a last attempt at greatness...

pejorative- negative in connotation
perpiscuity-clearness of expression
officious-excessive eagerness in offering service, meddlesome
pertinacious-stubborn
slovenly-untidy, careless
pinion-(v.) restrain
propinquity- nearness, kinship
pristine- characteristic of earlier times
probity- uprightness
polemic- controversy
partisan- one sided, prejudice
hapless-unlucky
docile- obedient
perfunctory- superficial, not thorough, lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm
feral- wild, untamed
pernicious- very destructive
confound- confuse, puzzle
propitiate- appease
contention- claim, thesis
deride- ridicule
ostentatious- showy, pretentious
stolid- dull
paucity- scarcity
chicanery- trickery, deception
supercede- replace
onerous- burdensome
penury- severe poverty
perfidy- treachery, disloyalty
obviate- make unnecessary, get ride of
occlude- shut, close
tacit- understood, not put into words
tenuous- thin, weak
torpor- lethary
truculent- aggressive, ferocious
vituperative- abusive, scolding
approbation- approval
appropriate-(v.) aquire, take posession
attenuate-(v.) make thin, weaken
austere- severely simple
aver- state confidently
belie- contradict
admonish- warn
adulterate- make impure
alacrity- cheerful promptness
apprise- inform
diatribe- bitter scolding
diffidence- shyness
engender- cause, produce
proscribe- banish
equanimity- composure
esoteric- hard to understand
solicitous- concerned
reprobate- person hardened in sin
quiescent- dormant
mitigate- appease, moderate
sanction- approve, ratify
disparage- belittle
ingratiate-(v.)become popular with
repudiate- disown, disavow

Think before you speak....

"Think before you speak," is an adage that has been spoken to us from a very early age. Due to recent events I am not so certain this is something that is as ingrained in all of us like I once may have thought. When my friends and I sat around yesterday recapping the unexpected drama of the previous night, each individual episode could have been avoided in its entirety if the offenders would have simply adhered to this wise direction. All of us fail to think of how someone else might feel in many situations. We say things without thought and act without thinking how the recipient of our thoughts and actions might feel. Then we have the audacity to act surprised at the consequences that may then follow. I think we all need to take a moment and realize how these sagacious adages from our childhood can carry over into our adult lives. Some are easier than others. Most of us manage to not talk with our mouths full, we certainly look both ways before we cross the street, and we certainly know better than to run with scissors. But when it comes to the hard stuff like doing unto others and we would have done to us or my current focus of thinking before we speak there is a struggle between law and execution of such.

the saga continues...

mealymouthed: indirect speech; hypocritical; evasive
prevaricate: lie
luminary: celebrity; dignitary
nefarious: very wicked
cavil: make frivolous objections
recalcitrant: obstinately stubborn
paltry: insignificant; petty
improvident: thriftless
munificent: very generous
splenetic: Affected or marked by ill humor or irritability
asperity: sharpness of temper
fetter: shackle; something that serves to restrict
predilection: preference; partiality
castigate: punishment or severe criticism
gambol: skip; leap playfully
mellifluous: sweetly flowing; melodious
vouchsafe: to grant or bestow
jettison: throw overboard
gamely: with courage or in a spirited manner
desultory: aimless; haphazard
ingenue: naive & trusting
denizen: habitant; resident
apostate: one who abandons their religion
mendicant: beggar
impecunious: without money
petulant: touchy

Welcome to my world...

chary: adj. cautious; wary.
cogent: adj. convincing.
desiccate: v. dry up; to make dry, dull, or lifeless.
dissolution: n. disintegration; looseness in morals.
extrapolation: n. projection; conjecture.
exingency: n. urgent situation.
flag: v. droop; grow feeble.
fatuous: adj. foolish, inane.
felicitous: adj. suitably expressed; well chosen.
flout: v. reject; mock.
foment: v. stir up; instigate.
gainsay: v. deny.
garrulous: adj. loquacious; wordy.
goad: v. urge on.
gouge: v. overcharge
guileless: adj. without deceit.
iconoclastic: adj. attacking cherished traditions.
inchoate: adj. recently begun; rudimentary.
indigence: n. poverty.
ingenuous: adj. naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated.
insipid: adj. lacking in flavor; dull.
insensible: adj. unconscious; unresponsive.
insularity: n. narrow-mindedness; isolation.
intransigence: n. refusal of any compromise; stubborness.
inured: adj. accustomed; hardened.
invective: n. abuse.
laconic: adj. brief and to the point.
lassitude: n. weariness.
levity: n. lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity.
magnanimity: n. genorosity.
malingerer: n. one who feigns illness to escape duty.
maverick: n. rebel.
mendacious: adj. lying; habitually dishonest.
mollify: v. soothe.
obliquity: n. deviation from a vertical or horizontal line, plane, position, or direction.
parsimonious: adj. stinginess; excessive frugality.
obdurate: adj. stubborn
quixotic: adj. idealistic without regard to practicality.

empowerment....

