Anchored

I think it's interesting how people define themselves. From nationalism to ethnicity to socioeconomic status to sense of humor to gender to age to physical characteristics to (infinity and beyond). I think there is a lot more to explore and say about this topic. But tonight I just want to say that as much as I think it can be liberating and enriching to take different perspectives and question how we define ourselves, the ability to assign concrete words to who we are as people seems so reassuring. I would never hope that anyone would be fully able to define themselves with words, but I would also never deny the value of knowing that there was a constant, an immutable, identifiable core to people--a core that words could help illuminate.

Blog

Today, I realized that blog is sort of a strange/funny word to say (if you'd like to look it up... http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blog).

In honor of the word 'blog', I'm coming up with my list of ten all time strangest/funniest sounding words.

1) blandishment
2) shenanigan
3) fuscuos
4) meniscus
5) gauche
6) badinage
7) faux
8) chicanery
9) platitude
10) cochlear



But wait, there's more...

Not content simply to list the words, I decided to come up with sentence using not one, not two, but that's right, ALL TEN words. Here it goes.

Up to my usual shenanigans, I attempted to liven up the mood of the room, weighed down by the fuscous interior decorating, with badinage and blandishments directed towards all cochlear apparatuses; my attempts formed a meniscus of vivacity, stretching but not quite breaking the mood that was further entrenched by my teacher's curt statement: "Your platitudes, faux cheerfulness, and general chicanery are simply gauche and repulsive, dksay(s)."


Yeeaaaaa.

Opposites Attract...Confusedly

I think some of the most powerful and interesting forces in my life are opposites. Like what the best reaction to a situation is, where at times I feel it might be hardest but best to simply accept a situation, but it might be hardest but best to fight and strive to change a situation. Or my pressing desire to have a lasting impact, and yet my fear of doing anything that has a permanent consequence (be it positive or negative, or more likely a difficult-to-read mix). I guess this isn't really a new concept, the idea of the presence and balance of opposites, I think in a very general sense that's kind of the idea behind yin and yang. But perhaps these powerful, opposing forces are one reason why life can be a little confusing...

Gay

Here is what I think about use of the word 'gay,' not to mean homosexual or happy, but to mean some variation of 'bad' as in the phrase 'that was so gay.'

So a lot of people think "sort of using the phrase 'gay' is bad, but so is saying fuck, right? It's kind of synonymous, right? I mean it's not good, but don't be such a prude." But here's the thing, my objection to use of the word gay to mean 'bad' has nothing to do with being a prude.

And I know several people who are gay, so maybe that's what I don't like people using the phrase, right? But here's the thing, that has nothing to do with it. I mean, it might make abuse of the word even more painful, but I would be staunchly against the use of "gay" if I knew no one who was homosexual.

Because, here's the thing. Plain and simple. When you mean to say "that was so wrong," or "that was so boring," or "that was so stupid," or whatever you mean to say, but instead of saying those things, you say "that was so gay," you are plain and simply equating "gay" to "wrong" or "stupid," or essentially "bad." And there is something very wrong with a conscious (at least at one time--and if it has become unconscious, that is really no better) replacing of "bad" with "gay." There is something inherently wrong about again, and again, and again telling someone they are wrong, they are bad, because of their sexual orientation through omnipresent slang. People are due much more respect than that (no matter your opinion on what there might be of a debate on the morality of homosexuality).

That is why I might give into a lot of trends or peer pressure or what not--but I will never use "that is so gay," in place of "that is so bad." Because that would breach a fundamental level of respect and morality. Because that would just be wrong.

*Props go to Mahum, whose blog post helped inspire my own. 

Square Root Day

So two days ago, 3/3/09, I learned is called square root day, and it only happens 9 times in a century (1/1/01, 2/2/04, etc.). It's a pretty radical concept.

Rain Part Two

Apparently, I am supposed to add photos to my blog...

(url for picture: http://www.meanindya.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/raindrop.jpg)

Raindrops

Bounce off the pavement. Flash around me in the puddles like I'm famous. Change the shade of my sweatshirt. Continue to fall from the trees after they stop from the sky.

I don't really have anything else to say, only that I wish I could observe, study, watch new ideas, meaningful ideas, like they were raindrops.