– Definition: noun the perfect form or example of something : quintessence
– Used in a sentence: Fred Rogers is the apotheosis of a kind, smart, and decent teacher.
– Why: Despite the modern now-a-go-go dystopia we’re headed for, it’s important to know what to call our remaining best and brightest. Very important.
Tag: creating
Making stuff: up, real, and nicely.
Modern Publicity 101
SOME STORIES DON’T build to a big finish. Like this one.
Earlier this month, I acquired the app and the gumption to begin grinding out 15-second podcasts. I printed a copy of all the “Pithyisms” on my blog so as to have a ready, checkoff-able script, and am currently recording them; I’ve done ten so far, with another eighty or so in the hopper. From small acorns mighty oaks grow, and all that.
The podcasting app (Spreaker Studio) belongs to iHeart Media, whose parent company curates a selection of worthy ‘casts whose inclusion is a big-time traffic-booster for big-time podcasters – specifically, the 5,000+-downloads-a-day crowd.
With a what-the-hell shrug, I applied anyway. To be honest, in the past 30 days I have racked up a whopping 16 downloads; but faint heart never won fair lady, and all that.
A few days after applying, I received a Microsoft Teams call from one of iHeart’s interviewing/vetting reps. We began by chatting amiably about shared geography, the weather patterns of Sonoma and Connecticut (the rep’s home base), and other trivia.
She then asked me what my podcast was about, and I told her that it was a varied selection of pithy comments on a variety of topics. She looked over my online catalog of episodes-so-far (without, apparently, listening to any of them) and made some useful comments about titling and formatting for maximum audience exposure. When I asked her what would make a good title, she asked me if I’d ever used ChatGPT. My long-established animus to that particular brand and type of cognitive surrender is well known to all, but when I politely said no, she said, “I’ll walk you through it.” And she did.
“What should I type?” I asked.
“Whatever your podcast is about,” she said.
So I typed out “How AI is taking over the world,” and pressed Enter.
In response, the Animated Insolence engine (copyright 2026 N.R.A.) spat out paragraph upon paragraph of corporate-speak which would have been amusing if it hadn’t been so absolutely, inaccurately, and unashamedly wrong.
“Wait a minute,” I objected. “This isn’t what my podcast is about at all. It’s a varied selection of pithy, 15-second comments on a variety of topics.”
“You mean they’re soundbites?” she asked.
“YES!” I exclaimed. “Exactly! Soundbites!”
“Oh,” she said. “We can’t help you with that. But keep on doing what you’re doing, and if we can be any help in the future, please let us know.”
“I will,” I replied, and we hung amicably up.
Evidently, my reach exceeded my grasp. And all that.
Arms Call
“Don’t spectate: CREATE!”
–Barbatus the Elder
Sober Assessment
TWO-AND-A-HALF MONTHS AGO, I completed my tenth year of clear-eyed, clean-headed and grateful sobriety.
Now, when some people hear that, they might think, “Great, here comes the self-righteous lecture on the evils of intoxication.” But that won’t happen, at least not from me. I don’t and won’t disdain anyone else’s recreational or coping choices; frankly, they are none of my business, and refraining from inebriation is not a crusade that I feel either comfortable or qualified to pursue toward others.
Instead, I want to speak about the rarefied and addictive intoxicant that actually “saved” me, keeping me sane and healthy not just during the past decade but all of my life – and if you know me as well as you think you do, you can already guess what that is.
WRITING.
Not for nothing did Stephen King say of this 6,000-year-old-plus art: “Do it for the buzz.” There is an ineffable thrill in watching the words spill out onto paper or screen, an actual physical and mental rush only gotten from congealing thought into alphabetic form, that’s as hard to beat as it is to describe.
And the best part is, it’s free. Easily accessible. Shareable. No more watching my money go up in a cloud of marijuana smoke; no more furtively prowling dodgy neighborhoods; no more keeping it all to myself lest I run out.
Did I mention addictive? Once you start writing, you’re hooked for life. I sometimes find myself typing and typing until I fall asleep at the keyboard, literally unable to stop ’til I drop. (True story.) E.g., tonight: I meant to take advantage of the finally clear Sonoma skies and do a bit of long-delayed stargazing. But as I write this, it’s well after 10:30pm (or, if you prefer, 2230 hours) PDT and I’m already getting sleepy.
So before I trundle off to Dreamsville, I’ll leave you this hard-earned advice: Try not to let the Great American Novel (or Essay, or Blogpost) keep you from tending your other bodily needs. Otherwise, you may find yourself face down in a pool of your own ink – or even with “QWERTYUIOP” reverse-imprinted deeply into your throbbing forehead. Nighty night.
