Michal is kicking around the concept of enhancing his superb Fiction Corpus with an art book full of prints; cites fatigue
Posted:
I believe in the potency of employing English as a worldwide standard. I do challenge the unexciting game plan by which the English language is taught.
Boosting a person's finesse for a language isn't like bringing about a more flexible variety of bamboo. A language - a living language - is not just an instrument that you can learn to wield with greater amounts of precision. A living language can't be sequestered from the competing values of a community 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 pupil recite English is to cheat her out of its cultural context. A proper instructor has to develop a strategy for introducing it; the wisest pupil goes out to seek it.
A dictionary has the potential to be an influential tool. A decent dictionary will define words based on a particular corpus, a body of writing of varying scope and consistency. They can include anything from a book about literature to an entire set of drama plays. I watched many nights pass forging my "wonderful" Fiction Corpus to form a distinct kind 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 dissected them, reframing them - not merely to teach American vocabulary but to be an advocate for the human spirit, and to coax that soul or spirit not just to recite but to happen.
Michal's Dictionary: Understanding the word Street
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 street in some kind of way.
If you want to communicate an idea using the word street, 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 street is located in the fabric of a language, the better you will be at exploiting its cultural power.
Pronunciation of Street
I have yet to publish a pronunciation for the word street.
Video of me pronouncing "street."
Definition of Street
I have yet to publish the definition of street.
I'm sure it won't take too long.
Common use of street in illustrative example sentences
I have yet to come up with a third sentence using the word street.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a fourth sentence using the word street.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a fifth sentence using the word street.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a sixth sentence using the word street.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
I have yet to come up with a seventh sentence using the word street.
Audio of me saying the sentence:
Usage of Street 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 street.
That doesn't mean it's not high on my list.
Table of Frequency for the Word "Street."
This table lists in descending order the total number of times that the word streetand 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 street, 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 #6369
a bus just crossed the street in front of us. going down york boulevard.
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.
"Let me finish. From the east, the south, and the west, the army's covering the City Moat. What does this mean? This means we can't go onto St. Nicholas' or Ruska Street; we can't just let Silesian Insurgents' Street take us directly into Town Square; the only possible chance we have is to go from the southeast: there's a mess of roads by Warsaw Insurgents' Place, and beyond that: there's the park: that's the weak link in the cordon around the Old Town. Terrorists have been causing havoc; they've been attacking all the checkpoints, but especially around the park, there's not even a checkpoint to be spoken of: it's a bullet-ridden sieve. That's why they're defending Grunwald Bridge; if they could secure the park, they wouldn't have to.
Now, if Jesus had been completely guileless, instead of assuming that victory was his for the taking, he would've asked your mother, considering the encroaching darkness, whether she wanted to return as soon as possible to the high school to pitch her tent (sound advice) or go with him to Hell's Ditch. Knowing your mother, she probably would've said Hell's Ditch anyway (with a name like that, she would've smiled - if not devilishly, then, at least, with knowing embarrassment), but that's beside the point. We shall never know what your mother would've said because Jesus never bothered to ask. Nor did he decide to take the quickest way to Hell's Ditch (Home Army Road) or the second quickest way (the road to Wroclaw), but (considering the encroaching darkness) passing both those streets and going down Peace Defenders' Road, past the Town Park, past the Sanitation Inspector's Office, past the Regional Court, where, several months ago, Jesus had his first and only hearing, and, turning onto Church Road, going past the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, looking briefly down Linden Flower Road, where, not so long ago, Jesus jumped the Krupnik and started this whole dirty affair, he went through the apartment blocks, crossed Soldiers' of September Street, and, going down Flower Road and turning right on Garden Street, took the absolute longest way to Hell's Ditch from the Sanitarium which could still be called a way.
Now, if Stalin hadn't kept Jesus's father's body waiting for burial, maybe things might have played out differently, but, as it was, as soon as Jesus was released from his temporary cell, Stalin informed him that the ceremony was ready to proceed at any moment. So Jesus said, "Let's do it now." My sister was also waiting for burial, so, straight from the courthouse, we walked down Park Lane, turned right onto Peace Defenders' Road, turned left onto Soldiers' of September Street, turned left again (onto the road that led west out of town), then turned left again at Industrial Road, turned right onto Peaceful Road, and, at the Communal Cemetery (the other cemetery in town - "because this one has room for crypts," said Stalin), the burial took place - all in the company of tens and tens of reporters, photographers, and video cameramen. After that, they left, and Jesus disappeared from public sight - not a moment too soon.
