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More people need to read Bill Bryson. He's a travel author I found out about recently with a keen eye and an appropriately twisted sense of humor. While reading several of his books I've noticed a propensity to use the same couple of words but it's nothing too jaring, I think he just likes them (like I like the word "propensity" :) ). Anyway, a small snippet I read the other night (context is irrelivent):

To my mind, the only possible pet is a cow. Cows love you. They are harmless, they look nice, they don't need a box to crap in, they keep the grass down, and they are so trusting and stupid that you can't help but lose your heart to them. Where I live in Yorkshire, there's a herd of cows down the lane. You can stand by the wall at any hour of the day or night, and after a minute the cows will all waddle over and stand with you, much too stupid to know what to do next, but happy just to be with you. They will stand there all day, as far as I can tell, possibly till the end of time. They will listen to your problems and never ask a thing in return. They will be your friends forever. And when you get tired of them, you can kill them and eat them. Perfect.