word_nerd nr "just make sure you're not doing it to assuage their guilt," she said. i was thinking the same thing, but substituted with the word "alleviate" instead of "assuage." these word choices made the word_nerd in me happy, which always makes everything else seem just a little brighter. 230711 ... raze sometimes a scene from the golden age of "the simpsons" floats into my head. homer's presumed-dead mother returns after a decades-long absence and bonds with his precocious, misunderstood daughter. "you know, lisa," she says, "i feel like i have an instant rapport with you." "you didn't dumb it down," lisa says, smiling like she wants to cry. "you said 'rapport'." it's rare to meet people who value words the way we do. it's a special feeling when it happens. 230712 what's it to you? who go blather from