Buy Rice Not Homes

What does “quintel” mean? Is it “elk”, “hundredweight”, “questionnaire” or “prayers”?

What does “hoyden” mean? Is it “spirit”, “tomboy”, “emotion” or “durability”?

I can’t focus on posting for Sweet Digs this morning, or anything else really, because I am addicted to FreeRice, a wonderful new website that I discovered after hearing it discussed on the radio this morning.

It’s a vocabulary quiz where every right answer donates 20 grains of rice to the World Food Program and it was founded two months ago by a father who wanted to help his son improve his vocabulary. It’s already donated more than $1 million worth of rice to the WFP.

You’ve got to give it a try. It’s definitely more fun and way more worthy than reading about the paltry collection of newly listed Berkeley homes:

462 Kentucky Avenue, Berkeley 94707: 2/1.5 1920s house with views, a garage, imposing fireplace and awkward price tag: $637, 900.

1551 9th Street, Berkeley 94710: 4/2 home built in 1910 with two garages. Price: $650,000.

1000 Jones Street, Berkeley 94710: 2/1 817 sq ft home with one garage. Price: $505,000.

P.S. Answers to the above are “hundredweight” and “tomboy” — but you knew that right? (I’ve donated 1,460 grains so far this morning — can you better that?)

[Photo credit: www.ehponline.org]