Word: Paramnesia

paramnesia

[par-am-nee-zhuh]  

noun

1. Psychiatry. a distortion of memory in which fact and fantasy are confused.

2.the inability to recall the correct meaning of a word.

 

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“Hey, Alex, what’s this?”  Brandon asked, holding up the large sheet of drawing paper. 

                Alex turned from the drawing table he had been hunched over and looked at the picture his roommate was holding up.  It was an unfamiliar scene that wouldn’t look out of place in a fantasy movie.  It featured a large, sprawling castle under attack by some kind of generic monster army.  It had been hand drawn, and was clearly flawed in several places, but it was a decent attempt none the less.

                “Uh, looks like a drawing.” Alex said.

                “Right.  But it’s not a landscape drawing, is it?”

                “Nope.  Although, depending on how you look at it…”

                “Yeah, no.  It’s not a landscape, that’s the point.  So why was it in your portfolio bag?”

                “What?  That’s not…hold up, you went through my stuff?”

                “Meh.  It was just kind of sticking out there and…”  Brandon paused and blinked before continuing.  “Now wait a sec, I’m not on trial here.”

                “And I am?”

                “That depends.  Did you draw this for class?”

                “I don’t think so.  I mean, I finished my assignment, and it wasn’t that.”

                Brandon sighed in relief. If Alex didn’t pass his classes, he’d be kicked out.  And there was no way that Brandon would put up with a new roommate, not when he had just gotten one that didn’t completely suck.  Ok, so Alex did tend to zone out sometimes, but that was pretty much the worst of it.  Brandon needed to make sure Alex passed and stayed in school, no matter the cost.

                “Great.  Let me see it.”  Brandon said.

                Alex stood and went to the large, flat bag that housed his artwork.  He opened it and rummaged through the contents, examining the drawings that were placed in it.  His brow furrowed in confusion before he put it down.

                “It’s, uh, it’s not there.”  He said.

                “What do you mean it’s not there?”  Brandon asked, getting very worried.  His stable dorm room life was hanging in the balance.

                “I mean, it’s not there.”

                “I thought you said you did it.”

                “I did.  And I put it in the bag right away.”  Alex said.  He paused and took another look at the drawing Brandon was still holding.  “Hang on, let me see that for a sec.”  Brandon handed the oversized sheet of thick paper over for Alex to examine.  “I, uh, I think this is it.”  He said.  “I mean, it’s my style and everything.”

                “Wait, what?  I thought you said you didn’t draw it.”

                “To be fair, I never actually said that I didn’t.  I just said I did my landscape.”

                Brandon went over the conversation in his mind.  Alex was indeed correct on that point.

                “Ok, so where’s the landscape, and what’s with that drawing?”

                “I, uh, I don’t know.  All I know is that I remember doing the landscape work and putting it in my bag.  I don’t actually remember drawing this one, but it’s definitely my work.” 

                “So, you have a picture that you drew, but don’t remember drawing, and no landscape in sight.  What’s up with that?” 

                “Uh, well, actually…”  Alex said.  His voice petered out and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

                “What? What’s actually?  I don’t like actually.”  Brandon said, getting very nervous.

                “Lately my memory’s been kind of messed up.  I remember doing something, but when I go back and check, I find out that I’m remembering wrong.  I doing one thing, and I find out later that I did something else.  Or that what I did never actually happened at all.”

                “Wow.  Just wow.”  Brandon said.  A silence fell over the dorm room as they both thought about what had just been said.  “That sounds bad.  You should probably get it checked out.”  Brandon said eventually.

                “Yeah, I guess so.  I can probably talk to the psych department or something.  They’d probably get a kick out of this.”

                “Yeah, right.”  Brandon said.  Another quiet spell fell.  “So, uh, what about the landscape?  I mean, you can’t turn that in.”

                “Oh damn it.”  Alex said.  Apparently, the realization of what his mistaken memory meant for his academic life was just hitting him.  “Uh, hang on, I can do this.  I can totally do this.”  He said as he flew back to the drawing table.

