April Fool's Day

I'd really like to play a fun joke on my five-and-a-half year old, but I'm stumped! I was thinking it would be silly to put something goofy in his snack bag for school... but that's about as far as I got.

Any thoughts? Have you ever played joke that was particularly noteworthy on anyone ?

Found a great word in the Wall Street Journal

"Fusty"

Old-fashioned, musty... wonderful, wonderful word!

In need of new words...

After my last post, I realized that I was craving some new words to use in my writing.

If you have any faves, feel free to list them here. I'm always looking to expand my repertoire!

New words

Yesterday, I was speaking on the phone with a colleague. During the conversation, my pal used a term that I hear very little: "vexed". Loved it. So I've decided to incorporate the word "vexed" into something I write over the next week, if applicable.

Do you do that, too? Do you hear words that you haven't used in a while and then use them simply because they are new and fresh? Personally, I think that makes copy much more interesting.

Now if I could only find a way to use "mollycoddle"... hmmm...

Public speaking 102

As many of you know, I love speaking in public.

I think that's a little weird.

After all, most people would rather die in a fiery airplane crash or endure hours of torturous dental surgery than address a crowd. And I understand the fear; I just don't have enough of it to keep me from giving speeches.

I wonder what it is that makes people so terrified? My guess is it's the worry that they'll appear stupid or say something idiotic. (Take heart if that's you -- I've done both and I'm still here to blog about it.)

I'm curious as to whether my son has inherited his mother's strange gene. Though he's definitely a "ham" in smaller venues, he's not as apt to get up in front of large audiences. So perhaps he's going to be one of the majority of folks who would rather see Death coming towards them than a microphone?

A matter of discretion

The other day, someone I know only in passing was telling me he had been sick. During the discussion, he casually mentioned that he'd had terrible diarrhea during his illness.

Hm.

Now, I must say that I'm glad he's feeling better and that his bowels are moving properly. But did I really need to know all that information?

New Look, Same Zaniness

So... I'm not certain I love having a pic of me looming over my words, but I'll take it for now.

I've been so crazily busy that I've (*sob*) neglected my blog. I think I need to get back.

In any case, here's what's going through my mind:

1. Do I enter the world of Twitter? I find it annoying, but it seems to be the future of quick communication.

2. How about LinkedIn? I'm already there and have begun to amass a network, but I haven't decided how to make the most of it yet. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

3. And finally: Facebook. I hate the idea that schoolmates could "find" me if I don't really want to be found. Do you have any experience with this whole realm?

4. Why does every kid's lunchbox eventually wind up smelling like bananas EVEN if the kid never took a banana to school?

Ode to Orville Redenbacher

Why do semi-popped, burnt kernels taste so much better than all the rest?

Here's wishing everyone some salty goodness today!