This covers the week of 11/3/19 - 11/9/19.
displayed
It's a bright, vivid street, even at dusk. The windows glow with everything I won't or can't buy.
ethical
She's trying to do something ethical with her data science work, conscious as she is of how data can be used to manipulate people, deprive them of privacy, or deny them favorable decisions in unfair ways that are difficult or even impossible to appeal.
gnawed
The fog has feasted on the skyscraper, eating away the steel.
jet lag
Night after night, waking up in the middle of the night, to the flat, dark hours.
outdated
He tries to hook up old speakers to an old computer. "Houston, we have a problem," I say, and we make crackling static noises and laugh.
pinning
She makes claims that force you into a defensive mode. For example, her questions already contain what she considers the true answer. She doesn't ask to genuinely inquire.
rubble
I think of what needs to be rebuilt, and I shiver at what it will take.
Showing posts with label buildings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buildings. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Week in Seven Words #482
miscommunication
Phone calls yielding false information, corrections, sarcasm from rude receptionists, repetition (what's your date of birth? what's your insurance?).
nibbling
Throughout the afternoon, I enjoy samples of the food she's prepared.
opulence
A silvery waterfall in a marble lobby. The tap-tap of heels, the squeak of leather shoes.
peaceable
I enjoy singing with them. I enjoy his jokes. We walk back on a cool, windy night.
scene
Some of the characters: A chatty widow with a chin that looks like a weedy garden; another woman, quiet and carefully put together, wearing creamy makeup and eating her cake with quick, tidy bites; a young man propelled by wine and joy to dance at the end of the meal with two other men, their shirts crawling out of their pants, their faces flushed.
services
Going to a different type of synagogue. I notice what's been truncated in the service and omitted deliberately or carelessly. I also notice the atmosphere of geniality, welcome, and compassion.
stuck
She prays for people who are feeling stuck. I close my eyes, hearing this prayer.
Phone calls yielding false information, corrections, sarcasm from rude receptionists, repetition (what's your date of birth? what's your insurance?).
nibbling
Throughout the afternoon, I enjoy samples of the food she's prepared.
opulence
A silvery waterfall in a marble lobby. The tap-tap of heels, the squeak of leather shoes.
peaceable
I enjoy singing with them. I enjoy his jokes. We walk back on a cool, windy night.
scene
Some of the characters: A chatty widow with a chin that looks like a weedy garden; another woman, quiet and carefully put together, wearing creamy makeup and eating her cake with quick, tidy bites; a young man propelled by wine and joy to dance at the end of the meal with two other men, their shirts crawling out of their pants, their faces flushed.
services
Going to a different type of synagogue. I notice what's been truncated in the service and omitted deliberately or carelessly. I also notice the atmosphere of geniality, welcome, and compassion.
stuck
She prays for people who are feeling stuck. I close my eyes, hearing this prayer.
Friday, February 1, 2019
Week in Seven Words #448
dandelion
The fountain looks like a dandelion in a fuzzy state. Instead of sending seeds into the wind, it releases soft white droplets.
embassy
From around the corner of the block, through a lobby, to a cramped waiting room, which doesn't have enough chairs, down a roped-off corridor, into an elevator, and finally up to the sanctum, a broad, gleaming chamber with plenty of cushy chairs and bureaucrats forcing smiles from behind the counter.
eye-rolling
Low-key, humorous grumbling from people well-acquainted with bureaucratic inefficiencies.
over
She writes about the end of a friendship but gets frustrated when the words make the relationship and its dissolution sound trivial. She wants whoever is reading it to understand how much it hurt her.
rictus
It's supposed to be a discussion group but it has a cultish infomercial feel to it where everyone is relentlessly bright and empty-eyed.
spiritedly
Her resting face gives the impression of boredom, but her thoughts are energetic, and if you talk to her about an interesting topic, she becomes animated, her eyes brighter and a smile ready to flicker to life.
variable
Just when I'm thinking the street is bland, full of the dull mirrors of office building glass, I spot an enormous church with a dome.
