Thursday Thirteen - Words Starting With "C"

1. Crazy-making is what happens when someone tries to convince you that up is down, black is white. The term is used frequently to describe abusive relationships, but it also applies to politics these days. What else would you call a governor's speech that says "I'm not going to raise taxes" but later proposes to increase the sales tax by 50 percent?

2. C-reactive protein is a substance that shows up on blood tests. It has something to do with inflammation. Mine is always high, but my doctor never mentions it. What is up with that?

3. Cholesterol is a waxy steroidal fat. It has an important biological process, but apparently scientists think too much of it is bad for you. There are dietary links, but mostly physicians simply want to give you a pill. This number on blood tests always gets a comment from my doctor. Both C-reactive protein and cholesterol have something to do with liver processes.

4. Choices are those things we make every second of the day, mostly unaware, that move us forward (or not). Making healthy choices in diet helps bring about good health; poor choices can lead to problems.

5. Chocolate comes from cacao beans. Dark chocolate can be a healthy choice, if eaten in moderation. Chocolate has flavonoids which offer an antioxidant benefit. If you don't know what the previous sentence means but think you're supposed to, don't feel bad. I don't really know, either, but it sounds good. This is my favorite food and apparently I'm addicted to it; I can't have it around the house.

6. Chuffed is a word that means "very pleased." I only learned this word in the last decade. Few people in my area of the world use this in day-to-day discourse, so I like to slip it in sometimes just for fun.

7. Churlish is another word I don't hear often in conversation; it means sour or having a bad disposition. As in, "My churlish family member fixed shrimp in almond sauce for dinner for my brother-in-law and me, even though I am allergic to shrimp and he is allergic to nuts." (I made this up. It didn't happen. Really. Although I am allergic to shrimp.)

8. Cilantro is an Old World herb used in seasoning; it is also called coriander. It resembles parsley, has a distinctive aroma, and it is used world-wide. You find it in salsa. It is thought to act as a cleansing agent in the body, meaning that it removes toxins such as heavy metals.

9. Cinnamon is a spice that comes from tree bark; in the U.S., a lot of what is sold as cinnamon is not true cinnamon, so be careful. True cinnamon has many health benefits, including help with regulating blood sugar. It is also useful for stomach ailments and indigestion. It also helps with inflammation.

10. Citizens are members of a community. Citizens should have responsibility to one another and to their government. In the U.S., the government is made up of citizens who participate by voting and serving on elected boards and other governing bodies. The US government asks very little of its citizens; mostly it wants us to shop.

11. Clans are people related by blood or marriage, like a tribe. People can be clannish in that they stick together over certain things, or because they are exclusionary and leave people out of other things. I don't hear this word used much anymore.

12. Clerics are clergymen or holy men, usually. You sometimes find them as a class of healer/fighter in video games. When I played Might & Magic (a very long time ago), I used to play as a cleric.

13. Clouds in the sky are water or ice particles suspended at high altitudes. Clouds have many shapes and science has given those shapes names. Certain types of clouds will offer up specific kinds of weather. I used to know a lot about this, but I have mostly forgotten it.



Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 224th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.