Regular Life

Just a few of the 100 new items to be added to the “2007 copyright version of the best-selling Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition”*:
Bollywood
crunk
DVR
flex-cuff
ginormous
gray literature
hardscape
IED
microgreen
perfect storm
RPG
smackdown
snowboardcross
speed dating
sudoku
telenovela
viewshed
Before looking up any of these, I wondered, “What the hell is ‘gray literature?’ Do Canadians call it ‘grey literature?’”

“Just going for the ball, I swear!”
“Well, you got’em both. Now get off me!”
(Click any image to enlarge and sharpen.)
Yesterday’s post was nearly 2,000 words, so now I bring you pictures, which I’ve heard are worth 1,000 each (but take a lot less of your time).
These are just a few samples of the rainy adventure [...]

I spilled my breath mints, and now I have a severe case of tic tac® toe. — Mark Williams
That is the first one-liner I’ve created. If it sounds derivative of Steven Wright, it’s probably because I used to nearly pee myself listening to his act. If it isn’t particularly funny, then please accept my apologies [...]

In a newspaper article a couple weeks ago, a reporter wrote, “While the outcome of Arkansas’ 41-38 loss to Alabama is one Razorback fans had just assume forget, the…”
The saddest part for me is that the story appeared in The Northwest Arkansas Times (NWAT), a daily newspaper in my home state. My initial excuse for [...]

It isn’t an elected position; it is an appointment. My memories of this no doubt will be fonder than the first time I received an appointment (more on that later). In turn, I would like to appoint five of my own (also coming up).
On Friday I was awarded the title of Thinking Blogger, by fellow [...]

I realized while trying to shape this into a coherent post why I started writing.
Since my childhood friends and I first split into separate social circles, I prided myself on never succumbing to peer pressure. Until seventh grade, the kids who later became the jocks and cheerleaders regularly hung out at my house, and vice [...]

Even a casual observer of modern society could conclude that adversity alone is interesting. Most people are not addicted to drugs, do not have abusive spouses, have never teetered on the brink of suicide, and never have been sexually abused. Artists who have been through any of this or a myriad of other tribulations provide [...]

When I wrote the first in this series, I was tired and didn’t feel like getting up to dig around in closets, and pulling book titles from thin air is not easy for me.
During my time earning an English degree, I was handed syllabi with a wide variety of literature — some old, some new. [...]

(Note: Readers of “Apartment Life Returns” may now read Part Nine, which takes us very near the end of the story)
I’ve made casual remarks about movies, books, music, and television series here and there. Although there are several of each that appeal to most people, choices can be intensely personal. Two people who get along [...]

(Note: There’s a new fiction afoot, a sequel of sorts to my well-received “Apartment Life.” More on that in a moment.)
You ever love something and hate it at the same time? That’s how I feel about this alphabet puzzle.
It’s great because Ben can learn to match shapes, name the letters, and do some freestyle design. [...]