Book Review

 

Nemesis

Merriam-Webster's word of the day is 

nemesis 

pronounced NEM-uh-siss

a noun meaning

1

capitalized : the Greek goddess of retributive justice

2

plural: nemeses ˈne-mə-ˌsēz 

a

: one that inflicts retribution or vengeance

b

: a formidable and usually victorious rival or opponent

3

plural: nemeses

a

: an act or effect of retribution

b

: BANE 

In Greek mythology, Nemesis was the goddess of vengeance, a deity who distributed rewards for noble acts and punishment for evil ones. The Greeks believed that Nemesis didn't always punish an offender immediately; instead, she might wait generations to avenge a crime. In English, nemesis originally referred to someone who brought a just retribution, but nowadays it refers to a formidable rival.

(taken from Merriam-Webster)

To see it in context or listen to the pronunciation, check the link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day (May 30, 2023)

Fifth Anniversary

Five years ago today, my three dogs and I arrived at our tiny cabin in the woods.

Tiny Cabin - 2018

Four years ago today, having managed to stay alive here for a full year, I decided to continue living in the woods.

Koochooloo, Looloo, and Hoppoo - 2019

Three years ago today, I completed the foundation of the new cabin by laying plastic and rebars and getting it ready for concrete.

Base of New Cabin - 2020

Two years ago today, I thanked the universe for allowing us to survive the big freeze in February 2021 and celebrated our third anniversary in the woods by buying the materials necessary to build a sunroom for our new cabin.

Koochooloo, Hoppoo, and Looloo - 2021

One year ago today, I completed the last chapter of Reflections: A Journey of Transformation.

Reflections - 2022

Two weeks ago today, I lost my only doghter, Koochooloo.

Koochooloo (March 28, 2010 - May 15, 2023)

Today, I feel grateful for having had a little over thirteen years with Koochooloo and having created memories with her, memories that will keep her alive in my heart and mind until I die. I feel grateful for Hoppoo and Looloo, and I cherish every second we have together. I feel grateful for every challenge and accomplishment I've experienced, not only the last five years but all my life, because they've brought me here, as I am, to this moment in time and space. 

"I can't write."

To the person who believes she can't write:

Vincent Van Gogh said, "If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced."

I say, "If you hear a voice within you say you cannot draw, then by all means watch Graham Shaw's TED Talk video: https://youtu.be/7TXEZ4tP06c." 

After you follow all the instructions in this video, answer the question at the end of the video. Now, do you really believe you can't write?

Indiana Joes

 

Mary Oliver

“Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields...Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.”
Mary Oliver 

Thursday

Today is the best day to start that project.
Today, do something your future self will thank you for.
Don't waste time waiting for the "right" time.
That time is right now.
That day is today. 

One Week Left

The deadline for submission is approaching.
#anthology:
https://afarinrava.blogspot.com/2023/05/anthology-last-call.html
If you want to contribute to the anthology, please know that you have only one week left. 

Robert Frost

“These woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.”

Robert Frost

Languages & Life Lessons

Have you noticed? 
1) Languages & Life Lessons is on Kindle Unlimited.
2) James Patterson's book is advertised on my page.
3) The hardcover format is only $15.00.
...

 

Reflections

 

Hoppoo & Looloo

Hoppoo and Looloo haven't left my side for even a second since we lost Koochooloo. 

 

Avijeet Das

“Writing makes sense when nothing else does. Our thoughts need an outlet, jettisoning off to some place. Could it be to a parallel universe or to outer space? Do aliens also write their thoughts in their diaries?”
Avijeet Das

Indiana Joes

 

Sonali Deraniyagala

“I must stop remembering... The more I remember, the greater my agony. These thoughts stuttered in my mind... I must be more watchful, I told myself. I must shut them out. I couldn't always keep this up.” Sonali Deraniyagala

Misinformation / Disinformation

The words misinformation and disinformation both exist and have different meanings:

Misinformation, a combination of mis and information, means wrong or misleading information. The prefix mis, as in mistake or misspell, means wrong. Misinformation just shows the spread of wrong information without any mention of the intention behind it. 

