Michal is studying the possibility of supplementing his elephantine Fiction Corpus with a history of landscape art; cites fatigue
Posted:
I trust in the idea of upholding English as a universal standard. I do doubt the fatiguing style in which the English language is presented for study.
Enhancing a person's adeptness with a language isn't like launching a cheaper printing press. A language - a spoken language - isn't just a tool that you can teach yourself to utilize with greater amounts of precision. A spoken language can't be fractured from the prevailing culture of a clan 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 people recite English is to deprive them of its cultural context. A good instructor has to have a strategy for introducing it; the insightful pupil goes out to seek it.
A dictionary can be an influential tool. The best dictionaries define a language on the basis of a specific corpus, a set of written language of various size and consistency. They can include anything from a book about literature to some really dark fiction. I burnt many candles creating my "majestic" Fiction Corpus 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 crafted a million words and I have divided them, reframing them - not merely to teach an American tongue but to describe the human spirit, and to goad 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...
When you were a child, did your mother or your father or some other family member ever shout at you over and over again, "ANSWER me!" as if an answer from you were the most important thing in the world?
While you're checking out the definition of answer, take the time to consider if you've ever intellectually abused the word by fetishizing it. Ask if you've ever used a fetish to emotionally abuse someone, or to physically abuse him, or to sexually abuse her. There are people on this earth who have been abused in all of these ways. Right now they may be looking for somebody who has the strength to listen. It's not an easy thing to do, but choosing to listen is a choice that you can be proud of.
6,000 miles across Europe with a complete stranger
Day -13 7/7/2011 ⚖ 18༚♊25/24♀
Sauna Cezar
Bielsko-Biała, Poland
When I met Margo, I was warned that there would be trouble. That hurricanes would blow. I decided to listen to the storm. There were good days and bad days. I photographed them all with my friend front and center. Despite how painful it may have been, she opened herself to me and through my lens to you. Together we can conquer the devils that abuse us.
Michal's Dictionary: Understanding the word Answer
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 answer in some kind of way.
If you want to communicate an idea using the word answer, 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 answer is located in the fabric of a language, the better you will be at exploiting its cultural power.
Pronunciation of Answer
If you're trying to say the word answer, forget the letter w. Forget it exists. Split answer into two parts: an as in "an apple" and swer as in "yes, sir" or "he's very surly" or "dinner is served." Sometimes it comes out sounding like "ants" and "aunts" with the tongue a bit higher past the teeth when you're putting the two bits together, as in "do you have a lot of aunts or uncles?"
Video of me pronouncing "answer."
Definition of Answer
An answer is a gesture, usually but not necessarily made up of spoken words that a man can pass on to another person who's waiting for some kind of information, particularly if he has asked you a question, like who am I or what am I supposed to do or what are you planning to do next Tuesday, or what do you think you can accomplish by joining a certain company, although if the person hasn't in fact asked you anything the answer is often called advice instead, especially if the person hasn't said anything at all, in which case the answer is often described as unsolicited advice.
Sometimes a person isn't consciously waiting for information at all and is rather purposefully convinced of something or at the very least suspects something and won't or can't admit to the fact that he's waiting for information because for example he's short-sighted or he claims to simply be a professional working for a court of law, in which case the gesture of providing information that addresses the issue at hand is only sometimes called advice, unless you are the object of the statement or suspicion in question, in which case the gesture is almost always called an answer.
Answer can also mean the act of performing such a gesture. Especially after you've been called to do it.
Answer can also mean a fuel that keeps a person going, especially if the person in question is an honest man living in a dishonest world, or an intellectual or otherwise the victim of a crime, in which case it is often fetishized to mean something that will bring a person happiness or some kind of comfort.
Common use of answer in illustrative example sentences
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 look at the Table of Frequency shows that answer is by far the most popular word in the Corpus of all its morphological derivations.
Adding the last bit -ed creates the word answered which carries with it the idea of a finished act or a period of acts that has finished.
In a rather distant third place is the word answering whose last bit -ing relates the idea of an ongoing act.
Close behind is the word answers whose last bit can mean either more than one artifact, an act of a third person, or a relationship involving responsibility. A look at the collocation table can help to disambiguate these uses from each other.
The table points to the rare use of a first bit, un- which carries with it the idea of disentanglement. When matched with the -ed bit, it can also carry the idea of an act never having been finished or even begun. When matched with the -able bit, it carries the idea of an act being impossible.
