We've Moved!

 In this episode of I Hate Talking, the hosts explore the word “somniferous,” meaning sleep‑inducing or soporific. They trace its Latin roots from “somnium” (dream) and explain how it’s used to describe drugs or experiences that bring on sleep, from strong sedatives to painfully dull lectures. The word surfaces via a Tool song lyric, and they joke about whether being called somniferous is an insult or a strange sort of compliment—especially for podcasters.

The rest of the episode is a personal update on a major life change: the family’s out‑of‑state move. They describe the whirlwind timeline—unexpected job opportunity in November, in‑person interview and house hunt in December, new role starting in January, and the whole family arriving at their new home just a week before recording. One host moved to a house she’d never seen in a state she’d never visited (outside an airport), trusting her spouse’s judgment. Between unpacking boxes, adapting to a new time zone, and setting up a makeshift closet “studio,” they’ve already found bright spots: day trips to the beach, new memberships to the zoo, children’s museum, and trampoline park, plus plans for a big summer family reunion. They close by hoping the episode wasn’t too somniferous—unless listeners needed help falling asleep.

Keywords: somniferous meaning, word origin, sleep‑inducing, Tool lyric, family move, cross‑state relocation, new home, beach proximity, kids’ activities, I Hate Talking podcast.

Transcript

I Hate Talking: 0:29

Welcome to episode 96 of I Hate Talking. Hi everyone. So I believe we already have our word or phrase of this episode that we referred to in our last episode as part of sesquipodalian lyrics of Tool. OK. You don't remember the somniferous. No, I have a really bad memory. Apparently. I wonder if our listeners do too. It probably works out good if they do because then the somniferous word is like a new surprise to them. It is for me every week. Or I wonder if there's people that have already looked it up and have spoiled the definition. We should, um, in the future, look up the different personalities and what kind are OK with not knowing an answer. And what kind cannot wait? Because I think you can't wait for an answer where I'm OK with leaving the question hanging in the air. That's true. So we'll get right to our word then, which is somniferous in the tool song Rosetta Stone, which as we mentioned last time is Not kid appropriate per se because of the lyrics. It's a song that you thought had the words. I thought it might have had the word sesquialian in it, but it does not. So I think I associated the word sesquialian because that particular song uses a lot of sescopedalian words. OK, but the actual -- somniferous -- is one of them. Somniferous. Yes, OK, I think semiferous means something extra. Not important. How close am I? -- I don't think very close -- at all. So it is an adjective somniferous, so that describing something, and it is defined by our favorite Oxford language dictionary as tending to induce sleep or soporific. Oh, I was very off. OK, so like taking magnesium is semiferous, somniferous. Cause I feel like sometimes we take magnesium to help us sleep. Yes, and there are somniferous drugs, and those are specific agents capable of inducing sleep, such as opium and morphine, right, OK. So they do refer to those things as somniferous. So, if you're using the word somniferous to describe some sort of medication that you're taking to induce sleep, that may not be the best definition for magnesium. Oh, OK, because if there's a doctor that knows what somniferous drugs are, they're probably thinking that you're taking more of a, yeah, more of a stronger thing, yes, like a psychotrope type of meds, correct? OK, um, but can summer first also just mean like relaxing and help you aid in sleeping. Or is it more intense than that? Well, let's look at the definition and origin. So it comes from Latin somnium, which means dream. And then was later used in Latin as somnifer and then combined with the English O as somniferous and it basically means literally something that is inducing a dream. So could it be like an event then, or does it have to be like uh something you induce or cause to happen? Yeah, it does seem to have more of a definition and usage with the actual induction of sleep. So the way that lyrics are used in the song is that the lyricist is describing seeing an alien and that the alien somniferous almond eyes. So then the alien makes him fall asleep. Yes, that it would be sort of inducing like a dreamlike or sleepiness. Is it a positive thing or could you say like that lecture we were in. The professor was released summer summer first. How do you say it? Somniferous semiferous, somniferous. I am having a hard time in that middle word summiferous. Yes, close enough. OK, could you use it that way, like that lecture was really seriferous, if it meant like you were really struggling to stay awake in that lecture or event. Yes, it does seem to be perhaps more used in the negative term. So the actual example sentence from Oxford Language Dictionary says, quote, Lifeless actors made the experience even more somniferous for the audiences. Right, cause I mean we've all been in those situations, right, where you're somewhere and it's not socially appropriate, like it's not nap