So--I'm back! And I have tons of words left to go! So, here are my next 10:
1. Ebullient--enthusiastic
2. Eccentric--abnormal, not centered, not circular, an unconventional person
3. Ecclesiastical--pertaining to a church
4. Eclectic--coming from various sources, someone who uses an eclectic method
5. Edify--to instruct in an uplifting manner
6. Efficacious--Capable of producing the desired effect
7. Effrontery--audacity
8. Effusive--gushing or unrestrained
9. Egalitarianism--the doctrine of "equal rights for all people"
10. Elastic--adaptable, flexible
Next week, I'll be back with new words and these words in context--oh--so much fun! Bye. Laurel
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Saturday, April 28, 2007
And she's back...
Hello! So after a few weeks of feeling like anything but myself, I feel that the old me is finally returning. This is a welcome return to all involved. I pity those who have had to spend the last few weeks with "cranky pants me" as opposed to "quirky weird me." The other day I finally hit the apex of my "cranky pants" days and I spent most of the day trying not to verbally express the long diatribe running through my head. Have you ever noticed that people tend to say bitter diatribe? But if diatribe means bitter criticism, why would you need to clarify that it is a bitter one? Interesting... Anyway, luckily most of my diatribe stayed inside my head. I think I get most frustrated with myself on days like that because I realize that "cranky pants me" digresses all too often. I get sidetracked by my annoyance with some minor issue and forget about the things in my life and my daily activities that really matter. Argh...being human really stinks sometimes...oh well. Glad the cranky pants have left for a while.
Now enough about unhappy times, summer time is coming soon, and I can't wait!!! I have so many plans. I willing to make a conjecture that most of these will probably go undone, but I refuse to be a realist. I will forever be the girl who plans two thousand things to do in the summer, and this summer is no different. I am already planning my daily schedule in my head (yep-I'm that girl...schedule girl--maybe she could be a super hero--saving the world one perfectly planned day at a time? what do you think? oh-but I digress!) I have a fairly complaisant schedule in mind--one involving plenty of reading and writing along with some "projects" I've been putting off for years. It's weird--but this will be the first summer in ten years in which I haven't been working. It's a bit of irony that getting my first real job allowed me to not work in the summer. :) I want to fully enjoy myself this summer, but I'm thinking that having a "plan" in mind with circumvent the laziness I so often fall into when given too much free time.
One of my main goals this summer is to really work on my writing. Living without a computer for the past 5 months has kept me from really writing anything substantial. If I can get my new laptop before the summer begins, maybe I can actually get some stuff done! This will require spending at least part of my vacation in a somewhat cloistered setting. I don't do too well with that, but it would probably really help me in the long run. We'll see. It seems like writers, if they want to write what's real, are required to balance their time between fully living their lives so they have a life to write about and secluding themselves so they can actually write about their experiences. I tend to land on one side or the other. I once heard one of my favorite singers say that he had to get off the road for a while because he was out of things to write. He'd spent so much time outside of his life that he had no source for writing. Does that make sense? I guess if you spend too much time in either extreme, your writing life becomes a bit dilapidated.
Well- speaking of lives, my running life has been a bit exciting lately. I've now been running for about 4 months. This is a big deal for me since I am the queen of dropouts. I get all into something, and then after a little while, I drop it. This could explain the many half-finished projects I have around my room. So, last week when I noticed my body seemed to be lobbying for an end to the running routine, I became a bit worried. It got really bad last Saturday when I was attempting to complete my "long run." I really thought my body was staging a coup. My craven will began to cave in. I even started to wipe off the machine and go home. Then, as the Rocky music began to play in my head, I thought, "I don't think so missy. We quit running when I say we quit." Suddenly my will became iron strong, and I just kept running. At first I was worried, but this week's long run was the consummate run, so I think I must have done the right thing.
