Top Ten Tuesday

Words. I love love love love love love words. But there are words, words, and WORDS.
You see words are those things you use in normal conversations: push, eat, no, from, the, sun.... on and on, you get it.
Then there are words that are fun and easy to slip into conversations without getting too many raised eyebrows: doldrum, conundrum, cynical, factoid, benevolent, iridescent, and perpendicular.


But then, you have WORDS. Oh, how I adore them. These exist almost solely for the purpose of being obnoxious. So, without further ado, my ten favorite WORDS.



10.

Harbinger

Definition: a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another

Sentence: Eric is the harbinger of death.

Less Obnoxious: Every time I see Eric, I die.

First Google Image Result:

Of all the pictures I expected... this wasn't even close.

All right, this word is fairly common, especially in the harbinger of death example highlighted above. Or maybe that's just my crowd, since I'm not really seeing it in that capacity on Google, I am seeing a video game (?) called Mass Effect that the above picture must be from. Anyway it isn't a word that's easy to squeeze in to conversation, but it sounds wonderfully ominous. 

9. 

Vexillology

Definition: scientific study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general

Sentence: I have a definite interest in vexillology.

Less Obnoxious: I love flags in an intellectual capacity.

First Google Image Result:

And suddenly the harbinger image doesn't seem so weird.

This is the word that launched this list. Apparently people are unfamiliar with the term vexillology and feel that it might be a bit haughty. Well pfffft.

8.

Oology

Definition: a branch of ornithology studying bird eggs, nests and breeding behavior

Sentence: Eric is interested in oology.

Less Obnoxious: Eric is fascinated by crane eggs... and then they die.

First Google Image Result:

So this image is closer to my expectations... but somehow just as creepy. 

You know, calipers would have made another nifty entry on this list.

The reason I love this word rates right up there with my love of the old flag of Libya. Laziness. This is the shortest of all the -ologies. Just stick an extra 'o' on there and you're done. But honestly outside of one episode of Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers I've never seen someone totally focused on eggs.

7. 

Fracas

Definition: a noisy disturbance or quarrel

Sentence: Stop creating such a fracas.

Less Obnoxious: Quiet, you.

First Google Image Result:

So the picture thing was supposed to be serious. But this is quickly becoming ridiculous.

The problem with this word is that during an actual fracas, when you have cause to use it, people will inevitably think you're swearing at them.

6. 

Etymon

Definition: a word or morpheme from which a later word is derived

Sentence: The etymon of etymology is etymon.

Less Obnoxious: Words are often made by other words.

First Google Image Result:

Oh look, etymonart.

There is something super satisfying about the fact that this word - etymon is a word that means... word. Man that's good. Ittttt's the ciiiiiircle of definitioooon!!!


5.

Razzmatazz

Definition: noisy and exciting activity meant to attract attention

Sentence: Eric's fracas was an intentional razzmatazz.

Less Obnoxious: Eric started a fight to get the crane's attention before it laid an egg and died.

First Google Image Result:

The purple isn't surprising but I was expecting sequins...

Does anyone else feel like this word should be associated with jazz music? Double z's are a beautiful gift and this word gives you two.

4.

Canoodle

Definition: kiss and cuddle amorously

Sentence: Do not canoodle with Eric.

Less Obnoxious: Do not engage in PDAs with Eric, unless you like eggs and death.

First Google Image Result:

Awwwww... It only took us six tries to get a picture somewhat along the lines of what I was thinking of.

I must admit, the charm in this word is how old-timey it sounds. But it also sounds like cat fishing. Anywho, I dare you to say it in an appropriate fashion in conversation without feeling totally goofy.

3.

Lollapalooza

Definition: a person or thing that is particularly impressive or attractive

Sentence: Eric the oologist is lollapalooza, I believe I shall invite him to canoodle.

Less Obnoxious: Eric Eggman is quite attractive, I think we should kiss.

First Google Image Result:

Oooh, more etymonart.

I must admit it was that great linguist Tigger that introduced this word to me. I was totally delighted to discover that it is, in fact, a real word - and also a music festival. An impressive music festival I'm sure.

2.

Phantasmagorical

Definition:  having a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination

Sentence: I am the Phantasmagorical One.

Less Obnoxious: I am the Phantasmagorical One.

First Google Image Result:

Another one that actually makes sense. I kinda like this art.

In college I was one of four summer RAs between my junior and senior years. We all had nicknames: the Short One, the Foreign One, the Amazing One, and the Phantasmagorical One - guess which one I was.

1.

