WORD|of the day

[sedulous] adjective; involving or accomplished with careful perseverance; diligent in application or pursuit

I guess you could say my husband and I were quite "sedulous" in our quest to move across the country.

QUOTE|of the day

[If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.]

Henry David Thoreau

WORD|of the day

[conversant] adjective; having knowledge or experience

Although I feel like I am already fairly "conversant" in the editorial field, I am starting a copyediting class today so that I can continue to improve in this area.

QUOTE|of the day

[Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.]

Robert Frost

WORD|of the day

[vaticinate] verb; prophesy, predict

My husband always tries to "vaticinate" what is going to happen in a movie and he is almost always right!

QUOTE|of the day

[Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.]

Charles Schulz

WORD|of the day

[agog] adjective; full of intense interest/excitement; eager

I was "agog" at the number of people at the Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-off today on Newport Avenue. Check it out here.

QUOTE|of the day

[If you haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a day.]

John A. Wheeler

WORD|of the day

[commove] trans. verb; to move violently, agitate; to rouse intense feeling in, excite to passion

QUOTE|of the day

[If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't a part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.]

Herman Hesse

WORD|of the day

[ascensive] adjective; rising or tending to rise

QUOTE|of the day

[Old age is like climbing a mountain. You climb from ledge to ledge. The higher you get, the more tired and breathless you become, but your views become more extensive.]

Ingrid Bergman

WORD|of the day

[pococurante] adjective; indifferent, nonchalant

QUOTE|of the day

[When nothing seems worth the effort -- it's a screen to hide a wish that's worth too much.]

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

WORD|of the day

[retrorse] adjective; bent backward or downward

When practicing yoga a person is often in a "retrorse" position.

QUOTE|of the day

[Never confuse movement with action.]

Ernest Hemingway

WORD|of the day

[wold] noun; a usually upland area of open country, a hilly or rolling region

QUOTE|of the day

[They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden; where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace.]

Milan Kundera

WORD|of the day

[hoi polloi] plural noun; the general populace, masses (from a Greek word meaning "the many")

QUOTE|of the day

[I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.]

Henry David Thoreau

WORD|of the day

[majuscule] noun; refers to a large letter, as in a capital letter (from a Latin word meaning "rather large")

I ran across this word and had never heard it used before. It's odd to me that there is a word for "a capital letter" -- couldn't one just call it a capital letter? I like it though... I'm going to try to use it today. I'm sure it's related to "minuscule" but that word doesn't only refer to letters.

QUOTE|of the day

[Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be.]

William Hazlitt

WORD|of the day

[esculent] adjective; edible

My whole life, I never considered seafood to be at all "esculent," but, since moving to San Diego, I suddenly love it. Especially recommended if you find yourself in town sometime -- The Fish Market (great view of the harbor) and Brigantine... both delicious!

QUOTE|of the day

[A food is not necessarily essential just because your child hates it.]

Katherine Whitehorn

WORD|of the day

[salubrious] adjective; favorable to, or promoting, health or well-being

QUOTE|of the day

[To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except exercise, get up early, or be respectable.]

Oscar Wilde

WORD|of the day

[clinquant] adjective; glittering with gold or tinsel

QUOTE|of the day

[Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.]

W. Somerset Maugham

WORD|of the day

[deterge] verb; to wash off, to cleanse

After taking the dogs to the beach last weekend, we walked to the Dog Wash to "deterge" them. They loved it and smell so good now!

QUOTE|of the day

[I wash my hands of those who imagine chattering to be knowledge, silence to be ignorance, and affection to be art.]

Kahlil Gibran

WORD|of the day

[obnubilate] verb; to becloud or obscure

QUOTE|of the day

[Half the work that is done in this world is to make things appear what they are not.]

Elias Root Beadle

WORD|of the day

[perspicuous] adjective; easily understood, lucid

As a Southerner living in Southern California, I often feel like my accent prevents my side of conversations from being as "perspicuous" as I'd like. Sometimes it's funny to hear what the other person thought I said though... I told this kid we see at the dog park that our dogs' names were Rider and Posey so he calls them "Randy" and "Pizzy." I gave up trying to correct him because, to him, that's what it sounds like I'm saying.

QUOTE|of the day

[Life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it.]

