Spring. Primavera. Frühling. Printemps. Vår.
noun: the season of the year following winter and characterized by the budding of trees, growth of plants, the onset of warmer weather, etc.
One of the few words that sound just as beautiful in every language.
The entire northern hemisphere is waking up, and so am I. I was out running this morning, after work. Usually after work I have problems staying awake while driving home, but today I had so much energy, I ran for a whole hour, and even after that I felt I had more to give. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and I was smiling. It is absolutely remarkable what a bit of sunlight and a few extra degrees in the air can do to you.
I have some rituals when the seasons change: The first day of the year fit for a barbeque, I clean out my warderobe, putting all of my winter clothes and jackets and shoes waaaay in the back, and all the shorts, t-shirts, skirts and dresses are put in the front. I make a new playlist on iTunes and my iPod with light, relaxing, music that puts me in the right "waiting for summer" mood. I make a list of what books I'm going to read over the summer, and then go online and order the ones I don't have. This summer I'm only gonna read light, entertaining stuff, in fear of having to read only heavy, classic English literature the next 5 years.
You see, I've just sent my applications for university. A masters study in English, with teaching and a second language (Spanish). If I get in, and I'm being positive, thinking I will, I'll be moving a 5 hour trainride away come autumn. A trainride I'll be doing this coming week to visit my friend who already lives there. The city's beautiful at spring time, people are smiling, the guys are wearing T-shirts, and the beer tastes better.
And in a few weeks time, as the spring unfolds in full bloom, I head off to Iceland. I have been promised to see geysirs. Geysirs! And the blue lagoon! I'm absolutely extatic about going, and I'm going to stay with the fabulous Hulda and her family. So nice of them to let me stay. I miss Hulda. We're gonna cry about missing Barcelona together, and make plans for next summer.
Pictures and detailed information on Linn's upcoming travels will be blogged about. Have no doubt about it.
I've previously blogged about my affection for quotes and how they often portray my feelings much better than I can do with my own words (http://linnterpretation.blogspot.com/2009/02/and-i-quote_19.html), and wouldn't you know! Some genious has poetically described spring
as well:
"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush"
- Doug Larson
Showing posts with label definition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label definition. Show all posts
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Barbie's birthday
[bahr-bee], noun, trademark: a brand of doll representing a slim, shapely young woman, esp. one with blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.
50 years ago on this very day, Barbie made her first appearance at the American Toy Fair in New York City. Her 50 year-long story is interesting, but long, so if you can be bothered, read it here. She was an immediate success, and has become one of the most significant icons of our time. She's had more than 100 careers, ranging from model to surgeon, ballerina to teacher, firefighter to astronaut to presidential candidate. You can buy your Barbie as a geisha, african american, latin american, you could even buy a handicapped Barbie, wheelcheer inclusive. I bet that was a limited edition. Ha-ha, I'm sorry.
She has been loved and hated through the years. Loved for the hours of joy she has brought to generations of little girls (and boys), hated because of her somewhat proportionally incorrect body and how her looks affect todays expectations to how young women should look. If Barbie was human sized, she would stand 5 foot 6 inches tall (1,68 m) and weigh 110 pounds (49,9 kg). She would have a 39 inch bust (99 cm), an 18 inch waist (45 cm), and 33 inch hips (84 cm). In 1995 some Finnish scientists claimed that lifesize Barbie would be too skinny to menstruate, and in 1997 her waist was slightly broadened. That did not stop the religious police in Saudi Arabia from banning the popular doll in 2003, claiming that she promoted "decadent and perverted western moral".
A product of the devil or not, today she is not only a doll, she is a brand and a billion dollar business. You will find Barbie products in 150 countries, and Mattel claims that every second 3 Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world. But what's interesting though, is that when the University of Bath did a research on children's relationship to different branded products, they discovered that young girls tend to be very violent with their Barbies, a disturbingly high number of the children found joy in tearing her head and arms and legs off, or putting her in the microwave. They saw this tendency with no other brand in the test. This proves what I have suspected for many years; our underlying hatred for gorgeous, skinny, successful women is pure instinct.