Haberdashery

Definition: a men's accessory store; modern usage hat shop (American English)

Sentence: Eric the Oologist owns a haberdashery where you can buy lollapaloozing good hats for canoodling.

Less Obnoxious: Eric the Eggman owns a hat shop with fancy hats of death.

First Google Image Result:

Eric the Oologist in his haberdashery, you may now die. 

Must say that I was quite excited to discover that Christopher Lloyd was a haberdasher at one point in his life.

Although he did give Marty this, so he apparently wasn't the best haberdasher of all time.

There you have it! My top ten favorite WORDS! What are your favorites? This list brought to you by a suggestion of Ann's. What should next week's Top Ten Tuesday be? Let me know!

Top Ten Tuesday

It's already time for another Top Ten Tuesday! I promised that these would range from the traditional to not so common.
This week is something you're not gonna find on many other sites. I've been interested in vexillology for several years, at least since high school, and perhaps a dabbling in middle school. One of my most prized reference books is:

My love.

Believe it or not I basically had this all in my head, I had to double check a few because flags change all the time, one of my old favorites is *alas* no longer.

Quit waiting for the picture to load, it actually is was just green.

What you're looking at is the old (1977 - 2011) flag of Libya. Now, several awesome flags have emblems and meaningful designs, but look at that - it's just green. Literally everyone could freehand that on a social studies assignment to be turned in next period. It's like it has nothing to hide - just you, it, and green.
Now, I focused on national flags to limit the playing field (there is one flag here that does double duty as a religious flag, but is the flag of a state recognized by the UN). I must also say that as a visual person my choices are almost totally aesthetic. So, time to let my freak flag fly high as I present you with my...

Top 10 Favorite Flags

10. Switzerland

I've a special fondness for the flags that don't fit in the usual proportions. Switzerland has a square flag but a pretty low key design knocking it down the list. I've seen a fair number of people confuse this with the Red Cross flag, which is kinda sad considering that the name is the description of their emblem...

See... literally a red cross.

Anyway, even large square flags always look kinda dinky flying from a flagpole (at least to many people from rectangle land), so it has a bit of a cute quaint factor going for it. 

9. Myanmar

Combine one of the most common field designs - the triband - with the most commonly used emblem - the star - and you get the flag of Myanmar. What truly makes this one interesting in my opinion is the fact that the star seems to occupy negative space. I don't know, it almost feels like there is a star shaped hole in the middle of the flag. I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that the main body of the star doesn't quite cover the green band.

8. Norway

There are many variants of cross flags. My favorite style is the Scandinavian cross, and far and away the best of the Scandinavian crosses is Norway's flag. It is sort of the antithesis of the Union Jack. Really I just love the way the three colors (red, white, and blue seem to be very popular in vexillology) come together on this flag. 

Not all of these are technically national flags, but you get the idea. In my mind the two standouts are Norway and Iceland, but Iceland has this whole, 'I wish I were Britain' vibe going on. Plus making red the primary color in the flag's design gives in a more vibrant and exciting feel, as opposed to Iceland's calm, cool, and collected look. All I'm saying is that with the long, dark winters a bright flag might be a bit perkier out there on the flagpole.

7. Kenya

First off, how can you not love that shield design in the middle? It's basically heraldry but from a different continent. Second, this flag is similar in concept to the flag of Swaziland - which actually has a brighter color scheme. But, I've got a fun history with this flag giving it a boost. 

I'm not the best at meeting new people, so when I went to World Youth Day I was nervous about the large crowds. But I also wanted to branch out a little and at least try to mingle during some free time. I walked by group after group looking for someone approachable. But then I saw two young men standing under this flag. I walked over and said, "So, you're from Kenya, right?" They were very excited that I recognized the flag and struck up a fun conversation with me. If only all ice could be broken in this nerdy fashion...

6. Vatican City/ Roman Catholic Church

Here's the other square flag! And the one that is doing double duty as a religious flag. It beats out Switzerland really easily due to the heraldry. I usually go for simpler symbols on flags, heralds and seals tend to get a little convoluted and hard to make out. This one does well by a) limiting its color scheme, b) containing no words, and c) being proportionally larger than most.

Bonus points - Best dressed army:

5. Antigua and Barbuda

Here is a flag that gives me a picture. This could be a picture in a children's book - no problem. "The sun rose above the ocean, near the mountainous land of white beaches." This is one of those flags that undoubtably tells a story. Vexillologists see a flag like this one and immediately start piecing together symbols to find the story.

