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

The word of the day* for February 10, 2007 is "morass" - noun : 1 : MARSH, SWAMP. 2 a : a situation that traps, confuses, or impedes <a legal morass>. b : an overwhelming or confusing mass or mixture <a morass of traffic jams - Mary Roach>.

On the way to Kansas City from our house we have to cross the Marais des Cygnes River. This is a pleasant little river where I-35 crosses it: not dry most of the year nor yet fast running most of the time. So many of our Kansas place names have Spanish or Native American names like El Dorado and Wichita. The towns and rivers have names that are pure history.

Sometimes I wonder at the way that names have persisted from one generation to the next, from one country to another. Caesar becomes Kaiser; Moishe, Moses. El dorado becomes El Dorado (pronounced  Eldoraydo) and then-facetiously-Eldora-doo. Where I'm from Tripoli and Missouri are pronounced as though they ended with an "ah" rather than a long "e" sound and the town of Nevada is pronounced with the first "a" a long vowel: Nevayda. Such fun with words.

The quote† for today is from John Ashbery (b. 1927), "A Wave":

     One idea is enough to organize a life and project it
     Into unusual but viable forms, but many ideas merely
     Lead one thither into a morass of their own good intentions.

;^)  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.

NOTICE: Unique Reclamation Project yard art for sale.

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

Gryhphon's Word of the Day, Feb 9, 2007

The word of the day1 for February 9, 2007 is “ennui”— noun : a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction : BOREDOM.

 

A gray sort of day—happy not to live in Oswego, NY. My friends in the Denver area still have the residue from January’s storms—and they are not happy about it in the least. We’re fighting Cabin Fever; Lloyd has spent the past three weekends in the house because of the weather. Fortunately for him we need to go up to KC this weekend. He’ll be able to deal with his white-line-fever then.

 

He was saying yesterday that he’d like to take a trip somewhere warm. Unfortunately, no where within a day’s drive is particularly warm. Also, all the trips we need/want to take are to the north. I keep showing him the railroading DVD showing the LA to San Diego Surfliner. At least it’s warm in the video.

 

The quote2 for today is Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), “The Wanderer and His Shadow”, aph. 200, Human, All-Too-Human.(1880)

 

One receives as reward for much ennui, despondency, boredom—such as a solitude without friends, books, duties, passions must bring with it—those quarter-hours of profoundest contemplation within oneself and nature. He who completely entrenches himself against boredom also entrenches himself against himself: he will never get to drink the strongest refreshing draught from his own innermost fountain.

 

;^)  Jan

1 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.
2 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.

 

NOTICE: Unique Reclamation Project yard art for sale.

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

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

The word of the day1 for February 8, 2007 is “reincarnation”— noun 1 a : the action of reincarnating : the state of being reincarnated b : rebirth in new bodies or forms of life; especially : a rebirth of a soul in a new human body. 2 : a fresh embodiment.

 

For Mahayana Buddhists today is Parinirvana, the observance of the death of Buddha, the date that he escaped the cycle of rebirth. Feasts and solemn prayers will be held. The holiday description on beliefnet sounds a bit like Dia El Muerte.

 

I sometimes think the idea of reincarnation sounds good: an infinite number of lifetimes to get it right. However, I know it is substantially better for me to follow Jesus Christ, the God of Second Chances. The payback of immediate forgiveness is personally more satisfying.

 

The quote2 for today is Harrison Ford (1942 - ), quoted by Garry Jenkins in ‘Harrison Ford: Imperfect Hero’:

 

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.

 

;^)  Jan

1 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.
2 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.

 

NOTICE: Unique Reclamation Project yard art for sale.

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

Gryphon's Word of the Day, February 7, 2007

The word of the day1 for February 7, 2007 is “incandescent”— adjective 1 a : white, glowing, or luminous with intense heat. b : strikingly bright, radiant, or clear. c : marked by brilliance especially of expression <incandescent wit>. d : characterized by glowing zeal : ARDENT <incandescent affection>. 2 a : of, relating to, or being light produced by incandescence. b : producing light by incandescence.

 

My desk lamp bulb blew this morning when I turned the lamp on—not quite an electrifying experience. Shortly after I changed the bulb, one of my co-workers offered me a fluorescent desk lamp that someone is leaving behind.