So--on that note, here are the new words:
1. disaffect: to cause someone to lose feelings of loyalty or affection
2. discern: to perceive
3. discomfit: to make uneasy; to thwart
4. discord: strife; a harsh mix of musical tones
5. discourse: communication; the formal discussion of a subject
6. discrete: separate
7. disdain: scorn; to reject as unworthy
8. disparage: to belittle; to discredit
9. disparate: entirely different
10. disabuse: to free from deception or misconception
on a random side note--these words came out of the big box. i have finally moved past what i supposedly learned before. yippee
Now enough about unhappy times, summer time is coming soon, and I can't wait!!! I have so many plans. I willing to make a conjecture that most of these will probably go undone, but I refuse to be a realist. I will forever be the girl who plans two thousand things to do in the summer, and this summer is no different. I am already planning my daily schedule in my head (yep-I'm that girl...schedule girl--maybe she could be a super hero--saving the world one perfectly planned day at a time? what do you think? oh-but I digress!) I have a fairly complaisant schedule in mind--one involving plenty of reading and writing along with some "projects" I've been putting off for years. It's weird--but this will be the first summer in ten years in which I haven't been working. It's a bit of irony that getting my first real job allowed me to not work in the summer. :) I want to fully enjoy myself this summer, but I'm thinking that having a "plan" in mind with circumvent the laziness I so often fall into when given too much free time.
One of my main goals this summer is to really work on my writing. Living without a computer for the past 5 months has kept me from really writing anything substantial. If I can get my new laptop before the summer begins, maybe I can actually get some stuff done! This will require spending at least part of my vacation in a somewhat cloistered setting. I don't do too well with that, but it would probably really help me in the long run. We'll see. It seems like writers, if they want to write what's real, are required to balance their time between fully living their lives so they have a life to write about and secluding themselves so they can actually write about their experiences. I tend to land on one side or the other. I once heard one of my favorite singers say that he had to get off the road for a while because he was out of things to write. He'd spent so much time outside of his life that he had no source for writing. Does that make sense? I guess if you spend too much time in either extreme, your writing life becomes a bit dilapidated.
Well- speaking of lives, my running life has been a bit exciting lately. I've now been running for about 4 months. This is a big deal for me since I am the queen of dropouts. I get all into something, and then after a little while, I drop it. This could explain the many half-finished projects I have around my room. So, last week when I noticed my body seemed to be lobbying for an end to the running routine, I became a bit worried. It got really bad last Saturday when I was attempting to complete my "long run." I really thought my body was staging a coup. My craven will began to cave in. I even started to wipe off the machine and go home. Then, as the Rocky music began to play in my head, I thought, "I don't think so missy. We quit running when I say we quit." Suddenly my will became iron strong, and I just kept running. At first I was worried, but this week's long run was the consummate run, so I think I must have done the right thing.
So--on that note, here are the new words:
1. disaffect: to cause someone to lose feelings of loyalty or affection
2. discern: to perceive
3. discomfit: to make uneasy; to thwart
4. discord: strife; a harsh mix of musical tones
5. discourse: communication; the formal discussion of a subject
6. discrete: separate
7. disdain: scorn; to reject as unworthy
8. disparage: to belittle; to discredit
9. disparate: entirely different
10. disabuse: to free from deception or misconception
on a random side note--these words came out of the big box. i have finally moved past what i supposedly learned before. yippee
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Melissa S., you will not be the next Pussycat Doll...
Sad news, huh? I was watching this show with my roommate tonight. This was my first venture into the Dolls' world, and it was a strange trip. So I know it's been a while since I blogged. To the two people out there who read this--I apologize. Last week was complete chaos--grades were due, we had out-of-town visitors at school, I proctored the ACT for the first time. It was non-stop action, so there was no time for blogging. But I'm back now. Sadly, I have lost the 10 words I was going to post last week. I knew leaving them out of the baggy was a bad idea. I guess I should explain that. There is a system to this madness. Each week I take 10 cards out of the "bag 'o words I memorized last time" (all the words I memorized back when I had grandiose dreams of going to a very impressive PhD program); I put a paperclip over the 10 words and then I put them in a bag with the rest of the words. Last week I was feeling a bit cavalier, so I left the words in my planner. Obviously they ran away. But--I have new words anyway--one of the perks of having 750 words. And, these are the last words in the old bag (do you hear the music reaching a crescendo as I pull those last cards out of the tattered Ziploc bag?) How exciting! Or maybe sad--if you look at how quickly I let go of my PhD dreams and submitted to reality. But whatever. On to the next challenge.
