The Self~Professed Lothario

Not counting the Itlo Club, Curly’s Bar is the pride and joy of Hilldale, Pennsylvania.  Hilldale, like most other boroughs in that part of Pennsylvania, is surrounded by the Pocono Mountains, the Susquehanna River,  and countless miles of Anfractuous roads, which Stretch out as far as the eye of man can see. 

 

 

One evening, at about Twilight, Elmer and Albert made their Customary trip to the local saloon.  All went reasonably well until Sadie, the local femme fatale, presumed to Sashay into view.  Albert, who’s always been smitten with her, was somewhat Tipsy by then.

 

 

He approached his ideal woman, Wine in hand, and asked her to Dance.  Having always fancied himself quite the Charming bloke, he never for a moment suspected that she could possibly have understood him to be anything but ever so delightfully Playful.

 

 

Unfortunately for him, the object of his affections assumed that he was just another annoying barfly, interested only in getting a few extra Shiggles to show for his time there. 

 

 

Thus were permanently ended his hopes for romance.

 

 

 

Here we have Wordle #125.  This week’s words are  anfractuous, stretch, bar, wine, sashay, tipsy, shiggles, dance, charming, playful, twilight, and customary

 

 

As always there’s an excessively cumbersome word among them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annunci

Before And After..In Person And Online

Unfortunately it’s been quite a long time since I was regularly in a Classroom.  Over the course of my adult lifetime, though, I’ve been in touch with a significant number of my former teachers and classmates, especially now that the internet makes it so easy to find them.  In a way the online world is kind of like a Kit, with which someone can put together a parallel universe of his choosing.

 

 

One of the best things about associating with people online is that there’s no Pressure to follow a specific code of conduct, unlike when we were still together physically.   Even if someone gets Angry, and reacts to a classmate’s, or teacher’s,  behavior in a Harsh manner, wanting to Sneer at him, the Facebook world makes it possible to keep the nasty excesses hidden.  This, of course, is also one of its bigger drawbacks, exactly because it allows people to Withdraw from legitimate relationships.

 

 

When I was a freshman at S.U.N.Y. Farmingdale, my literature professor, George W. McLain, daily started each class by asking, “What Transpired when last we were in class?”  Social networks make it possible to answer that question in only a distorted manner.  It involves, inevitably, a Disruption of the natural order of social intercourse.

 

 

Although I thoroughly enjoy the availability of  social networks, they tend to allow each of us to Withdraw from a legitimate understanding of things, and for this, they are worthy of Reproach.  On the bright side, however, there’s no need to be Lugubrious about it.  Each individual is quite free to exercise a bit of prudence, and to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

 

 

It’s Monday so I wanted to try to write something for Mindlovesmisery’s Menagerie.  Each week, we’re asked to take a full dozen words~though this week there are only eleven, because ‘Sneer’ is listed twice~and to use them in a post.

 

 

The Knights Of Columbus : Wordle #122

I’m a member of Monsignor Cass Council  2626 of the Knights Of Columbus in Long Beach, New York.  A ‘council’ is our version of a ‘Branch’.   To my Perturbation, I don’t have a car, so I always either get a ride, or use Lyft, when I go to the meetings.  

 

We have a quorum of thirteen men for each meeting. For the past two meeting nights, there have been too few of us, so we weren’t allowed to Proceed.  Considering that it doesn’t much Please me to go out in this bitter cold weather ( winter possesses absolutely no Attractancy whatsoever for me), it’s a bit of an effort for me to face the nasty nights.   I’m simply not cut out of sturdy Cloth.

 

 

The Knights of Columbus is quite an interesting Place. I’ve been involved with it since May of 1992.  Of the three  councils I’ve been in so far, each has been nice without being fancy. None has any kind of a Courtyard or other impressive features, but each has been a fine environment.  It would be Folly to claim otherwise.  Each council is a Treasure to its community.  I’m happy to say I’ve never wanted to Bolt out the door immediately after the end of a meeting.  I just don’t like it when they keep us Dangling about whether there will be one.

 

 

I haven’t written anything for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie in quite a while, so I wanted to take a chance on it again.  Read all about it at the link, please.

A Most Interesting Confrontation

“I’m telling you, man,” Humpty told Tweedle,” the guy at the door looked just like Alan Napier’s portrayal of Alfred Pennyworth”.

 

 

“Do tell,” his befuddled friend said.

 

 

The former went on to explain, “All I did was take a swig of me daily pint while putting away me sleeping bag. Next thing I knew Alfred showed up and I followed him.”

 

“Careful what you drink, bruh,” was Tweedle’s response.

 

 

“Within minutes we were marooned on a desert island, surrounded by deranged octopuses.”

 

 

His friend simply gazed at him in amazement, breathlessly taking it all in.

 

 

“We wanted to run,” Humpty said, “But you know how molluscs are. We were terrified they might chase us.

 

 

“Hey”, his friend couldn’t resist telling him, “If you had to get stuck like that with a character from a ’60’s super hero show, it’s too bad you couldn’t have been with Bruce Lee’s Kato from ‘The Green Hornet’. Now There’s a guy with fists of steel! He could have taken those octopuses but good!” 

 

 

“Oh well”, Tweedle continued, “I’ll say one thing for you. At least you’re not some kind of a total wastrel who should be locked up in a metal cage.  Your imagination alone more than keeps things hopping around here.

 

Here’s yet another excursion into Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie ,a work of fiction based upon ten relatively easy vocabulary words.

 

The Dead Writers’ Society

Harry and Blanche finally found their dream house. Having always been both nature lovers and bookworms, they’d fantasized for years about the perfect combination of their two loves.

 

“You’ll see, sweetheart,” the proud husband gushed. “Once all these trees start blooming, it will be such a beautiful environment.”

 

 

“Yes, Harry,” Blanche intoned. “Until then we can get our books arranged. We’ll start with the Romantic poetry and Regency period novels. Then we can move on to the Victorian novels and poetry.

 

“You never know, of course, when Coventry Patmore and Jane Austen might stop by~or the Bronte’s and Browning’s~perhaps even the Shelley’s,” she imagined aloud.

 

“People will claim it can’t be done,” Harry admitted reluctantly. “‘You do understand they’re all currently deceased’, they’ll point out.”

 

 

“Little do folks know,” Blanche continued, “The rapport we’ve always had with the great literary giants of yore. Of course, all anyone needs is a library card and a keen set of eyes and ears. With our new purchase, though, we have even much more of an advantage.”

 

 

Here’s me entry, based upon a photo prompt from Tale Weaver #172

 

 

Their Satanic Majesties’ Request

“You know those novels and short stories, like Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, and Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis?’  Elzo asked his friend Ennio on the phone.

 

“Yeah?” the unsuspecting sidekick admitted.

 

“Well,” the former tried to explain, “I think we have to talk.”

 

“Hey,” Ennio stammered. “I’ve been trying to arrange this blind date for you and Sharon for the past six months!  She’s such a sweet girl. I’m sure she’ll humor you.” 

 

 

Reluctantly, Elzo agreed to meet her at a nearby restaurant for supper.

 

First there were the introductions.

 

 

“So,” she started. “Ennio says you’re a history teacher.”

 

“Yes,” he chimed in. “How do you like being a nurse?”

 

Amazingly the otherwise inevitable small talk went on quite well. The friends gawked back and forth at each other, wondering how she could possibly not have noticed anything’s being amiss.

 

 

Eventually Ennio and his girlfriend Mabel excused themselves and left early so the two could be alone.

 

Sensing that now was his perfect chance, Elzo asked Sharon for an explanation.

 

 

“Why haven’t you even so much as flinched?” he wondered.

 

 

“Friend,” she replied slowly, “I am a minion from a Satanic cult.  I merely assumed you were one of us. Haven’t you ever heard that Vishnu was once incarnated as a boar?”

 

 

From there she proceeded to explain to him all about Manicheans, gnostics, gods ranging from Pan to Moloch.

 

 

The befuddled swain tried, as gallantly as he could, to humor her for as long as it was unavoidably necessary.  At the end of the evening he politely said his good~byes and left.

 

 

The next day Ennio and Mabel couldn’t wait for a full account of all that transpired over the course of the fateful tryst.

 

 

“Well maybe I’m in no position to be picky these days, considering my circumstances,” he explained, “but have you ever gotten the impression that maybe someone’s just not quite all that nice of a catch?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome back to MindLoveMisery’s Menagerie , where we, weekly, write a story based upon a photo prompt. This week Nekneeraj, our host, gives us an image by Igor Morski.

Novel Mode Of Transportation

Why are you staring at that car in the air?

O do you think it is somewhat abnormal? 

 

O it does not matter, no, nor do I care

 

For my manners are so very informal.

I try to behave with a casual flair

 

And I shan’t freak out aloud as a storm’ll.

 

Unlike the other fuels, so tried and true,

 

Balloons, you see, at least are something new.

This is my very first attempt at Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie

 

It’s also my very first attempt at Ottava Rima

 

Photo credit goes to Vincent Bourihon.