Monday, December 27, 2010

eschatological \es-kuh-tl-OJ-i-kuhl\, adjective:

1. Regarding last, or final, matters, often of a theological nature.

2. Regarding any system of doctrines concerning theological endings, such as death, the Judgment, the future state, etc.

Eschatological is built from the Greek roots eschatos, "last, furthest, remote," and logia, "a speaking" (in a certain manner). In theology, the study of the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, hell.

Christmas Crashing

• Used to describe the after-effect of Christmas, or the Holidays in general: 12 Days of Hanukkah/Christmas, etc. is usually a busy time, very exciting, and enjoyable. By the end of the celebrations (The night of Christmas Day/Dec. 26th) you feel exhausted and overwhelmed. People are usually groggy, lethargic, and almost depressed from exhaustion.

I love Christmas. But all the celebrating, visiting with family, and celebrating...I'm Christmas Crashing

Joe 1: What are you doing for New Years?

Joe 2: I'll be in rehab.

Joe 1: Why?

Joe 2: I'm Christmas Crashing hard this year. The idea of going out for a drive is exhausting.

Trivia

What creatures are kept captive in the jail of a former military base in Manitoba, Canada?

• Polar bears who wander into the town of Churchill, foraging for food when the ice covering nearby Hudson Bay thaws. Up to 23 bears at a time can be held in the double Quonset hut “polar bear prison” until winter, when they are airlifted to the newly iced-over bay.

History

• anesthesia: was first used for childbirth (1845)
• Peter Pan: play by J.M. Barrie debuted in London (1904)
• Carry Nation: hatchet-wielding temperance activist smashed her first saloon (1900)
• Radio City Music Hall: world's largest indoor theater staged its first show (1932)
• World Bank: was formed to fund postwar reconstruction in Europe; later, the focus turned to developing third-world countries (1945)
• Afghanistan: was seized by Soviet forces; president Hafizullah Amin, was overthrown, executed and replaced with Soviet-supported Babrak Karmal (1979)
• Free Aceh Movement: Indonesia's Aceh rebels formally disbanded their military wing, ending a 30-year armed struggle for independence, in accordance with a peace deal that came out of the 2004 tsunami (2005)

Birthdays

• Louis Pasteur (1822-1895): microbiologist who developed pasteurization; scientists Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and George Cayley (1773-1857) shared this birth date
• Cokie Roberts: political journalist, author (67)
• T.S. Monk (61): jazz drummer and vocalist; other musicians born on this date include David Knopfler (58) and Matt Slocum (38)
• Masi Oka (36): actor and digital effects expert who plays Hiro Nakamura in Heroes; also, actors Sydney Greenstreet (1879-1954), John Amos (71), Gérard Depardieu (62), Tovah Feldshuh (58), Maryam D'Abo (50), Eva La Rue (44) and Emilie de Ravin (29)