Finishing the bag of words I had, theoretically already memorized reminded me of my previous ambition. I must say that I am a much more complacent person than I was back then. The weird thing is that using that word seems so negative. Why, if the word means contended, does complacent seem to be used negatively? I have noticed that learning these words over the past few months has caused me to pay more attention to the colloquial language I use. I've tried to add more interesting words to my language instead of just using the easy and convenient words. Now that I've finished this stage of the process, I feel like I should make some kind of word collage. I'll be thinking about this as the week goes along. Maybe I'll have something clever for the next post...
Today was an interesting day in a few ways. I read one of my favorite passages to my students today. It's a passage from a book by Donald Miller called To Own a Dragon. This particular passage talks about the importance of character. He says that a friend called him out on taking a free cell phone when he knew that his old phone was out of warrantee. I've read this passage to other classes before, so I knew we would get into some interesting conversations about the truth, your word, and character. I must say with a contrite spirit, that I haven't always told the truth. I've lied about little stupid stuff--like saying I was still a student in order to get the student discount. Reading this passage always reminds me of the value of my word. It challenges me to make my word mean something. I want my deeds to always be above question. I was also a bit bothered by some of the things that came up in conversation. In Miller's book, he gives an example of someone getting too much change back and not saying anything. While I would say the person is culpable for taking the money, some of my students thought that wasn't the case. I always want to think that my students cleave to the truth, and when they say the truth isn't really the ultimate thing of importance, I worry. I want people to live by a code of honesty. Maybe I can start a one-woman campaign for truth. We'll see! I'm going to take down the theory that the truth is just a construct.
On that soapbox note, here are the new words:
1. complaisant:agreeable
2. conjecture: guesswork
3. circumvent: to get around something
4. cloister: to seclude; a place devoted to religious seclusion
5. coup: a brilliant, sudden action; a sudden overthrow of a government (I love this word)
6. craven: cowardly
7. consummate: to complete; perfect; supreme
8. diatribe: a bitter criticism
9. digress: to depart from the main subject
10. dilapidated: ruined by neglectand
there you have them. bye.
Finishing the bag of words I had, theoretically already memorized reminded me of my previous ambition. I must say that I am a much more complacent person than I was back then. The weird thing is that using that word seems so negative. Why, if the word means contended, does complacent seem to be used negatively? I have noticed that learning these words over the past few months has caused me to pay more attention to the colloquial language I use. I've tried to add more interesting words to my language instead of just using the easy and convenient words. Now that I've finished this stage of the process, I feel like I should make some kind of word collage. I'll be thinking about this as the week goes along. Maybe I'll have something clever for the next post...
Today was an interesting day in a few ways. I read one of my favorite passages to my students today. It's a passage from a book by Donald Miller called To Own a Dragon. This particular passage talks about the importance of character. He says that a friend called him out on taking a free cell phone when he knew that his old phone was out of warrantee. I've read this passage to other classes before, so I knew we would get into some interesting conversations about the truth, your word, and character. I must say with a contrite spirit, that I haven't always told the truth. I've lied about little stupid stuff--like saying I was still a student in order to get the student discount. Reading this passage always reminds me of the value of my word. It challenges me to make my word mean something. I want my deeds to always be above question. I was also a bit bothered by some of the things that came up in conversation. In Miller's book, he gives an example of someone getting too much change back and not saying anything. While I would say the person is culpable for taking the money, some of my students thought that wasn't the case. I always want to think that my students cleave to the truth, and when they say the truth isn't really the ultimate thing of importance, I worry. I want people to live by a code of honesty. Maybe I can start a one-woman campaign for truth. We'll see! I'm going to take down the theory that the truth is just a construct.
