Michal declines to weigh the notion of complementing his extensive Fiction Corpus with some very fictional stories; cites fatigue
Posted:
I trust in the possibility of exercising English as everybody's second language. I don't have faith in the irksome program by which English is presented for study.
Strengthening a person's mastery of a language isn't like promoting a stronger steel. A language - a spoken language - isn't just an instrument that you can learn to use with a greater amount of precision. A shared tongue can not be disentangled from the philosophical currents of a tribe 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.
Teaching pupils to recite English is to deprive them of its cultural context. An informed instructor has to have a blueprint for introducing it; the discerning pupil goes out to seek it.
A dictionary has the potential to be an influential tool. The best dictionaries define a language on the basis of a specific corpus, a body of written language of various size and consistency. Such a corpus might contain everything from a book about literature to the best fiction romance novels ever written. I watched many moons pass forging my "impressive" Fiction Corpus to form a specific genre 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 drawn up a million words and I have reduced them, reformulating them - not simply to teach a language but to describe the human spirit, and to goad that spirit or soul 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...
By the end of my first week in Europe in 2011, I had bought a car and out of the blue had met the woman who would join me on a 6,000 mile trek across the European continent, sharing the beat-up car that I had bought and the one small tent from Walmart that I had brought along with me on my flight.
As an artist inspired by a young woman's struggle with self-esteem and bulimia, body acceptance had always featured prominently in my aesthetic. Having recently discovered naturism and its mantra of body acceptance in the United States, I was eager to explore the style and philosophy of naturist clubs and the beauty of naturist campsites in Europe. By a trick of fate, I found myself first in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. Margo's home.
Being from America, all I had to do in Europe was turn on the radio to hear an American song. All I had to do was walk into a movie theater to see an American movie. To be understood all I had to do was speak English. Being from Poland, she couldn't stand listening to the radio for all the political nonsense being bandied about. She didn't like watching American movies because she claimed they all ended the same way. She didn't want to speak English with me because she not only wanted to say things correctly but she wanted to say them her way and nobody had ever succeeded in teaching her how. I desperately wanted to understand. She wanted to be understood.
Do unto others as you would have done unto you. But how to judge what we would want done to us if we've never been in somebody else's shoes? If we've never been abandoned by our mother, how do we treat somebody who has? Somebody who seems to constantly suffer the repurcussions of it? Margo and I had 46 days and 6,000 miles to try on each other's shoes. We had one car and one tent in which to hear each other's words. We learned to cooperate. We started learning how to listen.
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 Line
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 line in some kind of way.
If you want to communicate an idea using the word line, 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 line is located in the fabric of a language, the better you will be at exploiting its cultural power.
Pronunciation of Line
I have yet to publish a pronunciation for the word line.
Video of me pronouncing "line."
Definition of Line
I have yet to publish the definition of line.
I'm sure it won't take too long.
Common use of line in illustrative example sentences
I have yet to come up with a sixth sentence using the word line.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a seventh sentence using the word line.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
Usage of Line 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 line.
That doesn't mean it's not high on my list.
Table of Frequency for the Word "Line."
This table lists in descending order the total number of times that the word lineand 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 line, 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 #621
expedia says no more. if i want to know where mrs goldman sachs lives i have to ask sprint. shes not looking for trouble. then why the low neckline.
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.
We were among Capitalists that day. When we got to the Sanctuary in Lichen, it was full of them. In trousers, crinoline, made-up and dyed - if Marx were alive, he would have sat on a rock and cried. We were impressed, but uncomfortable. We wandered; the church's nave was huge. The floor was emptied. There were three different orchestras preparing to play. I wondered how badly the Church needed money - not many people could rent out a Sanctuary for a private party, but Sacha Cohen-Krupnik, now that his father was dead, was certainly one of them. Perhaps your grandfather was allowed to use it, in exchange for giving the Church and the Cosmonauts their privileges on Mars.
"No, I didn't. I just killed an ant. Ants aren't God; they're ants." What pathetic silliness, I thought to myself. Who could not pity the poor creature who says such silly things with such apparent conviction? and then indulges her own silliness! What cheek! What brash contempt towards one's self! It was pitiable and wretched: it made me sad.
In those days, women wore anything that resembled something from a famous hand-tinted photograph from the nineteenth century. There was a free catalog available on the Internet, listing all the famous collections and the most famous photographs, organizing them by date or location, or photographer, painter, model - every criterion available - but especially by women's dress. The crinoline; the cage crinoline, dome and pyramid, flat in front; the crinolette; and the bustle were all represented in their various forms and colors. Even pornographic photographs were readily available to show off every type of undergarment. Famous women wore bloomers underneath their petticoats: the kind with an open crotch and single button, which made it much easier to have sex fully clothed, a favorite and celebrated pastime for the elites.
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.
Where was she hiding in that great and hapless monarchy? Where was his queen? Why couldn't she come and join her king? These thoughts were hopeless. After two nights of aimless driving around Paris, Nike gave himself a sabbatical. Resting in his apartment, he kept thinking about that beautiful woman. He thought about her beautiful name. He thought about her missing tunic, her white cape, her guampe of serge. He thought about her linen wimple. Then, he would suddenly think of Luka and he would scream and beat his head. He would moan and stuff his face into a pillow.
