First, you leave the office and start wandering Times Square without coat, scarf or gloves on the first truly frigid day of the season.  Then, between mouthing silent epithets at the ruthless producer (only in show business does the person who produces nothing of value end up with the title of Producer) with whom you just concluded a particularly unpleasant meeting (which prompted your hasty coatless winter stroll) and dodging the cheap thrill seeking hordes-- you find yourself wondering why there's a ruthless and no ruthful?  And knowing you won't  know till you get back to your desk, you amuse yourself (which also serves to distract you from  that little crackling noise  coming from the frozen nipples on your chest) by trying to think of other "less"  suffixed words  that pose a similar question, (which as it turns out, there're very few) and make your way back to the office with chattering teeth and words like reckless and feckless running through your head, until you're safely thawing out and embarking on your etymological mission. 

Ruthless.  
The word  is middle-English in origin, referring to the biblical story of Ruth*; the theme of the story being kindness, love, and redemption.  To say someone is ruthless is to literally say that that person is unlike Ruth; to wit: Not nice. And I found this little ditty:

Ruth rode on my motorbike

Directly back of me;
I hit a bump at 65,

And rode on Ruthlessly. 

Copy on movie poster reads: 

From pagan idolatry to the worship of one God...from untouchable priestess to woman immortal!

Wow, some days I'm just so proud to be an entertainment copywriter.
http://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/340600179/m/7936086063
* I guessed this during my walk.  I swear. 

Reckless

According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary(1977), reck is a verb that means "to have care or concern (for)".  The adjective reckless is formed on that base.  

Then reck I not, when I have lost my life. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

I reck not though I end my life to-day. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Of me she recks not, nor my vain desire. --M. Arnold. [1913 Webster]

Can't seem to find anything in the way of modern usage, seems like Reck just rode off  into the sunset while its antonymic sidekick stayed around ...I reckon. 

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/recklessness

http://definitions.dictionary.net/reck

Feckless. 
In the 1500′s, Feck appeared as a dialect word in Scotland and the north of England to mean “the purpose, drift, tenor, or substance of a statement.” It was also used to described “efficacy, efficiency, and value.” This is the obvious root meaning of the word feckless - being devoid of feck.

Feck can also be used as a slang verb for “to steal.” James Joyce uses it in Portrait of an Artist as Young Man; “They had fecked cash out of the rector’s room.” The similarity in sound between feck and fuck has also lead to it being used as a euphemism. It inflects in the same way fuck does, hence its value. The Urban Dictionary suggests that this meaning originated in Ireland although this may be due to the frequency of its use in the mid-90′s UK sit-com, Father Ted. I couldn’t find any sources to say when the euphemistic feck first appeared but it is clearly a phonetic derivation.
http://etyman.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/feckless-fɛkləs/

And in typical internet search fashion, I stumbled upon: 

Obama And Iran: Reckless Or Feckless?

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/obama-israel-iran-reckless-feckless/

 Regardless v. Irregardless

Irregardless is a word, but it's not a proper word.

In the immortal words of Douglas Adams:  Don't Panic.  Regardless or irregardless of how a word that is not a word can be a word, all you really need to know is that for all intents and purposes (as well as for the "experts" I consulted in last 5 minutes) there is no such word as irregardless because regardless already means without regard. The —ir prefix is redundant

The speculation among accessed references is that it may be a blend, or portmanteau word, of irrespective and regardless, and it just stuck and hung on (or is that hanged on? Hmmm, see below.)

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/irregardless.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregardless

LEFTOVERS FROM STUFF FOUND ON SIDE OF THE ROAD 

DURING ABOVE MISSION

Hanged vs. Hung.
Simple.  People are hanged, curtains are hung.  Oh, wait a minute, not so simple, cause I don't believe you fell off your step ladder while you were hunging your curtains. I'll leave it up to you to find out more, I'm hanging up on this one.

