Unique Perspective

Word of the day
esoteric - "understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest" or "private; secret; confidential"


Thought of the day
"You can close your eyes to things you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel."  - Unknown


Photo of the Day
Sunset - 22 April 2011

Definitions

Word of the day
pariah - "an outcast"

from the Tamil language, meaning "drummer". Drummers were among the lowest social rank in the former caste system of India



Thought of the day
"Words differently arranged have different meanings, and meanings differently arranged have a different effect" -Blaise Pascal



Image of the Day
Full moon from April 17

Uninhibited

Word of the day
lebensraum - "space required for living, growth, and development"


Thought of the day
"I'd rather regret what was said than what was kept silent." - Jeje Strobe


Photo of the Day
A small flowering Rhododendron plant, possibly and Azalea. I tried, but I didn't have the patience to look up exactly which species this one is.

Lifetime Distractions

Word of the day
bailiwick - "a person's area of experteise or interest"


Thought of the day
"Games are the outelets for the devils inside of us" - Jeje Strobe
(see explanation here)


Photo of the Day
Bumbler  - Spring is in full bloom here as the bees seek out the sweet-smelling flowers.

The Difference

Word of the day
perspicaciousness - "keenness of perception and discernment"


Thought of the day
"Forget the peanut gallery, I'm the trail mix gallery" - Mathew Strobeck


Photo of the Day
Leucophyllum frutescens - Texas Sage, Texas Ranger, Silverleaf, Cenizo

An evergreen shrub native to Texas and northern Mexico, it is not actually related to sage. With wonderfully fragrant summer-blooming flowers, it is used as for hedges and ornamental uses in warm, dry climates, as it requires minimal watering.

Patience

Word of the day

sitzfleisch - "the ability to sit through or tolerate something boring." OR "the ability to endure or persist in a task" 

Thought of the day

"A good memory is one trained to forget the trivial" - Cliff Fadiman

Photo of the Day 

nerium oleander - Oleander (USA), Rosa Laurel (Mexico)

After two hours of searching, I finally discovered the name of this wonderful-smelling, November-blooming shrub. It is native throughout the Mediterranean countries, from Portugal through the Arabian penninsula, even sporadically all the way to southern Asia. Growing up to 20 feet tall and hardy even in drought conditions, it is the most poisonus common ornamental plant if ingested (not recommended).

Not So Scary

Word of the day

triskaidekaphobia - "fear of the number 13"

Thought of the day

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself." - Amelia Earhart

Photo of the Day 

Lucifer - crocosmia paniculata 

Native to South Africa, crocosmia is a subspecies of iris, most of which grow as shrubs no more than 3 feet tall. The family paniculata, however, can grow up to 6 feet. Lucifer is the most common plant of this size, although there are others.

Culture

Word of the day

edios - "The formal sum of a culture, its intellectual character, ideas, etc"

Thought of the day

"Science fiction deals with improbable possibilities, fantasy with plausible impossibilities."

 - Miriam Allen de Ford

Photo of the Day

Sunset, March 6

Sunset is typically more vibrant than sunrise due to extra particles in the air, such as dust and pollution, which scatter the light more as the sun sets. Overnight, many of these particles settle to the ground.

Vacancy

Word of the day

lacuna - "an empty space, gap, missing part, or opening" 

Thought of the day

"The end is where we start from" - Torchwood television series

Photo of the Day

cloud formation - altocumulus tratiformis perlucidus undulatus

altocumulus - cumulus (puffy) clouds between 6,500 - 18,000 ft high

traitformis - stretching in long rows

perlucidus - with noticeable gaps between

undulautus - and which look like ripples

These types of clouds can be created when a warm front slides over the top of a cold front. It is more usual to see formations with the smaller ripples.

Beguiling Fish

Word of the day
Beguiling - "to influence by trickery or flattery." Also, "to charm, divert, or distract"


Thought of the day
"Don't be a fish on a tree" - Margaret Davaz


Photo of the Day
Cherry Plum Tree - prunus cerasifera

Native to Europe and Asia, it is used as an ornamental tree which blooms from mid-February to mid-September.