Hypnagogic*
Hey look, a 'y' in the middle of the word! I love that. I thynk when it's a short 'i' it should always be 'y'. But then I thynque that words that end with 'k' or 'ck' should instead all end with -que, so there's that one.
Anyway, hypnagogic sleep is the best. I have just enough control over what's in my head to know that I have no control over what's in my head and I can just sit back and enjoy the show. I swear, there's a complete nother world in my subconscious that comes to play when I go to sleep. I remember one time the 'sband came to wake me from a nap to go to a party and I hollered out "Noooooo!!" like I was some kid who was being forced up for Sunday school or something. Oh wait, that's not what I'm talking about. I know. I woke up one morning and the hypnagogic world I had just been visiting was so real! I dreamt we owned an inn in Vermont and the 'sband always wore really tight sweaters. And had big hair. And big breasts. No offense, but euw. Why would the 'sband have big hair?
Another time in hypnagogic bliss...oh hell, we all know what's coming, so let's just cut to the chase.
*To the dude who questioned that I was not releasing the entries for that day's word of the day: yes, I know this word is from last weekend, but I called your legal guardian who said you'd be able to handle it. And don't worry reader who said it, I won't mark this note up with yer name - I'll keep it our secret.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Eschew
Eschew
So I'm sitting here with the 'sband watching Modern Family, which has nothing to do with anything, and when we started talking about the Merriam Webster Word of the Day being 'eschew.' He pointed out that it's pronounced 'es-CHOO,' not 'es-SHOO' like I've always heard it said. Thing is, once the 'sband finds out such a thing, it takes a bit for him to let it go.
"It's pronounced es-CHOO...es-CHOO...ess CHOO!" And then a few more times like he was sneezing. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeessss-CHOOOOOOO!"
And yes, he made me laugh. But it's nice to laugh. In fact, I want to share my joviality with you and those around you:
- If you are at work in a cube, stand up and look over the wall at a co-worker.
- If you are in sitting near someone and there is no wall, simply look their way (spouse, partner, friend, relative, bro, booty call, stranger, doesn't matter)
- If you are by yourself, give someone a call - right now!
And then say:
"Hey, guess what? Eschew is not pronounce es-SHOE, It's pronounced es-CHOO...es-CHOO...ess CHOO!" And now do it like yer sneezing. "Eeeees-CHOOOOOO! Eeeeeeeeeees-CHOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Doesn't that feel good to feel the love and humor?? You're welcome, darn it, you're welcome!
PS: My 'sband, I think I'll keep him!
So I'm sitting here with the 'sband watching Modern Family, which has nothing to do with anything, and when we started talking about the Merriam Webster Word of the Day being 'eschew.' He pointed out that it's pronounced 'es-CHOO,' not 'es-SHOO' like I've always heard it said. Thing is, once the 'sband finds out such a thing, it takes a bit for him to let it go.
"It's pronounced es-CHOO...es-CHOO...ess CHOO!" And then a few more times like he was sneezing. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeessss-CHOOOOOOO!"
And yes, he made me laugh. But it's nice to laugh. In fact, I want to share my joviality with you and those around you:
- If you are at work in a cube, stand up and look over the wall at a co-worker.
- If you are in sitting near someone and there is no wall, simply look their way (spouse, partner, friend, relative, bro, booty call, stranger, doesn't matter)
- If you are by yourself, give someone a call - right now!
And then say:
"Hey, guess what? Eschew is not pronounce es-SHOE, It's pronounced es-CHOO...es-CHOO...ess CHOO!" And now do it like yer sneezing. "Eeeees-CHOOOOOO! Eeeeeeeeeees-CHOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Doesn't that feel good to feel the love and humor?? You're welcome, darn it, you're welcome!
PS: My 'sband, I think I'll keep him!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Epitome
Epitome
Another word where the second def' over-shadows the first. I'd never even heard of the first def'. I thought that "a summary of a written work" was known as...a summary.