The fountain looks like a dandelion in a fuzzy state. Instead of sending seeds into the wind, it releases soft white droplets.
embassy
From around the corner of the block, through a lobby, to a cramped waiting room, which doesn't have enough chairs, down a roped-off corridor, into an elevator, and finally up to the sanctum, a broad, gleaming chamber with plenty of cushy chairs and bureaucrats forcing smiles from behind the counter.
eye-rolling
Low-key, humorous grumbling from people well-acquainted with bureaucratic inefficiencies.
over
She writes about the end of a friendship but gets frustrated when the words make the relationship and its dissolution sound trivial. She wants whoever is reading it to understand how much it hurt her.
rictus
It's supposed to be a discussion group but it has a cultish infomercial feel to it where everyone is relentlessly bright and empty-eyed.
spiritedly
Her resting face gives the impression of boredom, but her thoughts are energetic, and if you talk to her about an interesting topic, she becomes animated, her eyes brighter and a smile ready to flicker to life.
variable
Just when I'm thinking the street is bland, full of the dull mirrors of office building glass, I spot an enormous church with a dome.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Week in Seven Words #424
clunking
The rhythm of our conversations is two people kicking a ball around aimlessly.
encompassing
Her shawl has rippling shades of blue, light and dark, as if a small ocean has settled around her shoulders.
purposeless
He stares in bemusement at his useless homework that his inebriated teacher won't bother to read.
replications
Along one avenue, each block seems to be copy and pasted, one to another. A succession of groceries, nail salons, pizzerias, and chain restaurants on repeat. (But there are some variations. A community bank, now and then. And sometimes the grocery store specializes in a certain cuisine.) Along another avenue, this one primarily residential, homes with their own small lawns give way to chains of homes with a flight of front steps and no lawn, followed by a block of project houses, then back to the homes with the front steps.
shedding
The park is all bare trees pawing at the sky, and leaves that have settled in rustling folds on the grass.
single-minded
The dog pants ferociously during the game of fetch. She darts, gasping and growling, down the hallway as if the tennis ball is an escaped criminal she alone can bring to justice.
sorcerous
Three cats emerge from a salt marsh. First a pair, then a lone one with a black mustache and thick white fur. None of them have collars.
The rhythm of our conversations is two people kicking a ball around aimlessly.
encompassing
Her shawl has rippling shades of blue, light and dark, as if a small ocean has settled around her shoulders.
purposeless
He stares in bemusement at his useless homework that his inebriated teacher won't bother to read.
replications
Along one avenue, each block seems to be copy and pasted, one to another. A succession of groceries, nail salons, pizzerias, and chain restaurants on repeat. (But there are some variations. A community bank, now and then. And sometimes the grocery store specializes in a certain cuisine.) Along another avenue, this one primarily residential, homes with their own small lawns give way to chains of homes with a flight of front steps and no lawn, followed by a block of project houses, then back to the homes with the front steps.
shedding
The park is all bare trees pawing at the sky, and leaves that have settled in rustling folds on the grass.
single-minded
The dog pants ferociously during the game of fetch. She darts, gasping and growling, down the hallway as if the tennis ball is an escaped criminal she alone can bring to justice.
sorcerous
Three cats emerge from a salt marsh. First a pair, then a lone one with a black mustache and thick white fur. None of them have collars.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Week in Seven Words #411
appeal
Before the clouds release their cold drizzle, he sits on the lip of an inactive fountain and sings "Stand By Me."
cutouts
Some of the leaves are wrinkly stars. Others are broad hands and tear drops. They're everywhere; above, below.
defending
They make fun of the way she talks, so I stand up for her.
solo
A grizzled man dances on roller skates by himself, the music from his radio subdued.
speckle
The leaves spatter the surface of the lake like gobs of paint. The trees lean over the water to examine the painting in progress.
steampunk
The water tower crouches at the edge of the building like a great mechanical spider about to pounce.
whey
At the post office, a long, shuffling line. Everyone has the complexion of cheese under the sickly lights.
Before the clouds release their cold drizzle, he sits on the lip of an inactive fountain and sings "Stand By Me."
cutouts
Some of the leaves are wrinkly stars. Others are broad hands and tear drops. They're everywhere; above, below.
defending
They make fun of the way she talks, so I stand up for her.
solo
A grizzled man dances on roller skates by himself, the music from his radio subdued.
speckle
The leaves spatter the surface of the lake like gobs of paint. The trees lean over the water to examine the painting in progress.
steampunk
The water tower crouches at the edge of the building like a great mechanical spider about to pounce.
whey
At the post office, a long, shuffling line. Everyone has the complexion of cheese under the sickly lights.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Some Jewish Culture and a Walk up Manhattan's East Side
This past Sunday, I took a tour of the Museum at Eldridge Street, or the Eldridge Street Synagogue. There's still a small active Orthodox Jewish congregation there, but its purpose is mainly to preserve a critical part of the Jewish culture that flourished in Manhattan's Lower East Side from the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th century.
