oriflamme \OR-uh-flam\ noun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08WeoqWilRQ

deep-six \DEEP-SIKS\ verb

I see Merriam-Webster's in strong support of my moving efforts; thanks, Merriam-Webster!

plage \PLAHZH\ noun

I had this Victorian Seaside Hotel coloring book when I was little, and my favorite page was the big spread of the beach with everyone walking around.  Would be nice, especially on a dreary day like today.

yawp \YAWP\ verb

YAWP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I was on a precipice, yawping into the abyss that would be inevitably spreading out below me.

Just one of those days...

welkin \WEL-kin\ noun

A good reminder that the sky's the limit.

And a sweet reminder of my favorite sunset in my favorite place:

fructify \FRUK-tuh-fye\ verb

With my day suddenly opened up, what to do with all this free time?

Help a friend organize and pack up her apartment, of course.

slew \SLOO\ noun

ABC Kitchen this evening for a friend's birthday, so I thought I'd peruse the menu online and WOWZA!  So many options and so many yummy ones at that!  Overwhelmed but excited.

kedge \KEJ\ verb

I did this today.  I'm not even joking.  I was on a boat, and a trampoline float, and we did this both times.  Portage Lake, I love you!

silly season \SIL-ee-SEE-zun\ noun

On vacation, you get to catch up on many things: sleep, exercise, celebrity news and gossip.  Yes, I know some people scoff at this practice, but so far on this vacation I've read Marie Claire, US Weekly, People Magazine, and perezhilton.com. 

And what have we here at the rental cabin?  People issues from the last 5 months?  Don't mind if I do! 

anthophilous \an-THAH-fuh-lus\ adjective

Another new favorite word of mine, meaning living among flowers or feeding upon them, I drove from Portland, Maine to Portage, Maine today to celebrate the marriage of dear friends, Katy & Jeff, and wow- what a glorious state.  Those who know me know that this is not a new feeling for me, but every time I go to Maine, I rediscover my love for the state.

tucket \TUCK-ut\ noun

The sound of this waterfall in Prospect Park, i.e. my new favorite place, sounded an awful lot like the fanfare of trumpets.

sciential \sye-EN-shul\ adjective

Once more unto the breach, my friends, once more!  Wish me luck- I think I have all the info. I need to take care of some life stuff today.  Fingers crossed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL6DQZYPBeU&sns=fb

By the way: this is what I do in grad school.

hydromancy \HYE-druh-man-see\ noun

Ponds, water fountains, and some interesting clouds today... predicting my future?

scupper \SKUP-er\ verb

I give in... this heat has taken me prisoner.  I'm completely defeated and resigned to my fancy prison cell.  Why fancy, you say?  In it is the fanciest A.C. unit I've ever encountered.

goober \GOO-ber\ noun

Goober, eh?  They're giving me the "peanut" definition, but I think they mean I can be a little overly sentimental.  Especially with great ones like this:

Crossing Ohio When Poppies Bloom in Ashtabula

1
Go away. Leave the high winds of May
blowing over the fields of grape vines
near the northwest corner of Pennsylvania.
Leave the doorstep peonies
pushing high bosoms at passers— by
in northern Ohio towns in May.

Leave the boys flying light blue kites
on a deep blue sky; and the yellow, the
yellow spilling over the drinking rims
of the buttercups, piling their yellows
into foam blown sea rims of yellow;
Go away; go to New York,
Broadway, Fifth Avenue, glass
lights and leaves, glass faces,
fingers; go

2
Pick me poppies in Ohio,
mother.
Pick me poppies in the back yard
in Ashtabula.
May going, poppies coming, summer humming:
make it a poppy summer, mother; the leaves
sing in the silk, the leaves sing a tawny
red gold; seven sunsets saved themselves
to be here now.

Pick me poppies, mother; go, May; wash me,
summer; shoot up this back yard in Ashta—
bula, shoot it up, give us a daylight fire—
works in Ohio, burn it up with tawny red
gold.