Anyway, I love the word epitome. Partly because of the non-silent 'e' at the end, but also because I love superlatives.* (In fact, I love the word superlative because of what it means.) The great thing about epitomizing something, and I don't feel people use this facet of the word nearly enough, is that it can be very ambiguous. Consider a moment, the following:
"Love Never Dies is the epitome of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows!"
Obviously your personal feelings toward Andy are going to color how that sentence is construed. I love ambiguity. Keeps us on our toes.
You know what I think? I think we should see if we can find the epitome of superlatives. Whadya say we DuckDuckGo "Epitome of superlatives." OK, well, there are some things I can't make up - dig the byline. Wow. And we can't forget about real estate.
And I'll admit, this is sort of making my head implode. There are so many things to say, but seriously, where to start?? What's really killing me is that main dude's name is misspelled all over the place as...well....**
And people wonder why I'm touched in the grey matter. This is the world in which I live!! Day after transcendently world-class day!
Yep. I'm lucky!
*As in the 'very good' sense of the word, not the grammatical sense.
**Which of course always makes me think of...
Another word where the second def' over-shadows the first. I'd never even heard of the first def'. I thought that "a summary of a written work" was known as...a summary.
Anyway, I love the word epitome. Partly because of the non-silent 'e' at the end, but also because I love superlatives.* (In fact, I love the word superlative because of what it means.) The great thing about epitomizing something, and I don't feel people use this facet of the word nearly enough, is that it can be very ambiguous. Consider a moment, the following:
"Love Never Dies is the epitome of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows!"
Obviously your personal feelings toward Andy are going to color how that sentence is construed. I love ambiguity. Keeps us on our toes.
You know what I think? I think we should see if we can find the epitome of superlatives. Whadya say we DuckDuckGo "Epitome of superlatives." OK, well, there are some things I can't make up - dig the byline. Wow. And we can't forget about real estate.
And I'll admit, this is sort of making my head implode. There are so many things to say, but seriously, where to start?? What's really killing me is that main dude's name is misspelled all over the place as...well....**
And people wonder why I'm touched in the grey matter. This is the world in which I live!! Day after transcendently world-class day!
Yep. I'm lucky!
*As in the 'very good' sense of the word, not the grammatical sense.
**Which of course always makes me think of...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Accoutrement
Accoutrement
I always think that I should write a few extra entries for times like this when I'm traveling and have only moments to get something out. But instead, I end up talking about something that has nothing to do with the word. It's no wonder my reader ignores me for days on end. Suddenly, I go to stats and I'm a flatliner. A FLATLINER! Do you know what it's like to be a flatliner?!?!? No little bumps in the statistical landscape. Come winter, there'll be no skiing or sledding on my statistical mountains! I got so depressed I took my name off the National Do-Not-Call list just so people will ring me up.
"Mr. Briedank?"
"Oh hey, could you do me a favor? Go to http://touchedinthegreymatter.blogspot.com/ and read it to me."
"I'm sorry Mr. Briendank, I can't..."
"No seriously, you have to go there and read it to me!"
"I'm sorry, I..."
"But that's why I called you!"
"Mr Briedank, you didn't call me, I called you."
"Yes, so I could show you my blog!"
"Actually, sir, I'm wondering if you would like to lower your interest rate."
"On my blog? I'm trying to raise the interest rate!"
"I meant on your credit cards."
"Why would I wanna raise the interest rates on my credit cards? That's silly."
"I can only help you lower the interest on your credit cards."
"Well then why did I call you?"
"You didn't sir; I called you."
"Oh...you wanna read my blog?"
"Sir, I can't..."
"Well, then I can't either!"
See that? See how well that works?
Oh wait.
Damn it!!
I always think that I should write a few extra entries for times like this when I'm traveling and have only moments to get something out. But instead, I end up talking about something that has nothing to do with the word. It's no wonder my reader ignores me for days on end. Suddenly, I go to stats and I'm a flatliner. A FLATLINER! Do you know what it's like to be a flatliner?!?!? No little bumps in the statistical landscape. Come winter, there'll be no skiing or sledding on my statistical mountains! I got so depressed I took my name off the National Do-Not-Call list just so people will ring me up.
