zugzwang TSOOK-tsvahng noun
A position where one is forced to make an undesirable move.
From German Zugzwang, Zug (move) + Zwang (compulsion, obligation).
approbation ap-ruh-BAY-shuhn, noun:
1. The act of approving; formal or official approval.
2. Praise; commendation.
Approbation is from Latin approbatio, from approbare, “to approve or cause to be approved,” from ap- (for ad-), used intensively + probare, “to make or find good,” from probus, “good, excellent, fine.”
In the comic strips and comic books, her parents are Cole and Nana Oyl, her brother is Castor Oyl, her sister-in-law Cylinda Oyl (Castor’s wife) , her cousin is Sutra Oyl, her Uncle is Lubry Kent Oyl, and in the KFS animated cartoons her niece is Deezil Oyl.
J. Wellington Wimpy, by the way.
My baby’s going to bed, and I wish her the most healing night possible.
I’m going to hit the sack and read, myself… maybe I can develop some characters for the next story coming.
In other news, I just got an email about an apartment that I was looking at going up for sale. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a homeowner sooner than I thought.
Goodnight.
frangible FRAN-juh-buhl, adjective:
Capable of being broken; brittle; fragile; easily broken.
Frangible ultimately derives from Latin frangere, “to break.”
where were they 6 months ago when Chris and I were gabbing about it?
For all you women entering that odd time called menopause and have been told that doing Kegel exercises will help strengthen your uterus so that you don’t have “leakage” in your older age.
Ever wonder if men have problems as they get older and if they can strengthen their own appendages?
neoteric nee-uh-TER-ik, adjective:
Recent in origin; modern; new.
Neoteric derives from Greek neoterikos, from neoteros, “younger,” comparative of neos, “young, new.”
resile ri-ZYL verb intr.
1. To rebound or recoil.
2. To shrink, withdraw, or retreat.
[From obsolete French resilir, from Latin resilire (to spring back).]
(yes, a variant on the french word for retreat… )
I bring you Kentucky Fried Chicken of Japan. Especially check out the Colonel’s crazy farm. Apparently, he grows tomatoes, other vegetables, chickens, and Shiba Inus.
http://www.usflag.org/us.code36.html#176
ยง176. Respect for flag
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.
(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
hmm… I have a few car lots around here that should read this.
for respect, maybe a trip to http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html is in order.
The story of the Fisher King begins when the king is a boy, having to spend the night alone in the forest to prove his courage so he can become king. And while he’s spending the night alone he is visited by a sacred vision. Out of the fire appears the Holy Grail, the symbol of God’s divine grace. And a voice said to the boy, “You shall be keeper of the grail so that it may heal the hearts of men.” But the boy was blinded by greater visions of a life of power, glory, and beauty. And in this state of radical amazement he felt for a brief moment, not like a boy, but invincible, like God. So he reached in the fire to take the grail and the grail vanished, leaving him with his hand in the fire to be terribly wounded. Now as this boy grew older his wound grew deeper, until one day life for him lost its reason. He had no faith in any man, not even himself. He couldn’t love, or feel love. He was sick with experience; he began to die. One day a fool wandered into the castle and found the king alone. Now being a fool he was simple-minded; he didn’t see a king, he only saw a man alone and in pain. And he asked the king, “What ails you, friend?” The king replied, “I’m thirsty. I need some water to cool my throat.” So the fool took a cup from beside his bed, filled it with water, and handed it to the king. As the king began to drink, he realized his wound was healed. He looked in his hands and there was the Holy Grail, that which he had sought all of his life. He turned to the fool and said with amazement, “How could you find that which my brightest and bravest could not?” The fool replied, “I don’t know. I only knew that you were thirsty.”
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.”
oh, and there’s a fresh combat beginning in the haiku arena.
maunder MON-dur, intransitive verb:
1. To talk incoherently; to speak in a rambling manner.
2. To wander aimlessly or confusedly.
Maunder is possibly a dialectal variant of meander (possibly influenced by wander).
sub rosa sub RO-zuh adverb
Secretly, privately, or confidentially.
[From Latin sub (under) rosa (rose). From the ancient practice of using a rose as a symbol of secrecy.]
I’ve made a number of sub rosa posts in my journal to use as reminders.
annus mirabilis (AN-uhs mi-RAB-uh-lis) noun, plural anni mirabiles (AN-i mi-RAB-uh-leez)
A remarkable year.
[From Latin annus (year) mirabilis (wondrous).]
dictum DIK-tuhm, noun:
1. An authoritative statement; a formal pronouncement.
2. (Law) A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it.
Dictum is literally “a thing said,” from the past participle of Latin dicere, “to say.”
sine die SY-nee DY-ee, SIN-ay DEE-ay adverb:
Without designating a future day for action or meeting; indefinitely.
From Latin sine (without) die (day).
Delirium: (See Visions.)
http://robotbastard.com/
be sure and watch both the American and the Japanese previews.
The Museum of Online Museums is where you’ll find “online collections and exhibits covering an array of interests and obsessions,” and “objects elevated to art by their numbers, juxtaposition, or simply the passion of their collector.”
In other words, the Monets are just down the hall from the Japanese Milk Bottle Pull Tabs.