Dystopia for ABC Wednesday

George Orwell's 1984 was the last book I read about a dystopian world which is loosely defined by Wikipedia as a form of utopia but with drawbacks.

Hunger Games is now drawing many readers and there appears to be a resurgence of interest in Dystopia. I succumbed to it by downloading Clint Stoker's The Cause to read on the Kindle Fire. I haven't turned the first page but I'm anxious to get started.

Are you a fan of dystopian novels?

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Cohen for ABC Wednesday

Leonard Cohen's voice and style have fascinated me for quite some time. I have favorites songs, of course, but one of his newest, Darkness, makes my heart and feet beat with feelings I thought I'd put to bed in earlier life.


NPR has the first listen of Cohen's new album Old Ideas which was released today. Don't walk, but run there if you like that whisky soaked, smoky low voice of this elder man whose life reads like a novel. Poetry makes sense there as if in an intimate piano bar with a few selected friends and a glass in which Merlot swirls in time to Cohen's gentle rhythm.

I'm going back for a second listen and then I'm scurrying to purchase the album.

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A for ABC Wednesday

ABC Wednesday Round 10


An artful artichoke and android

Several years ago, I made 'scratch pads' for special people. The covers carried a sketch or drawing of something particular to the recipient. One daughter was having a love affair with artichokes, so... I laugh when I remember my dear dad saying, "Can you imagine how hungry that person must have been to try artichokes for the first time?" He also said that about crab, lobster and other things which require more than simple fire and knives. :)

Art-ing has been off my radar for a while but has been re-energized with the purchase of a Kindle Fire and a nifty android app which increases my desire to doodle, draw and play with color while wrapped in warm fleece as winter tantrums outside seek entry into my old house. Doodling, Angry Birds and dedicated reading create an awesome world.

Avoiding artichokes. I cannot find the artichoke image. Do you have any idea where it might be? Arg. So, I'll show you part of a borrowed photo of a borrowed kid with his very own shirt.

 Do you doodle? Or, have you an idea about where my artichoke drawing might be?

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X for ABC Wednesday

Xiphias, a swordfish.


According to Wikipedia, the swordfish is named after its bill resembling a sword.  This makes it superficially similar to other billfish such as marlin, but upon examination their physiology is quite different and they are members of different families.

original watercolor sketch

After I battled one of these for nearly a day before bringing him close enough to the boat to permit a quick touch before the deckhand returned him to the ocean, I hardly knew whether he was a marlin or a swordfish. But I did notice he was huge and heavy. 


Have you challenged an Xiphias?

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W for ABC Wednesday

Wishing you a cozy warm winter with a wealth of spirit, energy and joy!

Wishing you a wonderful 2012!

original watercolor

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Viatical for ABC Wednesday

A viatical settlement is the sale of a life insurance policy by the policy owner before the policy matures. More information can be found at Wikipedia.

An early Christmas present (from me to me) of the Kindle Fire means that I'm reading with renewed enthusiasm. Added to this is the ability to digitally download Kindle books from the local library. The most recent series of books on my list comes from author James Grippando, creator of lawyer Jack Swyteck. Reading the second of his series, Beyond Suspicion, brought up viatical and I remembered when that word was prevalent in investing terminology.

And never let it be said that I read more than a couple of chapters before playing a bit of Angry Birds. All this excitement brought housework to a complete stop.

Do you buy gifts for yourself or am I the only one who does?

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U for ABC Wednesday

 Please follow the link to see others' entries for the letter U.


One of the oldest USPS sites that I'm familiar with. As far as I know, this delightful place didn't have a local post office aid.

The mail is now delivered  by boat and distributed by which ever body is on hand to keep the boat near the dock while the pilot passes over the mail and whatever groceries were requested from the store in a small town on the other side of the lake.

Are you familiar with an older version?

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T for ABC Wednesday

A portable tenderometer from Google search

I don't have a tenderometer (instrument for measuring tenderness of fruits and vegetables) and probably never will but it would have been handy several times during the last month because an Asiatic pear ripens differently than a Bartlett and yesterday I ruined a costly avocado by cutting it too soon.

Maybe it would be a handy item to have but because tenderometers are used for commercial purposes, I'm on my own again.

The anagrammer page touts Scrabble words, anagrams and several varieties of tenderometers.

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S for ABC Wednesday

Sun Salutation is my favorite yoga movement, although this time of year it could be named snow salutation. I'm not so fond of snow and there's surely not much sun to be found.

I prefer the easy yoga. Simple stretches are good and easy to do. That's my key: Simple and slow. 

I credit yoga for my recovery from a two-month battle with pneumonia several years ago which left me unable to stand or walk. A couple of physical therapy visits in conjunction with yoga returned me to the walking state. I don't skateboard now but I never did and I'm sure not planning to learn that sport! It just doesn't fit my simple and slow motto.

