Michal refuses to consider the concept of compounding his lofty Fiction Corpus with a story about an art center; cites fatigue
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I think highly of the potency of enacting English as a global standard. I don't trust in the sterile approach by which the English language is presented for study.
Refining one's skills with a language isn't like launching a sharper needle. A language - a spoken language - isn't just an instrument that you can teach yourself to use with greater amounts of precision. A living language can't be riven from the shared logic of a circle of people of which it is a description. A language isn't recited; it happens - and keeps happening as long as a circle of people keeps using it.
To make a man recite English is to rob him of its cultural context. A capable instructor must develop a plan for introducing it; the wisest pupil ventures out to seek it.
A dictionary - properly used - can become an influential tool. The best dictionaries define a language based on a specific corpus, a body of written works of varying scope and consistency. They can contain everything from a book about literature to a whole bunch of fiction book titles. I watched many moons pass laboring on my "massive" Fiction Corpus in order to form a unique class of dictionary based on the ability of one man to tell a story in many different forms. It is a labor of love and listening.
I have shaped a million words and I have enumerated them, reshaping them - not simply to teach an American language but to reveal the human spirit, and to prod that soul or spirit not just to recite but to happen.
Author's Note: I have been enjoined from sharing the details of my true romance adventure until such time that the other party is prepared to present her perspective on the affair arrangement...
On Monday, I arrived in Europe. By Wednesday I had bought a car. By Friday I had met the woman who a few months later would end up having travelling 6,000 miles across Europe with me.
As an artist, from the beginning of my adult career, my work had been devoted to the problem of body acceptance, a goal that I would later learn was shared by a whole community of people called naturists, a humble portion of which I discovered residing in Poland, a country whose cultural conservatism does not lend itself readily to forward thinking. One of those forward-thinking Polish naturists happened to be Margo.
As an American, I was full of optimism and confidence bordering on recklessness. I was ready to run the wheels off the car I had just bought and eventually I would. As a European, she was cautious and mistrustful. She needed to make sure the air conditioner worked. Which it did. If you knew how to turn the broken knob in just the right way.
There were times during our trip when I thought there might not be a happy ending. There were times when disaster was close and I wondered whether I hadn't made a mistake. I wondered whether fear, anger or sadness might triumph and one of us would have to finished the journey alone. Though I dangled from the cliffs of Normady I was saved. Though the lights went out I rode on. Though I ran the tires down to the wire I was okay. We drove home in one piece. We came home happy. We had started the process of learning how to listen and the sound of it was beautiful. We could be sure that we were ready to conquer the devils that abuse us no matter how long it would take.
6,000 miles across Europe with a complete stranger
During our trip across Europe, Margo very bravely opened up to me and to the camera. It was a difficult thing to do considering the scars that she carries. I wanted to share with the world her often joyful, often sad, often angry but always liberating experience except that the Internet is full of pictures of naked women and men and full of trolls who abuse them.
I realized that what I really need to point out is not the openness that Margo and I cultivated between ourselves, but the darkness that continues to surround us. When I censor nudity, I do so in a way that does not compromise the integrity of the human body. In censoring the photographs that Margo and I took during our trip, I was quick to notice that in those pictures where Margo was at her most open, at her most unguarded and most relaxed, in a word, when she was herself and basking in the sun I was forced to blacken her completely.
Why does our society drive people into darkness? Why can we not accept ourselves as we are? Why can we not accept our bodies? Have we truly become eunuchs? Or are we capable of defying the sickness that pits us against each other? Together we could conquer the devils that abuse us.
Whether you enjoy being nude or not, whether you've been photographed nude or not, but especially if, for you, like for Margo, it's something you never thought you would do, consider submitting your own photograph to be published in a censored manner as a form of protest against the ubiquitous presence of the human body on the internet, naked or not, that is published and duplicated ad infinitum without context and without regard for the identity or the needs of the individual being depicted.
Michal's Dictionary: More Acts
The way to understand a language is to categorize its elements. Each word belongs in a box and there only so many boxes.
