How to encourage reading/Improving vocabulary

What you need to know about slop, 2025’s Word of the Year

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 0 Comment

I live in a farming community. I know what slop is.

Do you?

An explanation

Merriam Webster chose “slop” as 2025’s Word of the Year based on look ups and popular use on the internet. That means it has nothing to do with the soft mud or pig slop of agriculture. Instead, the “slop” of 2025 describes “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in (high) quantity by means of AI (artificial intelligence).”

Simply put, slop is visual junk.

AI slop permeates the internet. Last fall, big tech companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI released AI video generators to the public. Products like Veo 3 (Google), Vibes (Meta), and Sora (Open AI) make it easy for anyone to create short videos based on a prompt. Some of these products are integrated into social media apps. For example, one could use Veo 3 inside of YouTube to create YouTube shorts. Similar AI generators for still images have been around even longer. The result: slop everywhere.

If the term “slop” sounds derogatory to you, it’s meant to. Some consider it a mocking term, a criticism of AI that conveys the message that AI can’t replace human creativity.

Slop: the problems

Whether or not the images and videos are good, they flood our social media feeds and create multiple problems. The overwhelming presence of AI generated images and videos makes it even harder for us to believe what we see.  Already in our country, people don’t trust media. The arrival of AI slop only worsens the problem and deepens existing polarization.

Problem: slop confuses fact and fiction.

President Trump recently shared a photo of himself holding an American flag near a sign that says, “GREENLAND, US Territory est. 2026.” Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand behind the president, all of them wearing dark suits in a frozen, rocky landscape. President Trump also released an AI generated image of himself in the Oval Office surrounded by officials. In the image, he points to a large map of North America. Most of the land, including Canada and Greenland, is covered by the US flag. The images are fiction. As of January, 2026, the US does not encompass Canada or Greenland. These images blur the truth.

Problem: slop can contribute to damaging online behavior.

Elon Musk’s AI generator Grok recently faced scrutiny because users were asking Grok to undress images of women on the platform. And it did. AI tools make it easier to produce “deep fakes,” content that looks and sounds highly realistic but can misrepresent people or their actions. For example, boys at a middle school in Louisiana recently shared nude photos of one of their female classmates. The photos were deep fakes. AI generated videos have also circulated showing doctors endorsing treatments that they don’t actually endorse.

Problem: social media companies are not concerned with safety or quality.

The pictures we scroll past on Instagram and Facebook are small. The popular ones, or the ones the algorithm feeds us, are designed to illicit an emotional response. Tech companies don’t care if the images are good or true; they just want us to react, like, and share. Everything happens quickly, which doesn’t allow time for rational criticism or thoughtful consideration of whether or not what we share is helpful or accurate.

Tech companies make money when we generate slop and engage with content. They have no legal obligation or financial inclination to set up guidelines for quality or accuracy. We are going to have to demand that ourselves. And we have a tough road ahead.

How to fight back

The challenge is steep, but we are not helpless. We can fight the rise of slop by adopting more intentional and healthy habits in our digital lives. First, we must stop and evaluate images we encounter online. We should pause and ask ourselves a few questions before we jump into engagement with the content. What is the source of this image? How reliable is the source? Are there other versions of this image from other outlets? And if the image evokes an intense response, we should be highly suspicious.

We also need to get information from places besides social media. Quick hits of text and images from an app like Facebook or TikTok do not paint a complete picture. We need to consult multiple reputable sources to learn how accurate information is. We cannot get all of our information from one channel, influencer, or feed.

Finally, a great antidote to slop is spending time outside of the digital world. We should, to quote another term from 2025, “touch grass.” That means we need to engage with nature and interact with real people to protect a sense of balance and reality in our lives.

Slop is everywhere online. But we don’t have to roll in it. Please be thoughtful about what you consume and share.

Read more tips on how to have a healthy relationship with tech here.

How are you fighting back against slop? Have you had a bad experience with it? Share in the comments.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Improving vocabulary

Fun words you need to know for the holidays

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 1 Comment

I’m managing holiday stress this year with a few important tricks. First, a regular evening walk with my dog Scout. Even when it’s cold and I don’t want to go, she does. And it’s good for my physical and mental health. So, we move.

