Sometimes, just being not as bad as everyone else is enough

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Seldom has mediocrity been celebrated with such gusto.

The San Diego Padres let loose on Wednesday night, mobbing Trevor Hoffman and spraying champagne on each other and even on some fans, until there was none left to spray.


They tossed aside their .500 record like an empty bottle. All they cared about was that they were NL West champions.

The Padres clinched the fourth division crown in their 37-year history with a 9-1 win over the San Francisco Giants and return to the postseason for the first time since being swept in the 1998 World Series by the New York Yankees.

This title was quite unlike the others, in 1984, 1996 and 1998, because the Padres were 79-79 going into Thursday night's game.
from Sports Illustrated

My prediction? They'll end up wining the World Series. Stay tuned.

And, finally, Wordsmith's color word of the day is indeed one I've heard of and use in casual conversation.
taupe (toap, rhymes with rope) noun

A brownish gray, similar to the color of moleskin.

[From French taupe (mole), from Latin talpa.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=taupe

"Like those of us doomed to repeat history, women seem to buy the same
item over and over again. The Buffer's small point of information 'You've
already got a top just like that' is rebuffed with: 'No, the old one
(relative term, here) is taupe. The new one is ecru*.'"
Tom Shields; Men's Place is Secondary in Any Battle of the Wardrobe;
Sunday Herald (Glasgow, UK); Sep 4, 2005.

*ecru: pale brown, like raw silk or unbleached linen; beige.
[From French écru (raw, unbleached).]

Game last night was canceled and today's practice is too. It's finally raining, I'm so excited - I'm wearing sweaters. Although, I shouldn't be too happy, my utility's Natural Gas Rate Increase was approved (14% - ouch)

Check Out the Byline on this Fake News Story

OLYMPIA, WA—A primary election of some sort is believed to have occurred in the past week or two in cities and counties across the nation, according to a report published by a citizens advocacy group.

Although the report stopped short of affirming the claim, the Fair Election Advocacy Council believes that local political offices as diverse as mayor, city councilman, district attorney, and perhaps a judgeship or two may have been contested.
"There may have even been a couple state and local referendums here and there," said FEAC spokesperson Jonathan Repstad. "No one really knows for sure."
The report mirrors the dawning suspicion many eligible American voters had in recent days that they missed an election of some kind.
"Am I crazy, or was there an election or something not too long ago?" said Olympia, WA resident Rochelle Fleischman, who recalled receiving a multilingual "yellow thing" in the mail several weeks ago that may have been an election-related notice. She promptly discarded it with other junk mail.
The FEAC investigation points to this summer's proliferation of red, white, and blue-colored brochures with photographs of middle-aged men and women with awkward, forced smiles. A handful of cardstock yard signs were also reported in various parts of the country. In Cincinnati, assistant restaurant manager Mark Earnshaw noted a sign alleging that City Councilman Valerie Rittenhouse "worked for him."
"The sign didn't say anything else," Earnshaw said. "I figured she was just letting voters know that she was working for them."
Recent TV ads with "guys in neckties saying things to guys in hardhats" have added to the growing suspicion.
Annapolis, MD's David Sandoval said he believes he may have actually met one of these primary candidates at his local farmer's market in August. Recalling a short, balding man in shirtsleeves and thick glasses, Sandoval said, "I shook hands with him briefly, then promptly put him out of my mind."

Unconfirmed evidence of a possible election, found beside a garbage can in Brooklyn, NY.
"He said something like, 'Hi, I'm so-and-so, and I'm running for such-and-such in district whatever,'" Sandoval said. "It was a little weird, since, to my knowledge, this is not an election year."
If elections indeed occurred, no offices appear to have changed hands. According to the FEAC report, the U.S. president, state governors, and congressional representatives are still in office, and many of the local incumbents who were supposedly running for re-election still occupy their seats. The FEAC speculates that some may have lost to members of their own party, but will remain in office for the duration of their terms.
"I thought our mayor must have lost some election, because I caught what looked like his concession speech on TV for a sec before switching to Leno," said Allegheny County, PA resident Jennifer Casagrande. "But then he was on the news a couple days later talking about some bill."
Added Casagrande: "I don't get the elections for judges, either. Don't judges get appointed by someone?"
The FEAC's Repstad said that the organization contacted a man believed to have been a candidate for New York City mayor to ask him if a primary had taken place. His "highly cryptic" response only served to raise new questions.
"I have no comment, other than to say that I congratulate Fernando Ferrer once again and that he has my full and unwavering support," said the man identified by the FEAC as Anthony Weiner.
The FEAC was ultimately unable to reach a definitive conclusion.
"At this point, we have two working theories," Repstad said. "Either no elections took place and no one was elected, or there were some elections, but they just weren't that important."