Interestingly enough, this flag was designed by an esteemed artist, based on a unique, new pattern that you won't find in the old fields. Not a triband, tricolre, or cross design - this instead has the simplistic yet well placed feel of a modern painting. Incidentally those aren't mountains... that's a V for victory. Even the simplest designs still need explanations sometimes.

4. Kiribati

And now from symbolism so easy a mathematician could do it I bring you the flag of Kiribati. A bird, the sun, the ocean. Okay, it is a little deeper than that but you must admit that this is the only flag where the water actually looks like water. The bird is a frigate bird, though greater or lesser isn't made clear in the books I've looked through. If I had to venture a guess it'd be the lesser frigate though since the greater frigate is that bird with the tendency to blow up like a bullfrog.

You know, I'm an adult and that still makes me oddly uncomfortable.

The bird represents power, sea command... and apparently dance. So it could totally be the greater frigate. I mean did you see those sweet moves?

So awkward.

3. Bhutan

Dear Bhutan,

Your flag looks awesome. I mean, there are other dragons on other flags, but yours is the only one that really owns its position. I'm not a detail oriented person normally. More of a big picture sorta gal, but with something as important as a piece of someone's culture I like to get it right. In that capacity your flag gave me nightmares.

Love, Katie

See? No Bhutan yet.

Alright, maybe not nightmares, but I certainly fussed over it a great deal more than was necessary. In college a friend and I painted a mural at a school for adult immigrants and refugees. My portion of the mural was the wall of flags arranged in order based on number of people of that nationality currently attending the school. I can't remember if Bhutan was number one, but it was right up there towards the tippy top. I spent weeks rough drafting, measuring, and painting all the flags, and putting of Bhutan until later because.... well, just look at it. A teeny bit more complex than a star, wouldn't you say? I finally finished Bhutan at the end of four months. The day before I left Omaha for the summer. Nothing like the last minute, eh?

2. Sri Lanka

My love of the non-standard flag was previously mentioned. And Sri Lanka delivers a flag with the largest length to height ratio. The reason it beats out the square guys? The awesome design. Over on the hoist you can see how they incorporated the flag of India, then on the fly you see that awesome thing which I'm pretty sure is supposed to be a lion. Except I'm also pretty sure they don't have lions in Sri Lanka. At least currently. Then again, similar lions feature in Chinese architecture and I'm almost certain they haven't got any lions.

I looked it up and it is indeed a lion. In fact, it is called the Lion Flag, so there you have it. Plus there was a Sri Lankan subspecies of lion... that went extinct around 40,000 years ago. That's a few years before this flag was adopted in 1972.

And our winner is...








1. Nepal

I picked this country as the focus of my high school geography project simply because I wanted to be the lucky person who could slap this baby on the front of my report. I mean look at it, it's glorious.  Five sides, acute angles, odd proportions... Nepal wins the creative design class hands down you guys. Sure, maybe a flag like this is less cost-effective but it certainly makes a statement. This is the kind of flag that purposefully rights non-rhyming poems. Creates Haikus about limericks. Spells its name Kaytea to dare the teachers to say something! Oh wait, that's me. A little rebellious but still totally traditional, Nepal has a flag that speaks to me. 

Right here.

So there they are! My top ten favorite national flags! What are your favorites? Do you even have any favorites? As always, I'm open to suggestions for next week's Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite TV Shows

A new weekly series - premiering on Tuesdays and bringing you the classic Top Ten List for a variety of subjects from the traditional to the off the wall! Sit back and relax as I list for you my...

Top 10 Favorite TV Shows

10. Murder, She Wrote

The first lady of of mystery still reigns supreme. Jessica Fletcher, portrayed by the impeccable Angela Lansbury, is such an icon in the mystery genre that you'd be hard pressed to find a sleuth that doesn't know her. This is a great soft entry into the world of adult television. Still all the excitement of a murder mystery but without the nightmare inducing images found in more modern crime shows. I honed my critical thinking skills trying to solve these mysteries (often in vain) and now find that I can pick up critical details in some newer crime shows. Either the mysteries aren't as complex - or I'm getting better.

9. The West Wing

See... for me this picture is full of questions... from the left:

Why is Sam so isolated? Didn't anyone think to tell Bartlett that that tie was a poor choice?

Did Josh slip a witty insult about Charlie's fashion in just before the picture? 

Did someone knocked something over that C.J. clearly warned them not to?

Is Toby arguing with Thomas Jefferson?

Did Donna just drop some ice down Leo's back?