This grand synagogue opened in 1887, and the congregants were Jews from Eastern Europe. It's a beautiful example of Moorish Revival architecture.
The congregation began to see a decline in the 1920s when the US enacted immigration quotas that hit hard at people trying to come in from Eastern and Southern Europe. As Jewish families moved out of the Lower East Side, newer immigrants weren't coming in to replace them and maintain a steady level of congregants at the synagogue.
In the 1950s, the main sanctuary was closed off, and the few congregants used only the Beit Midrash (a smaller room for religious worship and study). A restoration project began in the 1980s and was completed in 2007.
This grand synagogue opened in 1887, and the congregants were Jews from Eastern Europe. It's a beautiful example of Moorish Revival architecture.
The congregation began to see a decline in the 1920s when the US enacted immigration quotas that hit hard at people trying to come in from Eastern and Southern Europe. As Jewish families moved out of the Lower East Side, newer immigrants weren't coming in to replace them and maintain a steady level of congregants at the synagogue.
In the 1950s, the main sanctuary was closed off, and the few congregants used only the Beit Midrash (a smaller room for religious worship and study). A restoration project began in the 1980s and was completed in 2007.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Earth Day walk
It started at Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn, where there's a memorial for WWII.
Then south to Borough Hall, where I joined a walking group. We headed west into Brooklyn Heights to look out over the East River.
Then south to Borough Hall, where I joined a walking group. We headed west into Brooklyn Heights to look out over the East River.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Week in Seven Words #366
association
A fun evening of Code Names, drinks, and food.
offbeat
They're helping her learn the distinction between cool weird and uncool weird. Cool weird is when you make silly faces with your friends for Instagram, maybe use a filter or app that gives you puppy ears and big glasses. Uncool weird isn't a sanctioned strangeness. Even if it's creative and doesn't harm anyone, it's suspect.
origami
She folds Trident gum wrappers into birds.
pickle
The alarm over the door begins to shriek. A worker approaches it with a grimace, then walks away. A minute later, another worker comes along, grimaces and walks away. Another minute goes by, with another grimace.
problematic
The word 'problematic' has started to bug me. People often use it in a way that's lazy and full of insinuation. "That book is problematic." Meaning? A vague unease, a condemnation without a coherent argument.
thump
Hearing about war gives him a thrill. It's the swagger of war he likes, the way deep-voiced media figures growl a threat of reprisal.
unproductive
An empty plaza framed by ads, shrubs, and an office building that looks like a fort.
A fun evening of Code Names, drinks, and food.
offbeat
They're helping her learn the distinction between cool weird and uncool weird. Cool weird is when you make silly faces with your friends for Instagram, maybe use a filter or app that gives you puppy ears and big glasses. Uncool weird isn't a sanctioned strangeness. Even if it's creative and doesn't harm anyone, it's suspect.
origami
She folds Trident gum wrappers into birds.
pickle
The alarm over the door begins to shriek. A worker approaches it with a grimace, then walks away. A minute later, another worker comes along, grimaces and walks away. Another minute goes by, with another grimace.
problematic
The word 'problematic' has started to bug me. People often use it in a way that's lazy and full of insinuation. "That book is problematic." Meaning? A vague unease, a condemnation without a coherent argument.
thump
Hearing about war gives him a thrill. It's the swagger of war he likes, the way deep-voiced media figures growl a threat of reprisal.
unproductive
An empty plaza framed by ads, shrubs, and an office building that looks like a fort.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Week in Seven Words #363
alchemy
As evening closes in, the tower of the High Bridge looks like the home of a mage. A light gleams inside it, eerie and suggestive.
chewed
Over sweetened almonds, we talk about embittering life events.
disk
A blank, bright field, and at the far end, two kids throwing a frisbee that they never catch.
geometrical
Long walks through the city are full of interesting shapes. Some buildings look like a wedge of pie, narrowing where two streets split in an acute angle. Metallic semicircles shine from the side of a substation. Buildings march along the river in cubes and rectangular prisms.
lunar
There's a free class on Photoshop, which I'm not familiar with, though I figure it may prove useful at some point. I'm the only one who shows up. The instructor looks as awkward as I feel, but we get past that quickly enough, and twenty minutes later I'm pasting a giant baby onto the surface of the moon.
relief
He crouches by the side of a tennis court and buries his face in the dog's neck. It's the happiest moment of his day so far.
whisk
The evergreen sapling looks like a glowing gold feather duster in the forest.
