Use Your Words

Words people should and could wean out of their vocabulary:

like
thing
stuff

We don't even notice how many times a day we use the word like.

The art of speaking is being able to select the minnimum number of words to describe exactly the point you're trying to get across, how you're feeling, the way a food tastes, etc.

Eloquence.

I worked for a mad scientist my senior year of highschool, Joel. He had grown up in New York with Orthodox Jewish parents. He had the entire dictionary memorized, as well as the Old Testament and loved to make people, like me, look bad at parties by showing off his knowledge and history of Christianity and simultaneously showing off my ignorance, despite my being a self-acclaimed, and foreign mother dictated, Catholic.

The novelty of vulgarity hadn't worn off since the first week of 6th grade. I was then in Middle School, a big kid. Joel challenged me to not curse. This was 6 years after I'd made some 6 words a key addition to my vernacular. Well, not when I was around my parents, a work, school or at church, of course.

I got to thinking, anybody can call somebody an asshole, but if you try to explain why you don't like the person or what they have done to upset you, not only is it more difficult, but you are forced to reevaluate why you don't like them and it is much more satisfying when you do think of an insult.

The guy is a lazy cheapskate who always mooches off of me.

I was at my favorite cafe today waiting to meet a friend for lunch. I overheard a guy talking about "when China switched from like feudal monarchy to that communist thing"

I once had a class - an Organic Chemistry course in which the professor took the first week of lecture to acquaint the students, with the vocabulary pertinent to that subject matter. Technically we had all been studying chemistry for at least 3 or 4 years but it was amazing how many processes we could not properly describe using chemistry terminology. He told us to not bother coming to office hours or even asking a question in lecture if we were going to use words like "thing" in reference to a water molecule. It was a wonderful learning exercise, I learned how to describe processes that I'd technically been learning for years, but now actually understood.

Use Your Words.
A common phrase used by pre-school teachers and mothers teaching toddlers to speak. Or at least it should be.

We have words to our advantage - let's use them instead of throwing tantrums, which I'm disappointed to say do not go away with age or education level.

25 February 2010

I'm sitting in what I call the dungeon of UCSD. It is the underground level of the Geisel library, named after Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss. He lived in La Jolla and his manuscripts reside in the library. It is also named after he and his wife for the monetary contributions they have made to the library. I call it the dungeon because the computer lab section has no natural light whatsoever. And hardly any cell phone reception. Which isn't really a problem, students; despite several signs prohibiting cell phone use, and what I thought was common courtesy, and have discovered is not so common; still use their cell phones in the library, but in the dungeon, they cannot. Too bad the dungeon can't be a well-lit computer lab with open windows and plants, no cell phone service and cushioned chairs, I guess then it wouldn't be called the dungeon. I'd have to find a better fitting name for it.

I have wanted to start a food blog for some time now, and I guess have just been lazy. I also want to write, well I write, I write quite a bit but I want to write publicly and get paid to do so. A man came into my work the other day. I work very part time, just seasonally and whenever someone needs their shift covered, at Chuao Chocolatier. He ordered some gelato and we had a rather extensive conversation about the word affogato. I was telling him that it's delightful and that he should have one the next time he comes in. His face lit up and he said he had an idea and was ready to walk out of the store. I insisted he share his idea with me. Turns out he's an author and liked the word affogato. Affogato is Italian for drowned and also refers to, at least at Chuao, a scoop of gelato with a shot of espresso over it. It is delicious, especially with the cinnamon gelato. Anyhow, he was talking about words, words or phrases that are in the common vernacular for example: when you forget something or something escapes you for a brief moment you're having a _______________

brain fart.

He thought affogato could be one of those words and he, my manager and I pondered what a could event would be that would be called affogato. Summer, my manager, suggested it's the period of time after a break-up when lovers try to be friends.

Where I was going with this. I mentioned that I want to write and he told me it's key to write, start a blog...you've of course read Julie and Julia, right? No I havn't, despite numerous recommendations and the movie. I can proudly say I haven't seen the movie either, I do not like seeing movies that are based off of books until I've read the book. All that means is that I don't see many movies.

So here I am, starting my blog, which will hopefully someday have readers, or followers but that sounds too religious, I just mean people who follow my blog fairly regularly and care to read what I have to say.