a call to write

2012-02-03T23:13:00.001-05:00

From...Probably back in November. Pleasant Street, Providence.

2012-02-03T23:10:00.001-05:00

Weirdest conversation heart message ever?...

2012-02-03T23:09:00.001-05:00

From Harry's Bar and Birger a few weeks ago...particularly enjoying the second beer on the list :)

2012-02-03T23:04:00.001-05:00

First (and only) real snow of the winter so far...

2012-01-10T08:28:00.000-05:00

Yaay, snow! (Kinda)

I think this should be the Occupy anthem

2012-01-05T14:22:00.004-05:00

Sing it out, boy, you got to see what tomorrow brings
Sing it out, girl, you’ve got to be what tomorrow needs
For every time that they want to count you out
Use your voice every single time you open up your mouth

Sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls
Every time that you lose it, sing it for the world
Sing it from the heart, sing it till you’re nuts
Sing it out for the ones that’ll hate your guts
Sing it for the deaf, sing it for the blind
Sing about everyone that you left behind
Sing it for the world, sing it for the world

Sing it out, boy they’re gonna sell what tomorrow means
Sing it out, girl before they gonna kill what tomorrow brings
You’ve got to make a choice if the music drowns you out
And raise your voice every single time they try and shut your mouth

Sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls
Every time that you lose it, sing it for the world
Sing it from the heart, sing it till you’re nuts
Sing it out for the ones that’ll hate your guts
Sing it for the deaf, sing it for the blind
Sing about everyone that you left behind
Sing it for the world, sing it for the world

Cleaned up, corporation progress
Dying in the process
Children that can talk about it,
living on the railways
People moving sideways
Sell it till your last days
Buy yourself a motivation
Generation Nothing,
Nothing but a dead scene
Product of white dream
I am not the singer that you wanted
But a dancer
I refuse to answer
Talk about the past, sir
Ruling for the ones who want to get away

Keep running

Sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls
Every time that you lose it sing it for the world
Sing it from the heart, sing it till you’re nuts
Sing it out for the ones that’ll hate your guts
Sing it for the deaf, sing it for the blind
Sing about everyone that you left behind
Sing it for the world, sing it for the world

We’ve got to see what tomorrow brings

Sing it for the world, sing it for the world

Girl, you've got to be what tomorrow needs

Sing it for the world, sing it for the world

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

Continuing the tradition...Happy New Year, friends!

2011-12-28T00:11:00.000-05:00

Kurt's stocking!

2011-12-28T00:04:00.001-05:00

2011-12-28T00:02:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

The Stowell cousins--all 14 of us!--all together for the first time...maybe ever. Christmas 2011.

2011-12-23T07:57:00.001-05:00

Spotted in a gas station, somewhere in CT...

2011-12-20T19:19:00.001-05:00

(Exhibit B)

2011-12-20T08:44:00.000-05:00

Last day of work in 2011...

2011-12-18T11:20:00.001-05:00

Could not care less about Christmas; loves the vessels the presents arrive in.

2011-12-12T20:31:00.001-05:00

Secret Santa week begins today...

2011-11-02T23:36:00.001-04:00

Every way I look at the Rhode Island State House, it looks like a painting. Even right up close.

2011-10-27T22:42:00.001-04:00

2011-10-24T18:22:00.000-04:00

2011-10-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

Pretty Providence.

It's like I'm a real adult or something!

2011-10-21T14:57:00.000-04:00

file under: lessons learned in june 2011

2011-10-19T13:51:00.001-04:00

this is, easily, the funniest comment thread i've ever seen on facebook

2011-10-19T13:47:00.002-04:00

(click to enlarge--it's not really funny if you don't)

2011-10-19T13:45:00.000-04:00

2011-10-19T13:44:00.000-04:00

Evelyn Anne

2011-10-19T13:42:00.003-04:00

Ok, I'm about a month late posting these, but say hello to my new niece, Evelyn Anne:

Isn't she gorgeous? Congrats, Anne, Craig, Sy and Soren!

recipe!