As evening closes in, the tower of the High Bridge looks like the home of a mage. A light gleams inside it, eerie and suggestive.
chewed
Over sweetened almonds, we talk about embittering life events.
disk
A blank, bright field, and at the far end, two kids throwing a frisbee that they never catch.
geometrical
Long walks through the city are full of interesting shapes. Some buildings look like a wedge of pie, narrowing where two streets split in an acute angle. Metallic semicircles shine from the side of a substation. Buildings march along the river in cubes and rectangular prisms.
lunar
There's a free class on Photoshop, which I'm not familiar with, though I figure it may prove useful at some point. I'm the only one who shows up. The instructor looks as awkward as I feel, but we get past that quickly enough, and twenty minutes later I'm pasting a giant baby onto the surface of the moon.
relief
He crouches by the side of a tennis court and buries his face in the dog's neck. It's the happiest moment of his day so far.
whisk
The evergreen sapling looks like a glowing gold feather duster in the forest.
Friday, July 7, 2017
Two Recent Walks: Governors Island and Harlem
Last time I visited Governors Island was five years ago, when it was still in earlier stages of development and pretty eerie. In late June, I took the five-minute ferry trip from Lower Manhattan to walk around it again. There's more going on there now, and it's a lovely place to walk, bike, and picnic, play around on slides or zip-lines, and enjoy some art and history.
Highlights for me included the view of the NYC harbor from the area of the island known as The Hills. (The crowd of people in pink clothes were attending Pinknic, a rosé wine festival.)
Another part of the island I enjoyed was the small urban farm and composting center. I was happy to see birds that aren't pigeons.
Highlights for me included the view of the NYC harbor from the area of the island known as The Hills. (The crowd of people in pink clothes were attending Pinknic, a rosé wine festival.)
Another part of the island I enjoyed was the small urban farm and composting center. I was happy to see birds that aren't pigeons.
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Week in Seven Words #343
bower
Fat green leaves ripple against the railings of the balcony.
clack
Cicadas sound like crackling wind-up toys.
edged
The broad reservoir is rimmed with trees and buildings. To the north, stumpy apartment houses mostly, and to the south, silvery high-rises.
indulge
She reads a lot, and mostly on her own, but she sometimes wants to be read to. She can close her eyes whenever she wants, or jump in to share her ideas with someone who won't have a problem pausing to listen.
knucklebones
The rubber ball from a game of jacks shoots away and pings the table legs.
mise en scène
They could stage one of Shakespeare's plays here, in the garden where the paths whirl up a hill among flowers and low-hanging trees, and the rats scurry around at dusk.
reassure
They don't make hide-and-seek too scary for him. His mom hides, but he can still see her elbows and purse poking out from behind the tree, so he's laughing and stumbling to her immediately, without a fear that she left for good.
Fat green leaves ripple against the railings of the balcony.
clack
Cicadas sound like crackling wind-up toys.
edged
The broad reservoir is rimmed with trees and buildings. To the north, stumpy apartment houses mostly, and to the south, silvery high-rises.
indulge
She reads a lot, and mostly on her own, but she sometimes wants to be read to. She can close her eyes whenever she wants, or jump in to share her ideas with someone who won't have a problem pausing to listen.
knucklebones
The rubber ball from a game of jacks shoots away and pings the table legs.
mise en scène
They could stage one of Shakespeare's plays here, in the garden where the paths whirl up a hill among flowers and low-hanging trees, and the rats scurry around at dusk.
reassure
They don't make hide-and-seek too scary for him. His mom hides, but he can still see her elbows and purse poking out from behind the tree, so he's laughing and stumbling to her immediately, without a fear that she left for good.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Week in Seven Words #339
cross-cultural
She's an American dating an Israeli, and she doesn't know what to make of his parents. They aren't mean to her, in fact they seem to like her, they're just... I get it. They're thoroughly Israeli. I sit with her for a while and try to help her understand.
