Today’s Word. From A.Word.A.Day Solecism. solecism (SOL-i-siz-ehm, SOA-li-) noun 1. A nonstandard usage or grammatical construction. 2. A violation of etiquette. 3. An impropriety, a mistake, or an incongruity. [Latin soloecismus, from Greek soloikismos, from soloikizein, to speak incorrectly, from soloikos, speaking incorrectly after Soloi (Soli), an Athenian colony in Cilicia where a dialect regarded […]

Volcanoes. This is a guy’s recipe from a restaurant in the Quad Cities (Iowa/Illinois) area. It sounds disgusting, and it’s bad for you. I like them. One loaf Texas Toast. 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. hamburger 1 large can of Hormel chili (or about 2 c. leftover chili) 1 bag of frozen hash browns (loose

Rrr. I’m much too annoyed to get anything useful done today. Welcome to the land of “Don’t say what you mean…and don’t mean what you say.” Above all, don’t imply that that which hasn’t been noted to be especially trustworthy isn’t necessarily to be believed. Update. Ok. Things are better. Feathers all around have been

Words, words, words. Here’s something neat: A.Word.A.Day, a website and listserv giving out a word a day. Today’s word: — Canossa (kuh-NOS-uh, Italian: kah-NOS-sah) noun A place of humiliation or penance. Mostly used in the form “go to Canossa”: to humble or humiliate oneself, to eat humble pie. [From the name of a castle in

Celebration! The new issue of

So far today, with the Review of a Restaurant. I like Colorado. I probably won’t be able to put a finger on it until I go somewhere else, either on a long trip, or I move. At a first guess, here’s a rambling anecdote: The first time I went to Wisconsin as an adult (we’d

Diary of…Gregory Price. I didn’t like the name anymore. Thursday: Stopped at a coffee shop. The milk in the carafe was bad, but the attendant refused to replace it. Apparantly, people had been complaining about it all day, and she was tired of being the butt of such a poor practical joke. Friday: Replaced the

Hot and Cold Running Errands. Yep. That’s it. That’s what we did today. It was actually kind of enjoyable. Hm. Let me look at that sentence. There’s just so much wrong with it. Why does it sound so comfortable to the ear, and yet so awkward to the eye? Remove “it,” “that,” “is,” “was,” and

Daddy. Yesterday, Ray sat in the rocking chair, looked at me, and chirped: “Hi, Daddy!”

Diary of Edgar Pierce. A little experiment. Thursday: Ate squid at insistence of sister. Friday: Or quite possibly octopus. Saturday: The texture was rubbery, although not quite as rubbery as rubber itself. Obsession with cephalopodic meal continues. Sunday: Am being followed by strange presences dressed in trench coats and fedoras. The aroma of the sea.