The Meaning Of Words

 14 February 2014

I've just been looking at this status on Facebook my cousin posted on the 9th. He was basically making an observation about how the meaning of the word "curvy" has changed--that overweight girls are now using it to describe themselves rather than using it in the traditional sense to mean smaller waistlines and bigger hips and chests. He was just saying that the meaning of the word was changing and he didn't like where it was going.

Lots of people made comments, like 64 all together (which took forever to read but its here: https://www.facebook.com/obamookun/posts/10153829495140422?notif_t=close_friend_activity if you can get into it), some of which were about the word meaning, and some about WHY the meaning was changing.

Anyway a bunch of his friends were arguing about it and the whole time I was reading it, all I could think was that they didn't know the difference between the denotative value of a word versus the connotative value. The denotative is the definition given by the dictionary, were as the connotative is the definition given to it by use within the language. Kind of like the formal versus the informal. (Plus no one had a very good denotative argument because NO ONE used the Oxford English Dictionary, which is the academically accepted dictionary). But I had a good laugh about it because of they're attempts. The best part was that, for a Linguist, it might make an excellent paper. Maybe a short paper, but certainly interesting. And they were just gabbing away about it on facebook. Funny how that happens.

I just wanted to say because I felt like I couldn't make a comment. The last one was the 11th, meaning everyone was done talking about it. Silly, silly, silly.

Too bad October was the last time I posted. I always have something to say, just never any time to say it. School + baby + homework + house chores = no time. Most days anyway.

Ghost House

Anyone ever had roasted pumpkin seeds before? They're delicious? That's what I'm doing today: Homework and roasting the pumpkin seeds from last nights carving escepade. If anyone is wondering why I don't blog very often, It's because nothing ever happens.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

After picking out your seeds from the pumpkin guts, rinse them and retrieve the bits of pumpkin inside that you may have missed. Boil your seeds in salt water--2 cups water and a teaspoon of salt per half-cup of seeds. Simmer for around 10 minutes. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the pan when they're ready. Strain.

From here you have a choice: Toss your seeds in olive oil (a tablespoon of olive oil per cup and a half of seeds about) and bake at 400 degrees for 5-20 minutes (until golden brown)
OR
Toss seeds in egg white and salt (or whatever seasoning you feel like) and bake on a greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for around the same time.

Just make sure the seeds are spread on the baking sheet in a single layer or they will stick together and won't brown as well. The crispier they are, the better the texture.
(the original recipe is here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/toasted_pumpkin_seeds/ incase you want to check it out).

Ghost House

by Robert Frost

I Dwell in a lonely house I know

That vanished many a summer ago,

And left no trace but the cellar walls,

And a cellar in which the daylight falls,

And the purple-stemmed wild raspberries grow.

O'er ruined fences the grapevines shield

The woods come back to the mowing field;

The orchard tree has grown one copse

Of new wood and old where the woodpecker chops;

The footpath down to the well is healed.

I dwell with a strangely aching heart

In that vanished abode there far apart

On that discussed and forgotten road
That has no dust-bath now for the toad.

Night comes; the black bats tumble and dart;

The whipporwill is coming to shout

And hush and cluck and flutter about:

I hear him begin far enough away

Full many a time to say his say

Before he arrives to say it out.

It is under the small, dim, summer star.

I know who these mute folk are

Who share the unlit place with me--

Those stones out under the low-limbed tree

Doubtless bear names that mosses mar.

They are tireless folk, but slow and sad,

Though two, close-keeping, are lass and lad,--

With none among them that ever sings,

And yet, in view of how many things,

As sweet companions as might be had.

I haven't had a chance to really analyze the poem, but it seemed good and eerie for Halloween. I have this class called ENGL: 2211: Intro to Literary Analysis, where all we do is analyze poetry and prose. I have really enjoyed it so far. We discussed Frost's After Apple Picking the other day, which reminded me that I bought a book of his poetry for my birthday in March and had barely cracked it open. So I gave it a look and Ghost House is what I came up with.

