Boy, summer didn't waste any time in Chicagoland, did it?

Sunday was the first day of summer, and it was 97° by the time I got home yesterday.

(And 80° in my office, but that's another issue.)

--- Ajax.

Starting with football, ( ...but you don't really care about football, do you. )

Word Of The Week -- graupel
Definition: grau·pel (grou'p&l)
n.A small white ice particle that falls as precipitation and breaks apart easily when it lands on a surface. Often used in the plural. Also called soft hail.
Etymology: [German: Graupel, diminutive of Graupe, hulled grain, probably of Slavic origin; akin to Russian krupa, groats.]

( Read more... )

Word Of The Week -- seiche
Definition: seiche (sāsh, sēch)
n.A wave that oscillates in lakes, bays, or gulfs from a few minutes to a few hours as a result of seismic or atmospheric disturbances.
Etymology: [French dialectal, exposed lake bottom, probably from French sèche, feminine of sec, dry; see sec1.]

Obscurity: 80% (May have seen this once ( Read more... )

76 degrees and sunny. As gazman points out, this is not a day designed for sitting inside this dump.

This is, in fact, a day designed for sitting outside under a shady tree and making out with a pretty girl. (If girls are your preference.)

But here I am at work. Sigh.

--- Ajax.

Word Of The Week -- pogonip
Definition: pog·o·nip (pŏg'&-nĭp')
n.A fog of ice particles that forms in the mountain valleys of the western U.S.
Etymology: [Shoshone: pakenappeh, thunder cloud.]

Obscurity: 95% (Come again?)

Usefulness: 5% (Anybody using this word is trying to confuse you, impress you, or both.)

Examples:(def. 1) "The two weary ( Read more... )

• Seriously. Enough with the fucking winter already. We get it.


• Saturday afternoon, stoatmaster9000 and I went over to letsgomiah's stylish abode for an 8-hour marathon of Here I Stand. This is a strategy board game which allows you to play out the Protestant Reformation/Thirty Years' War as one of six major powers. Ordinarily the game is for six players, but since there ( Read more... )

I am now 0-2 at attending Clutch concerts in Milwaukee.

Somebody up there really doesn't want me to see this band. Not only did they get me sick for no apparent reason last night (I countered with powerful decongestants and an early bedtime, and was ready for action today) but they conjured up a huge barrage of tornadoes and thunderstorms to ( Read more... )

Word Of The Week -- nimiety
Definition: ni·mi·e·ty (nĭ-mī'ĭ-tē)
n.Superfluity; excess.
Etymology: [Late Latin: nimietās, from Latin nimius, excessive, from nimis, excessively; see ne in Indo-European roots.]

Obscurity: 95% (Come again?)

Usefulness: 15% (Scans well, but more common synonyms are usually used in normal conversation.)

Examples:(def ( Read more... )

Yesterday was the awesomest day I've had in a fair bit. Behold:

1) Bears won! YAAAAYY!

2) I enjoyed the company of misskaz, wurdsome, letsgomiah and his boy Brian at the latter's apartment to watch the game. Nice to get out of the house for something fun ( Read more... )