salient

Aug. 20th, 2025 01:00 am
[syndicated profile] merriamwebster_feed

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 20, 2025 is:

salient • \SAIL-yunt\  • adjective

Something described as salient is very important or noticeable.

// The assignment was to write down the most salient points made in the article.

// One salient feature of the band's music is the variety of different genres it incorporates into a singular sound.

See the entry >

Examples:

"All actors use their bodies, but [Zoe] Saldaña has long been on another plane. She doesn’t just interpret characters, she moves through them with such salient physicality that her body often has as much to say as the dialogue she speaks." — Gia Kourlas, The New York Times, 28 Feb. 2025

Did you know?

When salient first hopped into English, it described things—animals especially—that move by jumping, springing, or leaping. Small wonder, then, that the word comes from the Latin verb salire, meaning "to leap." (Polyglots may also recognize the influence of salire on the Spanish verb salir, meaning "to leave," and the French verb saillir, meaning "to jut out.") Today, salient is usually used to describe things that "leap out" in a figurative sense, such as the salient features of a painting or the salient points made in an essay or argument.



Smoke Blankets the Iberian Peninsula

Aug. 19th, 2025 04:49 pm
[syndicated profile] earthobservatory_iod_feed

Posted by NASA Earth Observatory

Smoke Blankets the Iberian Peninsula
Fueled by extreme heat and dry conditions, intense wildfires in Spain and Portugal sent thick smoke across parts of Europe.

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lewk

Aug. 19th, 2025 05:00 pm
[syndicated profile] urban_feed
Any outfit you put a special amount of attention into [constructing], [potentially] for an event or [special occasion], usually with some sort of theme or reference you're attempting to invoke.

Yoga fail

Aug. 19th, 2025 08:34 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
I bailed out of aqua yoga. The instructor, I don't think, has ever been in the water. I'm sure his instruction is great if you are 1. on land and 2. really into yoga. I am not on land and I want to stretch, not breathe. The stuff he has us do mostly works meh in water. He does not use the water at all so mainly we fight to stay and not float away. And also the 45 minutes are spent 15 minutes moving slowly and 30 minutes stationary and just breathing. The water is warm unless you are just standing there breathing and then it gets cold fast.

So. Yesterday was my last class. I will spend 30 minutes swimming laps on Sunday mornings instead.

Volleyball was also kind of meh today. One of our best players is hooked to a heart monitor for the next week and a half so can't play. The asshole was there today being very assholey. But, it's over and I didn't say anything I wanted to so I'm glad of that. My lips are getting better at staying zipped.

Watching the Phillies play the Mariners was really weird. Kind of like when you catch an NPR person talking on TV. The sound is right and the lips are moving in sync but my brain just can't handle it. The Phillies ate up the Mariners and then spit them out. Because of MLB blackout, I could not listen to the Phillies broadcasters so I'm listening to the idiot Mariners guys who are clearly rooting for the wrong team. It was beyond weird. There are two more games and then everyone goes back into their assigned corners. They will probably meet again in a few years but not before.

Today is house cleaner day and so errand day.

John's still dying. Joan is in bad shape but not dying and, I think, pretty pissed at John for stealing all the attention. Hazel is holding up kind of. She's getting a lot of attention from a wide variety of people and she's trying to keep everyone happy. Including John. It's kind of a mess.

Oh wait. Breaking news! Hazel just came in and sat for a chat. Her son has been working with exactly the right people here at Timber Ridge (which I had hoped was the case but didn't know) and they have a room in the nursing wing for John to move into tomorrow. This is perfect. This is exactly the way things should work around here and usually don't. But this time. Hazel does not have to do a thing except walk over there to visit. He'll even be on this very floor.

She said that the doctors told the both of them that they don't know if John has a day, a week or a year. But now he'll be comfortable and she'll be able to be with him whenever she wants on her own. I am very relieved. And so is she.

Oh and now I'm getting sucked back into aqua yoga. Maybe. I sent a note explaining why I was quitting and now Erica (the fitness person) is asking 'if we do xxx' would you reconsider. Sure.

As always, stay tuned!

But now it's nearly 10 and I'm not dressed yet!

PXL_20250819_021151809

euphemism

Aug. 19th, 2025 01:00 am
[syndicated profile] merriamwebster_feed

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 19, 2025 is:

euphemism • \YOO-fuh-miz-um\  • noun

A euphemism is a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive.

// The HR department advises using the euphemismlet go” instead of saying that someone was fired.

See the entry >

Examples:

“The new model supposedly has fewer hallucinations—a common euphemism for when AI models produce inaccurate or misleading results.” — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

Did you know?

There are times when circumstances call for a gentler or pleasanter word or phrase rather than the most direct one. Such words and phrases are known as euphemisms, with the word euphemism coming, fittingly, from the Greek word eúphēmos, meaning “sounding good.” Powder room, for example, is one of many euphemisms in the English language for a lavatory, aka the place where one goes when one requires the use of a toilet and sink. (Actually, we are hard pressed to find a non-euphemistic word for such a room; like powder room, the terms bathroom, restroom, and washroom all tiptoe around the often-primary reason one has for visiting it.) Similarly love handles is a euphemism for fatty bulges along the sides of one’s body at the waist, though as everyone who’s ever snuggled up to a loved one endowed with such bulges knows, love handles is a much better descriptor for what makes a person extra snuggly.



