Prepare to enter the wild and wooly world of an adult with Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism characterized by intellignce, quirks, social difficulties and downright strange and oddish behaviours.

People with Aspergers generally are high functioning in everyday life but have great difficulty connecting with others due to the inability to read faces, body language and subtle verbal clues. They also tend to take words literally and have a hard time multi-tasking.

Oversensitivity to touch (clothing has to be soft and often the tags removed), light (do not leave home without the sunglasses), sound (loud noises and noisey places are avoided), taste (many Aspies have quite a limited diet and are frequently very picky eaters) and smells makes the everyday existence more of a challenge.

Fasten your seatbelts and come on in...
To find out more about what Aspergers is..please check out my earliest blog entries

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Cloud Atlas, Letters from Zedelghem, words & quotes

macadam- broken stone of even size used in successively compacted layers for surfacing roads and paths
penury- extreme poverty; destitution
coffinesque- resembling a coffin

pong- a strong, unpleasant smell
cadged- ask for or obtain (something to which one is not strictly entitled)
gnossiennesque-
carapaces- something regarded as a protective or defensive covering 

"Girls fascinate in different ways."

cor anglais- a musical instrument also called an English horn

"Implausible truth can serve one better than plausible fiction, and now was such a time."

decoking- remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing or taking off
frieze- a broad horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration, especially on a wall near the ceiling
amanuensis- a literary or artistic assistant, in particular one who takes dictation or copies manuscripts
retroussé nose- nose turned up at the tip in an attractive way
louche- disreputable or sordid in a radish or appealing way
frisson- a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill
carillon- a set of bells in a tower, played using a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism similar to a piano roll

mordant- having or showing a sharp or critical quality (especially of humor); biting
six-birch-
bête noire- a person or thing that one particularly dislikes
arpeggios- the notes of a chord played in succession, either ascending or descending
execrable- extremely bad or unpleasant
brace- a pair of game birds
sundered- split apart

" Now and then goldfish splish and gleam like new pennies dropped in water."

demoiselle- a small graceful Old World crane with a black head and breast and white ear tufts; or a type of damselfly

"If people praise you, you're not walking your own path."

memsahibs- a married white or upper-class woman (often used as a respectful form of address by non white people)
deigned- condescending to give (something)
garble- reproduce in a confused and distorted way
apposite- apt in the circumstances or in relation to something 
scuppered- sink deliberately; prevent from working or succeeding; thwart
erstwhile- former
 
abject- (of something bad) experienced or present to the maximum degree; completely without pride or dignity
in a trice- quickly
irascible- having or showing a tendency to be easily angered
cossets- care for and protect in an overindulgence way
evinced- reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling); be evidence of; indicate
dodecaphonists- relating to, composing in or consisting of twelve-tone music
escutcheons- shield or emblems bearing coats of arms; a flat piece of metal for protection and often ornamentation, around a keyhole, door handle or light switch
crenellations- the battlements of a castle or other building
runneling- trickling
comfortable little warren- a densely populated or labyrinthine building or district
enmity- the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something
lucre- money, especially when regarded as sordid or distasteful or gained in a dishonorable way
flutterbying- a butterfly
flautism- 
staves- vertical wood posts or planks
sangfroid- composure or coolness, sometimes excessive, as shown in danger or under trying circumstances 
mewled- whimper, cry softly
escritoire- a small writing desk with drawers and compartments 
juvenilia- works produced by an author or artist while still young

riposted- to make a quick, clever reply to an insult or criticism 
stickleback- small fish with sharp spines
eschew- deliberately avoid using
cuckolder- the husband of an adulterous wife
sherbety- 
pastiches- artist works in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period
fatuous- silly and pointless
trunculent- eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant
glabrous- smooth, free from hair

burghers- a wealthy citizen
beetly-
pince-nez - a pair of eyeglasses with a nose clip instead of earpieces
sweet bird of solvency- ability to pay one's debt
sinecured- a position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or financial benefit 
shagreen- a kind of unmanned leather with a rough granulated surface
beatific- blissfully happy
Bach motet- a short piece of sacred choral music
élan- energy, style, and enthusiasm 
scarered- 

dandified- showing excessive concern about one's clothes or appearance
jackdaw- small gray-headed crow
flummoxed- bewildered 
(ducked into a) mew- a place for hiding
chroma- purity or intensity of color