Michal's contemplating the prospect of reinforcing his stately Fiction Corpus with a coffee table book full of canvas art prints; cites fatigue
Posted:
I have faith in the feasibility of using English as everyone's second language. I don't have faith in the spiritless system by which the English tongue is presented for study.
Beefing up one's deftness for a language isn't like developing a brighter firework. A language - a spoken tongue - isn't merely a tool that you can teach yourself to manipulate with a greater amount of precision. A living language can't be partitioned from the shared logic of a circle of people of which it is a description. A language isn't recited; it happens - and keeps happening as long as a circle of people keeps using it.
Teaching a person to recite English is to rob him of its cultural context. An informed instructor has to develop a plan for introducing it; the wisest pupil goes out to seek it.
A dictionary has the potential to be an influential tool. The best dictionaries describe words on the basis of a particular corpus, a set of writing of varying scope and consistency. They might contain anything from a book about literature to a lot of stories. I burned many candles laboring on my "massive" Fiction Corpus in order to form a new 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 strung together a million words and I have anatomized them, reshaping them - not simply to teach a tongue but to be an advocate for the human soul, and to goad that spirit or soul not just to recite but to happen.
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 sun in some kind of way.
If you want to communicate an idea using the word sun, 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 sun is located in the fabric of a language, the better you will be at exploiting its cultural power.
Pronunciation of Sun
I have yet to publish a pronunciation for the word sun.
Video of me pronouncing "sun."
Definition of Sun
A sun is a natural artifact that anchors an inhabited planetary system through gravitation. It is also the primary fuel for most of the life forms on this planet, providing the energy needed for everything from agriculture to body decoration.
Common use of sun in illustrative example sentences
Let's go outside. Thesun is shining. It's a beautiful day.
I have yet to come up with a third sentence using the word sun.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a fourth sentence using the word sun.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a fifth sentence using the word sun.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a sixth sentence using the word sun.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a seventh sentence using the word sun.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
Usage of Sun 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 sun.
That doesn't mean it's not high on my list.
Table of Frequency for the Word "Sun."
This table lists in descending order the total number of times that the word sunand 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 sun, 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 #3888
jayce says todays sunday. schools are closed. here i was all ready to go. stayed up all night making my list. at least i can get some sleep.
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.
"My grandfather," said Sapper, "for the past eighteen years of his life, has had only one car: his ancient Polish Fiat, which, when it was new, had, at most, perhaps nineteen horsepower. Now that it's come of age, as we like to say, its taste for the road has significantly dulled. About two years ago, I was given permission to drive it for the very first and last time. Its performance was tenuous but, understanding its limited capacity, quite admirable, and, combined with my youthful zeal, we took a left curve so fast, we teetered. We were not in danger of tipping over, but we teetered: on those two, decimeter-length wheels on the driver's side. We were saved, undoubtedly, by my grandfather's great weight, sitting as he was in the passenger seat. I tried to convince him that my understanding of physics and automotive safety was impeccable; my left turn was not the result of negligence, but merely my honest attempt at illustrating the great importance of a healthy diet. My grandfather was not amused. From that day forth, I've never been allowed to drive, in spite of the greatly terrifying fact that my grandfather is completely blind in one eye and almost blind in the other. When your grandmother called us and told us that your mother was dead - may she rest in peace - she told us that the funeral was the very next day, at eleven o'clock in the morning. So we left: immediately: at five o'clock in the afternoon, two hours before sunset, in the middle of heavy rain, right before your grandmother tried to reach us to inform us that your mother's funeral was actually postponed till Monday!"
You don't understand - but you will understand, my child. Your father is far away, but he is close. He is with your mother in space. They are far away. They orbit the sun around Pluto. Their bodies are machines that never break. Their bodies are machines! Their heads have been transplanted! But their thoughts are with you: they are with you. They love you. God loves you. Zeus does not. He is terrible. Do not trust him. He took your mother's head. He destroyed your father's body! AAAAAAHHHH!!! Sometimes my mind spits bile: pure vomit. It feels like
My grandfather's nephew lived half a kilometer away from the battlefield. In the morning, after breakfast, in the first few minutes of dawn, I approached it from the south. The air was cold; the sun, warm.
