causality
The desk chair that's meant to be sat on, not ridden, breaks. She slides off it with an expression that's part-guilty, part-puzzled. We live in a strange world indeed, where desk chairs just fall apart without warning, she seems to say.
fictive
Watching the Matilda movie from the 1990s, and the only person truly freaking out from Trunchbull is another adult in the room. "Is this... how can this be real? How can she get away with this?" he asks.
lashing
People looking for a purpose and a place find neither, seek someone near them to blame.
likeness
He prefers passive-aggressive insults. Instead of telling me directly what he thinks about my character, mind, and looks, he'll discuss someone I bear a resemblance to and make hostile remarks about the qualities I share with them.
phototropic
In an orange coffee mug, she's growing what looks like a valiant twig. Whatever it is has sprouted a couple of leaves and angled itself towards the window.
scholastically
Pages whirring, books thudding, students sniffling over their assignments.
treasuring
A pink evening glow of laughter and play.
Showing posts with label playfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label playfulness. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2016
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Week in Seven Words #305
canid
The dog, tied up outside, whines low and long over all the things she can smell but not jump on and lick.
capture
I'm reminded of what it's like to play tag in a house. Ducking behind a door and waiting for the pursuer to run past into a different room. At the end, getting caught with a fierce hug.
eventide
Cold, clean air, a muddy lawn, leaves, a swing set at dusk.
fauna
He tells me about the relationship between manatees and elephants, and hippos and whales - just some of the topics we migrate through, using books, toy animals, and YouTube videos as supplements.
fidgeting
They show me a video of what at first looks like a skittering punctuation mark: a pygmy shrew, among soil and rocks and exploratory human fingers.
grumbly
We cram ourselves onto a gondola swing. It creaks in protest, lurching under our weight.
venom
This time, she finds a wound in me that she can tear open wider. My responding anger is so strong. It collects in my throat and chest, and I'm close to letting it fly. Like a snake that's reared back and spread its hood.
The dog, tied up outside, whines low and long over all the things she can smell but not jump on and lick.
capture
I'm reminded of what it's like to play tag in a house. Ducking behind a door and waiting for the pursuer to run past into a different room. At the end, getting caught with a fierce hug.
eventide
Cold, clean air, a muddy lawn, leaves, a swing set at dusk.
fauna
He tells me about the relationship between manatees and elephants, and hippos and whales - just some of the topics we migrate through, using books, toy animals, and YouTube videos as supplements.
fidgeting
They show me a video of what at first looks like a skittering punctuation mark: a pygmy shrew, among soil and rocks and exploratory human fingers.
grumbly
We cram ourselves onto a gondola swing. It creaks in protest, lurching under our weight.
venom
This time, she finds a wound in me that she can tear open wider. My responding anger is so strong. It collects in my throat and chest, and I'm close to letting it fly. Like a snake that's reared back and spread its hood.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Week in Seven Words #301
inventiveness
Trying to figure out how to play with her collection of Shopkins, we come up with a game. I'll pretend I can take only one Shopkins figurine with me on a vacation. One by one, she'll pretend to be the figurines pleading their case. She'll have each one present reasons for why it's the best choice and will address my questions and concerns. ("As ice cream, I'll keep you cool and give you something to eat if all the restaurants serve gross food.") She comes up with creative, funny ideas and also makes some of the figurines self-sabotaging.
luring
Late afternoon shadows make the woods even more inviting. I'm tempted to stay until night, when I'd have a much harder time finding my way out.
restocking
More lungfuls of clean air to take with me to the city.
searching
The tree seeks itself in the leaf-choked stream.
stridulous
During the hike, I hear a faint roar. It's sports commentary, seeping from his headphones.
susceptibilities
Suddenly, we're at the lake. Silky water ringed with colorful trees. It's a view that breaches the hardened places in my mind.
unremarked
After the hours she spends finding and implementing a solution for their Internet outage, they largely ignore her.
Trying to figure out how to play with her collection of Shopkins, we come up with a game. I'll pretend I can take only one Shopkins figurine with me on a vacation. One by one, she'll pretend to be the figurines pleading their case. She'll have each one present reasons for why it's the best choice and will address my questions and concerns. ("As ice cream, I'll keep you cool and give you something to eat if all the restaurants serve gross food.") She comes up with creative, funny ideas and also makes some of the figurines self-sabotaging.
luring
Late afternoon shadows make the woods even more inviting. I'm tempted to stay until night, when I'd have a much harder time finding my way out.
restocking
More lungfuls of clean air to take with me to the city.
searching
The tree seeks itself in the leaf-choked stream.
stridulous
During the hike, I hear a faint roar. It's sports commentary, seeping from his headphones.
susceptibilities
Suddenly, we're at the lake. Silky water ringed with colorful trees. It's a view that breaches the hardened places in my mind.
unremarked
After the hours she spends finding and implementing a solution for their Internet outage, they largely ignore her.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Week in Seven Words #256
I'm sorry for the nearly month-long absence on this blog. The reason was a combination of lots of work and a needed blog break.
