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Thesis: I am a nerd.
Dec. 10th, 2007 01:49 amSome supporting points:
1. I have a favorite muscle. Perhaps you think this isn't all that nerdy? Allow me to explain why it is my favorite. First, the name, the word itself: sternocleidomastoid. This point has subpoints, namely:
a) I like the way it sounds. Try saying it, there's a cadence to it -- STERno. CLEIdo. MAStoid. Each bit has this lovely internal flow, sharp to smooth, and the whole thing ends with that nice d. The letter combinations are uniformly fun: ern, clei, oid. Mmm. It just feels good to say.
b) I like the construction. To the untrained eye, it looks an unlikely mixture of letters. But no! It makes perfect sense. See, the sternocleidomastoid is located in the neck; the lower end attaches at the top of the sternum (sterno) and clavicle (cleido), then runs up the neck to attach at the other end to the mastoid process (mastoid), which is the bottom bit of the temporal bone that runs behind the ear. Sternocleidomastoid. It describes exactly what it is.
And finally, the least nerdy reason -- it's a totally sexy muscle. Of course, most people don't look at it and go "Mmm, sternocleidomastoid," which is what brings it back to being nerdy. It's a muscle that most people mistakenly call a tendon (WRONG, SO WRONG), the one that stands out in a long line when you turn your head to the side. It (um, they?) emphasize(s) that lovely little notch between the collarbones. It's a muscle that is really, really tempting to put one's mouth on. Allow Gerard Way to demonstrate:
See? Mmm. Sternocleidomastoid.
2. I listen to Fall Out Boy, and instead of thinking "Clever lyrics!", I instead think "Hey, Pete Wentz uses syllepsis a lot! And zeugma! Cool, I love those rhetorical devices!" (This is usually followed by the corollary "Zeugma is a really fun word!")
He also uses metonymy and synecdoche well. In case you were wondering.
1. I have a favorite muscle. Perhaps you think this isn't all that nerdy? Allow me to explain why it is my favorite. First, the name, the word itself: sternocleidomastoid. This point has subpoints, namely:
a) I like the way it sounds. Try saying it, there's a cadence to it -- STERno. CLEIdo. MAStoid. Each bit has this lovely internal flow, sharp to smooth, and the whole thing ends with that nice d. The letter combinations are uniformly fun: ern, clei, oid. Mmm. It just feels good to say.
b) I like the construction. To the untrained eye, it looks an unlikely mixture of letters. But no! It makes perfect sense. See, the sternocleidomastoid is located in the neck; the lower end attaches at the top of the sternum (sterno) and clavicle (cleido), then runs up the neck to attach at the other end to the mastoid process (mastoid), which is the bottom bit of the temporal bone that runs behind the ear. Sternocleidomastoid. It describes exactly what it is.
And finally, the least nerdy reason -- it's a totally sexy muscle. Of course, most people don't look at it and go "Mmm, sternocleidomastoid," which is what brings it back to being nerdy. It's a muscle that most people mistakenly call a tendon (WRONG, SO WRONG), the one that stands out in a long line when you turn your head to the side. It (um, they?) emphasize(s) that lovely little notch between the collarbones. It's a muscle that is really, really tempting to put one's mouth on. Allow Gerard Way to demonstrate:
See? Mmm. Sternocleidomastoid.
2. I listen to Fall Out Boy, and instead of thinking "Clever lyrics!", I instead think "Hey, Pete Wentz uses syllepsis a lot! And zeugma! Cool, I love those rhetorical devices!" (This is usually followed by the corollary "Zeugma is a really fun word!")
He also uses metonymy and synecdoche well. In case you were wondering.
