Gryphon's Word of the Day: January 2007

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 31, 2007

The word of the day* for January 31, 2007 is “flabbergast” transitive verb : to overwhelm with shock, surprise, or wonder : DUMBFOUND.

We’ve been talking about getting another Ford Taurus ever since we bought my car in 2004. Here lately, Lloyd has been more insistent that he really wants a Taurus because the gas mileage is better than his Cadillac—plus the Caddy burns premium. For the past couple of weeks, he’s been looking at the ads. Yet, when I offered to get a loan pre-approved or even just call for information, he would back off. Yesterday, he called and asked me to meet him at the dealer, and yes this seems to be a decent car—a white 2005 Ford Taurus SE that had been a salesman’s car from the mileage.

Since I had met him at the dealership to do the paperwork, we had to go home and then back to get the “new” car. I drove the Fords home, stopping to get gas on the way home with the new one. When I got within sight of the house, I saw that Lloyd had parked in the drive behind my Ford. As I didn’t have the garage door opener, I had to go into the house. Lloyd said, “I think we’ll keep the Fords in the garage, and I’ll drive the Cadillac around in town.” I said magnanimously that we should think about it, but he insisted that I should drive the new car to work.

The quote† for today is from Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778), Mrs. Gripon, in La Femme Qui a Raison, act 2, sc. 2:

The husband who decides to surprise his wife is often very much surprised himself.

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Tags: flabbergast, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 30, 2007

The word of the day* for January 30, 2007 is “lave” — transitive verb 1 a : WASH, BATHE b : to flow along or against. 2 : POUR. intransitive verb, archaic : to wash oneself : BATHE.

As the temperature got up above forty degrees yesterday, I washed my car. It certainly needed to be desalinated . If it had been up to me, though, I probably wouldn’t have bothered. Lloyd, however, enjoys “detailing” his car. It’s one of his few hobbies. One of the stock questions he asks people when we call them is whether their car is clean.

The main part of getting his car clean yesterday was scrubbing the tires. They were so dirty, the whitewalls did not show. Today it is cold enough that nothing will splash on the cars. I told him to enjoy the experience because the prediction is for snow again tomorrow.

The quote† for today is from Leo Tolstoy (1828 -1910):

Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.

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Tags: lave, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Monday, January 29, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 29, 2007

The word of the day* for January 29, 2007 is “gratuitous” — adjective 1 a : given unearned or without recompense b : not involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration c : costing nothing : FREE. 2 : not called for by the circumstances : UNWARRANTED <gratuitous insolence> <a gratuitous assumption>.

It’s Brian’s birthday; I did send him a card, but I don’t know if it got into the mail or not. So—Happy Birthday, Brian.

It’s amazing how—after we leave school—we keep having birthdays. I mean that somewhere after high school graduation we mentally hit our real age and stick there. Some of us are doomed, because we got stuck in jr. high. Others seem to reach ninety before we are “dry behind the ears.” Personally, I managed to be thirty-eight for three years in a row, starting when my chronological clock read thirty-seven. Maybe that has something to do with life beginning at forty.

The quote† for today is from Philip Larkin (1922–1986) “Spring”:

Spring, of all seasons most gratuitous,
Is fold of untaught flower, is race of water,
Is earth’s most multiple, excited daughter;
And those she has least use for see her best,
Their paths grown craven and circuitous,
Their visions mountain-clear, their needs immodest.

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Tags: gratuitous, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 28, 2007

The word of the day* for January 28, 2007 is “lycanthrope” — NOUN: 1. A werewolf. 2. A person affected with lycanthropy.

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Went to see Blood and Chocolate at the theater yesterday. Of course, the movie doesn’t follow the book very well—the venue changed to Bucharest rather than Maryland, and the heroine seemed to be in her early twenties, not sweet sixteen. However, there was a plot, and very little “cat in the face” type action. For action/adventure fans there is breaking glass and gratuitous fire. Maybe not so gratuitous—fire is one of the ways to dispose of werewolves in this movie. The special effects (e.g., people changing to werewolves) were nicely done.