On that soapbox note, here are the new words:
1. complaisant:agreeable
2. conjecture: guesswork
3. circumvent: to get around something
4. cloister: to seclude; a place devoted to religious seclusion
5. coup: a brilliant, sudden action; a sudden overthrow of a government (I love this word)
6. craven: cowardly
7. consummate: to complete; perfect; supreme
8. diatribe: a bitter criticism
9. digress: to depart from the main subject
10. dilapidated: ruined by neglectand
there you have them. bye.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
My life with caterpillars and other things I've noticed...
Many may wonder how much interaction I could really have with caterpillars since I grew up in the subdivision world, but I must say it might surprise you. In the ever-expanding list entitled "creatures I've run into while living on a farm," caterpillars are now found. Their appearance actually usurped the horseflies place of latest encounter. As I was walking in from church the other day, I noticed that our carport had become home to a rather large number of caterpillars. They almost seemed ubiquitous. I'd never noticed before how turbid and untenable these little guys are. They just seem to wonder around with no real clue as to what's going on. I must say that this did not really bother me because I really like the furry little guys. My parents actually still like to tell the story of the caterpillar I "loved to death" because I held it for too long, but I still claimed the thing drowned when the "home" I made for it flooded (first sign I should not build houses). Anyway- this was one of the more pleasant encounters with nature. Previously we have had run-ins with spiders, mice, skunks, ladybugs, and flies. Most of these were minor encounters--except for the mice and skunk. At least these creatures don't undermined anything.
Not only have caterpillars emerged as a result of this lovely weather, but my spring mindset has returned as well. I am not one of those who gets really bummed during the winter, but I definitely feel more productive and motivated in the spring. Something about sunshine and warm weather makes me feel like I ought to be doing stuff. :) So--in that spirit, I've been really trying to stick to a schedule I made for myself a few months ago. Truth be told, I am somewhat of an odd mix--I'm kind of an anal hippy. While I'm all into recycling, etc. I'm also a big stickler for structure in my everyday life. I seem to do better if I have some external force telling me what to do and when to do it. This is especially odd since, in reality, it isn't really an external force since I made the schedule. Confused yet? Good. You might have noticed that I said I made the schedule a few months ago, but I am just now starting to really abide by it. This is because I tend to vacillate between being completely organized and being a complete couch potato. I also have a hard time finding a balance between having a completely utilitarian schedule, and having a completely leisurely schedule. I think my latest efforts have somehow found some middle ground.
Along with this overwhelming desire to "be productive" in the spring time, I also tend to take on new adventures. My latest adventure is to expand my knowledge of history. I've noticed that teaching the books I teach in my classroom requires me to be quite familiar with many different aspects of history. I also just like the thought of being smart enough to carry on a conversation with people about different time periods. All of that to say, this weekend, I purchased a book about the American presidents. I'm planning to read about one president each week. So far I've read about George Washington. It was really interesting. I found myself being confronted with my previous attitude towards history books. The chapter I read really confronted some of the information I thought was unimpeachable. Basically the chapter said that Washington was unfeigned, but maybe not the smartest of the founding fathers. Although, looking at the brilliance found in that bunch, it would be pretty hard to be the smartest.
Well- I'm now off to run. Oh- but I almost forgot--here are the new words...
1. construct--something fabricated; an image or theory
2. collage- a composite made from odd parts
3. code- a collection of rules or principles; instructions in a computer program
4. colloquial (I always think of this as being a negative word)- conversational; pertaining to informal speech
5. cleave (this reminds me of that verse in the Bible that says a man should leave his parents and cleave to his wife)- to cut forcefully; to be faithful to; to bond emotionally
6. contrite (once again- Bible verse reference) - remorseful
7. crescendo- a gradual increase in intensity (this gives me images of my jr. high band teacher trying to get our little band to get louder)
8. culpable- deserving blame
9. deed- a conspicuous act; a document of ownership
10. complacent- contented
I don't have time to check this over, so I apologize for any glaringly obvious spelling/grammar issues.
