Tag Archives: word of the day

July 21, 2017

Al Desko – Friday’s Word of the Day Haibun

By Kat Myrman

al desko

Today’s Dictionary.com word of the day…Al Desko…is patterned after al fresco and was first used in the 1980’s. Its facetious meaning alludes to eating a meal at one’s desk in an office: always snacking al desko; having an al desko lunch.

aldesko

Here’s a look at my al desko lunch today, as a matter of fact. It’s not much different any other week day, though the menu changes slightly. I get 30 minutes of unpaid time for lunch. But most days, the lunch hour is exactly the time when my boss needs me to write notes from the morning’s meetings or prepare presentations for the afternoon meetings. It is a rare thing for me to even leave me desk in the course of an 8-1/2 to 9 hour day; rarer still to actually finish my soup while it is still warm. But today is a good day. The boss is flying as I type somewhere over the Rockies, so I am enjoying an uninterrupted break.

We are work-a-holics here in the US. The sad truth is we are encouraged to work long hours, and do, with the hopes of gaining the boss’s attention. Positive notice is what it takes to ace an evaluation which translates into a favorable raise, not the minimum pittance required for breathing, and positions one for future opportunities as a person who “works hard and gets the job done”. Sadly, though loyalty is a thing oft cited in great reviews, companies are loath to return the favor.

I’m exhausted just thinking about it. And yet I acquiesce to”the man” hoping that I might one day be able to afford to retire. It is highly unlikely that I ever will, but I like saying the word retire and thinking that I might have a shot at it. Especially now that I’ve passed the 60’s mark.

I’m sorry. I’m afraid I have digressed a bit. The word of the day al desko has nothing to do with retiring. But here I sit, eating my healthy store-bought soup, heated in the office breakroom, with my little bag of goldfish and a cup of ice water. Dining al desko, catching up on Facebook and WordPress. Checking the news and the weather; glad that I brought my umbrella in from my car this morning. It’s going to rain this afternoon.

I’ll leave this desk around 5:30 or so, squinting as I emerge from the building at seeing the light of day outside for the first time in hours. A quick 15-20 minute trip in traffic will deposit me home where I will feed my pets, grab a bit of grub myself and then settle in for the night. All to start again at 6 am next morning when I will get up…feed the pets…and pack another al desko lunch to tide me over mid-day.

I’m shaking my head as I read this back to myself. I really do need to step away from my desk at least once during the day. It occurs to me…I need a life! 😉 At least I have words and writing to sooth the lunacy. Blogging has saved me. 🙂

Have a great week. Step away from the keyboard every now and again. You deserve it. (I say this, hoping that I’ll remember to take my own advice!)

work-a-holics dine
on bagged lunches and take-out
al desko gourmets

~kat

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Haibun, Haiku, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues, Word of the Day Haiku

July 15, 2017

Fête -Friday’s Word of the Day

By Kat Myrman


I know it’s Saturday. It took sleeping on Friday’s Word of the Day to come up with a Haiku considering the bitter irony of its timing.

Fête is defined at dictionary.com as:
In noun form: a festive celebration or entertainment; a day of celebration; holiday; a religious feast or festival; a fete lasting several days in honor of a saint; and as a verb: to entertain at or honor with a fete: to fete a visiting celebrity.

It came to us from the French, according to The Online Etymology Dictionary, in 1754, from French fête “festival, feast,” from Old French feste “feast, celebration” (see feast (n.)). If the date is right, first used in English by Horace Walpole (1717-1797). fete (v.) 1819, from fete (n.). Related: Feted; fetes; feting.

So the timing of the word makes perfect sense! France? Bastille Day? Ah hah! I get it! Of course!

Except…on Thursday, in my world, I was graveside at the funeral of the beloved husband of a friend and Friday? Well, Friday found me at the veterinary office saying goodbye to my 17 and a half year old rescue dog, Lucy.

So you can imagine I was in no mood for fetes of any kind on Friday, or so I thought at first glance. But then I began to embrace the word and found comfort in it.


I thought about the happy reunions that happened in clusters at the graveside on Thursday as family members and friends, separated by distance and time, embraced. And there were sermons and songs that promised the joy to be found by the departed in the beyond; a Fete of heavenly proportions and happy reunions with those who had passed before and would be waiting to greet him. Whether one is a believer in heaven or not, the comfort it gives those who do believe is lovely to witness.