I owned a few myself. I never tore her head off, or microwaved her for that matter, but I do remember crying hysterically when a bully at my school decapitated one of them. Happy 50th, Barbie!
Today's thought provoker: In 2007, the song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua was voted as one of the world's 20 most annoying songs by Rolling Stone magazine, the song has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide and the music video has 26,5 million views on YouTube.
50 years ago on this very day, Barbie made her first appearance at the American Toy Fair in New York City. Her 50 year-long story is interesting, but long, so if you can be bothered, read it here. She was an immediate success, and has become one of the most significant icons of our time. She's had more than 100 careers, ranging from model to surgeon, ballerina to teacher, firefighter to astronaut to presidential candidate. You can buy your Barbie as a geisha, african american, latin american, you could even buy a handicapped Barbie, wheelcheer inclusive. I bet that was a limited edition. Ha-ha, I'm sorry.
She has been loved and hated through the years. Loved for the hours of joy she has brought to generations of little girls (and boys), hated because of her somewhat proportionally incorrect body and how her looks affect todays expectations to how young women should look. If Barbie was human sized, she would stand 5 foot 6 inches tall (1,68 m) and weigh 110 pounds (49,9 kg). She would have a 39 inch bust (99 cm), an 18 inch waist (45 cm), and 33 inch hips (84 cm). In 1995 some Finnish scientists claimed that lifesize Barbie would be too skinny to menstruate, and in 1997 her waist was slightly broadened. That did not stop the religious police in Saudi Arabia from banning the popular doll in 2003, claiming that she promoted "decadent and perverted western moral".
A product of the devil or not, today she is not only a doll, she is a brand and a billion dollar business. You will find Barbie products in 150 countries, and Mattel claims that every second 3 Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world. But what's interesting though, is that when the University of Bath did a research on children's relationship to different branded products, they discovered that young girls tend to be very violent with their Barbies, a disturbingly high number of the children found joy in tearing her head and arms and legs off, or putting her in the microwave. They saw this tendency with no other brand in the test. This proves what I have suspected for many years; our underlying hatred for gorgeous, skinny, successful women is pure instinct.
I owned a few myself. I never tore her head off, or microwaved her for that matter, but I do remember crying hysterically when a bully at my school decapitated one of them. Happy 50th, Barbie!
Today's thought provoker: In 2007, the song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua was voted as one of the world's 20 most annoying songs by Rolling Stone magazine, the song has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide and the music video has 26,5 million views on YouTube.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Addiction
[uh-dik-shuhn], noun: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics,to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
I quit smoking. Again.
I'm addicted to a lot of things. Cigarettes, chocolate, music, my favourite TV shows... The cigarettes obviously being the most serious and destructive of my addictions, and also the one I've struggled the hardest to rid myself of. I've tried it all: the cold turkey way, cutting down, nicotine patch, nicotine gum.. Doesn't work. The one thing I haven't tried, though, is this ingenious invention: The electronic cigarette! (YouTube video) Amazing. So-called "e-cigs" were first invented and marketed by the Golden Dragen Group in China, under the name Ruyan which means "almost like smoke", and are quickly becoming popular in the US and parts of Europe. There is no burning of tobacco involved, only vaporizing nicotine, meaning that you can even smoke your e-cig in the non-smoking section (today's society, that is). You can also choose the nicotine level of your e-cig, from 10 mg to nothing at all. You can even choose between different flavours, like vanilla, menthol or chocolate! Imagine that, get me one of those with chocolate and I have my two deepest cravings, on a stick. Would I consider trying it? Yes. Will I buy one? No. Too expensive, and it's the habit I need to get rid of, and I don't see how changing my lucky strikes into slightly nicer plastic cigarettes is going to help that. Plus, it sounds too good to be true, so it probably is.
I guess I'm just going to have to do this the hard way. Again. The fourteenth time's the charm..?