— Carl Sandburg

pyrotechnics \pye-ruh-TEK-niks\ noun plural

My July 4th was a lovely contrast of calm & quiet, juxtaposed later this evening with some great mid-town firework views.  Early morning walk/jog in Prospect Park, Central's much more ramble-y cousin, followed by visits with dear old friends Hallie & Nick in mid-town, the latter of whom was dog-sitting a handsome pit bull named Archie.  We glimpsed the fireworks from the apartment building's roof, before watching a youtube video of Whitney Houston singing the National Anthem to end the day.  I leave you with it now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupsPg5H6aE

volant \VOH-lunt\ adjective

Spent my day flying kites at Fort Tilden beach yesterday.  I still feel free and salty.

convoke \kun-VOHK\ verb

I would like to convoke a conference at the Brooklyn Cyclones on July 4th- anyone else interested??

planet \PLAN-ut\ noun

...

I'm stumped, Merriam-Webster.  What do you mean?  Will my day be celestial?  Of great importance??  Or do I just need a planetary review?

Paul Stansifer, 84user, NASA, Celestia, JPL/Caltech

oftentimes \AW-fun-tymez\ adverb

Oftentimes, I find myself on minimalism blogs, reading about packing parties.  While I don't have a ton of stuff actually, it makes me think about how I can best use my time & energy.

Oftentimes (2), I find eating right before I go to bed to produce terrifying dreams.  Must avoid that at all costs!

desideratum \dih-sid-uh-RAH-tum\ noun, plural desiderata

Every summer: sundresses become imperative.  Needing more than ten?  Probably not a necessity.

frolic \FRAH-lik\ verb

What thunderstorms in NYC make me ache for- some open grass to frolic in.

borborygmus \bor-buh-RIG-mus\ noun, plural borborygmi

Merriam-Webster!  I'm going to one of my favorite brunch places in the city this morning:

http://www.petiteabeille.com/index_flash.html

nebulous \NEB-yuh-lus\ adjective

So I'm not the best at directions.  I like to "feel them out" or take the exit that "feels best," which inevitably gets me incredibly lost.  Even when I put directions into the GPS on my phone, and I always think it's the other way, and maybe the GPS is just messing up.  I did that once, and it worked, so I think that's skewed my view on directions.  Also this belief I have that following my gut is the best policy.

Perhaps not in the navigator position, eh?

wetware \WET-wair\ noun

Adding Outlook calendars, Inboxes, and Contacts on my own?  Check.

Trying to add NexJ to my work account on my own?  Check.

My brain feeling a little overworked, as I have no IT training whatsoever?  Check check.

amative \AM-uh-tiv\ adjective

I celebrated the first full day of summer in style today, and loved every single minute of it.  I had a short day at work, so I skipped out around 2pm, after grabbing a small sweet treat with a dear friend, Katy.  I had plans for a date, but the details were still up in the air.  In true joyful, impromptu fashion, we ended up at Jane's Carousel, down by the water in Dumbo, and rode the carousel for $2- it was magical, to say the least!  I will definitely head back there soon, ideally with more friends, to fill up the whole Carousel, perhaps??

Here's a glimpse from their website: http://janescarousel.com/  Tried to credit the photographer, by the way, but nowhere was a name to be found :-(

But on the way to the Carousel, we stumbled upon a new One Girl Cookies location! http://www.onegirlcookies.com/dumbo/

Friends who know & love me know that I LOVE One Girl Cookies.  Specifically, their Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies.  I grabbed on of those, split an iced coffee, and then hopped on that Carousel.

It was the Best First Full Day of Summer I've ever had- hands down.

slimsy \SLIM-zee\ adjective

My back today, strangely.  This extreme heat just melts me, I suppose!

facilitate \fuh-SIL-uh-tayt\ verb

The temp's word to live by.  Yep.  That's my job.

ahimsa \uh-HIM-sah\ noun

Moving can be stressful.  Especially when you've done it five times in the past six years, with three mini-moves sprinkled in over three months.  So ahimsa is a very good reminder on mini-move day #2, when your cab driver clearly picks the route with the most traffic that includes the Triboro Bridge toll, and when you ask to take a different way, sneezes on you and says he has a cold from all his passengers.  