distance
Do I miss him? (Not really.) Should I? (Emotions aren't obligatory.)
encroach
By the bay there's a row of abandoned houses. Sand has crept in through the cracks in the boarded up windows. Each door has grown a wild beard of leaves.
facelift
There's a thick smell of paint in the corridor, and the light is cloudy with dust.
gratification
I'm not a beach person; when I take time off, I probably won't be sitting on a beach for hours. But I love the smell of sunscreen. I love the feel of sea water curling around my ankles.
inarguable
They're not looking to learn, just hoping to become more certain of what they think they already know.
rasping
She's hoarse, her throat sanded away by a weeks-long cold.
She's an American dating an Israeli, and she doesn't know what to make of his parents. They aren't mean to her, in fact they seem to like her, they're just... I get it. They're thoroughly Israeli. I sit with her for a while and try to help her understand.
distance
Do I miss him? (Not really.) Should I? (Emotions aren't obligatory.)
encroach
By the bay there's a row of abandoned houses. Sand has crept in through the cracks in the boarded up windows. Each door has grown a wild beard of leaves.
facelift
There's a thick smell of paint in the corridor, and the light is cloudy with dust.
gratification
I'm not a beach person; when I take time off, I probably won't be sitting on a beach for hours. But I love the smell of sunscreen. I love the feel of sea water curling around my ankles.
inarguable
They're not looking to learn, just hoping to become more certain of what they think they already know.
rasping
She's hoarse, her throat sanded away by a weeks-long cold.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Two Winter Walks in NYC
One on New Year's Day, the other on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They covered different neighborhoods in Northern Manhattan, including Inwood and Harlem.
Walking from the George Washington Bridge bus station to Fort Tryon Park takes you through some beautiful residential neighborhoods in Washington Heights. These apartments aren't far from Bennett Park, which is the highest bit of land in Manhattan (just a little over 265 feet above sea level). Like other places in Washington Heights, it's a site of Revolutionary War military action (mostly Washington resisting but ultimately retreating from British forces, as they pushed him out of Manhattan).
From Inwood Hill Park at the northern tip of Manhattan, a view of Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and beyond it, Marble Hill and the Bronx:
Walking from the George Washington Bridge bus station to Fort Tryon Park takes you through some beautiful residential neighborhoods in Washington Heights. These apartments aren't far from Bennett Park, which is the highest bit of land in Manhattan (just a little over 265 feet above sea level). Like other places in Washington Heights, it's a site of Revolutionary War military action (mostly Washington resisting but ultimately retreating from British forces, as they pushed him out of Manhattan).
From Inwood Hill Park at the northern tip of Manhattan, a view of Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and beyond it, Marble Hill and the Bronx:
Friday, December 23, 2016
Week in Seven Words #319
applesauce
Half the content of these books is beautiful nonsense, lovingly tended to in the small, dim library.
dryadic
One ranger is a flinty middle-aged woman. The other is a younger woman with red, wind-bitten cheeks and an honest face. They takes us down paths strewn with the sweet gums' spiky seed pods.
everything
"You have a special bond with her," she says. "And she loves you so much."
infliction
American beech bark scarred with names.
nosegay
A long stretch of gray glass buildings broken up by a grocery store, flowers huddled by its door.
pronounce
It isn't a discussion he wants, but a chance to speak his opinion as if it's law.
rousing
This is love, or some of what love is - sharing the best parts of yourself with others, and hoping their own best self responds.
Half the content of these books is beautiful nonsense, lovingly tended to in the small, dim library.
dryadic
One ranger is a flinty middle-aged woman. The other is a younger woman with red, wind-bitten cheeks and an honest face. They takes us down paths strewn with the sweet gums' spiky seed pods.
everything
"You have a special bond with her," she says. "And she loves you so much."
infliction
American beech bark scarred with names.
nosegay
A long stretch of gray glass buildings broken up by a grocery store, flowers huddled by its door.
pronounce
It isn't a discussion he wants, but a chance to speak his opinion as if it's law.
