One way I can tell if I am going to get along with someone is if they appreciate little things, and I don't just mean stopping to admire a beautiful sunset, or appreciating a stranger holding a door for you. Yes, those things are great, too, but when someone (rudely) interrupts someone else mid-sentence to say something like, "Tranche? Did you just use the word 'tranche'? Is that even a real word?" I know that we are going to get along.
This is one of the things I particularly love about my close friends. Now, from time to time, Sue and I will occasionally get "stuck" on words or names of towns or places.
By "stuck," I mean, like a record skipping... we'll just repeat the word once every five seconds for fifteen minutes or so at a time. Plate. Shibuya. Hancock. Wawa. Frizzzzllleeeeeeee Frizzzllllllleburrrrg Frrizzzzzzz. Friizzzzzllllll.
And before you go feeling bad for Larry, who has to endure Sue and I repeating variations of those words for extended lengths of time (due to being the driver on road trips, thus making Sue and I worse behaved than most five year old children,) just know that Larry is secretly one of us.
We're all minding our business (and behaving, for once) one day at archery, when Larry quite out of no where brings to our attention that the word "up" is probably one of the most complicated words in the English language.
So, we've been stuck.... er... hung "up" on this for a while. Watch - now you'll start notice the varying uses of the word, too.
what's up
stand up
sit up
throw up
mess up
free up
up chuck
laid up
paid up
stayed up
made up
screwed up
bolt up
write up
spit up
fill up
kick up
eat up
drink up
wake up
look up
pick up
light up
shoot up
stink up
push up
back up
trip up
hook up
liquored up
perk up
cut up
tear up
up to the line
up to par
up to snub
feeling up to it
hush up
make up
shook up
put up
bandage up
lock up
give up
buy up
tear up (crying)
open up
wash up
scrub up
wrap up
stuck up
work up
listen up
butter up
suck up
grow up
lift up
blow up
heat up
pony up
scoot up
lighten up
stick up
shut up
tee up
hurry up
cozy up
pent up
saddle up
clam up
mosey on up
huddle up
shape up
toss up
sign up
button up
hicc...up
Neither did I, one night Sue got on a kick of it.
Don't worry, we'll think of more. You can post some, too.
But the fun doesn't stop there.
There was this epiphany I had last week at work:
Veronica 10:24 AM:
what is "cipated"
if something is cipated what does that mean
because anticipated
anti
cipated
so if you anti-cipate something, you are guessing.... or planning
so if you are just cipating, then I guess you are... not planning...
or giving no further thought to....
So, like, I am cipating my plans for NYE.
Okay good chat.
Elaine Crossfit 10:29 AM:
I don't think cipating is a word though
Veronica 10:29 AM:
exactly.
#bothered
Crossfit 10:29 AM:
#englishisdumb
~ ~ time passes ~ ~
Crossfit 10:45 AM:
ugh now you have my trying to guess what cipating could mean
Today at lunch: This question was presented: How are decades counted?
I said they end at 9. So Analyst 1 says, “ok so the 00 year starts a new decade.” I said yes. Analyst 2 fervently disagreed.
He says that in the very first year, people didn't walk around saying it was year zero, they said it was year 1. I said, “False. If you have a baby, you say the baby is 8 months old. You don't say he is one if he is not one.” Analyst 2 disagreed. Analyst 2 is wrong, but he would never let me be correct, so…You might think that it's silly and over because it is a moo point,
But then Analyst 1 and I both said that people in year 0 did not know that it was year 0, so it’s a moo point. #ThingsAnalystsSay
but alas... it is, in some way, going to stick with you now.
Scotty 12:47 PM:
I don't think either matters because the people in that time didn't think that way, it was only after the fact.
Veronica 12:47 PM:
agreed
Scotty 12:47 PM:
and its like 2015 years ago so who cares..
or was it 2016 years ago?
ahhhh
Veronica 12:47 PM:
And here we go.
so it will be officially 2016 years ago on NYE.
or is it NYD?
NYD.
Something else I am always thinking about (and I mean at least twice a day) is water.
Yes, water.
Water fascinates me, and I don't mean to sound like a pirate. Yes of course I could stare off into the sea, watching the horizon for hours upon end, like any normal person (or pirate,) but even at a very basic level, just the very science of water fascinates me.
Do you know what the most powerful element in the world is? Water.
No beast nor creation can actually outdo the power of H's and O's. These two little boxes from the periodic table when put together are EVERYTHING.
The strongest steel will, eventually, cave to the power of H's and O's. Rock formations were formed and/or can be destroyed by the ocean blue. Humans, and all life forms, cannot live more than three days without replenishment of water. Why? Because it is what we are (mostly) made out of. It is what this entire planet is mostly made out of. Earth is earth because of what the water decides to do. Wind is wind because of what the oceans decide to do. Fire is no longer fire in the presence of water. Humans live by it, humans die by it. Too much water, we are destroyed. Too little water, we wither and are destroyed. Water is to me in and of itself an argument for the existence of God.
And this valuable resource... this precious commodity... this thing we need to exist - it surrounds us in America, in our daily lives. We probably don't even think about it. Do you? I think about it so much. In modern day America (or any first world country), we have grown so accustomed to having SO much water available to us everywhere, that (as long as things are functioning properly) we don't even give a worry to it.
I was making cookies a couple of nights ago, and I must have turned on the faucet 50 times to rinse things or my hands. Crystal clear, completely clean and safe water, being used... wasted even... on the silliness of rinsing, or flushing toilets, or extra-long showers. Meanwhile, there are places in the world where people can't find one glass of potable water in a day... or a week.
My friend who moved to a (kind of remote) area of Brazil about three or four years ago has never received such an aggressive wake-up call than when she first had to go without water as you and I know it. She just came home for the holidays, and she described to me at length how she recycles water. This discussion, of course, fascinated me.
The water that she, her husband, and baby don't consume is used as bath water for the baby. Then, they'll use the bathwater in the washing machine to wash clothes. She collects that water, and then uses it to scrub the floors (which has to be done at least once a day in Brazil because it's very dirty where she lives.) She's very creative with how she recycles water, and let's just say that by the time water makes it to the garden or grass, it's been used quite a few times.
A different friend of mine is from Kenya, and the water situation is very interesting there. In fact, it can be considered a business. Water = capitalism. The government will give you some each day, but you can also purchase more from those who have well pumps. And everyone needs more than the government gives them.
Can you even imagine? I can only imagine it in theory (since I obviously think about it a lot,) but I don't know that I could imagine it in practice. We wouldn't last a week here. Think of how this area shuts down when there are electricity power outages, or when water can't function as normal in our plumbing. We literally shut down - businesses and homes can't function. This thought terrifies me, as I think of how it could be applied to terrorism, even. Take away the water. Throughout history, there have been many ways of winning battles through poisoning creeks and such, remember?
Our lands are ruined without rain,
and they are destroyed by it.
Our tallest and most lush mountains - created and sustained by water.
Kate, I selected this image for you; hope it doesn't bring back feelings of panic. But we were there - we saw with our eyes the tallest peaks. And we were literally hanging off the side of the planet.
You see field. I see water and sun.
Water cleans all wounds, of flesh or land. It's everything! We are fully at the mercy of water. It could be said that if you control the H's and O's, you control everything... but then again, H's and O's cannot be contained. Not really.
Water is life. Appreciate the luxury you have next time you touch a faucet. Do not take it for granted.
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