Monday, June 06, 2011

Spelling Bee!

I’m a geek, yes I admit it! Yesterday I was watching the Scripps Spelling Bee finals.

 

Saw this on their website, the winners and the winning words. Notice how the words became exponentially more difficult in the recent years compared to when they started.

 

YEAR  

WORD

CHAMPION

SPONSOR

1925

gladiolus

Frank Neuhauser

Louisville Courier-Journal,
Louisville, Kentucky

1926

cerise

Pauline Bell

Louisville Courier-Journal,

Louisville, Kentucky

1927

luxuriance

Dean Lucas

Akron Beacon Journal,
Akron, Ohio

1928

albumen

Betty Robinson

South Bend News-Tribune,

South Bend, Indiana

1929

asceticism

Virginia Hogan

The Omaha World-Herald,

Omaha, Nebraska

1930

fracas

Helen Jensen

Des Moines Register & Tribune,

Des Moines, Iowa

1931

foulard

Ward Randall

White Hall Register-Republican,

White Hall, Illinois

1932

knack

Dorothy Greenwald

Des Moines Register & Tribune,
Des Moines, Iowa

1933

torsion

Alma Roach

Akron Beacon Journal,

Akron, Ohio 

1934

deteriorating

Sarah Wilson

Portland Evening Express,

Portland, Maine 

1935

intelligible

Clara Mohler

Akron Beacon Journal,
Akron, Ohio 

1936

interning

Jean Trowbridge

Des Moines Register & Tribune,

Des Moines, Iowa

1937

promiscuous

Waneeta Beckley

Louisville Courier-Journal,

Louisville, Kentucky

1938

sanitarium

Marian Richardson

Louisville Times,

Louisville, Kentucky 

1939

canonical

Elizabeth Ann Rice

Worcester Telegram & Gazette,

Worcester, Massachusetts

1940

therapy

Laurel Kuykendall

The Knoxville News-Sentinel,
Knoxville, Tennessee 

1941

initials

Louis Edward Sissman

Detroit News,

Detroit, Michigan 

1942

sacrilegious

Richard Earnhart

El Paso Herald-Post,

El Paso, Texas

1946

semaphore

John McKinney

Des Moines Register & Tribune,

Des Moines, Iowa

1947

chlorophyll

Mattie Lou Pollard

Atlanta Journal,
Atlanta, Georgia 

1948

psychiatry

Jean Chappelear

Akron Beacon Journal,

Akron, Ohio 

1949

dulcimer

Kim Calvin

Canton Repository,

Canton, Ohio

1950

meticulosity

Diana Reynard and Colquitt Dean

Cleveland Press, Cleveland, Ohio, and
Atlanta Journal,
Atlanta, Georgia

1951

insouciant

Irving Belz

Memphis Press Scimitar,
Memphis, Tennessee

1952

vignette

Doris Ann Hall

Winston-Salem Journal,

Winston-Salem, North Carolina 

1953

soubrette

Elizabeth Hess

Arizona Republic,
Phoenix, Arizona

1954

transept

William Cashore

Norristown Times Herald,

Norristown, Pennsylvania

1955

crustaceology

Sandra Sloss

 St. Louis Globe-Democrat,

St. Louis, Missouri

1956

condominium

Melody Sachko

The Pittsburgh Press,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1957

schappe

Sandra Owen and

Dana Bennett

Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio, and

Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado

1958

syllepsis

Jolitta Schlehuber

Topeka Daily Capital,

Topeka, Kansas

1959

catamaran

Joel Montgomery

Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado

1960

eudaemonic

Henry Feldman

The Knoxville News-Sentinel,

Knoxville, Tennessee 

1961

smaragdine

John Capehart

Tulsa Tribune, Tulsa, Oklahoma  

1962

esquamulose

Nettie Crawford¹ and Michael Day

El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas, and

St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri

1963

equipage

Glen Van Slyke III

The Knoxville News-Sentinel,

Knoxville, Tennessee 

1964

sycophant

William Kerek

Akron Beacon Journal,
Akron, Ohio  

1965

eczema

Michael Kerpan Jr.