2011-10-08T10:45:00.003-04:00

do you like brussels sprouts? i think most people think they don't, but have you ever even had them? growing up, my mom never served my brother and i brussels sprouts because she hated them so much when she was growing up, but i saw this recipe on a blog i follow a few months ago and it just sounded so good--i asked one of my coworkers and she said she thought most people who say they don't like vegetables grew up eating them cooked improperly. so, i gave it a try, and holy crap, welcome to your new favorite vegetable side dish! here's the recipe (with a few changes i've made):

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
3 to 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks (don't peel them--just wash them. they taste better this way, and all the good for you stuff is in the skin)
1 large shallot, sliced
3 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced
10 to 12 brussels sprouts (about 1/2 pound), trimmed and quartered (i cut off the bottoms, too)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and mustard (use more for bigger brussels sprouts, less for smaller ones). Toss the vegetables and bacon in the bowl until evenly coated with the mustard and oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper.

Spread the mixture in a baking dish (a 9-inch square pan works) and roast for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes--try to get anything stuck to the pan off, and make sure the rendered bacon fat can coat everything else. Roast until the potatoes are cooked through and the bacon is getting crispy. Salt to taste.

Here's the original recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roasted-potatoes-with-brussels-sprouts-bacon-140594

Enjoy!

2011-10-05T14:28:00.001-04:00

The brain trust sets up a new printer...

2011-10-05T14:27:00.001-04:00

2011-10-05T14:26:00.001-04:00

2011-10-05T14:25:00.001-04:00

This is what Saturday looks like.

2011-10-05T14:24:00.001-04:00

This weird little freak downpour popped up while I was in WholeFoods, yesterday--you can't really tell from this picture but it was POURING rain over the parking lot, but still sunny out! Really beautiful, and totally bizarre.

2011-09-06T13:00:00.000-04:00

"Take me with you?"

2011-09-05T22:32:00.000-04:00

Hermione, watching Irene out the window...

2011-08-31T04:48:00.000-04:00

We're still here! This is the only damage we've really had: one tiny little tree branch down. We were really lucky--didn't even lose power!

2011-08-14T20:26:00.001-04:00

Just got a real strong craving for Pasta Espresso...ah, San Diego. I miss you.

2011-08-14T20:19:00.001-04:00

Mmm, dinner...

2011-07-31T17:14:00.000-04:00

Oh, just a little Sunday afternoon trip to Borders...

2011-07-21T23:46:00.005-04:00

it's a sad evening in the state of rhode island.

around 7 pm i got the news that my former boss--and the former governor--Bruce Sundlun had passed away. he'll be remembered as a once great man who was lovably (?) insane and who loved his family very, very much.

RIP, G-Sun. you'll be missed.

:::edit:::

i found this great picture of the governor from world war II, when he was in the french underground:

that's him all the way on the right; he was younger than i am, about 23 or 24. the picture comes from this article, which i suggest reading, even if you've never heard of him--it's a fantastic piece and includes some amazing stories. and i use the word "amazing" in the way it should be used (and not in the way i typically overuse it!).

2011-07-17T21:15:00.000-04:00

First summer tomatoes...

Former President Jimmy W. Bush

2011-07-12T12:48:00.003-04:00

2011-07-10T13:23:00.003-04:00

Van Clemmons: Mr. Echolls, I was wondering if I could have a word?
Logan: ...Anthropomorphic. All yours, big guy.

2011-07-05T14:08:00.002-04:00

I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go? So why don't we go?

Oh, this could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know

michael j. fox on math vs. literature

2011-07-02T14:57:00.002-04:00

"i was someone who couldn't stand absolutes. and, i couldn't--if two plus two equals four every time, what good is it? i mean, that's no fun. so, why take math? they figured that stuff out already! art, and literature--how to read this, and see it in a different way than somebody else, that i've got a shot at. or how to write this story and tell it in a way it's never been told--that, i've got a shot at. but two plus two will always be four whether i do it, or you do it, or, or anybody else does it. so...to hell with it."