Sapper and I kept going for a while. I got so drunk, I started dancing with old women. Then, Sapper took me home. He put me to bed. Then, he woke me up. Walking me down the street, he said, "Do you remember what you said last night?"
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.
As soon as we were done eating breakfast, we left for the hospital. We took the red line to Bond Street. We waited for a train to Stratford. We were taking the Jubilee line. On the train, the girls found a place to sit down. I stood by the center of the opposite aisle. There was a white woman sitting in front of me. She had a beautiful face and round, pendulous breasts. They were perfect for suckling.
"Criminals," I told her, "are known to drive around Prospect Street late at night, preying on unsuspecting women, not all of them drunk. One time, a girl had a heel stuck in a grate; a car stopped and a pair of men came out.
As he was leaning against the walls of the cloister, Nike slid down to the ground, collapsing on the street like a beggar. That very night, he went to the nearest church: by the name of St. Ignatius.
– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 6, The Sixth Day, Part 1, Children & Education Reform, Section 6, Encountering Chastity, Paragraph 5
Because of her schedule, Christie likes to wake up bright and early in the afternoon. But, because I was her guest, the first morning of my stay I woke up to the smell of burning eggs. Christie had woken up early in the morning and had tried to make me breakfast, but had fallen asleep at the kitchen table. I quietly disposed of the smoldering remains before I woke her up and told her to go back to bed, which she promptly did: after we arranged to meet at Trafalgar Square in the afternoon. So I went down to Westminster by myself to visit the prominent buildings, and then made my way up Whitehall at the appropriate hour. Spying from across the street, looking past the rotating mob of cars, I spotted two familiar figures at the base of Nelson's Column; they were standing on top of the pedestal.
How challenging it was at that very moment, when, in my troublesome state, my eye carelessly fell upon its rectangular form: how promising did that running tape recorder seem! how reckless my judgment! how beautiful its mechanical uprightness! I actually entertained thoughts of diversions, of stealing away that tape and running down Prospect Street, hiding in dark alleys, listening in frustration, running all the way to the bridge and throwing its unhelpful carcass in the river. I thought of feigning sickness, and climbing down from the second story - to what purpose I do not know, but I did think of it.
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.
Blood pooled along the poorly-graded street. It mixed with dirt and dew. It spread close to Shephard's shoes. He stepped back. Somebody showed up with a hose. Shephard inquired about live camels. The man gestured beyond the donkey carts.
By mid-morning, Clark was out of bed. The hostess told him where to go. He was surprised to find the bazaar bustling with people. He bought himself some pomegranate juice.
"It's not for everybody. I wonder where else to send you. Don't go to one of those American bars: they'll rip your pants off. They make you buy champagne. You end up shitting money for nothing."
One time, Patsy came close to capturing his suspect. The man had suddenly vanished from his post at the Dai-Kannon when Patsy and Morimoto had shown up to question him. Giving fruitless chase through the streets of Ito, Patsy returned to his Tokyo hotel to find none other than Ranger Juanita. She had taken leave from the Park Service to join him. "That's very kind of you," said the young lieutenant.
Nike closed the door. "Welcome to the back seat of my car. I hope you find it comfortable." He turned on the interior light. "Where would you like to go?" Silence. "How about the Reine? Driver, take us to the Alley of the Daisy Queen-the scenic route." Luka turned on the engine. He put the car in gear. They drove.
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.
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.
FLETCHER: That's a good story.
MS. JACKSON: From what could be gathered.
LESBIAN: I was taken advantage of once. I was at the Kammermusiksaal one day - actually, it was the night: the evening. It was fall: late fall: October. I had just attended a concert - a very good one - chamber music: it's my favorite. Anyway, this was Berlin and everything is very neat there - at least in that part of the city: the cultural part with the museums and everything. I didn't think it dangerous just to cross the street: Tiergartenstraße - to take a stroll in the park - Tiergartenpark. It's not like it was that late or anything. It was October. Naturally, the days were short.
