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A Discussion of Pennies

“Everything about copper appeals to me.  The standout color, the humane odor, the way it ages to an unexpected wash of green.  Hell, the name…names—copper and cupric—please the lips.  Copper.  Copper. Coppurrrrr.”

“Um?”

“Try it.  Say it.  Copper.”

“Copper.  OK?”

“And?”

“And,” Monica stretched the word into a question, “I wonder what you meant by ‘humane smell’.”

“Odor.  I said odor.  I was going to say perfume, but I didn’t want you to think I was gay.”

“Right.  Because this whole conversation makes more sense because now I don’t think you’re gay too.”

“I just mean the smell of pennies is warm and friendly.  Common maybe.  Familiar I guess.  You know…humane.”

“Yeah, that’s not exactly what humane means.  And pennies are mostly zinc.”

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An Unanticipated Krunk

Jekkasantyle goofy-footed the runner of the cargo hover as it contoured the snow-melt wet mountain plain.  Resting on the support of her taut safety line she reached less of the flora than she’d like.  But at the easy pace the pilot set for the convoy she expected to set a colorful centerpiece of snatched wildflowers on her table at mess.

Snow still clung to the shadows and where the shadows had been, but the warm sun steamed the moisture up from the lumps of black rock spattered along their path.  Tendrils of this ground fog mixed with the microthermals she could feel on her face as they dipped in and out of the cooler zones.  Occasionally she’d turn to look into the hold where the rest of her squad hunched.  Aubrelia smiled at her each time, but more than once patted her weapon and then pointed Jekkasantyle’s attention back to her perch on the mini-gun.  Jekkasantyle checked her gun was safed and then glanced at her line to make sure it was secure.  She returned to her high speed gardening unconcerned.

Some more stuff to set a peaceful mood.  Maybe even dialogue to convey they are on their way back from battle or that all is well.

Jekkasantyle thought she heard something.  Then she did.

Krunk.

Four, maybe five, hovers–at least half a mile–ahead the smooth regular flow of the convoy churned.  A Whale cart wheeled into chunks of earth, metal, and flesh.  Jekkasantyle’s hover wheeled starboard and she wrapped over the top of her mini so fast face collided with it before she could get a hand up.

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Brain Drool

I attribute my renewed enthusiasm for writing with my recent regular reading.  This reading kicked off two and half months back with me purposefully buying the complete collection of Hemingway’s short stories.  Three or four in I switched to Harry Potter.  With kids and a job and competition with TV I’m looking for distraction and entertainment—bread and circuses—not thought provoking literary heft.  I hold out that I could handle TPLH and might one day soon.  For now though I’m content with a little brain drool.

One through five were rereads.  I reread books because I have a poor memory for the details but a great one for the experience.  When I reread I’m never surprised or left wondering, but I am returned to the emotional territory of surprise and wonder.

Book six of the seven sits with the Braum’s receipt bookmark well past the halfway point on my side table.  With this sixth book—which I was convinced I’d never read—I’m finding unexpected familiarity about every third chapter.  I’d thought this might be due to me having seen the movie adaptation and not recalling I’d done that, but yesterday at the theatre I saw the preview for the unreleased sixth movies so its not that.  I don’t think it’s magic or clairvoyance or whatever they call it when you mix déjà vu with book reading, but it is uncanny.  Since I have no idea where I’m going with this I’ll just drop it.

I would like to get back to the preview for the movie.  Except for a single portion of the trailer I haven’t read anything int he book like what I saw on screen.  I guess the later half of the book will suddenly turn into a Michael Bay flick.  I can’t wait.  Does anyone know if the Hemingway shorts use the guns more and the brains less after the first four?

Day 354