rousing
This is love, or some of what love is - sharing the best parts of yourself with others, and hoping their own best self responds.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Week in Seven Words #317
digs
It's an old-timey lobby with wood paneling, cubbyholes for mail, and a brass call bell at the front desk. I expect to see men lounging around in homburgs and high-wasted trousers.
gleam
The corridor has a triangular glass roof. Beyond it are roosting birds and gray sky. Lamplight reflects off the metalwork.
indefinitely
Mirrors extend the front hall infinitely. The doorman sends us up to where the old man lives on every last drop of his fixed income.
limited
By mashing buttons, I score a slam-dunk in video game basketball. When in doubt, mash the buttons. Something will happen. I try it again, making a shot across the full length of the court. I wish I could say it goes in.
relic
I stare at the payphone as if it's prehistoric. My friend comes up behind me and says, "You can... call people on this?"
shibboleth
With the slogan, he identifies his tribe and takes a mental shortcut. The conversation ends.
webbing
Pushing through to the other side of tiredness to finish a project on time.
It's an old-timey lobby with wood paneling, cubbyholes for mail, and a brass call bell at the front desk. I expect to see men lounging around in homburgs and high-wasted trousers.
gleam
The corridor has a triangular glass roof. Beyond it are roosting birds and gray sky. Lamplight reflects off the metalwork.
indefinitely
Mirrors extend the front hall infinitely. The doorman sends us up to where the old man lives on every last drop of his fixed income.
limited
By mashing buttons, I score a slam-dunk in video game basketball. When in doubt, mash the buttons. Something will happen. I try it again, making a shot across the full length of the court. I wish I could say it goes in.
relic
I stare at the payphone as if it's prehistoric. My friend comes up behind me and says, "You can... call people on this?"
shibboleth
With the slogan, he identifies his tribe and takes a mental shortcut. The conversation ends.
webbing
Pushing through to the other side of tiredness to finish a project on time.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Week in Seven Words #315
biding
Open doorways breathe out sour smells, moist wood smells. People wait for death with the TV on as round-the-clock company.
denseness
When she sits, her cloud of perfume settles like a soft cloak, cushioning the bench and protecting her from other people's touch.
expires
The elevators groan open and admit you at your peril.
fragmentation
With a sense of satisfaction, she tells me that the world is going to pieces. It could be that it's her own world she's talking about, the one of slowness and illness. If her body is crumbling, so must everything else. She's not alone in her disintegration.
minimal
She speaks with command, her message urgent and worth hearing. Most of us won't act on it. We'll think we've done our part by showing up and appearing attentive.
ocher
One of those hopeful days, when the storms have ended, and it's possible to think there'll be no time wasted. The future is all mellow morning sunlight.
sepulchral
A dim marble lobby where a doorman paces, muttering about his dead phone.
Open doorways breathe out sour smells, moist wood smells. People wait for death with the TV on as round-the-clock company.
denseness
When she sits, her cloud of perfume settles like a soft cloak, cushioning the bench and protecting her from other people's touch.
expires
The elevators groan open and admit you at your peril.
fragmentation
With a sense of satisfaction, she tells me that the world is going to pieces. It could be that it's her own world she's talking about, the one of slowness and illness. If her body is crumbling, so must everything else. She's not alone in her disintegration.
minimal
She speaks with command, her message urgent and worth hearing. Most of us won't act on it. We'll think we've done our part by showing up and appearing attentive.
ocher
One of those hopeful days, when the storms have ended, and it's possible to think there'll be no time wasted. The future is all mellow morning sunlight.
sepulchral
A dim marble lobby where a doorman paces, muttering about his dead phone.
Monday, September 12, 2016
Week in Seven Words #306
conspicuous
A Mustang parked outside a condemned brick home. Its front left tire is poised on the edge of a scum puddle.
drearily
His conversation - mostly heavy sighs and talk of how everything is ending.
fastened
They stand on the edge of an empty fountain and embrace.
jive
She stages her skilled, frenetic dance in the narrow aisle between two bookshelves.
myopia
Their need for a scapegoat outweighs anything good she does.
plaster
People's image of themselves can act as their greatest obstacle. They didn't work alone in constructing that self-image. If they ever want to tear parts of it down, they'll need help, perseverance, and tolerance for pain.
squishy
Scooping gobs of warm, wet clothes from the washing machine.
