Say What?

from toothpastefordinner

Wayne State University’s Word Warriors have released their top ten words to revive in 2011. Starting in 2009, the Wayne State Word Warriors have highlighted obscure English words to bring back into common usage. Citing the vast vocabulary available in English – the biggest in the world, in fact — the Word Warriors contend that the depth and elasticity of the language is often discarded for the quick, easy and accessible word. “Too often we limit ourselves to words that are momentarily popular or broadly applicable, and so rob ourselves of English’s inherent beauty and agility.”

You come to Dictionary.com to find the meaning of a particular word. Okay, so sometimes you come to check the spelling, or the correct usage, or to find a suitable synonym. Here’s a project that focuses on the reverse:  what if you had a list of words that you intended to use regularly, infallibly, and until they became common usage among your circle of friends, family and acquaintances?

Often, students talk about wanting to expand their vocabulary with rich synonyms, but also worry about misusing a less-often used word. We say practice makes perfect. Check out the Word Warrior selection below and start incorporating some of these ten dollar words into your daily speech. 

Concupiscence
Draconian
Evanescent
Hornswoggle
Ossify
Paroxysm
Penurious
Schadenfreude
Sibilance
Skullduggery

Source:  here

Ukulele Songs

One of my long time favorite musician Eddie Vedder released his new album " Ukulele Songs". Indeed, Ukulele Songs is a very personal collection — an arc of mostly love songs — dedicated to his wife, Jill McCormick, and their two daughters, Olivia and Harper Moon. Though the famously self-protective rocker declares that all the songs are "works of fiction", the more private writing process has led to a set of tracks that are more revealing, frank and sweeter than his usual output.Enough said. I have to get this album!

from NPR Music

Parenthood

This is a TV series I am currently watching and... loving. People may have other opinion because in some of the scenes, a lot of yelling involved, which if I really focused on that, I may have to agree. Hahaha :))
But the conflicts and the casts are just so real. Reminds me of how close the big family of mine is. 

The show revolves around the Braverman family, which has expanded to three generations, featuring patriarch Zeek Braverman and matriarch Camille Braverman, their oldest son Adam, his wife and two children, their daughter Sarah and her two children, their second son Crosby, his ex-girlfriend Jasmine and their young son Jabbar, and finally their daughter Julia, her stay-at-home husband and her young daughter.

Parenthood is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Katims and produced by Imagine Television and Universal Media Studios, which debuted on NBC on March 2, 2010. Loosely based on the 1989 film of the same title, it is also the second television series based on the film to air, the first airing was during the 1990–91 television season. Katims is also the executive producer, showrunner, and head writer.

Also, I adore the Soundtrack! On August 31, 2010, Arrival Records/Scion Music Group released a soundtrack for the first season of Parenthood. The soundtrack consists of 10 songs including the theme song for Parenthood, "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan, and the international theme, "When We Were Young" by Lucy Schwartz. The soundtrack also includes a cover of "Forever Young" performed by John Doe and Lucy Schwartz.

Gentleman

One time, a janitor works in my office building- on his way home- hold the elevator for me. The next morning, a man in a suit cut my way, walked out of the door before me in a bank. The brownie points goes to the janitor. A designer labeled suit does not automatically bestowed you a title as a gentleman. Indeed.

This quote from Etiquette for a Gentleman remind me of the story.

Marilyn Monroe

from here

Have you ever judged a person by his or her words? I did. I can sometimes be right as often as I can go wrong. Well, this lady is one of the people I admire the most even with all the ups and downs, the drama and the labels people threw on her. I classify her as a hot mess genius. You don't have to agree. But I know I am right on this one.

S#*! My Dad Says

S#*! My Dad Says ? The title has nothing to do with my Dad. But yes this book hypnotized me. What?... another post about book? Call me bookish! I am juggling 2 books at the same time because I cant decide which one to go first! They are both too interesting. This one is hilarious and real as it is edgy and somehow like a brilliant idea. It actually came out from this twitter account! Almost one million people follow Mr Halpern’s philosophical musings every day on Twitter, and in this book, his son weaves a brilliantly funny, touching coming-of-age memoir around the best of his sayings. What emerges is a chaotic, hilarious, true portrait of a father and son relationship from a major new comic voice. As Justin says at one point, his dad is ‘like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair’; and this is the sort of sh*t he says..like: " You worry too much. Eat some bacon...What? No, I got no idea if it'll make you feel better, I just made too much bacon." OR " The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and just ain't spitting it out."AND " I don't give a shit what time you get home, just don't wake me up. That's your curfew: not waking me up."

Well, whether or not your Dad is quite the "character" , this book is a worth the treasure. 

The Halpern boys with their father in 1983

All images from amazon .

Dance First. Think Later. (If you must think anyway)

An interesting book. I got this from my sister who actually is not a bookish like me but somehow attracted by the cute title by Kathryn and Ross Petras. Dance First Think Later is a collection of the greatest life wisdom from an unexpected group of speakers, doers, and thinkers. There are 618 rules to live by—funny, sly, declarative, thoughtful, offhanded, clever, and always profound. Some of my favorites:

“If everything is under control, you are going too slow.” —Mario Andretti

“Never make a credit decision on a beach.”—Victor J. Boschini

“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”—Oscar Wilde

I will add some more as I go through the pages.
So, you agree with the title? I say, dance first, think later... oh wait, dance first, have a gin and tonic then, think. If you must.