struthious

\STROO-thee-us\

adjective

: of or relating to the ostriches and related birds

My first mission for this word is to find the meaning of "and related birds." Ostriches belong to the order Struthioniformes, genus Struthio. The order is classified as flightless birds with no keel on their sternum.

Keel : an extension of the sternum (breastbone) which runs axially along the midline of the sternum and extends outward, perpendicular to the plane of the ribs. The keel provides an anchor to which a bird's wing muscles attach, thereby providing adequate leverage for flight.

Other birds in this order: kiwis, emus, rheas, and cassowaries. Another commonality among these birds is the incubation of the eggs mostly or entirely by the male.

So let's talk about stay-at-home dads.

The Internet boasts a TV Single Dads Hall of Fame, conveniently organized by decade. But within each decade this website is a mess. Not alphabetical, difficult to navigate, erratic. I'm expecting to see Danny Tanner at the top of the list and I can't seem to find him anywhere. This is a disappointment.

It turns out there's a lot about Danny Tanner that I didn't realize. Apparently he and his wife Pam met in high school and ran off together after their prom to elope at the age of eighteen. Shortly after Michelle's birth, Pam was tragically killed in an accident by a drunk driver. Tanner is neurotically clean, an obsession that apparently developed after his wife's death. He is also the only character to never have a catch phrase of "Cut it out" or "How rude" fame. There was some hefty speculation he was gay, although his inability to keep a girlfriend throughout the series is attributed to his undying loyalty to Pam. Tanners STRUTHIOUSNESS is embodied in his overprotective tendencies over his daughters, as well as his...um...inability to fly.

Truly a dynamic character.