Disinformation also means wrong or false information, just like misinformation, but it refers to false information spread deliberately with malicious intent and nefarious motivation. This word is used when the focus is on conveying the intent to deceive.

Koochooloo

One of my angels left me today.
She broke my heart and took a big piece of it with her.
I'm grateful for the thirteen years and two weeks she honored me with her presence.

Roger Caras

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”
Roger Caras

Anthology: Last Call

A new anthology is in the works.

The theme? advice to your twelve-year-old self

Submissions are now open.

Anthologies provide excellent opportunities for readers and writers to connect. If you would like to contribute and get published or if you know anyone who would be interested in being a part of this wonderful project, please know that:

- the deadline for submission is May 31, 2023; 

- you can use a pen name;

- every submission must be between 100 words and 1,000 words;

- your submission must be original and unpublished;

- you can submit as many times as you want;

- it's free: you don't pay, and you won't be paid if/when your submission gets published;

- you will be notified whether or not your submission was selected by June 20, 2023;

- if your submission is selected, you can then email a short bio, not exceeding 75 words.

- each piece must be copied and pasted into an email message following its title and the author's name, and the subject line must read "For 12";

- if you are submitting more than one piece, please use a separate email message for each;

- all submissions must be sent to afarinrava@gmail.com.

Thank you. 

Writing Styles

Writing styles are a matter of culture and language. They often vary among people. I have some experience with this, and I wrote about my challenge in Languages & Life Lessons. 

This variety in style and organization of content often becomes more obvious in people who have learned writing in one country and then move to a country with a different style of writing. 

I felt confused and frustrated when I moved to Iran after spending my school years in a French education system. I didn't understand why my teacher in Iran didn't like my compositions, which I now know were written in a European writing style, and why I failed to get good grades despite my efforts.

Students who have learned writing, or academic writing, in other countries have likely learned to organize their contents in a specific order and may have trouble following the organization in the American writing style. The same way, an American may have trouble following the flow of ideas in a text written by an English learner because it is not just the style of the writing that varies but also the style of the organization. 

For me, not knowing about the contrast among writing styles made the writing experience quite dreadful during my school years. Once I understood that writing styles varied in different countries, my frustration went away. I then practiced and learned to write effectively in each style. 

Aftermath

Merriam-Webster's word of the day is 
aftermath 

pronounced AF-ter-math

a noun meaning

1

: a second-growth crop

 called also rowen

2

: CONSEQUENCE, RESULT

3

: the period immediately following a usually ruinous event

One might think aftermath to be closely related to mathematics and its cropped form math. But the math of mathematics (which came to English ultimately from Greek) and the math of aftermath grew from different roots. Aftermath dates to the late 1400s and was originally an agricultural term, an offshoot of the ancient word math, meaning “a mowing.” The original aftermath came, of course, after the math: it was historically the crop cut, grazed, or plowed under after the first crop of the season from the same soil. (Math is still used in some parts of the United Kingdom to refer to a mowing of a grass or hay crop, as well as to the crop that is mowed.) It wasn’t until the mid-1600s that aftermath came to have the meanings now familiar to us, referring to the period of time following a destructive event, or to a negative consequence or result.

(taken from Merriam-Webster)
To see it in context or listen to the pronunciation, check the link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day (May 11, 2023)

French School System

As I've mentioned in Languages & Life Lessons, the school system is a little different in France, so if your story is set in France and includes schools, you might find this information useful:

https://www.expatica.com/fr/education/children-education/french-education-system-101147/#:~:text=Essentially%2C%20they%20teach%2024%20hours,or%20have%20every%20Wednesday%20off.

http://blog.lodgis.com/en/guide-to-the-french-school-system/#:~:text=Local%20authorities%20have%20the%20freedom,are%20offered%20by%20the%20mairie.

https://www.french-property.com/guides/france/public-services/school-education/operation/school-calendar#:~:text=The%20school%20year%20in%20France,of%20cases%2C%20Saturday%20morning).

