www.alphadictionary.com

Subscriptions to the Good Word seem to be dropping and I think it is because subscribers' mailboxes are getting jammed. I also cannot create good Good Words seven times per week and have been sending out repeats on the weekends for the past 2-3 years. I need a break in the week, too.

So, I'm thinking about reducing my workload and your mailbox traffic to five days a week. What do you think?

You should get a poll in the next posting.

I have no problem with how much mail I receive, and I like getting the GWotD, so I'm a No. Unless, that is, Dr. G. really does wish to pull back a bit, then I'll support his decision. Perhaps, however, one of his associates could take over the weekend editions, as they are repeats anyway?

By the by, did you all know that the NYT columnist Maureen Dowd has a sister named Wellyn?

I vote with Slava (7 days with repeats on weekends) but will defer to higher authority.

Agreed with the above. Prefer seven, but, man, take a break if you need it...

When I voted "No" it was my intent for that answer to simply be taken as an indication of my support and encouragement. I hadn't realized that GWotD wasn't like a public library--an analogy used with apparent success by Wikipedia: available and free to all and operated by a large cadre of die-hard volunteers and fund-raisers. Nor did I realize that the words used on the weekend had been used before; the reach of a person's short-term memory must exceed the grasp, else what's an iPod for?

So the secret is out: The vast array of subjects upon which I have a resolute opinion is often supported by a half-vast panorama of actual knowledge. And in this case it seems like we're being made aware of symptoms that are edging too close to burnout to me.

Since the weekend editions are repeats anyway, for goodness' sake take a break, man! We'll all be better for it.

"half-vast"? Sounds like recent Verizon commercials...

I vote with Slava (7 days with repeats on weekends) but will defer to higher authority.

I'll piggyback on this.

I have sometimes noticed that the wod was a repeat of an earlier word. But so what? It helps fix some the better words and their etymologies in my weak memory. Like the Good Doctor, I am getting older and sometimes I don't remember so good. If you want a break, take it!

Take a break, Doc - even if you love what you do and are so good at it, burn-out is real and needs attending to. Weekend repeats are fine for those of us whose attentions can be fragmented elsewhere occasionally. They just help to cement a word in distracted brains.

Go for it! If NPR's Car Talk can survive wholly on repeats now (and it is), you certainly deserve a regular mini-vacation. Thank you for your dedication in providing the rest of us word- aficionados with intellectual sustenance and enriched vocabularies!

I agree with all of the above notes! You provide us with such worthwhile enjoyment, I yield to whatever makes your lives more comfortable.

By the way, we have a local chef named Janet. She specializes in seafood, and her signature dish is Salmon Janet. My wife and I will often go out for a Salmon Janet evening....

I saw THAT one coming a long way ahead...

Thanks for the opinions, and especially for the encouragement. Its all I get for my efforts and I can't get enough of it.

Dr. Goodword is one of the few inbox messages that I actually look forward to receiving. Much of what I'm sure we all get can easily be deleted or relegated to spam without bothering to open and read it. But anything from Doc and alphadictionary.com is eagerly awaited, read and often shared. Thanks again for trying to keep our conversations interesting and articulate!

I look for it first off every day, even before
deleting the trash, so I concur with your statement.

while I appreciate your democratic instincts, PLEASE take time off. I know I speak for all when I say, better 5/7ths of you than none of you.