Ephemerist Defined

Quite a while ago, I thought I had come up with a new word. The word Ephemerist. But it seems like I did not do my due diligence.

I originally began using it in relation to what I had understood the contemporary definition of Ephemera to be and my relationship with this definition.

Wikipedia defines Ephemera as "Ephemera are documents published with a short intended lifetime. Common types of ephemera include letters, advertising trade cards, cigarette cards, posters, postcards, baseball cards, tickets, greeting cards, stock certificates and photographs. Decks of the Most-wanted Iraqi playing cards are recent example of ephemera because they will probably lose their original purpose and interest in a relatively short time."

I would add web-sites and the internet to this description. To me, the internet is innately "ephemeral". So are graphic T-shirts, and so many other things I seem to be drawn to.

So there for Ephemerist, to me, would mean: One who studies or develops Ephemera. Which I thought was a perfect title for what I do.

Now I've discovered that there is a publication called The Ephemerist. This publication is devoted, ironically, to printed pieces of ephemera. Overlooked printed media to my understanding.

Even better, freedict.co.uk define an Ephemerist as:
a.One who studies the daily motions and positions of the planets.
b. One who keeps an ephemeris; a journalist.

I think both of these definitions get at the root of what I do with this blog. Use planets as a metaphor and I think you'll understand. Although it was nice to think I had invented a word, I appreciate the complexity that all these new interpretations create.

Anyway,