Then on Friday, I considered how the joyous memories of happier, healthier times held me as I helped my little dog take her final trip “across the rainbow”, as they say, in peace and dignity. A life well lived is much to be feted! And Lucy was a diva and a queen while she lived. I smile to think of her, a 10 pound shitzu bossing around her 180 pound mastiff brother! She was a force! Her life was a fête!

So, this is your Haiku, a day late, for Friday’s Word of the Day. Maybe not what you were expecting, given it’s definition, but every bit as relevant to me given the circumstances of my real life week, kissed by irony.

mourners imagine
joyous fêtes beyond the veil
welcome us in death

~kat

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Haibun, Haiku, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Spirituality, Word of the Day Haiku

July 7, 2017

Phenology – Friday’s Word of the Day Haibun

By Kat Myrman


Happy Friday. Today’s dictionary.com Word is Phenology. According to dictionary.com, “Phenology entered English in the 1880s as acontracted variant of phenomenology, with restrictionto climatic phenomena.” It is defined as “the science dealing with the influence of climate onthe recurrence of such annual phenomena of animaland plant life as budding and bird migrations.”

After a further bit of research I learned that the study of phenology goes back thousands of years and is in fact one of the oldest sciences dealing with the natural world. According to the website, Windows to the Universe, “The Chinese are credited with the first written phenological records dating back to around 974 B.C. For the past 1200 years, observations of the timing of peak cherry blossoms in Japan have been recorded.”

I also learned that there are a number of proverbs and sayings that refer to phenology. Here are a few that I found:

“If oak’s before ash, you’re in for a splash. If ash before oak, you’re in for a soak”.

And another version along this line…

“If the oak is out before the ash, ‘Twill be a summer of wet and splash; If the ash is out before the oak,’Twill be a summer of fire and smoke.”

“In like a lion, out like a lamb”

“Christmas in clover, Easter in snow”…

“Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men.”

Windows to the Universe explains: “Phenological observations have been used for centuries to maximize crop production, prepare for seasonal allergies, and anticipate optimal wildflower viewing conditions. Today, this well established science is used to track the effect of global warming and climate change on organisms and to make predictions about the future health of the environment.”

Did you know that scientists have tracked and discovered that the beginning of spring starts a week earlier in Europe in recent years? I didn’t. It’s called “season creep” and it is the sort of things that Phonologists study. 

Phenology is obviously an important science…for those of us who believe in science. 😉 Some cool new scientific terms I learned in my research include “green up” and “brown down”, having to do with infrared wavelengths from the sun. Can you guess which phenophase is being described by those words? Tick tock tick… Spring and Fall of course. Clever! Tracking green ups helps to identify species of plants that contribute most to the “infrared reflectance values”; a process is called “ground-truthing”. Another cool term!

There is so much more to learn about phenology. Do rev your google engines and learn more if you are a nature lover…or just curious. Or peruse an Old Farmer’s Almanac for that matter. I, on the other hand have a Haiku to write! Have a great weekend!

What force spurs seasons
to greening flush and browning?
Phenologists know!

~kat

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Essays, Haibun, Haiku, nature, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

June 30, 2017

Divagate – Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku

By Kat Myrman


It’s Friday and time to learn a new word and use it in a Haiku. Though I must admit that the 5/7/5 verses that I come up with are not “true” haiku. By definition, a Haiku is “a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.”

There have been a few words of the day that had something to do with nature. Although I do strive to maintain the form and the “in the moment” impression and “ah-ha” revelation aspect in each Haiku I write. And I might add that I am not Japanese. At least that’s what my DNA tells me….

This piece, though, and my other Friday forays might better be defined as a “Haibun”. Defined as “haikai writings, a prosimetric literary form originating in Japan, combining prose and haiku. The range of haibun is broad and frequently includes autobiography, diary, essay, prose poem, short story and travel journal.” (from Wikipedia)

Ah, but, I divagate, pronounced dahy-vuh-geyt not ‘dee-vuh-geyt’ as you might be tempted to say it, today’s word of the day at Dictionary.com. Although the word “diva” is hard to miss in the first part of this word, its etymology will clarify everything for you. First used late 16th century: from Latin divagat- ‘wandered around,’ from the verb divagari, from di- ‘widely’ + vagari ‘wander.’ (from google under ‘divagate etymology’)

So you see, divagate is not ‘diva+gate’ (sounds like a beauty pageant fiasco, doesn’t it?! 😉), but rather it is ‘di-vagate’ which accounts for its unique pronunciation.