Christopher Morley

I'm learning the truth of this. I used to feel like everyone else had it all together, but now I know we're all just learning how to live as we go. No one is perfect and everyone has some kind of problem in their life... some people just fake it better than others. Once I learned that, it left me free to make mistakes and not beat myself up about them -- now I just try to move on and learn from them.

WORD|of the day

[suigeneris] adjective; of his/her/its own kind, without equal, unique

I love discovering new words and I have seriously never heard of this word so I'm really excited! What a good one, too! I challenge you to try to use it in a sentence this weekend. Enjoy!

QUOTE|of the day

[It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinions; it is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.]

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Basically what old Ralph is saying is... Whether you're alone or among peers, don't conform, be yourself... be "suigeneris"!

WORD|of the day

[chiaroscuro] noun; light and shade in a painting (or other artwork) treated to suggest depth or for effect

This is a word my dad came across in a book and had to look up so he suggested it as a Wotd. I was unfamiliar with it as well so here it is. Oh, and below is an example of just such a piece. It is aptly named "Lady Chiaroscuro" and the artist is Dan Earle.

QUOTE|of the day

[Animals are such agreeable friends -- they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.]

George Eliot

I'm thinking about all of the pets that have been abandoned amidst the recent housing and economic crises. What people should remember is that in times of hardship and stress, a pet is a non-judgmental, sympathetic companion. It is proven that the act of petting an animal releases endorphins (feel good brain chemicals), reduces stress, and lowers blood pressure.

I understand the financial responsibility towards an animal may be seen as added stress, but there are programs that can help with vet care and low-cost food is available at most grocery stores. You can also contact your local shelter/Humane Society -- they may have a surplus of supplies they can share or other ways to help you out.

Click here to learn more about the health benefits of owning a pet.

Click here for tips from the Humane Society for pet owners facing foreclosure.

WORD|of the day

[frangible] adjective; breakable, fragile

We recently sent my husband's sister and her husband a package from San Diego to North Carolina. In it, among other things, was a very "frangible" jar of homemade Peach/Mango jam from our local Farmer's Market (http://www.jackiesjams.com). I had my fingers crossed because I could just imagine them receiving a soggy package with a bunch of fun items all covered in delicious jam!

QUOTE|of the day

[An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.]

G.K. Chesterton

I thought this was an appropriate quote for summertime with all its vacations and events. Even if your plans don't go the way you want, it's really all in how you look at the situation. Getting lost just means you're discovering new places you've never been before! Choose to not get stressed out and you'll have a good time no matter what happens.

WORD|of the day

[gallivant] verb; to go about in search of amusement

When I used to complain about my curfew, my mom always told me I didn't need to be out "gallivanting" around after midnight.

QUOTE|of the day

[Finish each day and be done with. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; so begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.]

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Old Ralph was a wise man, no? This quote reminds me to snap out of it sometimes and not beat myself up about things I can no longer do anything about. We are all imperfect humans who will fall on our faces every now and then; but the key is to pick yourself back up and focus on doing better tomorrow.

WORD|of the day

[adore] verb; to feel passion, devotion, or tenderness for

Or all of the above! Today my husband and I are celebrating our two year wedding anniversary, so I chose this word because I absolutely ADORE him.

QUOTE|of the day

[Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! It is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken.]

William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

I had this excerpt from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 printed on the programs for our wedding. It reminds me what love truly is. Certainly it is adoration, passion, and tenderness; but, above all else, it is devotion. It is a true North, a fixed point that we can always look to and know it will be there. It does not change with life's many changes or because of opposition from others. It weathers storms, but is not broken by them.

WORD|of the day

[embark] verb; to begin or to start (or in nautical terms, to go aboard a ship)

I thought this was appropriate for the launch of my freelance editing blog... and because I live near San Diego's beautiful harbor, from which I would love to "embark" someday on my private sailboat. :)

QUOTE|of the day

[Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?]

from "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver

I discovered Mary Oliver's poetry through this quote. Her work speaks to me like nothing I've ever read. This actually comes from the end of her poem, "The Summer Day," and I love it because it points out three very important facts about life... 1) We have only one; 2) It is wild: meaning we have no control over it; and 3) It is precious.

This quote reminds me and challenges me to do what makes me happy, not what others think I should do or what is popular or what will make me rich. We only go through life once (unless you believe in reincarnation... if that's the case I want to come back as my dog) so why not pursue it hungrily, passionately, and with a sense of adventure?