FLETCHER: And the nights were very long-winded.
MS. JACKSON: Fletcher!
LESBIAN: I'm sorry. I don't think it's going to be very good.
MS. JACKSON: Please continue, Homo.
LESBIAN: This man came up to me in an overcoat and exposed himself. Can you believe that?
FLETCHER: Nice.
ALICE: How big was it?
– ACT I, lines 180-189
ACT II
SETTING:Same.
AT RISE:Same.
KOKOMO: Clean. Clean. Clean. That's all I do around here. I'm supposed to be the cook. I didn't think I'd have to be the maid and the launderer and the nanny, too. Whoever said Polynesians are like children didn't know the English. They say the streets of London are paved with vomit. Nowhere is it worse than there. That's a kingdom full of stupid, dishwasher-buying buffoons. If I didn't know any better, I would say it's an island thing. Upolu is nothing like this. We have peace and quiet. I wish I could be there now: swimming in Fagaloa Bay, climbing Mount Fao, running my feet through white sand, growing breadfruit and pawpaw. If only I weren't alone in those dreams.
A story book full of short fiction stories. An interesting bedtime mystery. A fairy tale. Science fiction romance. Adult life. Uninspiring gay fiction. Horror.
My father never lied to my mother about going up to see his old girlfriend. He lied to me. So I wouldn't say anything. So my mother could find out about it later. From the receipts. It was part of the grand scheme. To bring things to a head. To back up the toilet of their lives. To bring up the festering crap they had tucked away in their basement all these years. Like the accusation that my father had raped my mother. On some night twelve years ago. When she had said no. And he had done it anyway. I wanted to laugh but my wife was there. Her father raped her mother. Allegedly. My wife is convinced its true. Despite only having heard one side of it. If it were as bad as it sounds I doubt her parents would still be together. But they are. Like my parents. They've reconciled. For all intents and purposes they're a happily married couple. They hold hands in the street. While my wife wont sleep with me. Because on some rainy afternoon two years ago I told her I wanted to rape her.
The hill in question had about a hundred boxes split along two streets both rising in diverging directions from the same point on Profile Road until curving back upon themselves and meeting at the top of the hill in the form of Facebook Terrace. It was formerly under the complete purview of Rural Rural Route 10 until Rural Rural Route 10 was disbanded upon the retirement of Old Man Dickinson and split between Rural Routes 2 and 4. Rural Rural Route 4 received the entire hill to much joy at the turn of the next pay period. Until winter came and the disrepair of Update Street combined with the freezing runoff on Download Street caused much grumbling and more than a few broken mailboxes. Still the money was good.
When I go to Moscow and I see Barack twitching and in pain, I curse his enemies and I mourn his suffering. But when I am outside on the streets, and I hear the words "dirty chocolate" and "wipe your face," I cannot help but laugh. I look up with my chin held high and I smile and smile like a fool.
Steve saved me. He finally found a guy named Dave who was willing to procure some supplement. All Steve had to do was give Dave money and he would walk down to the street to pick it up. He told Steve to wait on the patio otherwise the deal might not go down. Dave left with Steve's money. He never came back. The bar girl had some information. She told us Dave worked for the guy who owned the bar. He helped him fix roofs. She wasn't surprised we were looking for him. She didn't know where he went. I asked if Dave carried any weapons. The girl claimed not to know anything and then shut up.
Back home one day I was watching some random movie from the eighties. My father walks in. He looks at the screen and says, "That's the movie your mother was in." I asked him what the hell he was talking about. He told me to rewind to the part where the big name star is arguing in the streets. Sure enough my mother is in the background standing silently staring through a window.
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 street 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 "street." 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 purchases keep the "Street" page...
If you love women and art...
Michal is exporting art...is he daffy?
Michal's Sales Pitch Lot 1: Silesian Handicrafts
T-shirt fundraiser for sale
Last T-Shirt with the logo that I designed.
