Casual Fridays

We haven't done a Currently I'm... post in a while and frankly, the Casual Fridays muse has not been with me lately so today we're taking it easy and just having a chatty, catch-up with each other kind of day. Sound good? Good. Let's begin.

Reading...

... Deuteronomy.

... John Adams by David McCullough and really enjoying it. I was hoping to finish it up in February, but that is definitely not going to happen.

Watching... 

... Bones Season 12. Word on the street is that this is for real the final season. I can't believe it, and I seriously don't know how they're going to tie it up in the next 4 episodes because that's all that's left.

... Parks and Rec. It seems to me that the last time I did a Currently I'm... post I was talking about Parks and Rec. We did finish it and thought it was hilarious and recently decided to re-watch it since I missed Season 1 and half of Season 2 the first time around. I think it's even funnier watching it after you've already seen it and have a feel for the characters. #TeamDonna She's my fav.

... One Tree Hill. Y'all. It pains me to admit this, but I got sucked into One Tree Hill land. I had never seen a single episode in my life, but I was feeling sick or something one day last year sometime and decided to watch an episode just to see what it was all about and lo and behold, I'm now on the final season. Speaking of which, I feel like the show should have ended 3 times, but they just won't quit. Seriously. The series finale on the River Court at the end of high school--should have been the end. The series finale after P. Sawyer has her baby--should have been the end. The series finale with Jamie dribbling the basketball across the bridge--definitely should have been the end. But they just have to wring every last penny out of a show until you hate it, I guess. Don't writers and producers and whoever else has any say in the matter have any sense of pride or integrity in creating a show that tells a story and ends well?? Is it that hard to pull the plug?? End rant. And P.S. this is not an endorsement or a recommendation to watch OTH. That show has more drama than a high school theater club. 

Listening...

... to Switchfoot's Where the Light Shines Through album. It's their latest, and it's on point per usual.

... to Train's a girl a bottle a boat album. It just came out a couple weeks ago, and it is a feel good record in every way. Train and Switchfoot are my two favorite bands, I always keep up with them, and they have yet to disappoint me.

... my James 5:13 playlist. Part of James 5:13 says, "Is anyone happy? Let him sing praise." This playlist has 100 of my happiest praise songs to Jesus, and I love cranking it up and belting it out.

Jonesing...

... for a beach day. This Florida girl starts to get a little restless for some sand and saltwater come February, but the weather hasn't been quite there yet. Soon.

... for cupcakes. I'm not usually a big desserts girl, but lately I have been craving cupcakes. Maybe I should just make a batch and get it over with, but I'm trying to have some self-control here.

Recovering...

... from the flu. It seems like Cody and I have been fighting illness since the beginning of the year and last week, it won. We both went down hard, but this week, I have finally been feeling really good for the first time in weeks. Yay health!

... from Hacksaw Ridge. Cody and I watched this movie Wednesday night, and I'm still feeling sad. War movies always depress me. But if you can handle some pretty gory war violence (I had to cover my eyes a few times), I would recommend this one. It's a true story and one worth telling.

Memorizing...

... Psalm 34:4. We're on Verse 4 of SSMT so since February 15th, I've been working on adding "I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears" to verses 1-3 of Psalm 34 which I've got pretty well memorized at this point. (Also, I just typed that from memory and besides missing two commas: #nailedit)

Trying...

... to keep my house clean. With two energetic puppies and a backyard that is turning into a giant pit of sand because dogs, the struggle is real.

... to decide if i should read The Taming of the Shrew this weekend so that I can complete two books from my list within the month of February. I only have 12 books on my list this year, but I'd like to keep the pace up because March-May always seems to be a difficult time of year for my reading life. Thoughts?

... to work the word "Zamzummims" into my regular vocabulary. I discovered this word yesterday in Deuteronomy 2:20, and I kindof love it. They were giants in the land of Canaan, and doesn't that sound like something Dr. Seuss would call them? Maybe I could use it as a Christian cuss word. Before you come looking to burn me at the stake, watch this video. Imagine stubbing your toe and shouting out "Zamzummims!" I think it could work.

Loving...

... my thoughtful husband who gave me this beautiful ring for Valentines Day that says "Our Love is Forever" on the inside. He is the sweetest.

