… of the Week (#13):

This week – Word of the Week (#12):

soss

v. To fit lazily on a chair; to fall at once into a chair.

If anybody’s reading, sorry for the break in posts, I’ve not had the best of times lately. I am hoping that I’m back on track now, although my coursework levels are set to soar again tomorrow, so don’t hold it against me if I’m not quite able to spring back into positivity (never really my strong suit anyway if I’m honest).

New Year Blues

I don't really have the time to write this - to much Uni work still to do. However, I've just had a panic attack and am trying to stave off the next one.

I'm aware that people in the past have permanently stopped reading my blog because of posts like this, and I'm quite happy for you to stop doing so too, although my only query would be 'why are you here in the first place?' This site was originally set up, as a part of my therapy, as a place where I could let rip in a way that I never could in person or in a diary. So, posts like this basically fulfil that remit, and if you don't like it, you are quite welcome to leave or silently curse me, but please don't post comments about how I should pull myself together/stop whining/get on with it etc. because doing this in this limited arena is aimed at helping me do just that in the real world.

Frankly, I don't care if no one reads my blog, for me it's all about the potential for anonymity, and although I am quite often really personal, this feels somewhat more detached. On here I can focus on my grammar and spelling, and the blog layout. It is precisely that focus - which I cannot achieve in conversation, that helps me to lessen the effects of a panic attack.

Of course, if you are reading this, then welcome and thank you very much. I am not completely anti-readers - on the internet that would be pretty stupid - it's only ignorant people that I don't like, but then I'm sure you're not. I'm also not anti-comments, and if you have some advice, some (constructive) criticism of myself or my blog, or just generally want to say hi, then I'd love to hear from you.

I had meant to do a bumper edition of ... of the Week this week, to make up for the silence over Christmas, but this will have to wait, as I really should be getting on with my coursework. I am very stressed, and this has probably contributed to the panic attack, not helped at all by finding out that I failed the last piece of (easier) coursework for this unit. I'm in a bit of a low state in general right now, and next week I think I might talk to my tutor about leaving/taking some time off, but I have two deadlines before that and so I'd better get on.

If you've made it this far, thank you and congratulations. Your prize is the answers to my Christmas Tree quiz, and my Word of the Week: Trepidation.

Oh Christmas Tree... (Christmas Competition)

Two posts in one day! I'm making up for a few lost days.

I know that it's still quite early, but since I will be going to London next Friday I am, as always, having one week's Christmas in Bristol. I don't go mad, but I do draw my own tree on my whiteboard. This year, I decided to let out my tree's inner 'anorak' and have highly symbolic, uber geeky decorations. To make it a little more exciting, I've decided to set you guys a challenge:

• There are 13 'baubles' and a 'star' on my tree, and each one is a reference to something I love and am considered geeky about.
• You will earn a point for each of the 14 symbols you can recognise, and hopefully everyone knows what points mean - Prizes!
• The first 3 people, if any, to get over 10 points (without help) will receive a prize, hopefully related to their own personal area of geekiness, but possibly just chocolate...

Small Print:

Don't put your answers in a comment as this will help others and render the game somewhat pointless. It's probably best to email me, or send me a message on Facebook where the game will also be posted. Some of the pictures, are really obscure/rubbish, since they were drawn by me - who is a bit of an obscure person at the best of times, and I'm also not known for my artistic skill. As such, if I get lots of complaints, I will lower the prize threshold; I'll keep you posted on that.

... of the Week (#12):

This week - Word of the Week (#11):

boffin

n. Possibly an acronym taken from the Armed Forces, meaning 'Back Office Intelligence'.

The etymology of this word is actually uncertain, but I have presented my personal favourite theory. Having had this word levied at me as an insult for the majority of my school career, this post is aimed at reclaiming it as a positive word. I was always proud to be called a boffin, and I would like to think that this definition may help others too.
If you are unsure of how to use it, think of it as the original English version of the now commonly used Americanism - geek.

This post is a couple of days late due to a horrific coursework load, sorry about that. Apologies also for the somewhat lacklustre words lately, I will soon be returning to London and the majority of my books, so hopefully I'll be able to share some more unusual/fun words over the Christmas period.

... of the Week (#11):

This week - Word of the Week (#10):

sesquipedalian

n. Given to using long words. Related to sesquipedalia which means a very long word (often described as a foot and a half long.