Words No Longer Allowed in My Presence #1: double-down

When did "double-down" become the favored word of every political and social commentator ever? Can I blame KFC's disgusting heart attack-inducing variation on a sandwich for my misery? STOP USING THIS PHRASE! You don't sound "cool," "young," or like you actually play poker. You don't even sound like you know what the phrase means anymore. Just stop and talk like a grown-up when you opine on grown-up subject matter (even if the actors on the subject are acting like little boys, ahem, *cough-politicians-cough*).

Suggested alternatives:

• increase one's commitment
• take on additional risk
• strengthen or reinforce one's initial dedication to an idea or strategy
• compound one's short-sighted and/or single-minded mistake
• commit to a single tactic, strategy, or goal while abandoning other priorities

What You Will Find Here

I felt my Facebook page was getting crowded, so I decided to move my uninvited thoughts to a blog. Things will mostly be numbered contributions to ongoing lists.

Lists to be included:

• What I Learned on NPR Today
• Words No Longer Allowed in My Presence
• Tips for Crazy Cat Lady Living
• Advice for Being a Good Citizen of Planet Earth (or, How to Be a Better Tree-Hugging Dirt-Worshiping Hippie)
• Minor Irritations That Make Me Want to Gulp Handfuls of Ativan (I haven't started this one yet, but it sounds like a list that might be useful)
• Cool Gross Science Stuff
• People Who Are Way Smarter Than Me

and any others I deem useful. I'll try to label them all so you can find your way around in this sea of great wisdom.