Brand New Day

Although I understand the inclination to start a new calendar year with a new plan, I've never been one to make resolutions. There's nothing wrong with specific goals concerning diet, exercise, creative output, etc., but I don't like to stuff all of that into the beginning of January and hit start. I'd rather take some time to think about my intentions for the coming block of time we label a 'year.' How do I want to feel? What do I want to happen over the next twelve months?

Of course it's easy to get carried away, over-promise and take on too much...I'll do Daily Burn every day, and write a blog post every day, AND send out pitch letters every week...uh yeah...maybe I'll start will realistic goals. I do want to continue to make time to write, which means making space for the muse, who as any artist knows, will show up when (s)he damn well pleases.

Looking at the blank slate of the first month of the coming new year, I'm setting the following intentions:

·         Listen more than talk

·         Make time and space for the muse

·         Observe rather than react

·         Make more time for friends and family

·         Celebrate more

Resolutions need to be kept or we've failed. Intentions can be meditated upon and unfolded as we move through time. The empty page of a new year simmers with possibilities and shines with unlimited potential. 2015, bring it.

Everybody’s Talkin’

As much as I like to joke about the devolving of language being a sign of the coming apocalypse, I have to admit that I'm fascinated by slang. Typing that sentence made me think I should look into the source of the word itself. A quick search of a few online dictionaries revealed that the origin is uncertain, but I did run across a great quote by Carl Sandburg: "Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work." I'm inclined to agree; sometimes, the perfect word is an informal one.

OxfordDictionaries.com's recent quarterly update resulted in about 1000 new terms, including abbreviations and acronyms. So where do these new words come from? What makes a given term come into popular use over another? Social media is obviously the chief instrument in the perpetuation of new slang, but why do certain words become so popular? Do they show up in song lyrics? Celebrity tweets?

Here's a partial list of some of my favorite new additions:

Al desko: Adjective and adverb. Food eaten at one's desk in an office. I've done this way too much lately.

Crony Capitalism: Noun. An economic system characterized by close, mutually advantageous relationships between business leaders and government officials. Did it really take this long to be recognized?

Five-second rule: Noun. A notional rule stating that food which has been dropped on the ground will still be uncontaminated and therefore safe to eat if it is retrieved within five seconds. Again, I thought this one would have been recognized years ago.

MAMIL: Noun. Middle-aged Man in Lycra. A very keen road cyclist, typically one who rides an expensive bike and wears the type of clothing associated with professional cyclists. Anyone who has been on the American River Bike Trail has seen these creatures.

Here are a few I could do without:

Duck face: Noun. An exaggerated pouting expression in which the lips are thrust outwards, typically made by a person posing for a photograph. No. Comment.

Tomoz: Adverb. An abbreviation of 'tomorrow.' You're seriously too busy (or lazy) for that extra syllable?

Xlnt: Adjective. An abbreviation of 'excellent.' Buy a vowel. PLEASE.

I don't necessarily want to see slang creeping into formal communication, and I'm well aware of the fact that the reading level of the average daily newspaper has fallen to about sixth grade, but slang is fun. Language is a living, evolving thing, endlessly fascinating to the word nerds among us.