Michal's wrestling with the concept of reinforcing his gigantic Fiction Corpus with a morality play about adult fan fiction; cites fatigue
Posted:
I have faith in the prospect of utilizing English as the international community's second language. I do reject the blah blah blah routine with which the English tongue is presented for study.
Fine-tuning a person's expertness with a language isn't like making a brighter pigment. A language - a spoken language - isn't merely a tool that you can teach yourself to employ with greater amounts of precision. A spoken tongue can not be dissociated from the philosophical currents of a recognized nation 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 people recite English is to rob them of its cultural context. A good teacher must prepare a plan for introducing it; the smartest student goes out to seek it.
A dictionary - properly used - can become an influential tool. A decent dictionary will describe words on the basis of a specific corpus, a body of written works of varying size and consistency. They can include everything from a book about literature to some really gay science fiction. I lost many a sleepless night developing my "mammoth" Fiction Corpus in order to form a precise type 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 crafted a million words and I have categorized them, reformulating them - not just to teach an American language but to be an advocate for the human spirit, and to encourage 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...
One week after arriving in Europe, I met a woman in the sauna on the ground floor of the large villa she shared with her ex-husband. Four weeks later she was sharing a small rain-soaked tent with me in Vienna, our little gas-fired stove barely capable of boiling a cup of water. It wasn't until we reached Croatia that we decided to invest in a large electric kettle. It was quite the luxury and it made me very happy.
I knew naturism was popular in many parts of Europe and as an artist who had worked on body acceptance for his entire career I was keen on documenting some small part of it. Lo and behold, I found a very important part of it hiding in Poland. Her name was Margo.
I had grown up in America. Land of opportunity. I came of age in the booming 90s when everything was possible. She had grown up in Poland. She had come of age at a time when the Soviets were making sure that there wasn't even anything to eat in the country. I couldn't even properly translate the word "opportunity" into Polish.
As far apart culturally as we may have been, we spent 6,000 miles in one car. We spent over 40 nights in one tent. We started learning how to listen to each other. We started learning how to accept our differences and how to let them help us instead of driving us apart. Slowly but surely, we started learning how to beat the devils that abuse us.
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: Understanding the word Dreams
A word can represent many things. First and foremost it represents a type of gesture. A specific way of speaking. A specific way of inscribing a mark. A specific way of moving your hand. To know one of these kinds of gestures is to know how to pronounce the word dreams in some kind of way.
If you want to communicate an idea using the word dreams, you will need to know what other people are made to think when you make the gesture. You will never have complete awareness of or control over the associations or identities that are invoked by a set of words, but you can know what was and what is a single word's jointly accepted definition, at least for a given place, thereby tracing a direction which will help you to understand what kinds of associations and identities are driving its use.
By using the word yourself, you enter into a long-standing albeit oftentimes unconscious debate over its definition, forever entangling yourself into the history of its use. The way you use it, and which other words you use it with carries weight.
The more you know about where the word dreams is located in the fabric of a language, the better you will be at exploiting its cultural power.
Pronunciation of Dreams
I have yet to publish a pronunciation for the word dreams.
Video of me pronouncing "dreams."
Definition of Dreams
Dreams are fetishes of the imagination that push people to move in a certain direction, not necessarily for their benefit, but without which it is perceived that they might be crippled into inaction. Without this perception, dreams refer to fuels that augment the movement of people. Dreams can also refer to artifacts of the brain that are imagined while people are asleep and then forgotten unless a person is somehow engaged in the process of waking while their mind is imagining it. The word can also refer to the act of a third person who habitually imagines something, regardless of whether the product of his imagination is a fetish, an artifact or a fuel.
Common use of dreams in illustrative example sentences
I have yet to come up with a fifth sentence using the word dreams.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a sixth sentence using the word dreams.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a seventh sentence using the word dreams.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
Usage of Dreams in Michal's Fiction 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.
I have yet to make a morphological analysis of the word dreams.
That doesn't mean it's not high on my list.
Table of Frequency for the Word "Dreams."
This table lists in descending order the total number of times that the word dreamsand any of its morphological derivations appears in the Fiction Corpus, along with a breakdown of frequency by title, the respective rank of each word in the complete list of all words in the Corpus, as calculated both densely and competitively, as well as the percent increase in frequency of the word over the frequency of the next lowest rank in the complete list.