Not only have caterpillars emerged as a result of this lovely weather, but my spring mindset has returned as well. I am not one of those who gets really bummed during the winter, but I definitely feel more productive and motivated in the spring. Something about sunshine and warm weather makes me feel like I ought to be doing stuff. :) So--in that spirit, I've been really trying to stick to a schedule I made for myself a few months ago. Truth be told, I am somewhat of an odd mix--I'm kind of an anal hippy. While I'm all into recycling, etc. I'm also a big stickler for structure in my everyday life. I seem to do better if I have some external force telling me what to do and when to do it. This is especially odd since, in reality, it isn't really an external force since I made the schedule. Confused yet? Good. You might have noticed that I said I made the schedule a few months ago, but I am just now starting to really abide by it. This is because I tend to vacillate between being completely organized and being a complete couch potato. I also have a hard time finding a balance between having a completely utilitarian schedule, and having a completely leisurely schedule. I think my latest efforts have somehow found some middle ground.
Along with this overwhelming desire to "be productive" in the spring time, I also tend to take on new adventures. My latest adventure is to expand my knowledge of history. I've noticed that teaching the books I teach in my classroom requires me to be quite familiar with many different aspects of history. I also just like the thought of being smart enough to carry on a conversation with people about different time periods. All of that to say, this weekend, I purchased a book about the American presidents. I'm planning to read about one president each week. So far I've read about George Washington. It was really interesting. I found myself being confronted with my previous attitude towards history books. The chapter I read really confronted some of the information I thought was unimpeachable. Basically the chapter said that Washington was unfeigned, but maybe not the smartest of the founding fathers. Although, looking at the brilliance found in that bunch, it would be pretty hard to be the smartest.
Well- I'm now off to run. Oh- but I almost forgot--here are the new words...
1. construct--something fabricated; an image or theory
2. collage- a composite made from odd parts
3. code- a collection of rules or principles; instructions in a computer program
4. colloquial (I always think of this as being a negative word)- conversational; pertaining to informal speech
5. cleave (this reminds me of that verse in the Bible that says a man should leave his parents and cleave to his wife)- to cut forcefully; to be faithful to; to bond emotionally
6. contrite (once again- Bible verse reference) - remorseful
7. crescendo- a gradual increase in intensity (this gives me images of my jr. high band teacher trying to get our little band to get louder)
8. culpable- deserving blame
9. deed- a conspicuous act; a document of ownership
10. complacent- contented
I don't have time to check this over, so I apologize for any glaringly obvious spelling/grammar issues.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Better late than never...
So I'm a complete slacker and am just now posting the new words. This means we (by we I mean, me and my imaginary audience that is) must memorize quickly. Luckily some of these will, probably, be familiar.
1. Turbid- confused or disoriented; clouded; opaque
2. ubiquitous- omnipresent
3. undermine-to weaken the foundation of
4. unfeigned- genuine
5. unimpeachable- completely trustworthy
6. untenable- undefendable
7. usurp (I love this word)- to seize and hold
8. utilitarian- (I tend to use this word in a negative way) practical, rather than decorative
9. utility- usefulness; something useful; a public service
10. vacillate- to waver (I just used this word with a student the other day. I think they thought I had said something bad.)
On another note, I'm finally making progress again towards finishing Metamorphosis. I'm really enjoying it (this probably has something to do with it not being required for a class).
1. Turbid- confused or disoriented; clouded; opaque
2. ubiquitous- omnipresent
3. undermine-to weaken the foundation of
4. unfeigned- genuine
5. unimpeachable- completely trustworthy
6. untenable- undefendable
7. usurp (I love this word)- to seize and hold
8. utilitarian- (I tend to use this word in a negative way) practical, rather than decorative
9. utility- usefulness; something useful; a public service
10. vacillate- to waver (I just used this word with a student the other day. I think they thought I had said something bad.)