A Mustang parked outside a condemned brick home. Its front left tire is poised on the edge of a scum puddle.
drearily
His conversation - mostly heavy sighs and talk of how everything is ending.
fastened
They stand on the edge of an empty fountain and embrace.
jive
She stages her skilled, frenetic dance in the narrow aisle between two bookshelves.
myopia
Their need for a scapegoat outweighs anything good she does.
plaster
People's image of themselves can act as their greatest obstacle. They didn't work alone in constructing that self-image. If they ever want to tear parts of it down, they'll need help, perseverance, and tolerance for pain.
squishy
Scooping gobs of warm, wet clothes from the washing machine.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Week in Seven Words #297
bleary
Like a bloodshot eye, the moon flickers faintly red through a film of cloud.
computations
I'm running late to meet with a hiking group in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Based on subway travel time estimations, the group's route, their likelihood of heading out 10-15 minutes late, and the speed at which they'll walk, I guess which subway stop to get off of and wind up only a few minutes out of sync with them.
eased
During our conversation she laughs, and then tells me it's the first time she's laughed all day. It feels good to do that for someone.
graphics
I watch them play a soccer video game with graphics so crisp the players look real. There's also real-time commentary, giving the effect of an actual televised game. It's kind of mind-blowing. From my own childhood I remember a small Mario in profile stomping on mushrooms. A Sega Jurassic Park game had more sophisticated graphics, and it let you play as either Alan Grant or a velociraptor (I enjoyed being the velociraptor). But it hits me now, how much games have changed.
latently
I think about the difficulties of writing a 'weak' main character. Someone struggling with some of life's more basic demands. I don't want the character to become too pathetic or seem too hopeless. I also don't want to hit an unchanging note of defeat for pages on end. There's a challenge in making a character enervated while keeping the story dynamic. And even in the character's weakness, one may see the potential for greater strength developing.
packed
Buildings brimming with activity. The balconies filling up. The windows showing faces, silhouettes, and household clutter.
proselytizing
A homeless man and a monk walk on opposite sides of the street. "I belong to an awesome church," the homeless man calls out. "Join my church." "I like my church," says the monk. The homeless man laughs and says, "My church is for everyone. Your church is part of my church." "No," the monk replies, "my church is the one church for everyone."
Like a bloodshot eye, the moon flickers faintly red through a film of cloud.
computations
I'm running late to meet with a hiking group in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Based on subway travel time estimations, the group's route, their likelihood of heading out 10-15 minutes late, and the speed at which they'll walk, I guess which subway stop to get off of and wind up only a few minutes out of sync with them.
eased
During our conversation she laughs, and then tells me it's the first time she's laughed all day. It feels good to do that for someone.
graphics
I watch them play a soccer video game with graphics so crisp the players look real. There's also real-time commentary, giving the effect of an actual televised game. It's kind of mind-blowing. From my own childhood I remember a small Mario in profile stomping on mushrooms. A Sega Jurassic Park game had more sophisticated graphics, and it let you play as either Alan Grant or a velociraptor (I enjoyed being the velociraptor). But it hits me now, how much games have changed.
latently
I think about the difficulties of writing a 'weak' main character. Someone struggling with some of life's more basic demands. I don't want the character to become too pathetic or seem too hopeless. I also don't want to hit an unchanging note of defeat for pages on end. There's a challenge in making a character enervated while keeping the story dynamic. And even in the character's weakness, one may see the potential for greater strength developing.
packed
Buildings brimming with activity. The balconies filling up. The windows showing faces, silhouettes, and household clutter.
proselytizing
A homeless man and a monk walk on opposite sides of the street. "I belong to an awesome church," the homeless man calls out. "Join my church." "I like my church," says the monk. The homeless man laughs and says, "My church is for everyone. Your church is part of my church." "No," the monk replies, "my church is the one church for everyone."
