Done

I had really hoped things would be better, that cruelty wouldn't win. But it did.

When I started this blog, it was to make connections and share things that amused me. The latter isn't really happening anymore because now I have to shift into survival mode. And I'm sick--SICK--of hearing how it won't be so bad, and "none of us is going to die!" Because that is bullshit of the highest order. If you think that, you're in a place of privilege, because a lot of us ARE going to die during the next four years. I absolutely don't want to, but fuck. They want me dead or in prison.

They want to take away my health care. I am not worthy of life to them. I write stories with queer characters. They want to imprison me for that because being queer is something criminal, especially if children see it as something that shouldn't be condemned. This is not speculation. These are things they've directly said.

It isn't fair. Don't go telling me that I have to resist and keep fighting, because I shouldn't have to fight just to survive--yet here we are. I want to be happy and write stories, but this country is so racist and sexist a highly qualified woman of color can't get elected over a senile convicted felon who's also a rapist and wants to crash the economy to make the rich even richer while the rest of us can't afford cereal.

If you want to contact me, follow me on Bluesky at jeoneil, otherwise my friends know how to email me if they want to chat or have something that needs beta reading (I hope you do). I'll try to visit your blogs on occasion if I can.

Burn So Long Stink Town GIFfrom Burn GIFs

Language Of Confusion: Per-, Part IX

Could it be? Are we actually looking at the last set of words descended from the Proto Indo European per-, forward? I can’t believe it is!
 
First we’re going to look at frame. Yes, like a picture frame, though that didn’t show up until the mid seventeenth century, while when it showed up in the thirteenth century it meant to profit or to benefit, and then parts of a structure fitted together in the fifteenth, which then started to mean an enclosing border in the seventeenth century, and then a picture frame. The word itself is from the Old English framian, which means to further or to profit or benefit, and that’s from fram, which means forward or, uh, from. Yeah. Frame is from from. And from is from can be traced to per-, we just went over it a while ago.
 
Next is furnish—it’s about time these got weird. Furnish showed up in the mid fifteenth century, coming from the Vulgar Latin fornire/fromire, which is actually from the Germanic frumjan and Proto Germanic fram-, which is where frame and from come from. I mean, I can almost see the logic of forward turning into furnish, but it’s a hell of a walk. And of course furniture is from the same place, having shown up in the sixteenth century meaning the act of supplying or providing, and then starting to mean household furniture fifty years later—interestingly, English is the only language that has this. Other languages words for furniture are related to mobile (because you can move furniture). Anyway, it’s from the French fourniture, supply, from the Old French forneture and its verb form fornir, which comes from the same place furnish does.
 
Another word from furnish? Veneer. Yes, like to cover something with a veneer. It showed up in 1702 from the German Furnier, and its verb form. That’s actually also from fornir, meaning veneer and furnish are pretty closely related for words that have very little in common.
 
Now, for the last word: fret—not like a guitar fret, which is different, but worrying fret. It comes from the Old English fretan, to devour, and that’s what it meant originally, before it started to mean to worry (it does eat away at you). Before fretan, it was the Proto Germanic fra-etan, with the fra- meaning completely and being from per-. This is certainly an odd one.
 
Sources
Online Etymology Dictionary
Google Translate
University of Texas at Austin Linguistic Research Center
University of Texas at San Antonio’s page on Proto Indo European language
Tony Jebson’s page on the Origins of Old English
Old English-English Dictionary
Encyclopaedia Britannica

November Goals

Well, today’s it. If not now, then sometime in the next few days we’ll learn which party will win, the wishy-washy morons who can’t get anything done, or the ones who actually want me dead. Yes, I’m hoping for the morons who are actually held accountable for their misdeeds and aren’t actively hurting people.
 
Whatever. Goals.
 
October Goals
1. I’d like to get another 30K down in my new project.
Yes, I did this. I’d be more excited if I wasn’t terrified of death.
 
2. Hopefully find some time to edit an old project.
Did not have time for this. Too busy. Worrying takes up a lot of time.
 
3. Actually get back to editing my last WIP.  Not sure I’ll have time though.
Wanted to, but I wanted to distract myself from the horror more. You know how it is.
 
Not particularly successful. It’s been a tough month.
 
November Goals
1. Get to editing my old WIP. Seriously this time.
 