I harmed no one today... but I must admit I thought about it.

exigent \EK-suh-junt\ adjective

Going in to temp for a high-level exec, this Word-of-the-Day gives me hives a bit...

mandarin \MAN-drin\ adjective

Completing some financial stuff today- talk about complexity of language!  Even the company employee had trouble explaining some of the documents to me.

catch-22 \KATCH-twen-tee-TOO\ noun

The catch-22 of taking a day off from work today to get things done, is that I'm so tired from the week that I want to do nothing, and might just do that...  perhaps more ironic than a catch-22, but the credit card debacle is definitely one.

commemorate \kuh-MEM-uh-rayt\ verb

A number of things were called to remembrance today, now that I'm back in NYC after being gone for nine months.  Top of the list: breakfast at Smith Canteen, and pumpkin spice whoopie pies from One Girl Cookies.  You can see where my priorities are:

http://smithcanteen.com/

http://www.onegirlcookies.com/cobble-hill/

And a new adventure to try!  http://janescarousel.com/

benevolent \buh-NEV-uh-lunt\ adjective

Reminder of the Day for Ashton.  For people in charge.  For the world, really.

cognoscente \kahn-yuh-SHEN-tee\ noun, plural cognoscenti

Surrounded by 'em.  Feel lucky in the theatre world, a little lost in the finance world, and pretty happy with the rest of NYC :-)

tempestuous \tem-PESS-chuh-wus\ adjective

M-W WotD writers have clearly checked the Weather Channel report for the week... umbrella time!

lookism \LOOK-iz-um\ noun

Strangely appropriate for my first day back of temping in over 10 months.  Wowza.  I have a strange habit of dressing in the "temp uniform" the first day of an assignment, particularly if it's a longer one.  The "temp uniform" ideally says that I'm professional, capable, and smart.  Ideally it doesn't say anything about being feminine, attractive, and or (heaven forbid) sexy.  It's just automatic when I know I'll be meeting lots of new people in an office setting.  But only on the first day; after that, I love wearing dresses and heels and feel more dress to dress more "artistically," whatever that means... :o)

halcyon \HAL-see-un\ adjective

Nice to know Merriam-Webster still had its sharp sense of humor.

space cadet \SPAYSS-kuh-DET\ noun

Having packed up all my stuff for the 5th time in 6 years, subletted my apartment, subletted another apartment in Brooklyn, and moved to NYC for the summer all in this past week, I feel exactly like a space cadet.  Am having trouble forming complete sentences, and Billy Joel songs on the radio are making me VERY weepy... oof!

minim \MIN-im\ noun

I feel like I'm using these to measure my amount of focus while packing- I can't keep focused on one thing for more than a minim.  Mind constantly darting around the room, as am I.

accoutrement \uh-KOO-ter-munt\ noun

Packing up my room today, and while I pride myself on not having a ton of stuff, I've still been stopping here & there and muttering: 'where did all this stuff come from, and why do I still have it?'  Goodwill, here I come!

pervade \per-VAYD\ verb

Well... Today was the day of the 2 trips to the dump, and the full-bodied whiff of skunk both trips, so I feel Merriam-Webster rocked it today.

damask \DAM-usk\ noun

Spectacular sunset with every shade you can think of!

menagerie \muh-NAJ-uh-ree\ noun

Have been hiking a great deal this week, as there are lots of great trails maintained by the Damariscotta River Association (including one with canoes! Just bring your own paddles!). I'm going with the 'a varied mixture' definition today of this one. Covers all bases: plants, critters, insects.

proficient \pruh-FISH-unt\ adjective

So knitting and I have a rocky relationship history. My mother is proficient beyond words in this art; I can knit one, purl one, and that's it. Tackling this purple scarf yet again with a great backdrop.

hypnagogic \hip-nuh-GAH-jik\ adjective

I can't think of a better word to kick off my Maine vacation. Book and blanket in hand.

gazette \guh-ZET\ noun

Grabbing one of these and heading into the sun now.

maffick \MAF-ik\ verb

I want to!!  Why wait for Saturday; I'll maffick TODAY!

hiatus \hye-AY-tus\ noun

I've made a ridiculous mistake, and the only excuse I have is that I'm desperately in need of a hiatus.  My brain has clearly taken a leave of absence, so the rest of me should as well... after I try some damage control.

Recalcitrant - and a synonym quiz

With two ushering shifts today, this Word-of-the-Day makes me NERVOUS.

Dear last Yale-related commitments,


Please don't be too difficult.   I will offer cookies to the ushering gods later in exchange for your good favor.  I have no good ushering fight left.

pacify \PASS-uh-fye\ verb

The theme of my ushering position as Concierge.  Yes, yes, dear patron- when you show up 20 minutes late to a show, we will have to late-seat you in another seat to not disturb the patrons who showed up on time...

agog \uh-GAHG\ adjective

Finally, Obama!  Thank you!

torrid \TOR-id\ adjective

My throat is definitely feeling a bit that way.  Death & taxes are always certain, but so are allergies & pain, unfortunately.  Wish my day had been a bit more "ardent & passionate," rather than "parched," but you can't win them all, eh?

