Monday, January 21, 2013

penelope.


 No better way to spend a brisk morning than walking over to Penelope on Lexington Avenue. A brunch date with my friend, roommate as well, and our adopted big sister from the House of Susan B. Anthony. Going into explaining the relationship and how it comes to be is irrelevant, but the goat cheese omelette with spinach and mushrooms was enjoyed over a conversation and coffee. Penelope is small. A small entrance of four steps and a bench to the right rarely accommodates the lines of guests awaiting their table. To ease the strain of close quarters, the cafe offers complimentary coffee to those waiting in hopes that the service overshadows the hunger. One thing to know about Penelope is to expect a wait. Also, expect to wait. For two times before today I tried to stick out the wait, but sadly failed. To my delight, brunch was served today in the cozy, window seat corner.
  There are those people who come around that challenge you. For whatever purpose or way, it happens. Sometimes it occurs in a theological sense, at other times by wit, but today it was by language. Maybe I do not read enough novels set in the nineteenth century, or possibly my time is spent speed reading for class the following day. Regardless, it puzzles me how some speech is eloquently strung together with words I have never heard before, or maybe I have but do not think to place them into my sentences. Confidence might have a part to play in the situation. Who would ever use an obscure verb to state something that could be explained with be, being or been? I like to think that my words almost sound lyrical or profound, yet often they fall of my mundane lips with carelessness. It gets me to thinking about how much I think about words, their meaning, and why we use them. Did we not create certain words to serve a purpose such as this? To better relate what a person is trying to say to another? I believe it is the purpose but profane words and slander too quickly become verbiage. I did it there. Verbiage? It is speech or writing that uses too many words.
  Too many words. Is that the problem? To make excuses for a poorly spoken thought, there is a temptation to add a few more words to it. Whatever the cause, I am challenged by those words, however archaic or mundane they may sound.