It is not, however, a horror movie, in the sense of The Haunting or even Dracula. In fact it is a coming of age movie in which the heroine has to learn to stand up for what she wants to do with her life. I enjoyed the movie. So did my husband, although he was there for the werewolves, not the story.

The quote† for today is from Hermann Hesse, Steppenwolf, quoted in Blood and Chocolate, Annette Curtis Klause (ISBN 0-440-22668-6):

In fear I hurried this way and that. I had the taste of blood and chocolate in my mouth, the one as hateful as the other.

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Tags: lycanthrope, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 27, 2007

The word of the day* for January 27, 2007 is “independent” — adjective 1 : not dependent: as a (1) : not subject to control by others : SELF-GOVERNING (2) : not affiliated with a larger controlling unit <an independent bookstore> b (1) : not requiring or relying on something else : not contingent <an independent conclusion> (2) : not looking to others for one's opinions or for guidance in conduct (3) : not bound by or committed to a political party c (1) : not requiring or relying on others (as for care or livelihood) <independent of her parents> (2) : being enough to free one from the necessity of working for a living <a person of independent means> d : showing a desire for freedom <an independent manner> e (1) : not determined by or capable of being deduced or derived from or expressed in terms of members (as axioms or equations) of the set under consideration; especially : having linear independence <an independent set of vectors>. (2) : having the property that the joint probability (as of events or samples) or the joint probability density function (as of random variables) equals the product of the probabilities or probability density functions of separate occurrence. 2 capitalized : of or relating to the Independents. 3 a : MAIN 5 <an independent clause> b : neither deducible from nor incompatible with another statement <independent postulates>.

Early one icy winter morning, when my sister was on her way from Newton, IA to Iowa City for a class, she came over a hill to find several “teen-aged” pigs in the median. Now, I have never asked how she knew these were teen-aged pigs. We’ll just assume that, as they were out there in the pre-dawn hours crossing the highway—obviously up to something they oughtn’t—the description fits. Anyway, she says that although the road in front of her was clear, there were several vehicles behind her. She didn’t wait around to see if the pigs inadvertently became someone’s breakfast.

She also says that every time she mentioned it to her husband, he always said that you wouldn’t want to hit a pig. Seems a pig’s center of gravity is low and one will do a lot of nasty damage to the car. He didn’t, my sister complains, think about what it might do to the driver.

The quote† for today is from Mahalia Jackson (1911–1972)and Evan Mcloud Wylie, Movin’ On Up, ch. 1 (1966):

It’s easy to be independent when you’ve got money. But to be independent when
you haven’t got a thing—that’s the Lord’s test.

;^) Jan

* The definition is from either Merriam-Webster Online, 10th Edition or The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition and is used by permission.
† The quote is from either Bartleby: Great Books on Line or The Quotation Pages and is used by permission.

P.S.: Comments and word requests are welcome.

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Tags: independent, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Friday, January 26, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 26, 2007

The word of the day* for January 26, 2007 is “migrate”— intransitive verb 1 : to move from one country, place, or locality to another. 2 : to pass usually periodically from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding. 3 : to change position in an organism or substance <filarial worms migrate within the human body>.

The Powers That Be have decided to move us all to a different desktop than Windows 2000. This means we all have to go through the gyrations of saving our desktop shortcuts and Explorer favorites and make certain that we know what server our printer is on and so forth. So far I have found that, although I can receive mail, I can’t send it. That’s why you’re getting this from AOL.

A few minutes ago, our Migration Focal brought someone else by who has a similar problem, hoping that mine had been solved. No such luck. Plus which, the other sufferer can’t get anything to print out. Oh! I do love modern technology.

