Words on Wednesday: A Brilliant Mind

I am in the midst of writing final papers, so this week's WoW will be brief.  This interview with noted linguist Steven Pinker was on the Frontpage of the New York Times website yesterday.  Take a few minutes to listen to a brilliant man.  You just might learn something new!



This week's Word on Wednesday is inspired by Dr. Pinker and his works:


oeuvre, noun
          a substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer
                    origin: French œuvre, literally, work, from Old French ovre, Latin opera
                    First Known Use: 1875


This week's definition taken from Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  Click the link for the pronunciation!  Not going to lie, I love words with three vowels in a row.  I don't know if I like how it looks or figuring out how to pronounce them, just love 'em.  Thanks for loaning us this lovely word, French!

Drop in the Bucket

As I said in my last post, I love lists, so it should come as no surprise to my beloved, loyal, numerous readers that I have started a "Bucket List". I have had a lot of time on my hands lately which has lead me to think about what I want out of life. As with most people's "Bucket Lists", mine is rather varied, but there is a large chunk dedicated to traveling (stroll the Great Wall, marvel at the Taj Mahal, check my watch with Big Ben, smile with the Mona Lisa, hike to Machu Picchu). I want to see as much of the world as possible before I die.



Sadly, I have some hindrances to these dreams, including a fear of flying and travel anxiety. I have a few weddings dotted along the East Coast to go to in the coming months and I'm already worried that I'll miss a flight or lose my luggage! Luckily, my husband is extremely level-headed and can talk me down from almost any irrational rant I'm on at the moment.

For the next few months, the weddings will be my traveling and I will have to put off my globe trotting dreams and cross something else off of my list. My list is patiently sitting in a notebook next to my computer waiting to be freed. Eliminating travel from my possibilities leaves me with many options. I could go skydiving (ha!), take salsa dancing lessons (need a partner), go vegetarian for a month, or become trilingual.

I have already begun my attempts at learning another language (French) and have a basic knowledge of Spanish, so option #4 is slowly on its way to being crossed off. Skydiving is on the list more for comedic purposes and I'm waiting on the return of my dance partner to sign up for lessons. It would appear that my best option is to attempt a dietary change. If you know my eating and cooking habits then you will understand that this should be a simple change. I'm not the biggest cook and my preferred meals tend to vary between pasta, PBJs, and grilled cheese sandwiches. I definitely don't have it in me to go vegan (I love cheese far too much!), but I think I'm up for the vegetarian challenge.

As with most everything I do, I'll start with some research before taking the leap. I don't eat tofu, so I'll have to find recipes that don't focus on it. I have already requested a packet from PETA on going vegetarian. I'll keep the world posted on my efforts once I begin this Bucket List Bullet. Wish me luck!

Mr. Koala and I have some bucket work to be done.