"For thy sake, tobacco, I would do anything but die." - Charles Lamb (1775-1834)
Today's thought provoker: Worldwide, approximately 10 million cigarettes are purchased a minute, 15 billion are sold each day, 5 trillion are produced and used each year.
I quit smoking. Again.
I'm addicted to a lot of things. Cigarettes, chocolate, music, my favourite TV shows... The cigarettes obviously being the most serious and destructive of my addictions, and also the one I've struggled the hardest to rid myself of. I've tried it all: the cold turkey way, cutting down, nicotine patch, nicotine gum.. Doesn't work. The one thing I haven't tried, though, is this ingenious invention: The electronic cigarette! (YouTube video) Amazing. So-called "e-cigs" were first invented and marketed by the Golden Dragen Group in China, under the name Ruyan which means "almost like smoke", and are quickly becoming popular in the US and parts of Europe. There is no burning of tobacco involved, only vaporizing nicotine, meaning that you can even smoke your e-cig in the non-smoking section (today's society, that is). You can also choose the nicotine level of your e-cig, from 10 mg to nothing at all. You can even choose between different flavours, like vanilla, menthol or chocolate! Imagine that, get me one of those with chocolate and I have my two deepest cravings, on a stick. Would I consider trying it? Yes. Will I buy one? No. Too expensive, and it's the habit I need to get rid of, and I don't see how changing my lucky strikes into slightly nicer plastic cigarettes is going to help that. Plus, it sounds too good to be true, so it probably is.
I guess I'm just going to have to do this the hard way. Again. The fourteenth time's the charm..?
"For thy sake, tobacco, I would do anything but die." - Charles Lamb (1775-1834)
Today's thought provoker: Worldwide, approximately 10 million cigarettes are purchased a minute, 15 billion are sold each day, 5 trillion are produced and used each year.
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Poker
/ˈpoʊ
kər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation 
[poh-ker], noun: a card game played by two or more persons, in which the players bet on the value of their hands, the winner taking the pool.
Tonight I won. The last 10 minutes I was heads up with the host, he was short stacked but hanging around, stealing blinds. The pressure was on, I had folded my fifth hand in a row, until I looked down on what was going to be my winning hand; K-9 of hearts. For the umpteenth time he went all in. I couldn't take it any more. Did his eye twitch?
- Call.
Poker by the book? Probably not. But the flop showed a king, and I was safe. I had won. 1. place paid out less than a fraction of what you would tip the dealer on any table in Vegas, but I won. Amateur poker: you gotta love it.
Today's thought provoker:
The revenue that is generated from gambling is more than the revenue that comes from movies, recorded music, cruise ships, theme parks, and spectator sports, combined.
kər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [poh-ker], noun: a card game played by two or more persons, in which the players bet on the value of their hands, the winner taking the pool.Tonight I won. The last 10 minutes I was heads up with the host, he was short stacked but hanging around, stealing blinds. The pressure was on, I had folded my fifth hand in a row, until I looked down on what was going to be my winning hand; K-9 of hearts. For the umpteenth time he went all in. I couldn't take it any more. Did his eye twitch?
- Call.
Poker by the book? Probably not. But the flop showed a king, and I was safe. I had won. 1. place paid out less than a fraction of what you would tip the dealer on any table in Vegas, but I won. Amateur poker: you gotta love it.
Today's thought provoker:
The revenue that is generated from gambling is more than the revenue that comes from movies, recorded music, cruise ships, theme parks, and spectator sports, combined.
Thursday, 19 February 2009
And I quote...
[kwoht], verb: to repeat (a passage, phrase, etc.) from a book, speech, or the like, as by way of authority, illustration, etc.
"I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself." -Marlene Dietrich.
Exactly. Ol' Marlene here said what I'm thinking several decades ago, and she put it far more elegantly than i could have done. I could just end this post right now. But I won't.
