From the category archives:

ECLECTIC

INSOMNIA: an inability to sleep or stay asleep

January 13, 2012

Is there anything more frustrating than tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep or get back to sleep?  Insomnia is the given name for the condition, whether it be transient/occasional or chronic.  Either way, it’s a bear. Clearly, there are known factors which can produce sleeplessness.  Caffeine is the most prominent among them, and [...]

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KIT AND CABOODLE: the entire thing, all items in a specific place or location

January 9, 2012

I love words and terms that are characterized as “Americanisms.”   The other day I overheard a conversation in which a person talked about having to “get rid of the whole kit and caboodle.” I hadn’t heard the term in years.  I quickly pulled out my I-phone and added it to my notes list. What a [...]

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AULD LANG SYNE: “for old times’ sake”

January 1, 2012

I won’t pretend to be original on this information.  I captured it on the web  this morning, Wikipedia having done the research.  But it’s worth repeating, in case you haven’t looked it up. Written at the end of the 18th century by Scottish poet”Rabbie” Burns, the song-poem Auld Lang Syne is roughly translated as “for [...]

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BOXING DAY: the first weekday after Christmas

December 26, 2011

Traditionally, the first weekday after Christmas is celebrated in England and other Commonwealth countries as Boxing Day.  It is customary for the “hired help” to have the day away from work, and there are gifts for them and for their families.  In more recent years as the incidence of “hired help” has diminished, Boxing Day [...]

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FANTASY INTERVIEW: an imaginary conversation with currently unavailable people

December 25, 2011

How about a little fantasy this Christmas Morning?  Try this conversation between a reporter and the parents of the new-born Jesus of Nazareth.   Reporter:  We’re here in Bethlehem with Joseph and Mary Carpenter, the parents of a new-born child, who they have named Jesus.   This couple, from Nazareth, have traveled here to Bethlehem, the [...]

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YULETIDE: the season of Christmas

December 19, 2011

The burning of the yule log is a northern European custom which actually pre-dates the birth of Jesus.   Its significance was tied to the winter solstice, the day of the year with the shortest daylight hours.   Traditionally, winter solstice is observed on or about December 21.   In the traditional British language, the period beginning with [...]

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BIG APPLE: a nickname for New York City

December 18, 2011

In case there are typographical errors in this posting, let me be clear that it is 5:30 a.m. and we’re about to jump in the car and head for New York City for the day.  It’s about a three hour drive each way.  The magnet is working, however.  What’s a Christmas season without the chance [...]

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DAPPLED: having spots on an otherwise neutral background

December 17, 2011

In a screenwriting course I once attended the professor taught us how to eavesdrop creatively in order to pick up the subtleties of dialogue.   It is one of those learned skills it is hard to forget, so I find myself letting my ears “roam” when in a crowd.  It paid off again in my most [...]

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SCOFFLAW: a person who regularly ignores the law and refuses to pay the fines imposed

December 6, 2011

He’s a jaywalker, choosing to cross a busy street in the middle of traffic and refusing to abide by the rules which say that he must use the crosswalk.  And, once there, he is supposed to cross only when the lights direct him to do so.  But he sees himself as above the laws, which [...]

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COPASETIC: okay, just right, all in order

November 27, 2011

My first “real job” was with Nabisco as a salesperson.   I was a disaster.  Instead of “selling” a store owner on purchased vast amounts of product, I would agree with them that business was slow and they probably didn’t need more boxes of cookies and crackers.  The company sent a man to “mentor” me on [...]

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