And of course, any true Word Nerd finds fun at the holidays by learning something about the words of the season! This week, I’ve got some interesting tid bits about the holiday terms yule and troll.

That’s right. Troll.

What? Troll doesn’t immediately conjure up images of holly and ivy? Instead, are you thinking about the giant Cave Troll from Harry Potter? Or the creatures who terrorized Bilbo in The Hobbit? Or perhaps the annoying people who post inflammatory comments on the internet? All of those are valid meanings for troll, but there is yet another.

The origins of troll

According to Merriam Webster, troll can be used as a verb to mean “to sing the parts of something (as in a round), to sing loudly, or to celebrate in song.” And yes, you have belted out “troll” during the singing of a Christmas Carol. Can you guess which one?

Here are the lyrics to the end of the first verse of “Deck the Halls:”

Don we now our gay apparel

Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la

Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

FYI, “Deck the Halls” was originally a Welsh song from the 16th century. It was used for a drinking competition on New Year’s Eve. In 1862, a Scottish musician named Thomas Olifant penned English lyrics for the Welsh tune. His words celebrate the fun of decorating for Christmas and singing with joy. Hence, the use of troll.

Merriam Webster points out that the verb troll is “Probably ultimately a sound-symbolic verb whose divergent meanings are difficult to reconcile historically, suggesting multiple creations or sources.” The site suggests that the singing meaning for troll could from the Middle English word trollen “to roll, rock (the head).”

The origin of yule

While we are on the topic of yule-tide carols, let’s take a look at yule. According to Merriam-Webster, yule means “the feast of the nativity of Jesus.” And yet, the word yule comes from the Middle English yol, from Old English geōl; akin to Old Norse jōl, a pagan midwinter festival. So how did we get from pagan holidays to the birth of Jesus?

In ancient times, people in the Mediterranean and Europe celebrated feasts around the winter solstice, December 25th. Germans had a yule festival, and Romans celebrated the pagan festival of Saturnalia by feasting and giving gifts to the poor. Most of these celebrations involved heavy drinking. Church history suggests that perhaps the Christian church chose December 25 to mark the birth of Jesus to keep the faithful from indulging in these less pious activities.

However it came about, yule is now practically synonymous with Christmas. (which came from Christ’s Mass!)

And now you have something to talk about at holiday parties besides football and politics. You’re welcome.

What fun holiday words have you learned or would like to learn more about? Share in the comments.

Happy holidays!

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Improving vocabulary

Getting to the heart of Thanksgiving: Companion

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 1 Comment

Recently, my Mental Floss Word A Day Calendar featured the familiar word companion, which means a friend, an associate, or one that accompanies another. What I didn’t realize was how much companion has to do with food! As we prepare to gather with friends and family on November 27th to celebrate Thanksgiving, I think companion is a word we all should contemplate.

Etymology

Companion comes from the Latin com-, meaning with, and –panis, meaning bread or food. So, it literally means “one whom you break bread with.” Other Latin based languages have similar words. The French word copain means friend, and the Italian word compagno means mate. I never realized this word for a friend was tied to eating, and yet, the meaning makes a lot of sense, especially when we consider the importance of shared meals in our culture.

Cultural relevance

Many of the world’s main religious traditions have ritual meals that symbolize unity and faith. In Christian churches, people gather regularly to consume bread and wine as the Eucharist or Communion, which is a reenactment of The Last Supper, or the last time Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. In the Jewish faith, people gather to eat the Passover Seder, a commemoration of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims break their dawn to dusk fast with the Iftar meal, which usually starts with the consumption of dates, a fruit favored by the prophet Muhammad. 