Got to love The Onion!

Although, truth be told, there was an election in Olympia recently, but we actually don't live in the city proper, so didn't get to participate.

And, we've veered away from brown words today:

glaucous (GLO-kuhs) adjective

1. Of a grayish or bluish green or white color.

2. Covered with a powdery coating of such colors, as on grapes, plums, etc.

[From Latin glaucus (bluish-gray or green), from Greek glaukos.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=glaucous

"Ichabod wants to investigate a series of murders in the village of
Sleepy Hollow, where bleak forests and glaucous mists suggest Brigadoon*
beset by toxic waste."
Joe Morgenstern; Tim Burton's Version Of Sleepy Hollow Is Both Sleepy
and Hollow; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Nov 19, 1999


Today, I may be too easily amused!

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel


This Christmas Carol tells the story of Good King Wenceslas, or as the Orthodox call him, Saint Wenceslas. His commemoration is today, and his hagiography can be found on Orthodox America.

An excerpt:

During the missionary journeys of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Czech Prince Borivoy and his wife Ludmilla were converted. But their baptism was by no means followed by that of their subjects. Many powerful Czechs were opposed to the introduction of Christianity, as it threatened the privileges and powers of their own idolatrous religion.
The son of Borivby and Ludmilla, Prince Vratislav, married a nominally Christian woman, Drahomira, the daughter of a pagan tribal chief, who held tenaciously to the ancient beliefs. Their first son Vaclavor, as we know him, Wenceslas, [in Russian, Vyacheslav] was born near Prague in 907, and his father began his rule of Czechia in 915. Four daughters and another son, Boleslas, were also born to them.
When Wenceslas was thirteen, his father was killed in a battle. Drahomira took advantage of the confusion and religious animosity to garner the support of the powerful pagan nobility while Wenceslas awaited his majority. During that time, Grandmother Ludmilla arranged to bring up the boy; carefully she formed in his heart the love of Christ and His holy Church with the help of her priest, himself a disciple of St. Methodius. After Vratislav's death those same nobles encouraged Drahomira's jealousy of St. Ludmilla by sly suggestions. "Just look at what this interfering woman has accomplished: your own son is now better fit for a monastery than a throne," Between them they conceived and executed a plan to eliminate the Grandmother's gentle influence. They had her strangled [commemorated as a martyr by the Church on Sept. 16].
Feeling herself now exempt from all Christian duty, the mother reclaimed her son, including him in her idolatrous ceremonies. Secretly, however, Wenceslas continued to celebrate his Christian faith in private services, receiving the Holy Mysteries in the deep of night. His own crops of wheat and wine were contributed for their preparation. Soon, God saw fit to bring the goodness of the young Prince to light, at the same time rewarding Drahomira in kind for her evil accomplishment. Murder, even by a regent., was severely punishable, and an uprising deposed and banished her. Gaining the throne shortly at the age of eighteen, Wenceslas recalled his mother to the castle, heeding the commandment to honor one's father and mother.
His was a well-formed soul and he cherished the peace and safety of his subjects sacrificially: once, to stop continuous murderous raids by his most pernicious enemy, he volunteered to meet him in hand-to-hand combat and let the outcome be the end of the dispute. Ever steadfast in the Faith, he was zealous in good deeds--clothing the naked, giving shelter to pilgrims, and buying freedom for those sold into slavery. His generous love extended to rich and poor alike. To encourage the Christians he undertook the planning and building of churches and was dauntless in his opposition of the nobles who oppressed them. The troubles between the Christian Prince and his pagan nobility were soon to erupt again in earnest.


