Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Squeeeeeeze!!!!!!!!!!

Squeeze has just announced that they will be playing Coachelle on April 14t and 21st. Technically, I could attend either show and, if I sold body parts, perhaps both. But, I have a problem.

This would be yet another trip I take by myself, just like London. My normal travel buddy can't go. I suppose it's okay, but after a while I start to feel like a loser just hanging out on my own and it sure would be nice to have a little company.

My second concern revolves around the possibility of other dates. I've been hanging on to my personal days (three of them) thinking that Glenn Tilbrook might swing through for a few dates in the spring. Of course, his website shows nothing about US dates. To be honest, every time I've ever left a question for management to answer, I heard nothing. Will Squeeze have more dates?

So, now I have to decide what I'm going to do. Should I book another solo flight for myself? How long should I wait for other dates to be posted? Maybe they'll perform closer to home.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Word of the Week

Late last week, I asked my FB friends to nominate cliche phrases that they'd like to see disappear. They offered up several useless, trite sayings such as: "just saying," "my bad," "it is what it is" and others. Lake Superior State University (in the UP) creates a list of words or phrases to be banished in the coming new year.

Vocabulary and word choice are two issues I address quite clearly with my students when we are reading. Why did the author use that word and not this one? Additionally, I try to challenge my students to step up their vocabulary and I never speak down to them. If I use a big fancy word, I write it down for them and give them a brief definition. I'm always a bit pleased with how many will write that word down some place and some will even take it out for a test drive in a discussion or a piece of writing.

I think I would be remiss if I passed up this teachable moment and not offer up some more precise and eloquent replacement words. I'll make this list alphabetical and I ask you to use the word (or a variation of it) in the comments.

This week's word is - admonish (verb) 1. to warn or express displeasure in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner or 2. to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement.

* All definitions are taken from an old-fashioned dictionary that sits on my book shelf: Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition, 1997