things that keep me up at night
WORD FOR THE DAY
I have been so busy cleaning and entertaining that I haven’t had time to finish the Saturday NY Times puzzle or even start on Sunday. I’m almost done with Saturday, though, and here’s a word that was in the puzzle that I didn’t know.
plicate – adjective – Arranged in folds like those of a fan; pleated. (Dictionary.com)
So, the next time you are having a dinner party, make a plicate napkin.
DIET TIP
Do you realize that sometimes when you think you are hungry, you are really just thirsty? Before you head to the refrigerator or snack cabinet, try drinking a large glass of water. It should take the edge off your hunger. And it’s really an essential component of your diet. Six to eight glasses of water a day should be your goal.
WORRY FOR THE DAY
It is infrequent that I get to see anyone in my family other than John and my kids. These next two weeks I have the opportunity to see both my sisters. I so want everything to go well. Wish me luck.
WORD FOR THE DAY
This is a word that was in the NY Times crossword today. I’d heard it before but it was one of the words that I knew I knew but couldn’t come up with a defintion right away.
scrim – A durable, loosely woven cotton or linen fabric used for curtains or upholstery lining or in industry or
a transparent fabric used as a drop in the theater to create special effects of lights or atmosphere.
Well, this made me think about scrimshaw, the carving or etching of ivory. I looked up the derivation of both and the origin was unknown. Interesting.
NON-RESTAURANT REVIEW
Today, after shopping for what seemed and actually was, hours, we were hungry and interested in local fish. We decided to fly in the face of family lore and headed to a place called Captain Jerry’s. Imagine our surprise when we found out it was actually a fish market in Naples, FL. They had lots of exciting fresh fish plus gourmet groceries and fresh vegetables. What a find! We have a great fish market here on Marco as well, the Paradise Fish Company. Captain Jerry’s had a much larger selection but it is a distance away. In any case, it is great to find local fish that is fresh with knowledgeable people to help.
DIET TIP
Here’s a review of the five important diet tips to use while you are on vacation. Remember, this is not so you lose weight but so you will either stay the same or only gain a small amount.
1. Do something physical every day.
2. Don’t eat red meat
3. Don’t eat anything deep fried
4. Have sweet things at special times
5. Don’t drink at lunch, plus its corollary, no umbrella drinks!
I hope these have helped. They are the result of lots of fun experimentation.
TODAY’S WORRY
I noticed an article on AP today which was headlined, “Indonesian Muslims Warn Against Evangelism.” It is alleged that there are some Christian groups coming in to help with the humanitarian effort for the victims of the tsunami who have another agenda. What’s up with that? Why does one group think they have the answers to everything and everyone else should believe it? Belief is just what it is. There’s no right or wrong in belief because no one can prove what they “believe” is true. If there is a universal truth, then wouldn’t it be a big kick in the pants if Christian proselytizers ( or for that matter, any other religious proselytizers) found out they were wrong. The Muslim people are just as sure that they are following the correct path as Christians or Jews or Hindus are sure that they’ve got the right answer. Don’t take something as pure and wonderful as helping these victims and turn it into a platform for a point of view. It’s a great way to make enemies.
WORD FOR THE DAY
What is the name for the person who is the mother of your daughter-in-law? Since I don’t know, I will call her my sister-mother-in-law or perhaps, my sister-mother. Anyway, Ryan’s mom, Rose, made a comment on my site suggesting that I look at yourdictionary.com. This is a cool site that will send you a word for the day and has puzzles using previous words for the day. So if you are interested in improving your vocabulary, this is a great site to explore. Today’s word on yourdictionary.com was lexicon.
My word for the day is –
stentorian (adj.) – very loud; as in “He spoke in a stentorian voice which could be heard in the most distant corners of the hall.”
What’s so interesting about this word is its derivation. Apparently, Stentor was in a shouting competition with Hermes and lost. So why isn’t “very loud,” hermesion? I guess Hermes was already in the lore, so they threw a sop to Stentor. In looking around the word, I found the word, stent, which is a slender thread, rod, or catheter inserted into a tubular structure, such as a blood vessel, to provide support. Same derivation wouldn’t you think? But no, stent is named for Charles R. Stent (1845-1901), an English dentist. Isn’t language interesting?
COROLLARY TO VACATION TIP #5
As you recall, vacation tip #5 exhorted you to not drink alcohol at lunch during your vacation. However, the corollary is all-encompassing. The corollary to “don’t drink at lunch” is, never, never, never have a drink which sports an umbrella. Really, people, think about it. An umbrella drink typically has fruit juices (100+ calories), one or more shots of alcohol (100 per shot), and sugar (about 50 per tablespoon.) So you’ve got a tall drink there that can cost you about 400-500 calories. That’s probably about 1/4 to 1/3 of your daily intake. A glass of wine runs around 100 calories depending on the alcohol content. Beer is also manageable. But unless you are planning on taking the umbrella with you on a 3 or 4 mile run, leave it where it belongs – safely with the bartender.
TODAY’S WORRY
Last night, in a pique of hubris, I sent out an email telling friends about my blog and asking that they take a look. Sarah tells me what I did is called “pimping your blog.” This is especially prevelant on sites where there are a great many users. One tries to work one’s blog address into a post. So I apologize. I woke up this morning around 4 am thinking about how awful everyone must feel about me. That in itself is another form of hubris. So, please forgive and indulge me in my lapse of decorum. It’s just that having this blog is so much fun!