Word of the Day

efficacious • \ef-uh-KAY-shus\ Audio icon • adjective
: having the power to produce a desired effect

Example sentence:
Doctor Copeland prescribed a new medicine that proved most efficacious in relieving Jonathan's nagging cough.

Zappa Quote of the Day

Reporter:
This is a personal thing, I think that if you wanted to make top ten hits and sell millions of records, you could.

Frank Zappa:
Yeah, but who wants to go through life with a tiny nose and one glove on?

Word of the Day

Typhoid Mary • \TYE-foid-MAIR-ee\ • noun
: one that is by force of circumstances a center from which something undesirable spreads

Example sentence:
"We don't want any Typhoid Marys here," the supervisor told employees, "so if you have a bad cold, do your coworkers a favor and stay home."

Zappa Quote of the Day

The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows.

Thursday Update

Thank goodness, so far there are no school delays for Marion this morning. I almost think they could have had school yesterday. I am glad Thomas is settling back in at school. At least he didn't have to drive to work in very bad conditions this week.

I knew we had been very busy at work lately. Yesterday in a meeting, we were told that from November through December we were putting out 147% of our expected work. No rewards though, we will probably just be expected to put out 150% of our work from now on. No extra employees needed. Ha Ha!!

Yesterday when I was leaving the parkade downtown, I saw a police car with his lights on go by. Then down the street I saw 7 more cops go by in different directions within a 3 block area. Later when I got home, I found out that a bank robbery had occured on 4th Ave. One block over from where I had been driving. Honest, I did not rob the bank.

Word of the Day

tendentious • \ten-DEN-shus\ Audio icon • adjective
: marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of view : biased

Example sentence:
I always suspected I was getting a highly tendentious version of the town's notorious family feud from my mother, who worked for one of the families for many years.

Zappa Quote

Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid.

Wednesday Update

I have to make this a quick update because I just could not get out of bed this morning. I should actually be getting ready for work right now.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. At work I got to do returns for awhile. That is always good because it keeps me off of the phones. While I was on the phones, I won a contest we were having. I had to have a sale over $60 with a cross sell of over $14. My sale was $131, the cross sell item was $49. I won a book that I will give to Diedre next time she is home. The book is "Counting On Frank."

Word of the Day

absinthe • \AB-sinth\ • noun
1 : wormwood; especially : a common European wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
*2 : a green liqueur which is flavored with wormwood, anise, and other aromatic herbs and commercial production of which is banned in many countries for health concerns

Example sentence:
"I draw the line at absinthe, a bottle of which is still sitting in my liquor cabinet five years after it was received, gleaming ominously." (Alexandra Jacobs, The New York Times, November 7, 2004)

Zappa Quote of the Day

In the fight between you and the world, back the world.

Word of the Day

earwig • \EER-wig\ Audio icon • verb
: to annoy or attempt to influence by private talk

Example sentence:
"[He] earwigged the big man at the Labour conference, asking him to take the lead in banning tobacco advertising from newspapers." (Stephen Cook, The Guardian [London], October 1986)

Zappa Quote of the Day

You can't always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say, so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream.

Monday Update

Today is my birthday and I don't want to work, but I have to because they wouldn't let anyone take time off for the first two weeks in January. Thomas goes back to school today, I hope he drives carefully.

The soup was very good yesterday. I got a nice pair of earrings for my birthday from Deb. She made them herself. We watched the first episode of the new season of Carnivale last night. Deb stayed to watch and she was very confused. Heck, I watched all of the first season and I was confused as well.

I suppose I had better get ready for work, even though I don't want to...

Word of the Day

injunction • \in-JUNK-shun\ Audio icon • noun
1 : the act or an instance of enjoining : order, admonition
*2 : a court order requiring a party to do or refrain from doing a specified act

Example sentence:
The judge granted a temporary injunction against the planned construction.

Zappa Quote of the Day

The first hyphen in MAH-JUH-REEN could be used for erotic gratification by a very desparate stenographer.

Sydney australia, 1974, second night. on Mystery box III

Celebrities Who Share My Birthday

Pat Benatar - 10 January, 1953

George Foreman - 10 January, 1949

Linda Lovelace - 10 January, 1949

Donald Fagen - 10 January, 1948

Rod Stewart - 10 January, 1945

Frank Sinatra Jr. - 10 January, 1944

Jim Croce - 10 January, 1943

Ray Bolger - 10 January, 1904
He was an actor who was most famous for his role as the Scarecrow in the movie "The Wizard Of Oz".

Frank James - 10 January, 1843
He was a train and bank robber. His brother was fellow outlaw Jesse James.

Sunday Update

Tomorrow Thomas goes back to school and it is my birthday. I probably won't even see him before I go to work. Thomas never got his hair cut while he was here, so I'm sure he will be nice and shaggy next time we see him.

Last night Ashley survived her first date with Jeffey without getting into trouble. And Chloe survived watching The Exorcist, however, I see she slept with her light on all night.

Today is my birthday Soup Sunday. I think my choice of soup will be very yummy.

Word of the Day

trenchant • \TREN-chunt\ Audio icon • adjective
1 : keen, sharp
2 : vigorously effective and articulate; also : caustic
3 *a : sharply perceptive : penetrating b : clear-cut, distinct

Example sentence:
The great detective solved his cases by means of trenchant observation and reasoning, and every once in a while by means of plain old luck.

Zappa Quote of the Day

Speed: It will turn you into your parents.

1970 public service announcement regarding drug (namely, speed) use

Saturday Update

Two days until my birthday. Darn, I'm getting old. Thomas has to return to school on Monday. Mao will miss chasing him through the house.

Chloe is here this weekend. She has to babysit today from 9:30 to 1. I didn't even see her this morning, because I slept in until 10. It has been a long time since I slept in that late! Darn I'm getting old.

Today I hope to get over to Bed, Bath & Beyond to spend my Christmas gift certificate. I am looking forward to soup tomorrow. We are having my choice of German Sausage Chowder. The second soup will be Chicken Egg Drop (I think). Darn I'm getting old.

Ashley is going on her first date with Jeffy tonight. They will be going to Zio Johno's for supper. And then over to Keely's to watch some movies. They decided to do this instead of going to WPA at school. Ashley does not like the crap for crap music that is played at the dances.