Discreet vs. Discrete
This is a little trickier than affect/effect because both these words are adjectives.
discreet: circumspect, prudent, trustworthy
discrete: separate and distinct
The difference in the definition of these words generally results in amusing sentences when they're mixed up:
"She was not a very discrete person."
"They claim that any discreet image can be defined by..."
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Divine Inspiration
Today I was visited by the gods of procrastination. There can simply be no other explanation as to why I decided to make a quiche this afternoon. That's right -with home made pastry.
The pastry is in the oven right now, we'll see how it turns out.
The pastry is in the oven right now, we'll see how it turns out.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Observation of the Day: Writing a Paper is like Cardio...
It breaks down into the following stages:
1) Easy stamina: "I can't believe I've gone 5 minutes already, and I'm not even winded!" OR "I can't believe I've written 6 pages already - I've still got so much to say, and I haven't even added the figures!"
2) Fear of what's to come: "I'm at 10 minutes and I'm starting to feel fatigued... it's only getting worse ... I'm going to die here!" OR "I'm only at 11 pages and I'm through half my arguments, but only 1/3 of the way through the minimum page count".
3) Depression: "I can't take one more step - I have to stop before I keel over/sweat publicly, and I still have 7 minutes to go!" OR "I'm never going to finish this! I have nothing else to say, I've added all my figures, and I still have 7 pages to go!"
4) Sheer willpower: "Must..keep... feet...moving" OR "Must... keep... fingers... typing..."
5) Endorphins: "Only 30 seconds to go! I can do this" OR "One page left, and my discussion can fill it!"
6) Satisfaction: "I'm in so much pain, but I'm healthier for it" OR "I am so exhausted, but at least I'm not going to fail out."
Stay tuned for the graph version when I'm not feeling guilty about procrastinating (which can occur at all these stages in the paper timeline). I'm still at step 3, pushing step 4.
1) Easy stamina: "I can't believe I've gone 5 minutes already, and I'm not even winded!" OR "I can't believe I've written 6 pages already - I've still got so much to say, and I haven't even added the figures!"
2) Fear of what's to come: "I'm at 10 minutes and I'm starting to feel fatigued... it's only getting worse ... I'm going to die here!" OR "I'm only at 11 pages and I'm through half my arguments, but only 1/3 of the way through the minimum page count".
3) Depression: "I can't take one more step - I have to stop before I keel over/sweat publicly, and I still have 7 minutes to go!" OR "I'm never going to finish this! I have nothing else to say, I've added all my figures, and I still have 7 pages to go!"
4) Sheer willpower: "Must..keep... feet...moving" OR "Must... keep... fingers... typing..."
5) Endorphins: "Only 30 seconds to go! I can do this" OR "One page left, and my discussion can fill it!"
6) Satisfaction: "I'm in so much pain, but I'm healthier for it" OR "I am so exhausted, but at least I'm not going to fail out."
Stay tuned for the graph version when I'm not feeling guilty about procrastinating (which can occur at all these stages in the paper timeline). I'm still at step 3, pushing step 4.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The things we do
Latest procrastination tactic:
Organizing my dresser and closet. That's right.
This morning I had loads of laundry on my bed that were waiting to be put away, but I couldn't bear to stuff them into a messy closet or rumpled dresser drawers. Now, my closet is organized with skirts on one side and shirts on the other and each side is an aesthetically pleasing gradient of colour. Underwear: sorted by comfort level. Bras: sorted by colour. Shirts: sorted by sleeve length and material. Papers: woefully incomplete.
Organizing my dresser and closet. That's right.
This morning I had loads of laundry on my bed that were waiting to be put away, but I couldn't bear to stuff them into a messy closet or rumpled dresser drawers. Now, my closet is organized with skirts on one side and shirts on the other and each side is an aesthetically pleasing gradient of colour. Underwear: sorted by comfort level. Bras: sorted by colour. Shirts: sorted by sleeve length and material. Papers: woefully incomplete.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Caving to Twitter
In an effort to keep my readership up on my daily insights, I have started an account on twitter. There's a new module in the box to the right that displays micro updates from me. So you'll know when I'm on the bus and stuck in traffic. You'll know when I have random insights waiting for the metro. The goal is that when I'm out of ideas for a proper post, I can still make sure that everyone knows I'm still alive.
Feel free to ignore, if you find it's TMI, but I have so much fun stalking other people via twitter, I'm interested to see what it's like on the other side of the fence.
Feel free to ignore, if you find it's TMI, but I have so much fun stalking other people via twitter, I'm interested to see what it's like on the other side of the fence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)