Photo of the Week: Mummy (by me)

Photo by me; mummy by artist Norman Kirby. Click the pic for an even scarier view.

Story Cubes 10: Parachute

Trevor stood on the bridge, staring down at the rapid water, and tempted, for the hundredth time it seemed, to jump. A beetle was crawling along the edge, and he kicked it over with his boot. He smiled as it tumbled down, but then his face went blank. "I'm a chicken," he thought. "I'd wish for a parachute the second I stepped off." The gurgling of the water reminded him of the ridiculous little fountain in the backyard of his house -- his former house, the one that caught fire, consuming his dog, his cat, and him photographs. His life's work. All that was left was ashes and that damn, mocking fountain. "Where's my rainbow?" he whispered, thinking of the picture on the saccharine Hallmark card his ex-wife had sent him. At least he still had his Nikon. He aimed the camera at his feet, with the toes of his boots peeking over the edge at the current below. "Decision," he said to himself. "A nice, ambiguous title."

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(The bold-faced words are interpreted from the images on Rory's Story Cubes)

Random Sequence: frampold

"Now, when the credit of our town lay on it,
Now to be frampold, now to piss o'th' nettle!
Go thy ways, I'll remember thee; I'll fit thee."
--William Shakespeare, The Two Noble Kinsmen, Act III, Scene 5, line 58

frampold (adjective) = peevish, moody, disagreeable, vexatious, quarrelsome

Having a bad day? Heave a heavy sigh and say, "I'm feeling frampold today." Then enjoy the puzzled faces.

Fish Food for Thought

Word of the Day: sylvestral

What's the word I'm thinking of? Today, it's...

sylvestral [SILL-vess-truhl] (adjective) [TWITO, page 144]

Pertaining to trees

"Xavier, lost in a thicket, was nevertheless awed by the sylvestral beauty of the canopy overhead."


Photo by me. Were you expecting autumn leaves?

Link Mania: Unsmedish!

The Proper Names of 17 Bodily Functions
Halloween is coming. Let's all try to work "horripilation" into conversation.

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25 of the Happiest Words in English
What, not "ataraxia" (peace of mind), TWITO, page 14?

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Big, Beautiful Words You Need To Start Using Immediately
Surely YOU don't have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.

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8 Shakespearean Terms We Still Haven't Cracked
When he couldn't think of the right word, he made one up? That's unsmedish!

Photo of the Week: Hercules Chained (by me)

This thing is strong! Maybe that's why it's called Hercules.

Story Cubes 9: Peculiar Magnet (fiction)

It was beautiful day on planet Earth, and more specifically along the lakeside path in Bayville. But amid the blooming dahlias and honeybees and rainbows, a question occurred to Sylvia. How much of a shake of the dice was it to agree to meet Boris here? His impassive face and taciturn manner didn't square with the pleading text he'd sent her, insisting she join him at the lake because he had something important to ask. "So, what is it?" she murmured. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but the suspense was a nagging itch.

For a long time she'd felt drawn to Boris, a Russian-accented nobody and yet a peculiar magnet, attractive yet distant, a young man always seeming to be mired in morose Eurasian thoughts. Maybe he was finally ready to crack open? She pictured a dialog balloon over his head that needed to be filled. "What is it?" she repeated, louder this time, allowing insistence to color her tone.

He exhaled a leaden sigh, and stared across the lake, then cleared his throat. "Can I borrow a hundred bucks?"

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(The bold-faced words are interpreted from the images on Rory's Story Cubes)

Random Sequence: serpigo

"Do curse the gout, serpigo, and the rheum / For ending thee no sooner."
--William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act III, Scene I, Line 32

serpigo (noun) = a skin eruption, like ringworm

Oh, yuck.

Zen Books That Never Were

Zen and the Art of Dishwashing
Zen and the Art of Coffee Drinking
Zen and the Art of Shoe Tying
Zen and the Art of Telephone Dialing
Zen and the Art of Stair Climbing
Zen and the Art of Tooth Brushing
Zen and the Art of Showering
Zen and the Art of Peeing
Zen and the Art of Shirt Buttoning
Zen and the Art of Floor Sweeping
Zen and the Art of Dusting
Zen and the Art of Vacuuming
Zen and the Art of Weeding
Zen and the Art of Lawn Mowing
Zen and the Art of Stamp Licking
Zen and the Art of Hair Combing
Zen and the Art of Recycling
Zen and the Art of Window Washing
Zen and the Art of Parallel Parking
Zen and the Art of Bill Paying
Zen and the Art of Pot Stirring
Zen and the Art of Nail Hammering
Zen and the Art of Email Checking
Zen and the Art of Door Locking
Zen and the Art of Pillow Fluffing
Zen and the Art of Cork Screwing
Zen and the Art of Can Opening
Zen and the Art of Water Boiling

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"After enlightenment, the laundry." --Zen Proverb

Word of the Day: gallimaufry

What's the word I'm thinking of? Today, it's...

gallimaufry [gal-uh-MAW-free] (noun) [TWITO, page 59]

A hodgepodge, a jumble, or a confusing medley


Photo by me. Long story.

Link Mania: Some Pumpkins?

11 Words That Prove The English Language Is Meaningless And So Is Life So Let’s All Give Up
Yeah, it's awful....

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Behave Yourself! 10 Words for Good, Bad, and Indifferent Conduct
Are you feeling stolid or bellicose? If you are excessively sanguine, you may become insouciant. So watch yourself!

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12 Lost American Slangisms From The 1800s
Not "some pumpkins", but you might find this a "lally-cooler". Alas, the "shoddyocracy" is still with us.

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11 Stellar British Swear Words That Americans Should Borrow
Not Kermit! Including "gormless" (TWITO, page 62).

Random Sequence: conventicle

"Ay, all you have laid your heads together—
Myself had notice of your conventicles--
And all to make away my guiltless life."
--William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part II, Act III, Scene 1

conventicle (noun) = a secret meeting, often by people with unconventional opinions

I'm sure that, somewhere, some people are having a conventicle right now. Let's hope they're good people.