2. Find some time to write something. I guess.
 
3. Thanksgiving. Maybe it’ll be fun this year. But probably not.
 
Kind of sucks that conservatives are so awful to others. I wish people were nicer, but fat chance of them actually caring about those who don’t fit their mold.

Language Of Confusion: Per-, Part VIII

Back again, somehow still looking at the Proto Indo European per-, forward. Now for all the words with F in them! That could be spooky for Halloween.

Okay, maybe not.
 
First is fore (also for, but I already etymologized that word). It comes from the Old English fore, which means… before. Not expecting any shocking revelations here. It’s from the Proto Germanic fura, which is then from the Proto Indo European prae-, from per-, just with an F instead of a P because that happens with a lot of words. Fore was a lot more common before it was replaced by before, which is from the Old English beforan, which also means before. The be- is actually from by and the rest from the Proto Germanic forana, which has fora as a verb form and is then from per-. Fore was before before.
 
Far comes from the Middle English fer, Old English feor, and Proto Germanic ferro, from per-. Then we have farther, which showed up in the late fourteenth century, and it’s actually from further. Further was furðer/forðer in Old English, which is either forth + -er or fore + -ther. Fore we just looked at. Forth is from the Old English forð, which is also just from fore. Not a big leap here.
 
And you know what other word is closely related? Afford. It comes from the Middle English aforth and Old English geforðian, to put forth, and yes, the ge- really turned into an a- here and means on or onto. The rest is from forð, just like forth. Afford is to forth onto. No, I don’t get it either. Apparently, after it started as “to put forth” in Old English, it started to mean accomplish, which then in English started to mean to have enough money for something. That… doesn’t really clarify things.
 
Sources
Online Etymology Dictionary
University of Texas at Austin Linguistic Research Center
University of Texas at San Antonio’s page on Proto Indo European language
University of Texas at Arlington
Tony Jebson’s page on the Origins of Old English
Old English-English Dictionary

From The Spamfiles

What’s this? A bonus Tuesday? More spam!

I like how there’s absolutely no indication as to what company this is offering me “membership”. For all I know it’s some sort of terrorist organization.

I do indeed want to load all generative AI creators and users into a rocket and then send the rocket into the fire of the sun.

I love how there are three gigantic warning flags just in this short message: 1. All the emojis; 2. Direct deposited (eye roll); and 3. The fact that they don’t get the comma in the right place in the dollar number. If you’re falling for this, you need help.
 

Even shorter than the last one and with twice as many red flags. Kudos.

Just loved how this was on my last Spamfiles post. Very appropriate.

Language Of Confusion: Per-, Part VII

We’re still doing this? Yes, it seems so, as there are many more words that come from the Proto Indo European per-, forward. It’s long past time for these to start getting weird.
 
First, a word that at least has per- in it. Impervious showed up in the mid seventeenth century from the classical Latin impervius, which, you know, just means impervious. The in- means not or opposite of here, and pervius means accessible or allowing things to pass through. If you break it down further, the per- is from per-, while the -vius is from via, road or way. Impervious is not passing through.
 
There’s also reciprocal, which has pro- in it so is obviously related. It showed up in the later sixteenth century from the classical Latin reciprocus, another word we need to break down. Re- means back, and -cus was stuck at the end to make it an adjective, then procus, which is pro (forward) and another -cus. Reciprocal is forward and back. Hm, these aren’t as weird as I thought.
 
Okay, former has to be weird. It showed up in the mid twelfth century from the Old English forma, which actually means first. That’s from the Proto Germanic fruma/furma, which is then from the Proto Indo European pre-mo-, from per-. Since one of per-’s definitions is first, former is first. Damn, that’s not weird at all.
 
Well, profane should be fun. It showed up as a verb in the late fourteenth century and an adjective in the mid fifteenth. It’s from the Old French profaner/prophaner and classical Latin profanare, to desecrate. Obviously the pro- comes from per- and means before, but the rest? That’s from the Latin fanum, temple or sanctuary. So profane is… before a temple. Well, at least this one’s weird.
 
Sources
Online Etymology Dictionary
Google Translate
Omniglot
University of Texas at Austin Linguistic Research Center
University of Texas at San Antonio’s page on Proto Indo European language
Tony Jebson’s page on the Origins of Old English
Old English-English Dictionary

All That Remains

Interesting things don’t often happen around here.

Hey, I don’t make fun of her hobbies.