The word of the day is Vituperate. It is pronounced like so: Vi (as in vitamin) tup (like tube, but with a p) a (like the word a) rate (like the word rate). Vituperate is a synonym of berate. It means to abuse or censure severely or abusively.
I personally hate to be vituperated. It’s what has kept me good over the years. The thought of a scolding from my parents, teachers, or anyone else who might take the chance is something I strongly shy away from.
Of all things, I like to be right the most. I take great pride in my correctness. I’m not often wrong, and that’s not always a good thing. I hate to apologize. I don’t admit defeat. When someone vituperates me because I’ve done something wrong, I don’t often forget it. I try my best to never make the same mistake twice. I’m usually pretty successful.
...Which must make living with me or just plain knowing me a treat. I don’t proclaim myself unless I absolutely know I am right or can find a way out. When I know I have something right, I stick to it to the death. My stubbornness has caused me to get into a lot of arguments. And the solution let’s-agree-to-disagree, doesn’t work for me. I can’t stand that someone will not agree with me when I am trying so hard to convince them.
And yet I am who I am. People who can’t handle me soon move on. I usually only show my true nature to the people I really like. It’s as if I wait for them to vest in me and then I try to drive them away.
Over the past few years I think I’ve become a little better. I’ve been out of school where chances to prove how smart I am are rare and useless. No one cares what my grades or test scores were. I don’t even care about them. No one cares which college I got into. No one cares how many tests I passed. The point of being smart now is to be able to carry on a conversation with the people around me. I’d say I do a tolerable job of that.
But believe me, you cross me on something I know or strongly believe in, you better be the one prepared for vituperation.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
I'm a hiker
I love to hike. Ever since I was a little thing, I’ve been hiking. My family spent most summers camping and that meant a lot of hiking.
I don’t even care where I’m hiking. The Bonneville Shoreline Trail runs along the mountains just above my house. I like to get on that and take it north or south. I like to hike in the national parks. I like to blaze my own trail. I like to follow well groomed trails.
But I have a hiking routine. I prefer hiking in shorts and tevas. I always carry my CamelBak. Because I’ve been hiking for so long, I know the way I am most comfortable hiking.
I especially love hikes that involve water. That’s part of the reason I prefer to hike in my Tevas. If I see water, I generally get in it. I slosh through streams, rivers, lakes, tiny springs, I’m all about the water.
So, like Gabby, I’m way excited for the summer and the warmer weather. It can’t come soon enough.
I don’t even care where I’m hiking. The Bonneville Shoreline Trail runs along the mountains just above my house. I like to get on that and take it north or south. I like to hike in the national parks. I like to blaze my own trail. I like to follow well groomed trails.
But I have a hiking routine. I prefer hiking in shorts and tevas. I always carry my CamelBak. Because I’ve been hiking for so long, I know the way I am most comfortable hiking.
I especially love hikes that involve water. That’s part of the reason I prefer to hike in my Tevas. If I see water, I generally get in it. I slosh through streams, rivers, lakes, tiny springs, I’m all about the water.
So, like Gabby, I’m way excited for the summer and the warmer weather. It can’t come soon enough.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Week 5
I think that every time I do this I am completely wrong. Everyone keeps letting me down. I blame the teams for losing when I said they should win.
Kansas City Wizards at Toronto FC
Toronto has a great home crowd. They are loud and obnoxious and throw streamers at the opposing team to the point where they can’t even take a corner kick. I don’t know why this behavior is allowed. I am really hoping that Kansas, who I believe is in first place right now, hands Toronto a home loss. Maybe that will shut their fans up for a few seconds.
Houston at Columbus
Columbus is kind of looking amazing right now. Houston…not so much. I am going to give this win to Columbus, who have been playing hard this year and have actually won a game. Houston has not.
Real Salt Lake at DC United
I don’t have high hopes for our boys. They looked in very poor form the first half of their game at Toronto. The play was sloppy. And although I would like to think that they would be able to beat DC again, it just doesn’t seem likely. 3 points to DC.
