Monday, August 23, 2010

distrain \dih-STREYN\, verb:

1. To seize the property of (a person) in order to compel payment of debts.

2. To levy a distress upon.

Distrain is ultimately a combination of two Latin roots, dis, "apart," and stringere, "to draw tight."

Cubicle Coma

• When you wake up and feel engergized but as soon as you enter the work place, a wave of exhaustion runs over you and you have trouble staying awake for the rest of your work day. Amazingly, once you leave the hellish work atmosphere, you suddenly feel energized and ready to run a marathon.

As soon as I sat down at my desk this morning, cubicle coma came over me and I immediately passed out. An IV coffee drip could not pull me out of it but as soon as I walked out to go home, I felt like I could do an iron man.

Trivia

In what state is the shark tooth the official state fossil?

• Georgia, where fossils of shark teeth are common along the coastal plain.

History

• William Wallace: Scottish nationalist who opposed British rule, and on whom Braveheart was based, was executed in London (1305)
• Franklin: area that is now part of Tennessee seceded from North Carolina; it failed to win acceptance as one of the United States (1784)
• Rudolph Valentino: death of the 31-year-old silent screen sex symbol known as the quintessential Latin lover caused mass hysterical mourning (1926)
• Sacco and Vanzetti: Italian-American anarchists were executed by electric chair for murder during an armed robbery; questions about the fairness of their trial remain (1927)

Birthdays

• Louis XVI (1754-1793): king who was guillotined in the French Revolution
• Edgar Lee Masters (1868-1950): author of Spoon River Anthology
• Gene Kelly (1912-1996): dancer/actor/singer, Singin' in the Rain; plus, performers Marian Seldes (82), Vera Miles (81), Barbara Eden (76), Shelly Long and Rick Springfield (both 61), River Phoenix (1970-1993), Jay Mohr (40) and Scott Caan (34)
• Robert M. Solow (86): Nobel Prize-winning economist; plus, economists Arnold Toynbee (1852-1983) and Kenneth Arrow (89)
• Sonny Jurgensen (75): quarterback and NFL hall-of-famer
• Keith Moon (1947-1978): drummer with The Who
• Queen Noor (59): widow of King Hussein of Jordan
• Kobe Bryant (32): superstar shooting guard of the LA Lakers