Big surprise...I love words (and phrases!). What I love even more is when society is called out for misusing them. Mainly because it can be funny stuff--or at least mildly amusing. (And thanks, Mom, for many amusing years--I promise I'll start that "collection" of your best catch phrases one day!)
So, it should be no surprise to you that I truly enjoy this university's humorous raking of our language choices. "Winner of five nominations" is my personal favorite. Enjoy the nonsense (or is it, now?)!
http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php
*Disclaimer: Supporters of the Anguish Language do not search for misuse. They are more interested in the economy of language, among other things (see http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/anguish.html#Introduction). But don't you think this Banished Language List furthers the SPAL cause!?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
'Tis the Season!
About 10 years ago, I got a wonderful "Twelve Days of Christmas" gift*--a mold for a gingerbread house! Dad thought it would be a fun tradition to start (he was all about TRA - DI - TION!). And I was so excited!
Days later, I found myself in tears just trying to put the thing together--with help!! We would put one piece up and try to hold it while we attached the other with our glue (i.e., royal icing). Hold it a little more so it would "stick". And just as we would go to get another piece because the first two were standing, there would be this light thud. Needless to say, this gift offered a lesson in patience & endurance!
Many years later--as I put together a house in a matter of minutes, deftly with one hand tied behind my back--I believe this is my favorite Christmas tradition. It helps to awaken in me the enjoyment of the holidays...'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.'
Enjoy GB08! Thanks, Clint, for helping with the snowman by making his body parts! And, Mom, you're the best for cutting all of my roof tiles; that was a (st)icky job!
*For those of you who don't know...Mom and Dad's anniversary was December 13th, and since that was 12 days from Christmas, Dad started a tradition of giving Mom something each day, culminating in her big Christmas Day gift! I was lucky enough to be gifted from time to time, as well.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Morning snow? SNOW DAY!
What do we do in the south when we get a couple of inches of snow on the ground early in the morning? Call a snow day! My next door neighbor Kristen and I sat on our porch and had coffee (AND FROZE), enjoying the beauty of snow.
At almost noon today (see below), I imagine we could go along with our business. But we'd most likely make a true tangle of traffic. So here's to snow in South Louisiana! (Cause in a few days it'll be 70 degrees again.)
8:30 this morning.
And the same scene just before noon!
At almost noon today (see below), I imagine we could go along with our business. But we'd most likely make a true tangle of traffic. So here's to snow in South Louisiana! (Cause in a few days it'll be 70 degrees again.)
8:30 this morning.
And the same scene just before noon!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Book Geek Alert!
I don't know why, but I think this blog is sooo cool. Be sure to check out the lemur eyes book. It's eerie (and oddly inviting) -- must be some kind of marketing tool to lure you to buy it...
http://nytimesbooks.blogspot.com/
http://nytimesbooks.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 23, 2008
On Dreams
(an adaptation of an entry from my Scrapbook Journal project)
A smattering of dreams -- past and present:
Occupation: Famous singer. Live in NYC. Ride a train through Europe. Win an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Be credited with positively restructuring our education system.
Dreams give us wings, enabling us to define our desires and passions--and, thus, ourselves. I believe few of life's acheivements or failures (and their subsequent lessons and experiences) come about without dreams tied to them...
So I was surprised one day when I realized that my life, while pleasant enough, was FLAT. I looked around and found a missing link: I HAD NO DREAMS--nothing to propel me forward. I was living my days simply as they came at me and not molding them into what I might want them or my life to be like. Dreams were simply memories of my youth when I still believed I could be whoever, whenever.
How wrong I was. For dreaming has a way of finding you if you keep your mind open long enough (truthfully, it doesn't entail keeping your mind open very long). And it quickly found me again.
Now, I'm still reformulating some of my old dreams--and finding new ones: i.e. I haven't yet realized my dreams--but I'm there, exploring the sparks and following to see where they lead. AND I know that the fruits of a dream are of the maker--at whatever age--and with a little effort I can be whoever, whenever.
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. In the long run, we really do shape our own lives; and then together we shape the world around us. The process never ends until we die." - Eleanor Roosevelt
A smattering of dreams -- past and present:
Occupation: Famous singer. Live in NYC. Ride a train through Europe. Win an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Be credited with positively restructuring our education system.
Dreams give us wings, enabling us to define our desires and passions--and, thus, ourselves. I believe few of life's acheivements or failures (and their subsequent lessons and experiences) come about without dreams tied to them...
