HobbyScope

Category: Thoughts

  • Debugging Life

    Debugging Life

    I need the key to see life’s cause-and-effect. Why do life events play out the way they do? Is there anything we can ultimately control? What if…

  • A Life Evolved

    A Life Evolved

    As another birthday comes and goes, beyond being thankful to have another year to mark and possessing the relative good health of an elder Millennial whose knees abhor squatting and who reflexively grunts when bending over, I found myself contemplative of where life had taken me and how I now viewed the myriad events of…

  • The Last Dandelion

    The Last Dandelion

    My eyes traced along my typical mowing path, noting each obstacle and nuance from the prior year. Then, they suddenly stopped and snapped back to an unexpected sight, and alarm bells sounded. There, rising defiantly above the grass, was a yellow-headed demon.

  • Word Tales: Supercilious

    Word Tales: Supercilious

    Supercilious is a fun word, in that haughty, disapproving sense.

  • Word Tales: Hedonism

    Word Tales: Hedonism

    Here’s a word for you: hedonism. If there is a list of words in the English language that can conjure images in one’s head, hedonism should definitely be on it. Merriam-Webster defines hedonism as the following:   When I hear “hedonism”, I immediately assume it is referencing unsavory or very adult activities (not assuming the…

  • Word Tales: Illaudable

    Word Tales: Illaudable

    We are dealing with the “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” descriptor of deeds. “Illaudable” is one of those words that has a perfect antonym counterpart. Can you guess its meaning?

  • A Collecting Comeback

    I want them all. I want to catch them all. I want to collect them all. Sometimes, it just feels good to be a kid again. My collecting itch went into hibernation but re-emerged with a vengeance.

  • Word Tales: Xiphoid

    Most famous for its use as an adjective in medical terminology with the “xiphoid process”, the word appropriate for common usage.

  • Word Tales: Urbane

    Merriam-Webster defines urbane as “notably polite or polished in manner”. I’ve also seen the words “suave” and “sophisticated” used as defining benchmarks. That really makes “urbane” a life goal, doesn’t it?

  • Word Tales: Prestidigitation

    Here’s a fun word for you: prestidigitation. According to the vocabulary-building resource of Merriam-Webster, prestidigitation means “sleight of hand”, which conjures specific examples in the mind.