The next day was less dusty. The wind subsided, but visibility was still low. Nevertheless, the sun shone through. In the morning, I went to the battlefield. Your mother was there.
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.
He will be driven back down; he will run to his bedroom, and, looking out his western window, he will see the red horizon; he will see the sun spreading its arms across the foothills. He will say "Good evening," and he will try everything to welcome his unexpected guest. He will place her in the most comfortable bedroom, with the best view; he will tell her to unpack her bags and come down for dinner. At table, he'll be enamored. He will wonder at this beautiful creature. He will want to ask her many questions, but knowing this impolite, he will restrict himself to the most important ones. He will ask her if Happiness be her real name. She will look up at him and smile. She will say, "No, people call me Happiness. But my real name is Joy."
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 1, The First Day, Part 1, Victory & Calendar Reform, Section 1, Cancer, Paragraph 1, Clauses 9-19
ANDY: Are we too close to the sun? No: because we'd burn up. Are we too far away? No: because we'd freeze. Is there too much pressure? No: because we'd be crushed. Is there too little? No: because we'd explode. As far as I can tell, this place is pretty awesome. The only thing I have trouble understanding - and this really consumes my imagination, but: if you consider the billions of people who are living now, and the billions more who once lived, and whose ashes are scattered around the world, and the billions more who may live - since we cannot be sure - it seems to me that heaven should have a bit more surface area.
Indiana's piano, in my memory, seems like a gigantic whale, grinning at me with its black and white teeth. The fireplace looks like a massive cavern, with a gigantic wooden pylon marking its entrance, gigantic chain-mail curtains framing the ashen path. Outside the drawing room, the foyer is like a universe. The chandelier is like a sun. The main stairs: they are a path to heaven: a broad and dangerous path: its steps are gigantic steps; one must leap onto the next one with all one's strength, only to falter back to one's death. But Indiana gracefully coming down the stairs: she is a goddess. She is a radiant beauty. She puts the chandelier to shame. She lights up the universe. The whale sings out her beauty. The caverns are emptied of shadow. The walls tremble. The portraits in the hall are shaken; the tapestries flap. Far away, the kitchen burns, and the dumb waiter speaks delicacies. That is her house in my memory. That is she who now haunts this quiet room with her absence.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 1, The First Day, Part 1, Victory & Calendar Reform, Section 4, Self-image, Paragraph 2
Yesterday morning Nike was sitting at my table. He was reading the Sunday newspaper. He was hunched over the table, with his elbows firmly placed. He was nibbling on his breakfast. He was wearing his reading glasses, the glasses you rarely ever see him wearing. He was chewing on his breakfast. With his free hand he was wiping the corner of his mouth with his finger.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 1, The First Day, Part 1, Victory & Calendar Reform, Section 1, Cancer, Paragraph 5, Clauses 1-7
Right now, it's still Monday morning; the sun is shining through the window: there's nothing mournful about that: it's the sign of a new beginning, the promise of a fresh week to start work, to exercise oneself before the freedom of a Friday afternoon claims the flesh. Perhaps these orderlies will shake themselves free and wake up before Albert does, but I doubt that.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 1, The First Day, Part 1, Victory & Calendar Reform, Section 2, Poetics, Paragraph 6, Clauses 1-2
A collection of stories featuring a sexy Parisian ghost, a spooky Moon base full of vagina-faced aliens, a policeman with an Irish name, a truck full of watermelons, a flautist, and a man who has to see another man about a diseased horse.
The earth refused to stay completely still. With great trepidation, Gog and Magog approached the foot of the mountain. As the sun began to set, Gog started a fire. His consort surveyed the day's progress.
