WORD.

Yesterday I needed to relax. Currently I'm working an eight to four job and assistant stage managing a local production called The Royal Family. Needless to say I am a bit swamped. So I headed through the down-pouring rain to Barnes & Noble.

Bookstores are my secret retreat. Everything about them calms me. The blend of hushed conversations, coffee smells, and endless opportunities for getting lost in a story work perfectly together. I ended up spending far more money than I care to admit, but, in my mind, it was worth it. Being a mild magazine junkie, I picked up three travel magazines and the latest edition of Lapham's Quarterly.

I have never read LQ before, but according to its website, every three months a new issue is released full of historical documents, pictures, data, etc. related to a specific theme. The Spring 2012 theme is "Means of Communication." How perfect! Communication major Michelle GEEKED OUT! My eyes were bulging with wonder, hands rapidly flipping through the pages, I may have even squeaked. The copy I initially picked up had a disgusting mystery smudge on the cover, so I exchanged it for one with the white cover in pristine condition. If I had discovered LQ the same time I went to the Newseum, my head would have imploded with joy.

I also picked up a new cookbook titled The BrokeAss Gourmet. Every recipe looks incredible and I can't wait until I have some time to look at the book (perhaps I'll try a few recipes as well!)

Words are incredibly intriguing. It is mind-boggling to me how many different languages there are and the various means people use to communicate. One of my favorite communication quotes (yes, I do have more than one) is from Emperor Charles V,

I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse.

Our words constantly change, morph, and adapt.

Recently, I discovered popsicle should actually be Popsicle because it is a brand. The true name is an ice pop (thank you Wikipedia) and Popsicle became a generic trademark after its surge in popularity. Of course I had to do more research on generic trademarks, which lead me to click on a page about metonymy, and, eventually, I ended up reading about heroin on Wikipedia. How I got there, I have no idea, but I did discover that heroin was originally owned and branded by Bayer.