                He removed the piece he had been working on, got another sheet of paper ready, and furiously began drawing.  Brandon had to do something to help.  He had two options.  One was to keep an eye on Alex the entire time to make sure one of those little memory problems didn’t crop up.  The other was to get a whole lot of energy drinks to keep the guy drawing as long as humanly possible.  He opted for the latter option.  He dashed out of the room, hoping the campus store was still open.

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I imagine that having memory issues like this would cause a lot of problems for the person experiencing them.  Although, depending on what one remembers in place of reality, it might also make things interesting.  At least life wouldn't be boring, that's for sure.  

Word: furtherance

furtherance

[fur-th er-uh ns] 

noun

1. the act of furthering; promotion; advancement.

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Ken had no idea what he was doing, or why he was doing it.  His whole body shook and a cold sweat ran down his back.  All others present seemed just as confused.

                “What’d you say?”  Asked the man holding a small handgun. 

                “I-I said you should leave her alone.”  Ken said, nodding at the pretty young woman the thug had been in the process of mugging.

                “You serious man?  You planning on stopping me or something?” 

                “I’m pretty sure I already have, actually.”  Ken said.  He forced himself to look and act braver than he was.  It wasn’t easy, considering the man was quite a bit larger than he was, and had a gun.  “I mean, you’re not attacking her right now, are you?”  The woman stifled a chuckle at his comment.  Ken was amazed she was capable of such a thing, considering her position. 

                “You think you’re funny or something?  Man, I ought to pop you one.”  The thug said, leveling his weapon at Ken’s chest.

                “Sure, go ahead.” Ken said.  He said it more for the effect it would have than actually wanting to have a new hole in his body.  “Shoot me, I dare you.”  He continued.  The thug suddenly didn’t look nearly as confident.

                “Uh, what?”

                “Yeah, shoot me.  I mean, really go ahead.”

                “What’re you talking about?”

                “Look pal, let me tell you a bit about me.  I’m 27 years old, have a crappy job that pays next to nothing.  I live in a tiny apartment that even rats avoid.  I’ve never had so much as a date with a girl.  Oh, and my best friend is a stray cat who comes by for a free meal every now and then.  So yeah, shoot me if you think it’d do anything.  My life is stuck in a dead end, so I’ve got nothing to gain, nothing to give, and nothing to lose.  Now, if you’re not going to pull the trigger, than let’s see what else we can do.”  Ken held his fists up in a crude fighting stance.  “I took karate lessons when I was a kid.  Care to see how much I remember?”

                It probably wasn’t much of a threat.  Even if he remembered any of those childhood lessons, his body was in no condition to actually be fighting.  His pudgy, soft body was slow and weak, and even if he could land a punch on the much larger man, it probably wouldn’t do anything.  But that wasn’t the point.  His actions were more of a mental attack than anything.  And at that, he was doing just fine.  The thug looked visibly shaken by Ken’s odd actions. 

                “Y-you know what?”  The thug said as he put his gun away.  “I don’t feel like doing this anymore, so I’ll let you all off for now.  But I ever see either of you again, we’ll be picking up real quick.”

                Ken just glared at the man as he left, disappearing down the largely empty city street.  Ken stood there until his assailant was out of sight. 

                “Is he gone?”  He said quietly. 

                “Looks like it.”  Said the woman.

                “Oh good.”  As soon as the words left his lips, he collapsed, leaning against a nearby wall for support.  His breathing was heavy, his pulse was pounding and he was sweating rivers.

                “Are, uh, are you ok?”  The would be victim asked.

                “I will be once the unbridled terror goes away.” He said.  She chuckled lightly at his little joke.

                “Well, thanks for the help anyway.”  She said.

                “Uh, yeah, sure.  No problem.”

                “No really, I mean it, thanks.”  She said with a bright smile.  He looked up at her as he attempted to recover.

                She really was an impressively beautiful brunette.  Far too good for Ken somewhat subpar looks.  He knew he would never have a shot with her romantically, and chances were he would never see her again.  But a small part of him hoped.

                “Yeah, yeah sure.”

                “I’m Cassie, by the way.”

                “Ken.  Nice to meet you.”  He said.  He had finally recovered enough to stand up straight.