anticipant
She peers into the audience, her face nervous and expectant, knowing her family will be there but needing to see them.
crestfallen
"I stink at this," is what one child says every time she doesn't get something right the first time. Who is she echoing?
easy-going
She sits on the floor in her power suit, at ease when kids tumble around her legs.
huddled
They're the same type of people - same background, same lifestyle - so it doesn't matter what they say to each other; they're happy with the knowledge that they're the same and that their conversation will be safe.
pathetically
Out of pity I buy a small stuffed animal with lumpy ears. A dog, I think. An aspiring dog.
restorative
The clean scent of linens in a drawer.
true
While the others are match sparks and unsteady flames, she's a lamp, steady and gentle in the dark.
anticipant
She peers into the audience, her face nervous and expectant, knowing her family will be there but needing to see them.
crestfallen
"I stink at this," is what one child says every time she doesn't get something right the first time. Who is she echoing?
easy-going
She sits on the floor in her power suit, at ease when kids tumble around her legs.
huddled
They're the same type of people - same background, same lifestyle - so it doesn't matter what they say to each other; they're happy with the knowledge that they're the same and that their conversation will be safe.
pathetically
Out of pity I buy a small stuffed animal with lumpy ears. A dog, I think. An aspiring dog.
restorative
The clean scent of linens in a drawer.
true
While the others are match sparks and unsteady flames, she's a lamp, steady and gentle in the dark.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Week in Seven Words #115
[Note: I finished writing this 'week in seven words' last night and was prepared to post it earlier today. I then got the news that my grandpa passed away. After this post I plan to take a week off or so from the blog.]
digestive
During the main meal of the second Seder, we decide to take a break after the soup and salad. A break from eating. All holiday we've been eating. So we stop for a game of Scrabble, keeping score in our heads.
patella
A moment of weightlessness before my left knee hits the concrete.
playfully
Making more matzah balls - the mixture is messy and delicious.
sight-seeing
From 66th street I walk down Broadway to the southern tip of Manhattan. Along the way I get the different flavors of a single street. Midtown's large commercial buildings with glossy windows. The frenetic ads and crowds in Times Square. Further south, Macy's, construction, small businesses topped by apartments, a few parks and squares floating in a cloud of pink blossoms. NYU's campus, more stores (some closed and papered over), the horizontal streets no longer numbered. Old Manhattan - churches and graveyards, Wall Street, then Bowling Green and Battery Park. Beyond that the harbor, gray and windy.
still life
The tulips and lisianthus glow in the lamplight.
vicarious
One evening I'm introduced to a Batman Lego video game. I don't get it. Why not just have a regular Batman? This Batman looks like a Lego figurine, and you can press on buttons to have him build stuff for you on the screen. But it's not as if you're the one building anything. I guess I don't understand the point of a Lego product that doesn't involve the manual manipulation of pieces.
windblown
At Bowling Green the wind combs through the red tulips and flattens them alongside the fountain.
digestive
During the main meal of the second Seder, we decide to take a break after the soup and salad. A break from eating. All holiday we've been eating. So we stop for a game of Scrabble, keeping score in our heads.
patella
A moment of weightlessness before my left knee hits the concrete.
playfully
Making more matzah balls - the mixture is messy and delicious.
sight-seeing
From 66th street I walk down Broadway to the southern tip of Manhattan. Along the way I get the different flavors of a single street. Midtown's large commercial buildings with glossy windows. The frenetic ads and crowds in Times Square. Further south, Macy's, construction, small businesses topped by apartments, a few parks and squares floating in a cloud of pink blossoms. NYU's campus, more stores (some closed and papered over), the horizontal streets no longer numbered. Old Manhattan - churches and graveyards, Wall Street, then Bowling Green and Battery Park. Beyond that the harbor, gray and windy.
still life
The tulips and lisianthus glow in the lamplight.
vicarious
One evening I'm introduced to a Batman Lego video game. I don't get it. Why not just have a regular Batman? This Batman looks like a Lego figurine, and you can press on buttons to have him build stuff for you on the screen. But it's not as if you're the one building anything. I guess I don't understand the point of a Lego product that doesn't involve the manual manipulation of pieces.
windblown
At Bowling Green the wind combs through the red tulips and flattens them alongside the fountain.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Week in Seven Words #24
consistency
I can count on this restaurant to provide the right kind of avocado - not too mushy or too hard, and embedded in the chewy seaweed and sticky white rice of a delectable sushi roll.
cubes
A plate of juicy pineapple - fat glistening cubes of pineapple - by the window fan in the warm room.
dangling
I don't focus enough on my words and the implications of my work; I attend too closely to the expressions of the people in the audience. Their faces are often inscrutable; from time to time they nod, quirk an eyebrow, smile just a little. Though it's important to keep one's audience in mind during a talk I think I take it just a little too far, searching their faces for the most miniscule glimpse of their true thoughts.
mellow
Leaning against the train window, eyes half-closed, with the sun setting at my left ear.
procrastination
It stems in large part from a fear of failure.
puzzlement
A camp counselor asks a reasonable question: "Why did you touch the waffle-maker? You know it's hot!"
tickled
She picks a few fuzzy feathery pink flowers from a tree and instructs me to tuck them into my pocket so that my hands will be free when we play catch.
