Crocheted Meat Patty and More!

Is that not the most pitiful little meat patty you've ever seen?? I've had my fair share of pathetic tv dinners with sad meat-wannabes, but that thing is pitiful...and adorable at the same time! Lol.

Check out other crocheted food here. You'll be delighted to find happy hamburgers, cute cannolis, a hot dog, and even a couple other non-food items. Who knew you she could come up with such thing? Hehe. You can find tons of her other creations and keep up on her new discoveries at her blog.

*Pats the meat patty* I'll be okay, hun. It'll be okay.....

When a girl....

From Baba's Beauty World.

It was the girl's face that attracted me to it. I saw it full-size first (click it to get the full image and be able to read the words), and the child just looks so innocent and sweet. Reading the text gets you a fairly stereotypical "forwarded email" type set of words, but it's still not too bad.

The main thing I noticed in the words, though, was the mention of "sms." Do most of you even know what that means? It's funny how it's written in "today's language"....and yet at the same time, it wouldn't necessarily reach everyone because they won't all know what it means, hehe.

I Am Unique...No Really, I Am!!

Told ya so. :p

When I'm an Old Lady--Robin's Nest

From Robin's Nest:

When I'm an Old Lady

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness...just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they'll be so excited!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll write on the wall with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture...wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
.......

And that's where you get to linky click your way on over to her Nest and read the rest of it. It's worth it...spilled milk, crossed eyes, and a cute ending, hehe.

This site is certified 67% Good, 33% Evil

I don't generally pay much attention to these little things, but it wasn't the end result of "how much percent good or evil" that caught my attention.

It was their analysis.

It breaks it down into how many vowels, consonants, etc, and how many times I've used the words and phrases. It also pulls the most random phrases out of my blog to "analyze," such as "Isn't that crazy?" and "giggle-worthy" (I can't for the life of me find the quoted phrases I wanted to mention earlier, heh).

Check it out here: Germatriculator (I typed "germalator" first....it's the terminator gone germ-powered :P). I'll give you the head's up now that you won't come up with the same exact analysis or even percentage each time, so who knows how accurate this thing really is, hehe. ;-)

Quirky Jessi's Inbox--A New Series?

So as I go through my email multiple times everyday, I have a tendency to toss Gmail's stars on certain emails. Those are the emails that I think "oh, I should post about that!" whether it be on a forum or on my blog (usually the latter), but there are soooo many things, that I rarely actually get back to going through them. And when I do, I don't want to overwhelm people here with jokes or stories or funny pictures or quirky ponderings....

But wait. That's exactly what this place is about, huh? So what's my excuse? I forget. Or I suddenly think that people don't want a repeat of their own inboxes. But you guys wouldn't anyway, because you don't subscribe to the same things I do....and you don't emails from my mom (and who gets them from a great guy named "Daddy Bill"...heck, I don't use names around here, but you can't really get the feel of the guy without putting his nickname out there for everyone).

The stuff I get is quirky. That's why it gets starred. But what do you guys think about a mini-series within Quirky Jessi. Maybe a post a week from "Jessi's Inbox" or "Quirky's Inbox"? A reminder for me.....and a quick insight for you guys? A place for all that stuff that doesn't fit elsewhere?

Okay, you're right. None of it fits elsewhere, so all of it fits here. But that's what I'm getting at, lol. I could get a whole blog out of it really, but I think it can fit in here just fine. What do you guys think? Should I take the plunge and add a new label to my vague set of tags? Should I make a commitment like that? *Holds breath*

How to Identify a Stroke

First off, I really don't know the full validity of this stuff, but it certainly cannot hurt anything.

I didn't write this....and I actually have no one to attribute it to either (hence the disclaimer about not knowing the validity).

Because of this, the formatting is a bit crazy, too. Someone went a little caps lock happy and while I did take out a few little comments (like how you should tell a million people this and that), for the most part, I just left it alone. Take it for what you will....and please don't hold it against me, lol.



STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife ha d been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the first three letters of stroke: STR

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911immediatelyand describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other,that is also an indication of a stroke.

Test Your Musical Skills--Are You Tone Deaf?

Are You Tone Deaf?

