It's Chucking Cold

When I pulled into the parking lot at work this morning, I saw ladders and men on the roof. "Oh, no!" I thought to myself. "Don't tell me that on the coldest morning of the year, the heat is out!" There was "something" wrong with it, because it wasn't as warm in here as it should have been, but thank God it wasn't completely freezing. They seem to have fixed the problem because it feels much better now. It's warming up outside, too. I think it's up to about 22 degrees now. Heat wave!

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How many of us employ the use of onomatopoeia in our writing? Onomatopoeia is defined as a word that imitates the sound it represents. Some common examples could include: buzz, crash, whirr, clang, hiss, purr, squeak, mumble, hush, and boom. Or, "Quack, quack said the duck." Are y'all remembering to feed Pink Duck?

How about alliteration, which occurs when the initial sounds of a word, beginning either with a consonant or a vowel, are repeated in close succession?

Examples:
Athena and Apollo
Nate never knows
People who pen poetry

Or

"She picks purple peppers."

There's a lot of testosterone flowing in the building today. I'm thinking that if I start chucking Chupacabra cojones, I can always claim I'm just practicing my alliteration.

Do you use much of either onomatopoeia or alliteration (or both) in your writing? It turns up in mine occasionally, usually completely by accident. I like it when that happens. Most of the time accidents are best avoided, but I do get a kick out of literary accidents.

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Is it weird that I use my cell phone only for talking? Am I in the minority there? New phone models come out all the time. They're sleek and colorful and -- pretty. With them, you can check your e-mail, play music, take pictures, text message, IM, or even -- call someone. I don't think it's such a great idea to be driving down the road IMing. If I'm somewhere without access to a computer, it's probably just as well that I wait 'til I get back to check e-mail. Maybe that's just me, but I do think the highways are safer without me driving with one hand and text messaging with the other. I love a good computer but ... not that much.

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Feel like ranting about road rage? So are the folks at these sites. There's some really funny stuff on them.

http://www.platewire.com/

http://www.aboveaveragedriver.com/

http://www.roadragers.com/search

youparklikeanasshole.com -- You can actually print out notices to place on offending drivers' cars here.

http://www.startribune.com/a2188

http://www.startribune.com/roadguy


We had to bundle up today to go chasing down Words Gone Wild, but no worries. This is Twisted Linguistics. We're tough.

oppossed - Tyranny among possums.

creatind - The ability to pull something clever out of one's butt.

girlfirnd - A lonely boy's companion.

intice her to come down - I think this guy is going to have to try harder.

My books was for sale - Mmm-hmm.


This is a fun quiz -- Which Lord of the Rings character are you?

What LoTR Character Are You?

You are most like Arwen. Calm and reserved, you are not given to sudden outbursts. You conduct yourself with dignity...most of the time. The rest of the time you cut loose you are totally cool. You don't really think of yourself as popular, but plenty of people like you. You are not given to needless flirting. The right person will come along some day, and you are content to wait.