So, my 8-month-and-three-weeks-old son has decided that playing with the computer when Mommy is typing is enormous fun! Oh my heck, it drives me nuts. I can't do anything without him being right there inserting "+++++++++++++++++" and "11111111111111111111111" into everything. It makes homework, writing, and blogging really difficult.

Last night Ben and I carved pumpkins for Halloween. Went to Swore Farms in Chubbuck a few weekends ago and bought a few massive pumpkins for, then waited till the week of halloween to actually carve them so they wouldn't rot too soon. Mine was a Frankenstein's monster, Bens and evil genius with sharp teeth, and I carved Alex a little one with a nearly toothless grin and dimples.

We listened to a Pandora list called "Halloween Party" that played a bunch of awesome Halloween music (like "Monster Mash", Michael Jackson's "Thriller", and various Nightmare Before Christmas tracks). It was awesome and totally got me into a Halloween mood. If you can see it, we sat on the floor of my kitchen in shorts and t-shirts with garbage bags underneath us and our pumpkins to catch the guts and went at them with serving spoons, steak knives, and an exacto knife. Pumpkin massacre.

Before I go, I just wanted to say that I've been working on a project for my books this week. I'm trying to put together an encyclopedia for all of my concepts. It's very similar to what I've been doing on my Dear Character blog, but I actually want to print it off and have a hard copy available to show people. It's kind of fun.

Frost, Robert. Robert Frost: Selected Poems. Fall River Press: New York, 2011. 4-5. Print.

Workout

Submitted for the approval of the health nuts: My Doctor Who Workout

Every Episode--Mild

1. When you hear the TARDIS: 15 crunches
2. Every time the Doctor sonics something: 15 russian twists
3. Anyone says "Doctor": 5 push-ups
4. Someone opens the doors of the TARDIS: 10 calf raises--20 if it's in deep space
5. Meet an alien species for the first time: 30 seconds of bicycle kicks
6. Someone is running: run in place with them!
7. An individual or a group of people die(s): 10 burpees

Some Episodes--Medium

1.  The Doctor says "Fantastic," "Allons-y," or "Geronimo": 10 lunges
2. Ten says "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.": 20 squats
3. Eleven says something is cool: 10 push-ups
4. River says "Spoilers": 10 tricep dips
5. Anyone says "It's bigger on the inside" or equivalent: 20 squats
6. The Doctor says "Run!":__________
7. Jack hits on someone: 30 second plank
8. River makes an inuendo: 10 plie squats
9. The Doctor insults a species:____________

Select Episodes--Intense

1. A Weeping Angel moves: 15 jumping jacks
2. A Dalek says "Exterminate": 10 v-ups
3. A Cyberman says "Delete": 10 mountain climbers 
4. The Master hears his drumming: ____________
5. The Doctor saves the world from ending:____________

Okay Kim, give me some stuff to fill in the blanks!

I hate working out, but I love Doctor Who. Now I can't watch it unless I work out too.

Poker Anyone?

I neglected to discuss my weekend in my last post.

I drove back to Swan Lake at around noon so I could make it to my friend Levi's wedding reception on Saturday (18 May 2013). It was flippin' cold and rainy though so I didn't stay long. It was outside after all. I felt bad that I didn't stay longer. After all, I've known Levi as long as I've known Ben. We were all friends for so long. Here's some proof:

Shoot. I was going to put some pictures here of when I was a freshman--being ridiculous with my friends at Pep Band--but they don't seem to be on my computer. Either my brother has them on his or they are lost forever. Sad.

Robert came over to my grandma's to hang out with me Saturday night. We put on Tangled (his favorite show--I swear he can quote every line and sing every word to the lyrics if he wanted to) and Dueled with his Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Yes, we still play Yu-Gi-Oh. I'll probably say it a million times: We. Are. Nerds. 