[syndicated profile] earthobservatory_iod_feed

Posted by NASA Earth Observatory

The Potomac Island Where History Took Flight
Samuel Pierpont Langley conducted the first successful flight of an unpiloted, engine-driven, heavier-than-air craft from a houseboat near Chopawamsic Island in the Potomac River.

Read More...

hopecore

Aug. 18th, 2025 05:08 pm
[syndicated profile] urban_feed
A genre of videos that invoke a feeling of hope, glee, wholeness, and most happy [emotions]. They can range to [nostalgic] clips, [beautiful] scenery, and usually have an audio of spliced together videos and songs.

Monday

Aug. 18th, 2025 07:54 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
Noelle has taken to leaving me little notes on my shelf. Yesterday her first one was a long rambler about how she had baked something - I forget what - for Hazel but couldn't find her and wanted to know this and that. I sent her a text and said talk to Bonny. The second one was 4 hours later and even longer about how she had run into Hazel ramble ramble and then "I'll let her tell you what they decided but her husband wants to come home" and then some stuff about God's will. I texted her "thank you for the note." Leave me alone, Noelle. You have Jesus. You don't need me.

Martha popped in last night and said she had run into Hazel at Costco - her son had taken her.

The Phillies won. The Mariners lost. Today (tomorrow and Wednesday) they play each other.

Today is aqua yoga. Tomorrow is volleyball and house cleaner day. Wednesday is the Food and Beverage committee meeting. Thursday is volleyball. Friday is pretty open if you want to schedule something.

Also Wednesday is the Fall Google hardware announcement. I'm on the fence about a new phone. So I'll watch the announcement and decide.

20250817_202017-COLLAGE

ostentatious

Aug. 18th, 2025 01:00 am
[syndicated profile] merriamwebster_feed

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 18, 2025 is:

ostentatious • \ah-stun-TAY-shus\  • adjective

Ostentatious describes someone or something that displays wealth, knowledge, power, etc., in a way that is meant to attract attention, admiration, or envy. Things that are ostentatious tend to stand out as overly elaborate or conspicuous.

// The resort town is famous for its extravagantly expensive summer homes, which some tourists view as impressive and others as merely ostentatious.

See the entry >

Examples:

"Valentino presented a dizzying display at Paris haute couture week, fusing the past and present in theatrical, ostentatious designs." — Lara Owen, The Independent (United Kingdom), 29 Jan. 2025

Did you know?

Both ostentatious and the related noun ostentation can be traced to the Latin verb ostentāre, meaning "to display," and the idea of display persists in the English word’s current use: people and things described as ostentatious seem to be practically begging to be looked at. Ostentatious is often applied to objects and buildings that can also be described as luxurious—flashy jewelry, mansions, edifices with marble columns. Someone with an ostentatious lifestyle spends money in a way that makes it obvious that they have a lot of it. When used in negative constructions—"the house is large but not ostentatious"—the implication is that display isn’t the point.



SCIENCE!

Aug. 17th, 2025 05:15 pm
[syndicated profile] urban_feed
Subtly different from regular, or garden, science, SCIENCE! is when reality starts to break down in a haze of maniacal cackling. Any idiot can practise science. It takes a real psychotic genius to pull off SCIENCE! The [capital letters] and [exclamation] mark are important.

Newtons laws of motion are science. [Frankenstein's monster] was SCIENCE!

Performing SCIENCE! occasionally leads to angry mobs attacking your isolated castle, wielding pitchforks and burning torches.

I'm learning

Aug. 17th, 2025 07:58 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
Yesterday, at elbow coffee, Ingrid showed up for a while. She comes late, complains about the latest Timber Ridge insult, and then leaves early. She once screamed at me, during elbow coffee, because I did not check on her when we had an alarm go off. "You are my neighbor! You are supposed to look out for me!!" It was ridiculous. Yesterday, her complaint was that every time she forgets to open her door, Timber Ridge calls "or worse yet, comes to my door". This is a horrible thing to her. She has now lived here more than 5 years and this has been going on every single day for those 5 years but I guess, yesterday, she couldn't conjure up any new offenses.

Others tried to jump in with solutions (which she did not want) and I just kept my lips zipped. Finally she finished ranting and left.

Joan called last night clearly looking for me to say 'if you need anything, let me know' but, aha! I have successfully wiped that phrase out of my playbook. I listened and ummed and aha'd at appropriate places and then said goodbye.

Yesterday, Jim (across the hall - not the Jim of Jim and Gail) came out while I was puzzling. He had his TV remote with him. Jim's problem or part of it, is that he cannot express himself. He says all the words correctly - he does not mumble or slur - but the word strings rarely make sense. I explained that there was no joy unless we were in front of his TV so we went there. He really couldn't tell me what he wanted. There was a ribbon on last watched channels that seemed to bother him because of the six, he only wanted 3. "I want to watch the UC one there on the far right." The one on the far right was NBC. He said his buddy who helped him set up was coming over today and he'd show him. I did remove some of the last watched. But never did figure out what he wanted. But he had a car race to watch so when I left he was happy. He never wants much and is always so pleasant.

