It has come to my attention that there is some vaguity (my favorite made-up word) in discerning “preventive” from “preventative.” I’ve done some work toward clearing this up in my own mind, and I may as well post the results of my contemplation. Most online sources are completely useless in differentiating between the two. That … Continue reading That Which Prevents
Such a Wretched Thing To Be Small
I’m wondering what’s coded into our DNA that makes us value large and devalue small. It’s probably the drive to amass resources: more food is better than less food because it will sustain us for a longer period of time. If a little of something makes us happy, a lot of it should make us … Continue reading Such a Wretched Thing To Be Small
Word Choice
While they may not be much fun at parties (so has been impressed upon me), English majors are essential for clarity in expression and sense. Lesser beings struggle with farther versus further, college students with half a clue stay up late and challenge each other with infer versus imply, but for English majors these are elementary skirmishes. … Continue reading Word Choice
A Spam as Lovely as a Tree
This is a strange spam I recently received. Strange, because the point of it is impenetrable: it offers no service, it solicits no funds. Greetings. Facade, Proxy, and Factory stress for children of every internal industry Sincerely, Maryellen Harrison. I think if I got more spam like this, I wouldn’t mind it so much. It’s … Continue reading A Spam as Lovely as a Tree
Dead Word: Swachele
One of my favorite words to write about—so much so that it may soon become my standard—is swachele. No one knows what it means, and its meaning is lost. I don’t know how I found it: I was probably browsing the Oxford English Dictionary and saw it in a list. Here’s the sum and whole of … Continue reading Dead Word: Swachele
Departure via the Blue Lagoon
Woke up after dreams of an online friend calling me (she does not have my number IRL) because I associate her with world travel, and here I was in another country. It's like a kind of validation, suggesting that I've arrived or am on the rise. I wouldn't want my Reykjavik excursion to represent the … Continue reading Departure via the Blue Lagoon
The Icelandic Sagas and ‘Iron Man’
We were permitted to tour the Culture House, after all that hubbub with the royalty and the government and the hey-hey-hey. We locked up our belongings and headed downstairs to the chambers of the historical artifacts. The layout was really compelling, enlarged illustrations from the traditional texts, the sagas. They broke down what each figure … Continue reading The Icelandic Sagas and ‘Iron Man’
Culture and Royalty
Woke up, bathed in the inset bathtub (my notes: "hand nozzle, no faucet, which is cool"), got dressed, and requested the password for Wi-Fi access from the hostess. I didn't write down what we needed to look up, probably a weather forecast, maybe checking the exchange rate? We sat down in the communal kitchen and … Continue reading Culture and Royalty
One of Those Unpleasant Days
After Café Paris, we walked downtown to the central bus area to catch the 14. We were feeling lazy and wanted to cut down on our travel time back to Galtafell. The 14 never showed, however, and I didn't know whether this was because the Sunday schedule was different from the other days or what. … Continue reading One of Those Unpleasant Days
To Isafjorđur… or Not
Today we woke up, cleaned the cool-ass little apartment up, and checked out. We agreed we would miss the little pad, with its garish cow duvet and supremely convenient closet-kitchenette. If I could travel the world and secure such an apartment for myself everywhere I went, why, I should be quite content indeed. We trotted … Continue reading To Isafjorđur… or Not
C.W. Wilkie 