From a set of, I believe, twenty produced by Margo and given out to a portion of the last 20 women to finish the 20th anniversary Fiat Road Race in Bielsko-Biała, cf. the movie. This is the last one left in it's original packaging and my supporters - like the poor women of Bielsko - are going to have to fight for it. Whoever invests the most money with me, and who lets me borrow it to invest in the next lot, will not only be rewarded with some beautiful piece of art, but will get this priceless t-shirt as a reward for being my top supporter. $1000.00 or best offer. Remember to authorize me to hold the sum as credit against a future purchase and to authorize me to borrow against it.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #1 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Felt handbag for sale
Felt bag by Dorota.
Entirely hand-sewn. Base: polyester felt, 100% PE. Motif: South American woolen yarn, dyed, 100% wool. Hand-worked with a needle. Unique and inimitable design. Inside: cotton fabric, closes with zipper, inside pocket. Available now for $220.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #2 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Decorative collar for sale
Decorative collar by Zuzanna.
Ethnic layered cloth jewelry constructed on a cotton base and adorned with ribbons, tassels, and a yellow fringe. Fastened on the side with 11 buttons, fitted entirely with a pleasant lining. The style is an Indo-Asian-African multinational color combination. The collar is very extravagant and an extraordinary addition to any clothing, guaranteed to attract attention. Just a simple dress and a unique image is ready. Dry-cleaning recommended. Available now for $200.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #3 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Seamless handbag for sale
Handbag by Sylwia.
Handmade from felted all-natural Australian and South American wool. Entirely felted, seamless. Finished with a white lining, inside is a small pocket. Lining is sewn and stitched in by hand. Available now for $180.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #4 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Patchwork quilt for sale
Patchwork quilt by Alicja.
Bedspread made of cotton and polyester material. Inserted with polyester lining. 90 by 70 cm. Available now for $120.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #5 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Nuno-felt shawl for sale
Shawl by Sylwia.
Scarf made with the nuno felting technique (wet felting fibre into a silk gauze) using South American wool. Two-sided scarf with latticework at the ends. Wholly in the colors red, black, green in an abstract pattern. Available now for $100.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #6 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Clara the doll for sale
Clara by Alicja.
Clara loves roses and greenery, adores tormenting spiders with long legs and sleeping soundly in the afternoon. Cuddly toy made of cotton and polyester, stuffed with polyester lining. Available now for $70.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #7 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Noah the doll for sale
Noah by Alicja.
Noah doesn't know what to like and what not to like but keeps wondering and thinking about it. Cuddly toy made of cotton and polyester, stuffed with polyester lining. Available now for $70.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #8 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Black suspenders for sale
Black suspenders by Zuzanna.
Two-sided suspenders from black material with a rose motif on one side and striped cotton on the other. Connected by a leather triangle. Adjustable length. Hand washing in cold water recommended. Available now for $50.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #9 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Orange suspenders for sale
Orange suspenders by Zuzanna.
Two-sided suspenders made of denim and orange material with a Polish floral folk design. Connected by a leather triangle. Adjustable length. Hand washing in cold water recommended. Available now for $50.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #10 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Green suspenders for sale
Green suspenders by Zuzanna.
Two-sided suspenders made of denim and green material with a mountain folk design. Connected by a leather triangle. Adjustable length. Hand washing in cold water recommended. Available now for $50.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #11 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Felt earrings for sale
Felt earrings by Dorota.
Material: South American woolen yarn, dyed, 100% wool. Hand-worked with a needle. Pendant of anti-allergenic metal. Available now for $40.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #12 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Round ceramic earrings for sale
Round ceramic earrings by Dorota.
Material: Glazed ceramics, hand-molded. Available now for $40.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #13 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
Oblong ceramic earrings for sale
Oblong ceramic earrings by Dorota.
Material: Glazed ceramics, hand-molded. Available now for $40.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #14 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
'Coral' necklace for sale
Corals by Sylwia.
Necklace made of cotton pieces with organdy and decorated with beads, suspended on cotton strings. Can be worn as a necklace, as a brooch or as a belt tied at the side. Available now for $40.00. Ships free of additional charge via USPS (uninsured) unless otherwise directed.
To purchase please mail a USPS money order in an envelope clearly marked Lot #1/Item #15 to M. Slaby at house number 201 on Ridge Road in the town of West Milford, in the state of New Jersey, one of the beautiful United States of America. The postal code is 07480-3112.
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