The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

A couple of weeks ago, I observed an interesting debate between two friends of mine concerning the power of words and whether or not we could universally erase a select few. One seemed to believe that words possess only as much power as people provide them, that they can mean nothing if we treat them as such, and if we stop using them in the future, they'll all but vanish. The other seemed to disagree with this notion, as they mentioned how a few words got under their skin more than any other, and that whether or not we uttered such words in the future, that wouldn't remove their affect on us. First of all, as a writer, I'm inherently biased toward the power of words. I'm also a believer that less is often more when it comes to certain words. If an individual rarely uses what's considered to be profane language, when he or she does utter such a word, it often times lands a bigger punch than if the stereotypical drunken sailor utters such a remark. It should also b...

I've found that the term hangry is appearing more regularly in everyday conversation. For the two of you unfamiliar with the word, it means to become so hungry one becomes angry (yes, a hybrid of angry and hungry ). Given the ever growing popularity of hangry , I thought I'd try to get the ball rolling with a few other like terms. For each, I'll provide the definition and a sentence where the words could be used. Here we go... Bangry : To become angry over a decision made on the reality show, The Bachelor . Example: "Why in the sam hill did Jake not pick Delilah Doodymix? What the hell, Jake? What is wrong with you?!? I'm so f**kin' bangry right now! Ugh!" Bork : To become bored while at work. Example: "Hey, what are you up to? Me? I'm in the office, listening to 'Free Bird,' playing some FreeCell. I'm just so frickin' bork right now, you know? Oh, I gotta go. This hot new assistant just came in and will hopefully unbork m...

Mistakes are a part of life. I've made them; you've made them; even Gandhi made them. We've all said and done things we haven't been proud about, wished these moments never took place, and often promised ourselves we'd learn from such experiences so we didn't repeat them. When another is hurt by our mishandling of a situation, it's common to make amends by apologizing. While some may be more hard-headed than others when it comes to admitting mistakes and apologizing for them, I think a large majority of people whom aren't in serious denial know when they've done wrong and when it's time to offer a sincere apology for this wrongdoing. So long as the same mistakes aren't being committed, leading to the same apologies, a sincere apology can be quite a helpful tool in calming a situation, regaining another's trust, and helping progress the relationship. Apologies aren't always sincere, however, and it's during these very instances w...

There are times when words can be uttered so frequently, that they lose their impact. I find swear words to be a perfect example of this - the f-bomb, as it's known, in particular. If a person regularly uses said word, and even jokingly tells people to "f-off" at times, the impact won't be nearly as great when he or she tells a person in a serious tone to "f-off." There are also times when words can lose their meaning due to having been said time and again, but without the actions necessary to back up the claim. The first two words that come to mind here are "promise" and "love." The word "promise" gets parents, spouses, and politicians into trouble a great deal at times. A promise may sound lovely at first, but if the person continually doesn't follow through with their promises, the next time they utter the "p" word, it won't carry nearly as much weight as it did initially, and the audience's skeptici...

Ever since they suffered significant defeats in the 2012 election, the Republican Party has talked about "rebranding" themselves. This has been anything but successful, as for every one pro-women's or pro-minorities' rights speech they give, it seems as if they give four or five in the opposite direction. When I thought about the GOP and "rebranding" the other night, though, a thought occurred to me - the party has been quite successful with the concept of rebranding, just not when it comes to their party's image. No, the kind of rebranding I'm talking about is in reference to words. Let me run down a list of the words or concepts the GOP has seemed to successfully rebrand over the years (unfortunately): Liberal Actual definition: "Favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, especially as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties," "favoring or permitting freed...

The Weather Channel has decided to give winter storms fancy names again this year. To this point, we've seen them showcase the following winter storm names: Atlas, Boreas, Cleon, Dion, Electra, Falco, Gemini, Hercules, and Ion, with Janus, Kronos, and Leon soon to come. If we must name these storms, I think The Weather Channel should go a different route and name them after random adjectives, such as the following: A - Winter Storm Alcoholic B - Winter Storm Breezy C - Winter Storm Crabby D - Winter Storm Demonic E - Winter Storm Extra-Small F - Winter Storm Fuzzy G - Winter Storm Gentle H - Winter Storm Hot I - Winter Storm Imaginary J - Winter Storm Jolly K - Winter Storm Kind-Hearted L - Winter Storm Lame M - Winter Storm Magenta N - Winter Storm Nutritious O - Winter Storm Organic P - Winter Storm Pleasant Q - Winter Storm Questionable R - Winter Storm Roasted S - Winter Storm Sassy T - Winter Storm Tangy U - Winter Storm Utopian V - ...