If you know where to look, you can find a good quote on more or less anything, it seems everything worth saying has already been said. Estimates are that between 69 billion and 110 billion people have populated the earth since about one million years ago. So many brilliant people have come and gone, so many great ideas and comments are already out there, that being original has become a problem. "What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew nobody had said it before" - Mark Twain. Well, I couldn't find a single good quote by Adam, go figure. The level of authority in what you're trying to get across rises significantly if you can use the words of some long gone genious to back them up. To quote David H. Comins: "People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first". Benjamin Franklin said "Time is money". He also said "God helps them that help themselves", "Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today" and "There was never a good war and never a bad peace". He was mistaken on some of his theories concerning electricity, but what a genious, huh?
People seem to think so, so in attempts to sound more intelligent, or to prove a point, they throw out a quote by someone a lot smarter than them here and there. I know I occasionally do. Samuel Palmer said "Wise men make proverbs, but fools repeat them", and Mary Pettibone said "The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is." Is it true, that in my use of quotations to prove my cause and ideas better, I actually weaken them by letting people see my lack of faith in my own wit? Maybe so, maybe I should put more effort into coming up with something genious by myself and let fools of the future use my words as their own. But what if it all actually has been said before? It seems Alfred North Whitehead was convinced of this when he said "Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it".
Fool or not, it so happens that finding the right quotes, and using them correctly, is harder than you would think. In books on quotations or webistes dedicated to the matter, you will often find them categorized by subject, so finding one close to what you're discussing won't be very hard. But findig the one that strikes hard, throws light on the matter, and gives your cause a deeper meaning, that is somewhat close to an artform. I mean, H.L. Mencken had this to say about Shakespeare: "After all, all he did was string together a lot of old, well-known quotations". And I personally prefer Anatole France's way of looking at it: "When a thing has been said and well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it".
Feel free to quote me on any of this.
Today's thought provoker:
The English language contains about 540 000 words, estimated to be about 5 times as many as during Shakespeare's time.
"I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself." -Marlene Dietrich.
Exactly. Ol' Marlene here said what I'm thinking several decades ago, and she put it far more elegantly than i could have done. I could just end this post right now. But I won't.
If you know where to look, you can find a good quote on more or less anything, it seems everything worth saying has already been said. Estimates are that between 69 billion and 110 billion people have populated the earth since about one million years ago. So many brilliant people have come and gone, so many great ideas and comments are already out there, that being original has become a problem. "What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew nobody had said it before" - Mark Twain. Well, I couldn't find a single good quote by Adam, go figure. The level of authority in what you're trying to get across rises significantly if you can use the words of some long gone genious to back them up. To quote David H. Comins: "People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first". Benjamin Franklin said "Time is money". He also said "God helps them that help themselves", "Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today" and "There was never a good war and never a bad peace". He was mistaken on some of his theories concerning electricity, but what a genious, huh?
People seem to think so, so in attempts to sound more intelligent, or to prove a point, they throw out a quote by someone a lot smarter than them here and there. I know I occasionally do. Samuel Palmer said "Wise men make proverbs, but fools repeat them", and Mary Pettibone said "The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is." Is it true, that in my use of quotations to prove my cause and ideas better, I actually weaken them by letting people see my lack of faith in my own wit? Maybe so, maybe I should put more effort into coming up with something genious by myself and let fools of the future use my words as their own. But what if it all actually has been said before? It seems Alfred North Whitehead was convinced of this when he said "Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it".
Fool or not, it so happens that finding the right quotes, and using them correctly, is harder than you would think. In books on quotations or webistes dedicated to the matter, you will often find them categorized by subject, so finding one close to what you're discussing won't be very hard. But findig the one that strikes hard, throws light on the matter, and gives your cause a deeper meaning, that is somewhat close to an artform. I mean, H.L. Mencken had this to say about Shakespeare: "After all, all he did was string together a lot of old, well-known quotations". And I personally prefer Anatole France's way of looking at it: "When a thing has been said and well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it".
Feel free to quote me on any of this.
Today's thought provoker:
The English language contains about 540 000 words, estimated to be about 5 times as many as during Shakespeare's time.