In the fast paced world today....and especially in the speed frenzy of internet life, 6 minutes can seem like an eternity to spend on something like this. Well, at least for me it can, lol. I actually got distracted several times and ended up spending like half an hour tabbing back into it once I remembered to hear the next set of notes. Oops! My fault!

Really though, it shouldn't even take 6 minutes. No worries.

Basically, it gives you two little sets of notes. You don't have to name them or mimic them or anything like that. You simply have to say whether they're the same....or different. Easy peasy. It 'does' get tough, so if you're not trained in musical stuff, then you may be clueless on some of them, but it's not like an incredibly horrid test or anything.

Just music. :D

(Another Bloggeries find via Fashion-Unplug)

Why I Post Full Yahoo Articles

It's a copyright problem to copy a full article here....regardless of whether I credit them or not.

I know this.

I respect this.

I'm a journalist, so I even *understand* this.

And I try to follow the rules, but looking through the last few article links I have bookmarked, I'm disappointed to see that they've already been removed. The articles have been purged and are gone. I checked. I searched. I hunted.

The same with their pictures. I always upload borrowed pictures to my own account anyway to spare bandwidth theft issues from other people, but geez.....this was just a few weeks ago. We're not talking years here, people, or even months.

Yes, news moves fast...but where are the archives (the links 'look' like they'd be archived, but nope)? Going back into my own archives, I can see a few links right off that I can guarantee are broken. And if I searched for those articles or those pictures again, they wouldn't be there. That's rather disappointing because the whole point of linking is so that people can follow the link and get to the original source or find more information.

So while I'd much rather post snippets of this or that and then send you off to someone else's credited work, I can't always do that with Yahoo, I've discovered. In a year, when someone comes across my site via some random search that leads them to a yahoo article post here, I want them to have access to the full story....not just the quote I happened to pull. :(

Animals Need Help--A Blog About Stopping Animal Cruelty

Before the new year, I was introduced to this blog via a member on Bloggeries forum. The title pretty much sums up what the blog is about.....stopping and preventing animal cruelty. I think it's a great cause and I don't get the chance to support these types of things much any more, so this is my own little shout out to the blog.

For those of you interested, go check it out. It's still in its early stages, but has plenty of room for growth, so keep an eye on it. It's both serious....and fun, surprisingly enough. One post covers top ten ways to prevent animal abuse....while her most recent post is a compilation of funny animal pictures and a "how many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?" joke, complete with pictures and cute descriptions of how various dog breeds would answer the question, hehe.

100 People Ages 1 Through 100....All Playing Drums

Yep, it starts at a one-year-old and ends with someone who is 100.....all in under 3 minutes. Kinda cool to look at how the ages compare (especially when some of the older ones look much younger than their age....and vice versa, too).

Dear dysfunctional family

I'll leave the introduction to them because they said it quite nicely....er, well, something....

If you are from a dysfunctional family,
you have either received or wanted to write a letter like this.

Don't waste any more of your valuable time
digging deep into the depths of your soul to
tell your family off. Instead, let me do all
the hard work for you. You just sit back, take a load off.

Basically, there's a prewritten "letter" with drop-down windows for you to choose which set of words you want to use (beware, some aren't PG....'many' aren't PG).

Three Way Chess

There's nothing quirky about chess. Some get a thrill out of playing it while others are bored out of their minds. Regardless of if you are a chess player or not, though, this is somewhat interesting.

The classic game of chess with the same set of rules as always, has been revamped and tweaked into a rather quirky style. Now still, the rules are the same, but the game play has been altered somewhat. It's for three people now! Check it out.

The site gives some great detailed overlays of exactly where the pieces can move. Of course, it really is the same rules and same moves, but it can look tricky because of the board split, so this just simplifies it back down to your normal game.

Winning a Contest, Lady Language, and the First Picture of Quirky Jessi Ever Posted!!

*Deep breath*

Okay, so this post keeps getting pushed further into my folder of "things to blog." It keeps getting ignored on my lists of "things to do today." It keeps getting dropped from my mental agenda of things I want to get taken care of this week, month, year....and to put it simply, I'm tired of something so simple getting shoved to the side, as with so many other things I've tossed aside in the last few months.

Except this is different. This isn't some random link that can wait a year and still be relevant to my blog. It's not some useless meme that makes no difference if I ever respond to.

No. This is personal. And Quirky Jessi doesn't really do "personal" here. I don't avoid it either, of course, because I don't have anything that I'm trying to hide, lol....but this blog swayed away from 'my' life after the first couple months....even though shockingly enough, I've stuck with the blog title of "The Quirky World of Jessi."

To top it off, I knew I was going to take a while to write the post. No, not going back to fine tune every word I said....in fact, I won't even go back over this to nip typos in the butt because I know I'll end up deleting, altering, and screwing up the post if I do, hehe. The main time sucker will be once I start linking. And I know I'm going to ramble because uh, I already am. :P

~~~Intermission: Great. I've already said "nip, shoved, butt, and sucker" all in the same post. I can't wait to see what kind of random searchers I end up with now. *Rolls eyes....and then hides*~~~

So right....my point. Almost 2 months ago to the day, I stumbled across Lady Language. I couldn't have even told you how if it weren't for the comment I left them that day (I was fumbling through the NaBloPoMo randomizer, commenting on random blogs I found).

A fashion blog.

Actually, one step worse/better. A fashion blog there because of the store they own/run. Great, I thought. <--Sarcasm at that point. You see, not only was my intent that day to comment on other blogs in hopes of them following me home back to Quirky Jessi (of which I didn't think a fashion blog/store owner would be interested), I also don't keep up with fashion. As if you haven't noticed by my randomness here, I tend to march to the beat of my own....well, I can't play the drums, but you get the idea, hehe.

I can tell you what looks good on a persona....and I can tell you what looks bad...but I'm certainly not going to tell you what's "in fashion" right now because it doesn't make much difference to me at all. I wear what suits my body and what I *feel* like wearing.

And I've been on "fashion blogs" before......those that cling to the every item of clothing that drapes from one celebrity's body or another. No thanks.

So why the heck am I blogging about Lady Language? Because this blog *wasn't* like that. And because the top post was about this hot little red dress that read "Holiday Sweepstakes" Okay, so I took a deep breath and opened the comments. I was going to find *something* to say if it killed me because I'd already spent more than my allotted 10 second time deadline pondering whether to click the "randomize" button to pass to the next blog.

But it was a sweepstakes...and there weren't that many commenters. And even though I don't wear dresses with Christmas right around the corner, I thought it could be a nice little surprise gift for someone I knew if I happened to win. So I tossed out a comment about how gorgeous the dress was (because well, it was, lol....but I don't wear dresses and haven't since I was little, so it also made me envious of those with bodies to pull off dresses, heh)....and moved on.

A while later, I had a message in my inbox showing me someone else had replied to the blog post, and she made a relevant point....the point that was going through my head, but mine was in not-nearly-as-nice words:

Any body type, you say? I'd like to see that. I've had no luck finding flatering dresses, of late.

Exactly. This dress was a fiery red plunging v-neck halter top dress:


At a mere 4'11", that dress would not only swallow me, but it'd make me look like a bright red penguin. It would hang to my knees, the v-neck would show my belly button, the back would dip to my waist line, and that flowy, care-free fabric blow that screamed "wide load" at the waist-line already? Oh yeah, it'd show that my hips were twice the width of my top half that would 'not' be flattered by such a gaping neckline. Heck, I'm lucky to find split pieces to fit various parts of my body appropriately...trying to find a one-piece to cover all proportions? Ha!

As I said before, I don't pay attention to fashion, but I'm not going to go outside dressed in something that makes me look awful unless I'm proving a point, lol. And to put myself into a dress after convincing everyone that I'd wear blue jeans to my wedding instead of a wedding dress? Psh. No thanks.

But the dress 'was' nice. And it's not like I was going to win anyway, right? And I knew other people that might love it 'and' have places to wear it (because well, I don't have that either...the occasion to wear a dress like that to). So I just watched. And I waited. And I kept going back to the site to see what else their store offered. And I read through blog posts to see what else they talked about....because it wasn't a normal fashion blog. This was 'real' people, talking about 'real' clothes, and selling 'real' items at 'real' affordable prices.

Pretty cool if you ask me.

And then lo and behold, I got the email. Don't tell me you're surprised. I wouldn't have this kind of build-up if I was going to be drastically disappointed by my loss at a random blog that was talking about something that interests me little and gives away something I don't wear.

But I won. Yeah, me, QuirkyJessi, non-winner of anything ever, non-wearer of dresses, non-buyer of things that make me look like enlarged penguins. I won.

And I was giddy.

The site was new, though, so maybe this was all a gimmick for page hits. Maybe they weren't really going to send anything out, I'd get the run around, and if I tried to question it, my IP address would be blocked? It certainly wouldn't be the first time it's happened in the internet world.

But then the follow-up emails guiding me through picking a size that would fit me best and congratulating me personally. This wasn't a gimmick. I'd really won something...and a dress at that!!

And I wasn't going to give it away either. It was MINE. And a few days later, it arrived promptly, safely, and perfectly....right before I had to leave for work and I had no time to try it on, lol. What a way to prolong the excitement! (And well, the fear of it being a disappointment, not fitting, etc).

The next day I tried it on and it actually fit...and didn't look half-bad really. I made a few alterations....experimented with how tight to tie the halter-top because it would create totally different looks, tossed on heels so I didn't look so frumpy, and paired it with a strapless, half-corset underneath to add a twist of covered comfort, contrast, and decreased sloppiness. And it 'was' comfy! The fabric was so soft and breezy and because it didn't cling in all the wrong spots like many things do, I wasn't nearly as scared of the dress as I had been.

Yeah, that might work.

So after all this rambling of avoiding the picture (I've never posted a picture of myself here and I'm still not going to really because the face isn't there), here it is:
Judging from that photo, you'd never guess that I struggle to find clothes to fit me (although the length 'is' still too long for that style of dress, but hey, I'm short...'everything' is too long unless it's kids clothes, and even then, kids are getting so tall these days!!)....and you'd never guess that I was scared to death of a dress, lol.

If you've stuck with me this long (hey, we all skim....it's okay if it only took you 20 seconds to get down here), Lady Language is still doing give-aways even now that the holidays have past. There's even a $250 shopping spree give-away going on right now, so better hurry. Prizes or not, though, the chicas over there are pretty cool and it's not your average "fashion blog." But if you 'are' into fashion, well, so are they....and their store offers great deals on a variety of clothing.

Misheard Numa Numa Lyrics

Quick video. If you missed the huge Numa, Numa period that happened a few years ago, google it, heh. If you know what this video refers to, then it's kinda giggle-worthy. It's a video of the lyrics the way they 'sound'....and graphics to go along with 'em, hehe.

It Rained Iguanas! Literally!

No, really. This article is from the 4th and it got so cold that the iguanas went into a deep sleep and started falling out of trees. Here's part of the story:

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - How cold was it in South Florida this week? So cold the iguanas fell from the trees.

The cold-blooded reptiles go into a deep sleep when the temperature falls into the 40s. Experts said their bodies basically shut off and they lose their grip on the tree.

But it isn't sudden death: Experts said the reptiles perk up when the temperatures rises. The iguanas turn a gray hue in the meantime.

Miami Metrozoo officials said the night cold causes the most drops.

"The worst part of the cold comes in the evening, and they literally just shut off," said Ron Magill, communications director for Miami Metrozoo. "Their bodies shut off and they lose their grip on the tree, and they start falling."

More of the story.

Jambo Carries Snowball in His Mouth

Time for a periodic cute animal post again. Well, not 'that' cute....but it's cute that he's carrying a snowball in his mouth. Let's see 'you' do that, hehe. Here's the caption:

Jambo, a Serval, carries a snowball in his mouth as he plays in the snow at the Cincinnati Zoo Thursday Jan. 3, 2008, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Servals, in their native range of central Africa, would not see snow in the wild, but Jambo as part of the Cat Ambassador program at the Zoo.

Lost Baggage---Did We Mention We Didn't Really Care?

Oh yeah, I failed to mention to you guys that I took a mini-vacation over the holidays and not only were both of my flights there delayed repeatedly for random reasons (you know, like, "there's no one to unlock the door and let us out"...and "we're not sure how much fuel we have")...but they also lost my baggage. And had no record of where it was. Ever.