Percent Increase over next rank
RANK
WORD
Frequency
TOTAL # of occurences
MCDONALDS
JESUS
SEX
TSIGA
JACKSON
DINGBATS
dense
competitive
modern/sloppy
biblical/terse
poetic/high-brow
hard/fast
talky
mixed salad
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I have yet to publish the table of frequency for the word dreams, but I will get to it shortly. -Michal
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 #1198
apple thinks i dont get the charm of dominos. i told her i like dreams as much as the next person. i just think they should be natural.
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.
There was no way of fighting such a plague without guns and bullets and bombs. You could try reasoning with pirates; you could try sending them tons of grain and water and air and fuel to far-out relay stations built by once prosperous interplanetary shipping companies - but they had grain; they had water; they had air and fuel; they were sitting on top of piles of it. They starved themselves because it made them angrier; the angrier they got, the harder they fought in battle. That was their way of life. Their leaders were their leaders because they followed them. When they said, "Attack the Americans," they listened. They liked it. They wanted to conquer the entire solar system. Every little pirate boy dreamed of being a despot. Every little pirate girl dreamed of being a despot's mistress. They were sick with dreams - just like the Americans.
The night before the ball, I dreamt a very strange dream. I dreamt that my baby boo, my old girlfriend, whom I left before I joined the Lay Confraternity of the Pilgrim Church, was in my bed, licking my soles. She was doing it very humbly, as if she were genuinely trying to apologize for being a fool. Then, after licking them for a very long time, she reached for my testicles and suddenly, instead of being on my back, I was on my hands and knees, facing the opposite way, and her open palm was gently lifting up my testes and sapping them of their strength. I could feel my energy being drained. Suddenly realizing I was being weakened, I woke up. Almost immediately I grabbed my testes and yes - they were still there - thank God - but I truly felt that some of my power had been robbed. What a witch! I thought to myself. She came to me in my dreams to rob me of my manhood.
"Do not seek greatness for the sake of being great. You are worthy of more than that. Do not seek power for the sake of wielding it, or influence for the sake of exercising it. You will only find yourselves consuming Your brothers. Do not seek wealth for the sake of its luxuries. You will only be consumed. Above all else, do not regret your lack of these things. Do not even admit a lack. You do not need to feel inadequate. You don't need to feel like you're halfway there. You don't need somebody else's greatness to be great, somebody else's power to wield it, or somebody else's influence to exercise it. You don't need somebody else's wealth to enjoy its luxuries. You just need somebody else - that's it - and remember that, before you sacrifice a living person to dreams. Nobody likes that. That's what makes us sick and paranoid. That's how we fall into one another's traps. If not for those sacrifices, one might be able to trust people around here.
Your grandfather's greatest life moment was a grand farewell to litigation. When his beautiful, peasant wife was diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema, your father's father invested everything his family had into one grand suit: the culmination of his greatest hopes and dreams. On behalf of his sickly wife, he accused the governments of the world of negligence. He claimed that they were all guilty of doing nothing to prevent your grandmother from developing a serious and severely debilitating disease, one which was irreversible - one which was caused by the presence of toxic agents in the air!
From my seat in the middle of the booth, my view was unobstructed. I was gazing upon divine grace: the ultimate of mortal gifts - penultimate Gift! purest Womanhood! I was looking at Man's consternation, his pride, his instrument in Man's quest to be like God: to create! to love! to hold! But I did not yet know it. I was blinded by honor's undignified lust for vengeance. I sought my own brand of justice in that choked and choking room of self-conscious amusement, otioseness, and strife. I wanted to conquer, my child, not love. I looked upon that lovely figure with calculated intentions. I did not see her loveliness; I ignored her life, her needs, her desires, her hopes and dreams - they were unimportant. I saw myself and my own needs only, no matter what I claimed or thought I felt. I was not unimpaired; I was drunk: impatient: rushed by my own winds - not what I considered - and seriously so - to be the winds of destiny. Those were only breezes, unpredictable movements of air: the erratic impulses produced by circumstances in the landscape; they were not to be trusted. They were only whisperings - and if destiny had anything to do with them, they were only destiny's advances: wafting forward ideas and intimations, proposals, and the probability of misapprehension.
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.