You only need eight boxes or eight categories of words to understand English. At the highest level, you have what-words and who-words, how-words and why-words, where-words and when-words, whose-words and which-words.
What-words can be further categorized into the same eight boxes. Artifacts are the what-what-words. Persons and people are the who-what-words. Fuels are the how-what-words. Fetishes are the why-what-words. Places and times, the where and when-what-words respectively. Acts are whose-what-words and Kinds are the which-what-words.
These linguistic categories relate to the seven categories of culture, which in turn I organize according to day of the week.
Just as Sunday can both start the week and end the week, Sunday or Victory Day (a day for artists) is related to both which-words and whose-words, or kinds and acts.
Monday or Labor Day (a day for capitalism) represents the how, or a fuel.
Tuesday or Family Day or Prayers Day (a day for love) represents the what, an artifact.
Wednesday or Assembly Day or Constitution Day (a day for law and order) represents the where, or place.
Thursday or Greenery or Science or Earth Day (a day to study movement) represents the when, or time.
Friday or Children's Day (a day to educate) represents the the who, or people.
Saturday or Armed Forces of Democracy Day (a day for hope and strength) represents the why, or fetishes.
Pronunciation of More Acts
I have yet to publish a pronunciation for the word more acts.
Video of me pronouncing "more acts."
Definition of More Acts
More Acts is a list of words that primarily answer the question "what act is it?"
An index for more acts
I have yet to index the section More Acts.
Samples of Fiction from Michal's Corpus
Michal's Fiction Corpus of Acceptance Literature (FiCAL) is presented under the Bare Bottom imprint. It is currently comprised of six bodies of work, each representing a different pillar of culture and incorporating a wide variety of writhing styles.
A story bible for a comic book series set in a post climate-change California narrated by eight characters who live through a natural disaster that sinks Los Angeles and triggers a war with an expansionist Mexican government covertly supported by China.
Frame #5248
mcdonalds claims the deputies he killed outside kelso were collaborators. he says he used chase as a scapegoat with his contacts in mexico.
An experimental science fiction Christology that makes Jesus the hard boiled narrator of his own early years on a bizarro earth made dark by volcanic ash and informally ruled by a man from Mars who sells bottled air.
"You notice that you're accepting certain facts whenever they're convenient for your thesis."
There was a giant question mark between the Russians, on the one hand, and the Krupniks on the other. The relationship between Krupnik Holding S.A. and Russian oil was obvious. Though diversified, Krupnik Holding had decisive shares mostly in oil companies, most of whom refined and distributed mostly Russian oil. Those companies, unable to distribute their refined oil on Earth, were now hoping to distribute it to the new interplanetary shipping companies being formed. Those companies, in turn, were courting the spaceports, the orbitports, and, as far as they could, the stationports - arranging, as often as they could, exclusive contracts. Everyone, from the small oil company to the independent spaceport, was supporting Hitler Panzer-Tank's private war.
Your grandfather's actions were famous and had great consequence. Having set a milestone in the history of tort law, they marked a new era in political and legal history. Two years after Jesus's mother died, the government of France took the unprecedented step of admitting its own fault, not only for the terrible lives and health of its citizens, but also for the general atmospheric situation - many thought the move was a purely financial and political one, as the French government was in danger of losing its power and legitimacy, but that was beside the point: it was still a clear moral victory. That same year, many governments won lawsuits against a myriad of industrial giants. For the criminal and tortious acts of polluting the public weal so indiscriminately and mercilessly, those giants were forced to pay, first, sums of over three billion dollars, and then, eleven point three billion dollars, until finally, they were paying settlements of three hundred and sixty-eight point five billion dollars. Hallelujah! said the people. God bless the Law!
Then the big one came: the one that made it all possible: the people who put the first man on Mars: the company that financed the first expedition: Yariba Corporation, based in Tokyo. They sent three vice-presidents! Then the chairman of the board! Then all Class-A stockholders got a free trip. They patted themselves on the back. The news organizations took a group photo. Then they announced their largest endeavor yet: an integrated power and irrigation system for the entire planet. It took years, but they did it. They bought materials and fuel, diamonds and robots. They made contracts. They traded companies with other Martian conglomerates, and, finally, under contract with SIS (Secure Interplanetary Shipping), by the license of the United Nations Organization, Yariba Corporation transported the first nuclear bomb to Mars.
