It's Been A While...

eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious: good

eagre: a sudden rise of tide in a river

eburnean: of or like ivory, ivory-colored

effulge: to shine out, to beam

emicate: to sparkle

So, it's been a while since I last posted, but this time, I am resolved to become better about posting regularly. I decided to focus on some Excellent E words, seeing as most grading systems skip the letter Entirely. Speaking of grades, I took a practice PSAT today. My teachers swear that we shouldn't worry about college yet, seeing as it is still two years away, but when they make us start thinking about things like the PSAT and SAT and merit scholarships, it doesn't really foster ignorance.

Anyways, the weather here has been beautiful. It's finally getting chilly, and the leaves are starting to turn. I love those odd mornings in October (like this morning) when you wake up and it is so foggy, it just seems like an elf is going to walk out from behind a tree, or something magical like that. Or, sometimes, it rains so heavily that you can only see lines of rain drops, blown by the wind in one direction, and you sit at home and drink tea and read Jane Austen. Days like that make the world seem so small and cozy and beautiful.

Prompt: Write a story involving a spork, a stormy night, and a brand new bicycle. Bonus if you use one of the "e" words above :)

An Olio of Words!

olio: (n.) a miscellany or hodgepodge; a dish of many different ingredients

philter: (n.) a potion, charm, or drug supposed to cause the person taking it to fall in love, usually with a specific person; a magic potion for any purpose

funambulist: (n.) a tightrope walker

paradisiacal: (adj.) of, like, or befitting paradise

Well, today just happens to be Valentine's day, and I thought it would be fitting to post at least one word about love, right? I don't want to be a thief, so the picture on the left is a fabulous photo by RafiMI. I got the other one off of a Google search, so I don't exactly have a verifiable source. Anyway, happy Valentine's day!

Sleeping

somnambulism: the act of sleepwalking

somniloquence: the act of talking in one's sleep

somnial: of, like, or pertaining to one's dreams

somniate: to dream

somnifacient: sleep-inducing

somnipathy: sleep produced by hypnotism or meserism; a disorder of sleep

somnolent: half asleep

So, I've decided to start putting more words on each post, and less about me. Sounds good, right? I have actually been thinking a lot about sleep lately :) Maybe it's because I'm not getting enough lately! Hopefully, this content of more words/less me will motivate me to post more often, right? I think that it will.

Prompt (look at the picture on the left): I have dreamed of this life before....

Ponceau

ponceau: poppy red

Hello! So, this one's about poppies. Well, actually, the color, but poppies are cool enough to be this whole post's topic. The reason I chose ponceau was because, when I was in 5th grade, I was a munchkin in the local high school's musical (The Wizard of Oz). It was super awesome, and I had so much fun. But, there was the one part where the Wicked Witch poisoned the poppies to make Dorothy et al. fall asleep. In our version, the Wicked Witch sprayed a perfume bottle and said "Poppies! Poppies! Poppies!" It was wicked (haha, I'm so punny). So, that scene is actually what comes to mind when I think of poppies. Well, that and Inkheart (Cornelia Funke). And the Warriors series. But I won't get into those now...

So, again, I don't have a prompt, but yeah. Writing. It's good for you. Do it!

Cabochon

cabochon: highly polished convex gem

Hello all! So today's post is about cabochons (is that the right plural? I'm not sure.)When I saw this word on the Phrontistery, I had a total 'blast from the past.' When I was in elementary school, I loved gemstones, and I had a little pocket handbook about them that I read multiple times. I was such a nerd :)

I'm sorry, but I don't have a prompt. I'm writing this relatively early, but I had to get up at 6 am to 'practice for school.' So, I'm tired and don't have those creative juices flowing yet.

PS: I'm apologizing too much, aren't I? Oh well.

Hippocrepian

hippocrepian : horseshoe-shaped

Hello friends! So, today's post is about horseshoes. This is a photo of a horse made out of horseshoes. Isn't that awesome? I think this is out somewhere in the midwest, like in one of those states that begin with an 'i'. So, yeah. When I saw this, I kind of freaked out because it's so cool.

Prompt: What would you think if this horse came alive and walked past you on the street? Describe the scene. How would you feel? What would the general public reaction be? Would this horse make noise when it walked? What would it sound like? Could someone ride it?