Sneaked vs. Snuck
Sometimes, two forms of a word may be correct. For example, both sneaked and snuck may be used as the past and perfect tenses for sneak.Example: She snuck up on him. OR She sneaked up on him.Example: She has snuck up on him twice while he was napping. OR She has sneaked up on him twice while he was napping. Snuck” is still considered slightly less than acceptable, but according to Harvard researchers (can't argue with them) , 1% of the English-speaking population switches from “sneaked” to “snuck” every year, with the shift being most powerful in America. How they came up with that data is probably the more interesting story:  "Hello, Mr. Drifter, I'm calling today to ask you a few questions about your use of sneaked and snuck...did I catch you at a good time?" 

Lighted vs. Lit
Sometime after 1800, people began to prefer the irregular verb “lit” to the regular past tense “lighted”. “Lit and “lighted” both currently exist as fully acceptable past-tense forms of “to light.” 

Burned vs. Burnt
First, verbs don’t always evolve at the same rate in different countries.  Also, though it seems like nobody knows why, British English speakers have held on to irregular verbs more than American English speakers, which is why they say “dreamt,” “burnt,” and “learnt” in Britain, and we say “dreamed,” “burned,” and “learned” in America.

Ellen reminded me this morning to include:  Flammable v. Inflammable.

They are both proper words and mean the same thing.  And were both used interchangeably until the 1920s when the National Fire Protection Association promoted usage of flammable because of a concern that people would interpret the "in"* in inflammable to mean "not".  But they were only marginally successful and the two words continue to duke it out today.

*Actually, the -in, in inflammable was derived from the Latin preposition meaning en-(like enflamed) and not the Latin prefix meaning un.

http://chemistry.about.com/b/2011/01/08/flammable-versus-inflammable-what-is-the-difference.htm

Other References of note

 “English Irregular Verbs,” Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_irregular_verbs
 McWhorter, J. Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue, Gotham Books, 2008.
 Stephen Pinker “The Irregular Verbs,”http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/2000_03_landfall.html
 Gellene, D.  “How English adds the '-ed'” Los Angeles Times,  October 11, 2007. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/oct/11/science/sci-verbs11
Yong, E. “The Culture Genome: Google Books Reveals Traces of Fame, Censorship, and Changing Languages,” Discover Magazine.http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/12/16/the-cultural-genome-google-books-reveals-traces-of-fame-censorship-and-changing-languages/ 

My hero, Calvin, also said:

 "I like maxims that don't encourage behavior modification."

Was a bit wary and not sure I wanted to see the Honest Abe according St. Steven epic.  There are certain people for whom I feel an almost proprietary sense of paternal protectiveness which makes me cringe at the thought of seeing them "re-imagined" as mythical icons when it is their all too human qualities that   most appeal to me.  I never saw the Will Smith as Ali flick, and don't think I will.  And I can't imagine I could ever enjoy a scripted biopic of Louis Armstrong.  But the BlockbusterMeister surprised me.  First, because he didn't make an epic.  It's got all the big hollywood production values, but it's a small scale tale. Rather than a sweeping overview of an entire life or even an era--it's a detailed and almost day by day account of a political poker game where the chips on the table represent the values that formed the pot from which our Post-Civil War country was built. The story of the subsequent Reconstruction period would be an unlikely follow-up considering what an anti-climactic downer that turned out to be. But for a pop-history lesson on how the rusty gears of legislative mechanics grinded through a crucial period in what was then a union machine on the verge of the scrap heap, this seems to work as well as one could expect.Tony Kushner's script is where it all begins, and its a dandy. Arguments and debate play out with careful attention to documented detail and nuance.  The demoralizing and debasing elements of quid pro quo horse trading that is the meat (mostly pork?) and potatoes of parliamentary progress is where Kushner creates his strongest scenes and moments.  Can't imagine anyone other than Spielberg could have convinced a studio to back such a legalistic and semantics driven concept. Some of it verges on the sentimental and hagiographic, and the soaring patriotic scoring doesn't always match the pragmatic subtlety of the action, but for the most part it's pretty terrific and Daniel Day-Lewis is as impressive by what he chooses to conceal in Lincoln's character as by what he masterfully mimics.  It's a real labor of love feast made with mostly natural ingredients, and that's a rare dish to find coming out of a Hollywood Kitchen. 