This unhappy camper will perk up soon, I promise.

satiety \suh-TYE-uh-tee\ noun

Ha!  Merriam-Webster is keeping tabs on how much I gorged myself at the surprise birthday brunch yesterday, and this is exactly how I feel today.  Merriam-Webster: 90 points.  Ashton: 8.

validate \VAL-uh-dayt\ verb

Ugh.  Lots of travel in the past 24 hours, but for a dear friend, so I feel I shouldn't complain... but with a number of things in limbo recently, the endless road did nothing to quiet my mind.  Worrisome worse-case-scenarios kept popping into my head instead of solutions, despite me trying to push them out.  Time for bed, where sleep will hopefully quiet the mind for a bit.

bon vivant \bahn-vee-VAHNT\ noun

Why, thank you, Merriam-Webster!  I have been honing my foodie skills as of late... and increasing my waistline :)

lunette \loo-NET\ noun

Was admiring the one in the sky tonight.  Very Realistic Joneses of the night sky...

cachinnate \KAK-uh-nayt\ verb

Definitely referring to me and my friend Molly today.  She had rented a Zipcar to go to her orthodontist and graciously invited me to tag along, and boy, did we have an American, suburban day filled with loads of laughter.  Marshall's, Panera Bread, coffee, Barnes & Noble, driving two stores over to find parking as close as possible to the front door, rather than walking the 1 minute.  If only there had been a Costco along the way...

abstruse \ub-STROOSS\ adjective

I took a train ride today- my second of what will be three this week- which always gets me thinking.  about things.  And stuff.  And usually other stuff.  There are many things that I don't understand fully, but I've noticed that more & more, I'm really fine with it.  I certainly always seek to learn & grow, but at the end of the day, I feel like all of life's little mysteries should be difficult to comprehend, to an extent.  That's what prompts the need for art.

spiel \SPEEL\ noun

Back in NYC with lots of subway-riding, and lots of subway offers... fascinating character studies abound.

obliterate \uh-BLIT-uh-rayt\ verb

Done.  My last official class assignment of my first year of grad school was today, so I'm now "removing [myself] from existence" here in New Haven and heading to NYC for a few days.  Friends, food, & fun awaits, and at the risk of being ridiculously alliterative, I feel fortunate :-)

unabashed \un-uh-BASHT\ adjective

Last 2 scenes today- Hedda/Act II & Olga/Act III.  Here's to being unabashed!

kowtow \KOW-tow\ verb

Strangely enough, I'm memorizing a piece today that has the exact character of Martin in it, as listed in the Merriam-Webster example...

Examples:
Martin kowtows to our boss every chance he gets, complimenting him on his suits and offering favors.

pace \PAY-see\ preposition

Pace everyone who thinks it's indulgent, I adore watching tv on my laptop from the bathtub.

threshold \THRESH-hohld\ noun

"The place or point of beginning"- this was the word for Friday, April 19th, the opening of my show, Fen, by Caryl Churchill.  A powerful play, a great experience, and a great first show for grad school.

nebbish \NEB-ish\ noun

I don't believe I've ever run the risk of being this, but gosh darn, I'm certainly going to avoid it at all costs.

piquant \PEE-kunt\ adjective

Lots of tech, lots of acting, hopefully engaging.

emote \ih-MOHT\ verb

All right, Fen stumble-through... here we go!

carp \KAHRP\ verb

Yep.  The difference between venting and complaining to no end.  Schooled yet again by Merriam-Webster!  ... Webstered?  Webstered!

cockalorum \kah-kuh-LOR-um\ noun

Okay, Merriam-Webster- I get it.  You're getting me to see the difference between 'boastful' & 'confident', both with others, and with myself.  I see your hand and will check.

grok \GRAHK\ verb

Gosh, I'm trying... fighting the good fight, giving it the old college try, going after it best I can.

epaulet \ep-uh-LET\ noun

Yikes... do I need to watch out for my shoulder today??

knee-jerk \NEE-jerk\ adjective

Attempting to avoid these habitual reactions at all cost.  Whew.

multitudinous \mul-tuh-TOO-duh-nus\ adjective

Meetings, memorizing, softball, rehearsal, memorizing, cleaning, memorizing...

