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

The word of the day is "varied" -- 3 a: of differing kinds : multifarious b: dissimilar in nature or form : unlike 4: having a number of different aspects or characteristics <a various place> 5: of an indefinite number greater than one <stop at various towns>6: individual, separate <rate increases granted in the various states>

As many of you know, my daughter Cybil was married Oct. 5, which was a wonderful event that came off excellently well--not without a hitch, but at least without any events that will appear in the America's Funniest Videos.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. First we went to my sister's, where we made the pumpkin I had bought for Halloween into pie. Then Cybil came over and we played a game called Apples to Apples. This is a rather complicated game for people who have more than "a little brain." It involves making comparisons between people, places and events and attributes thereof. Cybil made the feast of pork tenderloin and stuffing wrapped in filo dough (somewhat like beef Wellington).

 

After supper, Lloyd and I drove on to Omaha where we stayed with his elder daughter. She had the traditional turkey/stuffing/pumpkin pie feast. We went out after a light supper of leftover turkey to look at the Christmas illuminations in downtown Omaha and in a neighborhood where most of the houses could hold my house 3 or 4 times over. Beautiful lights, gorgeous houses.

 

At home on Sunday, I strung a few more lights around our blue spruce. This weekend, I'll probably put a few lights on the porch, or maybe around the birdbath.

 

The quote for the day is from Walt Whitman (1819–1892), U.S. poet. I Hear America Singing (l. 1–4).

     I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
     Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
     The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
     The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, ...

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

Gryphn's Word of the Day, September 4, 2007

The word of the day for September 4, 2007 is "labor" — noun 1 a : expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory. b (1) : human activity that provides the goods or services in an economy. (2) : the services performed by workers for wages as distinguished from those rendered by entrepreneurs for profits. c : the physical activities (as dilation of the cervix and contraction of the uterus) involved in giving birth; also : the period of such labor. 2 : an act or process requiring labor : TASK. 3 : a product of labor.

Yesterday was Labor Day, the end of a three-day weekend for me. Lloyd and I went to Omaha on Saturday, where we watched his football team win their first game of the season. The score was decidedly uneven: 52 to 10. I depend on Lloyd to start grumbling any time now as to how it is unfair for the coach to schedule easy teams for the first few games as it gives the players a false sense of security before they have to play really tough teams.

After we got back on Sunday afternoon, we did very little. However, Monday morning, while Lloyd caught up on his sleep, I cleaned the kitchen counters and scrubbed the walls and appliances. In the afternoon, I cleaned off the counter in the bathroom and used heavy-duty chemicals on the tub, basin and commode. I didn't get to the floor, but as that will involve stripping the wax, I'm holding off until next week. This all has to be done before Tim and Amelia come to visit before Cybil's wedding, as I don't want the house to reek of pine and lemon when they get here.

Our quote for the day is from Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885):

          A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and
      there is an invisible labor.

;^)  Jan

Tags: labor

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

The word for the day for July 16, 2007 is "ringmaster" —  noun : one in charge of performances in a ring (as of a circus); broadly : a supervisor or moderator especially of a performance or presentation <the ringmaster of a talk show>.

We went to the Air Show at the local Air Force Base this weekend. They had an exhibition by the Blue Angels flying team. At times it seemed there was no way for them to avoid hitting one another—truly hair-raising for the audience. We were just close enough to the viewing stand to hear the occasional phrase from the announcer, who would state the approximate speed of the planes—"in excess of 500 mph"—for nearly every pass.

As one of the main functions of the announcers at these spectacles is to enhance the thrill, I'm just as happy we were not sitting in the stands to hear the whole spiel. As it was at least 100°F on the concourse, we sat in the scant shade of one of the concession booths and tried to keep cool. I sometimes wonder if the Roman Coliseum had announcers to hype the contestants. "Next we have a match between Brutus Ginormeous, who has won 49 matches against gladiators, lions and wolves, against the Beast from the Uttermost East. This Beast is so savage it will attack even the mighty elephant. Let's hear it for Brutus!"

The quote for the day is from Melinda M. Marshall (20th century), U.S. author and editor. Good Enough Mothers, ch. 3 (1993):

 

     The problem of invisibility, the incredible deficit of self- esteem that full-time mothers
     describe, seems to come with the territory. Day in and day out, the feedback from
     their spouse and kids suggests they are part of the woodwork, with no intelligence to
     illuminate a homework question or share any insights on politics. . . . When no one
     recognizes or applauds their amazing juggling act, they perforce derive their sense of
     self-worth from being ringmaster—someone not necessarily talented but indisputably
     in charge.

Tags: ringmaster

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

The word of the day for July 11, 2007 is “anticipatory” — adjective : characterized by 1 a : a prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action. b : the act of looking forward; especially : pleasurable expectation. 2 : the use of money before it is available. 3 a : visualization of a future event or state. b : an object or form that anticipates a later type. 4 : the early sounding of one or more tones of a succeeding chord to form a temporary dissonance -- compare SUSPENSION : ANTICIPATING <took anticipatory measures to prevent floods>.