Teeth of wisdom
[wiz-duhm tooth], noun: the third molar that is the last tooth to erupt on each side of the upper and lower human jaw, typically in young adulthood.
Earlier considered a sign of maturity. A full, whole set of teeth. Congratulations!
Thank you, where can I return them? Some people are lucky enough to never have them, my grandmother got one at the age of 54. Some scientists say evolution is working on removing wisdom teeth from the human race all together, but that's a few more generations down the line. I had them all before I was 20. Four times now over the last couple of years my lower left wisdom tooth has gotten infected, taking my tonsels down with it. I got sick of it (literally), so I decided to face my greatest fear.
I am no fan of dentists. I don't like syringes. I have no problem admitting I felt highly uncomfortable lying nearly upside down in my dentist's office early last Monday morning.
- Seems this flap of skin over your wisdom tooth is causing the infection, do you want me to cut the flap off or extract the tooth?
Shit. A scalpell or a pair of tongs, any other options? A magic wand, perhaps? No? Ok.. I told her to get the tooth out, wisdom teeth in my family have rarely caused anything but trouble, so I thought the sooner the better. But the syringe is out sooner than I had expected.
- Open wide.
Pulling teeth out doesn't hurt, it's just so damn uncomfortable. The pricking and tingling from the sedation, then the sensation of inflated lips, the drooling. And of course the part where she starts pushing and pulling and twisting the tooth to get it loose, so that it creaks and cracks throughout the skull. Thank goodness I haven't inherited my mom's teeth, her wisdom teeth didn't have roots, but hooks. Mine was a real beauty.
As I paid an insane amount of money for someone taking something away from me and half an hour of pain (660 NOK, close to 100 USD. Toothfairy refund?), I thought to myself "Well, at least it's over now". Oh, how wrong I was. 4 days later I'm still living on painkillers, and to top it all off my nose has started to run and my throat is sore. Boo hoo. But hey, silver lining: my 31 other teeth are looking good!
Today's thought provoker: Colgate faced a big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command "go hang yourself". Oh, and in China, September 20th is "Love Your Teeth Day".
Earlier considered a sign of maturity. A full, whole set of teeth. Congratulations!
Thank you, where can I return them? Some people are lucky enough to never have them, my grandmother got one at the age of 54. Some scientists say evolution is working on removing wisdom teeth from the human race all together, but that's a few more generations down the line. I had them all before I was 20. Four times now over the last couple of years my lower left wisdom tooth has gotten infected, taking my tonsels down with it. I got sick of it (literally), so I decided to face my greatest fear.
I am no fan of dentists. I don't like syringes. I have no problem admitting I felt highly uncomfortable lying nearly upside down in my dentist's office early last Monday morning.
- Seems this flap of skin over your wisdom tooth is causing the infection, do you want me to cut the flap off or extract the tooth?
Shit. A scalpell or a pair of tongs, any other options? A magic wand, perhaps? No? Ok.. I told her to get the tooth out, wisdom teeth in my family have rarely caused anything but trouble, so I thought the sooner the better. But the syringe is out sooner than I had expected.
- Open wide.
Pulling teeth out doesn't hurt, it's just so damn uncomfortable. The pricking and tingling from the sedation, then the sensation of inflated lips, the drooling. And of course the part where she starts pushing and pulling and twisting the tooth to get it loose, so that it creaks and cracks throughout the skull. Thank goodness I haven't inherited my mom's teeth, her wisdom teeth didn't have roots, but hooks. Mine was a real beauty.
As I paid an insane amount of money for someone taking something away from me and half an hour of pain (660 NOK, close to 100 USD. Toothfairy refund?), I thought to myself "Well, at least it's over now". Oh, how wrong I was. 4 days later I'm still living on painkillers, and to top it all off my nose has started to run and my throat is sore. Boo hoo. But hey, silver lining: my 31 other teeth are looking good!
Today's thought provoker: Colgate faced a big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command "go hang yourself". Oh, and in China, September 20th is "Love Your Teeth Day".
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