Monthly Archives: August 2011

Oxymoron

Posted on August 31, 2011 by sputterpub

… is one. Really. Oxys is from the Greek for “sharp,” and moros is the same Greek “foolish, dull” that brought us moron. Oxymoron means sharp-dull. The dictionary says the word is a figure of speech in which opposite or … Continue reading →

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The View from Our Table

Posted on August 30, 2011 by sputterpub

I watched a couple dine last night, instead of paying strict attention to my host. I didn’t see the garden as I fed my eyes with her and him. They shared pot roast and dense souffle. Each drank a different … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | 2 Comments

Tesseract

Posted on August 29, 2011 by sputterpub

I understand that the term was coined in 1888 by Charles Howard Hinton. He took it from the Greek words tesserais actines, which mean four rays. A tesseract is also called a hypercube or a 4-cube. Simply put, a tesseract … Continue reading →

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Metaphoraging

Posted on August 26, 2011 by sputterpub

Adrift I am, and starting to float free of old relationships I wouldn’t rock. I wallow from the harbor clumsily but as the distance grows between the dock and me, I find a purchase for my keel. I stretch within … Continue reading →

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Bad Teachers

Posted on August 25, 2011 by sputterpub

I don’t want to sound disrespectful. I know the good ones won’t take it personally because this doesn’t apply to them. But I’m tired of pretending that all teachers (or soldiers) are heroes. Sure their jobs are important. But not … Continue reading →

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Decadence and Hedonism

Posted on August 24, 2011 by sputterpub

I wondered a few days ago if the words decadence and decade were related, which made me first consider how decadence differs from hedonism, and later look the words up. No relation. Decadence comes to us from the Latin decadere … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | 2 Comments

Waking

Posted on August 23, 2011 by sputterpub

At the risk of repeating myself, I like living alone. As an only daughter I was the one in my family who had a single room. I spent so much time there, both parents tried to nag or shame me … Continue reading →

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Talk to the Copier Repairman

Posted on August 22, 2011 by sputterpub

I should announce right here that I don’t think sales is a real career and I have serious doubts about the effectiveness of brand advertising. With those in mind: If you are offering a worthwhile product and you know it, … Continue reading →

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Unraveling

Posted on August 19, 2011 by sputterpub

      Everyone I know is heroic. But we’ve all been placed in a mostly non-catastrophic scene; we lack crises in which we can work and shine. Look how well people, most people, step up when the chips are far down. … Continue reading →

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Shoes

Posted on August 18, 2011 by sputterpub

I still have my first pair of shoes. My mother is not a packrat by any means – in fact she’s been known to dispose of treasured items like old letters from friends – but she saved the soft white … Continue reading →

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