Combatwords, February 25, 2011: Friendship. Friendship?

Combatwords, February 25, 2011: Friendship. Friendship?

We pour into friends a portion of our identities. We also receive some of their identities. In so doing, we are transformed and preserved at the same time. We have dear, but awkward friends; secret friends—some have no friends and are internally sterile and stagnant. Are we social animals, in need of this exchange, or can you really be an island if you want to be one?

Combat Expiration: 12am PST, 2/28/2011

Critique Expiration: 12am PST, 3/2/2011

Bonuses/Penalties: +2 if posted by 6pm PST, 2/25/2011, +1 if posted by 12am PST 2/26/2011, -1 if posted by 6am PST 2/28/2011, -2 if posted by 12pm PST 2/28/2011.

The Rules: http://combatwords.blogspot.com/2010/07/official-rules-for-combatwords-updated.html



Subscribe in a reader

Combatwords, February 18, 2011: Adventure, Chance, and Risk

Combatwords, February 18, 2011: Adventure, Chance, and Risk

I crave adventure in my bones, but I receive it in my mind. I am safer and less traveled as a result. I'm extremely wary of a single expedition causing my total ruin, but I take little risks. We all do don't we? To live is to risk. The best we can hope for is to manage our risk. When we increase our risk, we're taking a chance; for risk is exposure to the odds of negative contingency. While I may want to take a road trip to discover something novel, I have far stronger urges to stay with what I know: a job, a news poem... whatever. So I adventure in my mind; I use paper, computer, or even a vista. I have a favorite place in San Francisco; I can see most of the city. I imagine when the hill was born and what animal first appreciated the view. I consider the first humans who watched the Pacific pass through the Golden Gate and then the Spaniards who wandered to the wrong side of the peninsula. Finally, I consider the first American to look out from that vista. There are so many stories to explore in each of these thoughts—and the vista is so fine that it's an adventure for my eyes—I do not feel a genuine need for adventure. I can roam with my mind and leave others with the risks.

Combat Expiration: 12am PST, 2/21/2011

Critique Expiration: 12am PST, 2/23/2011

Bonuses/Penalties: **New** +1 for 1st post, +1 for post with the most individual comments, +2 if posted by 7pm PST, 2/18/2011, +1 if posted by 2am PST 2/19/2011, -1 if posted by 6am PST 2/21/2011, -2 if posted by 12pm PST 2/21/2011.

The Rules: http://combatwords.blogspot.com/2010/07/official-rules-for-combatwords-updated.html

Subscribe in a reader

CombatWords February 11, 2011: Sales, Commerce and the People Who Love Them

CombatWords February 11, 2011: Sales, Commerce and the People Who Love Them

A salesman is an it that stinks excuse, right? Nobody likes 'em, but everybody buys from them. Makes one rather suspicious of whether people dislike transacting as much as they say they do, doesn't it? I for one can't help but think that were it not for the liars, sales would be one of the most esteemed professions—at least in America. Would I be going too far if I said, 'fuck your anti-sales attitude?' Maybe not. Look around. You love your bookseller, your wine shop (YUPPIE!)... and yes, you love your lawyer if s/he kicks ass. Same with your accountant. Society's material nature conforms to the way we allocate the fruits of our labors. I think of it as a Kantian proposition: you universalize your values—if the world is cluttered with commerce, it is only because you are cluttered with commerce.

Combat Expiration: 12am PST, 2/14/2011

Critique Expiration: 12am PST, 2/16/2011

Bonuses/Penalties: +2 if posted by 8pm PST, 2/11/2011, +1 if posted by 2am PST 2/12/2011, -1 if posted by 6am PST 2/14/2011, -2 if posted by 12pm PST 2/14/2011.

The Rules: http://combatwords.blogspot.com/2010/07/official-rules-for-combatwords-updated.html

Subscribe in a reader

Combatwords, February 4, 2011: Mischief

Combatwords, February 4, 2011: Mischief

Mischief seems to connote some minor form of playful antagonism. Yet the word also connotes evil and devilishness, so it's a term rooted in worldview. To the Devil, all mortals are trifles—little playthings to be damned and discarded. It's a label used on children—what, to imply that they're little devils? So embedded in the word is a whole worldview.

Combat Expiration: 12am PST, 2/7/2011

Critique Expiration: 12am PST, 2/9/2011

Bonuses/Penalties: +3 if posted by 6pm PST, 2/4/2011, +2 if posted by 10pm PST 2/4/2011, +1 if posted by 2am PST 2/5/2011, -1 if posted by 6am PST 2/7/2011, -2 if posted by 12pm PST 2/7/2011.

The Rules: http://combatwords.blogspot.com/2010/07/official-rules-for-combatwords-updated.html




Subscribe in a reader