Into The Woods

One of many Esherick tables with this unique  support design.

The sculptor and furniture designer WHARTON ESHERICK (1887–1970) often said that his favorite carving tool was an ax, and that he let the wood determine the form of the objects he so rigorously fashioned.

I had never heard of  Esherick until I came across an article about his friendship and correspondences with Theodore Dreiser and Sherwood Anderson. He started out as a painter but switched to sculpture and furniture making and worked almost exclusively in wood.  What a revelation.  Everything is hand-carved with an emphasis on simple and natural geometry that pre-dates the Scandinavian movement he inspired.  Gotta go visit his all-by-hand-built house, (now museum just outside Philly)which is considered his greatest masterpiece.  As I am now a humble whittler and wood carver of primitive ability for whom the making of a simple salad bowl is cause for self celebration, seeing stuff like this blows me away. Take a gander...

Esherick home (now museum)

And here's a cool interactive page featured on the museum site where you can move camera around the main room in the house to see every nook and cranny...

http://www.whartonesherickmuseum.org/flash/esherick-livingFS.swf

HOLD THE PRESSES!  THIS JUST IN!

Just learned that Esherick did not use power tools -- except for a bandsaw built with bicycle wheels -- until the 1960s, the last decade of his life. The majority of his works, including the massive ones for which he is most famous, were produced with hand tools similar to those used by eastern Pennsylvania's original pioneer builders.

Just guessing, but I doubt he spent much time watching Basketball on TV, and I'm now searching for info concerning how many herniated discs he had.  Stay tuned.  

If you like maps like I like maps, you'll like...

http://bigthink.com/blogs/strange-maps

and for those who prefer the heft and tactile pleasure of those old fashioned oversized blocks of bound paper called books, there's the print version...

(A Drifter approved Holiday gift idea.)

described in promo copy on Amazon as:

"An intriguing collection of more than one hundred out-of-the-ordinary maps, blending art, history, and pop culture for a unique atlas of humanity"

Had a blast at the site and checking out samples from the book.  Includes actual surviving historical artifacts as well as many inspired and imaginative cartographic interpretations of people, places, and ideas such as this (not exactly a map)  entitled:  The Road to Success.

And some of the stuff is actual historical cartography from earlier eras when mapping was often more speculative than scientific.

California may have been named after a fictional island in a 16th-century Spanish romantic novel. That – and the elongated peninsula of Baja California – helps explain why early cartographers showed it as detached from the North American mainland. Even though expedition after expedition reported the misconception, an insular California clung to maps for as late as the 18th century – a triumph of wishful thinking over reality. Which is not a bad description of California as it is today.

Note:  If you click on images, they will appear in separate window and hopefully enlarged.


This map is a metro-spotter’s wet dream. It shows all the cities in the world that have, or are planning, an urban rail system of some sort. Like the iconic London Underground map based on Harry Beck’s 1933 original, this one sacrifices geographic correctness for ease of use. Europe’s relatively dense network spills over into Asia; South America is reduced to a single loop. Of course, this is a map for daydreaming: wouldn’t it be great you could take the tube in London and get off, many stops later, in Pyongyang or Mexico City?


By the time Heinrich Bunting made this map – the end of the 16th century – the age of discoveries had destroyed the legitimacy of sacred geography that placed Jerusalem at the centre of a symmetrical, shamrock-shaped world. Bunting even includes America in this map, which apparently is conceived both as an amusement and as a tribute to Buntings hometown of Hanover, in the coat of arms of which the cloverleaf figures prominently.