(I have those two cards--Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. They're in one of my decks) What show do you think got me into Anime? Seriously.

Anyway, we talked too. Mostly about his crushes and stuff he's been up to at school. He enjoys talking about the girls he likes. There are three, but that's all I'll say.

Then we borrowed my dads poker chips and played Texas Hold 'em. It's not real gambling if there's no real money involved right? We were awake until 1:30 AM.

I absolutely love my little brother. He's smart, clever (there's a difference), fun, silly. He's honest too, something I think is really important. Kim and I have decided he's like both of us together because he's a nerd, but he's also a social butterfly. Its a pretty sweet combination.

Sunday was filled with good food, family, and a reunion with my husband after his week away at Drill. I was at my grandma's until four so I went to church in the ward I grew up in and had dinner with my family. It was neat. When I got home, I was super excited to see Ben. We spent most of the  night cuddled up on the couch together watching movies (The Avengers and Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark). Much needed rest and together-ness.

My friend Destini was at my house while I was gone (she moved out on Saturday) but my house was pretty much spotless when I got home. It was a great present because I was tired and didn't want to do anything yesterday. THANK YOU DESTINI!

The Missis Misses

A week away from one's spouse is a little unsettling.

Like I said before, I was at my sister's all week because my husband was at a special week-long Drill so their unit could do weapon's qualifications before Annual Training in August. It. Sucked.

It sucked to be away from him and from home for a week, yes, but I enjoyed my time with my sister. Besides getting to catch up on Doctor Who on her Comcast, and getting addicted to Downton Abbey (yes, we spent all week watching British television. It was awesome), we also did some other things. Like talk about our children, stay up until 3am (getting HER addicted to Doctor Who--YES!), go to target, drink Italian sodas, hang out with the Shepherds, and go out to eat together.

I always feel like I learn a lot about parenting anytime I visit family members. I seriously have no idea what I'm doing. Kim does things differently than me, and seeing her reminds me that there are things I should be watching for (like my son possibly rolling off the couch! or something) and developmental advances (Adalae learned to sit up on her own, albeit wobbily, while I was there), especially since Adalae is only a little bit older than Alex. Plus, Kim plays with her daughter differently than I play with Alex. It just makes me think.

 DOCTOR WHO! I'm obsessed (previous post tell you anything?). Watching the new season made her want to start the series over. we got half way through the 2nd reboot season before I left. It was awesome.

 Kim: "I want all of the episodes! Download them straight to my brain!"

Me: "That would be so much faster."

Kim: "Not if you had dial-up."

Recipe:

Italian Sodas

• 2 ounces flavoring syrup (1/4 cup)
• 1 ounce half-and-half
• Ice
• Shasta brand Club Soda
• whipping cream (optional)

 Add the flavoring and half-and-half to a tall glass and stir them really good. Add your ice. Fill the rest of the glass with Club Soda and add stir. Add (unwhipped) whipping cream to the top.

They're delicious.

We went out to eat twice while I was there. Once to the Rumbi Island Grille because it's delicious, and once to a place called The Gabor Brothers Main Street Grill and Pizzaria. We WERE going to go to Olive Garden (because it's our favorite) but Friday night in Leighton, Utah meant an hour-long wait for two! It was nasty so we looked up other places on her smartphone. Gabor Brothers came up as one of the only other Italian places in town so we decided to go there.

Kim really wanted Zuppa Tuscana from Olive Garden and ironically, that was their soup of the day at Gabor Brothers! It was pretty much an amazing coincidence. You should have seen the look on her face when the waiter said that was the soup.

She ordered Muscles and I had cheese ravioli in Alfredo sauce (which I'm just remembering I left in her fridge. Dang). It was really good and I would definitely go there again.

Today: Don't my boys look just alike?

Doctor Who

I will admit that I'm a little obsessed...

