Tuesday, April 30, 2013

cornice \KAWR-nis\, noun:

1. a mass of snow, ice, etc., projecting over a mountain ridge.
2. Architecture. a. any prominent, continuous, horizontally projecting feature surmounting a wall or other construction, or dividing it horizontally for compositional purposes. b. the uppermost member of a classical entablature, consisting of a bed molding, a corona, and a cymatium, with rows of dentils, modillions, etc., often placed between the bed molding and the corona.
3. any of various other ornamental horizontal moldings or bands, as for concealing hooks or rods from which curtains are hung or for supporting picture hooks.

verb:

1. to furnish or finish with a cornice.

Cornice came to English from the Middle French corniche or from the Italian, largely popularized by the writings of Dante. The noun form entered the language two hundred years before the verb form in the mid-1500s.

Fantabulous

• Sort of like "fabulous" but much more fabulous than the word "fabulous" can convey. Like supercalifragilisticexpialidocius but shorter and easier to spell.

While on a free trip to Italy I won a free titanium frame bicycle and the customs agent let me bring it on the plane for free. What a Fantabulous trip!

Trivia

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History

• George Washington: took the oath of office to become the first POTUS (1789)
• Louisiana Purchase: France agreed to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million, thereby doubling the size of the US (1803); eight years later on the same date, Louisiana became the 18th state
• A Tale of Two Cities: Charles Dickens' novel was first published as a serial in a literary magazine (1859)
• Vietnam War: officially ended when Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City) fell and South Vietnam surrendered (1975)

Birthdays

• Cornelius Vanderbilt 1898
• Ellis Wilson 1899
• George R. Stibitz 1904
• Queen Juliana (Netherlands) 1909
• Al Lewis 1910
• Eve Arden 1912
• Robert Shaw 1916
• Percy Heath 1923
• John (Johnny) Horton 1925
• Cloris Leachman 1926 - Actress ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Phyllis")
• Willie Nelson 1933 - Musican
• Gary Collins 1938 - Talk show host
• Burt Young 1940 - Actor
• Johnny Farina 1941 - Musician (Santo & Johnny)
• Bobby Vee (Velline) 1943 - Singer
• Jill Clayburgh 1944 - Actress
• Richard Schoff (The Sandpipers) 1944
• Don Schollander 1946
• Perry King 1948
• Wayne Kramer 1948 - Musician (MC5)
• Merril Osmond 1953 - Singer (The Osmonds)
• Jane Campion 1954 - Director
• Paul Gross 1959
• Isiah Thomas 1961 - Basketball player
• Robert Reynolds (The Mavericks) 1962
• Barrington Levy 1964 - Dancer
• Adrian Pasdar 1965 - Actor ("Heroes")
• Turbo B 1967 - Rapper (Snap)
• Clark Vogeler 1969 - Musician (Toadies)
• Chris "Choc" Dalyrimple 1971 - Musician (Soul for Real)
• J.R. Richards 1972 - Musician (Dishwalla)
• Jeff Timmons 1973 - Musician (98 Degrees)
• Akron 1973 - Singer
• Johnny Galecki 1975 - Actor ("The Big Bang Theory")
• Kirsten Dunst 1982 - Actress ("Spider-Man")
• Ashley Dupré 1985 former high-class hooker who took down the NYS Gov Eliot Spitzer, NY Post Columnist
• Dianna Agron 1986 - Actress ("Glee")