You don't know what you don't know

Have you ever been talking to someone who used a word you did not know, and been so embarrassed that you let the person continue talking so he or she would assume you knew it? I haven’t, but I’ve heard about people who have. (Just kidding, of course I have!) If someone used a word you didn’t know, did you:  A) Ask what it meant, or B) Continue the conversation as if you understood, and then looked it up later?

If you chose “A,” then you are an honest person who recognizes the fact that you are not perfect, and cannot know everything. If you chose “B,” then this word’s for you: “Macroverbumsciolist,” which means a person who pretends to know a word, then secretly refers to a dictionary. (It also means someone who is unfamiliar with big words.)  

So the next time someone uses the word “macroverbumsciolist,” you won’t have to be a macroverbumsciolist!

Write soon,

Mary

Who can blame you?

OK, so here’s why I didn’t write much today. 1) I’m doing laundry for other people in this house. 2) I’m entering grades for my students in the computer so they can see how much work they need to do to pass the class. 3) I’ve been sick because one of my students probably gave me a bad cold, so I’m not feeling creative.  4) I have to go to the library and return my own books because my daughter went to college in another state and can’t run simple errands for me like she used to. 5) My son is too young to drive to the library by himself.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s Blame Somebody Else Day! So, go for it, and blame other people for anything you want. It’s kinda fun! Here’s the website, and you can blame me if you spend too much time looking up funny national days and not doing what you should be doing! http://all-funny.info/real-list-of-national-days

Write soon (but if you don’t, blame somebody else!),

Mary

It was a dark and stormy night

The official deadline of April 15 is fast approaching for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (you know, the bad writing contest). Each entry must consist of a single sentence of any length, but the website strongly recommends entries not go beyond 60 words. You may enter as many times as you like, and entries must be original and unpublished.

Entries will be judged by categories, from “general” to detective, western, science fiction, romance, and others. There will be overall winners as well as category winners.

The official deadline is April 15. The actual deadline is June 30, so you still have plenty of time. Check out some of the past winners on the website: http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/

 

Write (badly) soon,

Mary