The quote† for today is from J.G. Ballard (b. 1930), Re/Search, no. 8/9 (San Francisco, 1984). Interview in Heavy Metal (April 1971):

Electronic aids, particularly domestic computers, will help the inner migration, the opting out of reality. Reality is no longer going to be the stuff out there, but the stuff inside your head. It’s going to be commercial and nasty at the same time.

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Tags: migrate, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 25, 2007

The word of the day* for January 25, 2007 is “phosphorescent” — adjective: exhibiting 1 : luminescence that is caused by the absorption of radiations (as light or electrons) and continues for a noticeable time after these radiations have stopped -- compare FLUORESCENCE. 2 : an enduring luminescence without sensible heat.

On the way to work this morning, I noticed that someone had turned on the street lights on the mile of MacArthur between Broadway and Hydraulic. The lights have been off during my morning commute for the past month. I kept telling myself that I should call it in, but someone apparently beat me to it.

In the parking lot at work, which is well-lighted, I remind myself every morning that visibility is not good until after the sun is up. It is a good thing that my sister knitted me this wonderful red scarf. I’m not saying that it glows in the dark, but it is a good contrast to my black coat. Thanks, Jo.
The quote† for today is from Albert Camus (1913–1960), American Journals (1978, trans. 1988):

As usual I finish the day before the sea, sumptuous this evening beneath the moon, which writes Arab symbols with phosphorescent streaks on the slow swells. There is no end to the sky and the waters. How well they accompany sadness!

;^) Jan

* The definition is from either Merriam-Webster Online, 10th Edition or TheAmerican Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition andis used by permission.
† The quote is from either Bartleby: Great Books on Line or TheQuotation Pages and is used by permission.

P.S.:

·      Comments and word requests are welcome.
·      Old words can be found on my AOLblog.
·       Those not wishing to receive this dailybit of nonsense will be taken off the mailing list upon request.
·       Please do not use the Reply to Allfunction for requests or comments.

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Tags: phosphorescent, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day

The word of the day* for January 24, 2007 is “mnemonic” — adjective 1 : assisting or intended to assist memory; also : of or relating to mnemonics. 2 : of or relating to memory.

Went with my husband to his regular appointment with his primary care physician. What ever happened to “family doctor”? Now we have paramedics and physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners. And the insurance company still wants to tell us whether we can have the medication or the procedure offered by the doctor.

After a mini-mental test, the doctor sent Lloyd for a CT scan to check for possible mini-strokes and/or hard evidence of Alzheimer’s disease. He also prescribed Aricept to help delay the course of Alzheimer’s. I have to go in to see my PC physician tomorrow. I may ask them to do a mini-mental test for me—see if I can claim a real reason for senior moments.

The quote† for today is from Rita Mae Brown:

One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.

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Tags: mnemonic, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 23, 2007

The word of the day* for January 23, 2007 is “procrastination” — noun 1 : the act of putting off intentionally and habitually. 2: the act of intentionally putting off the doing of something that should be done.

Rae reminded me the other day of my favorite method of procrastination. When I should be writing or dusting the living room, I find myself cleaning up the kitchen: loading and running the dishwasher. I do get something accomplished, just not what is the most important at the moment.

Lloyd does the same thing, except he drags other people into it. “Where would you like to go today?” he asks. I tell him I have to get milk and salad greens from the grocery. The next thing I know is we’re off to the zoo in Hutchinson. Usually, we buy gas at Dillons on the way home, so I get to remind him to drop me off at the grocery while he fills the tank. Sometimes procrastination has beneficial side effects.

Today we have dueling quotes† from Lord Chesterfield (1694 - 1773):

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness; no laziness; no procrastination; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

And from Aaron Burr (1756 - 1836):

Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Delay may give clearer light as to what is best to be done.

