Quote of the day:

"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost."

- Arthur Ashe

Word of the Day

This is definitely a new one on me.

gimcrack \JIM-krak\ noun:
A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.

adjective:
Tastelessly showy; cheap; gaudy.

Yet the set is more than a collection of pretty gimcracks.
--Frank Rich, Hot Seat

In those cities most self-conscious about their claim to be part of English history, like Oxford or Bath, the shops where you could have bought a dozen nails, home-made cakes or had a suit run up, have shut down and been replaced with places selling teddy bears, T-shirts and gimcrack souvenirs.
--Jeremy Paxman, The English: A Portrait of a People

Unctuous
adj.

1. Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness:
“the unctuous, complacent court composer who is consumed with envy and self-loathing”

2. Having the quality or characteristics of oil or ointment; slippery.

3. Containing or composed of oil or fat.

4. Abundant in organic materials; soft and rich: unctuous soil.


[Middle English, from Old French unctueus, from Medieval Latin nctusus, from Latin nctum, ointment, from neuter past participle of unguere, to anoint.]
unctu·ous·ly (adv)
unctu·ous·ness or unctu·osi·ty (n)

Synonyms: unctuous, fulsome, oily, oleaginous, smarmy

(These adjectives mean insincerely, self-servingly, or smugly agreeable or earnest: an unctuous toady; gave the dictator a fulsome introduction; oily praise; oleaginous hypocrisy; smarmy self-importance)

Well, the release date for Smashmouth's new CD has just been bumped back again. Bummer. I was planning on getting it for Christmas, but now it won't be out until January or February. Guess now it'll have to be for my birthday.

Hey, it really is a word!
But I do not think it means what you think it means.

nub·bin (nub' in)
n.

1. A small stunted ear of corn.
2. A small stunted or projecting part.

The King James translation of the Bible was completed in 1610...when William Shakespeare was 46 years old. If you go to the 46th Psalm and count ahead 46 words, you will find the word "shake." Now if go to the end of the Psalm and count back 46 words, you will find the word "spear." Could it be that Shakespeare had a hand in editing? Or maybe an admirer of his was one of the translators? Many believe it may even be a divine nod at the great dramatist.

Quotation for Thursday, September 08, 2005:

"... Jill said, 'I bet we sleep well tonight,' for it had been a full day. Which just shows how little anyone knows what is going to happen to them next."

The Silver Chair

Swimming

I love swimming.

I love the cool rush when first diving in. I love how swimming under water feels like flying and floating in space at the same time. I love the velvety-silky feel of the water through my fingers. I love the sun sparkling on the water and reflected on the leaves of the trees. I love swimming at night and watching the stars and fireflies twinkling above. I love the delicious feeling of floating.

Because of all this, I also love having a pool. Unlike some households where the pool is "for the kids," I use it more than all three of my kids combined (a fact I truly don't understand...I'm disappointed for them that they don't get out of it what I do). It's not uncommon to hear of empty nesters getting rid of a pool because the kids are gone (another thing I don't understand...and I feel sorry for what they've missed). I even get comments from people assuming that the only reason I would like my pool is for sunning. This is silly of course...people can "sun" themselves anywhere. A pool is for swimming.

Sadly, this is the time of year when I'm facing the end of my swimming season. In fact, many pools will be closing this week. I plan to stretch it out two more weeks if at all possible. After all, I have to wait seven and a half months before it'll be open again!

Quotation for Monday, September 05, 2005:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.
If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable...
The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of and perturbations of love is Hell."

The Four Loves (C.S. Lewis)