July 30, 2005
In which we praise the metric system
Pierre Mechain discovered stars as well as measurements.
July 27, 2005
In which I protect the noggin
The fate of my last four helmets: one stolen from a northbound Caltrain; one cracked (sun? accident? who knows); one stolen along with the Dutchess et al.; one has the styrofoam peeling away from the shell. Time for new noggin insurance. I got a (couple: always have a spare, for guests or in case of larceny) of new helmet(s), and promptly received a compliment as I was pedalling furiously down Market St. Really: a man waiting for an inbound bus on one of the centre islands yelled something at me, and I slowed to hear him repeat the "Nice helmet, man!" with a sincerity that surprised me.
sedulous
Just after I describe his research as assiduous, I stumble across a synonym: Posted by salim at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
murrain
Through reading Simon Winchester's assiduosly-researched books, I am picking up much new vocabulary: murrain, a weighted word which comes from a Hebrew word for plague, and has a modern denotation for a disease of cattle or other domesticated beasties.