Martha says that the neighbor care requirement here is greater than the rest of the complex. She thinks it's because we are on this shorten floor. Most floors have 20+ apartments and we have only 10. But, I'm learning how to do it. Lips zipped, hands not raised, response, not volunteer. I think I can do it.

My friend, Steve, told me yesterday that he turns his thermostat down to 65 at night and then up to 72 during the day - every day. Seems like I tried that when I first moved in and it did not work. I was getting heat when I wanted cool. But, hey, Steve's been here for a lotta years. So I tried it last night. Heaven. It was just perfect for sleeping. My bed said 92 out of 100. This morning I turned it to 72 - too hot. So back down to 70 and I opened the door to the patio which thrilled Julio.

The Phillies game is about to start. The Mariners are playing at Williamsport, PA - the home of the little league world series. I might watch some but for sure on mute. I do not approve of baseball games in these silly places like car racing stadiums and little league parks.

No big plans for after the game. Just the usual. I might run a couple of errands and I might save them for next week.

PXL_20250817_011819737

glitch

Aug. 17th, 2025 01:00 am
[syndicated profile] merriamwebster_feed

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 17, 2025 is:

glitch • \GLITCH\  • noun

Glitch is an informal word referring to an unexpected and usually minor problem. It is used especially for a minor problem with a machine or device, such as a computer.

// The email went out to everyone in the company because of a technical glitch.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Britain’s postal system, once overseen directly by a government minister, became a (government-owned) statutory corporation in 1970. In time, parts of it were spun off—since the days of Margaret Thatcher, the nation has pursued privatization more aggressively than most other countries—and the legal and oversight structure was subjected to continual tinkering. In a deal originating as a ‘public-private partnership’ arrangement, the Post Office in the late 1990s computerized its accounting and other operations. ... Glitches in the software soon resulted in hundreds of rural postmasters being falsely accused of theft and summarily fired.” — Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 3 June 2025

Did you know?

There’s a glitch in the etymology of glitch—it may come from the Yiddish glitsh, meaning “slippery place,” but that’s not certain. Print use of glitch referring to a brief unexpected surge of electrical current dates to the mid-20th century. Astronaut John Glenn, in his 1962 book Into Orbit, felt the need to explain the term to his readers: “Literally, a glitch is a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit which takes place when the circuit suddenly has a new load put on it.” Today, the word can be used of any minor malfunction or snag. If you’re a gamer you might even take advantage of a glitch that causes something unexpected, and sometimes beneficial, to happen in the game.



A Halo Above the Horizon

Aug. 17th, 2025 12:00 am
[syndicated profile] earthobservatory_iod_feed

Posted by NASA Earth Observatory

A Halo Above the Horizon
A subtle arc, formed by the bending of light through high-altitude ice crystals, cradles the Moon above the darkened Earth.

Read More...

Just finished reading...

Aug. 16th, 2025 04:15 pm
used_songs: (Lincoln)
[personal profile] used_songs
I actually did read a very short book this week, Strange Houses by Uketsu.It was really hyped and I was so underwhelmed by it even though I wanted to like it. Very disappointed. People are saying his book Strange Pictures is even better, but at this point I don't know if I will try it since this wasn't to my taste.

one down, one ?

Aug. 16th, 2025 11:52 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
John is giving up treatment. BUT Bonny has picked up the support wagon. She and Hazel agreed that Hazel is going to keep Bonny updated and Bonny is going to report to everyone else. This is a fabulous arrangement. For me. Ok so new news, as I type that sentence, Bonny just came in to say that John is going to have some sort of treatment today to look at his stomach 'so he's not pulled the plug yet'.

Joan did not spend the night at the hospital. But she did not come to elbow coffee. Her grandson and grand-daughter-law and her son have all arrived today. No word on that. But, I am not on the hook there, either.

Dick (of Jan and Dick) has found out that instead of an outpatient procedure to work on his heart, he now needs a bypass or stent or something, they haven't decided, and has been told to be careful about exercise.

Jim got a paper cut from his airline luggage tag at the airport last week and, thanks to blood thinners, nearly bled out standing in the TSA line.

Elbow Coffee was interesting today - at least no one bitched about the weather.

Squid

Aug. 16th, 2025 05:23 pm
[syndicated profile] urban_feed
A young [motorcyclist] who overestimates his abilities, boasts of his riding skills when in reality he has none. Squid bikes are usually decorated with chrome and various anodized bits. Rear tyres are too wide for their own good, swingarm extended. Really slow in the corners, and sudden bursts of [acceleration] when a straight appears. Squids wear no protection, deeming themselves [invincible]. This fact compounds intself with the fact that they engage in 'extreem riding'--performing wheelies and stoppies in public areas. Squids wreck alot. Derived from 'squirly kid'

also see stunta