Outside of religion, Americans are drawn to communal meals as a form of celebration and unification. We gather to share meals on special occasions, like wedding receptions, birthdays, and holidays. The most notable shared meal is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving-like gatherings started in America in the 1600’s as a way to celebrate the harvest. They persisted until 1789 when President George Washington declared a day of “public Thanksgiving and prayer” on Thursday, November 26. Many presidents followed his lead, proclaiming days to be set aside for thanksgiving. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared that Thanksgiving Day would be observed annually on the fourth Thursday of November. The dates shifted a bit under different presidents after that, but in 1941, a Joint Resolution of Congress officially declared the fourth Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day, and that’s how we have celebrated it for the past century. All of this hasn’t happened by chance. Science shows us that people are social creatures, and we crave the connection of eating together.

More and more experts agree that social engagement is critical for happiness and well-being. According to the World Happiness Report of 2025, sharing meals with others is the most important predictor of increased positive mood. According to the data, eating a meal with someone had a more beneficial effect on well-being than income or employment. Sharing a meal brings us in close proximity to others as we meet a basic physical need together. And social scientists have been telling us for decades that families that eat dinner together develop stronger bonds than families that do not. Food is a universal language, and we can all appreciate its importance, no matter where we live or what religion we do or do not practice.

However, the same World Happiness Report noted a concerning trend. More people eat alone now than in previous years. In 2023, 25% of people surveyed ate all of their meals alone. And more young people are eating meals by themselves. It was a tendency that started before the COVID 19 pandemic and has continued to increase in the years after it.

Since we know how important sharing a meal can be for personal well-being, we should look for more opportunities to invite others to eat with us and be true companions. Sharing a meal, on Thanksgiving or any other day, offers the opportunity for connection and discussion, a chance to embrace our shared traditions and understand our differences. Many powers in the world today are trying to pull us apart. We can counteract that with the simple act of enjoying food in the company of others.

How will you celebrate companionship this Thanksgiving?

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Improving vocabulary

What you need to know about the word “Patriot”

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 1 Comment

The word “Patriot” has been used in America since the beginning of our nation. We often think of “patriots” as people who love their country and take pride in citizenship. Look to Mel Gibson’s character in the movie The Patriot or Marvel’s Captain America for patriots who use their bravery and strength to protect their country. Yet, throughout history, patriot has also taken on negative tones. Consider the anti-government Patriot Movement of the 1980’s and 90’s to see how patriotism can go awry. Today, we who pay attention to the news notice that patriot remains a word with the power to unify or divide.

Etymology of patriot

Patriot comes from the Greek words patriotes, “fellow countryman,” patrios “of one’s fathers,” and patris “fatherland.” It entered English use in the 16th century via the French word patriote, meaning “countryman” or “compatriot.” Shortly thereafter, in the 1600s, political unrest characterized Western Europe as Protestants and Catholics battled for power. Often, the adjective “good” was used before patriot to clarify when someone was on the correct side of a political divide. Whether or not you were a “good patriot” depended on which side you were on and who was judging your worthiness.

History of use

Later, in the 17th century, patriot became a term of ridicule or abuse. It took on the derogatory sense of someone who claims to support his country but actually does not. A patriot was someone who was disloyal, who had partisan desires to upset the established government.

Therefore, it should be no surprise that American colonists and writers of the 18th century welcomed the term patriot to describe the people fighting against the tyranny of the British monarchy. Note, the British rarely referred to the colonists as patriots. Instead, they called them rebels or “the rabble.” After the American Revolution, thanks to the success of the war, patriot returned to its original meaning, with a positive connotation, of a fellow countryman.

Things turned divisive again in the 1850s, when some Americans resented the influx of immigrants into the United States. Patriot appeared in nationalistic hate speech and in the rhetoric of the Know Nothing Party. This political organization and its supporters saw external influences and immigrants as a threat to American values. In that era, a patriot named someone who put America first before all other concerns. This promoted an “us versus them” mentality.

Some semblance of this meaning of patriot persisted into the 20th century. The Patriot Movement of the 1980s and 90s promoted the idea that any person or organization who didn’t embrace America First values was considered a threat. And that threat could include the United States Government. The Patriot Movement spawned a rise in state militias and anti-government rhetoric. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols supported The Patriot Movement. They were both convicted of involvement in the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995, the deadliest act of terrorism in American history. And as recently as 2021, the men and women who stormed and vandalized the Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6th, were called patriots by President Donald Trump.