Meredith: You dont get to call me a whore. When I met you I thought I had found the person that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I was done. So all the boys, and all the bars, and all the obvious daddy issues, who cared because I was done. You left me, you chose Adison. I'm all glued back together now. I make no apologies for how I chose to repair what you broke. You don't get to call me a whore!

Oh...Grey's Anatomy! I was thinking of this quote today because some blog I read was talking about the best quotes of the season and as a woman you really kind of wanted to stand up and clap for Meredith..perhaps cheer...because its rare when we, as women, get to speak our minds in such a way to the men that have hurt us or are just being an unbelievable dick...but when you can its as equally scary as it is empowering.

No one likes to do what they're not good at....

I was just thinking that it is kinda crazy that the fear of failure often outweighs the possibility to succeed.
I may be more guilty of this than you.
I think it has to do with focus.
If we can focus on the experience and not the upshot than perhaps our successes might outweigh our failures.
And if you atleast tried than did you really fail?

People always think...

People always think it must be so nice working at a non-profit because you're working to change the world in some way..yada yada...well when its the 4:44pm on a Friday before a long holiday weekend and the rest of the working population is at happy hour while all of us at "Ye-haw Change the World" are stuck behind our computers making things better..I wanna say..REALLY?!?!?! Is it sad that at this point I want to trade in a child's future for a swig of a frosty smooth daquiri...currently I don't think so....
Let me leave for the love of GOD!!!!!!!
P-L-E-A-S-E!!!!

2 enthusiastic thumbs...DOWN!

When your favorite show ends up being a repeat, it's kind of like your best friend saying that she will be over at 10 and then she is a no-show...it's a disappoint and it's just plain rude....you enter the living room & see that the little red TiVo light is not aglow...you think that there must be a grave technical error and quickly check the channel and info and see that pesky like "R" placed right at the end..what a slap in the face! You plan your whole day around a new episode and nothing...nada...now what are you supposed to do?! Its hard to bounce back from such a betrayal...

The airport IS a step....

There are several relationship milestones we can all focus in on but there are a few steps along the way that not every person is able to recognize. We all know the apprehension and trepidation surrounding “the talk” or “the DTR” as we called it in college (Define the Relationship). The inevitable but unavoidable passage for any dating relationship. The conversation that either catapults you into coupledom or puts the kibosh on your blissful courtship. We all have experienced the anxiety of meeting the parents or bringing your significant other home to meet your own. Then there are those three little words, “I love you,” which are either blurted out way too soon or are said in this unbelievably romantic moment that makes you melt every time it’s later recalled. Usually the former more so than the latter but we’ll leave it at that. Those 3 words may indicate the largest of many foundational steps. And while yes there are these milestones, these steps of which we are all aware and are careful about when and with whom we let them take place, there is also a smaller step that should be approached with similar caution.
In college, I remember my then boyfriend saying,”well...I mean I kinda liked you but wasn’t sure how you felt about me but then you called me from the airport….” The airport? Who knew this random phone call I made when I was just trying to waste a small portion of my “2 hours ahead” said so much?! Believe me when I tell you I no longer make half hearted phone calls when I sit at the gate. Apparently, you can not be flippant about such choices.
The airport is indeed this weird abyss of traveling folks, many having just left a loved one behind or traveling to the arms of someone they care about deeply. There are the emotional drop offs at the curb with never enough time to say goodbye the way you’d like. The embraces at baggage claim that say, “Wow, I’ve missed you A LOT and if I could throw you down right here..I would!” There are “Welcome Home” signs, bashful men with flowers, and girls dressed for the prom. So when someone you are involved with asks you if you need a ride to the airport it is indeed a question with meaningful undertones. Let me assure all of you, the airport IS a step. Do you hug? Do you hug and kiss? If you hug and don’t kiss are you saying, “Hey, thanks for the ride but it's really not like that”? If you don’t kiss will he forget about you while you’re gone? If you do kiss does that mean you can’t hook up with someone else during your vacation? And then there is the call to say you got there ok. Is that who you want this person to be, the person whom you let know that you have indeed arrived safely? That kinda makes them significant and perhaps you are not ready for that yet. Do you then have to call them sometime while you’re away just to check in? Is a postcard required? Whether you think so or not, it matters. The airport IS a step and one not to be taken so lightly. If you’re unsure, pay your $20 for the SuperShuttle. The driver is usually crazy, probably smells, and definitely won’t call you again.

