If it’s quiet here today…

This little earworm might give you a hint as to where I am today:

Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowin’
I still see her dark eyes glowin’
She was 21 when I left Galveston

Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea waves crashing
While I watch the cannons flashing
I clean my gun and dream of Galveston

I still see her standing by the water
Standing there lookin’ out to sea
And is she waiting there for me?
On the beach where we used to run

Galveston, oh Galveston, I am so afraid of dying
Before I dry the tears she’s crying
Before I watch your sea birds flying in the sun
At Galveston, at Galveston

Taking a much needed beach day.  Will return hopefully with more pictures than sunburns, and without feeding any sharks.  And no, I will not tell you what I think he means by “clean my gun.”

To all my blonde readers:

I love you.  I really do.  But this one is to funny to not post:

A blonde woman was speeding down the road in her little red sports car and was pulled over by a woman police officer who was also a blonde.

The blonde cop asked to see the blonde driver’s license.  She dug through her purse and was getting progressively more agitated.

“What does it look like?” she finally asked.

The policewoman replied, It’s square and it has your picture on it.”

The driver finally found a square mirror in her purse, looked at it and handed it to the policewoman.

“Here it is,” she said.

The blonde officer looked at the mirror, then handed it back saying, “Okay, you can go. I didn’t realize you were a cop.”

It’s really quite atrocious

You probably can’t tell by the way I write (or talk), but I subscribe to a “word a day” email from wordsmith.org. This week they are doing looooong words:

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, noun (NOO-muh-noh-UL-truh-MY-kruh-SKOP-ik-SIL-i-koh-VOL-kay-no-koh-NEE-o-sis, nyoo-)

A lung disease caused by inhaling fine particles of silica.

[From New Latin, from Greek pneumono- (lung) + Latin ultra- (beyond,extremely) + Greek micro- (small) + -scopic (looking) + Latin silico (like sand) + volcano + Greek konis (dust) + -osis (condition).]

Even though we have included the pronunciation of this word, we advise caution lest you may have to avail the services of an otorhinolaryngologist (a throat, nose, and ear specialist).

At 45 letters, it’s the longest word in any English language dictionary. It’s a trophy word — its only job is to serve as the longest word. In day-to-day use, its nine-letter synonyms “silicosis” or “black lung” work just as well, and the latter is more descriptive. Whatever you call it, it is deadly. Here’s the story of an incident.

And what’s the shortest word in the English language? There are a number of them: A, I, O, but we’ll have to give it to I which is the skinniest as well.

-Anu Garg (gargATwordsmith.org)

“This time the messages were longer and nastier. ‘What on earth is the matter with you? Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis?'” Marion Thomas; Mystery Writer; Curriculum Corporation; 1998.