I wanted to make a post about the Series 7 finale that aired 18 May 2013, so, just for the sake of someone who is behind:

WARNING: SPOILERS

The finale was called "The Name of the Doctor" and promised to reveal the Doctor's biggest secret. I mean, there was no way they were going to tell us his real name (which seemed to be what they were teasing at with an episode name like that) but the Doctor has a bergillion secrets so it could have gone anywhere. The anticipation was killer.

This entire season has actually been a little off. Not in a bad way--I still flippin' love this show--but off. Probably due to the fact that they switched companions half way through the season. It was almost like they forced through the goodbye's of the Ponds and rushed through the "Impossible Girl" arc. Both plot twists would have had more effect had there been more time (I'm not usually a fan of filler episodes but filler in Doctor Who is WAY better than in other shows). Plus, the Clara thing had me feeling cheated out of more time with her before we found out what her deal was. I'm sure she's the companion for next season but still. (Might I add that I also watched the majority of the season in under three days so that may also add to the rushed feeling).

So, the finale.

I had all this anticipation for this episode (which lived up to its promises, in a way) but I was left with more questions with answers. Clara and the Doctor go both step into the 'scar tissue' at the Doctor's tomb of his entire life traveling through time and end up seeing all of his regenerated faces. Before they leave however, they see this shadow which the (current) Doctor tells Clara is basically a regeneration that broke the promise that he made when he took the name "The Doctor" (the name they choose is a promise, which in of itself is a neat concept. What does that say about The Doctor? The Master?--I don't know any more Time Lords or their names would be here. Yes, unfortunately, I've only seen the reboot. This is the one case where being twenty years old SUCKS).

So then the shadow turns around, and we see this:

 what the hell am I supposed to do with that? I mean John Hurt is pretty cool, but is he the next regeneration? The way they set him up makes me doubt it.

Theres been speculation on the internet that he may be a couple of things.
1) Doctor #0-- The Doctor's first face (before he stole the TARDIS and ran away). This I doubt. If he's zero, he couldn't have broken the promise of The Doctor because he wouldn't have made it yet.
2) Doctor #8.5-- this would screw up the number system Whovians seem to be attached to, but it seems like he may be the Doctor between 8 and 9; the Regeneration that fought in the Time War. I feel like this fits, but I'm not sure they're going to revisit the time war. They have a little, but it's time-locked. The episode "The End of Time" was the closest they've ever gotten before. It seems unlikely.
3) The Valeyard--This is a regeneration that (from what I gather) was said by The Master in the classic Doctor Who is all that is bad about The Doctor. He's supposed to be a regeneration between 12 and 13--one of his last regenerations (by the way, there's supposed to be a limit on how many times Time Lords can regenerate. Whoever set the number didn't think about there being a reboot). This seems the most likely option. The name is even mentioned in the episode.

Who knows? They plan on keeping us in the dark until November when they air the 50th Anniversary special.

Comments

So, rant:
 I didn't touch Alex and The Crazies for a week and when I looked at it last night, I had some comments from people I didn't know.  I really appreciate that people feel the need to give me comfort and support but that's not what this blog was intended for.

I started Alex and The Crazies as a way to communicate with my family about out lives. I write down what I feel and think at the time--like a journal. I'm not looking for "It's all going to be okay," comments. I already know that. I have great faith that everything is going to turn out splendid. I love my life, I really do.

I have also considered making this blog private... I'm only doing it for my family so I don't really care about what other people (who I am neither related to or know) think about it. Again, not what it's for.  (Plus it weirds me out a little to think that anyone can see it at any time).

I'm not trying to be rude or anything, just saying how I feel.

Now, Life:
 I've been staying with my sister all week  because my husband is at a week-long Drill. It's been nice to hang out with Kim but I really miss him. Quite different than AT last year (granted I was a little busy last year, with the Mary Kay Convention being that week too). Now I just want to cuddle up on the couch with him and my son and watch Courage The Cowardly Dog (or some other mindless cartoon).

But I've gotta get going. I've got stuff to do today.