A game of drawing conceptual spandrels*:

There’s a mind game like to play: I weave extra hints or messages or humor or sometimes oblique concepts into the statements I make; and, then, see who picks up on them. You score points by volleying a similar extra layer of meaning. Style points are awarded for the flavor of the volley: Is it thematically, stylistically, or structurally similar? Does it extend, engage the woven thread? Did it oppose or mock it? Did it trump or topple the original?

It’s always been odd to go through the day rarely meeting other people who play the game. Much less, finding people who are interested in it. Sometimes those who play a little will catch on and go a few rounds with you. Sometimes you meet players who are too different in style, structure, content for it to be a complete game.

This is my favorite sport. And, yet, there’s no league for it. It’s all pick-up games. In some places, you get labeled a witch for talking and thinking with such powerful cleverness.

* I borrow Stephen Jay Gould‘s biology term “spandrels” for it’s ingenuity and uniqueness. Read the rest of this entry »