Founding Fathers

I have been reading about our country's founding fathers and am amazed by their words. The venerable John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had a "disdain for indolence" and a clear vision as true leaders.
It is so fun to learn about the events that took place in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington DC because I get to visit these places for work. As I read, I constantly think, "oh, there is a electrical distributor right down the street from that historical site." It is really, really fun to live in this part of the United States!

The Devil's favorite words

Stultify:: to impair, invalidate, or make ineffective : negate b: to have a dulling or inhibiting effect on

Spurious: of falsified or erroneously attributed origin : forged b: of a deceitful nature or quality

Acquiesce: to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively

Favorite Quotes

Favorite Quotes from Steven R. Covey's "The 8th Habit"
"The inspiration of a noble cause involving human interests wide and far, enables men to do things they did not dream themselves capable of before, and which they were not capable of alone. The consciousness of belonging, vitally, to something beyond individuality; of being part of a personality that reaches we know not where, in space and time, greatens the heart to the limit of the soul's ideal, and builds out the supreme of character."
-General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

"We know not of the future, and cannot plan for it much. But we can hold our spirits and our bodies so pure and high, we may cherish such thoughts and such ideals, and dream such dreams of lofty purpose, that we can determine and know what manner of men we will be whenever and wherever the hour strikes, that calls to noble action."
-General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Along those same lines... "To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour."
-Winston Churchill

Vocab:

I finished "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett this week and these were some of my favorite words in the book:

churlish

Main Entry: churl·ish
Pronunciation: \ˈchər-lish\
Function: adjective
Date: before 12th century
1 : of, resembling, or characteristic of a churl : vulgar
2 : marked by a lack of civility or graciousness : surly
3 : difficult to work with or deal with : intractable

apoplectic

Pronunciation: \ˌa-pə-ˈplek-tik\
Function: adjective
Etymology: French or Late Latin; French apoplectique, from Late Latin apoplecticus, from Greek apoplēktikos, from apoplēssein
Date: 1611
1: of, relating to, or causing stroke
2: affected with, inclined to, or showing symptoms of stroke
3: of a kind to cause or apparently cause stroke ; also : greatly excited or angered

surreptitious

Main Entry: sur·rep·ti·tious
Pronunciation: \ˌsər-əp-ˈti-shəs, ˌsə-rəp-, sə-ˌrep-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin surrepticius, from surreptus, past participle of surripere to snatch secretly, from sub- + rapere to seize — more at rapid
Date: 15th century
1 : done, made, or acquired by stealth : clandestine
2 : acting or doing something clandestinely : stealthy

Harbor Cruise

 
 

Fun in The Park

 

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine