The Little Game (Part 2 of 3)

(Here's Part 1.)

For Part 2, prioritize your list. Put the things that are most important to you at the top and the ones that are least important at the bottom.

Be intuitive about it if need be; be logical about it if that appeals. Think only of yourself, not of an audience. Eschew thoughts of remuneration*. Keep shuffling till you're satisfied.

Tomorrow is "Open Mike" off-topic day, and I'm going to write about borosilicate straws and rice. So we'll get to Part 3, the payoff post, on Thursday morning.

That's all for now,

Mike

*Sorry. My favorite sentence in English is this, from Mark Twain: "Eschew surplusage." It rattles around my brain-pan with a thousand other phrases that have taken up permanent residence there. Pay no heed to thoughts of earning money, is what I mean to say.

Original contents copyright 2018 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Harsh reality

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Bill Pearce: "Twain's sentence is good, but I can top it. I had a junior high school English teacher, the stereotypical old maid schoolteacher, who was known to say 'eschew obfuscation.' It's sorta the same thing, but with two words that could be found in a dictionary. It's also something that wouldn't be said in any junior high in America today."

Mike replies: I wrote an article called "Eschew Cliché" once. That's a nice phrase too.

Comments

[Bill Pearce]

That's good, but I can top it. I had a Jr. High English teacher, the stereotypical old maid schoolteacher, who was known to say "eschew obfuscation." It's sorta the same thing, but with two words that could be found in a dictionary. It's also something that wouldn't be said in any Jr. High in America today.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

"Eschew obfuscation" is the version I grew up with, not credited elsewhere but nobody pretended to have invented it themselves. I like it a lot.

[Jamie Pillers]

Excellent exercise, Mike... even without Part III! My initial list had 30 words/categories. But when I started prioritizing them, I found many began to lump together into what I now see as substantial projects to be pursued further!

[Joe Holmes]

Almost completely off-topic, but I'm inspired to share the funniest four words I ever read, by Ring Lardner in his classic story "The Young Immigrunts" (1920):

"Shut up," he explained.

[Hélcio J. Tagliolatto]

Bill Pearce said: " ...'eschew obfuscation.'... It's also something that wouldn't be said in any junior high in America today."

Here in Brazil too. The teacher would be crucified by the students and their parents.

[Joseph Holmes]

I followed your step 2 by prioritizing my list, and I discovered something interesting. Some of my categories can be combined into a single category.

For example, I combined my two categories "Lone figure in a vast city/landscape" and "Smoke/Cell break" into one.

I lost three or four categories by doing that -- yikes!

[Jeff Pressman]

I heard it this way - eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

[TC]

Typically, I already messed up the exercise: Instead of going through and looking at the things I *like* to take pictures of, I noted the things that I *actually* take pictures of. So part 2 threw me for a loop, i.e. "important to me" connotes making a conscious decision to go take photos of a certain thing, whereas I don't really do that. Still, it is an interesting exercise, and has definitely made me think about what I end up shooting.

[Dave in NM]

“Mike replies: I wrote an article called "Eschew Cliché" ”

Gesundheit!

[Patrick Ward]

How about, with only empty tins of Quality Street and expanding waistlines to remind us of an indulgent Christmas, Eschew Toffees?

[richardl]

spiro agnew eschew obfuscation but take the envelope

[James Cockroft]

For me, this was harder than part 1, but then I think too much. I have trouble with this "important to me" concept. There are things that are important, with no question, like my family and friends. But beyond that, and the enjoyment I get from photography, not much of what falls in front of the lens is really that important. And then, different parts of me respond to photographs (and photographing) in different ways. I ended up eschewing the idea of "important" and focused on these different responses I have to pictures and ideas, and then it got easier.

I wrote up another post on it. Thanks for promoting the first one, Mike!

[Nigel]

I wrote an article called "Eschew Cliché"...

Gesundheit !

[Richard Sandor]

Eschew using eschew as its known by only a few..