Modern use

In its 2005 revisions, the Oxford English Dictionary included one entry for the definition of patriot that says, “an opponent of presumed intervention by the federal government in affairs of individuals, especially with respect to gun and tax laws. Frequently in the names of libertarian political and militia groups.” When asked about this definition, the editors of the OED said they added the entry based on current use.

In September 2025, on the podcast “The Opinions” from The New York Times, director Ken Burns discussed his upcoming documentary The American Revolution. Among other things, the film grapples with the notion of what a patriot is. According to Burns, a patriot is a “lover of constitutional liberty.” Burns said in the interview that he wants “patriot” to be a word all Americans can find a place in. After learning about the controversial history behind this term, I think that’s a lofty aspiration. But I share the hope that Americans can return to using the word patriot as a positive force for hope and unification.

What are your thoughts on the word patriot? Tell me in the comments.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Book reviews

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store: A great read for this moment in America

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 1 Comment

I was a huge fan of James McBride’s The Color of Water, which celebrates the strength of his white mother, who told her 12 children that “God is the color of water.” So, when I spotted McBride’s most recent release, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, I got it for my son. Then convinced my book club to read it. Then stole it from my son. I’ll give it back, I promise.

Premise

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store opens with a mystery – a skeleton at the bottom of an old well up on Chicken Hill. To figure out how it got there, readers must learn the story of the people who lived on Chicken Hill in the 1920’s. And what a colorful cast of characters they are. Jews, Blacks, Italians, and other immigrants scraping out an existence on the Hill, a few streets away but worlds apart from the wealthier, whiter areas of Pottstown, PA.  Difficulties and disabilities plague the residents of The Hill, and yet, when a suspicious incident in a local grocery store lands two members of the community in the hospital, many step up to help.

What I liked

I finished reading The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store while visiting my daughter in Brooklyn. During our time in NYC, I actually walked through the Red Hook neighborhood where McBride grew up. Traveling the streets of Brooklyn and experiencing the diversity of language, food, and fashion offered the perfect complement to McBride’s book, which celebrates diversity. (I could not get over the distinctive hats I saw several Jewish men wearing in Brooklyn. The fur hats, called shreimels, are round and about six inches tall and a foot in diameter. They are meant to resemble a crown. Look them up!)  

McBride’s writing is gorgeous. He expertly uses language to cultivate settings and characters that readers will not forget. In fact, McBride offers so many flawed, compelling, and curious characters, I almost forgot about the skeleton in the well! Some of his characters are dark and dangerous, but others embody beauty and generosity. His story exemplifies how small actions by people with limited power can make a huge difference. Like how two boys, one with significant physical limitations and one who cannot hear, develop their own language in the darkness of a crowded, stench filled hospital ward. Just when the plot starts feeling overwhelmingly dark, McBride shines a light on the best aspects of human nature.

Some of my favorite characters in the novel are women. McBride demonstrates their beauty and strength not just through physical attributes, but also through their compassion and determination. 

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store explores the theme of connection amid differences, and the novel celebrates inclusivity. This theme feels particularly relevant given the present conditions in America. Some characters reflect the anti-immigrant rhetoric we hear today, and the book forces readers to give nuanced consideration to the plight of immigrants. McBride uses the words from the Statue of Liberty, “Give us your poor, your tired, your weak…” as a powerful refrain at the end of the novel to juxtapose the promise of the American Dream against this country’s current struggles with a just and sustainable immigration policy.

What I don’t like

As I mentioned, there are lots of characters. They are all well drawn and interesting, but it was hard to keep them straight. I wish I had started notes on an index card at the beginning of the novel to help me remember their backstories. There are also a lot of Jewish references which I didn’t understand.  I’ve had little exposure to Jewish culture, so that made reading at the beginning of the story feel like work sometimes. But thanks to Mr. McBride, I’ve learned a few things about Judaism.

