Lexicon

I recently learned that you can append " mw" to any google search, and a lookup of that word in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I’ve been looking up some words that I’ve learned through context only. Sometimes it’s actually quite surprising to see the precise definition, as it’s often a lot wider then I thought. Here’s the first load:

vulgar odious legitimize betrayal lgbtq queer sapiosexual cavalier embrace bigotry pugnacious grandee “ape drunk” “lion drunk” firebrand mandate bellicose chutzpah sclerotic deplane svengali lucent lexicon

Now, you might be assuming that I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at a dumpster fire. And you might be right.

(16/365)

Does unintentional count?

American Carnage In the context, and with tone it was uttered, it was utterly disgusting in it’s dishonesty and intent. Surrounded by so much verbal sewage.

But it’s still a great phrase. I think (and hope) a lot of writers are kicking themselves of not coining it before. Hunter Thompson would have killed to have it this in the Nixon years. Here’s the context that phrase works best. Imagine the college textbook typesetting, and a comforting distance of decades. 2017- 2021 : American Carnage After the Obama years, the contentious election of etc,etc…

(15/365)

Ask not what

This week might have been the largest fart in quite a while. Even though it came from a wind-bag, and is gag-reflex inducing, it’s quite harmless. And funny in the most toxicly crude way. Let’s hope we can open enough windows before we start lighting matches.

(14/365)

I can't even

My first American election I remember/followed is the reelection of Bush Jr. It started with a lot of doubts on the legitimacy of the election. It gave us “pre-emptive strike”, warfare justified on lies, and Guantanamo bay. He was the vehicle for nihilism to project itself on the world.

This is the baseline. Things seem very fucked to the baseline. I wish I could have a beer with him now. Seems like an amiable guy. That’s how fucked we are.

(13/365)

Back to artisan

Finally, we have enough time to take care of the basics again.

We can stop shaving with those disposable razors, and do it right.

We can stop buying these ready made meals, broths, and marinades. It’s time to make our own.

We can make our own clothes, we can make our own wallets, belts and buckles.

We can throw away our smartphones, and focus on the here and now.

We can go and live in the country, away from the radio waves

Make cheese and honey

And a fireplace instead of LED

We’ll be an autonomous collective

who don’t vote for a king

(12/365)

Double apt nowadays

“Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.”

George Jean Nathan.

(11/365)

Relative perceptive

As we saw before, colour can be hard to call out. The colour was a dark version of “plum jam”. I only figured this out by comparing the image with the Pantone catalogue. Because, once you start to look into it, colour is a total confusion. The colour I gave you for my hoodie doesn’t look like the colour I see right now. This is due to the environment lighting, and probably due to a lot of factors between my eyeball and my brain. For you, it’s worse, as we’ll have to account for the difference in monitors. What is emitted by my monitor is certainly different then what is emitted by your monitor. There are a lot of reasons for that.

A major one is calibration. Some shops will increase the contrast and saturation of their displays to punch up the visual “impact” of their demo units. This carries over to the units they ship. Your TV is very likely not configured to show colour as intended, but it is configured to show a lot of vibrancy and contrast. That sells.

There are other reasons as well. But that is to be continued…

(10/365)

The clown

I show up in a coffee bar, expecting to meet a local girl. And a couple of other. The others turn out to be a 2 Turkish men. Both fluent in Farsi. And interested both well versed and interested in the culture. 4 is always a nice number. The coffee is bad. The company is good.

I’m wearing light green/camo trekking pants, a threadbare red t-shirt that I got from the salvation army. It advertises the university of Lund, Sweden, red with a yellow crest. “Orangered” is a more accurate term, but let’s just say I ain’t looking pretty. I have about 3 shirts, and I’ve been on the road 5 months. My beard is scruffy and long. My hair is disheveled, and slowly getting sparse. My modus operandi is “bum”. I’m the kind of person mothers around the world would take pity on.

I don’t remember how she’s dressed, but I’m certain she’s dressed well. Big curly hair. The exact amount of make-up. A bowler hat, with a silk scarf underneath. Moles in all the right places. I’d grab her, and kiss her on the forehead, if it would be a possibility. She has the specific intelligence that makes things seem effortless. And that’s an incredible skill that is hard to spot. I’ve just met her, but it’s obvious. She’s beautiful in more ways then one.

You’ll excuse me if I don’t remember too many details about the other participants to the conversation of the table. I hear a lot of intelligent, academic conversations. A lot of it about linguistics, politics, and a lot of things I’m not prepared for. Despite my thorough preparation of reading a single history book, reading up on Khayyam’s poetry, and attending a concert of mister Shajarian. I’m an amateur. I don’t understand this place. I can only play the clown. And due to some weird luck, I pull it off. She laughs. Her laugh is great. The evening is good.

When I go back home, the metro attendants let me get on for free. I like this place.

(9/365)

Another day, another triplet

Colour is weird. I take it for granted, as in, I don’t think about it at all most days. Even quite rarely when I’m working with it professionally. But you can’t avoid them forever. Today’s shocker comes from a sweater.

This has nagged me all day. Because it ain’t purple. Can you guess what it is?

Soon : the answer!

(8/365)

What is the mechanism of making friends?

I still don’t know how people decide do make friend. I’ve seen seen the obvious. I’ve met good friends sharing hobbies and interests. I’ve met good friends sharing ambitions. I’ve met good friend out of necessity. I’ve met friends by elimination. And, above all, I’ve met people by drawing a line through the sand, and finding ourselves on the same side of it. And I mean this as the reason to form the friendship, not to maintain it. That is a topic for another time.

When I look at my friends, there are so many reasons why we came at this point. I once made a friend, because we both liked to put strange things in our mouth and call it food. I once made a friend because we both thought people were taking themselves too serious, and we would have liked to put a small hat on their head. I made a friend, because we were bored, and being friend would make it less so. I made a friend, because the universe is fundamentally unfair, and it owes us. I made a friend a friend, because we were all alone in the desert, and what else are you going to do? I made a friend, because she was a free spirit, and I wanted to do all I could to keep her flying all around. I made a friend because it would be easier to make fun of my sister. I made a friend because we weren’t.

My friends are an eclectic, random bunch of people. They adhere 3 religions, and one non-religion, 5 continents, too many nationalities, all the binary/non-binary/non/fluid genders. Some of them are weird to most of them. Some of them would be downright hostile to others. A couple of them are free-market liberals. A couple don’t believe in soap. Some of them believe in communism. Others believe in capitalist-libertarianism.

I love each and every one of them

(7/365)