... my most recent home pedicure. You guys, I achieved smudge-free status! I waddled around my house like a penguin most of the day Wednesday to accomplish this long sought after dream, but it was worth it! My toenails look so pro. Oh you want to see a picture? Wish granted.

... these sweet dogs because even though they're a total mess, they make up for it by being the most loyal, loving, cuddly little buddies, and I would hate not having them around.

What's currently going on with you?

A Progress Report & Some Vocabulary

Well, y'all, it's the very last day of November. Can you even believe it? Christmastime is officially here. Cody and I are busting out all the red and green decorations we can find today, and my Christmas cards are all addressed and waiting for me to go buy cute Christmas stamps so they can fly all over the world to people I love. I thought it fitting on this the last day of November to pop in here and say hi. November has been my worst blogging month yet, though to be fair, I did warn you that the posts would be getting more sparse through the end of the year.

Anyway, I am still hung-up on Theodore, and truth be told, I haven't read so much as two pages of it since we've been back from North Carolina. But I am determined to finish him off by the end of this year. I am currently on page 587 out of 816 pages. This book is as big as my head.

See. I'm not even kidding. It's like a textbook. 

While I was making serious headway on this beast during vacation, I jotted down a few unfamiliar words I came across, and I thought I'd broaden your vocabulary today before we head into the most wonderful time of the year.

Our first word is bellicose.

bellicose (adjective): demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight; hostile

This word jumped out at me on page 466, and since then I've noticed it several more times which makes me wonder if page 466 wasn't the first place it made an appearance. Theodore Roosevelt was certainly a bellicose man, so it's definitely an accurate descriptor. 

Our other word today is imbroglio. Isn't that just fun to say?

imbroglio (noun): an extremely confused, complicated, or embarrassing situation

I came across this word at the top of page 582, and it was actually within a quote from Roosevelt himself referencing a mess he was in with Japan during his second term as President. I think it's a super-fun word, and really, why don't we use words like imbroglio anymore?

So there you have it. Two new words and a little update on my progress in TR. Are you trying to finish any hard books by the end of this year? How about any fun ones? Had you ever heard the words bellicose or imbroglio before today?

noisome effluvium

It's time for another vocabulary lesson, faithful readers. In light of her recent passing, I have begun reading Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot. In the very first chapter, I came across this descriptive little sentence describing the room she lived in her senior year of college:

"The closed windows shut out neither the tremendous crash and clatter of early morning collections nor the noisome effluvium of the day's cooking."

Noisome effluvium? Effluvium? I had to consult my trusty dictionary.

effluvium (noun): an unpleasant or harmful odor, secretion, or discharge

I'm not sure what I thought "effluvium" might mean, but I was not expecting that. I decided to look up "noisome" too, for good measure:

noisome (adjective): having an extremely offensive smell; disagreeable; unpleasant; harmful, noxious

I'm not sure what they were cooking at Wheaton College back in the 1940s, but I'm glad I wasn't there to smell it.

Does your cooking produce noisome effluvium? I mean, my kitchen still reeks of last night's tacos (no worries, I'm about to go bust out the febreeze), but I wouldn't exactly call it noisome effluvium...

otiosity

I thought I'd poke in here on a Tuesday because I just came across the word "otiosity" while reading Vanity Fair. (I'm getting close to the end, y'all, hallelujah! Be looking out for a recap soon.) Has anyone else ever heard of this word? I hadn't. It comes from the word "otiose"and I think Thackeray made it up because I didn't see "otiosity" anywhere in the dictionary.

otiose (adjective): serving no practical purpose or result; indolent, idle

Its origin is in the late 18th century. I love it. The "t" is pronounced more like a "sh" sound. In Vanity Fair, Thackeray is using it to describe one of our principal characters. 

"Joseph Sedley then led a life of dignified otiosity such as became a person of his eminence."

This is straight out of chapter 60 ("Returns to the Genteel World"), and is found on page 592 in my copy.  Yes, you heard me right. Chapter 60. Page 592. This book is no joke.

Anyway, I like it, and I'm adding it to my vocabulary. Perhaps this post is the stuff of otiosity, maybe even this entire blog is, but there you have it. Have a fabulous Tuesday afternoon!

Do you have a favorite word that's maybe a little obscure?