One Hike, Two Sandals, and a Beautiful Backpack
Yesterday we went on a very long hike in part to prepare ourselves for the hiking that we plan on doing on our trip, but mostly just because some friends of ours asked us to go hiking with them. I discovered a couple of things about myself on this hike. Firstly, I’m exactly like my mother when it comes to hiking: I tend to walk very fast; if we’re on a hike, then we must be headed somewhere and why not get there quickly if we can? And secondly, I should buy some hiking boots because it is hard to get places quickly in my sandals.
In other news, I bought myself a GOURGEOUS backpack, which will be my traveling companion while we’re on the road. AND, I got it for less than half of what it’s worth. Woot! Since we decided to go on this trip, I have been a frequent visitor at the REI Used Gear Sales at which the nice people at REI sell all the stuff that people have returned for a fraction of what it was worth originally. Some of the things are old or damaged, but some are beautiful, pristine, and new. For example, my new backpack was put in the Used Gear Sale because it was “too old to re-stock.” Now, it was very clear that the backpack had never been used before. It still had its tag and everything. But it had been sold several years ago and the buyer had promptly forgotten that she ever bought it. She must have let it sit in her closet for years before returning it. Anyway, point is, I got to buy an unused North Face backpack for less than half of what it was worth. And therefore, I win.
Score: Me and my backpack: 1, Whoever it was that we were competing against: 0
-Sarah
Tags: backpack, Central America, hike, hiking, Preparations, South America, Travel
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Woot?
“Woot” is a self-referential exclamation of excitement. It is usually pronounced without inflection, but is meant to imply extreme joy (as in a yelp, or an excited cry). “Woot” sets itself apart by simply referencing this joy instead of outwardly emoting it.
-Sarah
oh!
It should be noted, however, that Sarah added an exclamation point to her “woot,” thereby complicating “woot’s” inherently hipster (i.e. self-referential) relationship to excitment. A more proper “woot,” in my opinion, would read: “woot.” Sarah’s woot is just a bit too sincere. I think the overwhelming joy of finding a great new backpack, coupled with the natural “hiker’s high” that we experienced on the trail may have contributed to a little misplaced earnestness.
The above comment was from Megan. Woops. And woot.
You two are cracking me up. I should be proofreading articles about diesel fuel, but here I am learning about woot and wishing I’d had the guts to plan a trip to Honduras. I am, however, learning French in my car. That sorta counts — at least for today. Another reason to look forward to the work day ending.
Welcome! Keep studying that French and it could come in handy for a trip to French Guiana. Here’s to the end of the work day!
Mmmm . . . (and does my favorite punctuation, the elipses, go with woot? Can woot have ambivalence, or only affectlessness? And does woot rhyme with boot, or foot?)
Bethany —
To answer your questions: “Boot”… most definitely. However, I had never thought about the possibility of “woot” being pronounced like “foot,” but the thought of it definitely just made me laugh out loud, so perhaps I will adopt it from now on.
And as for your other question. Although not often used to denote ambivalence, “woot,” if used by someone skilled in the art of eye rolling, could become a much more complex and exciting word that could most definitely convey ambivalence.
-Sarah
I agree with Sarah about the possibilities of “woot” being endless if deployed by skillful enunciators. However, I’ll put myself out there as the self-appointed punctuation guru of “woot” and decree that “woot” shall never be followed by ellipses. Why, you ask? Because that would be too much of a good thing. “Woot” is in its infancy, and there’s a real danger of it being overshadowed by punctuation. We can’t let that happen.
-Megan
Since ellipsis tecchnically means omission of words needed to complete the sense of something, the use of ellipses after woot is completely superfluous — “woot” seems to say it all. I would say it definitely needs to be followed by a period though.