"There's something funny about this ridge," she said. The ground was cracked like a dried-out river bed. She kicked at it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make it crumble.
Gog walked up the river Danu. He was greatly troubled. "How am I to find the holy mountain?" he asked himself. "The Haoma [i.e. a caste of priests] say the stars revolve around it. The sun hides behind it at night. Water descending its slopes forms the great sea upon which the earth rests. What then should I take for a guide: that which drowns, that which burns, or those which, when one stares at them for long enough, gives one a sore neck?"
The Magi were eager to hear Gog's story. He described to them the origin of the three swords. He explained his quest. They agreed that the holy disc of the wintering sun had escaped the Scorpion's claws. In heading towards the woman of the sky, it had placed all the descendents of Japheth in danger.
He wished he knew what time the sun rose. Above and to his left were the windows of the barbershop, which didn't open until ten o'clock. To the right was the aromatherapy salon, which opened at eleven. Somewhere below him were the windows of the Sky Pool, part of the fitness club. In the morning, it was open from seven to ten. It was too far to reach.
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: You are married.
MS. JACKSON: According to whom?
LESBIAN: The law and the church.
MS. JACKSON: My husband seldom goes to church and has nothing but contempt for the law.
LESBIAN: What about you, Ms. Jackson? Do you go to church?
MS. JACKSON: Only on Sundays.
LESBIAN: What about the law?
MS. JACKSON: They say she's blind.
LESBIAN: Is today Sunday?
MS. JACKSON: Today must be Friday.
– ACT I, lines 525-534
FLETCHER: I didn't really care for him.
GREY GOOSE: Tom the anesthesiologist?
KOKOMO: He was funny.
GREY GOOSE: Douglas the airline pilot?
FLETCHER: At least he wasn't a doctor.
GREY GOOSE: Joe the Gynecologist?
KOKOMO: He made me smile.
GREY GOOSE: What about the oral and maxillofacial surgeon? The computer information systems manager? You were nothing before me. I made you.
FLETCHER: Kokomo will have to wear a burqa for the rest of her life around here. This was a Sunday operation before he came and screwed it all up. Do you know why you kept getting looks in town? It wasn't what he did; it was what he said. He had everybody on Norfolk thinking you had hired the best piece of faffy this side of Hawai'i. Some of them thought that you were in on it - that you were behind it all.
A story book full of short fiction stories. An interesting bedtime mystery. A fairy tale. Science fiction romance. Adult life. Uninspiring gay fiction. Horror.
"During the day, I'm Russian. At night, I'm French."
"When are you Jewish?"
"Only on Sunday."
"If we want to get along, I'm afraid we'll have to make the most of the night."
Pfizer fiddled with his laser pointer. "If only the old man could see me now," he thought. He was staring out the window. Listening to the tap-tap rattle of methane as it hit the transparent concrete. "Things could be worse," he thought. "I could be at Lagrangian Station 3. On the far side of the sun. Without the glimmer of a hope of seeing that beautiful blue orb in the sky."
"Doctor Pothammer," said the general. "I hope I'm not boring you."
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 sun 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 "sun." I hope I can get it done sometime soon. -Michal
Life is a spinning sphere with Joy at one pole and Sadness at the other. Each continuously feeding its pair. Joy flanked by the emotions of Trust on one side, Surprise on the other. Trust leading to Anticipation; anticipation leading to Fear. Surprise leading to Disgust; disgust leading to Anger. Anger and Fear fueling our Sadness. Sadness giving way, in time, to Joy; through Hope, an orientation towards Love. Love, an openness towards Joy, Trust and Surprise; the sum of emotion; emotion amplified by others. Multiplied and divided, in equal parts. Such that to those from whom it has been subtracted, we must add. Until we are whole.
Help me keep the "Sun" page...
If you love women and art...
Michal is importing Polish art...is he mental?
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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