"Mr. Briedank?"
"Oh hey, could you do me a favor? Go to http://touchedinthegreymatter.blogspot.com/ and read it to me."
"I'm sorry Mr. Briendank, I can't..."
"No seriously, you have to go there and read it to me!"
"I'm sorry, I..."
"But that's why I called you!"
"Mr Briedank, you didn't call me, I called you."
"Yes, so I could show you my blog!"
"Actually, sir, I'm wondering if you would like to lower your interest rate."
"On my blog? I'm trying to raise the interest rate!"
"I meant on your credit cards."
"Why would I wanna raise the interest rates on my credit cards? That's silly."
"I can only help you lower the interest on your credit cards."
"Well then why did I call you?"
"You didn't sir; I called you."
"Oh...you wanna read my blog?"
"Sir, I can't..."
"Well, then I can't either!"
See that? See how well that works?
Oh wait.
Damn it!!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Troubadour
Troubadour
The troubadour life for me!! Well, it would be if it wasn't for the house and cat and the 'sband,* but you know what I mean. Whenever I see that silly poster "Bloom where you're planted" I always want to ask the owner "what if the soil on which the seed was sown was fallow?"** I especially think it now when I'm back in my hometown visiting the 'rents. When I was in some lower level college English class we had to write haikus. I wasn't rather unsure of myself at first, but then they just poured outa me.
Small town of my birth
People here don't wear deck shoes
Lotsa beer burps.
Unfortunately I can only remember the first line, so I had to ad lib, but it was something like that.
Town surrounded by farm land
Odorous metaphoric armpit
Farm fresh spread.
Seriously, if yer ever in a restaurant and instead of butter, it's labeled 'farm fresh spread,' remind your server what it is that gets spread while still fresh on a farm.
Small town America
White picket fences - white picket values
"Whadya mean there's more to music than just Top 40? If it was any good, it would be more popular! Sheese."***
And I'm hoping that some of the kids in smaller towns know more of music because of the interwebs, but as someone who lived before the 'nets...oy...
So my reader doesn't think this is sliding into bitcholog country, going back to my hometown is really not painful like it once was. I could never live there, but family and friends still do that have prospered, so who am I to say...?
*Listed in no particular order.
**Yes, as a matter of fact, that is a quote from the Bible (sort of), thank you for noticing.
***Yes, I know haikus are 5-7-5. When was the last time you saw a bunch of American ones online that actually followed that rule?? Please.
The troubadour life for me!! Well, it would be if it wasn't for the house and cat and the 'sband,* but you know what I mean. Whenever I see that silly poster "Bloom where you're planted" I always want to ask the owner "what if the soil on which the seed was sown was fallow?"** I especially think it now when I'm back in my hometown visiting the 'rents. When I was in some lower level college English class we had to write haikus. I wasn't rather unsure of myself at first, but then they just poured outa me.
Small town of my birth
People here don't wear deck shoes
Lotsa beer burps.
Unfortunately I can only remember the first line, so I had to ad lib, but it was something like that.
Town surrounded by farm land
Odorous metaphoric armpit
Farm fresh spread.
Seriously, if yer ever in a restaurant and instead of butter, it's labeled 'farm fresh spread,' remind your server what it is that gets spread while still fresh on a farm.
Small town America
White picket fences - white picket values
"Whadya mean there's more to music than just Top 40? If it was any good, it would be more popular! Sheese."***
And I'm hoping that some of the kids in smaller towns know more of music because of the interwebs, but as someone who lived before the 'nets...oy...
So my reader doesn't think this is sliding into bitcholog country, going back to my hometown is really not painful like it once was. I could never live there, but family and friends still do that have prospered, so who am I to say...?
*Listed in no particular order.
**Yes, as a matter of fact, that is a quote from the Bible (sort of), thank you for noticing.
***Yes, I know haikus are 5-7-5. When was the last time you saw a bunch of American ones online that actually followed that rule?? Please.
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