A literature book narrated by a pair of siblings on either side of the Atlantic whose profoundly weird sexual experiences pose a serious challenge to their traditional understanding of mathematicians, marriage, gay young men and God.
The soprano singing the title role was particularly stunning, especially since we were waiting so long for it: only after her grand entrance on the stage - in a fabulously revealing outfit - did the curtain fall on the first of three acts, joyfully teasing the captive audience, and, as it turned out, marking the end of whatever pleasure I could innocently garner.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 1, The First Day, Part 1, Victory & Calendar Reform, Section 12, Opera, Paragraph 1, Clauses 2-3
But if one sincerely values natural procreation, that inferiority is a simple fact. It has nothing to do with stereotypes; it has nothing to do with deeming people unworthy of respect; it doesn't even have anything to do with immorality. Those couples are simply incapable of a certain type of intercourse, and consequently, they are prevented from enjoying the fruits of that intercourse. They are capable of other types of intercourse; but it doesn't matter whether one find those acts repugnant or not. Those acts are not inferior because they are unnatural, but because they are acts of natural frustration.
I think because of the way they wear them. It's not the beard itself: it's the way the beard interacts with the rest of one's face. Not only does a beard highlight one's face in a certain way, but it also highlights the way the face is being used; by accentuating certain expressions, for example, the beard itself becomes a unique part of one's expression. Why am I writing all this down? Oh, that's right: all this has to do with the dream: don't forget.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 2, The Second Day, Part 1, Labor & Economic Reform, Section 5, A Man's Features, Paragraph 5
There were two books put aside separately. One was the New Testament; the other was an Hungarian cookbook. Both of them had seen a lot of use, but they were beautifully bound. The New Testament was a special edition, in two languages: Hungarian and English. I opened the book to the Gospels and, sure enough, one side of the page was Hungarian and the other side English. There were notes penciled all over the margins, and some serious underlining; difficult vocabulary words on either side were circled and referenced. The Gospels were heavily marked up, so were the Acts of the Apostles. I turned to something a bit more out of the way: the First Letter to Timothy, Chapter Five - that too was marked up. I was impressed. I wondered whether Albert had learned more English or more theology.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 1, The First Day, Part 1, Victory & Calendar Reform, Section 7, Revealing Literature, Paragraph 3
A collection of stories featuring a sexy Parisian ghost, a spooky Moon base full of vagina-faced aliens, a policeman with an Irish name, a truck full of watermelons, a flautist, and a man who has to see another man about a diseased horse.
"The security assistance officer in Bishkek has contacts with the refinery. He'll know what to do. Pepsi's father can make arrangements with the tribesmen. Trust me. He's very persuasive."
"Shephard, this is going nowhere."
"Clark," said Shephard. He rocked him by the shoulder. "You will be known as the father of East Turkestan. All you have to do is write a check."
Junior prayed. "Lord, I have committed, as you must know, acts which, by the local standards of my community, would probably be considered depraved. I fully admit my licentiousness, as You would no doubt call it, was practiced on a more or less biblical scale. I realize now my debauchery served no purpose other than my own self-gratification, though other people's pleasure was enhanced through my efforts. Never mind. I'm sorry. If You can find it in your vast, not totally congested heart to forgive me, I'm begging you, let me marry Nyota without punishing her for my transgressions. I love her." Junior broke down and cried.
The fire burned brightly. The men operating the bellows had never felt such heat. Many of them collapsed. Beads of sweat formed on Gog's brow. They turned into cataracts. He threw the first rock into the pit. Something marvelous occurred.
The rock formed a bloom. The furnace of Atar had never seen such metal. Copper, lead, silver, even gold had dropped through its flues. This was new. It was a gift from the Holy Bhag.
Shephard gathered their bags. Clark wondered why nobody else was moving. The bus slowed to a stop. Shephard and Clark stepped off. The driver pressed the gas.
