Lifestyle Editing: Why I Love Scrabble

Scrabble is possibly one of the best board games in the world to play. I was recently given it as a gift and it is proudly displayed on my bookshelf as one of my prized possessions. Here is what I love about this game and the top five reasons why you should play Scrabble, too: …

The Practical Guide: Random Rare Word (Lulu)

There are some truly wondrous words in the dictionary, some which are barely pronounceable and others that are foreign to the average person’s vocabulary. But I like that slang words are included in the dictionary, too: they are just as important to our daily life as the more complex words are. Lulu (noun): slang A …

Lifestyle Editing: The Influence of a Cashier’s Word Choice

Nearly every time I go grocery shopping at Safeway, they have some kind of charity that they are trying to raise money for. In a recent stop at the grocery store, I was interested by the cashier’s choice of words: instead of asking, “Would you like to donate x amount of money to x organization?”, he …

Analyzing Everyday Rhetoric: Slurring Words

In one way, I feel that there has been a definite decline in literacy rates over the years. Grammatical errors and spelling mistakes abound; even leading newspapers are rife with typos. No doubt part of this is due to online writing, texting, and the shorthand of social media networks such as Twitter. In another way, …

Book Review: “Letters from Burma” by Aung San Suu Kyi

Penguin Group sent me this book to review as a member of the Blogger Book Network. Although it was originally published in 1991, it was released again this year with a new introduction by BBC correspondent Fergal Keane. Aung San Suu Kyi has lived a remarkable life as a political leader fighting for democracy in …

Analyzing Everyday Rhetoric: Looking Beyond the Health Claims

Last week I was having fun exploring Eat It online (an organic, Winnipeg-based health food store). They have wonderful products, and one product that jumped out at me was a blueberry hemp muffin. The company claimed that the muffin is “dairy, sugar and egg free”*. I clicked over to check out their ingredients list. Lo …

The Practical Guide: Random Rare Word (Pukka and Pulchritude)

Moving on to page 1,252 of my Canadian Oxford English Dictionary, we have here two words (bonus!), because I simply couldn’t choose between them. They are both new to me, although the meanings of the words are simple enough. Incorporate them into your vocabulary today! Pukka (adjective) 1. Anglo-Indian Genuine. 2. Of good quality; perfect …

Lifestyle Editing: Time for Yourself

There are some things that we just don’t tend to “do”, for the sake of social expectations. Singing or dancing down the street is generally considered “weird”, for example. Talking to yourself- particularly if you haven’t showered or slept in a couple days- is liable to cause skittish passers-by to give you a wide berth. …

Lifestyle Editing: Because Labels Are Never Enough…

If you’ve ever wanted to calculate the nutritional content of your homemade dish, look no further! The Dietitians of Canada’s Recipe Analyzer is one of my favourite online tools to plug in a recipe’s ingredients for a quick way to check out the nutritional statistics. Not only can you know exactly what’s going into your …

Analyzing Everyday Rhetoric: Sometimes I wonder…

…why it isn’t rude to talk to a person across the table from you at a restaurant, but it is rude to talk on your cell phone at a restaurant if you don’t have someone in-person to chat with. …why it is acceptable in society to ask a “young” person what their age is, but …

The Practical Guide: Random Rare Word (Gumshoe)

I got a kick out of this word when I found it. I doubt that any kind of detective would appreciate being called a “gumshoe”. It doesn’t have quite the same pizzazz as “secret agent”, for example. Nor does it carry the same air of impressibility as the title of “detective”. Finding this word reminds …

In the Media: gapingwhole

While I celebrate the end of exams today, I’m sending you over to read Westwood’s blog. Join in on the philosophical discussions over there. Come back next week when Living Rhetorically in the Real World resumes!