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Tags: procrastination, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 21, 2007

The word of the day* for January 21, 2007 is “shovel” — noun 1 a : a hand implement consisting of a broad scoop or a more or less hollowed out blade with a handle used to lift and throw material b : something that resembles a shovel c : an excavating machine; especially : a hydraulic diesel-engine driven power shovel. 2 : SHOVELFUL.

I wanted to make a snowman, but Mother Nature disapproved. The snow was too dry to form balls, but wet enough to clump on the shovel. Lloyd was just out to remove snow; so he was not disappointed. We agreed that his putting snow melt on the drive and walk before the snow got very deep was a good idea.

Last night the news team interviewed a man who had been unable to shovel the ice we had gotten in the previous storm—as did we all. He demonstrated that one can move ice sheets with what he described as a “pitch fork”. Now I don’t pretend to know all about tools, but what he was using was a spade fork. Pitch forks have longer, thinner tines. Anyway, he showed that his fork would do the job. Now Lloyd doesn’t have to lay out money for one of the ice breakers.

The quote† for today is from Stuart Chase (1888–1985), U.S. Men and Machines, ch. 2, Macmillan (1929):

The learned professors have been at considerable pains in their attempts to make a distinction between tools and implements on the one hand, and machinery on the other. Nor have they arrived much of anywhere. The one is continually shading into the other. Here is an ordinary shovel used by a day labourer in a ditch; here is the same shovel with a somewhat thicker handle, containing a pneumatic attachment which is said to improve its digging power; here is a very much larger shovel with curved ends and steel teeth, hitched to an arm that is hitched to a steam engine, which can gobble up a cartload of dirt at one mouthful. Where does the tool stop and the machine begin? … And what is one to do with treadmills for grinding corn, whose motive power is said by some to be the donkey, and by some the carrot in front of his nose?

;^) Jan

* The definition is from either Merriam-Webster Online, 10th Edition or The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition and is used by permission.
† The quote is from either Bartleby: Great Books on Line or The Quotation Pages and is used by permission.

P.S.:

Comments and word requests are welcome.
Old words can be found on my AOL blog.
Those not wishing to receive this daily bit of nonsense will be taken off the mailing list upon request.
Please do not use the Reply to All function for requests or comments.

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Tags: shovel, word of the day, quote of the day, humor

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 20, 2007

The word of the day* for January 20, 2007 is “boreal” — adjective 1 : of, relating to, or located in northern regions <boreal waters>. 2 : of, relating to, or comprising the northern biotic area characterized especially by dominance of coniferous forests.

Snow again today with an expectation of 3”-6”. We usually get less than this. I’m told that it is the fault of El Nino. I think it is Mother Nature trying to correct for global warming.

see photo:

Footprints left by the mail carrier just before noon are already covered. There is a cushion of snow on the birdbath two inches deep. Poor sparrows that don’t go south for the winter will have to snug up to their fellows in the spruce tree. I’ll have to throw out some crumbs for them tomorrow. Today I intend to watch Blood of Heroes: the warmest movie I own.

The quote† for today is from Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), “A Winter Walk” (1843), in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, vol. 5, pp. 182-183, Houghton Mifflin (1906):

In winter we lead a more inward life. Our hearts are warm and cheery, like cottages under drifts, whose windows and doors are half concealed, but from whose chimneys the smoke cheerfully ascends.... We enjoy now, not an Oriental, but a Boreal leisure, around warm stoves and fireplaces, and watch the shadow of motes in the sunbeams.

;^) Jan

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Old words can be found on my AOL blog.
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Please do not use the Reply to All function for requests or comments.

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Tags: boreal, word of the day, quote of the day, humor

Friday, January 19, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 19, 2007

The word of the day* for January 19, 2007 is “vaudeville” —NOUN: 1a. Stage entertainment offering a variety of short acts such as slapstick turns, song-and-dance routines, and juggling performances. b. A theatrical performance of this kind; a variety show. 2. A light comic play that often includes songs, pantomime, and dances. 3. A popular, often satirical song.

While watching the entertainment news last night, I was thinking that American Idol is this decade’s Amateur Hour. Only on the Amateur Hour the producers never showed us the really bad enties. We never had to see the singer who couldn’t remember the words on television. Of course, we had ourselves to provide that sort of thing: Dad singing in the shower, little Mary reciting a poem to the family after supper.

Sometime after the Amateur Hour bit the televisual dust, Chuck Barris brought in The Gong Show, which occasionally had really bad acts. However, the Gong people and the abysmal “entertainers” knew they were bad: knew they were getting air time merely to be ridiculed. Now we have to suffer not only the bad singers, but Simon, et al. castigating these people in public. We no longer have a tolerance for amateurs.

The quote† for today is from George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950), Man and Superman (1903) act 3:

Hell is full of musical amateurs: music is the brandy of the damned.

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Tags: vaudeville, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Jan's Word of the Day, Jan 18, 2007

The word of the day* for January 18, 2007 is “violence” —noun 1 a : exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse (as in warfare effecting illegal entry into a house) b : an instance of violent treatment or procedure. 2 : injury by or as if by distortion, infringement, or profanation : OUTRAGE. 3 a : intense, turbulent, or furious and often destructive action or force <the violence of the storm> b : vehement feeling or expression : FERVOR; also : an instance of such action or feeling c : a clashing or jarring quality : DISCORDANCE. 4 : undue alteration (as of wording or sense in editing a text)

I emphatically do not recommend the movie, Shadowboxer, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Helen Mirren. The opening scene is of a small boy taking up a gun with a silencer while listening to a man and and woman—presumably his parents—in a physical altercation. After the credits run, things don’t get any better. My husband turned it off when it became evident that there would be torture of a sexual nature.

Instead we watched While You Were Sleeping, without a doubt my favorite Sandra Bullock movie. It does get a bit draggy in the middle, but Glynis Johns and the late Peter Boyle head up a great cast of supporting players. The most violent thing in the movie is when Peter Gallagher’s character falls onto the train tracks and Bullock’s character has to save him from being run over.

The quote† for today is from Margery Allingham, Death of a Ghost, 1934:

When the habitually even-tempered suddenly fly into a passion, that explosion is apt to be more impressive than the outburst of the most violent amongst us.

·       Comments and word requests are welcome.
·       Old words can be found on my AOL blog.
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Tags: violence, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 17, 2007

The word of the day* for January 17, 2007 is “security” — noun 1 : the quality or state of being secure : as a : freedom from danger : SAFETY b : freedom from fear or anxiety c : freedom from the prospect of being laid off <job security>. 2 a : something given, deposited, or pledged to make certain the fulfillment of an obligation b : SURETY. 3 : an instrument of investment in the form of a document (as a stock certificate or bond) providing evidence of its ownership. 4 a : something that secures : PROTECTION b (1) : measures taken to guard against espionage or sabotage, crime, attack, or escape (2) : an organization or department whose task is security.

A co-worker is taking a class for composite manufacturing. This comprises fiberglass layup and resin impregnation, for those of you who are mechanically declined. She was complaining that the class leader is not concerned with inhalation of fiberglass or resin fumes, nor with proper instruction on use of the various tools necessary for the work. When they saw that no inhalation masks had been provided, she and another co-worker who is taking the course went looking for enough to outfit the whole class.

I’d be leery these days of an instructor who was not concerned with safety. One wonders what other shortcuts are built into the teaching process? It’s on a much larger scale than the woman who provides the recipe for her famous cake with one ingredient missing.

The quote† for today is from Willa Cather (1873 - 1947):

No one can build his security upon the nobleness of another person.

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Tags: security, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 16, 2007

The word of the day* for January 16, 2007 is “inundated” — transitive verb 1 : to cover with a flood : OVERFLOW. 2 : OVERWHELM <was inundated with phone calls>.