Words for TODAY...

Ratify: v: to make valid; confirm
The senate ratified the new law that would prohit companies from discriminating according to race in their hiring practices.

Cogitate: v: to think hard; to ponder; to meditate
The room was quiet while every student cogitated during the exam.

Repast: n: food that is eaten
The repast consisted of cheese, wine, and bread. (GROSS)

Recalcitrant: adj: stubbornly rebellious
The recalcitrant youth dyed her hair purple...

Pulchritude: n: beauty
The pulchritude of the girl is seen in her bright smile. (THIS WORD DOES NOT SOUND AT ALL PRETTY, LET ALONE MEAN BEAUTY?!?!!)

WORD of the DAY

I need to start studying for my GRE so here are the GRE words for today:

INADVERTENT: adj: not on purpose; unintentional
It was an inadvertent error...

WANTON: adj: unruly; excessive
It is hard to lose weight when one has a wanton desire for sweets.

CHIMERA: noun: an impossible fancy
Perhaps he saw a flying saucer, but perhaps it was only a chimera.

FACILITATE: v: to make easier; to simplify
Ramps facilitate the entrance to buildings for many people.

PEDANTIC: adj: emphasizing minutiae or form in scholarship or teaching.
Professor Jones's lectures were so pedantic that his students had a tough time understanding the big picture.

If all goes well..more tomorrow :)

Love like you've never been hurt..

I was lying in bed this morning and noticed this cheesy embroidered plaque my mom sent me that says, "Work like you don't need the money, Dance like no one is watching, & Love like you've never been hurt." And I laid there thinking about that last line...do I love like I've never been hurt? Is that even possible? If you've been hurt in the past is it possible to ever love again like you did the first time? I'm not sure that it is? When you've been hurt you build up walls and tell yourself that no one will ever make you feel that way again. When entering into any future relationship it is certainly a battle to open yourself up to loving someone and letting someone love you. It seems to me that its human nature to protect yourself first. On the other hand, it is also part of our human condition to be loved and to have those feelings reciprocated. I think that it is with some difficulty that we fight through the haze of past relationships and love with an open heart. Like any problem I think awareness is half the battle. Taking the time to recognize what issues may have carried over from the past will help open us up to a better future. I don't think that this pertains to just relationships romantic in nature. My most heart wrenching "break-up" was with my best friend from college. The demise of this friendship has certainly put me on guard and has kept me from thinking of other friendships in terms of "forever." You think you can be so sure of something but it isn't always the case. I'm not bitter but certainly more careful. I still look back to our memories with a certain fondness that she was there to serve a purpose in my life-- for a time. And believe me it took me a long time to get there, to not feel deep anger and sadness at the mention of her name. With that in mind, I think that we choose our reactions to situations. We choose how life affects who we become. While it may take us time to work through something, it is our choice whether we wallow in it or work to overcome it. We can become bitter and blame our parents, our ex-boyfriends, and our ex-friends for who they have made us. Ultimately, we become who we choose to. While yes, our life experiences and those who have joined us along this journey have a definite influence on the final product, we can choose to change. I want to love like I've never been hurt (in all relationships) because I deserve all the good things this life has to offer me. I hope it is indeed possible...for all of us.

Here I am...

Well...both of my roommates have blogs which will most likely be more funny and/or interesting than my own but damn't I can't be left out...I too need to start sentences with..."On my blog..." or ask questions like, "did you see my blog today?"..or say,"Ya know I just wrote the funniest thing on my blog..." or "I have the funniest story but I'm just gonna write about in my blog so I don't have to say it 5 million times...I'll email you the link!" Wow, I am gonna be so cool....I mean I feel cool just thinking about it...
Also, my work no longer let's me waste time on MySpace due to screens that read,"Access Denied, MySpace blocked due to a security policy that prohibits access to category Personals & Dating," so I have been forced to seek out an alternate outlet for procrastination.
So really the only people who will ever think this is funny are probably..well..me because I tend to make myself laugh...my best friend Kat because she laughs at everything I say which is basically why I like her so much (wink, wink), and perhaps my roommate Amanda because I've also tricked her into thinking I'm kinda funny. The rest of you (do you like how I assume there is even a "rest" to address at this point) will most likely stop by every now and again and perhaps let out a ever so slight chuckle. Either way, here I am because I just wanna be like everyone else and have a freakin' blog.

"We must be willing to get rid of the life

we've planned so as to have

the life that is waiting for us."

---Joseph Campbell