Wholly Toil
IT’S NO SECRET that I loathe AI.
Well, “loathe” is rather strong language, especially since I believe modern tech in general to be an evolutionary leap comparable to the discovery of fire, or the invention of the wheel. Let’s just say I am deeply distrustful of AI, and more than a little saddened and dismayed by how quickly and eagerly it’s infiltrated our culture, our devices, and our minds.
Fortunately, I have some Jewish ammunition backing up my “danger-Will-Robinson” disdain. In this week’s edition of The Forward‘s “Looking Forward” newsletter, Louis Keene makes a good case for why Judaism may hold the key to the AI Resistance.
“That key is the Jewish value of עֲמֵילוּת (ameilut), or toil,” Keene writes. “As far as Jewish values go, ameilut is an obscure one. It lacks the celebrity swagger of its better-known peers like chesed [lovingkindness] and tzedakah [righteousness] or the political power of tikkun olam [“repairing the world,” sometimes understood as social action]. … Yet I believe it is just as crucial. Yes, toiling is a mitzvah. And in the age of AI, ameilut can be a human road map.”
The concern among fervently religious Jews and others, Keene relates, is that anyone can feed, say, the week’s Torah portion into ChatGPT and have it spit out a sermon. But that misses the point. Knowledge shouldn’t be commodified – it should be earned through a lengthy (and rewarding) process. Ameilut means toiling for the sake of personal growth. It’s about the means, not the end; the discovery, not the destination.
A cliche, perhaps, but an apt and important one. And a warning: don’t embrace a shiny new toy without examining, or at least giving serious thought to, any consequences.
Words To Bring Back: “Apodictic”
– Definition: adj expressing or of the nature of necessary truth or absolute certainty
– Used in a sentence: Edward R. Murrow was the exemplar of apodictic American journalism.
– Why: Because it’s easier to spell and less overused than “paradigmatic.”
Words to Bring Back: “Obviate”
– Definition: verb remove (a need or difficulty)
– Used in a sentence: Popular voting would obviate the problematic and obsolete Electoral College.
– Why: Because the phrase “get rid of” lacks a certain finesse.
How To Write
SUCCINCTLY.
Salad Nights
HYPOTHESIS: A THREE-INGREDIENT WHISKED DRESSING.
Experiment: Appropriate measures of olive oil, anchovy paste, and fresh lemon juice.
Analysis: Something’s missing.
Experiment #2: A dab of Dijon, a modicum of maple syrup.
Conclusion: !!!
Replication: You’re welcome.
Welcome To An AI-Free, 98.6% Text Zone!
You’re busy, so I’ll be quick:
1. If you’re eager to meet Prosatio Silban, the self-defrocked holyman in a fantastic land who ekes out a meager but honest living as a mercenary cook, then allow me to introduce you.
2. I’d take it as a kindness if you dialed into my very brief (as in, “about 15 seconds”) podcast, Short Attention Span Wisdoms. (Enlightenment optional.)
3. Or perused an on-the-blog-since-2001 assortment of rusty recollections, offbeat observations, friendly particularism, tasty recipes, unpretentious poetry, entertaining quotes, recreational science, and wry spirituality, which I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing.
4. Would-be subscriber/commenter? Please drop me a line. (I like to meet my modest but worlds-girdling readership.)
Thank you for your patronage, and be well,
Words to Bring Back (or in this case, Forth): “Wonderpiece”
– Definition: n That creation which evokes awe in the beholder.
– Used in a sentence: Have you ever heard Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” wonderpiece in its entirety?
– Why: Though arguably a mere synonym for “art” (at least as defined by https://metaphorager.net/pithyism-5/), I like to think of this neologism as “art-PLUS.” Not all art stimulates our sense of wonder and reverence; not all oratory or music or cinema or poetry or what-have-you makes us weak-kneed with wordless appreciation. Yet we might be conceptually richer if we could point to what exemplifies art’s indefinable but very real power. Drop this word into your next deep conversation and see if it floats!
Words to Bring Back: “Quotidian”
– Definition: adj ordinary or everyday, especially when mundane.
– Used in a sentence: If you can’t find pleasure in the quotidian, you likely won’t find it anywhere else.
– Why: To seize our eyeballs in the current attention economy, modern media abound in exclamatory superlatives: “Maximum!” “Ultimate!” “Extreme!” One welcome corrective might be to shift our focus toward life’s less intense, but no less important, aspects: a sincere handshake, late afternoon sunlight, soft music, petrichor, the flavor of cold water. Try it for yourself and see.