My friend Carol, who lives in Colorado, said this past weekend they got another three inches of snow on top of the four feet already on the ground. I gotta tell you those Colorado folks know how to deal with snow. I think the only month they are not likely to get snow—at least in the mountains—is August. So they know how to stock up and hunker down when they are snowed in.

My sister said she had heard an interview with a woman from the West Coast who had gotten stranded in Kansas City with her six children during the weekend storm because the buses were not going east—St. Louis being snow-locked. Bad enough the woman has the kids with her, you say; however, on this trip her family had also been snowbound in Salt Lake City and in Denver. Although I wish her well and pray she gets safely where she’s going sometime soon, I don’t think I want to get on a bus with that woman.

The quote† for today is from Adrienne Rich (b. 1929), Storm Warnings (l. 12–14):

Weather abroad
and weather in the heart alike come on
Regardless of prediction.

;^) Jan

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Tags: inundate, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Monday, January 15, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 15, 2007

The word of the day* for January 15, 2007 is “historicity” — noun: historical actuality.

Happy Martin Luther King Day (observed). Let’s start with the fact that I understand why labor unions had to come into existence, and why they have evolved into what they are today. However, I do wish they would all get together and stop pushing for Monday holidays. It is getting so that every holiday except Thanksgiving and the Winter Recess—which is another kettle of fish—is celebrated over a weekend including Monday.

Businesses like this for two reasons. Workers have three days mandated so that presumably they won’t take four. People who are not at work tend to shop. Of course, what really happens with a three day weekend looming is that people take the day before “to avoid the traffic.” Alternatively, they take Tuesday off to allow for hangover reduction.

The quote† for today is from Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821):

History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.

;^) Jan

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Tags: historicity, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 14, 2007

The word of the day* for January 14, 2007 is “sublimate” — TRANSITIVE VERB: 1. Chemistry To cause (a solid or gas) to change state without becoming a liquid. 2a. To modify the natural expression of (a primitive, instinctual impulse) in a socially acceptable manner. b. To divert the energy associated with (an unacceptable impulse or drive) into a personally and socially acceptable activity. INTRANSITIVE VERB: Chemistry To transform directly from the solid to the gaseous state or from the gaseous to the solid state without becoming a liquid.

At 18 degrees F. it is difficult to remember that the high temperature Thursday was 70 degrees F. Friday morning, the streets were icy—the sort of ice that results from a light snow melting and freezing in a thin glaze. By Friday noon, the roads were as dry as though the ice had never existed. However, the temperature continued to drop and the snow continued so that by Friday evening the roads were mostly slush covered. I DO love winter so.

To occupy our idle hours during the (projected) snowy weekend, I rented some movies. Inside Man we had seen before, but it is good action/suspense even knowing the ending. Same for Firewall, which I wanted to watch with the captions—not that I’m hard of hearing ;^) but the actors mumble and whisper so these days. Or when one watches British films, the music swells over the conversation. We also watched Proud, the story of the USS Marshall, the first United States ship manned by African-American sailors. A bit slow in places, for a war film, but Ossie Davis and the historicity of the film is worth the rental price.

The quote† for today is from William Shakespeare (1564–1616), King Richard, in Richard II, act 4, sc. 1, l. 260:

O that I were a mockery king of snow,
Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke,
To melt myself away in water drops!

;^) Jan

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Tags: raucous, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 13, 2007

The word of the day* for January 13, 2007 is “raucous” — adjective 1 : disagreeably harsh or strident : hoarse <raucous voices>. 2 : boisterously disorderly <a...raucous frontier town -- Truman Capote>.

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I was dreaming a great movie plot as I woke up this morning. It would probably have to be a Disney movie, as the principles were two early-teen girls. They were on their way to a Swiss finishing school: one with her parents, the other with a “minder.” The train on which they were riding had a car full of murder-detective game participants. A group of German soccer fans/players occupied the dining car. There was some mystery about an empty vase one of the girls carried, and something about having matching cameras. Then at a stop where the girls were allowed out for a bit of exercise, they were involved in an attempted kidnapping, thwarted by the soccer enthusiasts who were only too glad to have an excuse for a fight.