pippin \PIP-in\ noun

I feel surrounded by these people and things at the moment.  I'm a lucky duck.

sylph \SILF\ noun

What lady wouldn't want to be this??

fallacious \fuh-LAY-shus\ adjective

Ok, Merriam-Webster.  Now it's one of those days/words that makes me go: this could be really good or really bad.  Pleasepleasepleaseplease PLEASE, Merriam-Webster- let it be really good.  My heart could do with some good.  Thank you, ~Ashton

secrete \sih-KREET\ verb

I will be hidden away in the balcony of the theatre every night for the next week of previews- come visit me in the dark corners.

instauration \in-staw-RAY-shun\ noun

Establishing and restoring during this time off?  Sounds exactly like what the doctor ordered!

quietus \kwye-EE-tus\ noun

I'm working to make my Spring Break this- I think it's everything I need, minus the death part.

winsome \WIN-sum\ adjective

5 days of Spring Break ahead of me- feeling quite winsome!

diplopia \dih-PLOH-pee-uh\ noun

2 Three Sisters scenes, 2 translations, playing 2 of the 3 sisters, both going up today?  Double vision, indeed...

felicitate \fih-LISS-uh-tayt\ verb

Lots of things to consider happy and fortunate at the moment, which is quite lucky.

Babbitt \BAB-it\ noun

My sides today were all about classes- plus I got to say "holy suds," which is perhaps my favorite line ever... yes.

immense \ih-MENSS\ adjective

It's rare to have days that I could describe "supremely good," but I'm lucky enough to say that all in all- I've been having quite a few lately.  I couldn't be more grateful for my friends and family and their kindness.

bosky \BAH-skee\ adjective

Uncle Vanya and the references to bosky settings were abundant yesterday.

livelong \LIV-lawng\ adjective

When caught up in the details, it's always a good idea to revisit the whole idea.  The big picture often solves many moments along the way.

viva voce \vye-vuh-VOH-see\ adverb

My whole mode of story-telling... I'd write novels, otherwise.

conclave \KAHN-klayv\ noun

Lots of Chamber Music rehearsal and line-learning today.  What a lovely secret assembly of women...

exegesis \ek-suh-JEE-sis\ noun

So much acting today.  So much Chekhov.  So much Greeks.

copious \KOH-pee-us\ adjective

My favorite definition of this one is "2 : full of thought, information, or matter."  I often wonder how best to empty my mind of copious thoughts.  Much easier for some than others, it's often hard for me to quiet the mind to a temperate state.

duende \doo-EN-day\ noun

I'm intrigued by this one today, because it's something that's brought up in actor training: there's always that quality in an actor that is unidentifiable.  You just can't stop watching them onstage.  Not because of looks or even what they're necessarily doing sometimes, (although what they're pursuing onstage hopefully comes along to HOLD the audience's attention once they have it), just a personal magnetism that they naturally possess.

extemporaneous \ek-stem-puh-RAY-nee-us\ adjective

Why not?  And why not today?  And now!  Wahoooooo!

critique \kruh-TEEK\ noun

...and the fine art of learning to take it well.

rabble \RAB-ul\ noun

I've been looking for this exact word all day to describe my mind... hopefully tomorrow's word will be about clarity to counterbalance everything.

abnegate \AB-nih-gayt\ verb

Every day requires a certain amount of surrender for me.  Time to go!

aubade \oh-BAHD\ noun

Tuesday mornings are me mornings off, so there's lots of morning music to be heard.

mutt \MUT\ noun

Since I've already read my National Geographic about dogs this mornings, I'm apprehensive of the flip side of this definition coming my way today.  Or maybe it'll be a sweet doggy.

vade mecum \vay-dee-MEE-kum\ noun

These days I don't go anywhere without my Rocamora translation of Uncle Vanya.

ludic \LOO-dik\ adjective

I need to remember this as my word of the day every day.

ludic \LOO-dik\ adjective

I need to remember this as my word of the day every day.

adulation \aj-uh-LAY-shun\ noun

I did play a slave to Clytemnestra today...

prescind \prih-SIND\ verb

Merriam-Webster calls it prescinding, but I call it a mini mental holiday.

cacography \ka-KAH-gruh-fee\ noun

The Digital Age- removing words from our lexicon bit by bit.

propinquity \pruh-PING-kwuh-tee\ noun

Sometimes you need not share propinquity with someone to consider them family.

lymphatic \lim-FAT-ik\ adjective

Lymphatic Haiku

Fighting off this mood
with coffee, waffles, and eggs
Energy please come.

gam \GAM\ verb

A friendly conversation at sea??  Exactly what I was dreaming of today, Merriam-Webster!

stiction \STIK-shun\ noun

Reminds me of good scene work between alertly ready actors.

heyday \HAY-day\ noun

An endless heyday- here's hopin'.

gambol \GAM-bul\ verb

Could desperately use some time to do this...

elixir \ih-LIK-ser\ noun

Could use one of these...

