2008 Word of the Year

Please be aware that you ought not pay too much attention to any 'word of the year' picks that include 'skadoosh'. (from Kung Fu Panda-it was a Po choice of words no matter how fun to say).

But 2008's word of the year from the AMERICAN DIALECT SOCIETY is: bailout. Which of course means this:

Disassociation in Communicatory Patterns of Loquacious Assholes

Put away your thesauri, sesquipedalians! There are a plethora of plethoras in your writing. At least this is ACCORDING TO Daniel Oppenheimer, a psychologist at Princeton. According to Oppenheimer, using big words actually lessens the level of intelligence portrayed in your writing. His solution: use small, simple words that everyone knows and you won't sound like an idiot.

It's tempting to pretend you know your professors' own jargon to be considered in the know, but you only succeed in convincing others you're either full of shit or don't want to actually communicate ideas. While your tenured professors are hopelessly long lost and like Gulliver's flappers can only communicate with eachother, please do not try to partake in the isolation of the audience, because you'll just become another one of those jerks that speaks a lot but doesn't say anything. As George Bernard Shaw put it: "every profession is a conspiracy against the layman".

Sorry Kant. This is reason 618 why I hate you.

If you're interested in reading the original paper by Mr. Oppenheimer on the importance of using small, easily understood words, it can be found under this very clearly stated title:

Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly

Reasons to Use an Alias

HERE is reason to use a blogging alias number 427:

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday they have brought civil charges against Joseph S. Forte of Pennsylvania, who is accused of running a $50 million Ponzi scheme.

Seriously, I wonder if there's any distant relation, because almost all my Philly Phorte's are Joseph as a first name and we go by our middle.

Oh, wait. I just ruined the plan. Shoot.

Dominic

Links to the other boys in this series of portraits here: JAMES, DAVID, MARK, SEAN

Sean

Links to the other boys in this series of portraits here: JAMES, DAVID, MARK, DOMINIC

Mark

Links to the other boys in this series of portraits here: JAMES, DAVID, SEAN, DOMINIC

David

Links to the other boys in this series of portraits here: JAMES, MARK, SEAN, DOMINIC

James

Over the next 5 posts (with maybe some others between?) I'm going to share portraits commissioned by a friend as Christmas gifts for his wife: charcoal portraits of each of their 5 boys. Each is 9"x12". To see them at larger scale, click on the image. I'm posting them here for three reasons. Firstly, because I'm hoping some of you like them so much that you would like the same of your kids, your nieces and nephews, grandkids, parents, crazy uncle Sal, friends, etc. and therefore would like to commission one or more of your own; secondly because I would really like constructive feedback so that I can get better. Please feel free to give your honest opinion in the comments section about which ones you like/dislike and why or what aspects you think I should work on; and thirdly because, well, no matter how badly I draw, I still I draw better than I write, so now I'll shut up.




Links to the other boys in this series of portraits here: DAVID, MARK, SEAN, DOMINIC

These Waves Are Just Swell

At first I thought I was getting a raw deal because nothing was being cooked, but then was obsessed with naming the tune. I'm not sure, but it rings a bell...maybe I'm confused by the 'Happy Christmas'.

My Spanish Dancer

I love this time of year. Shopping at stores you don't really like to be at when nobody's there, let alone packed to the gills; decorating trees with lights that don't work and not finding that out until after they're up, because you're too impatient to get it over with that you don't check 'em beforehand; overusing the 'if you don't settle down and mind your manners or Saint Nicholas is going to leave stones in your stocking', all to no avail; and driving back and forth to Ventura 83 times a week for Nutcracker rehearsals.

At least the last part is over. Saturday and Sunday marked Emma's Nutcracker performance, and while I am really, REALLY glad the 3pm Sunday and 5pm Saturday and 6pm weekday rehearsals and practices are over, I can say it was all worth it just to snap this one fantastic, albeit now highly photoshopped, picture of my growing-up-way-too-fast little girl.