Gibberwocky: idealitudinosity

Words: ideality, ideal, idea [MW]

1 a : the quality or state of being ideal b : existence only in idea
2 : something imaginary or idealized

Etymology: Middle English ydeall, from Late Latin idealis, from Latin idea
1 : a standard of perfection, beauty, or excellence
2 : one regarded as exemplifying an ideal and often taken as a model for imitation
3 : an ultimate object or aim of endeavor : GOAL

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, from idein to see -- more at WIT
1 a : a transcendent entity that is a real pattern of which existing things are imperfect representations b : a standard of perfection : IDEAL c : a plan for action : DESIGN

Neologisms: potlunkcht

Potluck lunch.

Internet: Church cleaning lady

MG sent me a co-worker's custom-produced Monk-E-Mail about a church cleaning lady who's a bit tired of cleaning the men's room. (Guard your audio if played at work.)

Press: Chi runners poised for softer landings - NPR

"T'ai chi is all about aligning your body and keeping it aligned for efficiency," says Danny Dreyer, who invented the technique and is the founder of the North Carolina-based company Chi Running. During daylong seminars, Dreyer teaches runners how to relax their bodies so they don't have to use as much muscle power.

"I'm basically showing runners how not to use their muscles," Dreyer says.

(This is exactly how I've always intuitively run! So now there's a name and a discipline for it. I call it floating but chi running makes great sense.)

Email: No unilateral in couple [J]

Talking about things is what makes a good couple; how can anyone become a good couple if they don't even talk about whether they want to continue on the path to become a good couple?

Comics: It's a portable SUV

Words: notional [MW]

Function: adjective
1 : THEORETICAL, SPECULATIVE
2 : existing in the mind only : IMAGINARY
3 : given to foolish or fanciful moods or ideas
4 a : of, relating to, or being a notion or idea : CONCEPTUAL b (1) : presenting an idea of a thing, action, or quality "has is notional in he has luck, relational in he has gone" (2) : of or representing what exists or occurs in the world of things as distinguished from syntactic categories

Words: nominal [MW]

Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English nominalle, from Medieval Latin nominalis, from Latin, of a name, from nomin-, nomen name -- more at NAME
1 : of, relating to, or being a noun or a word or expression taking a noun construction
2 a : of, relating to, or constituting a name b : bearing the name of a person
3 a : existing or being something in name or form only "nominal head of his party" b : of, being, or relating to a designated or theoretical size that may vary from the actual : APPROXIMATE "the pipe's nominal size" c : TRIFLING, INSIGNIFICANT "his involvement was nominal" "charged only nominal rent"
4 of a rate of interest a : equal to the annual rate of simple interest that would obtain if interest were not compounded when in fact it is compounded and paid for periods of less than a year b : equal to the percentage by which a repaid loan exceeds the principal borrowed with no adjustment made for inflation
5 : being according to plan : SATISFACTORY "everything was nominal during the launch"

Words: kilter [AHED]

NOUN: Good condition; proper form: "policy 'adjustments' designed to bring the ... country's economy back into kilter with the Western economic system" (Edward Zuckerman).
ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown.

Roget's Thesaurus, 647. Nonpreparation:

UNFITTED, disqualified, unqualified, ill-digested; unbegun, unready, unarranged, unorganized, unfurnished, unprovided, unequipped, untrimmed; out of -gear, - kilter or kelter [colloq.], - order; dismantled &c. v.

Email: My dawg [C]

Molley is a dachshund. Lately I've been wanting to call her other things because of her misguided artistic sense regarding the kitchen floor when I come home, but that's another story.

Nature: Mr. Heron, I presume

Two nights ago Twerpette and I were out for her nightly sniff-and-piff when we saw the heron about 20 feet northeast of us in the vacant lot north of the library. He eventually crossed to the sidewalk; crossed the sidewalk (at this point Molley began barking), then the boulevard, then the street; then apparently got lost in the bushes.

Email: Talk Like A Pirate Day [MG]

Sept. 19 is once again Talk Like A Pirate Day, though I think it should not be talklikeapirateday.com or even talklikeapirateday.org, but talklikeapirateday.arg (rim shot).

Email: Simple vs. complex [CM]

I know how it is to have a friend you love and have a true rapport with even though sex has nothing to do with it. I understand the complexity of unstated and inferred matters in a relationship -- in fact, it is becoming my favorite dimension in foreign movies, because it requires intuition and awareness to understand and to feel what is going through another's mind and heart. Simplicity in a relationship is good but I don't care for simplistic friends or people. Simplicity can coexist with complexity (which is not the same as confusion, just breadth and depth).