2011-06-25T19:56:00.000-04:00

Homemade chicken masala for dinner, courtesy of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution! I'll post the recipe soon :)

2011-06-22T12:32:00.000-04:00

Found at Benny's...oh, Rhode Island.

2011-06-21T20:57:00.000-04:00

Kurt made dinner! Salad, grilled chicken and this awesome grilled garlic bread. It's too bad it's so good because now I know that he is kind of awesome at grilling...

found on google reader this morning

2011-05-27T09:35:00.006-04:00

Top 10 Best Outfits In Disney Films

This whole thing is amazing. Please see: the part about Mary Poppins:

Everything Mary Poppins Wears.

The weird flat hat with the flowers, the duster, the bow tie, all paried with bottomless carpetbag and talking bird umbrella? The red and white Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious number with the Kentucky Derby hat? The high collared button up shirt paried with the sleek skirt while she’s singing the kids to sleep? STYLE. ICON. Mary why you so mean? MEAN ABOUT STYLE??? God she’s gorgeous. Can we all just stop right now and appreciate this film? I’m way serious, stop everything that you’re doing, even though you’re already procrastinating at work, and appreciate Mary Poppins.

2011-05-25T13:48:00.000-04:00

One of the PhDs I work with drew this for me during an early meeting on Monday...her name is Suzanne and she is awesome.

2011-05-25T13:44:00.000-04:00

First truly beautiful day of spring...this calls for dels :)

i have no real explanation for this

2011-05-16T14:55:00.001-04:00

me: i want stanley tucci to father my children. this is not to say i don't love kurt, or am particularly sexually attracted to stanley tucci. it is simply to say it would be awesome to have little tucci babies...who i can only imagine would be bald and would wear little circular glasses

Deanna: haha yes

they'd be very droll

me: slightly bemused at all times

with slight homosexual undertones in all that they do

Deanna: i imagine those babies would throw the BEST dinner parties

with their stuffed animals

me: i am trying so hard not to laugh right now

and it is so difficult

Deanna: paddington bear, would you care for some more foie gras?

perhaps some confit, elmo?

me: i just cannot see trying to explain to department chair peter monti "oh, i'm laughing because i'm imagining baby stanley tucci serving his stuffed animals french delicacies"

i simply cannot

Deanna: do try tis chataneuf du pape, dora the explorer, it's an excellent vintage

me: STOP IT

Deanna: ha i can't

me: it's so weirdly easy to imagine this

Deanna: i know!

afterwards they'd all play twister and then dora and paddington would end up leaving together and it would be SUCH a scandal

seeing as dora is just out of a divorce and paddington could be her son

me: said baby tucci, followed by a wry joke and an adorably knowing look

Deanna: he would have the cutest little mustache

2011-05-03T00:03:00.004-04:00

in the wake of this whole bin laden thing, i have to confess, i'm sort of not sure how to feel. i'm always a little uncomfortable really celebrating the murder of a human being--never mind how terrible a person that human being is. i felt the same way about saddam hussein; it felt super weird that people were celebrating while a person was being hanged. it feels weird to have spent my last night in san diego sitting in front of the tv, waiting for the president to tell us that the man our military has been hunting for almost 10 years is dead and yet, to assure us that the "war on terror" still isn't over, and that now we may be--albeit momentarily--in more danger than ever.

with all of that said, kurt and i watched the daily show tonight...

"Of course, on any occasion like this, there will be people who will try and give us ‘perspective.’ This is not the time. Yes, we shouldn’t have killed him. Now the terrorists are going to want to attack us! But you know what? Even when they do, you know who won’t see it? Bin Laden, because we shot out his eyes, and now he lives in a pineapple under the sea." -Jon Stewart

i still don't know exactly how i feel, but. ...i love that guy.

