The Obscure of the English Language

Hello!! It's been quite a while! I've been settling in to my new place (still not done) and exploring. My dad and sis came to visit the other weekend...they took my car home with them. I am now officially stuck.

When they were here, I showed them around a bit. I think the only thing we really did in Brooklyn was the Prospect Park Farmer's Market. We had apple cider donuts, chocolate milk (Which is evidently usually made from bloody milk - I don't find this out til the week after. Ew.), and some really good nectarines. But my favorite find at the market was Nicola and the Newfoundlander.


Nicola and the Newfoundlander was set up at a little table on a corner across the street from the market. Their clocks were what first caught my eye. Then the Newfoundlander (the non-female, so by process of elimination...) then explained the work, and I got really excited about these magnets! More so, I got excited about what they're about.

First of all, I should say that everything is made from reclaimed wood - he specifically mentioned wood from Brooklyn water towers, the Coney Island boardwalk, and wine barrels. And these magnets that I'm now in love with feature words forgotten from the english language, words that have no equal. Some are beautiful, many are ironic, and all are due for a comeback. Take it in.

petrichor - the smell of rain on dry earth

maieutic - to give birth to ideas

ploiter - to work with little purpose

zizany - a bad apple that spoils the bunch

vicambulist - a person who wanders the city streets

fey - having a strange, almost other-worldly, whimsical charm

ergophobist - one who fears work

mungo - one who finds beautiful things in the trash

kakistocracy - a government run by its worst citizens

rememble - a false memory

dulosis - the enslavement of ants by ants

limerence - the first moments of love

malist - one who thinks this is a terrible world, but not the worst of all possible worlds

musophobist - one with a deep and sustained fear of poetry

*interesting fact: Only half of these words got the squiggly red underline when typed.

I don't know about you, but hearing of these words (especially knowing that some of them passed the spell check) made me really think about the english language, how limited it can be, and how we limit ourselves even more by using only a few of the words available. I also laugh a little. I know plenty of ergophobists, but I believe I have yet to meet a musophobist. I shouldn't laugh, I apologize.

you can also visit their etsy shop

The Commute

I feel like I should write something about New York so far. You can't just up and move to New York and not write anything. I'm just trying to decide what's worthy of an entry.

Well, I've become a New York commuter. Except I do a commute that nobody in their right minds would do: Queens to Brooklyn. I have to be at work at 9:00. So I leave at 7:30. First day? I was half an hour late. Granted, it was because of random train delays and stops. But still. Anyway, I was pretty much on time the rest of the week. The subway is weird. It's incredibly boring and interesting all at once. I think that's what I'll talk about.

I say boring because there's so much waiting. And it's so dark. You're under ground. In other cities you might be driving or taking a bus to and from work. Both are outside, with the sun shining in and sights passing by. The subway is a little depressing in that way. But it's a great place to people-watch.

I've been serenaded four times on the subway, and heard one very long sob story (we're talking 2 stops worth of harships). I love the random music. There was one guy with a guitar, two mariachi bands (yes, I am just that lucky), and my favorite, an Alanis Morisette type. It seemed like the perfect location for acoustic Alanis-type music.

There have been some interesting people near me, too. One man was standing on a napkin. I didn't think he was aware at first, but then he moved. He realized the napkin was no longer under his shoe and made the extra effort to cover it. It went on like this for a while, and I never did figure out his reasoning.

One guy was reading a newspaper printed on light salmon-colored paper. I had never seen this before. I saw it later and read the title, the Financial Times.

Another was a couple who were playing a guessing game. He said, "Okay, you get three questions." I thought oh cute they're on their first date. Her first was, "Is it something I would wear?" Okay, so he bought something for her, and was letting her guess. What could I do but guess myself? I know this all sounds very intrusive, but you have to understand this train was extremely empty, and they were sitting next to me. Not using their six-inch voices. I'm pretty sure he bought her a necklace.

One day there was a hornet in the train. It only landed next to me once, but I was not a fan.

You should know, people in New York are so friendly. Don't let someone tell you otherwise. You can ask anyone a question and always get an answer. One lady (much older) even got off of the train and walked me to the right train. I understood where to go long before we got there, but she was just too sweet. New Yorkers are just more blunt sometimes, and maybe have shorter tempers. But they're humans, too, and chances are they know what it's like to be in your shoes. Whatever your problem, there's usually a helping hand.

Well, I have news. I found an apartment in Brooklyn! It's in this amazing brownstone in Park Slope, and I couldn't have found a better place. This is means I will no longer be such an avid commuter. Which is both good and bad news. My days will be both less boring and less interesting all at once. Less suits.