I can count on this restaurant to provide the right kind of avocado - not too mushy or too hard, and embedded in the chewy seaweed and sticky white rice of a delectable sushi roll.
cubes
A plate of juicy pineapple - fat glistening cubes of pineapple - by the window fan in the warm room.
dangling
I don't focus enough on my words and the implications of my work; I attend too closely to the expressions of the people in the audience. Their faces are often inscrutable; from time to time they nod, quirk an eyebrow, smile just a little. Though it's important to keep one's audience in mind during a talk I think I take it just a little too far, searching their faces for the most miniscule glimpse of their true thoughts.
mellow
Leaning against the train window, eyes half-closed, with the sun setting at my left ear.
procrastination
It stems in large part from a fear of failure.
puzzlement
A camp counselor asks a reasonable question: "Why did you touch the waffle-maker? You know it's hot!"
tickled
She picks a few fuzzy feathery pink flowers from a tree and instructs me to tuck them into my pocket so that my hands will be free when we play catch.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Week in Seven Words #15
agitation
The sky is orange and gray, with a gleam of lightning now and then from behind the cloud cover. The wind is panting, and the trees tremble. The storm won't contain itself much longer.
capitalize
The difference between a lowercase and uppercase B stalls the programming code, though I hardly know this as I comb through the lines attempting to make sense of an ambiguous error message. It takes a friendly human, with friendly human eyes, to look through it twice and spot the difference.
disorientation
I've grown used to a certain way of walking to this place; I don't think much about the turns I need to make, the landmarks and houses I walk past. That changes twice. Once at night, when a friend suggests making a shortcut through an alley and a side street, and I find my steps faltering a little, as if I'm in a foreign neighborhood. And the second time is during the day, so even the accustomed route looks a little strange - in the sunshine details leap out that have lain hidden in the dark, and I need to stop and stare and remind myself that yes, this is the street.
escapades
I make recurring efforts to neaten the room. But as my attention turns elsewhere the tidiness dissolves, and the next time I stop at the doorway and take a hard assessing look I find that the books have leapfrogged over one another, the papers have waltzed around the floor, and the shirts have turned somersaults off their shelves and onto the chairs.
incongruent
The man has stretched his arms along the back of the bench; his legs are eased out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, and his spine is curved in a lazy C. His head is tipped back, his eyes probably full of sun and clouds, and I figure he's singing or maybe even talking softly to himself. I'm not prepared, when drawing within earshot, to hear the growls and foul words grinding out of his mouth.
magnify
The nightmare is both ridiculous and revealing; as I think about it afterwards, I realize how much weight I've placed on what seems to be a trivial detail, but is actually only one small part of a larger problem.
windup
At least the day is long, and the hours don't seem to hurry. We have lunch in a breezy room and talk there for a good while after. I savor the time without consciously forcing myself to do so. There's a lot I've learned from this small group of people, and many days I've had great fun being with them. I don't think it's sunk in yet, how I'll miss the frequency of our meetings.
The sky is orange and gray, with a gleam of lightning now and then from behind the cloud cover. The wind is panting, and the trees tremble. The storm won't contain itself much longer.
capitalize
The difference between a lowercase and uppercase B stalls the programming code, though I hardly know this as I comb through the lines attempting to make sense of an ambiguous error message. It takes a friendly human, with friendly human eyes, to look through it twice and spot the difference.
disorientation
I've grown used to a certain way of walking to this place; I don't think much about the turns I need to make, the landmarks and houses I walk past. That changes twice. Once at night, when a friend suggests making a shortcut through an alley and a side street, and I find my steps faltering a little, as if I'm in a foreign neighborhood. And the second time is during the day, so even the accustomed route looks a little strange - in the sunshine details leap out that have lain hidden in the dark, and I need to stop and stare and remind myself that yes, this is the street.
escapades
I make recurring efforts to neaten the room. But as my attention turns elsewhere the tidiness dissolves, and the next time I stop at the doorway and take a hard assessing look I find that the books have leapfrogged over one another, the papers have waltzed around the floor, and the shirts have turned somersaults off their shelves and onto the chairs.
incongruent
The man has stretched his arms along the back of the bench; his legs are eased out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, and his spine is curved in a lazy C. His head is tipped back, his eyes probably full of sun and clouds, and I figure he's singing or maybe even talking softly to himself. I'm not prepared, when drawing within earshot, to hear the growls and foul words grinding out of his mouth.
magnify
The nightmare is both ridiculous and revealing; as I think about it afterwards, I realize how much weight I've placed on what seems to be a trivial detail, but is actually only one small part of a larger problem.
windup
At least the day is long, and the hours don't seem to hurry. We have lunch in a breezy room and talk there for a good while after. I savor the time without consciously forcing myself to do so. There's a lot I've learned from this small group of people, and many days I've had great fun being with them. I don't think it's sunk in yet, how I'll miss the frequency of our meetings.
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