:::edit::: my friend stephanie posted this on facebook:

Ezekiel 33:11 "As I live," says the Lord God, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live."

i'm not very religious and have never heard that passage before, but...exactly. that is exactly how i feel. thanks, stephles.

2011-05-01T22:20:00.000-04:00

The view of the place we stayed at--from the deck off the living room. Sort of looks like Disney created it or something. Please note: outdoor kitchen, hot tub, giant fake lizard. Not shown: outdoor flatscreen tv, awesome times had.

2011-05-01T22:16:00.000-04:00

Came across this tree during a trek through Balboa Park. All these roots--they stretched out so far, I don't think you could ever get far enough away from them to ever take a picture and capture them all--grew up into (or grew out from, depending on how you look at it) one of the biggest trees I've ever seen close up. There's a metaphor for America in there, somewhere, if you're willing to look for it.

2011-05-01T22:12:00.000-04:00

Last trip to Pasta Espresso before the looooong trip home...

2011-04-29T15:02:00.000-04:00

Have you gotten your tickets to the GUN SHOW? (Imagine me flexing, here)

2011-04-29T02:07:00.000-04:00

San Diego...pretty not bad.

2011-04-23T01:17:00.000-04:00

Jim's friend Dan comes to visit for the weekend...Sarah and Kurt end up at Antonios with two drunk Virginians at 1 am, one of whom is bleeding from both the lip and nose.

Gonna miss this kid.

2011-04-22T20:50:00.000-04:00

Super exciting Friday night...ps, yes, my foot says "Jim is tha shit!!" I asked him not to write any bad words while he was writing on my foot...I guess I should just be glad I caught him before he used sharpie?

i laughed so hard making this that i cried

2011-04-18T15:23:00.001-04:00

2011-04-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

Nurse Kurt (the only reason I am alive after this weekend, I am completely convinced). I am a lucky, lucky girl.

2011-04-11T10:08:00.000-04:00

Nurse Kitten

2011-04-09T09:43:00.001-04:00

The Daily Show - For a Few Dollars More
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

kurt and i were catching up on episodes of the daily show last night, and NY rep anthony weiner's bit (starts at about 6:24) made us both laugh so hard--i almost cried.

were obama not seeking a second term, i'd be all up on weiner 2012 (...wait...that does not sound the way i meant it to.)

2011-04-01T09:40:00.000-04:00

Found in the office kitchen, today...

2011-03-31T21:26:00.002-04:00

My work BFF Jim got into a Ph.D program! VCU, here he comes!

...His work BFF Sarah is a little bit sad.

2011-03-31T21:20:00.000-04:00

Hermione watching the snow out the window. Oh, yeah, btw? It's SNOWING. In three hours, it will be APRIL.

2011-03-29T10:48:00.002-04:00

today, i pretty much feel like paul rudd, about 52 seconds into this clip:

...yup.

2011-03-22T18:12:00.001-04:00

2011-03-15T23:17:00.001-04:00

Adam doing a handstand during game night...

2011-03-15T23:15:00.000-04:00

Lunch with Jim during a rainstorm. Typical.

2011-03-15T23:12:00.000-04:00

Pi day!

2011-03-14T12:33:00.000-04:00

My good friend from college, Stephanie, is getting married in July and her family threw her a bridal shower on Sunday. Here is the super serious card I gave her...

2011-03-10T20:23:00.001-05:00

Hello, taco night

2011-02-23T00:19:00.000-05:00

These pictures are actually from back in, like, October--the house I grew up in (with a giant addition added on--it's easily three times the size it was when I lived there...weird), and the one Kurt lived in when we first started dating back in high school. Ah, memories.

Weekend in New York: Part 2

2011-02-23T00:12:00.001-05:00

Here we are at Craig and Anne's! We were there with Craig and Anne (duh), Sy and Soren, Aunt Diana, and cousins Hans and Karl. Here is a picture of Hans (referred to as "Ponz" by Soren) and Karl trying to get a picture of Soren next to the giantest piece of cake, ever:

Here is an unfortunately blurry picture of Craig attempting to smush his son's face into said giant piece of cake (don't worry, he didn't really do it!):

Soren entertained us all through the evening by dressing up as (in no particular order): an army man, a cowboy, spiderman...

