Word discovery: solipsistic

Citation: LA Times.com column, “Have something to say? I don’t care.” By Joel Stein, January 2, 2007, 11th paragraph

Usage: “I'm an arrogant, solipsistic, attention-needy freak who pretends to have an opinion about everything.”

Meaning: self-centered or ego-centric

Examples: Two-year-olds have a solipsistic view of their place in the universe.

Comments: Also seems to describe actors and politicians.

Word discovery: susurrus

Citation: Quarterdeck A Kydd Sea Adventure by Julian Stockwin, Chapter 4, p. 104, third paragraph.

Usage: “…the ghost-like susurrus of wind in the lines from aloft…”

Meaning: a whispering or rustling sound (merriam-webster); also, a murmur (wiktionary)

Example: The susurrus of leaves swept along the ground by an autumn wind, whispering of the approach of an unforseen storm.

Comments: Say the word and you get a sense of its origins, the “sus” sound of a whispered utterance, a poetic device to hint at a sound.

Back After a Long, Unplanned Absense

What a road I have traveled since I last posted! I apologize to anyone who has visited and seen how long it's been since I last made an entry.

I suffered a series of health set-backs, the last of which -- prostate cancer surgery -- I am still recovering from. As a result, I wasn't able to give any time to researching or writing my blogs. I am trying to begin again.

So, if you have been a fan of the site and wondered where I have been... or if you have stumbled onto the site and would like more of what I have produced, let me assure you I am working on it again.

I am a freelance writer and editor and rely on that freelance work for a living, so I am doing this blog as I have time and energy. Recovering from prostate surgery at age 57 takes a long, long time. But I want to get this site back in gear, even if it isn't on a weekly basis as it once was.

Thank you for your patience.
Alan