word play

one of my favorite things to do is read the dictionary. i know, i'm a big nerd. i've come to terms with it, it's okay. this also means that i get really excited when words are added to the dictionary. a few weeks ago, i saw the little notice in the paper announcing the eleventh edition of the merriam-webster dictionary. yay for 100 new words!!! my top two favorites (thus far) are pescatarian-a vegetarian who eats fish and mondegreen-words mistaken for other words. how could one not be fascinated by a vegetarian (defined as a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, FISH, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.) who eats fish? [i'm sensing a self-deconstruction in the near future.] or perhaps trying to classify the differences between "excuse me while I kiss this guy" and "excuse me while I kiss the sky"? i'm once again reminded of my linguistics class and totally intrigued by the noises that our mouths make and the subtle differences that make drastic changes in final outcomes. language is such a fascinating thing. how in the world do we make sounds, identify them, and then standardize them? who really has the power to do that?(that's another question for another day...) yay for the evolution of language! yes. there was a very good reason that i studied words...

red, white, blue . . . and green?

now to preface my 4th of July entry, i should start a few years ago. once upon a time in my life, i worked at dinosaur national monument. now, this was a very enlightening experience for me. i met a lot of people and established a few opinions. my father went so far as to declare me politically as a "conservative green". is that really possible? that's a bit beside the point. wait, back to the 4th of July. i decided, at the invitation of a good friend, to return to my small town roots for the holiday weekend. i grew up in a small town, passed many holidays in even smaller towns, and have spent most of the time completely amused and entertained by the activities found there. this year, i found no less in richfield. they have what is called the "fish grab". (if you want a visual, try http://youtube.com/watch?v=xEBNBvtPbEA&feature=related.) basically, kids 0-11, are given the opportunity to catch a fish with their bare hands. fascinating, no? yeah, that's what i thought. i'll admit i found it quite amusing for about 5-10 minutes until i saw what was actually happening to the fish. as displayed in the youtube clip, the little kids walked while the fish swam. my view was of the other end of the scale, the 9-11 year old kids. i saw one of the older kids with blood smeared across his chest and a rather large fish hooked on his finger. this picture, which will be forever ingrained in my mind, could be interpreted a few ways: 1) the kid picked a fight with his best friend when he tried to rip off the prize trout; 2) the poor fish was beaten to death (i'm telling you, the 9-11 year old kids have a pretty violent streak in them!); or 3) it was actually a mercy killing rather than letting the poor fish suffocate (if they can really do that) in his hands. really it could have been any of the three choices, but the thing that hit me more than the fish or the blood occured after i saw it all. i turned around and said two things, "i can't watch this anymore" and "those poor fish". as i made the "those poor fish" comment, something happened that surprised me and resurrected my green streak...someone agreed with me!?! not that i have anything against richfield, but that shocked me, especially considering the source of the consent. it was the stereotypical middle-aged-white-male-in-a-texas-ball-cap who surely spent everyday of his childhood summers fishing and tormenting small animals. really?!? i suppose all of us have a little green in us, whether we believe it or not. kermit the frog probably said it best, "it's not easy being green."

why would you do this to your children?

my brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first child in august. this means that we have been throwing names around, trying to find the perfect fit for the next addition to the williams clan. in the midst of this search we've come across some fascinating names. my response is: really? is this necessary? why would you do this to your children? . . .
jackie sparrow
harry barber
sandy beach
kimberly wimberly
larry burg (think professional basketball)
michael jordan (short white guy who can't jump)
pleasant duck (yes . . . he's a man)
honestly, these names amuse me. some of them are not bad names, but given social context-they do fit in the unfortunate category.

Brain Vomit (An Introduction)

One of my greatest flaws in my writing style is my transitions-or perhaps my lack thereof. As a student, my writing was only as smooth as WARM SPRINGS at 2CFS (see the yampa river). I remember specifically working on one and it was spotted in one reading. I have a choppy thought pattern. I like to attribute it to my adult on-set, self-diagnosed ADD. Initially, I wanted to name my blog "brain vomit". Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your view, the title had already been used. Honestly, you're still going to get it-hopefully in a more organized form. (not-likely though). Here's on of my favorite exerpts:
Brain Vomit (part2) 11-29-2007
o. . . this brain vomit is a bit different. so many things have happened in the past few weeks that something needs to be recorded. why? i don't know. actually . . . one compromiso to one sister missionary from Germany would do it. the promise to "remember" may have something to do with it. props to pte eyring. so many things have happened to help me remember my blessings and the power of god. pain medication is a powerful powerful thing. this power can be used for good and bad. it makes mean people. it causes a semi-irresponsible adult to pull a knife to show that he has "power". it makes unstable people even less stable even though in their own sight they have all the power in the world. sweet is the peace the gospel brings. one small blue pill can change the world. "xanax makes me grumpy (says the man with the six inch blade)" "this is the utah valley regional emergency room. the highway patrol asked us to call and tell you that your 12:30 appointment is not going to make it. he took a xanax before driving and there has been an accident." "will you marry me? it's sad to see so many women striving for other things in the world-actually, i just want you to be able to say that you have been proposed to under the marriage tree." "you served a mission-didn't you?" wow. there are so many experiences that so many people should have. so many blessings that are waiting for us. hmmmmmmmmmmm. i need to read and go to bed so that i can be worthy of the blessings that await me. sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. is it worth it? only we can decide. we progress only as far as we want to. iguanadon. soft water in iowa. so many things to learn and so little time. progress now. this is when progression truly happens. with all the love that fills my heart.

I'd like to think I could . . .

For the past few years of my life, I have been working on a list of goals for my life. Not the "ultra-cool-things-that-I-must-do-before-I-die" type-goals, but the "I-really-could/should-do-these-things-because-they-would-be-good-for-me" type. Here are a few examples:
1) I'd like to think I could eat fish and like it.
2) I'd like to think I could teach school.
3) I'd like to think I could write social commentary.
4) I'd like to think I could develop a political opinion.
5) I'd like to think I could remember German and learn a fourth language.
6) I'd like to think I could drive a bus from Punta Arenas, Chile to Lincoln, NE.
7) I'd like to think that I could sit down and watch a football game, fully understanding the game itself and care about its outcome.
8) I'd like to think that I could be domestic.
9) I'd like to think that I could be a runner.
I suppose this blog is a response to #3. Honestly, I'm not really planning on writing a lot of social commentary. I'd probably do a horrendous job of it. I will admit though that many times in my life, I have had experiences that I just wanted to respond to on paper (ie, swathing, being imprisioned in my own home in Chile, being snowed-in in Cheyenne, etc). This could be a great opportunity (I hope) to get those thoughts out. I had a good friend once tell me that I would be the next Dave Berry. I don't add this comment to suggest that I could ever be nearly as opinionated or as humorous as that . . . I'd probably have to develop some solid opinions first, but I guess I add it as a warning or preface to this blog. I write like I talk. It's not always coherent, but like to think that others could benefit from or enjoy it. Happy reading . . . .