Soren also spent some time convincing the adults to play a game called Shark Attack. Sadly, it got a little competitive. Here he is, explaining it to us:

Santa made an appearance...

Aww, brotherly love!:

Finally, we got a visit from Thomas the Tank Engine. This is about 3.5 seconds from a meltdown:

We had such a great time with these guys. Craig and Anne are so awesome and we're so thrilled to have them living close by. It was so fun for Kurt to see his cousins (and for me, to meet them!) and it's just always nice to spend time with family. Thanks, Craig and Anne (and Sy and Soren!) for always showing us such a fabulous time :)

Our weekend in New York

2011-02-22T22:13:00.001-05:00

February 13th, Kurt's brother Craig set up a little gathering with some of their (Kurt's and Craig's) cousins. Kurt hadn't seen his cousins in something like 10 years, so it was a great treat--also, we decided to go into New York City the night before, so we could catch up with Sean and Aaron, two of my best friends from college who live there. We stayed in a pretty cute little hotel in Midtown, and I took a few pictures:

Our cute little hotel room...

This is part of the mini bar (everything from Dean & Deluca! We made a visit to the store on Sunday afternoon). We somehow managed to lock the key in the fridge part of it. Can you tell neither of us has ever stayed in a hotel with one of these things before?...

Kurt and the bathroom. I know, lame.

We arrived in the city Saturday night and basically dropped off our stuff and then went to Sean and Aaron's, then headed out to get dinner (Ethiopian food! Who knew?) with the two of them, plus the girl Aaron has been seeing for a little while, whose name is Anna, and who we both liked a lot. We had a great time, talking about our childhoods and how we had better tv shows, toys, and book series than anyone else who grew up in a different decade, then headed out to meet up with some more friends from college (Sean's old roommates, who I haven't seen since probably 2006), before finally heading home around 2 am. Unfortunately, I didn't take a single picture the entire night, but suffice it to say we had a fantastic time.

The next morning (err, afternoon?) we headed to Chelsea to meet my friend Emily (one of my besties from--wait for it--the first grade), and have brunch at Cafeteria, one of my favorite restaurants in the world. This was the first time I went there without either Beth or Tyler, but it was amazing as always. I had croissant french toast--I know--which was stuffed with baked apples and cinnamon and was basically the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. And, per usual, we had to have the mac and cheese:

Regular four-cheese on the left, with truffle oil in the middle (the first truffle anything I've ever had!), and with bacon on the right. It was amazing. If you are ever in New York, you should definitely go. 17th and 7th. You won't be sorry.

We parted ways with Emily, made the trek to Dean & Deluca (I want to live there), then met up with Sean again and went for the long walk all the way back to our hotel, where we packed up and left. Sean woke up the next day with an injured foot and I somehow pulled something in my leg and could barely walk the next day. I think we may be getting old?...Kurt, luckily, survived unscathed.

Anyway. Stay tuned for the post about visiting with Craig and Anne!

2011-02-17T15:54:00.005-05:00

this is an incredible photo essay called "the julie project" that i happened upon through kottke.org; it is sad and powerful and beautiful and awful and i think everybody should see it. darcy padilla (the photographer) explains:

I first met Julie on February 28, 1993. Julie, 18, stood
in the lobby of the Ambassador Hotel, barefoot, pants
unzipped, and an 8 day-old infant in her arms. She lived
in San Francisco’s SRO district, a neighborhood of soup
kitchens and cheap rooms. Her room was piled with clothes,
overfull ashtrays and trash. She lived with Jack, father
of her first baby Rachael, and who had given her AIDS.
She left him months later to stop using drugs.