Colorado Rapids at Chicago Fire
Both these teams lost last weekend. Chicago to Kansas and Colorado to San Jose. Of the two, I would say that Colorado’s loss was a bigger surprise. They lost at home. To San Jose. I’m giving this one to Chicago.
Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy
Yeah, LA is technically the home team, but since both of them play at the same field, it’s a home game all around. I don’t think LA will win.
San Jose Earthquakes at New York Red Bulls
San Jose is starting to prove that they are a team. They beat Colorado at home last weekend. Colorado has been up and down this year. New York has been a little confusing so far this season. I think that they had a victory last weekend and then lost it. I still think that they are going to win at home.
Kansas City Wizards at Toronto FC
Toronto has a great home crowd. They are loud and obnoxious and throw streamers at the opposing team to the point where they can’t even take a corner kick. I don’t know why this behavior is allowed. I am really hoping that Kansas, who I believe is in first place right now, hands Toronto a home loss. Maybe that will shut their fans up for a few seconds.
Houston at Columbus
Columbus is kind of looking amazing right now. Houston…not so much. I am going to give this win to Columbus, who have been playing hard this year and have actually won a game. Houston has not.
Real Salt Lake at DC United
I don’t have high hopes for our boys. They looked in very poor form the first half of their game at Toronto. The play was sloppy. And although I would like to think that they would be able to beat DC again, it just doesn’t seem likely. 3 points to DC.
Colorado Rapids at Chicago Fire
Both these teams lost last weekend. Chicago to Kansas and Colorado to San Jose. Of the two, I would say that Colorado’s loss was a bigger surprise. They lost at home. To San Jose. I’m giving this one to Chicago.
Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy
Yeah, LA is technically the home team, but since both of them play at the same field, it’s a home game all around. I don’t think LA will win.
San Jose Earthquakes at New York Red Bulls
San Jose is starting to prove that they are a team. They beat Colorado at home last weekend. Colorado has been up and down this year. New York has been a little confusing so far this season. I think that they had a victory last weekend and then lost it. I still think that they are going to win at home.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Glabrous
So, I’m sitting here trying to think of something to write about. I’m looking in the direction of my word of the day calendar for inspiration. Today’s word is glabrous (the “a” is pronounced like the “o” in “odd” and the “ous” is pronounced like “us”).
Glabrous means smooth; especially having a surface without hairs or projections. It’s generally used medically to refer to skin that has never had hair (like the palms), but it can also be applied to bald areas.
This, strangely enough, got me thinking about comb-overs. Now, I’m not bald, nor does it look like genetically I will ever be bald, so I cannot speak from experience. Personally, I would rather shave my head than have a comb-over. What is it about men that they think they are fooling the world by combing a longer section of their hair over the area that is glabrous? And ladies, what are you doing letting your husband/boyfriend/distant friend walk around with a comb-over? You look just as ridiculous as he does! You are the accessory to a crime!
So, this blog entry, random as it may seem, is a cry to the men and women out there to please, please stop comb-overs for good! Because believe me, none of us are fooled. Just shave off your hair and then everyone will think you are a bad-@$$ (like me!) for having a shaved head. Believe me. Look at the voluntarily bald men out there: Matt Reis (awesome Keeper for New England), Vin Diesel (grrrr!), Jason Statham (Handsome Rob), Bruce Willis (Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mr. Falcon) and more basketball players than I can name.
You’ll be better off…we all will.
Glabrous means smooth; especially having a surface without hairs or projections. It’s generally used medically to refer to skin that has never had hair (like the palms), but it can also be applied to bald areas.
This, strangely enough, got me thinking about comb-overs. Now, I’m not bald, nor does it look like genetically I will ever be bald, so I cannot speak from experience. Personally, I would rather shave my head than have a comb-over. What is it about men that they think they are fooling the world by combing a longer section of their hair over the area that is glabrous? And ladies, what are you doing letting your husband/boyfriend/distant friend walk around with a comb-over? You look just as ridiculous as he does! You are the accessory to a crime!
So, this blog entry, random as it may seem, is a cry to the men and women out there to please, please stop comb-overs for good! Because believe me, none of us are fooled. Just shave off your hair and then everyone will think you are a bad-@$$ (like me!) for having a shaved head. Believe me. Look at the voluntarily bald men out there: Matt Reis (awesome Keeper for New England), Vin Diesel (grrrr!), Jason Statham (Handsome Rob), Bruce Willis (Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mr. Falcon) and more basketball players than I can name.
You’ll be better off…we all will.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Have I got a long way to run?
I’m going to tell you a story. A story about a girl named PJ and her quest to become a runner.
The story begins about a year ago, but if I were to tell you all about that, you would be incredibly bored. Let’s focus on one day in particular – Saturday, 19th April 2008. This is the day that PJ finished a 5k in less than 29 minutes.
PJ was encouraged by her company to participate in the 5k as part of the Corporate Challenge. For four months she trained. She upped her running time. She upped her running distance. She even went three whole weeks without using chocolate.
The morning of the race, PJ was completely refreshed. She had slept excellently the night before in her sleep number bed (40). PJ wanted to be early for the race, in case something happened. She hates being late.
She got up and got dressed, pulled her hair back, brushed her teeth, and made sure she had her bib. It was still dark when she and Gabby left their hotel.
The race started at 7:30am. She ran at a fairly quick pace. She felt really good her first mile. The second mile was a little more difficult, but doable. The third mile did not go as well. Gabby kind of slowed her pace down, so PJ was forced to as well. PJ thought it was better, though. She had been wondering during most of the latter part of mile 2 when it was going to end. She was starting to worry she was not going to make it through mile 3. And to top it all off, she lost her headband.
When they got into the finishing chute with people cheering and holding signs, she felt refreshed. Then she noticed that Gabby, who had been lagging, was ahead of her a little. So she said, “Ready?” and off went Gabby. PJ knows she can’t match Gabby in a sprint, but she was pumping her legs just as quickly as she could. As they drew to the finish line, PJ was about even with Gabby. The results (http://www.racecenter.com/results/2008/slc5k08.htm) proved that she had kept up. They had both finished at 28:51 taking 707th and 710th places. They finished in the top 25th percentile of 3,020 runners/walkers/jugglers/superheroes.
As she has been scouring the results today, PJ notices that she beat most of the people in her company. That gives her a little surge of pride. PJ was also informed that of the companies participating in the Corporate Challenge, 4Life had the most sign-ups.
PJ wants to say congratulations to Gabby for a hard-fought victory. Rematch?
She also wants to congratulate everyone who completed an event on Saturday. Way to go!
The story begins about a year ago, but if I were to tell you all about that, you would be incredibly bored. Let’s focus on one day in particular – Saturday, 19th April 2008. This is the day that PJ finished a 5k in less than 29 minutes.
PJ was encouraged by her company to participate in the 5k as part of the Corporate Challenge. For four months she trained. She upped her running time. She upped her running distance. She even went three whole weeks without using chocolate.
The morning of the race, PJ was completely refreshed. She had slept excellently the night before in her sleep number bed (40). PJ wanted to be early for the race, in case something happened. She hates being late.
She got up and got dressed, pulled her hair back, brushed her teeth, and made sure she had her bib. It was still dark when she and Gabby left their hotel.
The race started at 7:30am. She ran at a fairly quick pace. She felt really good her first mile. The second mile was a little more difficult, but doable. The third mile did not go as well. Gabby kind of slowed her pace down, so PJ was forced to as well. PJ thought it was better, though. She had been wondering during most of the latter part of mile 2 when it was going to end. She was starting to worry she was not going to make it through mile 3. And to top it all off, she lost her headband.
When they got into the finishing chute with people cheering and holding signs, she felt refreshed. Then she noticed that Gabby, who had been lagging, was ahead of her a little. So she said, “Ready?” and off went Gabby. PJ knows she can’t match Gabby in a sprint, but she was pumping her legs just as quickly as she could. As they drew to the finish line, PJ was about even with Gabby. The results (http://www.racecenter.com/results/2008/slc5k08.htm) proved that she had kept up. They had both finished at 28:51 taking 707th and 710th places. They finished in the top 25th percentile of 3,020 runners/walkers/jugglers/superheroes.
As she has been scouring the results today, PJ notices that she beat most of the people in her company. That gives her a little surge of pride. PJ was also informed that of the companies participating in the Corporate Challenge, 4Life had the most sign-ups.
PJ wants to say congratulations to Gabby for a hard-fought victory. Rematch?
She also wants to congratulate everyone who completed an event on Saturday. Way to go!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Emelless Week 4
I’m kind of shocked about how the season is going so far. There is not one distinct team that is showing they are champions. It’s kind of throwing me off. DC and Columbus played last night, and DC lost. At home. To the Crew. I don’t know what to expect from this weekend’s games…but that won’t stop me from pretending I do…
Real Salt Lake @ Toronto FC
The kick-off for this game is scheduled for 10:30am Mountain Time. Gabby and I will be fresh off the Salt Lake City 5k (which I will win). The watch party is at Baxter’s and we are gonna be having some brunch. Because of that, it’s going to be a great game, even if we lose.
Both RSL and Toronto won their games last weekend. However, I would have to say that Toronto’s victory at LA was not as impressive as Real’s. Toronto managed to score 4 goals, but they also allowed 3 goals. Real scored the same number of goals, but Nick Rimando kept a clean sheet.
Playing Toronto at home for their season home opener is not going to be much fun. Their fans are crazy. Despite that, I still think that Real will manage to win.
New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls
Poor New England. They are looking frazzled right now. They were defeated by Colorado last weekend, but I guess Colorado is looking fairly impressive right now. New York was also upset last weekend. I have yet to see New York play this season, but I have seen New England. I think being at home will be to the Red Bulls’ benefit. I think New York wins.
San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids
San Jose. Poor guys. They really need a win to get them going. They managed to hold Chicago to only one point last weekend, which I found impressive. I don’t; however, think they have much a chance of beating Colorado at home. Three more points for Colorado.
Houston Dynamo at Los Angeles Galaxy
I’m really disappointed in Houston’s performance so far. They have yet to win a game and they are allowing a lot of goals. That being said, LA has allowed even more. I think this game will be determined not by the team that scores more goals, but by the team that allows more goals. I think LA lets more past. Dynamo victory.
Kansas City Wizards at Chicago Fire
Kansas was playing well at first. They were shocking us all, I think. Chicago has yet to lose this season. Their playing isn’t altogether impressive, but they are going to be at home. I give this one to the home team.
FC Dallas at Chivas USA
When these two teams played three weeks ago at Dallas, they played to a tie. I am going to have to say that the home field will work to the advantage of Chivas. They were nearly unbeatable there last year. I say Chivas will clinch the victory.
Good luck to all those participating in the events of the Salt Lake City Marathon.
Real Salt Lake @ Toronto FC
The kick-off for this game is scheduled for 10:30am Mountain Time. Gabby and I will be fresh off the Salt Lake City 5k (which I will win). The watch party is at Baxter’s and we are gonna be having some brunch. Because of that, it’s going to be a great game, even if we lose.
Both RSL and Toronto won their games last weekend. However, I would have to say that Toronto’s victory at LA was not as impressive as Real’s. Toronto managed to score 4 goals, but they also allowed 3 goals. Real scored the same number of goals, but Nick Rimando kept a clean sheet.
Playing Toronto at home for their season home opener is not going to be much fun. Their fans are crazy. Despite that, I still think that Real will manage to win.
New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls
Poor New England. They are looking frazzled right now. They were defeated by Colorado last weekend, but I guess Colorado is looking fairly impressive right now. New York was also upset last weekend. I have yet to see New York play this season, but I have seen New England. I think being at home will be to the Red Bulls’ benefit. I think New York wins.
San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids
San Jose. Poor guys. They really need a win to get them going. They managed to hold Chicago to only one point last weekend, which I found impressive. I don’t; however, think they have much a chance of beating Colorado at home. Three more points for Colorado.
Houston Dynamo at Los Angeles Galaxy
I’m really disappointed in Houston’s performance so far. They have yet to win a game and they are allowing a lot of goals. That being said, LA has allowed even more. I think this game will be determined not by the team that scores more goals, but by the team that allows more goals. I think LA lets more past. Dynamo victory.
Kansas City Wizards at Chicago Fire
Kansas was playing well at first. They were shocking us all, I think. Chicago has yet to lose this season. Their playing isn’t altogether impressive, but they are going to be at home. I give this one to the home team.
FC Dallas at Chivas USA
When these two teams played three weeks ago at Dallas, they played to a tie. I am going to have to say that the home field will work to the advantage of Chivas. They were nearly unbeatable there last year. I say Chivas will clinch the victory.
Good luck to all those participating in the events of the Salt Lake City Marathon.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I'm old
After our Jimmy Eat World concert last night, I feel incredibly old. My reasons will be listed hereafter:
1. I don’t understand how teenagers dress. What is attractive about skinny jeans? Nothing! Not even on skinny people do they look good. What’s up with converse sneakers? Those shoes make everyone’s feet look like a size 15. It’s not only their clothes, it’s their hair. It’s all crazy colors that don’t make any sense. There were so many oddly dressed people there last night that I wanted to take pictures of. And why do these people dress like it’s 1985? It was not a good decade for style people! Why are you trying to hearken back to it?
2. I don’t think a mosh-pit is fun. It’s uncomfortable for everyone involved. You are pushed, stepped on, and generally sexually-harassed without being about to do anything about it. Why this is considered a good idea is beyond me.
3. After standing for over five hours, I complain. My feet hurt. My back hurts. I just want to sit down or go to bed.
4. I don’t like screaming in my music. I don’t mind loud music. I like to turn up the volume when I am listening to a song I love. I don’t feel the same about loud music I don’t know. Dear and the Headlights, who opened, were not good. When your instruments are so loud they drown out your screaming; your music sucks. Paramore was good, but she yells a lot in their songs, rather than singing. I can only listen to Paramore for a few songs before I get sick of them.
5. Everything teenagers do bugs me. There were a lot of stupid kids at the concert last night. They generally do everything that common sense would prohibit someone with half a brain of doing. I’m convinced that they are just idiots. I’m also glad that I am no longer in that category.
So, there you have it. Isn’t it great when a someone of 24 sounds like they are 40?
1. I don’t understand how teenagers dress. What is attractive about skinny jeans? Nothing! Not even on skinny people do they look good. What’s up with converse sneakers? Those shoes make everyone’s feet look like a size 15. It’s not only their clothes, it’s their hair. It’s all crazy colors that don’t make any sense. There were so many oddly dressed people there last night that I wanted to take pictures of. And why do these people dress like it’s 1985? It was not a good decade for style people! Why are you trying to hearken back to it?
2. I don’t think a mosh-pit is fun. It’s uncomfortable for everyone involved. You are pushed, stepped on, and generally sexually-harassed without being about to do anything about it. Why this is considered a good idea is beyond me.
3. After standing for over five hours, I complain. My feet hurt. My back hurts. I just want to sit down or go to bed.
4. I don’t like screaming in my music. I don’t mind loud music. I like to turn up the volume when I am listening to a song I love. I don’t feel the same about loud music I don’t know. Dear and the Headlights, who opened, were not good. When your instruments are so loud they drown out your screaming; your music sucks. Paramore was good, but she yells a lot in their songs, rather than singing. I can only listen to Paramore for a few songs before I get sick of them.
5. Everything teenagers do bugs me. There were a lot of stupid kids at the concert last night. They generally do everything that common sense would prohibit someone with half a brain of doing. I’m convinced that they are just idiots. I’m also glad that I am no longer in that category.
So, there you have it. Isn’t it great when a someone of 24 sounds like they are 40?
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