Her left arm was across her waist; her right arm was resting against her breast, her right hand clutching, clutching her heart! climbing her neck! wrapping around and squeezing passionately. O Indiana! Why have you possessed me? Why have you seduced me into this maddening dream? I want to love you quietly and peacefully and safely: I want peace - I want to love you: o lullaby, sweet lullaby, bring me to sleep, sweet lullaby. Sing away my fears, put aside my tears - please, the Lord and I need to rest a while. O lullaby, bring a dream to me, let me see a dream, and regarding dreams, let me guard my dreams, let me live my dreams, let me, lullaby...oh, why must my dreams come to such terrifying ends: the first chord breaks.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 3, The Third Day, Part 2, Prayer & The Reformation, Section 13, The Role of Music, Paragraph 7
Despite the fact that I have yet to tell you about the Piano Kiss, I have made a decision: I have resolved, my sister, to write less. Perhaps this comes as a blessing to you, but I do not doubt that you are interested, as my sister and as a complicated woman, not only in my helpless assignations, but also my deathly vivid dreams.
Therefore, I continue - although I will try to expend less energy on detail and finesse. I hope it works: I do not want to dream so terribly.
Soon the dogs were far from us, and the woman was beyond hearing. We talked about her for a while; we contemplated her strange words. She was a crying woman among dogs - but was she a lonely woman? a sick woman? a grieving woman? We may never know; but we did cross each other momentarily, and perhaps there was a purpose behind those crossing trails: for I have come to suspect her of something. I think she returned to me last night. I believe that she (in disguise, but still, a strange, walking woman among dogs) has infiltrated my dreams.
And so it came to pass, if only in my dreams, that Nike began devoting his days to hard work on the road. He chose to work his community service hours on road maintenance west of the river, giving himself the chance to keep his eyes open all day long, looking out for that beautiful and mysterious woman.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 6, The Sixth Day, Part 1, Children & Education Reform, Section 6, Encountering Chastity, Paragraph 1
For you, dear sister, I remain devoted, but concede I must, for these events are disrupting: these dreams of vice and violence are the product of many things, including circumstances beyond my control, of course, but, above all, I think I must blame this exhausted imagination of mine. I think writing has weakened me: this constant application of my mind, this researching of recent memory, living through things I already saw and did by imagining them - if only I could imagine them better than when I first saw them! But these things are no clearer now than how they once were. They are simply more tiring.
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.
"Dreams" does not make an appearance in Tsiga Tsiga Tsiga.
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.
ACT II
SETTING:Same.
AT RISE:Same.
KOKOMO: Clean. Clean. Clean. That's all I do around here. I'm supposed to be the cook. I didn't think I'd have to be the maid and the launderer and the nanny, too. Whoever said Polynesians are like children didn't know the English. They say the streets of London are paved with vomit. Nowhere is it worse than there. That's a kingdom full of stupid, dishwasher-buying buffoons. If I didn't know any better, I would say it's an island thing. Upolu is nothing like this. We have peace and quiet. I wish I could be there now: swimming in Fagaloa Bay, climbing Mount Fao, running my feet through white sand, growing breadfruit and pawpaw. If only I weren't alone in those dreams.
A story book full of short fiction stories. An interesting bedtime mystery. A fairy tale. Science fiction romance. Adult life. Uninspiring gay fiction. Horror.
"Dreams" does not make an appearance in Miscellaneous Dingbats
This table lists in descending order of frequency a selection of word pairs that appear in the Fiction Corpus and groups them according to the morphological derivation of the word dreams that appears in the pair.
Type
WORD
Frequency
TOTAL # of occurences
MCDONALDS
JESUS
SEX
TSIGA
JACKSON
DINGBATS
modern/sloppy
biblical/terse
poetic/high-brow
hard/fast
talky
mixed salad
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I have yet to perform a collocation analysis of "dreams." I hope I can get it done sometime soon. -Michal
It's natural to hide dirty things. They're embarrassing. But we need to keep in mind that when we hide things that are difficult, we make them seem dirty when they're really something else entirely. And when we keep things that are easy in plain sight, we make them seem clean when they really aren't. That is dangerous.
Your purchases keep the "Dreams" page...
If you love women and art...
Michal's importing Polish art...is he daffy?
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.
Michal Recommends:
