Ahead of the Curve

Sometimes I feel like I missed the pop culture bus. Catching a People magazine at the doctor's office is always an eye opening experience for me as my only sources of news are Bloomberg and WSJ... but such is life. As a result of this sheltered life I lead, it is clear I am the last to know about new vocabulary. I still use words like 'lovely' and 'dreadful' as if those were common phrases. Luckily for those living in the dark ages of vocabulary, Word Spy can save you from yourself. Word Spy aggregates and defines the latest and greatest in pop culture / current terminology. It doesn't have the raunchy flair of Urban Dictionary (thankfully) and actually offers words that you could potentially use in a coed work environment like: philanthrocapitalism n. Philanthropy that uses the principles, models, and techniques of capitalism or silent run n. The mass transfer of funds out of a troubled bank by online users. Granted I can't imagine myself using either of those words, but at least I won't feel like I need a translator when listening to the news, friends or even my mom. I am now in the know for at least the next 30 seconds.

Because Words Cannot Describe...

On a rare glimpse of The O'Reilly Factor, I caught a five minute special on Marina Orlova, creator of HotforWords.com. Marina is a self-proclaimed philologist, someone who studies linguistics and etymology. Marina's videos are easily seen on YouTube (Warning: do not open if your boss walks by, he / she won't believe you are learning about the origin of words.) Truly after one video, I was left speechless. Marina is from the mother country, so not only are you overwhelmed by her decolletage, you are also trying to understand what the heck she is saying with her VERY thick Russian accent. Normally I wouldn't spend a moment on such absurdity, except that her three minute lessons are actually interesting, and you feel like you are using the Greek / Latin you potentially studied to help that dreadful SAT score. The Take Away: Its at least worth a quick view because you may actually learn something ... or be completely horrified by the distances people go for their five seconds of fame.

A Timeout for T. Wolfe

In my opinion, Mr. Wolfe has written some amazing books. For those of you who have thought of reading his works, jump on the bandwagon -- the time is now. As a point of warning: you have to like details -- in fact you must LOVE details. T. Wolfe doesn't leave much to the imagination; however, as long as you don't mind a couple run on sentences, his books are a treat. Ranging from Wall Street downfalls in "The Bonfire of the Vanities" to freshman year at college in "I am Charlotte Simmons," Wolfe can really bring you in to the thick of the plot. The next book on my T. Wolfe rampage will be "The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test" which most people praise as his best. As winter is fast approaching, and going out to bars becomes less appealing in sub 20 degree temps, T. Wolfe is the perfect companion for a long winter night.