And finally, what does all this mean? I’m glad you asked! According to dictionary.com Divagate means “to wander; stray, or to digress in speech.”

Does the fact that someone is prone to divagate make them a diva? Perhaps. If only to illustrate that said divagator likes to hear themselves talk while demanding that everyone around them listen with rapt attention to their gibberish!

But alas, there I go divagating again. I have been accused of this before, not because I am a diva mind you. Blame it on a short attention span and my tendency to become easily distracted. 😜

And if you have read this far, the very least I can do is reward you with a Haiku or two, the part two of this haibun, which I learned is also Japanese…which I am not…😊

Have a great weekend…and for my US friends, enjoy your Independence…4th of July Celebration Day…emphasis on “independence” while it lasts!!! 😳

one hundred forty
divagating tweeted blips,
known also, as spin

follow if you can
divagators who drivel
look! a butterfly!
~kat

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Essays, Haibun, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

June 23, 2017

Cacoepy Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku

By Kat Myrman

Happy Friday! Today’s Dictionary.com Word of the Day is “cacoepy” [kuh-koh-uh-pee]. I had never heard this word before, but I have definitely heard more than a few cacoepies in my life.

They are like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard to those of us who take words, vocabulary and language seriously. They can also be amusing and goofy. Context is key. Cacoepy is defined as an “incorrect pronunciation or an instance of this; mispronunciation.

Dictionary.com had a lengthy etymology summary:

“Cacoepy comes from Greek kakoépeia “mispronunciation, incorrect language,” made up of the adjective kakós “bad, evil, worthless, ugly” and the noun épos (also dialect wépos) “word, speech, song.” The adjective comes from baby talk or a nursery word widespread in Indo-European languages, kakka- “to defecate, poop, shit.” The root appears in Latin cacāre (Italian cacare, Spanish cagar), Slavic (Polish) kakać, German kacken, and English cuck(ing stool). The Greek noun épos (wépos) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root wekw-, wokw- “to speak,” source of Latin vox “voice,” whose stem vōc- forms the verb vōcāre “to call.” Cacoepy entered English in the 19th century.”

I decided to Google mispronounced words. There are plenty. You may have heard them. You may have even used a few. Here’s a sampling:

expecially, pecific, expresso (coffee), nucular, irregardless, libary, miniture, orientate, perogative, prespire, probly, sherbert, supposably, upmost

I find it hard to take anyone who is fluent in cacoepies seriously. Usually I smile politely while they fracture the English language, biting my tongue to keep myself from correcting them.

You say potatoe and I say pototoe. Does it matter? Well, some linguists believe this is a natural evolution of words. It’s how language is refined and developed. While others, the purists, believe we should strive for proper diction and pronunciation, maintaining the integrity of the language.

For the fun of it though I’ll leave you with a few silly, goofy cacoepies. You may be familiar with these misinterpreted song lyrics. The question is, do you know the actual lyrics?

Here we go! Come on, sing along. You know the words! Maybe! 😜

“This is the dawning of the Age of Asparugus, Asparugus” – Aquarius – Fifth Dimension

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, Sayin a lie, Sayin a lie” – Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees

“She’s mighty mighty, built like a mastodon” – Brick House – Commodores

“Let’s drink to assaulting the Earth” – Salt of the Earth – Judy Collins

“Oprah got no style!” – Gangnam Style – Psy

“Looks like we mated” – You’re Still the One – Shania Twain

“Joy to the visions that the people see” – Joy to the World – Three Dog Night

“Sweet dreams are made of cheese” – Sweet Dreams – The Eurythmics

“Or should I just keep chasing penguins” – Chasing Pavements – Adele

“All the lonely Starbucks lovers” – Blank Space – Taylor Swift

“Then I saw her face, now I’m gonna leave her” – I’m a Believer – The Monkees

“Kicking your cat all over the place” – We Will Rock You – Queen

“Got some electric boobs and a mohawk, too ” – Bennie and the Jets – Elton John

So there you have it. Our word of the day, cacoepy. I do like the way this word sounds. (I included the pronunciation above.😉) Here’s my Haiku then. Have a great weekend!

pecific leaders
with axes to nucular codes
cannot be trusted

cacoapies? …please!
when enunciated well
language is an art

~kat

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Essays, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings