mmm

Pepe's Pizza in New Haven, CT is amazing. The pepperoni mushroom pizza is my second favorite pizza ever. My very favorite pizza? Todd's pizza. My brother makes glorious paper thin pizza crust, and I always know I miss him when I crave pizza. (I crave pizza alot.)

Mmm, chocolate gelato from Libby's, which is right next door to Pepe's. A delicious treat, indeed.

I love Latin

Word of the day:
preeminent • \pre-EM-uh-nunt\ • adjective
Definition: having paramount rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding, supreme
Example Sentence:
Carrie considered herself lucky to have one of the country’s preeminent novelists as her writing professor.
Did you know?
What is noteworthy about the following sentence? 'Mount McKinley is a prominent eminence in the Alaskan landscape.' You very likely recognized two words that are closely related to 'preeminent' -- 'prominent' and 'eminence.' All three words are rooted in the Latin verb stem '-minēre,' meaning 'to stand out.' But did you note as well the related word 'mount'? Not too surprisingly, '-minēre' is related to 'mons,' the Latin word for 'mountain.' That relationship leads us in turn to 'paramount,' a word closely related in meaning to 'preeminent.'"

Latin word of the day:
asper, aspera, asperum--(adjective)
Definition: rough, harsh, bitter
Derivatives: asperity, exasperate

Ya know, I was thinking...if I were to teach Latin, I would have a blast. I was daydreaming about it today, what it would be like on the first day of class. The kids would think I was absolutely off my rocker. During the first class, we would hardly even talk about Latin. No vocab, no translations, no verb conjugations or noun declensions. Guess what we would do?


Diagram sentences!! Ahh, how I love diagramming. (Anyone know why you can spell diagramming with either one m or 2?) I could write for hours, really, about why I love diagramming and why it's so important- and definitely a lost art. I will spare you the details. I should probably practice diagramming a bit if I want to teach how to do it.
Ya know what else I love? Dangling modifiers. What parts of grammar do you like? (Don't say verbs.) Does anyone else diagram sentences?

Farewell, Mr. Darcy...

Well, I just listened to a voicemail left about 15 minutes ago by my wonderful 7 yr. old nephew, Tucker Stanley.
"Hi, um, Auntie, this is me Tucker..I just wanted to tell you that your fish died. Mr. Darcy died. Bye. This is a message."

This is indeed sad. I bought Mr. Darcy last year, right after I graduated, I think. He was little, and had fierce zebra stripes. He had the appetite of a herd of cows and enjoyed the shiny marble-type rocks that I carefully poured into his $6 fishbowl every few weeks when I changed the water. I usually put blue or green rocks on the bottom. The one time I put orange ones in there...he hid for a few days...under them.

I'm really surprised he didn't die sooner, actually. When I moved down here to Connecticut, I gave Mr. Darcy to Tucker. He asked to take care of him when I moved, so I let him have the fish. He actually took really good care of him, ya know, always telling his mom (my sister, Sue) when SHE should clean the bowl and change the water. And, for his sister Ellie's birthday, in October, he gave her Mr. Darcy as a present, under the condition that he stays in Tuck's room, but Ellie would have to feed him. (Tucker was sick of the smell of the fish food.) He did talk to Mr. Darcy, like I had always done, and he did call to tell me. What a sweet little boy.

I guess I should start somewhere...

Word of the day:
appreciable • \uh-PREE-shuh-bul\
: capable of being perceived or measured

Example Sentence:"The banker's speech was fluent, but it was also copious, and he used up an appreciable amount of time in brief meditative pauses." (George Eliot, Middlemarch)

Did you know?"Appreciable," like the verb "appreciate," comes from the Late Latin verb "appretiare" ("to appraise" or "to put a price on"). It is one of several English adjectives that can be applied to something that can be detected, felt, or measured. Specifically, "appreciable" applies to what is highly noticeable or definitely measurable, whereas "perceptible," which is often paired with "barely" or "scarcely," applies to what can be discerned to a minimal extent. "Sensible" refers to something that is clearly perceived; a sensible difference in someone's expression is easily detected. "Palpable" applies to something that, if it doesn't have actual physical substance, is nevertheless quite noticeable via the senses ("a palpable chill in the air"). "Tangible" is used for something capable of being handled or grasped, either physically or mentally ("tangible evidence").

Latin word of the day:
ingredior, ingredi, ingressus sum-- ( verb )
Definition: advance, walk; enter, go into; begin
Derivatives: ingress, ingredient, ingressive


Hello, all...or, few...

I've been doing work most of the day so far, but I keep thinking about something...
The other day, while grocery shopping, I saw chocolate covered pretzels. While pretzels are at the top of my "favorite foods" list, I detest chocolate covered pretzels. I love salty foods, and I usually like sweet treats, but I don't like sweet and salty foods together. Bitter and salty could work... *think dark chocolate and pretzels* No, that doesn't work, either. My Babci used to love eating chocolate covered pretzels, and when she would treat herself to them, I would eat them, too. I didn't like them then, and of course I still don't, but, if she were here and wanted to talk about the day while eating the treats, I would eat them, with a smile on my face.

Peanut butter with chocolate. Another combination I usually cannot get myself to eat, and like. (I do love moosetracks ice cream, though.) A friend brought up a good point yesterday, Reese's peanut butter cups really aren't that delicious, but, homemade peanut butter cups certainly are. My recommendation: try the peanut butter cups at this little, tiny candy store in Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME. The peanut butter oozes out (also melts in purses!) and really does taste quite divine.

I didn't like candy too much when I was younger, but my sister did. She loved Reese's, so I decided that I would be able to deal with them, too. To this day, she buys them for me for Halloween and sometimes Easter. And, I eat them. One of the first little gifts that Dan gave me when we started dating in high school was a Reese's peanut butter cup. I thought he knew that I hated them, but, of course, I ate them anyways. I don't eat them with him anymore, he can know that I really, really don't like them- and I won't feel bad.

Does anyone else eat certain treats they don't like to be able to share a moment or a similar interest with someone they love?

I will say, though, that my sister's other favorite candy was orange jelly beans. I decided at a very young age, that they would be my favorite candy, too. That one stuck, those are still my favorite. Well, those and violet mints. *pops one into mouth*

What's your favorite candy?