For a while, I've wondered what Bible far-right Republicans and Tea Partiers have been reading. They've preached that: God grants us gun rights, homosexuals are condemned to hell, we shouldn't take care of the poor and needy, we should provide benefits and loopholes for the wealthy at the expense of the poor and middle-class, war is anything but a last-resort, etc. Having read many religious books, there's one which stood out to me as being partially representative of the modern day far-right on the political spectrum. Before giving away what this book or religion is, I'll intentionally place the word "God" in particular scriptures when deemed appropriate, so that it hopefully reads like something a Tea Party member might be prone to saying. Here we go... - "God represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates." - "God represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek." - "God repr...

The small city of Nelson, Georgia - home of approximately 1,300 residents - saw its city council members unanimously support a bill entitled the Family Protection Ordinance on Monday night. What is the Family Protection Ordinance exactly? It's a bill that "requires every head of household to own a gun and ammunition to 'provide for the emergency management of the city' and to 'provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants." In other words, it's a mandatory gun ownership bill, or is it? The bill exempts felons, the mentally disabled, and anyone whom doesn't wish to own a gun.    I have a feeling the Nelson city council members may need to be reminded on just what exactly "mandatory" means. According to the dictionary, the word "mandatory" means "authoritatively ordered; obligatory; compulsory." If only all laws could be this way, such as the following: - It'...

I suppose there are worse drugs in the world, but I think it's pretty safe to say that ever since I overcome a two-year illness in early 2011, I can't seem to stop writing. In those two years I was sick, I suffered from extreme tingling in my limbs and an overly-drugged sensation in my head. This made it extremely difficult for me to write much. My typing was hampered due to the intense tingling and my thought-process was severely hindered by the overly-drugged sensation I felt in my head. This was an extremely frustrating experience for me on multiple levels and I honestly wondered if I ever got better, if I'd be able to write like I once did. I had released a book in both 2006 and 2007, but had to place my aspirations on hold in 2008 due to my moving from Omaha, Nebraska to Columbus, Ohio. Then in 2009 is when the illness struck and it didn't leave my system until early 2011. Ever since then, my mind has been seemingly set on overdrive and it's not showing any ...

I'm curious to see a study regarding what I'm about to share and how accurate it is. It's been difficult for me to date since I moved to Ohio from Nebraska. Upon moving here about 4 years ago, I didn't know anyone. I've been working at home, so it's difficult for me to really meet people out at work. I don't go to church. I haven't been greatly involved in the community. I'll go out on weekends, but it can be difficult going to bars by yourself or with family and meeting a woman. So I resorted to this free online friend-making/dating site to try and meet some people. I've only really been active these past 4.5 months, I'd say. I've made a couple of "okay" friends - meaning we might comment on one another's Facebook pages, but that's about as far as it goes. The longer I stay on that site, the more I'm beginning to realize a few things, such as it seems that most men are on there just for sex and most women are on the...

I'm usually not one to utter tired cliches and other phrases, however, I feel some need the reminder that actions do actually speak louder than words. Recently, a woman told me she was looking for friends, but as the days progressed, her actions told another story. So, what's a guy supposed to believe? A few words uttered at the start of a relationship (of any kind) or the actions proceeding those very words? If he attempts to make sense of the two in conjunction with one another, that will be next to impossible. So, which way does he go? She truly meant she only wants to be friends or she want something greater? If a husband tells his wife that he loves her, yet consistently abuses her, what does that say? Does he really love his wife, just because he said it? No, of course not. Any man whom stoops to the level of abusing his wife in any manner cannot genuinely love his wife. Actions speak louder than words. If a politician promises to not raise taxes and does so, does t...