If you’re interested, I added a new entry at my 150 words or less blog on my website. I took this picture at the event described in the entry.

Here’s a piece I wrote that was published in Springfield’s Own magazine on Friday. The magazine is a publication of the newspaper where my work is sometimes published. I see that the published version presents an interesting exercise in the significance of articles: Judging from the comparison between my rough draft and the printed version, it looks like “the hammock” in the second paragraph was changed to “a hammock,” and I’m not so sure about the result. The hammock I describe in the first paragraph is the same one that “Tara” is sitting in in the second paragraph, so, in my original version I wrote “A picture shows Tara stretched out in the hammock” (meaning the hammock from the 1st para), but it was changed to “A picture shows Tara stretched out in a hammock,” which, obviously, could mean any hammock on the property, and this change keeps the two paragraphs from working together the way I wanted them to (and makes it read as if there are two different starting paragraphs…almost as if I was supposed to delete one for the other, but accidentally left them both in). All because the articles were switched. Well, what can you do? I’m just happy happy happy to have the story published.

The Washington Post’s Style Invitational asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are this year’s winners:

1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

2. Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

3. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

4. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

5. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

6. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

7. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.

8. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

9. Karmageddon (n): its like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

10. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

11. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.

12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

13 Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

14. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

15. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you’re eating.

And the pick of the literature:

16. Ignoranus (n): A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.

Now that I have a little more time to myself, I’ve been reading, cooking, and writing a little more (I also spend far too much time on Facebook, and I do need to put an end to this). I just finished the book Olive Kitteridge and enjoyed it a great deal. It’s the kind of book that I would take with me to bed to read for a little while before going to sleep, but every time I reached my designated stopping point, I would think to myself, No–I’ll read just a little more, until  an hour has passed and I can barely keep my eyes open. It’s a very interesting book.   I’m also working on an essay that should be really fun and offbeat because the subject matter is fun and offbeat, but as I’m writing it, the piece seems heavy and predictable…not at all what I’m trying to get across. I hope to find the remedy to this soon. It’s making me a little bananas.  And I’ve been cooking! Tonight I made a potato and mushroom bake. Over the past week I’ve made guacamole, vegetarian chili, and black bean and potato soup.  And, I have a certain experimental fiction piece awaiting my commentary. That is next on my list.