time, you shouldn't be sleeping right now. But it's really hard to stay awake because whatever is happening is really dull or slow or anything like that. So that would be a summer first activity, right? Or event. Correct. Yeah, I get that. So, you've never heard of this in your background with different medical things and all of that with like a somniferous type of medication. Yeah, that's what I thought it was interesting when you were, we were talking about psychotropics was because that's what we, um, before kids, what I did for a living and um so the word semiferous never was used in um our medical terms, at least. Now, my medical, it usually wasn't sleep aid, it was more behavioral aid. I dealt with, but um, yeah, I'm not familiar with that term. Interesting. Well, there you go. Is it, um, used medically though? I feel like maybe that's, maybe it's not a medical term. It's more of a, like you said, a negative. Connotation. It says, according to some sources that are coming from Cambridge Dictionary. So maybe this is more of a European word that is used, but it does say that it's used in pharmacology to describe drugs, potions, or agents that induce slumber. OK. So, there you go. Interesting. All right. And when, how long has that been used? So it was somewhat popular in the 1800s, then started declining around 1840 and sort of hit the lowest point, probably around 1915 or so, and then was very flat and not used that very much at all until around 2018, it saw a slight uptick, but still very, very. Unused in terms of the general usage. OK, well, in um My field's defense. I did not work in 2018. And I did not work, obviously in the 1800s. So, um, I stopped working professionally in 2014. I guess maybe had I continued working in that field, I'd know the phrase more. I don't know. No, I don't think so. I don't know what would have caused a slight uptick in 2018. Yeah, I don't know, it's pre-COVID and all that. Interesting. I feel like during that time, people needed a lot of sleep aids because of anxiety or change in routine. That's true. Now this word is related to opiates and benzodines and stuff like that, right? So when did the show Dopesick come out? Hmm 2021, so probably not that. I was just curious if there was some other so still no connection, no connection because the tool song came out in 2006, so we're, we're grasping at connections and it doesn't seem like any exist. So, we'll move on to perhaps our topics, we have finished up our miniseries on various things that we've done in the past year or so and sort of those particular different franchises that we visited and the review they're in and it's interesting to me to note that we started this podcast in a clothing closet. And we are doing this podcast yet again in a clothing closet, but it's a different clothing closet. It is, we have officially moved states. So in the process of all this, if you are curious why the numbers, even of the podcast got swapped a little, we were in the middle of moving. We were living long distance at that point and. So that's why we weren't able to fix the podcast when the numbers a couple weeks ago were all wonky. It's because we were living apart. That's true, and we did try to fix the episode with a variety of methods, but it was, it was irrecoverable. Yes, you tried to, but I tried for hours and hours. Yes. So we have moved states, it's different time zones, different locale, so very different. This was not a small move. -- This was a pretty major -- move. Yeah, it was, uh, relatively quick. We, this was not on our long term goals at all. We are coming up on. In 2 weeks, it'll be 1 year since my hand accident. Um, we talked about that in the summer, all the surgeries I had, my last surgery was in November. And, um, so this year's been insane, with so many things happening. Uh, in this last November 2 weeks after my last surgery I had. You had an opportunity to move and we took it. I did, and it was, I think, pretty quick. It does seem that most people that I talked to sound pretty amazed that everything has transpired as quickly as it has because I had a gentleman reach out to me in November, I believe, and this was for a new job opportunity and I interviewed over the phone in November and then in person in December and had the job offer and then started in January and not only started in January but started in person at the new office location. Yeah, and then me and the kids joined you this past week. So we've been here for one week now. It seems much longer than that, but I guess we've been busy. You should reward that. That doesn't sound kind. Well, -- it's just because we've done so much in just -- that short -- time -- to have with you exactly. It, it is insane that we've been here for only one week, but, uh, cause yeah, a lot has happened, we've done a lot of sightseeing and house stuff, and um it was just jump in. We moved the day that you got keys to our new place. We arrived here a couple hours later, so it's just been our boxes came the next day and it's just been insane. Uh, it's been great And I think, like you said, people are shocked. Where we used to live was, um, we were there for almost a decade. And it was not a vacation destination when we moved there, but it has since become. So even today we were talking to some people like, oh, we just moved here last week, and they