Her first memory of her mother is getting drunk with her
at 6 and then being sexually abused by her stepfather.
She ran away at 14 and became drug addict at 15. Living in
alleys, crack dens, and bunked with more dirty old men
than she cared to count.

For the last 18 years I have photographed Julie Baird’s
complex story of multiple homes, AIDS, drug abuse,
abusive relationships, poverty, births, deaths, loss
and reunion. Following Julie from the backstreets of
San Francisco to the backwoods of Alaska.

Click the above photo for a link, or click here.

2011-02-14T22:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day, friends :)

2011-02-12T10:45:00.007-05:00

this is tonya (on the right, with emily):

tonya is one of the research assistants i work with; she's super sweet and hilarious and adorable, and has been totally rocking these asymmetrical cloth flower necklaces in the past week that i have just loved. they reminded me of a necklace my sister-in-law anne:

(yup, i also stalked her facebook to find this adorbs picture of her with her husband/kurt's brother, craig. i feel ok admitting this because i think it's possible she'd be more proud of my internet stalking than weirded out by it...)

posted about in her blog a few months ago, that she actually won in a contest:

fast forward to me, last night, creepily stalking her blog and trying to find a link to this person's etsy store (found it!), and scouring etsy for necklaces. here are the ones i like:

this one is so romantic and pretty--although i have no idea what i'd ever wear it with!

this one is a little more "me;" i'm strongly considering ordering it...

i actually DID order this one. isn't it so pretty?

and um, maybe also this one. what? we just got our tax returns back and i think it was ok for me to buy myself a present or two :-p i really also love the one that anne has--and the ones tonya has been wearing--i think the cloth flowers are really cool and pretty.

anyway, that's what i've been doing for the last 12 hours or so! and, y'know, going out with friends from work and sleeping. happy weekend!

2011-02-08T21:11:00.000-05:00

2011-02-08T21:10:00.001-05:00

New desk! And a reserved chair.

2011-02-05T23:19:00.000-05:00

This is what girls do to Jim. Particularly girls named "Cate."

2011-02-05T23:15:00.000-05:00

Cakes from a decorating competition at Johnson and Wales...pretty incredible, no?

2011-01-28T08:18:00.000-05:00

True story: this is our picnic table in our back yard.

2011-01-27T12:04:00.002-05:00

my great aunt polly sent me an article from the new york times a few days ago that she thought i would enjoy reading. here is how she addressed the envelope:

in case my photography skills aren't as excellent as i think they are and you can't quite read that, it says "Sarah Stowell (Anderson) or whatever."

amazing.

2011-01-27T12:02:00.000-05:00

Good bye, old desk...

2011-01-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

I don't care how old I get; I will always be excited for snow.

2011-01-25T23:24:00.000-05:00

Inter-office mail is fun.

2011-01-19T21:23:00.001-05:00

Top Chef night calls for a super gourmet meal, no?

2011-01-17T22:56:00.000-05:00

Hot.

2011-01-17T22:53:00.000-05:00

Love.

2011-01-16T12:52:00.001-05:00

Here is Hermione, who went from window to window in our apartment, gazing out at the snow.

Do you think I'll be this fascinated when we someday have human children?...

2011-01-16T12:46:00.000-05:00

Pretty flowers from Mom :) (in the background, you can see my car, still covered in snow from the storm on Wednesday)

Police Officer Jim

2011-01-13T14:52:00.002-05:00

...I swear I'll stop posting these soon.

2011-01-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

Bridesmaid gifts (from back in May)

2011-01-09T21:15:00.000-05:00

2011-01-09T21:12:00.000-05:00

Very satisfactory Sunday evening.

2011-01-09T18:50:00.000-05:00

My husband is ever so romantic :)

2011-01-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

jim: i need a pam. you need to find me a pam, and bring her to me.

...challenge: accepted.

merry christmas. love, sean.

2010-12-23T11:01:00.002-05:00

me: is it time to go home, yet?
Sean: fuck me right?

lets get this shit

me: hahaha

so eloquent

Sean: people say i have a way with words