So I was surprised one day when I realized that my life, while pleasant enough, was FLAT. I looked around and found a missing link: I HAD NO DREAMS--nothing to propel me forward. I was living my days simply as they came at me and not molding them into what I might want them or my life to be like. Dreams were simply memories of my youth when I still believed I could be whoever, whenever.
How wrong I was. For dreaming has a way of finding you if you keep your mind open long enough (truthfully, it doesn't entail keeping your mind open very long). And it quickly found me again.
Now, I'm still reformulating some of my old dreams--and finding new ones: i.e. I haven't yet realized my dreams--but I'm there, exploring the sparks and following to see where they lead. AND I know that the fruits of a dream are of the maker--at whatever age--and with a little effort I can be whoever, whenever.
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. In the long run, we really do shape our own lives; and then together we shape the world around us. The process never ends until we die." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Wouldn't It Be Cool...
"If I could be a ___, then I'd really be happy and successful."
I played that line over and over in my head for many years (mostly in college). Truth is I also thought, "what I find fascinating in my brain may be too boring / difficult / uninteresting / stressful in real life."
And then I found other interesting jobs along the way...but there's always that little twitch in the back of my mind, where I wonder if I'm missing out on any life altering fun. Now I've found the answer--play at it for a few days. Now if I could just find gather up a few coins...
http://www.vocationvacations.com/
I played that line over and over in my head for many years (mostly in college). Truth is I also thought, "what I find fascinating in my brain may be too boring / difficult / uninteresting / stressful in real life."
And then I found other interesting jobs along the way...but there's always that little twitch in the back of my mind, where I wonder if I'm missing out on any life altering fun. Now I've found the answer--play at it for a few days. Now if I could just find gather up a few coins...
http://www.vocationvacations.com/
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Don't miss the good stuff--and most of it is "the good stuff"
When my father died, I said that I had no regrets about my relationship with him. And though I have conjured up one or two in the last couple of years, for the most part that sentiment remains true.
One of the things I don’t regret: that I knew and cherished the good moments as they unfolded.
What I remember is not important, for those are my golden nuggets.
What is important is that I am ever thankful that not only did I appreciate those moments, but that I let him know how I felt, for part of the fun was sharing the enjoyment of the experience. Whether we were on some grand vacation or a moment struck us on an ordinary day--we grabbed hold of it, held tight, and took it for a ride.
Now that he's gone these remembrances pull me through--I learned valuable things as I lived through them, and as I remember them, Dad’s actions, presence, and verve continue to teach me.
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Fury
For those of you who have never been through a storm like this: Keep in mind these videos only total a few minutes...and we had sustained 61 mph winds with 91 mph gusts for hours!
On Fighting the Wind
The media has moved on; and why not--after all, the levees held and New Orleanians were allowed back home.
But it was Baton Rouge that weathered the fury so far inland.
Some of our dearest trees, literally unearthed by Gustav, lay roadside broken and battered--and slain by chainsaws in an effort to restore to us our roads and power. Debris stands roadside like encroaching sentinels; there is a stench in the air that one would like to forget; 10:00pm curfew arrives too soon; entangled power lines droop and snake down to the ground and others were torn down by trees who have yet to meet their true ends.
But we are not lost. We are thankful that ours is not the plight of post-Katrina New Orleans. Although there are some who may have to wait a month for power, we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel--we will manage to rid our streets and homes of the debris and destruction caused by that terrifyingly entrancing windstorm and its 80+ mph winds.
Gustav won the battle, but in the end, lost the war--for we still stand. And he is but a fading memory.
Attached are some pictures that show just a small amount of the destruction, and I will try to post some video of the storm.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/27425959.html
But it was Baton Rouge that weathered the fury so far inland.
Some of our dearest trees, literally unearthed by Gustav, lay roadside broken and battered--and slain by chainsaws in an effort to restore to us our roads and power. Debris stands roadside like encroaching sentinels; there is a stench in the air that one would like to forget; 10:00pm curfew arrives too soon; entangled power lines droop and snake down to the ground and others were torn down by trees who have yet to meet their true ends.
But we are not lost. We are thankful that ours is not the plight of post-Katrina New Orleans. Although there are some who may have to wait a month for power, we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel--we will manage to rid our streets and homes of the debris and destruction caused by that terrifyingly entrancing windstorm and its 80+ mph winds.
Gustav won the battle, but in the end, lost the war--for we still stand. And he is but a fading memory.
Attached are some pictures that show just a small amount of the destruction, and I will try to post some video of the storm.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/27425959.html
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