Preternaturally Surreal aka OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?

Disclaimer: Any and all 'figuring,' done by myself using the factual information for the dates below, is subject to severe scrutiny and highly likely to be completely fictitious.

Two more words for ya! The first of which is not a word I've ever really heard in speech, but I have read it a number of times in literature, and you're likely to encounter it while reading. The second is a word I heard on the radio this morning to describe the situation in Libya, spoken by a reporter as a direct witness to the violence and chaos that is happening there right now.

Everybody ready!?

First word!

PRETERNATURAL!

pre·ter·nat·u·ral
adj
\ˌprē-tər-ˈna-chə-rəl, -ˈnach-rəl\
Definition of PRETERNATURAL
1 : existing outside of nature
2 : exceeding what is natural or regular : extraordinary
3 : inexplicable by ordinary means; especially : psychic

— pre·ter·nat·u·ral·ly \-ˈna-chə-rə-lē, ˈnach-rə-, ˈna-chər-\ adverb
— pre·ter·nat·u·ral·ness \-ˈna-chə-rəl-nəs, -ˈnach-rəl-\ noun

Examples of PRETERNATURAL

1. She has a preternatural ability to charm people.
2. There was a preternatural quiet in the house.

Related to PRETERNATURAL

Synonyms: aberrant, aberrated, abnormal, anomalous, atypical, especial, exceeding, extraordinaire, extraordinary, freak, odd, peculiar, phenomenal, exceptional, rare, singular, uncommon, uncustomary, unique, unusual, unwonted

Antonyms: common, customary, normal, ordinary, typical, unexceptional, unextraordinary, usual

Origin of PRETERNATURAL
Medieval Latin praeternaturalis, from Latin praeter naturam beyond nature
First Known Use: 1580

1508!

-February – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor attacks Venice.
-June 6 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a 3-year truce and cede several territories to Venice.
-December – Michelangelo Buonarroti begins work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Alright, you ready for some figuring?

Here's what I figure. I figure Maximilian I wanted to be a badass. You know, to make up for some other deficiencies... Well anyways, he says to his friend, "Hey, what should I do to prove to everyone that I'm super fly?" His friend says "Attack Venice! They're half-way underwater anyways." It cannot be verified by historical documents whether or not his friend said this jokingly or seriously. Or at all.

So Maximilian marches over to Venice with his army, gives the place his famous hoo-hah! one-two punch! Aaaand he fails. Hard. He's gotta give up land and stuff. In your face, MAX! Of course, he got super mad at his friend, so his friend was sent away. In his time away, he discovered that he loved to paint. Michaelangelo thought to himself, "Hey, you know what would be totally epic!? Lots of money, women, and wine! But since I can't have that, I'll just paint a ceiling." And so he did.

Second word!

SURREAL!

sur·re·al
adj \sə-ˈrē(-ə)l also -ˈrā-əl\
Definition of SURREAL
1 : marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream; also : unbelievable, fantastic
2 : surrealistic

— sur·re·al·i·ty \(ˌ)sə-rē-ˈa-lə-tē\ noun
— sur·re·al·ly adverb

Examples of SURREAL

1. The whole thing was completely surreal.

"Surreal" is used to describe something that would seem too fantastical to be real, but is actually happening. People often describe traumatic or extreme situations as "surreal".

Origin of SURREAL
back-formation from surrealism
First Known Use: 1937

1937!

-January 23 – In Moscow, seventeen leading Communists go on trial, accused of participating in a plot led by Leon Trotsky to overthrow Joseph Stalin's regime and assassinate its leaders.
-January 31 - The Soviet Union executes 31 people for alleged Trotskyism.
-March 21 – The first successful flying car, Waldo Waterman's Aerobile, makes its initial flight.
-April 17 – The animated short Porky's Duck Hunt, directed by Tex Avery for the Looney Tunes series, featuring the debut of Daffy Duck, is released.

So, in January 1937, some serious stuff was happening. You had the Communists killing people they used to be allies with, all because of some guy name Trotsky. No haha's there. But then! But THEN! BUT THEN! Some guy named Waldo Waterman... *snicker*... came back from the future, becasue he BUILT A FLYING CAR!! I remember I used to think that it would hit 2000 and all the rolling cars would just be flying cars the next day. I was so dumb when I was 20, Pfft! Oh, the wisdom that comes with being 21.

So this guy built a flying car to escape from the evil Trotskying Communistas at Starbucks, but he got bored on his flight, so he drew a cartoon about a pig hunting a duck. This guy had some serious issues. I mean, not only do pigs not hunt ducks, but they sure as hell don't wear flannel, either! Pigs only wear solid colors, and anyone with half a care knows that! Ridiculous.

Waldo Waterman...*snicker*... you fail at life! Except for the flying car thing. That's pretty damn sweet.

Here's to you, Waldo Waterman...*snicker*