You gotta love the godlike power of the early dictionary makers.

Trivia tidbit: the way that 19th century schoolteachers had the students drill in spelling affected how Americans pronounce words, tending to use all of the syllables ("sec-re-ta-ry" instead of "sec-re-try", for example). The way students used to take spelling tests was by recitation, not writing (very little paper meant that most things were oral instead of written), and they would break the word down by syllable.

"Secretary: s-e-c, sec, r-e, re, secre, t-a, ta, secreta, r-y, ry, secretary!"

(Thank you, Laura Ingalls Wilder, for that little demonstration of teaching methods.)

I use my real name cause back on TT Mary Beth would have cut me, or something, if I hadn't.(I was not a Buffista then, though, because I didn't take to Buffy on my initial viewing. I was also boring and shy, so if you don't remember me from then, it ain't no thing. I wish I didn't either.) But the real name habit stuck(well, I let Fay call me E, because we've got it like that, and because it so fits.) Except on lj, because that's where the freaky stuff goes. I've had Buffistas to dinner a few times and snogged more than my share at f2fs. I'm not good, by Buffista standards, with punctuation, although that still qualifies me to be a neighborhood pain in the ass. And that whole conversation reminds me of Ben-Affleck-as-Keith-Olbermann twisting a sentence to death to avoid ending it with a preposition.

I have had THREE! THREE! Buffistas stay with me! Four, if Matilda counts as a lurker.

I have had 4 Buffistas sleep in my bed at once! It was AWESOME. Ah, the Bed Of Doom. Also, ND and I were each other's First Buffista, as I picked him up in MSP to go meet Bridget and Knut for drinks at the Bryant Lake Bowl.

I'm not a fan of olives. So the mofletta looks a lot better to me than a muffuletta.

I haven't had any buffistae stay with me, unless you count Amyth falling asleep on my couch.

You have also hosted my cats. Thanks again for that.

I will add, however, for the lurkers' benefit, that I turned my keys over to smonster to stay in my apartment while I was away without every having met her face-to-face.

'Tis true. And a marvelous hostess she was and is, even in absentia. DH as well.

The first time I met meara she arrived at my house in the wee smalls of the morning after a truly horrendous drive from DC.

smonster, remember getting pumpkin ice cream at Graeter's? (Actually, did you get the pumpkin? I know I did, because I'm a whore for all things pumpkin.)

Since it's October, pumpkin is back as the flavor of the month! Butterfat, here I come!

I saw erika's dog violate a plush toy so I want extra credit for that.

Oh, and her mom is a killer cook.

But not in a Mrs. Lovett kind of way.

Here's a question, mostly for the lurkers: how do you refer to stuff you learn here @ b.org to non-buffistas? I have started so many sentences with "I just saw/read this really interesting thing, and..." and then I realize I have no good way to explain who ya'll are. My hubby knows, but most of my friends and coworkers don't get the concept of such an online community ("No, it's NOT like FB!"), and I'm reduced to mumbling, then quickly changing the subject. Of course, that hasn't kept me from dropping hints to new kewl people I meet, in wild hopes that they might already be a buffista. Is there a secret handshake we should know about?

Totally, dude. It's like one of the Bitches is an actual bitch. Those steaks were awesome, yeah.