Instead, you should considering writing something for me, instead of writing things for God knows whom, as I am your most eager audience. I have need. Never in my life have I felt quite so dangerously lonely. There is no one else in this house except for the television, and we are not on speaking terms; but out of desperation I may soon have to make concessions. A few months ago, I would've cringed at the thought of watching television. When I accepted Barbara's invitation, I was in a mood of perfect concentration. Through no fault of her own, I suspect that my excursion may have thrown my loneliness into such relief, making it so apparent, that what was once comfortable and conducive to work has now become almost unbearable.
You, on the other hand: you were still fishing around for that ball, and only after our father and our uncle came through the house with Albert did you finally come walking up that hill. I remember the moment distinctly: our father was joking that Albert being Hungarian, and Indiana being Romanian, we had the better part of the old Austrian empire assembled before us. Indiana began elaborating the joke, and, as she neared a punch line, you appeared, wet and out of breath, just in time to watch everyone heartily laugh - everyone but me and Indiana, of course. You had no idea what the joke was, and, as if searching for an explanation, you had to look around quickly, ignoring me (of course), before transfixing your eyes on the source of everyone's merriment.
Hungry people appreciate that rumbling: it is something that momentarily fills the revolving emptiness; one is reminded of one's fate, but that person may still relish the largeness, the otherwise hidden proportions of her emptiness, as the rumbling presses against her walls and reverberates.
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.
Junior admired golf. It took an amount of discipline he lacked in regard to women. He noticed similarities between the sports. In each case, though it was possible to play with teams, the goal remained essentially one of individual accomplishment. A man had to use his club to get the ball, or the contents of his ball, into the hole.
"Tell that to the locals. Weren't you listening to Polina? The desert's been growing for two thousand years. The Communists made it worse. There are sand storms in Beijing now. They say they're building a Green Wall of China. Good luck. It'll take them a hundred years to dig the holes."
"Look at the desert highway," said Shephard. "They lined five hundred kilometers with shrubs. It didn't take them that long."
A breeze puffed the woman's veil. An under-veil of white peeked out. The crown held them in place. The creases of a carefully wrapped linen wimple budged. The woman imperceptibly cocked her head. Imperceptibly, she squinted. She started holding her arms back as if preparing to run. My eyes fell to her pleated guimpe. It hung from her shoulders broad, firm, clear-finished-a serge from the fiber of a noble sheep. The chevron weave pointed down.
They walked through the rows of shrubs. Clark spotted a functioning dripline. He fell to his face getting to it. Shephard watched him kneel, cupping his hands like a schoolboy. He was counting the drips. Shephard wanted to say something. He decided it was too hot to bother.
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.
GREY GOOSE: That's not what I want to hear.
KOKOMO: I'll do my best.
GREY GOOSE: You're a fine girl, Kokomo. Nobody can know about this: not Fletch, not the guests, and certainly not my wife.
KOKOMO: I get it.
GREY GOOSE: Go to my farmhouse. Wait for me there. I'll follow.
– ACT I, lines 246-250
(GREY GOOSE takes a stance. LUKE imitates him. They begin to perform a haka.)
A story book full of short fiction stories. An interesting bedtime mystery. A fairy tale. Science fiction romance. Adult life. Uninspiring gay fiction. Horror.
In elementary school, during sex-ed class, the first of its kind, one of Steve O's more popular classmates, a boy widely recognized for his worldliness, had violently turned in his seat in the middle of the talk and had asked the boy behind him with complete fear and confusion in his eyes, "What the hell is oral sex?" Steve O had laughed, to the boy's utter embarrassment. The sight of the agitation had been comical. Never mind that Steve O had no idea what oral sex was.
Management won. With the general decline in mail volume that year rural paychecks went down. Resentment and grumbling went up. When Rural Rural Route 6 finally acquired the house at the end of Profile it added to the workload and nothing else. Rural Route 4 felt overburdened as well. When Old Man Perkinson retired from Rural Rural Route 9 and it was decided once again to eliminate the vacant route, tempers flared.
I was taken to a football game. Not at a stadium. More like a field with a stand. My uncle called it "The Moldavian Wembley." This is where my stomach caught up with me. At some point during the first half I rushed out to find a toilet. The only permament structure I found had a long line sticking out of it. The portable toilets were crowded. I decided to find something further afield. At the very least a bush.
A quiet corner. A back alley. By the harbor. An ocean liner. The continents from space. Looking through a glass of water. A wildfire. A man on horseback. Surrounded by horses. Galloping. Going to a horse show. Dressage. Austria. Rich people. Descendants of nobility. Peasantry. Young people. Their future. Uncertainty. Old folks. The sky. The phasing of the moon. A crescent. Smiling fortune. Powerful people. Success. Happiness. Envy.
I killed a cat. It was an accident. I was trying to cut its fur. I wanted to show Kelly the ugliness of a shaved pussy. I don't deserve two years of prison for it. Cruelty to animals is nothing next to how humans treat each other. They put me in the same prison I used to guard. At the very least I know which of these bitches aren't shaved. Those are the ones I can fuck. Even when I was a kid I couldn't stand a bare floor. All the blood stains and grime and guts on the linoleum in the kitchen. It was disgusting. It always curled up at the edges. Like Kelly's toes. As soon as I get out of here I'll find that girl. I'll get her the biggest razor I can find.
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 line 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 "line." I hope I can get it done sometime soon. -Michal
To promote democracy, the strong must empty themselves of their strength. The weak must be granted the opportunity to grow strong. We cannot force the end of patriarchy. To do so simply perpetuates feudalism under a different name.
Your help keeps the "Line" page up and running...
If you love women and art...
Michal's exporting art from Poland...is he screwy?
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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