Cook's tour \COOKS-TOOR\ noun

I've been actively researching one of these for Spring Break.  If 4 days too short a time for a European adventure?

arbalest \AHR-buh-list\ noun

Merriam-Webster is clearly aware of my penchant for medieval weaponry...?  It did come up today, surprisingly.

loath \LOHTH\ adjective

I am loath to attend any more Post-Mortem Production meetings.

intercalate \in-TER-kuh-layt\ verb

I could always use an extra day or two in the calendar week/year.  I'm greedy for more time!

contaminate \kun-TAM-uh-nayt\ verb

I've unfortunately thought about this word a great deal lately.  How easy it is for one person to ruin the spirit of a group, a rehearsal, a special occasion- a sad but true reality.  Then what is the responsibility of those individuals surrounding the contaminator?  How can they quickly and deftly bring the spirit back into the room.

leonine \LEE-uh-nyne\ adjective

My theme, (and many others'), for the weekend is Auditions.  Auditions take courage.  And flexibility.  And a sense of serious fun.  All leonine qualities.

weltschmerz \VELT-shmairts\ noun, often capitalized

Was just beginning to feel this way due to the winter weather, but luckily it snowed today in New Haven- definitely boosted my mood.

darling \DAHR-ling\ noun

I'm lucky to have many of these individuals in my life.  Very, very lucky.

junket \JUNK-ut\ noun

A "festive, social affair" sounds enticing, but sadly a cold has kept me in.

graupel \GROU-pul ("OU" is as in "cloud")\ noun

Yessireebob- the editor of M-W WotD e-mails must be a New Haven resident.  There was snow dusting all of the city this morning.  Thank goodness for snow.

ostensible \ah-STEN-suh-bul\\ adjective

The ostensible reason for using the cookies in the Sheep scene was the her need for comfort, but in reality, I just wanted to eat sweet treats.  Actorsecretsrevealed. :o)

crucible \KROO-suh-bul\ noun

Definition #3: a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development.


Yep.  Seems accurate.

thole \THOHL\ verb

I'm noticing a slight theme: my Word of the Day e-mails this week have become more and more like the little sayings printed on the wrappings of Halls Defense Cough Drops- THOLE!  KUDOS!  VALOROUS!  Either the editor is recovering from a winter cold, or he just knows an encouraging boost never hurts.

valorous \VAL-uh-russ\ adjective

With a show opening at the Cab tonight, it seems a good time for this.  Big play with big ideas requires loads of courage and boldness.

kudos \KOO-dahss\ noun

-to myself & my classmates for all their hard work on the Exemption Exam, as well as our first Cab show!

defer \dih-FER\ verb

There are days when things are too on the nose.  You look at something, and you say nothing- it's already been said for you.

mordant \MOR-dunt\ adjective

Going into a 10 out of 12 (hour) tech day, it's good to avoid comments like these- well, it's ALWAYS good to avoid comments like these.  Thanks for the reminder, Merriam-Webster.

tome \TOHM\ noun

Strangely, I am spending my morning in the library before rehearsal.  Lots of tomes!

epithet \EP-uh-thet\ noun

In the depths of studying for an epic exam, I'm attempting to avoid these all day.  Speaking to myself and others in kind words.

parochial \puh-ROH-kee-ul\ adjective

Back in the swing of things, I'm resisting my world as it narrows down a bit.  Especially today, Merriam-Webster.

rapporteur \ra-por-TER\ noun

Back as school for my conferences/meetings, ready for my reports.

incommunicado \in-kuh-myoo-nuh-KAH-doh\ adverb or adjective

Wow- incredibly accurate for my first day of 2012.  Cell phone charger died while I was in transit, and one of my friends I celebrated with also lost her cell phone- for the second time this holiday week.  We were incommunicado, indeed.