Definition: noun a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing; also: extreme egocentrism

Etymology: Latin solus alone + ipse self

Quotation: “Two later collections of stories — ‘Brief Interviews With Hideous Men’ (1999) and ‘Oblivion’ (2004), which both featured whiny, narcissistic characters — suggested a falling off of ambition and a claustrophobic solipsism of the sort Mr. Wallace himself once decried.”
- from Exuberant Riffs on a Land Run Amok, an article honoring the work of David Foster Wallace in The New York Times

David Foster Wallace is no longer with us, but his work remains. I spent numerous hours reading “Infinite Jest”, Wallace’s gigantic opus, and now I have just started “Oblivion”. While I cannot claim a thorough understanding of Wallace’s works, I can certainly recognize his talent. As a bonus, DFW was never afraid to bust out some impressive words. Potential readers should be sure to keep a dictionary nearby.

Definition: adj of, relating to, or being one for whom or which something is or is believed to be named. [yeah, just try parsing that definition]

Etymology: Greek epōnymos, from epōnymos eponymous, from epi- + onyma name

Quotation: “Not content to parody the homeless with his collection of hobo couture, John Galliano incensed journalists and Christians at his eponymous show in October.”
- from Inside Dope; Absolutely Fatuous in the New York Times (although it sounds like something straight out of Zoolander)

That definition above is an abomination of the English language. Based on the example, though, it should be easy enough to figure out that the thing which is eponymous is the show and not the person for whom it was named — an important distinction.

The last few months have seen the unfolding of one of the most interesting and thought-provoking presidential races in history. Normally I am not terribly interested in the machinations of Washington but recently I have been paying rather close attention to McCain and Obama and my decision of who to vote for has already been made. If you are like me and want to go ahead and cast your vote (and avoid the possibility of long lines) you can vote early. Here are a few places in the Raleigh area available for early voting:

Wake County Board of Elections Office
337 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh NC 27601 (view map)
Phone: 919-856-6240
Hours: Oct 16 to Nov 1, Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5pm
Sat, Oct 25, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 26, 1pm-5pm
Sat, Nov 1, 10am-1pm

Chavis Community Center, Media Room (show details)
505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Raleigh NC 27601 (view map)
Phone: 919-856-6240
Hours: Oct 16 to Nov 1, Thu, Oct 16-Sat, Oct 18, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 19, 1pm-5pm
Thu, Oct 23-Sat, Oct. 25, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 26, 1pm-5pm
Mon-Fri, Oct 27-31, 10am-7pm
Sat, Nov 1 10am-1pm

Triangle Town Center Mall
5959 Triangle Town Blvd., Raleigh NC 27616 (view map)
Phone: 919-856-6240
Hours: Oct 16 to Nov 1, Thu, Oct 16-Sat, Oct 18, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 19, 1pm-5pm
Thu, Oct 23-Sat, Oct. 25, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 26, 1pm-5pm
Mon-Fri, Oct 27-31, 10am-7pm
Sat, Nov 1 10am-1pm

Pullen Arts Center, Shuffleboard Room
105 Pullen Rd., Raleigh NC 27607 (view map)
Phone: 919-856-6240
Hours: Oct 16 to Nov 1, Thu, Oct 16-Sat, Oct 18, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 19, 1pm-5pm
Thu, Oct 23-Sat, Oct. 25, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 26, 1pm-5pm
Mon-Fri, Oct 27-31, 10am-7pm
Sat, Nov 1 10am-1pm

Cary Towne Center Mall
1105 Walnut St., Cary NC 27511 (view map)
Phone: 919-856-6240
Hours: Oct 16 to Nov 1, Thu, Oct 16-Sat, Oct 18, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 19, 1pm-5pm
Thu, Oct 23-Sat, Oct. 25, 10am-7pm
Sun, Oct 26, 1pm-5pm
Mon-Fri, Oct 27-31, 10am-7pm
Sat, Nov 1 10am-1pm