I woke up before a good denouement, but given the set-up, I can think of several good endings. So if y’all see this in a Disney movie next year, you’ll know where they got the plot.

The quote† for today is of Aneurin Bevan (1897–1960), British Labour politician. Quoted in Michael Foot, Aneurin Bevan, vol. 1, ch. 10 (1962)

His ear is so sensitively attuned to the bugle note of history that he is often deaf to the more raucous clamour of contemporary life.

;^) Jan

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Tags: raucous, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Friday, January 12, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 12, 2007

The word of the day* for January 12, 2007 is “euphonious” — adjective : pleasing to the ear.

On the occasion of one’s birthday, people insist on singing “Happy Birthday” to one. I do it myself. I’m not going so far as to say that my co-workers are musically untalented. However, I will say that it is a Good Thing that they have regular employment here at the Company.

The “Happy Birthday” song is rarely played on the air. It’s copyrighted for another dunamany years. Royalties—as far as I know—are paid to Michael Jackson. That’s right, Jackson (or his agents) bought the rights along with a whole slough of other tunes from Apple Corps (Yep! The Beatles) years ago. If the rights haven’t been sold to pay for legal bills, Jackson still gets paid everytime the jingle airs on the radio or gets included in a movie. Boggles my mind.

The quote† for today is from John Cage (1912 - 1992):

If you develop an ear for sounds that are musical it is like developing an ego. You begin to refuse sounds that are not musical and that way cut yourself off from a good deal of experience.

;^) Jan

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Tags: euphonious, word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 11, 2007

The word of the day* for January 11, 2007 is “celebrate” — transitive verb 1 : to perform (a sacrament or solemn ceremony) publicly and with appropriate rites <celebrate the mass>. 2 a : to honor (as a holiday) especially by solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business b : to mark (as an anniversary) by festivities or other deviation from routine. 3 : to hold up or play up for public notice <her poetry celebrates the glory of nature>.
intransitive verb 1 : to observe a holiday, perform a religious ceremony, or take part in a festival. 2 : to observe a notable occasion with festivities.

Went over to Winchell’s Doughnuts first thing this morning to buy treats for the land sharks with whom I work. I told the sales clerk that it was my birthday. “And you have to buy your own doughnuts?” she asked. Yes, I said, I see it as an extension of Mother bringing treats to school for the child’s birthday. In general it’s easier not to depend on others to provide the festivities when you want to celebrate.

Since I was ten—and presumably safe to leave in the kitchen by myself—I’ve had to provide my own cake for the majority of my birthdays. There are memorable exceptions. Mother threw a surprize party for me on my sixteenth. I had been threatening to invite the church choir over after practice, so she arranged for some school friends to come over so I never made it to choir practice.

The quote† for today is from Lois McMaster Bujold, "Mirror Dance", 1994 :

It's important that someone celebrate our existence... People are the only mirror we have to see ourselves in. The domain of all meaning. All virtue, all evil, are contained only in people. There is none in the universe at large. Solitary confinement is a punishment in every human culture.

;^) Jan

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Tags: word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 10, 2007

The word of the day* for January 10, 2007 is “mobility” — 1. The quality or state of being mobile. 2. The movement of people, as from one social group, class, or level to another: “There's been . . . restructuring of industry and downward mobility for Americans as a whole” (Lawrence W. Sherman).

Cirque du Soleil announces a third date in Peerless Princess. Seems us back’rds folk here really do appreciate the finer things in life and managed to buy out the first two dates in record time. Lloyd and I are not going because he won’t go to see anything at the Coliseum, our largest local auditorium, on general principles.

