M.I.A.

Hey, all! Sorry I’ve been missing in action- school, illness, and other personal stuff has consumed me lately. I am very much looking forward to getting back to blogging, though! Because I’ve been so overwhelmed, I haven’t had the time to write a formal entry to I’m just going to share some cool things!

First… I went “pumpkin patching” with my roommates and I have to show you what I picked out!

Yeah, that’s me on the right, falling over (and laughing hysterically)! That’s not the pumpkin I took home, but I DID carve this baby…

Second… I read these and loved them, so I’m passing them along!

Have you done anything fun in the fall spirit? What inspires you?

Sarah’s Key

As we all find ourselves trying to escape the scorching summer heat, I’ve found myself enrapt by a book, Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana De Rosnay. While most of my girlfriends have headed toward the romance novel section of the bookstore, I’m addicted to this fictional tale that recounts a very dark time in the history of the human race. The book intertwines the story of the fate of a young French Jewish girl as well as other French Jews at the start of the Holocaust, with the story of a young American journalist living and working in present day France.

The Holocaust is widely chronicled, but the treatment of the Jews by the French during this time is not. Thousands of Jewish families were rounded up by French policemen, held in the Velodrome d’Hiver (a huge arena), and transported to concentration camps. Most of these French Jews were exterminated along with   millions of other Jews that perished in concentration camps. This novel is a gut-wrenching account of the French treatment of the Jews, an event that is unknown by many and that shames France.

Sarah’s Key has all of the marks of an excellent book- it entertains, informs, and captures and deserves unwavering attention from its reader. This book packs a powerful punch and I certainly recommend that you put this book on your list of future reads.

What’s Old (Should Be) New Again

Many words in the English language have, unfortunately, become obsolete. I truly believe that each word was formed with specific intent and, therefore, deserves respect. Despite, the intricacy and significance of each word in our language, many of our valuable words seem to have fallen into extinction. In protest, I’ve decided to compile a list of words that are no longer used, but should be. My plan is to experiment with these words and to try to work them into my vocabulary. Let’s make these old words new again!

1)   DefCon 1-5: DefCon is an alert status, signifying danger. Defcon status is ranked 1-5; 5 signifying peacetime and 1 signifying attack!

Duck for cover. We’re in defcon 1!

 

2)   Make haste: To act swiftly

Let’s make haste through the airport or we might miss our flight!

 

3)   Jollux: A fat person.

His sweet tooth has made him a Jollux.

 

4)   Ludibrious: A person apt to be the butt of jokes

He’s so ludibrious that I couldn’t resist the opportunity to joke with him!

 

5)   Guffaw: A loud and boisterous laugh

She guffawed at the comedic movie.

 

6)   Cantankerous: Argumentative, uncooperative

Her cantankerous personality makes her very difficult to work with.

 

7)   Nudiustertian: The Day before yesterday.

I was at the doctor nudiustertian and I’m healthy as a horse!

 

8)   Please and Thank you: Words expressing gratitude and appreciation.  (Okay, I’m being facetious here, but, sadly, manners seem to have fallen by the wayside in this generation, so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to mention it here!)

 

Are there any unusual words in your vocabulary? 

Spelling Bee Life Lessons

I am the typo queen, but… there is a difference between a typo and just plain spelling something incorrectly. I know that grammar, spelling, and all of that good stuff were only last discussed in elementary school, but there really is no excuse for not being able to write correctly. After all, that word was created with specific meaning and purpose for its use in the intricate English language- we certainly don’t have any right to mess with that! This isn’t a rant I go off on everyday; however, with the recent completion of the 2011 National Spelling Bee, I thought I would use this opportunity to compile a list of some commonly mispelled misspelled words in the English language.

I MUST make special note of three little words: there, their, and they’re. I’ve never found these words very difficult to differentiate, but, apparently, I’m in the minority.

There refers to a place. It could be used in a sentence such as, “She is over there.” Their implies possession. It could be used in a sentence such as, “Their dog is so sweet.” They’re means they are. It could be used in a sentence such as, “They’re such nice people.” I’m so glad that that’s cleared up. Here goes my list:

A lot                                       Gauge

Absence                                Guarantee

Acceptable                           Hierarchy

Accidentally                        Independent

Accommodate                     Leisure

All right                                Loose

Amateur                                Lose

Atheist                                  Maneuver

Broccoli                                Misspell

Bureau                                  Neighbor

Candidate                            Pastime

Category                               Principal

Ceiling                                  Principle

Collectible                           Questionnaire

Colonel                                 Receive

Column                                 Rhyme

Conscience                           Rhythm

Conscientious                      Vacuum

Conscious                              Wednesday

Deceive

Definitely

Dumbbell

Embarrassment

Exercise

February

Fluorescent

Foreign

Like I said, this isn’t a rant I go off on frequently, but I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make note of how the English language is so often taken for granted. Of course, I don’t mean any harm or disrespect, but learn to speak and write properly! I assure you that it will serve you well!