Obeliscolychny

obeliscolychny: a lighthouse

Ahh. I love the ocean. I've written so many poems about it, it's not even funny. This lovely picture is of the Point Arena lighthouse. It's one of the many in California. Actually, my family stayed there overnight once last summer. We stayed in one of the little itty bitty cabins you can barely see on the right of the lighthouse. It was so breathtaking. I miss living by the ocean :(

So, yup. Prompt: the ocean compelled her to... (so, base a story or poem off of that. or other type of creative writing. heck, make a scrap books page, if you want!)

Sacchariferous

sacchariferous: bearing sugar

Soo, yeah. I know sugar cubes aren't exactly sacchariferous, but they are made of sugar. Whenever I see the word 'sugar,' my "knee-jerk" reaction (as my mother would say) is candy. Then sugar cubes. These cubed pieces of sugar have flowers and fruit on them! I was amazed when I saw this. There are a few more pictures of these tea party treats here.

I'm sorry, but I don't really have a writing prompt today. I'm kind of preoccupied because I'm being badgered to clean(oops. I guess I wasn't actually straightening up the table...).

Holt

holt: a woody hill or grove

Isn't that pretty? The person who took that picture used something with infra-red to make the trees white. (Sorry, I'm not photography expert...sadly)

Doesn't it just look like the trees are covered in down feathers? Actually, speaking of feathers, we watched the show Wipeout last night. One of the things the contestants had to do was run on a spinning wheel in footie pajamas while jumping over a spinning bar with evil sheep on it while people threw feathers, pillows, and stuffed animals at them. (Yes, it was just as crazy as it sounds). All to get $50,000! I think that would be fun.

So, yea. Prompt: What would it be like to live in a world where ordinary things were extraordinarily colored? What would it change? Describe a scene in this world, paying close attention to the different things.

Ianthine

ianthine: violet-colored

Hello dear readers who have not given up hope on me yet! I'm so terribly sorry that I haven't written in forever. Seriously. Can you find it somewhere in your lovely hearts to forgive me?

*****

So, now that we've cleared that up :) let's get on to ianthine. Isn't this flower just beautiful? I didn't really want to put a stock photo of a violet, and even though 'tis more magenta than ianthine, I like it. Plus, it really captures the beauty and fragility of the freshly opened flower. (Oh, look at me. Now I sound like a writer! Yippee!)

Prompt: Write about overdrawn flowers. Is it possible to capture the beauty of the delicate petals with just words and ink?

Or, if that doesn't suit your fancy,

Write about where you would find this flower. Does it look strange and alien? Could you stumble upon it while trekking through the vast jungles of South America? Would it be hanging in vines off of the baobab trees in Africa? What would you be doing there?

Knosp

knosp: unopened bud of a flower, ornament shaped like a bud

I love this  picture of the sunflower bud. It is just beautiful; especially the orange tint that the flowers have compared to the green. It makes me smile. Before we moved, we used to live near a community garden that our friends had a plot on. They would grow sunflowers, and the stalks would get so tall that the heavy flowers would be hanging over the fences! Not to mention the tomatoes that they grew (those were the best)... Ah well. 

Sorry about the promptlessness of this post, but I couldn't think of anything and Easter egg dying was calling!

Abyssopelagic

abyssopelagic: of, like, or pertaining to the depths of the ocean

I love this picture. You have to admit, it's really awesome. Especially the way that the sun is shining through the water and the people are silhouetted. I just can't stop looking at it! It makes me think of when I visited Pittsburgh and my friends who live there, and we went to the zoo.  There was a polar bear exhibit, and it looked like the little brother of this picture, but it was really cool. 

Prompt: What goes on at the bottom of the sea that most people don't know about? Is there a pocket of air where Atlantis is? Are there creatures that have yet to be discovered (well, yes there are, but fantasy creatures, not just fish)? 

Toxiferous

toxiferous: producing or bearing poison

I always love words with "x" in them. They just sound so awesome! Plus, I love toadstools. They are soo cute! (Whenever I think of poison, for some reason I think of 1. Arsenic and Old Lace, and 2. Toadstools)

By the way, Isn't this cake awesome? I just love all of the details, and it makes me wish it were real. Oh well.

Prompt: What would living in a little village, like the one shown in the picture, be like? To be an inch tall compared to how tall you are now? What would you think, looking at your human self? What would happen if an animal came to your village?