I’m not fond of circuses myself, although we have taken the children to one or three of them. One of the things I like the least is the ringmaster’s role in hyping up the acts. All that “most dangerous feat” etc. designed to pump up one’s adrenaline. I know the feats are dangerous; I can’t carry my briefcase through the garage without getting hung up on the lawn mower or Lloyd’s car bumper. Circus people practice constantly and don’t attempt feats they haven’t perfected. Leave my adrenaline where it is and just let me enjoy the sight of people doing things I wouldn’t attempt.

The quote† for today is from George Eliot (1819 - 1880)

The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men.

;^) Jan

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Tags: word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 9, 2007

The word of the day* for January 9, 2007 is “paucity” — 1 : smallness of number : FEWNESS. 2 : smallness of quantity : DEARTH.

“Be alert. The world needs more lerts.” As a bumper sticker motto, that makes excellent sense. Most bumper sticker mottoes do. Some however make you want to get out of the car at the stoplight and ask the driver what the heck his/her message means. Some of them make me want to get out and take a tire iron to the driver, but I always tell myself that the car is new to the driver, who hasn’t had a chance to remove the old stickers—s/he doesn’t really mean that.

The messages on most cars are political: the two-year-old campaign sticker and “Don’t blame me; I didn’t vote for Name” . Some are obscene—among which I include the little line drawings of children making water onto advertising logos, etc. and the silhouettes of (presumably) naked women. Some are personal: “My child is an honor student at Name of School or memento mori, “In loving memory of Name, 1956-2001.” Some are philosophical: anti-abortion, pro-ecology and religious.

The one of which I am still uncertain had a peace sign—circled crow’s foot—on the left and a cross—uncircled—on the right. The motto was “Choose which to follow.” Weellll, I suppose since the Prince of Peace said that He would come again with a sword, maybe that makes sense.

The quote† for today is from Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), Unpopular Essays, “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish,” (1950):

For my part I distrust all generalizations about women, favourable and unfavourable, masculine and feminine, ancient and modern; all alike, I should say, result from paucity of experience.

;^) Jan

* The definition is from either Merriam-Webster Online, 10th Edition (http://www.m-w.com/) or The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition (http://www.bartleby.com/61/) and is used by permission.

† Thequote is from either Bartleby: Great Books on Line (http://www.Bartleby.com/bartlett) or The Quotation Pages (http://www.quotationspage.com/) and is used by permission.

P.S.: Comments and word requests are welcome.

Tags: word of the day, quote for the day, humor

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 8, 2007

The word of the day* for January 8, 2007 is “literate” — 1 a : EDUCATED, CULTURED b : able to read and write. 2 a : versed in literature or creative writing : LITERARY b : LUCID, POLISHED <a literate essay> c : having knowledge or competence <computer-literate> <politically literate>.

A salute to my friend Rae who is now the coordinator for the literacy project run by Goodwill Industries Education & Training Center. She’s looking for volunteer tutors. I’d offer, but I know that I am not a good teacher. I have no patience.

Yet, I understand the need for teachers—not just the formal kind in classrooms on schedules, but the person at the grocery store who offers tips on what to do with the papayas one is eyeing with misgiving. One of the things I do at work is explain to co-workers how one of the computer systems we use works. I don’t mind it too much, except when Dumb-as-rocks asks the same question three days in a row. Never mind that I tell them to write it down, they can’t find the scrap they wrote on, again. I get to thinking, “Where do they come from, and why do they send them to me?’

The quote† for today is from: Katharine Fullerton Gerould (1879–1944), Modes and Morals, ch. 7 (1920):

Conventional manners are a kind of literacy test for the alien who comes among us.

;^) Jan

† The quote is from either Bartleby: Great Books on Line (http://www.Bartleby.com/bartlett) or The Quotation Pages (http://www.quotationspage.com/) and is used by permission.

P.S.: Comments and word requests are welcome.

Tags: word of the day, quote for the day, humor

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