June 30, 2004
Beginning in 1882, immigrants had to pay to enter the U.S. The first tax: 50 cents per person
misprize \mis-PRYZ\, transitive verb:
1. To hold in contempt.
2. To undervalue.
Misprize comes from Middle French mesprisier, from mes-,
"amiss, wrong" + prisier, "to appraise."
June 23, 2004
delectation \dee-lek-TAY-shun\, noun:
Great pleasure; delight, enjoyment.
Delectation derives from Latin delectatio, from the past
participle of delectare, "to please."
The rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was named after the band members' high school gym teacher, Leonard Skinner.
June 22, 2004
The first formal rules for the game of baseball required the winning team to score 21 runs.
jeremiad \jair-uh-MY-uhd\, noun:
A tale of sorrow, disappointment, or complaint; a doleful
story; also, a dolorous or angry tirade.
Jeremiad comes from French jérémiade, after Jérémie, Jeremiah,
the prophet.
June 18, 2004
Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president who was born in a hospital. The 38 previous presidents were born "at home."
favonian \fuh-VOH-nee-uhn\, adjective:
Pertaining to the west wind; soft; mild; gentle.
Favonian is derived from Latin Favonius, "the west wind."
June 17, 2004
The lyrics for "America the Beautiful" were written by Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor, after she climbed to the top of Pikes Peak in 1893.
Potemkin village \puh-TEM(P)-kin\, noun:
An impressive facade or display that hides an undesirable fact
or state; a false front.
A Potemkin village is so called after Grigori Aleksandrovich
Potemkin, who had elaborate fake villages built in order to
impress Catherine the Great on her tours of the Ukraine and
the Crimea in the 18th century.
June 16, 2004
The practice of numbering houses and buildings with odd numbers on one side of the street and even numbers on the other began in the United States.
ancillary \AN-suh-lair-ee\, noun:
1. Subordinate; subsidiary.
2. Auxiliary; helping.
noun:
Something that is subordinate to something else.
June 15, 2004
Brass monkey, that funky monkey
Yea boiii. Got the new Beastie album today! I'm so excited, it's been much too long since they've put something new out. I can only hope that they come to MA or nearby for a tour VERY soon.
Occassional Factoids
The word of the day & random trivia:
The Eiffel Tower's height, measured at 984 feet, actually varies by as much as six inches, depending on the temperature.
primogeniture \pry-moh-JEN-ih-choor\, noun:
1. The state of being the firstborn of the same parents;
seniority by birth among children of the same family.
2. (Law) An exclusive right of inheritance that belongs to the
eldest son.
June 11, 2004
There was never a doubt in my mind..
Turns out I'm the perfect girlfriend. Wonder what Matt would say to that :)
-Perfect- You're the perfect girlfriend. Which
means you're rare or that you cheated :P You're
the kind of chick that can hang out with your
boyfriend's friends and be silly. You don't
care about presents or about going to fancy
placed. Hell, just hang out. You're just happy
being around your boyfriend.
What Kind of Girlfriend Are You?
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They broke award show rule #1
Last night I watched the MTV Movie awards (mostly to see the Beastie Boys), and for some reason it didn't seem as good as previous years.
First of all the host - Lindsay Lohan? She's 17 and not really that funny and to top it all off, she won an award. Since when does the host of an awards show get to win an award. Has this ever happened before? And in what parallel universe does Lindsay Lohan beat Scarlett Johanssen.. I don't get it.
The musical performances were ok. Love the Beasties - (even a bad performance is good) and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs were pretty cool too.
At the end of the show all I could think is "That's it?" Seemed like there should've been more.
On a side note - God I am so glad there will be no more LOTR movies! I'm sick of the whole damn hobbit-mania - Harry Potter too, I'm sick of that pre-pubescent wizard as well.
June 09, 2004
Knowledge is power
Todays random factoid and word of the day
A study at the University of Michigan reported that the incidence of colds is greater among the better-educated.
braggadocio \brag-uh-DOH-see-oh; -shee-oh; -shoh\, noun:
1. A braggart.
2. Empty boasting.
3. A swaggering, cocky manner.
Braggadocio is from Braggadocchio, a boastful character in
Spenser's Faerie Queene.
June 08, 2004
Word of the day
enjoin \en-JOIN\, transitive verb:
1. To direct or impose with authority; to order.
2. To prohibit; to forbid.
Trivia: Enjoin is its own antonym. Other self-antonyms include
fast ("moving quickly; fixed firmly in place") and cleave ("to
split; to adhere").
Random factoid for today
In the 1830s, ketchup was sold as a patent medicine, under the name "Dr. Miles' Compound Extract of Tomato."
June 04, 2004
Word of the day
vade mecum \vay-dee-MEE-kuhm; vah-dee-MAY-\, noun:
1. A book for ready reference; a manual; a handbook.
2. A useful thing that one regularly carries about.
Vade mecum is from Latin, literally meaning "go with me."
June 03, 2004
Another stupid quiz...
Congratulations! You are Charlotte.
Which Sex and the City Character Are You?
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Daily trivia
Today's random fact is:
For every ounce of alcohol consumed, an hour is needed to regain normal, clear-headed reactions
Word of the day
I get the word of the day from Dictionary.com (cause I'm a nerd) so I figure, I can post 'em on my lil' site so others (not that anyone reads this) can gain a hearty vocabulary.
Today's word of the day is:
palliate \PAL-ee-ayt\, transitive verb:
1. To reduce in violence (said of diseases, etc.); to lessen
or abate.
2. To cover by excuses and apologies; to extenuate.
3. To reduce in severity; to make less intense.
Use it in a sentence you say? Very well:
He was widely praised in both East and West as a
humanitarian seeking to palliate the excesses of a cruel
regime.
June 02, 2004
I'm fired!
Since I was addicted to The Apprentice (gotta love "The" Donald), I took a quiz to see which apprentice I'm most like.
Appears that I'm most like Jessie, who was fired 6th.
I am like Jessie . -- "I'm younger than all of them, but I'm underestimated."
Jessie was Protégé's Project Manager for the Negotiation Challenge and was the 6th person fired.
Which Apprentice are You?
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YAY ME !
Been a while since I've posted anything.. Figure I gotta get some CONTENT!
Another semester is over and done with. So far this past semester has been the best since I've started back. I enjoyed both of my classes and did pretty well. In fact, I found out this weekend that I was on the Dean's List.
I'm really looking forward to next semester which will be quite challenging as I am attempting 4 classes. I am also starting my search for which school I will attend next and what my focus will be for my degree.
Lots going on, but all good stuff! :)