David Zapatka While reading Esoteric Astrology by Alice A Bailey, I read, “He is instantly aware, once he is spiritually awakened, of his motivating impulses, and this leads him to an imposed self-discipline-the thing the Leo subject sorely needs and which must always be self-imposed and self-applied for he brooks no disciplinary measures which others…
Tag: Word of the Month
June 2024, Features
Word of the Month: Chimichurri
David Zapatka One of my favorite dishes on cruise ships is fish al fresco, “fish cooked and eaten in the fresh air.” This means the executive chef purchases fresh-caught fish in the ports, displays them in the outdoor grill section of the ship, then cooks them to order. One of my favorites is chimichurri on…
May 2024, Features
Word of the Month: Batten
David Zapatka While cruising around Asia, we heard we were going to encounter rough seas. Soon enough, we saw ocean spray splashing the 10th floor windows. Then there was an order to batten down the hatches, meaning to close the dead lights on the third floor. Storm covers (porthole covers) are called deadlights in maritime…
April 2024, Features
Word of the Month: Trochus
David Zapatka While cruising around Australia on the way to Thursday Island, I read this description about the port city. “The mixed population of Malays, Chinese, Japanese, and Melanesians are engaged mainly in pearling and trochus and sea cucumber fishing.” Trochus—tro·chus noun: 1.a. Capitalized. a genus of chiefly Old World tropical marine gastropods (family Trochidae)…
Generals, March 2024
Word of the Month: Apricity
David Zapatka Friend and fellow pickleball player, Natasha Thompson, writes, “‘Apricity’ means warmth of the sun in winter. Did I expand your vocabulary?” Yes, you have, Tash, and I expect you will be expanding our readers’ vocabulary with this word as well. Maybe you will even bring it back into use as it has fallen…
Features, February 2024
Word of the Month: Redolent
David Zapatka While reading The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong: Table Tennis as a Journey of Self Discovery by Guido Mina di Sospiro, I ran across the word redolent. His use of the word while describing table tennis rubber was intriguing. Redolent—red·o·lent adjective 1. Exuding fragrance: aromatic 2. Full of a specified fragrance: a. scented (air redolent of seaweed)…
Features, January 2024
Word of the Month: Pulse
David Zapatka David Wittenberg, fellow member of the Grammar Police Special Interest Group, wrote this in a recent post. “For most Indians, meat is not a staple. The majority of the Indian diet consists of grains, pulses, and vegetables. As a result, Indians don’t talk about meat the way Americans do. The terms ‘veg’ and…
Features, December 2023
Word of the Month: Bildungsroman
David Zapatka Reader, friend, and fellow bridge player, Gayle Covey, writes, “This is a really favorite word; bildungsroman. My friend Judy taught me this word several years ago … and now it comes up all the time! All those YA (Young Adult) fiction writers, turning books into films … and, of course, it is the word…
Features, November 2023
Word of the Month: Resilience
David Zapatka Reader, friend, and fellow bridge player, Pat Schlect, writes, “I was very happy to see your article in the Sun Lakes Splash.I loved the subject. The word I would choose for research is ‘resilience.’ Why? If you had to pick one characteristic or quality you’d most like to have, what would it be?…
Features, September 2023
Word of the Month: Emotion
David Zapatka Do emotions happen consciously or unconsciously? Can emotions be chosen or do they just happen? While reading “I Am: The Power of Discovering Who You Really Are” by Howard Falco, I read, “Emotions are the clues that lead you to the treasure of everlasting peace.” Ponder this for a while. Are our emotions…