Saturday, June 24, 2006

Email: Stay healthy to visit the sick [AS]

Don't let another's hard-knock story make you feel less motivated about keeping a grip on your own priorities. Others' less fortunate circumstances should not allow us to slacken off on our own positive priorities. If anything else, I am coming to see that trying to help half a world of people who are rarely if ever going to learn to make better choices for their own lives can only drag [a person] down to that level over time. I don't think it's right to be so what's-in-it-for-me that one ignores those who are less fortunate, but on the other hand I am coming to realize that it is important to place your own priorities above those of others (because no one else is going to put yours above theirs, after all). In other words, make sure of your own health before spending time visiting the sick; who can visit the sick if you become sick yourself?

Friday, June 23, 2006

Neologisms: abunctuate, abunctuating

Describing a thing that abuts adjunctly or adjacently to another thing.

Words: micelle [MW]

Pronunciation: mI-'sel
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin micella, from Latin mica
: a unit of structure built up from polymeric molecules or ions: as a : an ordered region in a fiber (as of cellulose or rayon) b : a molecular aggregate that constitutes a colloidal particle
- mi·cel·lar /-'se-l&r/ adjective

Words: nacelle [MW]

Pronunciation: n&-'sel
Function: noun
Etymology: French, literally, small boat, from Late Latin navicella, diminutive of Latin navis ship -- more at NAVE
: a streamlined enclosure (as for an engine) on an aircraft

Language: pamper, nary

Pamper is a word that most women, but nary a real man, will readily use. (Some men will say nary, but they're more sensitive than macho.) Just the sound, much less the concept, of the word pamper will set most men's teeth on edge. Pamper. Ugh!

Words: refulgent, fulgent [MW]

Pronunciation: ri-'ful-j&n(t)s, -'f&l-
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin refulgentia, from refulgent-, refulgens, present participle of refulgEre to shine brightly, from re- + fulgEre to shine -- more at FULGENT
: a radiant or resplendent quality or state : BRILLIANCE
- re·ful·gent /-j&nt/ adjective

Pronunciation: 'fül-j&nt, 'f&l-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin fulgent-, fulgens, present participle of fulgEre to shine; akin to Latin flagrare to burn -- more at BLACK
: dazzlingly bright : RADIANT
- ful·gent·ly adverb

(Think of fireworks in all its refulgent, patriotic glory.)

Email: Character above labels [CM]

I have long ago concluded that a person’s character is more important than any political or religious label -- and so a person with sufficient character can interact ethically and enjoyably with persons who may hold opposing beliefs, because their interaction is not about finding the lowest common denominator but learning from the greatest common numerator.

Email: You may have a YM virus [DB]

Read this article, it’s the most helpful link I found in 15 minutes of Googling Y[ahoo]M[essenger] spam.

I logged on this morning and received the following YM -- which is spam because you didn’t send it, right? DON”T CLICK THE LINK! The time, wording, and link are all suspect and resemble other YM spam that get sent out once the ”sender” is infected, but this is the first one I’ve seen that transmitted on its own instead of as part of a current chat [like that damn Smiley Face Central YM spam that sends spam the sender doesn't know about].
---
[name] [offline 4:09:27 AM]: Hey check out this website for some photos of me tell me what you think http://www.mypersonalsphotos.[deleted]

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Words: fardel [AHED]

SYLLABICATION: far·del
PRONUNCIATION: färdl
NOUN: 1. A pack; a bundle. 2. A burden.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old French, diminutive of farde, package, from Arabic farda, single piece, pack, bundle, from farada, to be separate. See prd in Appendix II.

Email: Netflix Support

Title request: Hustle (2004)

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Web: Dachshunds by design

(Kohler won't let anyone save or link to the image, but click the title navigation link and see a dachshund-based kitchen design.)

Musings: Ground Hog Day 2

MB just said one son's birthday is Ground Hog's Day. I said "There's a movie about that: Ground Hog Day 2. The woman has to keep giving birth until she gets it right."

Neologisms: genericize

To substitute a generic term for a specific or brand-name term. (I just became aware that this coined usage of mine is not a dictionary word.)