AWL

The Academic Word List (AWL), a collection of academic words taken from a range of academic texts on a variety of subjects, created by Averil Coxhead (2000), contains 570 word families. The list is divided into ten sub-lists, decreasing in frequency. Although there is some controversy regarding certain aspects of the AWL, this list contains words that occur frequently in academic texts, and learning these words is crucial for students with academic goals.

AWL:
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/resources/academicwordlist/publications/awlsublists1.pdf

Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

"Think of the distinctive footprint you must live and leave. Know who your are; be who you are. Know what you want; live for what you want. Focus on the mission and don't lose focus of the vision. Enjoy a great week!"
Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

Anthology: New Deadline

Several people sent me messages requesting an extension, so I am officially accepting submissions until May 31, 2023 (instead of May 7, 2023). It's open to anyone in the world who can write in English. Please see the changes in the two dates below: 

A new anthology is in the works.

The theme? advice to your twelve-year-old self

Submissions are now open.

Anthologies provide excellent opportunities for readers and writers to connect. If you would like to contribute and get published or know anyone who would be interested in being a part of this wonderful project, please know that:

                                                   May 31, 2023 
- the deadline for submission is May 7, 2023; 
- you can use a pen name;
- every submission must be between 100 words and 1,000 words;
- your submission must be original and unpublished;
- you can submit as many times as you want;
- it's free: you don't pay, and you won't be paid if/when your submission gets published;
                                                                                                                 June 20, 2023 
- you will be notified whether or not your submission was selected by May 20, 2023;
- if your submission is selected, you can then email a short bio, not exceeding 75 words.
- each piece must be copied and pasted into an email message following its title and the author's name, and the subject line must read For 12;
- if you are submitting more than one piece, please use a separate email message for each;
- all submissions must be sent to afarinrava@gmail.com.

Thank you. 

Reflections

 

Friedrich Nietzsche

“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”
Friedrich Nietzsche

Chivalry

Merriam-Webster's word of the day is 
chivalry 
pronounced SHIV-ul-ree 
a noun meaning

1
: mounted men-at-arms
2
(archaic)
a
: martial valor
b
: knightly skill
3
: gallant or distinguished gentlemen
4
: the system, spirit, or customs of medieval knighthood
5
: the qualities of the ideal knight : chivalrous conduct

Chivalry refers to the qualities of the ideal knight, such as honor, generosity, and courtesy — in other words, an honorable and polite way of behaving toward others. It is used especially to refer to such behavior as expressed by men toward women.

Centuries ago, when knights were bold, Anglo-French speakers used the word chevaler (an ancestor of our word chevalier) for a knight or horseman. By the 14th century, English speakers had adopted the slightly modified spelling chivalry to describe their own well-armored, mounted warriors. 

Chivalry is dead, they say. The statement is indisputably true in at least one sense: the word chivalry first referred to medieval knights, as in “the king was accompanied by his chivalry,” and we're quite certain those knights are all long gone. But the word’s meaning has shifted since the 14th century, with other meanings joining the first over the years. Today, chivalry typically refers to an honorable and polite way of behaving, especially by men toward women.

When people say “chivalry is dead” they’re usually bemoaning either a perceived lack of good manners among those they encounter generally, or a dearth of men holding doors for appreciative women. The word came to English by way of French, and is ultimately from the Late Latin word caballārius, meaning “horseback rider, groom,” ancestor too of another term for a daring medieval gentleman-at-arms: cavalier. In a twist, the adjective form of cavalier is often used to describe someone who is overly nonchalant about important matters—not exactly chivalrous.

When people say that chivalry is not dead, they're alluding to the high standard of character and conduct typically associated with gallant knights.

(All of this is taken from Merriam-Webster.)
To see it in context or listen to the pronunciation, check the link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day (May 4, 2023). 

Languages & Life Lessons

 

Orhan Pamuk

“The beauty and mystery of this world only emerges through affection, attention, interest and compassion . . . open your eyes wide and actually see this world by attending to its colors, details and irony.”
Orhan Pamuk

Take That Step!

It's a new day, a new week, and a new month.
Here's to a fresh start!