Monday, February 2, 2009

chaff \chaf\, noun, verb:

1. the stiff strawlike part of grains such as wheat, oats, rye
2. to make good-natured fun of someone
3. worthless material; detritus

c 1000, Old English ceaf, from Proto-Germanic *kaf-, *kef-. Chaffinch (Fringilla cælebs) is Old English ceaffinc

boss sandwich

• An unfortunate cubicle configuration in which you find yourself sandwiched in between two of your bosses.

I can't even check my GMail account at work because I'm in a total boss sandwich I'm such a sad panda at work these days.

I'm totally the lunch meat in a major boss sandwich.

Trivia
How many sides are there to each honeycomb cell in a beehive?

• Six. The hexagonal cells are molded from beeswax secreted by worker bees.

Today in History:

• Buenos Aires: was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain (1536)
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: agreement ended the Mexican-American War, with Mexico ceding much of the US West and Southwest (1848)
• Cardiff Giant: 10-foot-tall "petrified man" was revealed as a hoax; the figure was made of gypsum (1870)
• F.W. de Klerk: lifted the 30-year ban on the ANC and promised to free Nelson Mandela (1990)

Today's Birthdays:

• Talleyrand (1754-1838): diplomat, statesman; also, Abba Eban (1915-2002)
• James Joyce (1882-1941): author of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake; plus, writers Ayn Rand (1905-1982) and James Dickey (1923-1997)
• George Halas (1895-1983): football pioneer who founded the Chicago Bears; wide receiver Donald Driver (34) also celebrates a birthday today
• Graham Nash (67): musician, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; also, musicians Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), Stan Getz (1927-1991), Tom Smothers (72) and Shakira (32)
• Marissa Jaret Winokur (36): Tony Award-winning actor, Hairspray; also, actors Elaine Stritch (83?), Robert Mandan (77), Bo Hopkins (67), Farrah Fawcett (62), Brent Spiner and Jack McGee (both 60) and Kim Zimmer (54)

Quote:

• "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." — Yogi Berra