I totally passed the AP US Gov test three years after taking my government class due to a couple week re-watching this show. Made sure to show its research and include several different aspects of government. One of the first shows I ever watched that wasn't afraid to pull the emotional punches. SPOILER!!!!!!!!! Unless you already know or don't care, just don't bother with the following clip:

This show also chronicles the rise of one of my favorite young actors, one of only two people who will feature in multiple lead roles on this list:

Funny that his early role was the SERIOUS one.

Alright I can't ignore it any more! WHO IS THE GIRL WITH A LOLLIPOP?!?! If it is one of the twins... WHY? She would have been in like... ONE episode!

8. M*A*S*H
One of the best blends of comedy and drama I've ever seen. Of course the drama would come naturally enough, but the comedy was solid gold. I'm in the camp that prefers that later seasons. (Is there such a camp? Somedays it doesn't feel like it. )

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I barely bother with seasons 1, 2, and 3 and only marginally care about season 4. Sorry, but the humor in the early seasons... just isn't as funny. When they discovered that the show didn't have to rely on the escapades of womanizing the show got so much better. And frankly Charles and BJ are two of my favorite characters, especially Charles. I love a great Jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold, though in Charles' case that gold is probably invested somewhere.

7. All Creatures Great and Small

My first foray into the grand world of British television and a beautiful drama. Life is full of death and that is well illustrated here, but the presence of death does not preclude joy, far from it - this is one of the most genuinely joyful shows of I've ever seen. I'm also perhaps hasty to bring up death, for treatment is successful more often than not, but unlike the trend of American shows to present doctors as god-like figures capable of long-shot victories week-after-week this show gives a realistically balanced view. (Granted this is veterinary medicine... but still.)
They used real farm animals and filmed some actual field procedures, making this a thoroughly fascinating show that is NOT for the squeamish. The two younger leads quite often end up examining the business end of a cow. (Hint: the business end is opposite the head.)
The characters are hilarious, touching, frustrating, and oh-so-real - in part because this is a sort of bio-series. Based on the autobiographical books by James Herriot (READ THEM) the show is quite faithful, and adds some new material that doesn't detract from the overall feel. I've loved the three mains from the very beginning:

Technically Trickie-Woo is a guest star...

That man on the far right? He is the other actor that will make a reappearance later - though in not so big a way. Also, these gents must go through more laundry than anyone else in the world, showing up to farms for cases in their suits, sometimes they change or strip, but not always.

6. Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers

I think y'all ought to be impressed that there are only two animated programs on this list. Chip and Dale are my favorite Disney characters but you can make it through the original material in an afternoon. This show sets a rather fun tone to a serious subject, crime, but doesn't talk down to the viewers. All the classic elements are here - femme fatales, an arch-nemesis, internal conflict, and plenty of peril.

Admittedly a low point. But it will get stuck in your head.

5. Merlin

As amazing as fantasy is, it can be really hard to get right in television. Merlin started out a little shaky, the first season playing more like a medieval Scooby-Doo. But when it started founding itself in its mythical roots it turned into one the most brilliant shows ever. If you are familiar with the Arthurian legends you know where this is going, but that doesn't lessen the impact of the finale.

My one and only beef with this show. DRAGON. I hate him. I have strong words that can't be uttered on a public forum that show how I feel about him.

4. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Another great fantasy and the other animated program. I discovered this gem long after its original run and was able to power through the three seasons quite quickly. It is one overarching story - which I LOVE. The characters are lovely and have some of the most thorough development found in any show. Especially Prince Zuko. Plus it gives you a great line to make anything sound more dramatic: "But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked." Try it - it works.

3. Gilligan's Island

No shame. Good, clean fun. Corny, cheap, non-sensical, and brilliant.

2. Psych

The funniest show since the olden days. Of course Psych isn't strictly comedy, it is equally odd couple and crime. Gus and Shawn are perhaps the most perfect duo in  recent television. The rest of the ensemble brings genuine characters together for a fun show that throws us back to the good old-fashioned crime show - gumshoeing takes high precedence over lab procedure and I'm glad for that. Another great note is that you can tell everyone involved was just having fun. Find the behind the scenes footage for proof - but also look at some of the homage episodes. They are among the best (except for that totally creepy penultimate episode). The finale manages to be just about everything it should be, and even though it seemed like the show might lose its footing toward the end it managed to recover for most of the final season. My favorite character is totally Gus, played by the wonderful Dule Hill.

Birthday Cake! What?

Bringing Us to the Winner...