 

Jenny (my soon-to-be commadre) called to discuss the upcoming wedding. Since she is the mother of two sons and no daughters, and since she is geographically closer to Cybil than I, she offered to go shopping with Cybil for wedding sites, dress, etc. As I loathe shopping, I’m happy to sit at home and nag. (Do you have a celebrant lined up for the ceremony? Have you made a final decision on flowers?)

 

So far we’re all on the same page. This is a good thing. Maybe we’ll get the plans set and everything accomplished by the wedding date after all. Maybe we’ll still be sane after the reception, too.

 

The quote for today is from Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli (1804–1881) Henrietta Temple. Book ii. Chap. iv.

     What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.

 

;^) Jan

Tags: anticipatory

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

The word of the day for July 9, 2007 is "ambulatory" -- adjective 1 : of, relating to, or adapted to walking; also : occurring during a walk. 2 : moving from place to place : ITINERANT. 3 : capable of being altered <a will is ambulatory until the testator's death>. 4 a : able to walk about and not bedridden <ambulatory patients>. b : performed on or involving an ambulatory patient or an outpatient <ambulatory medical care> <an ambulatory electrocardiogram>.

We are going to the Department of Motor Vehicles at lunch time today. I finally talked Lloyd into getting the paperwork from his primary care physician to get a handicapped placard for his car. This will allow him to park in designated areas closer to the entry of stores, theaters, etc.

He hasn't been too enthused about this, but I managed to get him to use a cane when walking in crowds and areas with uneven footing. Last week, I called the doctor (and got his physician's assistant) who saw to it that the paperwork was completed. Lloyd picked up the paper Friday. Now he is all excited, and why didn't we do this years ago? <:^|

The quote for today is from Alice Thompson (b. 1963), British travel writer, journalist. “Ticket to Ride the Rails of France,” Times (London, July 16, 1992):
     Inter-railers are the ambulatory equivalent of McDonalds, walking testimony to
    the erosion of French culture.

Tags: ambulatory

Gryphon's Word of the Day, July 2, 2007

The word of the day for July 2, 2007 is "adventure" - noun 1 a : an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks b : the encountering of risks <the spirit of adventure>. 2 : an exciting or remarkable experience <an adventure in exotic dining>. 3 : an enterprise involving financial risk.

We took our granddaughter to Rolling Hills Adventure for her half-birthday. Like Queen Elizabeth, Caitlin has an inconvenient true birthday, so we celebrate in late June or early July. Naturally, we had to invite siblings and parents and grandparents. Except for my husband, everyone agreed that the zoo part was plenty to do. Thus Lloyd and I with our daughters, Cybil and Claudia, went through the natural history museum while the rest of them walked through the rest of the zoo.

Caitlin decided that the first card she opened said that she was to see the giraffe. So after she opened all her presents, everyone walked off to see the animals. Those of us who were waiting for latecomers rode the tram later and caught up with the others at the anteaters. When we got to the giraffes it was feeding time. Grandma Jenny wanted Caitlin to feed the giraffe, but I was busy getting lemonade, so I don't know if she did. Anyway, she also got a giraffe mother and baby stuffed animal pair from the gift shop, so she was happy for that.

The quote for the day is from Helen Keller (1880 - 1968):
     Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature,
     nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no
     safer in the long run than exposure.

;^)  Jan

Tags: adventure

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

The word of the day1 for June 4, 2007 is “preposterous” — adjective : contrary to nature, reason, or common sense : absurd. 

The company I work for has got something against AOL. I used to be able to access my AOL account at lunchtime from my work computer. It was not easy; the company IT group created a little pop-up that reminded one that one can not download anything from the internet without dire repercussions. I didn’t want to down-load anything, just read my mail and write my word of the day, yet I had to click the pop-up every 20 seconds or so to continue what I was doing.

Now I can’t even log onto the web-based AOL to read the mail. This is another example of a hard-wired solution to a potential discipline problem. I suppose that I should be glad that I am still able to receive “foreign” e-mail at work. Closing down e-mail from “un-approved” sources will be the next thing. I just wish they could more easily stop the occasional spam letter that gets through without stopping notes from Cyb or my sister.

The quote2 for today is from H.L. (Henry Lewis)Mencken (1880–1956), U.S. journalist, critic. Heathen Days, ch. 3, p. 34, Knopf (1943):

     It was easy to recognize in him the anti-social animus of a born evangelist, but there
     was also something else—a kind of voluptuous delight in the shabby and
     preposterous, a perverted aestheticism like that of a latter-day movie or radio
     fan, a wild will to roll in and snuffle balderdash as a cat rolls in and snuffles catnip.

;^)  Jan 

Tags: preposterous