Michal refuses to weigh the thought of compounding his remarkable Fiction Corpus with a story about an art center; cites fatigue
Posted:
I don't question the possibility of employing English as a global lingua franca. I don't accept the sterile process by which the English tongue is presented for study.
Strengthening one's expertness with a language isn't like developing a more accurate crossbow. A language - a living tongue - is not just an instrument that you can learn to employ with a greater amount of precision. A spoken language can't be unyoked from the philosophical currents of a group 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 student recite English is to rob him of its cultural context. A proper instructor has to have a strategy for introducing it; the smartest student goes out to seek it.
A dictionary has the potential to be an influential tool. A decent dictionary will describe words on the basis of a particular corpus, a set of written language of varying scope and consistency. Such a corpus can include anything from a book about literature to a lot of elaborate fictions. I watched many moons pass laboring on my "puny" Fiction Corpus in order to form a new type of dictionary based on the ability of one man to tell a story in myriad forms. It is a labor of love and listening.
I have drawn up a million words and I have deconstructed them, reframing them - not merely to teach an American tongue but to be an advocate for the human spirit, and to coax that soul or spirit not just to recite but to happen.
Help Replace Passive-aggressive behavior With Truth in Art
Posted:
Strength and dignity are her clothing...
Proverbs 31:25
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.
Though I was born in Europe, I had been brought up from a young age in America, living in states as diverse as Nebraska, Ohio and Connecticut. I was taught American values and saw reality from an American perspective. She was born and raised in a village in Poland. She went to work in the nearest town. The nearest city seemed like the center of the world. The American perspective was not something she was ever planning to see.
I've never gone hungry without deserving it. I've never been systemically beaten by a parent. I've never been fondled by a priest. That doesn't mean I can't listen to somebody who has had to experience such abuse and it doesn't mean I can't try to understand. Margo and I traveled 6,000 miles together. We slept in the same tent. We had to listen to each other. A person shouldn't need 6,000 miles to do it. We should be able to listen to each other just because we want to. We should've been taught to do it. If we haven't been taught, we should be learning how to do it and learning fast.
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 Cherry
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 cherry in some kind of way.
If you want to communicate an idea using the word cherry, 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 cherry is located in the fabric of a language, the better you will be at exploiting its cultural power.
Pronunciation of Cherry
I have yet to publish a pronunciation for the word cherry.
Video of me pronouncing "cherry."
Definition of Cherry
A cherry is one of usually a bunch of red fruit that grows on a tree. Perhaps because of its color (associated with blood) and its roundness (associated with femininity) it can also refer to a person's lack of experience with penetrative sexual intercourse and by extension to any lack of experience whatsoever. Cherry can also be used to describe a kind of artifact or act related to the above, especially to the fruit, such as its color, or to the tree on which a cherry grows, especially its timber.
Common use of cherry in illustrative example sentences
I have yet to come up with a sixth sentence using the word cherry.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a seventh sentence using the word cherry.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
Usage of Cherry 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 cherry.
That doesn't mean it's not high on my list.
Table of Frequency for the Word "Cherry."
This table lists in descending order the total number of times that the word cherryand 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 cherry, 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 #2165
kohls's home. now i know why he goes to disneyland for the meat. his girlfriend has the figure of a cherry tomato. hold the cherry.
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.
They walked up Henry the Bearded Street and turned the corner at Cherry Road.
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.
Now that Barbara should've become the patron saint of architects, builders, and stonemasons is quite understandable; that she also protects artillerymen is somewhat more intuitive; but that she should become associated with the practice of keeping cherry branches warm: that is a little unexpected. However, it is not for me to challenge the common sense of tradition. Besides, in older days, the connection was not so farfetched: the blooming of the cherry branch was not a sign of general felicity, but carried a very specific matrimonial significance.
Grandmother told me that young maidens wanting to marry would place these cherry branches next to the fire, specifically on St. Barbara's Day, and if they bloomed on Christmas Eve, they would be married in the coming year. I, out of simple curiosity, was compelled to follow that tradition. But Grandmother's cherry tree was all but barren; I held very little hope for its blooming. Now, according to Mother, I specifically chose a dead branch, so that I could later have an excuse not to marry. On the other hand, Grandmother felt it was only appropriate, since marrying me would take a miracle. Now that is how they answered Indiana's question that night.
I remember counting back the number of days, and, using up all ten digits, I asked Grandmother if the apples could be refrigerated. She said I was perfectly free to do whatever necessary, but as long as that cherry branch was still dead, I was going to have to wait till next year. Everybody laughed; Indiana took the opportunity to speak.
Well, anyway, we explained to Indiana the old Austrian custom of putting a cherry branch in lukewarm water and placing it next to the fireplace. If it blooms on Christmas Eve, it brings good luck in the coming year. But you're not supposed to put it there on Christmas Eve; you're supposed to put the branch next to the fireplace on the fourth day of December, on what used to be St. Barbara's Day. And you're not supposed to change the water either.
After Indiana had inspected the baseboard, deciding that it was indeed a positive match, and complimenting our grandmother for having such beautiful wood, she took a rag from her (why does Grandmother always have a rag?) and wiped up the water she spilled, noticing, in the process, the branch of cherry tree floating in the small bucket. "What is that?" she said; we all chuckled, since we knew that after Indiana had so innocently disturbed my cherry branch, the question of its purpose would not be far behind; we were all aware of its embarrassing nature. At least we ladies were: I don't know about you. Obviously you weren't paying attention. Why should you care about my cherry branch? You don't even know what I'm talking about, do you?
