Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The bank is empty.

I don't use a lot of big words. But I do like etymology, which in itself is a big word, but simply means the origin of words and phrases.

Haven't you always wondered where the phrase "caught red handed" came from? It happens when you've just killed someone and still have their blood on your hands.

And what about "goodbye"? It was originally "God bless you." Some will argue that it became shortened when people felt obliged to use the customary term but didn't actually want God to bless the person. Hence, the word goodbye is actually a curse.

I love to think about words, and I enjoy writing them. Speaking them - not so much. I feel like I only have so many verbal words allotted each day, and when I use them up, I'm done.

When we have needy customers at work that just seem to be there to waste our time, we call them "time pirates" and it makes us a little reluctant to help them the next time they come in. However, I think it's not my time that I begrudge them, it's my words.

Yesterday I had a customer who just didn't get it when it came to taking care of his hot tub water and I had to explain in ridiculous detail the procedures. I had to talk non-stop for over half an hour. "Big deal," you may say. However, for me, it is a big deal. That's was my whole day's worth of words.

After he left, I turned to Nikki and said, "Don't talk to me again today." I think she was a little offended because, she on the other hand, gets allotted about 30 times the number of words I do each day.

Even by 10 o'clock last night I still hadn't managed to recharge my word bank. I came here to the blog site with the full intention of making a new entry. I was home by myself and the house was quiet and wine glass was in hand. This is my most ideal setting when I write. I logged in. I opened a blank page. And I stared blankly. Even though I wanted to, and it had been a while since I made an entry so I felt obliged to, I had nothing. So I went to bed. Goodbye.

3 comments:

mari said...

whoa - M gets at least 300 000 words a day! I'll bring her by next time we're in town!

GraceeJ said...

Whoa...did you just curse me?

Liana said...

As long a M talks, I have no problem listening. My listening allotment far outweighs my speaking allotment.


I did not curse you, I was just randomly cursing.

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