                “Likewise.  So, Ken, I have to know.  Why’d you help me out?”

                “I don’t really know.  I just kind of did.”

                “Ah.  You weren’t hoping for a shot with me, were you?”  She said with a sly gun.  Ken felt his face heat up for reasons other than his previous encounter.

                “N-no, not really.  I mean a pretty lady like you?  No way I’d be able to do that.  Besides, I bet you have a boyfriend already.”

                “Nope.  I’m single right now, but I am looking.  And you?”

                “Are you kidding?  You did hear what I told that guy, right?”  He said.  Cassie’s smile turned into surprise. 

                “Wait, you mean that was all true?  I thought it was just some weird psychological attack.”

                “Well, it kind of was.  But it’s still all real.”

                “Oh.  Oh wow, I’m sorry.”

                “Not your fault my life ground to halta few years ago.”  Ken said bitterly.

                “You know what you need?”  Cassie said, suddenly looking much more cheerful.  “You need something to get you moving again.  You know, a little push to start that forward motion of life again.  Advance your position at work, get out of the bad apartment.  You know, that kind of thing.  Just get your life back on the track.”

                “Uh huh.  That’d be nice, but who’s gonna do that.”

                “I will.  And I know just how to do it too.”

                “How?”  Ken asked.  He couldn’t help but be a little curious.

                “Solve that problem you have with being dateless.  You’re going out on your first real date.”

                “Uh, with, uh, with who?”

                “Well, me, of course.”  She said matter-of-factly. 

                “Y-you?   B-but you’re…”

                “Doesn’t matter what I am.  I’m asking you out, and all you have to do is say yes.  If you do, there can be other benefits, even if we find out we hate each other later.”

                “Benefits?  Like what?”

                “I’m a personal trainer.  I can help you get rid of that.”  Cassie pointed as his soft gut.

                “Seriously?”

                “Oh yeah, check this out.”  She said.  She raised her arm and flexed.  Ken couldn’t actually see anything because of her clothes though.  He hesitantly placed his hand on her arm.  She was indeed quite solid.  Much more than he was at any rate.  “See?  I can whip you into shape real good.  And from there, who knows what’ll happen?  You might find all you need to get your life going again.”

                Ken considered his options.  He didn’t exactly like where he was, but it was all he knew.  If he accepted Cassie’s offer, he’d be stepping into unknown territory.  But then again, wasn’t that the point?  He did need to work on advancing just about everything about his life, and Cassie was giving him the perfect way to do that.  Plus, the offer for a real date with such a beauty was quite tempting as well.

                “O-ok, yeah, sure.  That sounds good.”  He said.

                “Great! Can I see your phone for a sec?”

                Ken took out his phone and handed it to her.  She fiddled with it for a few minutes before handing it back.  It didn’t take long for him to find that she had added her name and number to his contacts.

                “I’ll see you later then.  How about Friday at eight?  Or is seven a better time?”

                “Seven is good.”

                “Cool.  How about we meet right back here then and we can have some fun.” 

                “Ok.  Sure, I’d like that.”

                “Kay.”  She leaned in and gave him a big, friendly hug.  “See you then.”

                Ken watched her go with a dreamy look on his face.  His first date was going to be with someone he would never dream of approaching normally.  It was a sign.  A foretelling of things to come.  For the first time in years, Ken felt his life beginning to progress in a great direction.  

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Not really sure if the story fits the word, but I think it does a decent enough job.  It's still a nice story though, right? 

Word: Brogue

       

Definitions for brogue

1. an Irish accent in the pronunciation of English.
2. any strong regional accent.

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        Ashley drummed her fingers against the thin metal table.  The day had been a total bust so far.  Nothing but guys who didn’t know how to get a date any other way.  Some of them she actually felt a bit sorry for.  Not enough to give her info to, but still.  She would, at the very least, respond to them if she saw them on the street at some point in the future.  She thought that was something, even if they didn’t.

                The next guy who came and sat at the table looked promising though.  Well maintained face, and looked like he knew his way around a gym.  Not the best looking guy she had ever seen, but certainly the best so far that night.  As soon as he sat down, they got started.