Table of Frequency for the Word "Answer."
This table lists in descending order the total number of times that the word answerand 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.
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 #7080
everything a woman says is a trap. its never a statement of fact. its always an opinion disguised as a question to which there is no answer.
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.
Jesus smiled and said, "The kind of king who answers only to the people, who is elected by them, who stands as their representative against the State, who judges individuals in his own court, who grants pardons, whose power is checked by the State but whose sovereignty represents the sovereignty of each individual, who is above the law only as long as the Nation wills it, who leads their sons and their daughters into battle, who is absent from the throne whensoever the State sends a single soldier to a faraway land in the name of freedom, security, democracy or whatever the hell kind of cause you can imagine. That kind of king."
After a few hours, Jesus appeared before the local procurator. Jesus had absolutely nothing at all to say; he didn't answer any of the man's questions. The procurator seemed very confused; he probably had no idea what to do. Jesus was sent back to his cell.
"After that, it was war. I did everything: from kneeling with my head bowed and hands held high to mumbling the word, 'Amen.' Those priests kept giving me the dirtiest looks. My grandmother, now down to one tooth, went to their sacristy and said, 'Why aren't you giving us the choice that the Archbishop granted?' They responded by saying that such an act might be regarded by certain members of our congregation as disrespectful to the Blessed Sacrament. What kind of answer is that? That betrays either cowardice or conceit - nothing else. Either those priests were actually afraid of all those hunchbacks and elbow-pokers, or else they actually believed that they were right - and not the Archbishop along with the rest of the world.
"I'm a bad person." Jesus snorted and they both laughed. They laughed for a while. Then, Jesus hugged her. "That was the wrong answer," he said. He was crying. "Tell me what the right answer is."
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.
NIKE: But yeah, that's why ya still gotta buy Altadis, you know. Help protect the domestic market. What can I say? I'm a good French citizen.
J-C: ...
NIKE: Hey look, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but uh, can we get this over with? I mean, I'm not gonna answer your questions, but, you might as well ask them, you know.
J-C: ...
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 3, The Third Day, Part 1, Family & Welfare Reform, Section 5, Being an Ass, Paragraphs 21-24
NIKE: That is a very complicated question. But there is an easy answer.
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.
Unbeknownst to the boy, Benevento belonged directly to the Pope. His bankers were not unscrupulous. They asked many questions, the kind which Ferrari was not prepared to answer honestly if at all. When it was obvious that he was less than what he might have others think, he was placed in custody and all his possessions, be they legitimate or not, were donated to the Church.
He let go. He unbuttoned his waistband. The woman crawled away like a worm. Luka got his pants off. He jerked down his underwear. He only had patience to get them past his knees. He hopped after the woman. He snagged her by the ankles. He pulled her in. He seized the upper reaches of her thighs. His thick thumbs dug into her crotch. He spread apart her lips.
Luka leaned in. He smiled. He said incredulously, "You're a blond?" The question went unanswered.
Gog called on his ancestors. He prayed to Gomer, son of Japheth, son of Noah. His prayers went unanswered. His herds of antelope were driven away. The badger and the fox deserted him. His people fed themselves with fish.
"Why has Indra forsaken us?" they asked. "Why do the four corners conspire to drown us?"
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.
LESBIAN: (to GREY GOOSE)
Answer the question.
GREY GOOSE: You were looking at him.
LESBIAN: I was talking to you.
GREY GOOSE: That's not fair.
LUKE: Answer the question.
– ACT II, lines 323-327
GREY GOOSE: Look, woman: I'm giving you one last chance. Did you rat me out to the cops or not?
MS. JACKSON: I won't say.
GREY GOOSE: I deserve to be answered.
MS. JACKSON: A man deserves only three things: honesty, gratitude, and remorse. He does not deserve to be answered.
GREY GOOSE: This is the thanks I get after all these years of marriage?
MS. JACKSON: It was your pleasure to be my husband.
GREY GOOSE: The worst of penalties was once reserved for such obstinacy.
MS. JACKSON: Not for treason?
GREY GOOSE: There are worse things than being hanged.
MS. JACKSON: Such as?
– ACT I, lines 311-320
(MS. JACKSON exits.)
FLETCHER: Can you believe it? Not only are my parents back together again, we just made our retirement quota.