Definition: noun 1: circuit, compass 2: the bounds or limits of a place or district 3: a sphere of action, expression, or influence: scope

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin ambitus, from ambire

Quotation: “What is a family? Is it just a genetic chain, parents and offspring, people like me? Or is it a social construct, an economic unit, optimal for child rearing and divisions of labor? Or is it something else entirely: a store of shared memories, say? An ambit of love? A reach across the void?”
- from “Dreams from My Father” by Barack Obama

I came across this word in my latest read and couldn’t quite parse its meaning. As I suspected, it has the same Latin root, but the relationship between “ambition” and “ambit” is still somewhat murky. I suppose your ambition (desire to achieve a particular end) can be directed toward your ambit (sphere of action). Sure, that works.

Definition: adj 1: agreeably stimulating to the palate ; especially : spicy
2: engagingly provocative; also: having a lively arch charm

Etymology: Middle French, from present participle of piquer

Quotation: “Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap. Though my personal preference was for Lux, I found that Palmolive had a nice, piquant after-dinner flavor — heavy, but with a touch of mellow smoothness. Life Buoy, on the other hand… YECCHH!”
- from A Christmas Story

I think I actually heard this word spoken before I read it. I heard it in one of my favorite movies — A Christmas Story. It comes up in the voice-over track as Ralphy describes what it was like to be punished with a stick of soap in the mouth. A classic to be sure.
You might also notice that “piquant” is similar in spelling and pronunciation to another recognizable Spanish word — “picante.” I would imagine that is no coincidence.

Definition: verb to raise trivial and frivolous objection

Etymology: Latin cavillari to jest, cavil, from cavilla raillery; akin to Latin calvi to deceive
Date: 1542

Quotation: “A piquant development which I have noticed in recent years is that American visitors to Paris have acquired an admirable mastery of that useful and difficult art known as bargaining. They may not cavil over the ninth part of a hair, but they do cavil — and successfully — over the ninth part of a dollar, to the advantage of their pocketbooks.”
- from an Article Preview in the New York Times

I saw this little gem in a crossword puzzle a week or so ago and it really threw me for a loop. The word “sounds right”, if that’s possible. Maybe it’s just that it reminds me of “haggle”.

Bill O’Reilly blows up at his producer

Chris Berman can’t stand all the amateurs moving around on the set

Jim Cramer despises Bernanke

Since this whole SNAFU began a little more than a year ago I’ve read a lot about the fallout, and I’ve inferred a lot of what caused it, but I never could assemble the whole story. Thankfully, there is This American Life to explain it all to me. Their show (click on the picture above to go to it) details both sides of the equation–the global demand for a new kind of investment with a reasonable risk/reward proposition and the unsuspecting individuals who were convinced, by hook or by crook, that they could afford a home and that its value would always go up. The story is very interesting and very scary. It captures this perfect storm of lies, deception, naivete, and downright stupidity that we all have to deal with now.

Tonight the New York Times released the first public draft of the US government’s proposal for pulling our economy out of its tailspin. They’re calling it the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008″. In the short section at the very beginning of the bill it describes very broadly the purpose of the bill: “To provide authority for the Federal Government to purchase and insure certain types of troubled assets for the purposes of providing stability to and preventing disruption in the economy and financial system and protecting taxpayers, and for other purposes.”
I’m interested to hear more about those “other purposes”. Undoubtedly there’s a good deal of pork ladled in. Just about every bill proposed in Congress contains a healthy dose of legislation catering to various special interestes. But this bill is sure to receive intense scrutiny…perhaps the most scrutiny of any bill ever. Any senator or congress member trying to slip in a little something extra for his/her constituents should tread lightly lest they disturb an already fragile political situation in a crucial period in the voting cycle. Of course, after Biden destroys Palin in the debate on Thursday, Democrats will have a free hand and Republicans will have to duck into their collective shell for a while.

As if the financial crisis, Sarah Palin, and racist kindergarten teachers weren’t enough to drive us all to despondency, now we have to worry about f’ing pirates!
Somali Pirates Seize Ukraine Ship