(2) do some preliminary research on graduate programs and schools

Spring 2005:
(1) finish coursework at LU
(2) graduate!

Post-Graduation:
*take about a year off from school
(1) get a full-time job (preferably with CBU or RtB)
(2) conduct further research in graduate programs and schools
(3) complete some foreign language and general education courses in preparation for grad school
(4) enroll in a graduate program and go from there

Now that I've formed a plan, I'm feeling much more calm and secure about the next year. I don't know exactly where I'm headed, but I have general direction and a network of supportive family and friends. Top that off with a faith in God's sovereignty for the future, and what is there to worry about?

In light of this new direction, I thought it might be appropriate to make some changes to the blog. Let me know what you think: Do you like the new look?

WoW: 3/21/05

Alas, Spring Break is over, and we return to the normal routine. Given that, the following word seemed appropriate:

Word of the Week for 3/21/05:
quotidian, adjective /kwo-TIHD-ee-uhn/
1) occurring or returning daily (a quotidian fever)
2) ordinary, commonplace; of an everyday character

Quid Pro Quote

We all love quotes. If you need evidence of this, just look at the number of us who keep "quote books."

Why do we love quotes? For myself, I like "quotable quotes" for a variety of reasons. They are usually entertaining. They often express relatively deep social, psychological, or philosophical ideas very concisely. They provide insight into the minds of others. They sound really spiffy when you use them at cocktail parties (or any other party, for that matter).

To that end, I have decided to start a semi-periodical feature on my blog: "Quid Pro Quote." I will present a few of my favorite quotes taken from various sources: books, movies, TV, video games, personal experience, and historical figures. Some will be funny, some will be profound, some will just be stupid. I hope you will enjoy it.

So, without further ado, I present the first installment of Quid Pro Quote:

Books:
“ 'Tar is not a name,' said Madame Pong. ‘It’s an honorific -- like Mister, or Doctor, or Professor.'
‘What does it mean?’ I asked.
Tar Gibbons waved a hand. ‘Your language has no exact equivalent. In rough translation, it would be something like “Wise and beloved warrior who can kill me with his little finger if he should do desire.”’
--Aliens Ate My Homework

“The lad was promptly expelled, undoubtedly losing face, but otherwise intact.” --The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach

"Mephistopheles [to Faust]: Will you reach for the thunder? ’Tis well that it was not given to you miserable mortals! To smash to pieces the man who blamelessly answers back, that is the tyrant’s way of venting himself when embarrassed." --Faust

Movies:
"Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost if you keep it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world!?" --Dr. Strangelove, Dr. Strangelove

"The whole point of having a dragon is to tell everyone that you have a dragon! Why didn't you tell the world?" --Crow T. Robot, MST3K of The Sword and the Dragon

Games:
“Can you unlock a grating with a jewel-encrusted egg?” --Zork

“You feel uneasy as the mad scientist locks the door behind you and dissolves the key in a vat of acid.” --unknown Infocom text adventure

“Ford looks startled, then guilty. He starts to say something and stops. He starts to say something else and stops. Suddenly he seems to see the bulldozer for the first time, stops starting to say things and starts.” --Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Miscellaneous:
“Going to war without France is like going hunting without an accordion.”
--source unknown

"If you have a right to someone else's approval, then they do not have a right to their own opinions and values. You cannot say that what 'consenting adults' do in private is nobody else's business and then turn around and say that others are bound to put their seal of approval on it." --Thomas Sowell


And last, a short story:
"A linguistics professor was lecturing his class. 'In English,' he explained, 'a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However,' the professor continued, 'there is no language in which a double positive can form a negative.' A voice from the back of the room piped up, 'Yeah, right.'"

Something Stirs...

Well, I think it's about time I posted something other than a WoW update. Unfortunately for you, dear reader, there's not really a lot for me to post about. At least, not much that I'm ready to post about just yet.

Spring Break has been good so far. I haven't gotten as much work done as I probably should have, but I've been enjoying some frivolous activities and extra sleep. And I have gotten some work done, too. It's certainly different having a smaller group here on campus, but it's nice in some ways, too. The atmosphere is just a lot more relaxed.