Monday, February 8, 2016
Week in Seven Words #277
accumulation
Ten open jars are spread out on her table, including two for peanut butter and one for pickles. A newspaper lies folded in half in front of her chair, next to a crusty fork and a lid that doesn't fit any of the jars.
beaming
The waiter is one of the most charismatic people we've ever met. When he glides up to our table, we kind of forget about the food. Radiant with warmth and good humor, he grins, tells jokes, offers vivid descriptions of dessert. We would pay him to eat with us.
cyclic
The boy hits replay again on Abbott & Costello's "Who's on First" routine.
echolocation
We're lost in a white hallway with a white-and-black checkered floor. "I'm here," says his disembodied voice, its path distorted by sharp turns and the high ceiling over the corkscrew stairs.
imploringly
She refuses only because she likes to hear us plead with her.
patzer
The dog slips between me and the chess board, her tail sweeping pieces off as she stares at me with a solemn expression.
relinquishing
The house belongs now to someone else. The tree she planted may be ripped out or cut down. Few people remember the work she put into that yard.
Ten open jars are spread out on her table, including two for peanut butter and one for pickles. A newspaper lies folded in half in front of her chair, next to a crusty fork and a lid that doesn't fit any of the jars.
beaming
The waiter is one of the most charismatic people we've ever met. When he glides up to our table, we kind of forget about the food. Radiant with warmth and good humor, he grins, tells jokes, offers vivid descriptions of dessert. We would pay him to eat with us.
cyclic
The boy hits replay again on Abbott & Costello's "Who's on First" routine.
echolocation
We're lost in a white hallway with a white-and-black checkered floor. "I'm here," says his disembodied voice, its path distorted by sharp turns and the high ceiling over the corkscrew stairs.
imploringly
She refuses only because she likes to hear us plead with her.
patzer
The dog slips between me and the chess board, her tail sweeping pieces off as she stares at me with a solemn expression.
relinquishing
The house belongs now to someone else. The tree she planted may be ripped out or cut down. Few people remember the work she put into that yard.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Week in Seven Words #274
blue
The town is most memorable in its shades of blue: on walls, on signs, on balconies painted midnight. Also in the way its art galleries are strung together along narrow stone paths. Sculptures flow like melting wax. Painted bodies have been broken into basic geometric shapes, each a different color, some in shades of blue.
froth
Every day she acts out painful, unexamined feelings from her childhood. Her behavior stirs up frustration and anger in other people, and in herself. Maybe these familiar emotions are comforting; they generate a lot of surface churn, deflecting attention from the deeper damage.
hushfully
A peaceful stroll around a lake. The grass is riddled with abstract sculptures. Strange birds peck at the soil and slip into the water.
littoral
The coast changes its character along the way: golden sand and columns, a harbor shimmering in the heat, porous rocks pounded by the surf.
nibbles
Bins brimming with nuts and candies, the air rich and sweet.
passageways
The apartment complex is like a small, intricate city. Perched on a hill overlooking empty fields, it's full of winding lanes, narrow doors, and rough stone walls that open onto hidden courtyards.
sup
You get acquainted with their distinct personalities. There's the server who's everyone's favorite long lost son; he doles out soup with a smile and a self-deprecating joke. Another server makes motherly noises at you and gives you meatless bones that she claims are pieces of chicken. The cook is begrudgingly kind and clearly wishes she were elsewhere, maybe getting a pedicure or at home reading magazines and eating pickles.
The town is most memorable in its shades of blue: on walls, on signs, on balconies painted midnight. Also in the way its art galleries are strung together along narrow stone paths. Sculptures flow like melting wax. Painted bodies have been broken into basic geometric shapes, each a different color, some in shades of blue.
froth
Every day she acts out painful, unexamined feelings from her childhood. Her behavior stirs up frustration and anger in other people, and in herself. Maybe these familiar emotions are comforting; they generate a lot of surface churn, deflecting attention from the deeper damage.
hushfully
A peaceful stroll around a lake. The grass is riddled with abstract sculptures. Strange birds peck at the soil and slip into the water.
littoral
The coast changes its character along the way: golden sand and columns, a harbor shimmering in the heat, porous rocks pounded by the surf.
nibbles
Bins brimming with nuts and candies, the air rich and sweet.
passageways
The apartment complex is like a small, intricate city. Perched on a hill overlooking empty fields, it's full of winding lanes, narrow doors, and rough stone walls that open onto hidden courtyards.
sup
You get acquainted with their distinct personalities. There's the server who's everyone's favorite long lost son; he doles out soup with a smile and a self-deprecating joke. Another server makes motherly noises at you and gives you meatless bones that she claims are pieces of chicken. The cook is begrudgingly kind and clearly wishes she were elsewhere, maybe getting a pedicure or at home reading magazines and eating pickles.
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