Friday, May 25, 2007

Youthquake

I get a word e-mailed to me everyday from Merriam Webster. I don't know how I got signed up... it wasn't like I clicked on word of the day and then on subscribe... or anything like that... But if I had I would say that they only send me the word of the day and not any ads or spam. So, I let 'em keep comin'. Anyway, enough about my coolness.

Some days I get a word that I can't believe is actually a word. And its definition so complex that it boggles the mind. Like today's word of the day, youthquake. I thought maybe a quake caused by youth, or maybe a scared child's quiver. Alas, it was neither. Ready for it?

youthquake \YOOTH-kwayk\ noun

: a shift in cultural norms influenced by the values, tastes, and mores of young people

Example sentence:The dot-com industry was the epicenter of the youthquake of the 1990s.

Did you know? The 1960s were a time of seismic social upheaval brought about by young people bent on shaking up the establishment. From politics to fashion to music, the ways of youth produced far-reaching cultural changes. Linguistically, the sixties saw the addition to English of such words as "flower child," "peacenik," "hippie," "love beads," "trippy," "vibe," "freak-out," and "love-in." Not surprisingly, it also saw the emergence of "youthquake." The first known use of "youthquake" in print comes from a 1966 article in McCall's: "the youthquake, as some call it ... has swept both sides of the Atlantic."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Hmmm I was close. But are they serious?

Friday, May 18, 2007

Search Words

I'm so glad that when someone decided to google image search "camel toe" they came upon my blog. It's all about the readers, and I'll take 'em any way I can get 'em. And if that means more posts about camel toe, then so be it.

And apparently there's a high demand for pictures of naked cheerleaders since I get a lot of referrals from that... because I have so many pictures of naked cheerleaders on my blog... or maybe it's just the words naked cheerleader naked cheerleader naked cheerleader! (Now I've got them lured into my trap.)

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Elevator Madness

There's nothing scarier (okay there are, but I'm trying to make a point) than being in a possessed elevator.

After work the other day I walked in to the elevator and it gives a little bounce. Since I'm the only one in it, I chalked it up to that extra bag of Cheetos I had for lunch. Well, I only have to go down one floor so usually it's a pretty quick ride. (Why not take the stairs you ask? Because the stairs are on the other side of the building. Yes my friend, I'm lazy.) The doors closed but the elevator and I didn't start moving. Hmmm. Okay I'm not claustrophobic so no biggie, it's just stalled for a bit. Then all of a sudden it lurches down and bobs back up while I grab on to the rail trying not to lose those Cheetos. Not fun. Then it stalls again and while I'm regrouping it then drops at a much faster rate than I feel comfortable with. I feel like I'm back at MGM in the Tower of Terror ride, or plummeting to my death. The devils box that I'm in starts to shudder and bob downwards in that way that makes you feel weightless (usually a plus, not so much in this case) and that all the cables could snap at any second. Fortunately after about 32 hours in the elevator the doors opened like nothing happened. I turned around and glared at it as it took off for its next victim.

From this experience I might start walking to the other side of the building to go down the stairs... or just use one of the other 3 elevators that are right there...

Thursday, May 03, 2007

The Drugs On The Bus Go Round 'n Round

The other day I was in my usual rush from the time I wake up until 10 minutes later when I'm out the door, so did I remember to bring a new book to read for the afternoon bus ride? Nope. Did I remember my coffee? Check. I ALWAYS have my coffee in hand for the morning bus ride. I will sacrifice time spent putting on jewelry, make-up, or clothes, just to have time to make coffee.

So, I get on a pretty crowded bus that afternoon, and the only spot left was at the back of the bus. Not a good spot to look out the windows. Usually people think that you're staring at them. Vain people. Just kidding, I wouldn't want some half comatose chick leering at me either! So, I'm stuck in the back with a man who chatters more then the Red Hat Ladies. Fortunately he wasn't chatting to me, he was tittering away at the gal next to him. Well, he started pulling out all these gadgets, DVD player, headphones, a digital camera and other things. Then he's yakking about how he found all of these things and a $4,000 ring on buses. "Found" being the key word here. Now I don't like to eavesdrop, (who am I kidding? yes I do) but in my defense he was a very loud talker. And he wouldn't stop. It was like a drill boring right into my cochlea. So as he's digging around in all his bus-found treasures, he pulls out a little something white and shakes the guys hand sitting across from him and he quite obviously hands it over to him. The receiver then conspicuously tucks it away. Then Mr. Mouth roots around in his bag some more and takes out a little tiny bag of what I can only assume is oregano, basil, or perhaps some thyme and very obviously passes it to his confidant. This time the guy looks at it, and Mr. M says that that'll be 10. The gourmet chef nods because it must look like the finest of dried herbs. Then they make arrangements to meet again on Thursday. (Hey, that's today!) For what? Who knows. Where? I have no idea, but I hope that it's not on our bus again. I guess we'll see.