On another note, I'm finally making progress again towards finishing Metamorphosis. I'm really enjoying it (this probably has something to do with it not being required for a class).
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Ode to the beach...
Not really--sorry to get your hopes up...but I've yet to complete any of the odes I've started writing for other things I love. Maybe that would be a good goal for the summer.
Well-I'm back from vacation. This was my first real vacation as an independent adult, and it was fabulous. The food was amazing, having nowhere to go was wonderful, and spending 4 days with some great friends was just delightful. I think the mix of personalities on the trip worked really well. It seems like sometimes one member of a group takes over in a totalitarian way, but this group actually seemed really well balanced. But now I'm back in town and getting caught up on all of the stuff that goes into the last 8 weeks of school. Can you believe that--in just a few short months it will officially be summertime!
So now more about my vacation. We went to the beach for a few days, but we decided to pick a beach...okay- I was all set to use all ten words in talking about the beach, but I am now realizing that I was setting myself up for the most boring blog ever. You know how people subject you to picture after picture of their vacations and expected it to somehow be exciting for you--well that is what this blog would be--except without the visual aids. Oh dear. I will say that those four days of vacation contained some of the yummiest food I've had in a very long time. The first night we were in town, we evidently hit the wrong part of town at the wrong time of night. I do not mean this in a scary-running-from-the-bad-guy kind of way. I mean that every place we went to had either quit serving food or was closed. But just when this experience was the most vexing, we stumbled into an absolutely lovely restaurant with the yummiest soup. I'm still dreaming about that meal--and they had really good bread.
Now that I'm sitting at the computer with plenty of time to write, I'm realizing that there’s a lot to report from my little world. The last few times I've been blogging, I've been so rushed that I didn't have much time for fun stuff. Probably the coolest news is that my wonderful roommate and friend gave me my birthday present really early. In a moment of sheer whimsy (I hope I'm using that correctly) they decided to throw tradition to the wind and give me the coolest gift ever 2 months early. I am now the proud owner of a record player. I've wanted one for a few years now, but I think when I tell people that, they think it's just one of those whimsical things I say--but it's not--I absolutely love my new gadget. I've been listening to Abbey Road and The Monkees and even a little Bert and Ernie Sing-a-long for a few weeks now. Everything just sounds better on a record player. I can't explain it. When I first tried to use my new player, I had a few trepidations about messing something up. I didn't want to scratch anything or break anything, but now I can play those records like a pro. Maybe my fascination with records will be transient, but I don't think so. What I really need now are some good jazz albums. Any suggestions for titles I should obtain? I have a pretty good mix of upbeat rock and tranquil stuff. I think at this point, almost anything will be a good addition to my collection--with the exception of any vociferous albums.
Well -this actually turned out to be more of a love blog about my new record player. Who knew I had such torrid feelings towards a source of music. I am now going to go enjoy some nachos. I am giving up on using tractable. I have no idea how to work that one in. So goodbye.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Two for one deal...
Today you are getting 2 for the reading of 1! This is SPRING BREAK!!! So I will not be blogging much during the week. Because of this, I'm posting my new words along with my uses of the old ones. Aren't you excited? You really should be.
This being Spring Break, I've been making travel plans with some friends. I decided a while back, that when it comes to traveling, I am completely comfortable deferring to others. This will come as a surprise to those who know me to be a bit of a control freak. But I must say I am a weird sort of control freak. I either REALLY care and want complete control or I don't care at all and want NOTHING to do with the planning. It's weird; I know. So whenever planning comes up, I simply try to keep a neutral countenance. It has worked so far.
Packing, on the other hand, is always a conundrum, especially on vacations with lots of down time. Questions like, "How many books can I justify taking?" and "How many different kinds of clothes should I pack?" always float in my head for a few days before leaving. One contention I tend to make is that running out of things to read would be devastating, but then my rational side says, "When has that every happened?" Irrational me shoots back the stinging answer of, "Never--because I'm always prepared." This inevitably leads to an overpacking problem stemming from a decadent collection of books in my luggage. I think this may stem from my early packing years in which smuggling too many toys or games was a bit of a covert operation. My mom tends to be a very rational packer and gets a bit annoyed with people who overpack (i.e. me).