 

I used to have a company owned task lamp with fluorescent tubes inherited from a retiring employee. It took Facilities six months to replace the bulbs the first time I asked. The second time I put in a request for new bulbs, the repair guys came when I was away from the desk and took the lamp away with them. After a year of monthly calls along the line of “Do you have my lamp yet and why not?” I got my own $14.95 UL approved desk lamp from WalMart along with some extra bulbs.

 

The quote2 for today is Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961), “Gift.”: 

 

Under that rock that holds
the first swift kiss
of the spring-sun’s white, incandescent breath,
I’d seek
you flowers.

 

;^)  Jan

1 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.
2 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.

NOTICE: Unique Reclamation Project yard art for sale.

 

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

Gryphon's Word of the Day, February 5, 2007

The word of the day* for February 5, 2007 is “sesquipedalia” — noun plural : very long words.

 

OK, I admit that I am not the world’s best Scrabble player. I’m also not the nicest. I will call a word I think is incorrect. One of the fun things about the game is that my husband will make up words. I won’t say he cheats, but I think the challenged player ought to define the word when challenged before the challenger looks the word up in the dictionary. How Lloyd can get the “q” and the “x” and use them to spell a seven letter word across the triple word square consistently, I’ll never know.

 

The worst argument we have had in our entire married life was over a game of Scrabble. A friend happened to come over just as we were at the outskirts of fist city. He made us put the game away—on the top shelf of the closet.

The quote† for today is from Wallace Stevens (1879–1955), “Variations on a Summer Day”:

Words add to the senses. The words for the dazzle
Of mica, the dithering of grass,
The Arachne integument of dead trees,
Are the eye grown larger, more intense.

 

;^)  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.

 

NOTICE: Unique Reclamation Project yard art for sale.

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

Gryphon's Word of the Day, February 4, 2007

The word of the day* for February 4, 2007 is "attrition" -  noun 1 : sorrow for one's sins that arises from a motive other than that of the love of God. 2 : the act of rubbing together : FRICTION; also : the act of wearing or grinding down by friction. 3 : the act of weakening or exhausting by constant harassment, abuse, or attack <a war of attrition>. 4 : a reduction in numbers usually as a result of resignation, retirement, or death <a company with a high rate of attrition>.

The snow is slowly melting around the edges of the packed snow/ice. It freezes up again once the sun goes down. The car wash was full when we went past this morning. Lloyd said that it was better to wash in sub-freezing temperatures because the frozen streets are not sloppy, allowing one to get home before the car gets dirty again.

He's watching That's So Raven at the moment. I think the real reason he watches is for the glimpses of San Francisco, where it is set. They show the same clips over and over. I'm going to get out our vacation album so he'll be able to look at the Golden Gate Bridge all he wants.
The quote† for today is from Helen Hayes (1900-1993), On Reflection, An Autobiography, ch. 12, Evans (1968):

     Marriage is like a war. There are moments of chivalry and
     gallantry that attend the victorious advances and strategic
     retreats, the birth or death of children, the momentary
     conquest of loneliness, the sacrifice that ennobles him who
     makes it. But mostly there are the long dull sieges, the
     waiting, the terror and boredom. Women understand this
     better than men; they are better able to survive attrition.

;^)  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.

NOTICE: Unique Reclamation Project yard art for sale.

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

Gryphon's Word of the Day, Feb 1, 2007

The word of the day* for February 1, 2007 is “salutation” noun 1 a : an expression of greeting, goodwill, or courtesy by word, gesture, or ceremony b plural : REGARDS. 2 : the word or phrase of greeting (as Gentlemen or Dear Sir or Madam) that conventionally comes immediately before the body of a letter.

Happy Children’s Dental Health Month, also Black History Month. It’s amazing how many groups want to have February as their month. February has always been the “red-headed, left-handed stepchild” of the calendar. The Romans considered it unlucky.

 

When Julius Caesar had the calendar redone in his honor, he stole the 30th of February to make July 31 days long. Augustus Caesar, not to be outdone by his predecessor, moved February 29th to August for the same reason. Both of them realized that February, having such bad weather and evil reputation, would be better off shorter than the other months.

The quote† for today is from Bugs Bunny:

Thirty days hath September, April, June and Montana.

All the rest have nasty weather…

 

;^)  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.

NOTICE: Unique Reclamation Project yard art for sale.

 

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Tags: salutation, word ot the day, quote for the day, humor