And the martyrdom:

Knowing the religious fervor of his brother, Boleslas invited him to the feast of Ss. Cosmas and Damlan. Though warned of danger, Wenceslas put his trust in God and went, as his custom was, to the church dedicated to the feast at hand--the castle chapel of Boleslas.
After Liturgy the Prince prepared to return home. But his scheming brother dissuaded him: "Why leave, brother? Let us join my knights for a hearty drink!" Still trusting in God, Wenceslas joined the men and stayed the day. At some point he was probably told of his brother's intent. But either he did not believe the wickedness of it or he determined to rest in the will of God. That night as he slept, the shameless brother and his band of infidels charted their course. When bells for matins awoke him, Wencelas gave thanks for his life and health and started for church. Boleslas caught up with him at the gate and they exchanged a few words. Then Boleslas drew his sword. "What has gotten into you, my brother?" cried Wenceslas. One of the henchmen wounded his right arm, and the near-martyr ran for the church. There on the Steps of the holy refuge he was beaten to death by two others; then a fourth pierced his side. Strangely, his blood did not yet sink into the ground. A priest covered his body with a cloth, and his mother was told. One can only faintly imagine the chaotic mixture of grief, terror and remorse that assailed Drahomira then. She ran, crying, to the body of her first-born, gathered him to her, and took him to the priest's house to wash and dress for burial. Then, fearing the duplicity of her younger son, She ran away to Croatia.
Three days after the murder, the blood of the holy martyr gathered itself together and stood above his body in the church in full view of many of the faithful. After his burial, many of his grateful subjects, feeling themselves orphaned, went to his grave to pray. Sources agree that miracles soon began in answer to these prayers, although they differ on the reason for Boleslas's decision to move the body to the church containing the relics of St. Vitus: some say the murderer feared reprisals from the faithful and hoped to hide the miracles behind St. Vitus's name; but others say that he repented of the killing of his Prince and brother, and moved the body to honor St. Wenceslas.


So, my apologies for putting a Christmas Carol into your head today, but take a minute and ask St. Wenceslas to keep us in his prayers.

I also found out, in my searches, that there is a statue of St. Wenceslas in Prague. Someday, I'd like to see that.

Oh, and in other news, today's word of the day:
fuscous (FUS-kuhs) adjective

Of a brownish-gray color; dusky.

[From Latin fuscus (dusky).]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=fuscous

"What do you miss most when you are away? Sitting in a wind tower
at sunset, drinking cold beer and watching the play of light on the
roofs below - ancient corrugated iron rusted into every fuscous shade
imaginable."
Alexander Frater; My Kind of Town; The Sunday Telegraph (London, UK);
Sep 12, 2004.

Another color word I'd never heard.

filemot (FIL-mot) noun, adjective

The color of a dead or faded leaf: dull brown or yellowish brown.

[From the corruption of the French term feuillemorte, from feuille (leaf)
+ morte (dead). Ultimately from Indo-European root bhel- (to thrive or
bloom) that gave us flower, bleed, bless, foliage, blossom, and blade.]

"The walls were panelled; each panel was comparted like a modern office
desk, and each compartment crowded with labelled folios all filemot with
age and use."
Lewis Wallace; Ben-Hur; Harper & Brothers; 1880.

From

Wordsmith's (www.wordsmith.org) Word of the Day - this week's theme is colors.

Fall Ball - I think is code for parents freeze while watching ball. Be that as it may, we are in the thick of the season, with Xavier having a great time with several teammates from his Spring team.

He's been playing utility, mostly second, shortstop and outfield. He's very good at providing backup (sometimes too good as last game when he was playing third but backing up the play at second). His batting is improving, and he's gotten some great hits.

He feels his size mightily - the team uniforms were distributed in size order, and he is No. 1. However, he is an integral part of the team, and liked and enjoyed by all.

And, so help me, he calls what I'd call an athletic supporter his cupholder. Kills me every time.

May you enjoy Fall Ball too - in the neighborhood, on a team, or watching the pros enter the postseason!