Sunday, November 13, 2005

house lust

I wandered into an open house this weekend and fell in love. Sure, the place had fake stone on the front, was across the street from a busy road, and hadn't been updated in 50 years. It was gorgeous. One of those old Edwardians with the wide windows and lovely square rooms and a really nice homey feel. Now if I just had $675k to spare...

It's been a good weekend, full of sunshine and exercise and good wholesome activity. For instance, I read enough of my House Buying for Dummies book to realize that it makes no sense for me to buy a house right now, and in this market. But next year it might. Learning about the complexities of taxes, retirement, and saving -- and some nice perks of my work 401(k) (can borrow up to 1/2) and my Roth IRA (can take $10k distribution with no penalty).

Making lentil soup and finishing the fringe on my mother's Christmas gift. I am hand-making all my gifts this year, and so far the stash is looking pretty good. I leave for Portland/Eugene in just over a week -- madly trying to wrap up some last-minute projects. I've taken to celebrating Christmas at Thanksgiving
with my sister's family -- I have a duffle packed already for all the folk.

There's not much news here. My life is quiet, and okay. Considered moving downstairs to a larger apartment. But the sunset is gorgeous from my top-floor window, and I can't give it up. Not even for another room. Maybe there are just times when you have to appreciate where you're at and see the okayness of it all.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

word-fest

I never get tired of these little suckers. Behold the list of neologisms, compliments of Dan, who cheers me when I'm blue. Thanks, bro.

ANNUAL NEOLOGISM CONTEST

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.

The winners are:
1. Coffee (n.) the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.) appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.) to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.) to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.) impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.) describes a condition in which you absent-mindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.) to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.) olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.) a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.) a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.) the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n) a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.) a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.) (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.) an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

The Washington Post's Style Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners:

1. Bozone (n.) The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
2. Cashtration (n.) The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
3. Giraffiti (n) Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
4. Sarchasm (n) The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
5. Inoculatte (v) To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
6. Hipatitis (n) Terminal coolness.
7. Osteopornosis (n) A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
8. Karmageddon (n) It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
9.Decafalon (n.) The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
10. Glibido (v) All talk and no action.
11. Dopeler effect (n) The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
12. Arachnoleptic fit (n.) The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
13. Beelzebug (n.) Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
14. Caterpallor (n.) The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

And the pick of the literature:
Ignoranus (n): A person who's both stupid and an asshole.