Yearly Archives: 2005

Wrap it and Stick it

If you’re one of those last-minute gift wrappers, you might find this set of gift-wrapping instructions from eHow helpful. They describe the conventional wrapping method as well as ways to wrap oversized and unboxed gifts and some funky ideas alternative wrapping…

Posted in miscellany | Leave a comment

Sara’s Handwriting

I’ve always loved my wife’s handwriting–and not just for sentimental reasons. It has a fun and sassy kind of look to it that is clearly distinguishable as hers. Ever since I learned about font creation software a few years ago, I’ve been determined to turn Sara’s handwriting into a font of her own. Unfortunately, I never got around to doing it. Anyway, the software programs require more patience than I have and most are too expensive.
But a few days ago I discovered a really cool website…

Posted in family | 12 Comments

More Words of the Year

A recent check of the big list of 2005 lists at fimoculous.com revealed a number of new word lists popping up around the web. Here are a few of my favorites…

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It’s an Ad Mad World

Sometimes I get confused and dizzy like I’m going to fall off a precipice even though I’m sitting on the sofa in my living room when I think about the endless choices I have for all manner of consumer goods and all I want, all I really, really want, is for some movie star or television sitcom character to tell me what to buy. That’s why I was thrilled when a friend of mine at work today showed me an article on the Wired News website that reported an 84 percent rise in product placements on TV this year…

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Take a Stanza – Happiness

This little poetry feature of mine is long overdue, so here are two stanzas from a four-stanza poem by Jane Kenyon. That’s right–two for the price of one…

Posted in language | 4 Comments

2005 Word of the Year: Podcast

It’s time once again for the word of the year, this time brought to you by the New Oxford American Dictionary. As you may recall, last year’s top word, according to Merriam-Webster, was “blog.” Now we have “Podcast,” a technology popularized by blogs…

Posted in language | 2 Comments

Almost Fooled by Spam

Last night as I was scanning my inbox for new email, I came across a message from my dear friend “Mailer Pharramacy.” Since I hadn’t heard from her in a long time, I immediately opened it to see what she has been doing for the past few months. But when I read through the email, I was a little confused…

Posted in technology | 1 Comment

Those Liberal English Teachers

A friend of mine just forwarded an article to me from the CNN website. It’s about a history and English teacher in Vermont who was recently called on the carpet for giving a “liberal” vocabulary quiz. Here’s one example, in which the students had to circle the correct word in parentheses: “I wish Bush would be (coherent, eschewed) for once during a speech, but there are theories that his everyday diction charms the below-average mind, hence insuring him Republican votes.” Yeah, maybe that one went a little too far.
It reminds me of my time as a liberal English teacher in Hudsonville, Michigan. It was the year 2000, and the presidential race was really heating up…

Posted in society | 3 Comments

Egg Poacher Toaster

When it comes to food, my main concern is almost always efficiency. Efficiency and convenience. Don’t get me wrong–I think flavor is important, too, and I appreciate good-tasting foods as much as the next guy (though apparently *not* as much as my wife and her friends, who geek out on recipes and related culinary matters as much as I do on computers). But in the end, taste is only secondary for me…

Posted in self-indulgence | 5 Comments

Fall Photos

Last week I took my camera to Calvin College and snapped a few photos on campus. It was a lovely day, and the leaves were peaking, so I thought I’d share a few of the pics on this here blog…

Posted in photography | 2 Comments