were shocked, they're like, oh why? And people keep saying that, um, there's lots of reasons why, but it's kind of hard cause we left a destination site where people go for vacation. And now we're just, we're in a town that's beautiful and wonderful, um, but people can't understand why we chose to live here over where people vacation. That's true. So why did you move here? Well, the job opportunity was pretty good, and The The place that we are now is, I think, pretty good as well. And there were a lot of things to do in our old quote unquote destination city, but When you live there, you don't do those things all the time. So we, you know, did occasionally go into the city and do different events and everything, but that was more. Abnormal than just everyday living. Yeah, um, again, we moving was not on our plan. If you told us back in October, or even the beginning of November, this was not on our radar at all. Now we're in February, and here we are, um, so it goes quick. But when this started transpiring in November, I started thinking like, oh, we didn't do this or didn't do that, like all these iconic things people do. And then I realized, well, we've been here for this long, and we haven't done them. So, I guess it's not that important, and I just accepted that we weren't going to do them, because if it was that exciting and that important, we would have done it 8 years ago, or whatnot. That's true. And now we're much closer to the beach because in our old home we were basically an entire day -- drive -- landlocked, and now we can get there and have just simply a day trip where we could go for a few hours and then come back home. Yes, oh, I love it. We've already experienced it, even though it's winter and it's wonderful, and can't wait for more. When you came out here to interview back in December, the kid, you FaceTimed us at one point, because we were soft launching the idea to the kids, we didn't lay it out there yet until it was official. Because, uh, we don't want to put that pressure on the children. They weren't, uh, it's not their choice, nor do they, uh, do we want them to feel that. Choice, so. We did not let them know until we had chosen this for our family. But you FaceTimed us from the beach, and they were so mad that you were at the beach without us, and so I was able to be like, would you one day like to do your school on the beach? Wouldn't that be fun? And um As someone who grew up pretty close to the beach, we're closer than I grew up, but I still grew up reasonably close to the beach, and I do my school on the beach and I loved it. I am so happy to be back. It's a different beach, but I'm so happy to be back here. That's true. So, and then it was a whirlwind of activity when we first arrived because I've been working a few weeks and then we were in the process of buying a house and the closing date was on a Monday and there was a whole bunch of, you know, everything that goes along with buying a house, making sure you have all the paperwork in order and a down payment and all the Stuff taken care of from insurance and utilities and things like that. So making sure that all that was set up and then close on the house on Monday. And then had some upgrades made to the flooring on Tuesday. After we got the keys, and then our home goods arrived on Wednesday. Yeah, it's been, um, it was a whirlwind. We were spoiled in no way can I complain, cause your company moved us, so I'm so thankful for that. But yeah, they moved us Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. And then I finished Saturday getting the house ready, and then me and the kids left Sunday, and we did spend the night in a hotel, we have our animals, and the children, and we got a hotel with indoor pool, so that was super fun, and just made it enjoyable versus just, you drove straight through. That's a very long day. So we broke it up into half, 2 days. We showed up a couple hours after you signed the paperwork for our house, and so we moved right into our home. That's true, yep, I had moved a couple of things ahead of time and got those out of storage and met you at the new house and everything worked out well from the timing perspective, I think. Yeah, I've never, OK, I've never been in this state except for an airport. I was here in the airport. I've never been here before, nor have I. I've seen this house except for photos and you FaceTimed once. So again, that was a leap of faith, but again, I trust you, and you know what I like, and you know what our family needs, so I trusted you to buy this home for us, and it was, yeah, I was so thrilled when I got here because it was even better than I expected. That's true. In addition to people being surprised that we moved from a vacation destination city to here, they're also very surprised that you. Move to a house that you had never seen before. Right, I sort of do enjoy telling people because the face they make. People I know even are shocked, let alone strangers, that one, I moved somewhere I've never been before, and 2, you bought a house that I never saw. But I think we did that in our previous house too, right? Yeah, well, I had um You were, you went to the inspection, so we were not like purchase, purchase. It was a little, it was basically the same but a little different. I had come to that city before we agreed to move again. Your