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.
"Was it with a woman?" asked Davis.
Sammy D nodded. "I was so shocked. I laughed. I didn't know they could get so hard, like cherry tomatoes."
Davis smiled. "In the time it takes to lick a stamp."
Sammy D breathed a heavy sigh. She said, "It made me feel so powerful."
One bright afternoon, Ferrari's stepmother lay naked in her husband's bed. Her tired stepson lay next to her. He was listening to the noisy skylarks. She cuddled up next to him. She started nursing him back to life.
Ferrari was preoccupied. With a slightly mournful whisper, his stepmother said, "We found out who cut down the cherry tree." Ferrari thought he could hear the song of a river nightingale.
Lorenzo stopped climbing the poplars. He would fish out from the Baron's fountain the bottle he had made. The outside was waxed instead of the inside. It was shaped to fit the cherry branch he had chosen. Though Ferrari beat him badly for it, he wouldn't stop coming back to carve it.
Ferrari was worried. He told Carmina, "He's up to something."
Ferrari wasn't stupid. When a cherry tree in the Baron's orchard was mysteriously chopped down, he knew exactly what it meant. It was a threat to his control. He searched for the evidence everywhere-from his father's house to the Baron's keep. There was no sign of it. He shadowed Lorenzo for days. He only left him alone to give Carmina her lesson.
Nobody cared what Lorenzo did. When a cherry tree was chopped down in the Bishop's orchard, nobody suspected him. "Who would do such a thing?" asked the concertmaster. Ferrari shrugged. He had his own business next to the Honorable Carmina's litter. Every time she came to the Bishop's palace to hear a concert, Ferrari escorted her home.
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.
"Cherry" does not make an appearance in Sorry Miss Jackson.
A story book full of short fiction stories. An interesting bedtime mystery. A fairy tale. Science fiction romance. Adult life. Uninspiring gay fiction. Horror.
"Detective Carlson," came the mocking tone. "Nice of you to join us." The captain was at the crime scene. That meant there was no doubt. There was a link with the first body. "Are you ready for class?" continued the captain. "We're drawing from life today." It was another man. Standing naked. Twisting. His arm over his head. His eyes closed. His face cherry red. It was turned against his shoulder. Looking back as if on a lover. Frozen in a wistful remembrance of ecstasy too swiftly gone by. It was a statue of dead flesh.
Indiana gave us an embarrassed look. I smiled. I watched her slip the stick back into the bucket. Grandmother stretched out her hand. As usual, she was carrying a rag.
Indiana took it. She wiped the drops of water she spilled. She turned her head. "What did I do?" she asked. We chuckled.
Mother explained the custom of keeping a cherry branch next to the fireplace. If it bloomed on Christmas Eve, it would bring good luck.
"I guess it helps to know how long a branch takes to bloom," said Indiana.
Grandmother got halfway through tossing her hand. She lifted her finger again. "It's funny you should mention St. Andrew. Cherry branches weren't the only things girls used. On St. Andrew's Eve, if a girl swept the floor with a new broom at the stroke of midnight, the dirt would reveal the face of her future husband. It would help if she were stepping on a piece of silver. On the other hand, she could also try looking up a chimney. That was my favorite. You had to do it naked."
"Barbara replied, 'Two make darkness. Three lighten all the world.' It was her way of introducing him to her belief in the Holy Trinity. Her father became enraged. He took her to the local magistrate. For the sake of her pagan soul, he had her tortured. After much suffering, her own father beheaded her."
"That's awful," said Indiana. "What does it have to do with cherry branches?"
"Hungarians don't fast from meat on Christmas Eve," said Indiana. "It is the opposite. We take all day to make sausage - with garlic and paprika. The color is my favorite. It is like that wood - what do you call it?" She stroked the timber of the mantel. She whispered, "Darker than this." She turned towards the baseboard. She smiled. She reached to touch it. She didn't see the bucket of water. The cherry branch sticking out of it dropped to the floor. Grandmother gasped. Mother shook her head.
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 cherry 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 "cherry." I hope I can get it done sometime soon. -Michal
If a 45-year-old businesswoman and hard working mother of three kids is going to pose nude for a calendar, it's gonna have to be a good one. Margo didn't start a coffee shop called the Vagina Cafe to win her favors from the establishment. Even as she dishes out prizes to the 20 women who placed last in the twentienth anniversary run of her town's biggest road race, her business, unlike everyone else, doesn't get mentioned. She was an official sponsor for Christ's sake! But the announcer just couldn't swallow his patriarchy and get the words "Vagina Cafe" out of his mouth. That's not something a proper gentleman would say in front of a crowd of humble God-fearing "ladies" who cherish their modesty! And a Body Acceptance Calendar is certainly not what a humble God-fearing book-seller like a Barnes and Noble would put on their shelves! So how do I expect to sell this in the mainstream? Maybe if you download the free versions a thousand billion times it might help. Start downloading.
Help me keep the "Cherry" page alive...
If you love women and art...
Michal's importing art from Poland...is he meshuggah?
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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