Category: Entertainment
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One Word: Pert Near
A recent article of mine uses the compound word âpert nearâ. Whatâs the deal there? It was my article on whistling (I canât whistle) in which I asked whether thereâs âanything you canât do ⌠even though pert near everyone else you know canâ. Of course, âpert nearâ is a slang expression meaning âpretty nearlyâ…
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The Most Romantic Valentine City
Happy Valentine’s Day from America’s Most Consistently Romantic City — Knoxville, Tennessee, home of “Notes from Stonehaven”. Â Okay, so I had to weasel-word that (with “consistently”) in order to justify the “most” boast. Technically, Knoxville was bumped this year from first to third place by the new champ, Alexandria, Virginia. Congratulations, Alexandria. Don’t get used…
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Why All Men Are Transgender
It’s true: All men are transgender. Literally. As usual, it’s all about context. Let’s get us some! Recently I mentioned in an article that my wife, Cheri, is usually right. Joel Smith, in a guest post, said the same a few days later about his wife, Roni. You’d think we guys might get credit, would…
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One Word: Pangram
You all know I love anagrams â those wonderful phrases created by rearranging the letters of one thing to spell something else. Like when I scramble the letters of âGary Leland Matthewsâ to spell âsadly elegant warmthâ (and lots of other things â most of them unflattering but hilarious). Until a few days ago, however,…
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Phyllis Ring’s The Munich Girl
Cheri and I are thrilled to be reading the newly released novel from our friend Phyllis Edgerly Ring. Itâs called The Munich Girl: A Novel of the Legacies That Outlast War. Not yet too far along, but already loving it. (Iâll post an update here when Iâm finished.) Normally I donât mention new books â…
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Fabiola Gianotti’s Baffling Anagrams
CERN, the worldâs top particle physics facility, has a new director-general, the fabulous Fabiola Gianotti. She took the reins this month, having been democratically chosen by colleagues. The soft-spoken, hard-driving, serenely brilliant Italian scientist will need every atom of her legendary stamina for the coming ordeal. Thatâs not only because sheâs the first woman to…
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All the Candidatesâ Anagrams
Itâs that joyful season when anagram freaks (like me) dig deep to see what things we can spell by reshuffling letters in the names of leading candidates for President of the US of A. Break out your Scrabble blocks, and letâs begin. First, a note: When anagramming public figures, I shoot for humor â ideally…
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The Gary Matthews Anagrams
Wordsmith.org quotes a supposed sage as saying, “All the life’s wisdom can be found in anagrams. Anagrams never lie.” Is this so? Can we really learn hidden truth by rearranging the letters of a name or phrase? I had to find out! For me, a natural place to start was with my dear departed mom. Her…
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Hoth’s Deadly Crystal Lattice Creature
If you’re a fan of Star Wars VÂ (The Empire Strikes Back), you’ll remember two featured creatures: the tauntaun, a snow lizard ridden by Luke Skywalker; and the wampa, a white-furred predator of amazing stealth and power. Both are denizens of the ice planet Hoth, a one-time Rebel outpost. You probably won’t remember the crystal lattice…
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May Your Days Be Merry and Bright!
Happy Holidays from GaryMatthews.com and my digital-art associate, Fractal Fran! More background details here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GaryMatthews/posts/PTfX1bk2mQg
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Introducing Fractal Fran
Say hello to Fractal Fran, my new digital art assistant and avatar. She’ll be your guide to spellbinding digital designs and fractal art (plus, perhaps, occasional photography of a more traditional nature). Large, soulful eyes. Neon turban. Green whiskers. Small, pursed lips. These and other traits mark Fran as an emissary from the Vardax home-world. Vardax…