X is for Xerxes. And Xenon...

One of my friends raises purebred cashmere goats.  I was helping her one time a few years ago, and asking about the various names.  They seemed to be in groups.

She told me yes, that each year corresponds to a letter of the alphabet.  She said that some were easier than others, but there were a few she didn't register, so they had names as she wished.  For example, a runt that was in the R year, but she named Peanut.

I was commenting that it could make it interesting on years with "oddball" letters.  She sighed, yes, she said, this year is one, I had to come up with 2 'x' names for the kids, and I looked in the dictionary.  Xerxes is that one, and Xenon is over there.  Sure enough, two lively young kids were bouncing around, playing king of the stall.

Then she mentioned that she was happy this was a small kidding year.  I must have looked questioning, as she piped up, one of my friends had to register SEVEN 'x' goats!

X is for

X-Men, and other sci-fi stuff.

Husband and I occasionally have a date night.  We like to watch movies.  For some reason, we are both drawn to sci fi.  Occasionally we will watch historical fiction, or comedies, but mutants, spaceships, and droids (oh, my!), is our go to genre.

This makes for some unique conversations...

When I had broken my leg, we were talking with the doctor about the repair.  He was going to put a pin in, and the doctor said it was going to be titanium.  Husband made a comment to me about "was it military grade, you think?"  I replied, "You think we could upgrade it to adamantium?"  And we both laughed.

Note.  It isn't a good sign when your doctor stares, then coughs gently, looking like he's going to run...

We have watched many types, but the most familiar are- Star Trek, (old and new), Star Wars (mostly the old), and Terminator.  The last one was one was a movie Husband introduced me to... Which has led to some jokes about Arnold Schwarzenegger, both as actor and as politician.  Occasionally at the same time...

But you know, it's fun to have things like that to share.

Live long, and Prosper.

X is for Xmas.

(Yep, it's the end of the month, and I am not finished.  Oops.  Long story short, April was a bit busier than I thought, and I screwed up a little on getting the blogs out.  I will finish up the alphabet, however. Now back to our blog, already in progress.)

This one is as close to political as I am going to get.  I have heard the term Xmas used.  It also causes great controversy and gnashing of teeth in this area.

Some say that it's taking Christ out of Christmas.  Others loudly state that X stands for Christ in Latin.

Have you noticed how words change over time?  I don't know if there will be a 'standard' for the Xmas/Christmas/Holiday thing.  At least not soon.

I was in a classroom, and started with the poem about "Monday's Child is fair of face...", and didn't think a thing about it, when the teacher took me aside.  I couldn't say Sabbath.  Okay, then, it sounded strange, but "Sunday day" worked for the meter.  I ended with "bonny and blithe, good and gay."  An eruption of laughter ensued.  I had SECOND GRADERS that knew "gay" as sex, not as an attitude.  A business, a men's clothing store, had to change part of its name.  It was The Gay Blade", later becoming just "The Blade".

And I'm sure that there are other words that have change meanings over time, for better or, more likely, worse...

I am oddly conscious of words people use.  I sometimes find it's hard to know what to say, when anything you say could be one syllable away from ticking someone off.

And people wonder why I don't talk in groups much...

X. Blurry, but...

 These are very blurry, but it was the best I could do today...

Before:

After:

Somehow I got them upside down of one another, but the idea is there.  That is the lower right leg.  

The next is the pin and screws that were put in.  I have a Titanium rod with screws in there now, and Husband is as impressed as all get out that it is 1 1/2 times stronger than my bone was.  (Yay?  I have no plans of replacing all my bones with Ti, any time soon, thank you much...)  

Yeah, x was pretty much a 'gimme', I think.

X cup. (Cue spooky music.)

This is a cup that has followed me around to a few dwellings, from apartment, to house, to boat, and to house again.  Good, sturdy cup, with a 12 ounce holding capacity.

Please note the large X.  I found out one should not place this cup in the microwave.  The large X is sort of crackly looking and not as glossy as it once was...

I heated up some tea water.  Suddenly, the X started throwing bright blue arcs from the surface to the top of the microwave. 

This is a most excellent way of challenging your vocabulary, to come up with just the right panicked swear words, while hitting almost every button on the front of the microwave.  It's also guaranteed to make Husband run into the room, wondering if you had managed to cut off an arm, or something equally disastrous. 

He will then scowl, and give you a minor lecture on the fact that if it looks like metal, it is most probably a good idea not to put it in the microwave.  He will then check the microwave to see if it still works.  It does.

(But to this day, I wish I had a photo of the arcs coming off of the cup, it would have been sooo cool for my inner geek.  I mean, it IS an X Files cup...)