30 Words // 30 Days

We're Michael and Mandee, and this is our writing blog. Each day we incorporate our "word of the day" into a short post--be it fiction or creative nonfiction.

[mandmwriting]

(Final) Day 30: Archenemy

In elementary school I had an archenemy. Her name was Sophie, and no one liked her. (Sorry, Soph!) She was best friends with a girl named Hannah, who we'd all question all the time on how she could be friends with Sophie. "She's not so bad," she'd always say. But how could it not be so bad? Once in fifth grade, we had a serial robber in class. On a morning when an item went missing before I arrived to class (I was frequently tardy), I walked in to find the teacher searching through each and every student's backpack. "What about Michael's backpack? Hmm?" Sophie was such an instigator. Of course the teacher refused on account of the fact that I wasn't there when the robbery happened. Sophie sulked.

[mandmwriting]

Day thirty: archenemy

Archenemy: Someone who is extremely opposed or hostile to someone else or something.

When I was 21, my boyfriend at the time cheated on me with a girl he had previously known from high school. We were in a long distance relationship, and he chose to break up with me and start dating her.

And when he did, the girl became my archenemy.

It’s stupid, hating someone for the actions of another. It was also very immature of me, I know.

I wanted her to be as miserable as she made me. So, I made the decision to participate in acts considered as cheating on her with him, several times, only because she did it first.

In the end we both got hurt and eventually I gave up on hating her.

Mostly because I grew up, and moved on but whatever.

[mandmwriting]

Day 29: Lassitude

I worked with a youth yesterday who just asked "why?" for everything. Let's get in a circle and try to toss this ball around five times without falling. Why? Let's introduce ourselves. Why? Let's play an icebreaker game where— why? To be honest lately I've been her a little bit. It's terrifying.

[mandmwriting]

Day twenty-nine: lassitude

Lassitude: A state of physical or mental weariness, tiredness, lack of energy or motivation. I'm not going to lie, as excited am I for school to start in the next few days, I'm experiencing some real lassitude from adulthood because it seems as though I'm the only competent adult in my apartment. On another note, the word lassitude makes me think of Lassi and attitude combined and that is one sassy dog. Who comes up with these words?

[mandmwriting]

Day twenty-eight: insouciance

Insouciance: The cheerful feeling you have when nothing is troubling you or apathy, indifference, unconcern. Today started off as a good day. I awoke cuddled up to my bed partner, Harley, who turned on an episode of The X-Files since we are currently binging it. I had a few hours before my weekly Counseling appointment, and everything was going well. The insouciance washed off after Counseling, though, after finding out that my 7-month old, $1400 MacBook Pro had begun messing up. It sent me into a panic and haven't been able to stop worrying since. Conveniently this all happens four days before school starts.

[mandmwriting]

Day 28: Insouciance

Lately I've been thinking about how I wished I had taken more of an effort during my college career (God, I'm so old). I wish I had taken more courses in subjects I was interested in, rather than taking a course because it satisfied a requirement or fit my schedule. I wish I had utilized education to actually learn more than just getting through it. Those still in school, heed my words. But it is what it is.

[mandmwriting]

day twenty-seven: inglenook

Inglenook: a cozy place by the hearth, a space or corner by an open fireplace.

when i think of the word inglenook, i imagine ginny weasley cuddled up by the window watching her brothers play quidditch in the burrow’s back yard. i imagine hermione granger reading a book in the corner of the griffindor commons with crookshanks purring at her feet.

i can imagine myself, chilling by a fireplace in the winter, freezing but drinking a cup of hot chocolate, listening to a record play all throughout the house.

i think i would be happy, then.

[mandmwriting]

Day 27: Inglenook

If I’m being honest with you, I think that inglenook is quite a useless word. Either side of a fireplace? For real?

What shall we call either side of a desk—a dinglenook? Or a bed—a sleepynook? Either side of my person—bodynook.

This is a useless word.

