– Definition: adj. portmanteau of “fabulous” and “fantastic” – Used in a sentence: You have fabtastic style, my dear. – Why: I generally dislike modern portmanteaus, but this one leaped onto the screen when I tried to type “fantastic” and…
Author: Neal Ross Attinson
Neal Ross Attinson is one of those text-compulsives who feels naked without a keyboard, or at least a a pad and pen. He is unafraid of adverbs, loves astronomy and gastronomy with equally unabashed passion, and lives with/in an eclectic library in Sonoma, California.
Prosatio Silban and the Divine Gaze
(THIS TALE IS FOR THOSE who have wondered about Those Who watch over, and occasionally interfere with, the residents of the Uulian Commonwell. Read it in good humor.) Prosatio Silban finished his evening meditations, stood up on his ornate braided…
… Cervantes compared translation to the other side of a tapestry. At best we see a rough outline of the pattern we know exists on the other side, but it lacks definition and is full of loose threads.”
— Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z”tl
Prosatio Silban and the Senseless Struggle
AND THEN CAME ONE OF those days which every culinarian dreads. “Master Cook? Master Cook!” called a well-dressed old man. He was sitting at one of the two tables-and-chairs Prosatio Silban had set up in the lee of his galleywagon,…
5 (Well, 6) Thoughts: How I Write
(THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF account of how the Prosatio Silban tales are conceived and written. It’s mostly meant for fans of those works, but if you’re interested in the writing process in general, read on — if not, I…
Prosatio Silban and the Tournament Palatine
THE SCULLERY MISTRESS HELD A brimful cup to Prosatio Silban’s waiting lips; he sipped, swallowed, and paused. “It is good that I am blindfolded,” he said with a triumphant smile, “or else I’d see the nutmeg before tasting it.” “That…
Pithyism #210a
AWARENESS: NOW HERE, OR NOWHERE.
Prosatio Silban and the Sincere Runaway
ON THEIR WINDING WAYS BETWEEN Here and There, the rammed-earth roads of the Uulian Commonwell often offer mystery – and sometimes, adventure. Prosatio Silban was driving his galleywagon from Treefall to Kissing Bridge near the many-harbored city of Soharis. It…
Only great pain is the ultimate liberator of the spirit […] I doubt that such pain makes us ‘better’; but I know that it makes us more profound.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
Prosatio Silban and the Purloined Eyebrows
(A sequel to Prosatio Silban and the Revealer of Secrets.) CLOTHES DO NOT ALWAYS MAKE the man. However, they, or at least their concomitants, can certainly help. Prosatio Silban rolled out of his galleywagon’s sleeping-berth, yawned, scratched, and stood up…
Words To Bring Back: “Badinage”
– Definition: n. humorous or witty conversation – Used in a sentence: One thing I miss about Sputnik and Wheels is our frequent and good-natured badinage. – Why: Not sure whether it’s the word or the concept that needs resurrecting.…
Prosatio Silban and the Sentimental Voyage
CASTING AN APPREHENSIVE BACKWARD GLANCE, Prosatio Silban flicked the plaited yak-hair reins to hurry his quaint lumbering dray-beast. He was passing through rough and rocky countryside, and wanted to reach his destination at speed – as befitted a pursued man…