Recommendation

If you are interested in issues of diversity, inclusivity, and understanding people from other backgrounds, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store would be a fabulous read. Most of the members of my book club loved it, and it spurred very interesting discussion. If you pick it up, don’t neglect to read the inspiring acknowledgements from McBride at the back of the book.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Book reviews

Why it’s important to read SOLD, one of 2024’s most challenged books

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 1 Comment

I’ve never traveled to Nepal. Never scraped out an existence on the slopes of the Himalayas. I have never, thank God, been duped into forced labor or prostitution. But Patricia McCormick’s 2006 YA novel SOLD helped me understand what all of that might feel like. SOLD broke my heart and spurred empathy for the thousands of Nepalese girls sold into prostitution each year. It also forced me to think more deeply about the victims of human trafficking in my own country. Of young girls who suffered at the hands of men like Jeffrey Epstein and Sean “Diddy” Combs.

According to the VCU Capital News Service, human trafficking cases are increasing in my home state of Virginia. On the national level, we’ve had to grapple with reality of human trafficking as details about the Epstein and Combs cases continue to pop up in the media. In this season, people need to read stories like SOLD and learn more about the problem of human trafficking. Unfortunately, according to the American Library Association, SOLD was one of the most banned or challenged books of 2024. People can’t learn about human trafficking if organizations succeed in censoring literature about it.

Welcome to Banned Books Week, an annual event sponsored by the American Library Association and the Banned Books Week Coalition to bring awareness to the importance of keeping free access to books and literature.  Each year I choose a banned book to read and review to share the value of story and the danger of censorship. This year’s novel is SOLD.

Premise

SOLD by Patricia McCormick tells the story of Lakshmi, a 13-year-old girl who lives in the mountains of Nepal with her mother, infant brother, and stepfather. When poverty paired with her step-father’s gambling habit threatens to ruin her family, Lakshmi agrees to find work in the city to earn money.

Led by a glamorous stranger in a “yellow cloud dress” and a man Lakshmi calls “Uncle Husband,” the young girl travels far from home to the strange sights, sounds, and smells of the city. After she arrives at the ironically named “Happiness House,” Lakshmi faces starvation and cruel beatings at the hands of Mumtaz, a fat old woman who runs the place. Slowly, and with horror, Lakshmi realizes she’s powerless to leave “Happiness House” or escape the men who visit her nightly.

What I liked

SOLD was a National Book Award Finalist, and no wonder. The writing is sparse, but powerful. The chapters are quick vignettes, sometimes only a few paragraphs long, but their brevity cuts to the heart. At one point late in the story, Lakshmi observes,

“Mumtaz is a monster, I tell myself. Only a monster could do what she does to innocent girls. But I wonder. If the crying of a young girl is the same to me as the bleating of the horns in the street below, what have I become?”

While the setting and story are bleak, bright spots shine through the dark. Despite her dire circumstances, Lakshmi finds friends and connection. McCormick shows us not just the worst of human nature, but also the best. And in the end, Lakshmi triumphs.

The dark aspects of sexual slavery are described with taste and discretion. The reader clearly understands what is happening to Lakshmi, but the focus is on her response, not the deeds themselves. McCormick tackles a difficult subject delicately.

What I didn’t like

Based on the subject, SOLD was not necessarily something I wanted to settle in with before bed. But it’s short, and the understanding and empathy it generates make SOLD a worthwhile read.

Recommendation

Last May, I was shocked to realize that high school cosmetology students at our county vocational school get certified in human trafficking recognition. With research, I discovered that some secondary school divisions in Virginia offer human trafficking curriculum for all secondary students. And a 2023 law mandates that public universities and colleges in Virginia include a trauma-informed human trafficking training for all first-year students. Young adults and college students, as well as teen runaways, are particularly vulnerable to human traffickers. They need more information and discussion about the issue, not less, and a book like SOLD will only help them understand the problem. Adults also need to appreciate the gravity of the issue, and how innocent young people find themselves lured into a life of slavery. SOLD should remain in our school and public libraries for those who choose to read it.

Learn more about other Banned Books

When you hear about a book being banned, read it and decide for yourself if its message and theme are more important than potentially offensive material. For other Banned Books reviewed here on my site, visit:

Also, for the most up to date information about book banning as of October 2025, check out these articles:

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!