"What's going on?" said Clark. "I don't have any contacts here."
A real play. With drama in it. Talk fast. It takes two hours. Set in a guest house. In a small community. After a murder. Lots of suspicion. The characters learn to listen to each other. It's funny.
FLETCHER: Oh, marriage! Where would man be without thy warm bondage? Those who fear the rope will never know the pleasure of being tied up: of pushing with all one's might only to stand still. It is a perverse joy, indeed, to take the plunge through the trapdoor: to hear one's soul snapping in two, pushing one's heart into one's throat: to say the words, 'I do.' To wed and then to bed - how old-fashioned an order! One cannot help but desire permanence in such an ever-changing world. To oppose it, lashed to a rock, feeling its weight crush one's spirit, may be a Promethean punishment best reserved for the noble. It is no wonder that only the force of custom and law kept so many together for so long. Matrimony is not for the faint of heart. So watch out, you concubines and concubinaries - you cohabitants and live-in friends: both cataracts and calm pools await you, but no peace at that river's end: just the wide, gaping maw of dissoluteness and abandon: the ocean of human desire, with nothing to do but sink. So swim home, like salmon, and enjoy rest: the comfort you get from being tied up. My prayers were answered: I am a man again - and soon to be more: a husband. Wish me luck, for the night is still young, and many acts of husbandry await me.
A story book full of short fiction stories. An interesting bedtime mystery. A fairy tale. Science fiction romance. Adult life. Uninspiring gay fiction. Horror.
Branca lives in California now with her husband. Her old torch-bearer, Fr. Rebelo, lives outside Boston. I'm not sure when they last saw each other but it couldn't have been long ago. Rebelo does weddings for the family. He just did one for Lima child number ten. I don't remember any of their names. In fact, old Sir Lima announced at that wedding that henceforth a Lima marriage would not be valid unless performed by Rebelo. That's one of those chummy deals that's kept Hong Kong in business through the ages.
I want to meet the beautiful Branca someday. In Hong Kong. On the hill. With a view of the harbor. I'm sure she's just as charming as Rebelo himself. Chinese face. Portuguese name. British accent. Living symbol of a land in flux.
People think they know me. They don't know me. Either way, you know, they have an opinion about me. Either I'm a hero or I'm a killer. Just a cold-blooded killer that manipulated the system. That's the stuff they hear, you know. They don't know the facts. I know the facts. I'm the one who killed my sister. I'm the one who has to live with it. I killed a lot of people. Do I feel sorry? I don't know. Should I feel sorry? I don't think so. That's getting into it. I should start at the beginning.
Back home one day I was watching some random movie from the eighties. My father walks in. He looks at the screen and says, "That's the movie your mother was in." I asked him what the hell he was talking about. He told me to rewind to the part where the big name star is arguing in the streets. Sure enough my mother is in the background standing silently staring through a window.
The next day Putin came with his grandson. This was to be my first pupil. Putin told me not to do anything special. Not to even bother asking the boy questions. He was dumb. All I had to do was keep talking to myself as I had been doing. His grandson would listen.
St. Sebastian was a member of the Roman Emperor's praetorian guard who had the audacity to teach Christian values while on the job. I think active duty American military men and women who don't vote or who don't publicly express a political opinion because of the uniform are either being idiotic or are being cowed by the threat of punishment from a superior. Either way, they're eunuchs. My purpose in creating the St. Sebastian Series is to put the flesh and face of the true soldier front and center. The good soldier puts his mission ahead of himself. He often ends up dead. The true soldier knows a bad mission when he sees one and he isn't afraid to say it. Saint Sebastian was not a cow, despite what clever people would have you believe. Saint Sebastian is a patron saint for all protestors who face the arrows of the mob for speaking out.
Your support keeps the "More Acts" page...
If you love women and art...
Michal's importing art from Poland...is he crackers?
Michal's Sales Pitch Lot 1: Silesian Handicrafts
T-shirt fundraiser for sale
Last T-Shirt with the logo that I designed.