company wanted us to move, so we came out to check it out and I was super pregnant at the time. This is our previous state we lived in. I fell in love with the state quickly, they said I would, and they were right. I was like, OK, I'll live here. And then once the baby was born, they moved us, cause I did want to wait till the baby was born. Uh, cause we're so close and all that. So we had the baby, and then we moved. So I had seen the state in person. And then you bought the hat or you. Put an offer on the house and yeah, I came out with the baby at the inspection, so I did see it then for the two nights or whatnot, and then I flew back. And so this was completely, I've never been to the state. I've never been to the house. So it was even a bigger leap of faith, -- but I trust you and you did -- well. That's true. So, now we're getting unpacked. We have the kitchen unpacked, and that's probably about it. We actually have some play dates planned with kids, and that's exciting, and um I think that's more my focus right now is getting everyone situated. Because the kids are having a hard time leaving their friends. I think that's more important right now. So basically we're living out of suitcases, but yeah, you're talking about our podcast studio. Uh, our closet is half unpacked. It's exciting to have a place to call our own that you and I can spend time and record. And hang out That's true. So maybe the audio quality is not exactly where it used to be because we don't have all our clothes to, for the sound absorption. So maybe in a few episodes, we'll have all everything unpacked and it'll be back to normal. OK, well, if you notice, I guess let us know. Last week we recorded in here. And we had nothing. We were sitting on the floor, criss-cross applesauce, holding our mics in our hands. Now we at least have our tables up. But yeah, so it's very um echoey at the moment. Yeah, I think so. I think I noticed, but maybe the casual listener did not notice, but -- who -- knows? Can we just blame their speakers. No, because they have the same speakers that they listened to for many episodes before. -- But -- again, that's a difference, right? Like I wouldn't notice. I just like, oh, my speakers are messed up and move on with my life. I would not try to fix my audio at all. Would you? Yes, absolutely. So, we have done a number of things already. We've have gone to the beach like you mentioned and the Children's museum and we have passes to the local zoo and passes to the local trampoline park and passes to something else, I think, right? Or is that it? I think that's it. That's plenty. But yes, we were very spoiled, um. We had a family member at Christmas when this became an option gift us the zoo, and that was extremely exciting. Wait until it's a little bit warmer, it's so we're gonna wait and then enjoy that from the family member that was a great Christmas gift from them. And then your Cub Scouts, we've talked about scouts before, that was a hard leave, um, a lot of tears, a lot of emotions in leaving scouts. We've been there for so long and been so intricate in that and they kindly gave us the membership to the children's museum as a going away gift as well as some other stuff that was very kind of them. And then the trampoline park I bought on a whim because we had some free passes that were about to expire and the day we told the kids we were moving. They obviously had a lot of emotions and feelings. And so we had these free passes. I was like, let's go to the trampoline park and get our energy out and jump and all that. So we did and. While we were there, they loved it, and while we were there, they had uh end of the year, sign up for the following year for like 50% price, so I did that, and that's been great, we've been multiple times there. And again, it's good, it's winter, especially here, so it's hard to be outside much. We don't have much stuff unpacked, trying to get our energy out. The kids jump around and I can read a book. And just not have to deal with emotions for a few minutes while we all reset. And then go back home. That's true. So, yep, I guess that's all our passes. So maybe we'll do another miniseries at the end of this year with all the different things that we'll do in our new. Place that we call home. Yeah, and um if that's not enough, we add to that, we just booked our family vacation for the summer. It's my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and the whole family is doing a reunion for it, so we can add that to our list. That's true. So a bit of a more personal update episode than perhaps our normal topics, but hopefully you found that interesting and if you have any feedback, you can always leave us a comment or send us an email or a text message and hopefully you did not find this episode somniferous. Or you did and you're sleeping really well. I have a podcast I listen to often to put me to sleep. And he knows it. He talks about, it's called the sister wife, professor, if anyone needs to go to bed. But he knows he has a very calming voice and it puts people to sleep. Interesting. So he's very semiferous, I suppose so. I don't know if I would be. Complimented if people found our podcast Somniferous. So, from your friends at I Hate Talking, until next time, remember, it is only through talking that we begin the journey to understanding.