Do you stretch with yoga or do you skateboard?

Image courtesy of :    http://www.livingwordsofwisdom.com

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R for ABC Wednesday

Rocking and Rollicking in the Rakings

Gotta envy the energy of the young, but on the other hand, where would this one be without the raker?

A borrowed photo, a child called Sweetcheeks

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Q for ABC Wednesday

Quoz  (absurd person or thing) rocks and rules. Stricken by absurdity flu, much of the media misses the news by pandering to the quoz. 

I can sense a rant by this quat (insignificant person) coming on, so I'm going to quickly quit this post on quoz.

Downside of the quackers is a watercolor sketch based on a photograph.

Have you seen down from under?

~ ~ ~

Two of my novels and several chapbooks of poetry are available in various formats through Lulu Publishing and available as e-books on Nook and iTunes. Thank you.

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P for ABC Wednesday

An example of a paraprosdokian. 

You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

If you feel the urge to snort, giggle and roar, follow the link where you'll find an assortment of paraprosdokians and suddenly you'll be passionate enough about them to begin writing your own.


Do you know paraprosdokians?

Fractal image.

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O for ABC Wednesday

What a challenge it is to wait until after the morning oatmeal to search for ABC topics. Today, I found two that work together and caused me to laugh at the same time.

I learned that if a person is well versed in oikology (the science of housekeeping) he would be unlikely to locate oose (furry dust that gathers under beds).

I solved one by replacing my ordinary bed with a waterbed which goes all the way to the floor and prohibits oose. However, should a leak occur I'd have a bigger problem than a little dustbin of oose. It might require the use of oikology.

Do you have loose oose  or are you talented at oikology?

Image: Fractal O


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N for ABC Wednesday

It's hard to have a negative numb down day when there's a rainbow on the north wall!

This piece of fun fell through the peekhole in the front door or bounced from a southern window off the grandfather clock or a multiple of crystals. Needless to say, it pleased me. 

Do you welcome indoor rainbows?

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M for ABC Wednesday

The image is from Wikipedia.

Magpie


This is the first year I've seen magpies in my yard. For several weeks, they've rocked small limbs and pestered squirrels while they remain firmly in possession. With long tales and clearly defined black-and-white feathers, magpies race past the windows, bathe in rain puddles and shake themselves dry in the surrounding pines. I'm pleased they've chosen to anchor here for now.

Do you have magpies in your world?

 

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L for ABC Wednesday

Lottery

Some time back I read The Tontine, a two-volume novel by Thomas Bertram Costain. Certain parts of it stayed with me and I recently searched for more information. I plan to read this again.

A tontine begins with a number of people investing their funds in a manner which allows the survivor to be rewarded with the full sum.

Another type of lottery is the tombola in which each entrant wins a prize. I'd be in favor of this one.

Our lottery claims to use the money for funding schools which I've always found a little strange.

And, yes, I play the lottery even though winning is unlikely as being lit by lightning. Do you?

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K for ABC Wednesday

Kale is headless cabbage according to the Wikipedia page. The first time I tasted kale was when a daughter used it as garnish on Tuscan Sausage Soup and I loved the flavor but failed to do anything about it - a fine kettle of kerfuffle.

After reading the Wiki...page, I searched for recipes and found a kazillion which range from soups to chips. It appears to be a very healthy vegie. It's even possible, not probable, that I could grow some next season.

Yesterday, a daughter brought me a batch of the tastiest kind of her homemade vegetable soup with a 'side' of fresh kale. Now I'm thinking kale chips.

Are you a kale liker/lover?

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J for ABC Wednesday

Juju represents a form of witchcraft, according to know-it-all Wikipedia.

Juju would be my favorite activity right now if I could push autumn to the side while enjoying a bit more summer. The weather only recently turned delightful and it's now making its departure. I'm just not ready for cold.

A little juju, or maybe a lot, might be a very good thing for me.

Are you ready for fall?

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I for ABC Wednesday

Izzard is a new word to me. It sounds unlike its meaning which is: the archaic name for the letter Z. I think of Harry Potter, Oz, hen parts, crawling snake-like things and such. I doubt I'll ever have a chance to use this word even though I'd love to.

Would you use it?

 

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H for ABC Wednesday

I'm on the lookout for a humgruffin. It would give me great pleasure to call someone a humgruffin just because the word is surely a quirky one that belongs in a poem, a knock-knock joke or a backpack of fave sayings.

Humgruffin is defined as 'a terrible person'. Maybe I know a lot of them or maybe I know only one or none. Terrible is not very definitive. The more I think about it, the more I'm not sure I'd know one if I found it. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I know many.

How many do you know?

 

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