Thoughts Before The Alarm Sounds

I am fascinated by new words. The English language has always been known for its ability to adopt words from other languages, or to originate new words on its own, but the speed with which such words proliferate has increased dramatically with the advent of modern communications: television, iPhones, twitter, etc. Of the new words added each year, a few of them stand out because each describes some common situation that has not preciously had a unique description. Some examples follow, along with the year they were added to the dictionary: 1.) Stacation (2009) A vacation spent at home or nearby. This has become a rather common event since the advent of the recession of 2008. 2.) Air quotes (2008) A gesture made by raising and flexing the index and middle fingers of both hands that is used to call attention to a spoken word or expression. Previous to this action, if one wanted to indicate a quotation in conversation, it was necessary to act...

So here I am about to start my first blog for “Thoughts Before the Alarm Sounds.” I guess I should explain how I arrived at the name. I believe that ideas are like plants. Thoughts (seeds) come into one’s head from who knows where, but before they become full-fledged ideas they need to germinate. Some people think they get ideas in their dreams, but it doesn’t work that way for me, and I am not alone in that belief. I think it was William James who told of a man who just knew that he came up with great ideas in his dreams, but could never remember them until morning. So one night he set a pad and pencil by his bed. Sure enough, he awoke during the night after having dreamed a sensational thought, and still only half awake, he jotted it down. When he awoke in the morning he could hardly wait to see what his world-changing thought had been. He had written, “The odor of creosote permeates the area.” So much for that theory. My alarm clock goes off every morning at eight, except for the f...