I was disappointed that we didn't get more rain, but at least it's been cooler (in temperature) this week than it was earlier this month.

Let's see...that's about all I've got for now. There is one "fun" post in the works, which will probably come out tomorrow or Saturday.

As for the title of this post...for now, I'll just say that I'm going to be making some changes in the not-to-distant future. To tide you over, here is my result from a little quiz that made the rounds not long ago:

You Are 75% Left Brained, 25% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

I'm not particularly suprised, but that might just mean that I skewed the quiz results. Thoughts?

WoW: 3/14/05

If you're reading this, you probably already know that I'm on Spring Break this week. This makes me happy, since it's an excuse to sleep in and get a little rest. Unfortunately, it also provides the time I need to get started on some major projects for the semester that I don't get to work on during the normal weeks. So I'll still be fairly busy. But I think I'll be able to find time to get some kind of post up later this week; maybe even more than one.

So, on with the normal Monday feature. In honor of Spring Break, and to help support Wilson's Open Thread of Zany Wackiness, I am providing an expanded Word of the Week with some helpful and practical definitions.

Words of the Week for 3/14/05:
vitrify, verb /VIH-trih-fi/

(transitive): to change or make into glass or a glassy substance, especially through intense heat
(intransitive): to be changed or made into glass

eel, noun /EEL/
1) Any of various long, snakelike, scaleless marine or freshwater fishes of the order Anguilliformes or Apodes that lack pelvic fins and characteristically migrate from fresh water to salt water to spawn
2) Any of several similar fishes, such as the lamprey and electric eel

affectation, noun /ae-fehk-TA-shuhn/
1) a show, pretense, or display
2) behavior that is assumed rather than natural; artificiality
3) a particular habit, as of speech or dress, adopted to give a false impression

erudition, noun /ehr-oo-DIH-shuhn/ or /ehr-yoo-DIH-shuhn/
deep, extensive learning; profound scholarly knowledge

amusing, adjective /uh-MYOO-zing/
entertaining or pleasing; arousing laughter

quibbling /KWIH-blihng/
noun
a petty distinction or irrelevant objection

adjective
petty and pedantic

WoW: 3/7/05

Only one more week until Spring Break! Yay! *does Happy-Anticipation-of-Break Dance* Hang in there, everyone; a reprieve is on the way.

In other news, I'm mostly over whatever sickness I had. Both for this reason and for the sake of those who are still ill, this week's Word seemed fitting:


Word of the Week for 3/7/05:
salubrious, adjective /suh-LOO-bree-uhs/
Favorable to health; promoting health; healthful.

" 'Check' Yourself Into Hell" and Other Amusing Links

A rather amusing (if grammatically shaky) article, courtesy of one of my friends back home.

"Should Christians Play Chess?"

Excerpts:

"This makes it seem that someone playing chess, especially on the White Side, is acting out a morality play, attacking the forces of Darkness and crushing them under his heel. There lies the trick that ensnares millions of innocent souls every year."

"In addition to problems with the rules, certain conventions of game play are offensive to any True Christian that has seen the Truth. It is possible, if care is not taken, to move the Knight in such a manner that the outline of a Pentagram is described on the board, an incontrovertible sign of Satan."

"The forces of Darkness have managed to get introductory chess books into almost EVERY school library in the entire country! Our children are ENCOURAGED to take up the Devil's Pastime! They often play it in pairs, unsupervised by any responsible adults."

**
Other fun things I've found:

36 Methods of Mathematical Proof
Proof by obviousness
"The proof is so clear that it need not be mentioned."

Why God Never Received Tenure at a University
He had only one major publication.
It was in Hebrew.
It had no references.

Some Assorted Amusements

**
And, finally, a little video that has me aghast. I can't decide whether it's funny or sad or disturbing or some horrible combination of all three. Actually, I think it's mostly funny (watch for the references to paraphrases and the Apocrypha).