In other news, we finished up Romeo and Juliet this week. I decided to end our time by watching West Side Story. Although I love this movie dearly, I will probably never show it in class again. It didn't go over so well. Not to denigrate the movie, but my students are not credulous enough to believe that guys in tough gangs spend their free time singing and dancing down the streets of New York, even in the 50's. But my students did seem to like the play; some even liked the play better than the new version of the movie. I think Romeo and Juliet is a great way to be introduced to Shakespeare because it has just enough crass humor to keep the students amused, but also has a very didactic element when it comes to the dangers of love and hate.
Out with the old, in with the new: Once again, these may be familiar. There are some great words in this week’s list--if I do say so myself--which I think I can since I neither created them nor hand-selected them.
1. trepidation (see--great words, huh?): apprehension
2. transient: temporary; not staying in one place for long; one who does this
3. tranquil: calm; peaceful
4. tractable: docile; malleable
5. totalitarianism: governmental rule by one party (that suppresses all opposition)
6. torrid (seems like this word is always connected to affairs "It was a torrid affair."): very hot; intense or passionate
7. whimsical: playful or imaginative; erratic and unpredictable
8. whimsy: a whim; a sudden change; something odd or fanciful
9. vociferous: characterized by loud and persistent shouting
10. vex (I love this word!): to annoy or cause concern; to baffle; to talk at length
There you have them. Bye.
This being Spring Break, I've been making travel plans with some friends. I decided a while back, that when it comes to traveling, I am completely comfortable deferring to others. This will come as a surprise to those who know me to be a bit of a control freak. But I must say I am a weird sort of control freak. I either REALLY care and want complete control or I don't care at all and want NOTHING to do with the planning. It's weird; I know. So whenever planning comes up, I simply try to keep a neutral countenance. It has worked so far.
Packing, on the other hand, is always a conundrum, especially on vacations with lots of down time. Questions like, "How many books can I justify taking?" and "How many different kinds of clothes should I pack?" always float in my head for a few days before leaving. One contention I tend to make is that running out of things to read would be devastating, but then my rational side says, "When has that every happened?" Irrational me shoots back the stinging answer of, "Never--because I'm always prepared." This inevitably leads to an overpacking problem stemming from a decadent collection of books in my luggage. I think this may stem from my early packing years in which smuggling too many toys or games was a bit of a covert operation. My mom tends to be a very rational packer and gets a bit annoyed with people who overpack (i.e. me).
In other news, we finished up Romeo and Juliet this week. I decided to end our time by watching West Side Story. Although I love this movie dearly, I will probably never show it in class again. It didn't go over so well. Not to denigrate the movie, but my students are not credulous enough to believe that guys in tough gangs spend their free time singing and dancing down the streets of New York, even in the 50's. But my students did seem to like the play; some even liked the play better than the new version of the movie. I think Romeo and Juliet is a great way to be introduced to Shakespeare because it has just enough crass humor to keep the students amused, but also has a very didactic element when it comes to the dangers of love and hate.
Out with the old, in with the new: Once again, these may be familiar. There are some great words in this week’s list--if I do say so myself--which I think I can since I neither created them nor hand-selected them.
1. trepidation (see--great words, huh?): apprehension
2. transient: temporary; not staying in one place for long; one who does this
3. tranquil: calm; peaceful
4. tractable: docile; malleable
5. totalitarianism: governmental rule by one party (that suppresses all opposition)
6. torrid (seems like this word is always connected to affairs "It was a torrid affair."): very hot; intense or passionate
7. whimsical: playful or imaginative; erratic and unpredictable
8. whimsy: a whim; a sudden change; something odd or fanciful
9. vociferous: characterized by loud and persistent shouting
10. vex (I love this word!): to annoy or cause concern; to baffle; to talk at length
There you have them. Bye.
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