From a set of, I believe, twenty produced by Margo and given out to a portion of the last 20 women to finish the 20th anniversary Fiat Road Race in Bielsko-Biała, cf. the movie. This is the last one left in it's original packaging and my supporters - like the poor women of Bielsko - are going to have to fight for it. Whoever invests the most money with me, and who lets me borrow it to invest in the next lot, will not only be rewarded with some beautiful piece of art, but will get this priceless t-shirt as a reward for being my top supporter. $1000.00 or best offer. Remember to authorize me to hold the sum as credit against a future purchase and to authorize me to borrow against it.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #1 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Felt handbag for sale
Felt bag by Dorota.
Entirely hand-sewn. Base: polyester felt, 100% PE. Motif: South American woolen yarn, dyed, 100% wool. Hand-worked with a needle. Unique and inimitable design. Inside: cotton fabric, closes with zipper, inside pocket. Available now for $220.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #2 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Decorative collar for sale
Decorative collar by Zuzanna.
Ethnic layered cloth jewelry constructed on a cotton base and adorned with ribbons, tassels, and a yellow fringe. Fastened on the side with 11 buttons, fitted entirely with a pleasant lining. The style is an Indo-Asian-African multinational color combination. The collar is very extravagant and an extraordinary addition to any clothing, guaranteed to attract attention. Just a simple dress and a unique image is ready. Dry-cleaning recommended. Available now for $200.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #3 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Seamless handbag for sale
Handbag by Sylwia.
Handmade from felted all-natural Australian and South American wool. Entirely felted, seamless. Finished with a white lining, inside is a small pocket. Lining is sewn and stitched in by hand. Available now for $180.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #4 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Patchwork quilt for sale
Patchwork quilt by Alicja.
Bedspread made of cotton and polyester material. Inserted with polyester lining. 90 by 70 cm. Available now for $120.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #5 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Nuno-felt shawl for sale
Shawl by Sylwia.
Scarf made with the nuno felting technique (wet felting fibre into a silk gauze) using South American wool. Two-sided scarf with latticework at the ends. Wholly in the colors red, black, green in an abstract pattern. Available now for $100.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #6 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Clara the doll for sale
Clara by Alicja.
Clara loves roses and greenery, adores tormenting spiders with long legs and sleeping soundly in the afternoon. Cuddly toy made of cotton and polyester, stuffed with polyester lining. Available now for $70.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #7 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Noah the doll for sale
Noah by Alicja.
Noah doesn't know what to like and what not to like but keeps wondering and thinking about it. Cuddly toy made of cotton and polyester, stuffed with polyester lining. Available now for $70.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #8 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Black suspenders for sale
Black suspenders by Zuzanna.
Two-sided suspenders from black material with a rose motif on one side and striped cotton on the other. Connected by a leather triangle. Adjustable length. Hand washing in cold water recommended. Available now for $50.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #9 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Orange suspenders for sale
Orange suspenders by Zuzanna.
Two-sided suspenders made of denim and orange material with a Polish floral folk design. Connected by a leather triangle. Adjustable length. Hand washing in cold water recommended. Available now for $50.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #10 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Green suspenders for sale
Green suspenders by Zuzanna.
Two-sided suspenders made of denim and green material with a mountain folk design. Connected by a leather triangle. Adjustable length. Hand washing in cold water recommended. Available now for $50.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #11 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Felt earrings for sale
Felt earrings by Dorota.
Material: South American woolen yarn, dyed, 100% wool. Hand-worked with a needle. Pendant of anti-allergenic metal. Available now for $40.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #12 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Round ceramic earrings for sale
Round ceramic earrings by Dorota.
Material: Glazed ceramics, hand-molded. Available now for $40.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #13 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Oblong ceramic earrings for sale
Oblong ceramic earrings by Dorota.
Material: Glazed ceramics, hand-molded. Available now for $40.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #14 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
'Coral' necklace for sale
Corals by Sylwia.
Necklace made of cotton pieces with organdy and decorated with beads, suspended on cotton strings. Can be worn as a necklace, as a brooch or as a belt tied at the side. Available now for $40.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #15 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
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