This snapshot was taken just before the world economy took a turn for the worse in 2008, but since a falling tide lowers all boats, its main lesson still applies: the US economy is massive. So massive, that the GDP of each of its 50 states compares in size to other entire nations. California equals France. Ohio is Australia. And the economy of tiny Delaware amounts to that of Romania.


This map, made by Stephen Von Worley at Data Pointed in 2009, is probably, sadly, already out of date – at the time, there were more than 13,000 McDonald's restaurants in the US, or one for every 23,000 Americans. Within the thunder of dots, it also contains the McFarthest Place, tucked away in the wild uplands of South Dakota, 145 miles from the nearest McDonald's.

And I'm thinking of making this my new Screen Saver...

Z is for:

zelatrix	older nun in charge of disciplining younger nuns
zoanthropy	delusion that one is an animal
zelophobia	irrational or fear of jealousy
zoism	doctrine that life originates from a single vital principle
zythum	ancient Egyptian beer
zyzzyva	South American weevil
zwischenzug	chess move made to play for time

Which way is the bus moving? *

see below

Walking to work this morning,  and sensed something different in the air.  It was the sound.  That annual post-Thanksgiving thundering roar caused by the tsunami of tourists  crashing upon the shores of The Big Apple and descending  in greatest force upon the  Great White Way--where the lights never dim, the show never ends, and the thousands of  non-tourists and  natives  (like me) get tossed around in the turbulent foam as we ferry to and from our anchored ships of employ  in the busy harbor.   

 It's the sound of the modern megalopolis revving its souped up commerce fueled engines--all geared up to deliver maximum sensory stimulation. And the  steady crescendo of this  cacophonous city symphony  won't resolve until the final chord is struck during the traditional (and televised world-wide) New Year's Eve celebration.  And then it will go back to normal--which in any other area of town would constitute extreme noise pollution. 

Confess to killing time in (temporary?) thrall to the New New York Knicks.  If you're a fan of the game, you gotta love what they're doin.  But you (or at least I) gotta feel it's too good to last.  Felton looks so good, you ask yourself why now and not before?   Was it bad chemistry with Amare? (uh oh!) Or the wrong coach?  Or something personal we're not privy to ?  Or is it cause he dropped those 20 extra pounds that had him huffing and puffing and often out of rhythm. 

Indiana Pacer posted this note for Amare.

 I've always been a J Kidd fan, and it's impossible not to like Chandler, and J.R. Smith is playing like he cares and wants to redeem himself for past sins (committed and perceived), Rasheed actually looks like he has something left in the tank, and so does Camby,  and if Novak gets hot from downtown there'll be a lot of YES's yelled at MSG.  

Which leaves Carmelo.  Ok, he's been surprisingly selfless and cooperative with the ball and in the new Woodson world of a denying defense --  he's been, if not exactly tenacious,  at least energetic and alert. But I'm still not a believer .  I may simply just have a problem with his general demeanor and carriage. He's either strutting like the cock of the walk, or doing the "I was robbed" and the "Who me?" shuffle.  

 I hope I'm wrong. But bad habits die hard (and even harder for the vain who above all else, crave attention) and in two of their close losses, it was  Melo with the ball at the end putting up  bad (really bad) shots with easier options available. I fear  he'll soon return to his comfort zone of seeing the game through the prism of his pampered perspective where he considers the ball all his, to have and hold till 9 for 26 does he part.  And when he does, it will make for painful viewing again, and then I will be free to pursue more productive pleasures.  So either way, it's a win-win. 

  

*The Bus. According to most adults  asked in a recent study,  there wasn't enough information to make a  determination.  However, nearly all the children who were asked said that the bus was moving to the left--because the door is on the other side. 

Y is for: 

yantra	geometrical diagram designed as a meditation aid
yapness	hunger
yarborough	hand of cards containing no card above nine
yarling	wailing; howling
yegg	a burglar of safes
yonderly	mentally or emotionally distant; absent-minded
yoni	symbol representing female genitals
yordim	emigrants who leave Israel