More Randomosity

Lake Chaubunagungamaug

My Word for the Day was ‘lacustrine.’ It’s an adjective meaning 'of or relating to a lake.’

I can’t find a good, simple synonym for this. ‘Marine’ is the most broadly understood but that refers to the sea, oceans not lakes. Otherwise we have ‘palustrine’ (referring to wetlands containing ocean-derived salts – not a lake), ‘riverine’ (rivers not lakes) and ‘colluvia’ (rock debris at the foot of a slope). 

So, none fit the bill which means, if I had reason to talk about something to do with lakes, I’d have to write out an entire descriptive sentence OR break down and use a word that most readers are going to need to look up or grok the meaning via context.

OK. Fine. Given that I live on the ocean, NOT a lake, it’s unlikely that I’ll find myself using this one.

Sometimes Word for the Day is fun but not terribly useful.
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Last night I dreamed that I started two big paintings. Both in a style close to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner by way of Toulouse-Lautrec. One was of a bunch of male medics (shocking, eh?), with a woman in the lower left corner saying to them “ You’re doing just fine, boys.” The other was of a woman in late 19th century style dance club gear. She was totally kickin’ it up.

I believe both were self-portraits – me expressing my thrill re: yesterdays strength advances.

Today I’ll take it a little easier. 

I woke this morning with a bit of chest and back pain.  (I feel like I'm turning into a hypochondriac) I wondered if I was having a heart attack. No. Unlikely. More probably it’s a leftover from the vicious coughing fits I’ve had, thanks to the evil amounts of tree pollen in the air.

The rising temps and increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are making pollen seasons heavier and longer. Allergy season is now 10 days longer than it was in 1990, and trees, grass and weeds are producing 21% more pollen. More pollen means more runny noses, watery eyes and itchy throats. (source)

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If you haven’t already read this, check out John Scalzi’s blog post “Being Poor.” This wasn’t my growing up experience (not totally anyway) but I certainly know/knew a lot of folks who were in this position. The minimum wage in 1975, (in Pennsylvania – where I was living back then) was $2.10. Minimum wage there now $7.2 ( 71% more in 46 years). A living, not poverty, wage there (family of four, both parents working) is $19.12.  Meanwhile, CEO pay has gone up 940%.

I only mention it.