Bloviate? Bloggiate?

This morning I have been stuck inside due to the rain, which means I have allowed myself to guiltlessly spend the last four hours laying in bed and reading. I have read all of Monster by Walter Dean Myers, a book that was shockingly recommended for me to teach to my 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. While the book with its multiple awards is absolutely amazing, it is also a very realistic account of a 16-year-old boy on trial for felonious murder and experiencing life in jail as he awaits a verdict. Not exactly the best choice for my 10-year-olds.

So, I also had time to start Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. (I love the excuse to read young adult literature!) This book is also spectacular, though in a much different way. It is about a girl who, at birth, was given the gift/curse by a fairy to always be obedient. It would have been impossible for me to put the book down had the Saturday New York Times not arrived.

I have just finished all but my favorite two sections of the Saturday paper (the Book Review and the Magazine.) In opening the magazine to the table of contents, I came across a word I did not know in the caption of a photo. Not once, but twice today, I found the word bloviate in the Times. The first time, I skimmed over it, and just kept reading. Though I advocate that my students look up words they don't know, I rarely do so myself. But then coming across it again, I thought, Well, maybe this word is worth it. (And yes, I know as a self-professed lover of words, this behavior is a little ridiculous.)

So, for any of you who also were unfamiliar with this word, it is a verb, a slang term that means to discourse at great length in a pompous or boastful manner. After learning this definition, I think I might be more motivated to consult the dictionary (or at least dictionary.com) in the future. What a wonderful word, and possibly the best slang I've ever heard! I know people who bloviate frequently. I work with a man who cannot be better described than as a bloviater!

Anyhow, I am going to go back to the bed, finish the paper, then read as much of Ella Enchanted as I can before making my way to New Jersey to see my friend Josh in a play. My, how I love a rainy Saturday.