PS: I am so very very very sorry that I have not posted for three months. I know, I'm a bad person. Shame on me. What have you

Ranunculaceous

Ranunculaceous: of, like, or pertaining to buttercups

Okay. First of all, I want to apologize for not posting in FOREVER. I have been lazy and procrastinatory (if that really is a word). I will really try better this time!

Now...buttercups! Have you ever picked one and held it up to your chin to see if you like butter? That was one of the major staples of my summers in Princeton, going up to everyone to see if it was true. It was really just the reflection.... *sigh*

Prompt: I'm sorry, I don't really have one. :( More Next time!!!!

Galimatias

galimatias (gal-i-may-shi-us): gibberish, nonsense, a confused mixture of unrelated things

Do you ever wish that you had your own language? I don't know, maybe something that looked like that (--->)? I was just looking around on the Phrontistery and found this word. It's from the French apparently, and it sounds awesome. Wouldn't you just love to walk up to someone and tell them their ideas are galimatias? As the creator of the Phrontistery put it, "This very cordial-sounding word is extraordinarily useful in contexts where one wishes to inform someone that their ideas are bafflingly ridiculous and incoherent without seeming overly impolite. It combines the senses of 'incoherent' and 'ridiculous' into a unique and useful term." Plus, most often, people have no idea what it means! Yay!

Prompt: What could be hidden in the computer gibberish? A hidden message? A national secret? Or maybe it's from the aliens (yes, aliens, like in Ender's Game, which I'm reading right now...yay!), telling us the world is about to be destroyed...

Nacreous

nacreous: of or resembling mother-of-pearl

Isn't this pretty? I mean, everyone has seen shiny pearl stuff like this before, but has anyone ever seen it so green? I always thought of mother-of-pearl was purplish and swirly. I don't know. I just love this color!

I can't really think of any good prompts...but here's one that *might* be okay.

Oysters aren't all that glamorous on the outside, but on the inside, they can look like this. What else has a boring exterior, but is just bursting with [character? beauty?] on the inside?

(Yes, I know it's really lame. I told you it *might* be okay...)

Floatant

floatant: agent causing flotation

Today has been an awesome day. I got a free balloon! As an *almost* high schooler, that's a pretty amazing thing. Plus, I'm getting to bake home made marshmallows! Yay! Aren't balloons just spirit-lifting? Whenever I see one, it just makes me smile (like this :D). Since seeing Up (which, by the way, is awesome), I've loved them even more!

*99 red balloons!

Prompt(s):

1. Why would these balloons have been let go? Dramatic effect? Symbolism? Pure accident?

2. What would it feel like to be one of these balloons, finally free? Would you enjoy it, or miss the safety of being on a string?

Herpetoid

herpetoid: of, like or pertaining to snakes

All right. All you Indiana Jones fans out there, this one's dedicated to you! A DYK (did you know) moment! DYK that in the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, (the part where he lands in the snake pit and is face to face with the cobra --->) you can see the reflection of the glass that separates Indie from the cobra? It was pointed out to me after like, my millionth time watching it, and I'd never noticed it till now! Anywho, I just thought I would share that!

And now, for the prompts (yes! as in two, well, not really, they're kind of related...)

1. If you were the snake, the leader of the clan (if you will), and a strange creature fell into your home, killed some of your clan, and was now face to face with you, what would you be thinking?How would you react?

2(ish). If you were a fearless adventurer, well, fearless except for one fear, what would it be? Would it be snakes? Spiders? The sun? Why? Give a back story...

Baccate

baccate: having berries; berry-like

Am I the only one who loves Summer for its desserts? I mean, come on. Blackberry cobbler with vanilla icecream? Grandma's apple pie? All of those fruits that are amazingly ripe during the Summer? Makes me wish that it wasn't just during then (instead of now, in the dead of winter, when all berries are incredibly overpriced). Oh well.

Prompt: What is your favorite *childhood* memory of summer? dessert? spending time with family? (yes, yes, i know it's one of those "dime a dozen" prompts, but hey, it fits with the picture!)

PS: I'm sorry I haven't kept on schedule with these posts! I'll try to do better (hopefully)...

Auriphrygia

auriphrygia: gold embroidery

Isn't this so pretty? What if someone was wearing a dress that was covered in embroidery like this? I think it would be really heavy! But, there would be *practically* a halo around it from all of the light bouncing off it!

I'm really sorry that I don't have a prompt today. I have to study for exams (which are next week!!)