Tulsa Tribune,
Tulsa, Oklahoma 

1966

ratoon

Robert A. Wake

Houston Chronicle,

Houston, Texas

1967

Chihuahua

Jennifer Reinke

The Omaha World-Herald,

Omaha, Nebraska 

1968

abalone

Robert L. Walters

The Topeka Daily Capital,

Topeka, Kansas  

1969

interlocutory

Susan Yoachum

Dallas Morning News,
Dallas, Texas 

1970

croissant

Libby Childress

Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel,

Winston-Salem, North Carolina 

1971

shalloon

Jonathan Knisely

Philadelphia Bulletin,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1972

macerate

Robin Kral

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal,
Lubbock, Texas 

1973

vouchsafe

Barrie Trinkle

Fort Worth Press,

Fort Worth, Texas 

1974

hydrophyte

Julie Ann Junkin

Birmingham Post-Herald,

Birmingham, Alabama

1975

incisor

Hugh Tosteson

San Juan Star,

San Juan, Puerto Rico

1976

narcolepsy

Tim Kneale

Syracuse Herald Journal-American,

Syracuse, New York 

1977

cambist

John Paola

The Pittsburgh Press,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1978

deification

Peg McCarthy

The Topeka Capital-Journal,

Topeka, Kansas

1979

maculature

Katie Kerwin

Rocky Mountain News,

Denver, Colorado

1980

elucubrate

Jacques Bailly

Rocky Mountain News,

Denver, Colorado

1981

sarcophagus

Paige Pipkin

El Paso Herald-Post,

El Paso, Texas

1982

psoriasis

Molly Dieveney

Rocky Mountain News,
Denver, Colorado 

1983

Purim

Blake Giddens²

El Paso Herald-Post,

El Paso, Texas 

1984

luge

Daniel Greenblatt

Loudoun Times-Mirror,

Leesburg, Virginia 

1985

milieu

Balu Natarajan

Chicago Tribune,

Chicago, Illinois 

1986

odontalgia

Jon Pennington

The Patriot News,

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

1987

staphylococci

Stephanie Petit

The Pittsburgh Press,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

1988

elegiacal

Rageshree Ramachandran

The Sacramento Bee,

Sacramento, California

1989

spoliator

Scott Isaacs

Rocky Mountain News,

Denver, Colorado 

1990

fibranne

Amy Marie Dimak

The Seattle Times,

Seattle, Washington  

1991

antipyretic

Joanne Lagatta

The Wisconsin State Journal,

Madison, Wisconsin 

1992

lyceum

Amanda Goad

The Richmond News Leader,
Richmond, Virginia  

1993

kamikaze

Geoff Hooper

The Commercial Appeal,

Memphis, Tennessee 

1994

antediluvian

Ned G. Andrews

The Knoxville News-Sentinel,
Knoxville, Tennessee

1995

xanthosis

Justin Tyler Carroll³

The Commercial Appeal,

Memphis, Tennessee 

1996

vivisepulture

Wendy Guey

The Palm Beach Post,

West Palm Beach, Florida 

1997

euonym

Rebecca Sealfon

Daily News,

New York, New York 

1998

chiaroscurist

Jody-Anne Maxwell

Phillips & Phillips Stationery Suppliers, Ltd.,

Kingston, Jamaica 

1999

logorrhea

Nupur Lala

The Tampa Tribune,

Tampa, Florida 

2000

demarche

George Abraham Thampy 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

St. Louis, Missouri

2001

succedaneum

Sean Conley

Aitkin Independent Age,

Aitkin, Minnesota

2002

prospicience

Pratyush Buddiga

Rocky Mountain News,
Denver, Colorado  

2003

pococurante

Sai R. Gunturi

The Dallas Morning News,

Dallas, Texas 

2004

autochthonous

David Scott Pilarski Tidmarsh

South Bend Tribune,

South Bend, Indiana 

2005

appoggiatura

Anurag Kashyap 

San Diego Union-Tribune,

San Diego, California

2006

Ursprache

Kerry Close

Asbury Park Press/Home News Tribune,
Asbury Park, New Jersey 

2007

serrefine

Evan M. O'Dorney

Contra Costa Times,

Walnut Creek, California

2008

guerdon

Sameer Mishra

Journal and Courier,

Lafayette, Indiana

2009

Laodicean

Kavya Shivashankar

Olathe News,

Olathe, Kansas

2010

stromuhr

Anamika Veeramani

The Plain Dealer

Cleveland, Ohio

 

 


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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Got a 101 list of things to do to make this year meaningful from my new planner (Navi 2011, Life Navigator) and picked a couple of things.

 

What I aspire to happen on 2011 (or at least in the near future!)

 

  1. live abroad for a year (although I feel like I’m too old to do this)
  2. Invest in the stock market (Mutual Funds na lang!)
  3. Learn how to meditate (Pranayama Aaaaauuuuummmmm)
  4. Plan a one-week vacation (I need some tan)
  5. Actually go on that vacation
  6. Take my vitamins (already diligently doing this, more like continue…)
  7. Become fluent in a foreign language (Crossed Fingers! HSK4 is the target!)
  8. Know that I have everything I need (I soooo need this, it’s a journey to contentment)
  9. Ride a transcontinental train (Transiberian Luxe!)
  10. Find myself (The ultimate goal to enlightenment)
  11. See my favorite band play (No concerts lined up just yet)
  12. Ride a gondola in Venice (it’s a stretch! I heard it costs an arm and a leg!)
  13. Sit up straight
  14. Pick a cause to support or volunteer for (already supporting several, want to try volunteering)
  15. Help a stranger (felt warm and fuzzy when I did it!)
  16. Go back to school and learn something fun (KungFu Class! I hope it pushes through)
  17. Become better at small talk (in dire need of this social skill)
  18. Win something (I never win at anything, I take this seriously!)
  19. Make conversation with my seat mate on the plane (I wish to travel by myself this year, hope I raise enough funds!)
  20. Get a pen pal (someone to practice my foreign language skills!)

 

Calling on the forces of the universe, I’m sending this out there based on the law of attraction.


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have received it in error, please delete it and advise the sender
immediately. You should not copy or use it for any other purpose,
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