[mandmwriting]

Day twenty-six: fugacious

Fugacious: Lasting a very short time, tending to disappear, passing, evanescent. Generally speaking, my sense of happiness is usually fugacious. I spent most of last week riding a high after seeing my favourite bands live for the first time ever, but the highs are always fairly temporary. They'll come and go and it's become a normal thing for me At least I know when they're coming, for the most part.

[mandmwriting]

Day 26: Fugacious

The breeze from the air conditioner hits my face and tickles my nose. And Miley Cyrus flies through a kaleidoscope of rainbows on the television, but my cold medicine is making me drowsy. And I fight to sleep or stay awake just one more half hour as I type into my phone, trying to find the most perfect words. But they never come.

[mandmwriting]

Day twenty-five: imbroglio

Imbroglio: An extremely confused, complicated, embarrassing situation.

I’m probably the queen of imbroglios. Every so often I will do something incredibly stupid that follows me around for years after.

The first (and most recent) embarrassing moment to pop in my head was the time at the beginning of summer when a cashier was taking my order at Arby’s.

“For here or to go?” He asks. “Mandee.” I reply.

My face went from red to white and felt as though it was on fire as I tried to remedy the situation.

“Oh. For here. Sorry, it’s been a long day.” I told him. That’s my excuse for everything it seems.

It was only noon. It was definitely a “long day.”

[mandmwriting]

Day 25: Imbroglio

One time I called a friend's mom a butter face on Facebook right before accepting her friend request…and then she read the comment. I could not be more dumb.

[mandmwriting]

Day twenty-four: felicity

Felicity: intense happiness, bliss, state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

to the Dan Humphrey of my life

When I think of the word felicity, and the absolute positivity that word radiates, I think of my relationship with him because it is the best thing in my life. He is my biggest supporter, best friend, and soulmate in every aspect the word.

I could be having a bad day and he will help me feel better just by talking to me. I could be having the best day ever and he’ll cheer me on with some yaass bih yaass or something of the sort. 

And he makes me happy, all day, every day. He makes me laugh, he makes me cry (good cry!) and he makes me want to be the baddest bitch that I can possibly be--all because he knows I can and will be even when I don’t believe it myself.

He is my felicity. And I don’t mean that as in Felicity Porter, or Felicity Smoakes, even though it would make sense seeing as we both love TV. But he’s my ray of sunshine and I absolutely love and adore him.

[mandmwriting]

Day 24: Felicity

Strangely on this day, and most days, I don't have much to say. Except that I am extremely proud of Mandee and myself for being only six days away from meeting our goal of journaling something every day for thirty days. And I've run out of words already.

[mandmwriting]

day twenty-three: eloquence

Eloquence: powerful, effective and flowing language, well stated speech, fluent and persuasive speaking or writing.

i’ve always been a sucker for a sweet talker, but i feel like what i fall for is the eloquence of what the boy says to me.

it’s almost troubling, how easy it is for me to fall under his spell. if he has a way with words and can make me laugh in the process, i’m in dangerous territory. it’s like standing on the tip of my toes, on the edge of a cliff preparing myself to fall flat on my face.

i never learn from this mistake, either. it’s always one of those things where i tell myself i’m not going to do that again, but then turn around and do it immediately.

sweet talkers will be the death of me, just you watch.

[mandmwriting]

Day 23: Eloquent

In my first semester in college I decided to take speech class because I had terrible stage fright. It was the usual: my heart felt as though it was going to pierce through my chest and my mouth felt caked with sand just a few seconds into any public speaking event. I figured the class could help. It did. Just a bit. Well, mainly it helped me get over the perception that people could tell how terrified I was, because apparently no one could. All my evaluations from my professor and from peers came back quite positive. I passed the class with an A. But I still have the symptoms. Maybe because once my professor said I should go to comedy school.

[mandmwriting]

Day 22: Mellifluent

Right now I'm sitting in the dining room, listening to the hum of the air conditioner (which hasn't been working well for a year and a half now, which is another story) and the water from the faucet splash into the sink as my mom washes dishes. And my sister snickers from across the table every few seconds at pictures she sees on Twitter. The television is on, muffled and low, as it plays a '90s heist movie. And I feel at home.