                “Hello, there miss.”  He said with a thick Irish accent.  It was easy to guess what part of the world he was from.  Ashley hid her disappointment.  She didn’t have anything against the Irish per say, it was just that she didn’t really like their accent.  She would’ve loved a nice French or Italian man, but Irish was not her favorite.  Still, it wasn’t the worst either, so she could deal with it.  “Name’s Peter.”  He continued. 

                “Ashley.”  She replied. 

                “Pleasure to meet you miss.”  He said.

                “Same.”  She said.  She was still debating that, but it didn’t hurt to at least be polite.

                “So, where’re you from?”  He asked. 

                “Here” She said simply.  “I actually live a few blocks from here.”

                “Must be convenient.”  Peter said.

                “You have no idea.”  She said.  It was the truth, really.  In fact, her apartment was located very near the middle of the city, so she could get just about anywhere on foot without much trouble.  “I don’t need to guess where you come from.”

                “Ah, yeah, guess it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?  Although if you’re about to ask how Dublin is, I couldn’t tell ya.  I’m from Galway.”

                “Oh, uh.”

                “Pretty much complete opposite side of the country, if you were wondering.”  Peter said.  That didn’t help as much as it probably should have, but she went with it.

                “Ah.  That’s nice.”  She said.

                “Oh, don’t worry about it.  Can’t really blame ya for not knowing about it.  Truth be told, it works the same for me.  I probably wouldn’t know any American cities other than the big ones myself.  I’ve found that’s how it is in most of the world.”

                “Oh.  I, uh, I guess that means you travel a lot?”

                “I wouldn’t call myself well traveled, but I’ve been a few places.  Just looking to find where I want to settle down mostly.  How about you?  You ever been abroad?”

                “Not really.  The farthest I’ve ever been outside the US is Canada, and that was for a middle school field trip.”

                “Ah.  That’s a shame, that is.  There’s lots f nice things to see in the world.  You should take a trip some time.”

                “Yeah, I know.  But it’s so expensive to travel like that.  My job barely pays enough for rent, student loans, food, and all that stuff.  I can’t really afford to travel right now.”

                “That’s too bad.  Maybe someday in the future when you’ve got a bit more money it your name.”

                “That would be nice, sure.  But for now, I’m just trying to do what I can.”

                “Aren’t we all?  Speaking of, why’re you here?”

                “Huh?”

                “Why go speed dating?  A pretty lady like you should have your pick of the gents.  I’m here because I don’t know any of the best places.  But you shouldn’t have that problem.  So why here?”

                Ashley actually had to think about that one.  She had mostly done it on a whim without a real solid reason.  She debated just saying that, but figured it sounded kind of silly.

                “I’ve just had some bad dates that came out of the usual methods.  I thought I’d try something new.”  It wasn’t a total lie.  It wasn’t exactly true either, but still.

                “I see.  And have you met any good fellas yet?”

                “Not really.  So far nobody’s been really terrible, but just none I’m interested in.  How about you?  Why are you here?”

                “To meet people, of course.  I’m actually not looking for a girlfriend right now.  I mean, I wouldn’t say no to one either, but I’m not looking hard.  This is mostly just to meet people while I’m learning to area.”

                “Huh.”  That wasn’t quite the reason she thought he’d give.  But at least it seemed honest enough.  “You know, there’s lots of places that are better for that than here.”

                “I’m sure there are, but I don’t know them yet.  Maybe you could show me some later on.”

                “Maybe.  We’ll see what happens.” 

                “Sounds good to me.  Now then…”  Peter’s question was interrupted by the host ringing the bell.  “Well then, time to move on I guess.  Maybe I’ll see you later?”

                “Mm hm.”  Ashley said as Peter stood to move to the next table.  She just wondered if she had been talking into a date with him.  She hadn’t actually agreed to anything, but she had implied it pretty strongly.  Well, either way, he seemed nice enough, and was fairly good looking, so she could deal with it.  Even with the accent.    

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I've never been speed dating before.  I don't think it's my thing.  I usually need some time to think of things to say, so the limited time that kind of event has is too restrictive for me.  I'm sure it works wonders for others though.