They did finally find it and return it to me, but I didn't get any sort of "hey, we lost all your stuff, but here's a toothbrush to hold you over" or anything. I flew in late Christmas night, so of course, nothing was open. I didn't have clothes for the next day, etc.. And yes, I know I should learn to just use carry-on and not deal with any of it, but that's not the point.

The point is.

I wanted trashbags!

The end, hehe.

Lol Cat--Iz I Can B Quirky Enuff?

And while I have the LolCats out, how about a more quirky-worthy one?

Models Give Negative Self-Image---Is This Image Better?

I recently noticed that some of the images I'd used in a pro-ana/mia post had been deleted. I'm guessing what little of the bodies were left...showed too much. It was kind of irritating, but I understand regardless, I suppose.

And so, in light of such a serious subject, I can't help but post the above lol-cat. The words are true, although the cats make it seem cute. Is that a more appropriate image to use?

New Year's Non-Resolutions

I considered doing an "end of the year" type post, but then put it off long enough that I didn't have the time to....and was glad I hadn't after seeing everyone else in the internet world doing a million and one lists of "end of the year" type compilations.

But then I was tagged.

I was called out.

I was infected.

Ew.

And now I feel this strange urge to follow the instructions I was given. I blame this chica.

It's all Emily's fault.

Hmph.

Alright, so enough whining, pouting, fussing, link lovin', line draggin', puttin' it off. Here's the meme:

What you do is list 7 New Year’s resolutions you are not going to do in 2008 year based on 2007’s results......~Well, and then a bit of instructions about who I'm supposed to tag, but I don't tag, so uh, nevermind.

I haven't really done resolutions the last few years....but these are non-resolutions, so they're okay, right? Stealing Emily's format with a quick copy and paste, I'm also going to steal some of her non-resolutions, too. How's that for creative laziness? :P

1. I will NOT check my multiple email accounts, blog stats, discussionboards/forums every chance I get. The world will not come to a crashing halt if I do not reply to something right away. (This is so hard to do with a straight face/cooperating fingers....)
   
2. I will NOT spend my every waking hour either online or thinking about the online world.
   
3. I will NOT break out into hysterics the next time I talk to the tech lady who informs me that she doesn't know when my internet will come back...and suspects it'll be at least a few more hours (after almost all day of it already being off!!)
   
4. I will NOT dehydrate myself because I don't want to part ways with my computer to go fill a water bottle down the hall.
   
5. I will NOT break every healthy eating rule in the book because I'm too comfy in bed with my laptop to bother to move for something more complex.
   
6. I will NOT spend my time at work doing menial things online instead of working hard on my school work.
   
7. I will NOT base whether my day is good or bad according to what happened online or whether my day was "online-worthy."

Okay, so they all revolve around my online activity...what can I say? I'm addicted. And I'm okay with it. Hehe.

One More Contest--Orville Popcorn and Netflix for a YEAR

Yep, you read the title correctly. This is a contest being hosted by Table for Five for a year's supply of Orville Popcorn and Netflix rentals. Holy cow! Who could resist an offer like that? Check out her site for more details about how you can enter, too. It's fairly easy, but time is running out, so you better hurry!

Win a Mixer--Another Contest!

I don't generally like copying text from other bloggers word for word, but the contest requires it, so here's what she wants said:

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

The Prize:

The winner will receive a brand new
Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow!!

About the mixer:

From Hamilton Beach’s “Eclectrics” line, this all-metal stand mixer comes with a host of accessories - a Flat Beater for cakes and cookies, a Dough Hook for bread and a Wire Whisk for whipped cream or pudding. The 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl comes with a Pouring Shield that helps prevent splattering while in operation. The pouring shield has a built-in chute for adding ingredients. Powered by 400 watts, the stand mixer has a two-way mixing action to ensure all ingredients are incorporated into the mix. The quick-release, tilt-up head assists when removing the bowl. 9 x 14 x 14-in. When you’re ready for a kitchen re-do, don’t call in the carpenters! Instead, “counterscape” your kitchen with Hamilton Beach’s retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their “Eclectrics” line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s. All of their “Eclectrics” are available in six colors: Apple Green, Moroccan Red, Pineapple Yellow, Intrigue Blue, Sugar White and Licorice Black.

The contest is going on for a whole month, so I'm sure there will be tons of entries, but here's your chance to win a new mixer! Read about how to get entries on her site. Good luck!

In Prison, Toddlers Serve Time with Mom

The article I have excerpted below discusses how in Mexico, children born in prison stay with their mothers until the age of 6. Some people think it's ridiculous while others think it's beneficial to everyone involved, even though it's not typical of what most of us are used to or would expect. What do you think about this?

Fifty-three children under the age of 6 live inside the prison with their mothers, who are serving sentences for crimes from drug dealing to kidnapping to homicide. Mothers dressed in prison blue, many with tattoos, carry babies on their hips around the exercise yard. Others lead toddlers and kindergartners by the hand, play with them in the dust or bounce them on their knees on prison benches.

Karina Rendón, a 23-year-old serving time for drug dealing, said her 2-year-old daughter thought of the 144-square-foot cell she shared with two other mothers and their children as home. “She doesn’t know it is a prison,” she said, smiling sadly. “She thinks it’s her house.”

While a prison may seem an unhealthy place for a child, in the early 1990s the Mexico City government decided it was better for children born in prison to stay with their mothers until they were 6 rather than to be turned over to relatives or foster parents. The children are allowed to leave on weekends and holidays to visit relatives.

A debate continues among Mexican academics over whether spending one’s early years in a jail causes mental problems later in life, but for the moment the law says babies must stay with their mothers. So the prison has a school with three teachers.

The warden, Margarita Malo, said the children had a calming effect on the rest of the inmates. The presence of children also inspires the mothers to learn skills or, in many cases, to kick drug habits that landed them in trouble in the first place.

And even though the prison is full of women capable of violence, the children usually walk safely among them, as if protected by an invisible shield. It is as though they tap the collective maternal instinct of the 1,680 women locked up here.

Read the rest of the article here.

More for the Gamers--Chuck Norris's Tears Do Not Cure Cancer

Chuck Norris Sues Because His Tears Do Not Cure Cancer (Nor Does He Do Any of the Other Spectacular Things The Gaming World Has Credited Him With)

For the non-gaming world, this just seems completely silly. For the gaming world, well, it is silly...but don't let Chuck Norris let you hear that. ;-) I wouldn't normally post about this but given that I just posted that w00t was the word of the year, I figured, hey, why not? If you're curious, what the hype involves, just google "Chuck Norris" and you'll quickly see....tons of sites with lists of Chuck Norris jokes, associating him with godly powers/abilities/skills.

For All You Gamers Out There--W00t!!

I know I'm a bit late in posting about this, but w00t (not to be confused with woot with two of the letter O....those are zeros in there) was officially named Webster's "word of the year." Isn't that crazy? It shows you just how much the English language has changed over the years, but especially since technology has become such a large influence in our lives. Here's an excerpt from an article about it:

Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster Inc. said "w00t" -- typically spelled with two zeros -- reflects a new direction in the American language led by a generation raised on video games and cell phone text-messaging.

It's like saying "yay," the dictionary said.

"It could be after a triumph or for no reason at all," Merriam-Webster said.

......

Runner-up was "facebook" as a new verb meaning to add someone to a list of friends on the Web site Facebook.com or to search for people on the social networking site.

Merriam-Webster President John Morse said "w00t" reflected the growing use of numeric keyboards to type words.

"People look for self-evident numeral-letter substitutions: 0 for O; 3 for E; 7 for T; and 4 for A," he said. "This is simply a different and more efficient way of representing the alphabetical character."

.....

"w00t belongs to gamers the world over. It seems to have been derived from the obsolete 'whoot' which essentially is another way to say 'hoot' which itself is a shout or derisive laugh," Think Geek said on its Web site.

.....

Online gamers often replace numbers and symbols with letters to form what Merriam-Webster calls an "esoteric computer hacker language" known as "l33t speak." This translates into "leet," which is short for "elite."

Other runner-ups included surge, hybrid, and Bluetooth. Check out the rest of the article here.