1. Doctor Who

An intro:

I'm a recent comer to the land of Who. Whoville? Can we call it that?

Apparently.

Anyway, I'm so new that I feel a little guilty shooting it to the top. Like I'm betraying the others somehow. I've only seen (almost) all the new run and three classic stories. I'm working on it! 

But if you've followed me for a while or ever talked to me you probably saw this one coming. I mean it takes a special show to get me to dive in so deeply after less than a year (!) to name my cat Sonic Screwdriver. I'm just over two years now in the Whovian brigade and my love is strong as ever as I slowly make my way classicward. Every Doctor brings a little something to the table I've found and I'm quite eager to reach the fifth. I strongly feel that he might be a contender for my favorite incarnation:

I can only imagine that the celery must be a treat for some equine patient.

For now my favorite is totally Matt Smith. He can be totally goofy unlike the other three recent incarnations, but he can also deliver a wicked awesome oratory. I was horribly saddened by his regeneration, but that's life.

There you have it! My (current) top ten favorite TV shows! What are your favorites? What should next week's Top Ten Tuesday be? Let me know!

The Rainforest

Could there be anyplace more colorful than the rainforest? The preschool and Kindergarteners were determined to find out. They came to school to discover this friendly lady (we dubbed her Annie Anaconda) perched above their lockers. (A much better large model than the pirate ship.)

We extended the decor into the classroom with some overhanging leaves and macaws. (I love that they some of them can still recognize a macaw and call it by that name!)

We also had a large amount of bugs to go around the room. (Some of which keep turning up even four months later!)

Sadly, I failed to get pictures of many of our activities... but I managed to capture this one! Crazy chameleons, we read The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle and then painted swirled colors on a paper plate. Then - breaking my rule that a project shouldn't be more work for the teacher than the student - I cut out overlaying plates. Spinning the plate gives the illusion that the chameleon is changing colors. I can't take credit for this awesome craft though, I found the idea here.

It was also during this time that we had a visit from the district librarian. I take Kindergarten to the library once a week, but preschool rarely gets to go, so this was a special event! She read for us one of our all-time favorite books The Hungry Caterpillar. Seriously, this might win a class poll - even against Pete the Cat.

A last picture: Kindergarten teamed up with the 1st/2nd grade class for a science unit all about motion. While the unit was kinda meh overall we had the opportunity to incorporate a fun Inupiat game to illustrate pulling and pushing forces. Here are a couple of girls demonstrating the stick pull.

Pirates

You know what is awesome? In a fictional way, that is? PIRATES! Yes, we had a unit dedicated to those old buccaneers. It was considerably more light-hearted than many of our other units and included a couple of 'just-because' projects.

Torn paper collages. After crafting 3D boats from tin-foil we captured the moment on paper. I make it a point to never 'fix' a child's art. I love that you can see the different methods of thought they all have. Many have some recognizable form of a sail on a mast, but there were a couple of exceptions.

For instance - one might assume this child misunderstood the objective of making a boat and was simply going to town with the ocean. But when I asked him, he explained that it had to look invisible so that his pirates could sneak up on you. Clever.

Or how about this beauty? The ocean is sideways and the ship is upside-down might be the reaction of someone that wants the art to look 'right'. Actually her poor ship had the misfortune to sail over a waterfall... but still in the ocean. ;)

We also made pirate hats and paper bag parrots. We learned to great phonics songs - a song about the letter P and a song about the -ar sound. "A and R for a pirate goes AR, AR, AR!" They each posed in the not-nearly-as-cool-as-the-pyramid pirate ship giving me their saltiest AR!

We also had a program called Junior Achievement come visit, the ladies in our room were phenomenal, but it was a little bit more than the preschoolers were really prepared to work on - worksheets and such just ain't their thing, but the Kindergarteners did great!

Do you have small children? Are fun sensory experiences something you crave? Do you wish water was 20% cooler? The answer. Ummm.... no one can resist these things. They are utterly fascinating, fairly cheap, and technically reusable (I reused mine once, but a large batch takes longer to dry so I just threw them out).

We took some liquid watercolors outside to do some painting on snow before going home. Snow is one of our favorite mediums, plus it is free!

Dot art conversation....
Student: (Thumping away at her paper) Look teacher, I'm making all the people in the world.

Me: Hmmm... that will take a long time. There are an awful lot of people in the world.
Student: (Contemplates paper) Hey, (Friend)! Wanna help me make all the people in the world?

They proceeded to spend the remaining 20 minutes of free time thumping away. I love these moments.

And - just because. Look what Ann found at the store!