... About FreeRice

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. So, here it is:

Hello, my name is Kristen (Hello, Kristen!), and I am a FreeRice addict.

Like most other addictions, this one originated somewhere else, long ago. It all started when I discovered I was a hippopotomonstrosesquipedalianist. That's a very long word that means "I like big words." Occasionally my friends have a hard time understanding why. For example, Katie got very annoyed with me the other day when I referred to myself as an anglophile. I had to stop myself from explaining to her how you can break the word down into two parts ("anglo" referring to England; and "phile", from the Greek "philos" which means "beloved", meaning "to have love for") for fear of her smacking me in the face. I am not a smackedinthefaceophile.

I suppose we could stretch me out on the couch and discuss where my affection for lexicon originated, but that will be another post for another day. Suffice it to say, I like knowing what words mean. I like learning new words. I like proving to myself (and, admittedly, others) that I know these words and how to use them properly.

Anywho, so then along comes FreeRice. Let's play a word association game:

FreeRice is to hippopotomonstrosequipedalianists,

as

_________ is to crackheads.

a) crack

b) crack

c) puppies

d) crack

I could literally spend hours FreeRice-ing if I wasn't afraid of getting fired. Not only do I get to take a never-ending vocabulary quiz, but every time I get a word right the website donates food to starving people. It gives me an incredibly satisfactorily false sense of accomplishment. Not only did I learn what a sommelier is, but I've donated 2,640 grains of rice to starving people!

It's a daily struggle. I know that this addiction is taking over my life, and that I have to stop. I can't keep - WOO-HOO! I just beat Vocab Level 45!

My name is Kristen, and I am a FreeRice addict.

http://www.freerice.com/