W-O-R-D N-E-R-D

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobiacs, beware.

Scarious

(adj. Thin, dry, and membranous, as certain bracts; chaffy.)

[Editor's Note: If you're wondering whether www.dictionary.com is a reliable source, it gives--at least concerning this word--the verbatum definition from Random House, which is generally considered a reliable authority on words. (: ]

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Sparge (v. To scatter or sprinkle; n. A sprinkling.)

Copasetic

adj. Very satisfactory or acceptable; fine.

Copasetic is a copasetic word my friend taught me today. Isn't it lovely?

Ode to a Goldfish

"Oh, my wet pet."

--By the Infamous Unknown


(Yes, it is inspirational.)


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anhydrous (adj. Without water, especially water of crystallization.)

Argh and Art

Have you ever wondered what version of "Argh" is used the most? Arrgh? Aaaaargh? Arrghh? Your wondering is over: IntroducingThe Argh Page

I came across this lady's art, which I am enjoying immensely. Speaking of art, an Art & Personality experiment from BBC.
In Random Kinds of Factness today, it mentioned there is a legitimate phobia of balloons : baloniphobia, or globophobia. This is a sickness my cat constantly suffers from. But fear not, there's help. And if you thought you possessed a nameless fear? Click here.


"We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth" Pablo Picasso

Pawky

(adj. Cunning; artful; sly)

Hesitations...

(Warning: Possible rants on Eragon ahead...again. Forgive me.)

There are several characters along with a vague story arch bouncing around the confines of my imagination. It is a fantasy-like tale, although I'm not into the heavy magic stuff prevalent a la Harry Potter. I have tried multiple times to either sketch an outline (which I've never been good with) or begin actually writing the story, but every time I feel exceedingly...unprepared, and I've narrowed this sensation down to a few key factors:

For anyone who knows me or has read my reviews (eh, more often critiques than reviews), you know I am extremely critical of...well, just about every form of art and entertainment. I demand originality, intensity, subtlety, and details. God really is in the details, especially when it comes to storytelling (be it in verbal, written, or cinematic). I like to be surprised; I like the unexpected. But I over-analyze and it takes quite a twist to catch me off guard. (That said, I can appreciate a cleverity, even if I see it coming.)

So originality goes a long way with me. That is not to say everything in a book must be completely unheard of. But, I'd like to view the commonplace or cliche from a different direction, or have new dimensions added. I also know there are only a few general story lines in the human imagination; again, I like to see new dimensions to give it depth. I simply don't know that I have the ability to do that. I do not want to write something trite or unstimulating.

Above all else, a good book reflects the writer; and if the writer doesn't know anything, the book won't say anything. For me, the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back in Eragon wasn't so much the writing as the storytelling. The naivete of the author was brutally apparent in his tale. Yes, that was part of his hero's character, but the immaturity permeated every aspect of the story. That's a vital lesson I learned from Christopher Paolini: don't write what you don't know. If I haven't explored the world I'm in, how am I to create an entirely different one. (I'm not just referring to fantasy here; a historical setting could apply, as well.) If I haven't discovered the intricacies of the world surrounding me, how am I to weave literary gold from the straw of inexperience?

Anyway, it comes to this: I demand quality. And I don't know whether or not I could be satisfied with the quality of my work. I don't know that I am ready to begin the telling of an epic (or not so epic) tale. Sure, there's no way to know unless I try, but I'm thinking I'll start with something more...familiar. Since the time I was rolling around on the floor at two years old, listening as my mother read Little House on the Prairie to my brother, this lesson has been reinforced: write what you know. Of course, as I said, all writing is a reflection of the writer somehow, and one should begin with something that doesn't necessitate stretching too far.

I'm young. I haven't traveled far. I have a lot to learn about...well, everything. I don't think I'm ready to write about someone else's life, when I've barely lived my own. So, fleeting delusions-of-bestselling-grandeur aside, I'm testing the literary waters. I'm writing short stories, practicing basic skills, dabbling in poetry, and continuing in my songwriting. And for now, it will have to be enough.

Delusional

I've been spelling that word wrong for years.

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milium (n. A small, white or yellowish cystlike mass just below the surface of the skin, caused by retention of the secretion of a sebaceous gland)

Editor's note: This was the only interesting word I could find today. I'll never use it. But I'll know what it means.

Concerning Pronouns

I was listening (evesdropping, I suppose, but it was rather inescapable due to the close quarters of a 16-passenger van) to a discussion between two girls on my basketball team, one from Japan, the other, South Korea; I noted that the latter used "it" several times during the conversation, where most English-speakers would have used "he." "It" was never used in a way that is grammatically incorrect, but a few times, the term just seemed out of place.

*gasps* Pronouns? What shameful intolerance.

Why I Hate the PC Movement

a prolonged rant by an enraged Kate

There are a few reasons, but the one that irks me the most is that it has destroyed grammar. I learned this last summer as I was editing papers for my aunt's grad-school classes. She was studying special-education and how technology can assist it, especially at the college-level (my brain refuses to recall the official name of her science), and her papers focused on the empowerment of the disabled student through various means; delightfully, nefarious words such as *transitions to whisper* "he," "she," and even "he or she" have become politically incorrect. "One" is even frowned upon. Instead, one must use "the student" where previously--back in the dark ages of non-enlightenment--a pronoun might have been used. This makes for some mighty awkward sentences with "the student" repeated several times. But, ya know, I can understand because, I mean--pronouns?--who actually uses those vile, discriminating words? Come on. People are way too easily offended. I don't care if a generic pronoun like "he" is used positively, or even "she" negatively (although I think the use of "she" is unnecessary, since as a whole we are referred to "mankind," but no need for splitting hairs). If it's referring to the human race, I just fail to see a reason for displeasured resentment.
Oy vey...

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"Political correctness is just tyranny with manners" --the great philosopher Charlton Heston

Rapacious (adj. very greedy; preditorial; voracious; ravenous)