KOKOMO: How can you be sure the money's there?
FLETCHER: I have faith in God.
KOKOMO: What does He have to do with it?
FLETCHER: He put it in there for me.
KOKOMO: Why would He do that?
FLETCHER: I asked Him to do it.
KOKOMO: Do you believe in prayer now?
FLETCHER: I do. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever have my prayers answered quite like this again.
– ACT II, lines 518-526
GREY GOOSE: I've waited long enough, woman. I deserve an answer.
MS. JACKSON: I will not answer you.
ALICE: Why not?
GREY GOOSE: She's guilty.
MS. JACKSON: I've done nothing wrong.
GREY GOOSE: Swear to it.
ALICE: There's no reason not to tell the truth.
GREY GOOSE: Unless you're a rat.
ALICE: Remember what I told you. There are three things which everybody is owed: honesty, gratitude, and remorse. As my grandmother taught me, one must say, 'Thank you,' and 'I'm sorry,' and, by gosh, one has to mean it. If you've had cause to hurt somebody, you should tell that person you're sorry and you'll try to make sure it never happens again. Unless you know it will - in which case, you recognize that something is difficult. If it's something to which your partner is contributing, you make a resolution to cooperate on that. Eventually, things work out. If you've done nothing wrong, you thank your partner for his interest, humbly deny any involvement, and proceed to send him off on his merry way. I took marriage lessons with Luke for a year. They were quite helpful.
MS. JACKSON: Thank you.
– ACT I, lines 1101-1110
GREY GOOSE: Don't worry. Your little love-toy is safe.
MS. JACKSON: You insult me.
GREY GOOSE: What exactly do you think I've done?
MS. JACKSON: I'm not going to give you the pleasure of describing to you your atrocities.
GREY GOOSE: I wish I could say the same thing.
ALICE: What's going on?
GREY GOOSE: Ask your landlady. She thinks she knows everything.
MS. JACKSON: What have you done?
GREY GOOSE: You first. Did you or did you not approach the Australian police with your unjustified suspicions that I might have committed the first murder this island has seen in over one hundred and fifty years? Did you not, in fact, tell them I was capable of committing such a crime? Are you not the reason why I was named a person of interest? Answer 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.
After days of detention the shopkeeper started to panic. He claimed he had a pet. He said if the pet was left unfed he would never forgive the government. He demanded to be released. The Astrazeneca did not dispute his claims. The Amazon wondered what and where the pet could be. It was not at any of the shopkeeper's registered domiciles. The man stubbornly refused to say where it was despite his apparant alarm. The Amazon realized he had the answer. The pet was not a dumb animal. The shopkeeper was not afraid for its well-being. He was afraid for himself. The creature was capable of revenge. It was sentient. It was strong enough to free itself yet weak enough to be imprisoned. It was a telepath.
The man interviewing Sara Lee was taken aback. He had asked the woman one of the control questions. The correct answer was supposed to be no. The Amazon spoke into his microphone. He had the interviewer ask the question again. Sara Lee squinted. She thought about it. She said, "I'm not sure."
I miss my brothers. I miss my sister. People think I'm a monster. I'm not. I'm human. Flesh and blood. That's the answer right there. I'm a piece of meat. Like everybody else. I get thrown into the grinder. Fate. Me and my brothers. We were born into the Orazio family. It was la cosa nostra. That was our thing. We couldn't run away from it even if we tried. Why would we try? We weren't cowards.
"I'm not sure I know the answer to that," said Orbitz Número Dos.
"What do you mean?"
"He means you should be asking me." It was a third Orbitz. He stepped through the hatch.
"Right on time," said Orbitz Número Dos. Orbitz Number One stared at the image of himself as an old man. His body looked tired and tested. His face had more scars on it than the other one.
The address on the list was a basement apartment. Nobody answered the door. There was a sign. Rooms for rent. Proctor called the number. Nobody picked up. Somebody yelled from upstairs. It was a neighbor. He said the guy in the basement wasn't home. He had seen him taking out a carpet to his car just a few hours ago. Proctor had him come down. He showed the guy a picture of vic number three. The man shook his head. "I just moved in," he said. "I don't really know his face."
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 derivations of the word answer that appears in the pair.
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 purchases keep the "Answer" page up and running...
If you love women and art...
Michal is exporting Polish art...is he nuts?
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:
