Contentment

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

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• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  καταστολή, 7, equipment, dress, raiment, LXX (Isai. 61. 3), 1 Tim. 2. 9, Joseph. B. J. 2. 8, 4. II. a letting or putting down, a checking, Diod. 15. 94. 2. steadiness, quietness, Hipp. 23: mode- ration, τῆς περιβολῆς in dress, Plut. Pericl. 5 ; so, «. ἤθους Clem. Al. 785 ; τὴν παθῶν Id. 137: and absol. calmness, dignity, Arr. Epict. 2. 10, 15, Chel, ΤΙΣ καταστολίζω, to clothe, dress, quoted from Plut. 2. 65 Ὁ, Byz. καταστομίς, dos, ἡ, the mouth-piece of a flute, Hesych. καταστομόομαι, Pass. to be brought to a keen edge, Eumath. p. 441. καταστονἄχέω, to bewail, c. acc,, Anth. P.7. 574. καταστορέννῦμι ; part. καστορνῦσα (as if from καταστόρνυμι), V. infr. : fut. -στορέσω : aor. pass. κατεστορέσθην Hipp. 16. 26: pf. κατεστόρεσται Themist. 194 D. To spread or cover with a thing, [κάπετον] λάεσσι κατεστύρεσαν μεγάλοισι 1]. 24. 798. II. to spread upon, κώεα καστορνῦσα θρόνοις ἐνὶ δαιδαλέοισιν Od. 17. 32, cf. 13.73. 111. to throw down, lay low, κατεστόρεσαν αὐτῶν ἑξακοσίους Hdt. 9. 69 (cf. καταστρώννυμι IIL); καταστ. κύματα to smooth the waves, like Lat. sternere aequor, Anth. P. 7.668; so, metaph., of morbid humours, Hipp. Vet. Med. 16; also, κ. τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν Plut. Lyc. et Num. 25; τὴν φιλο- τιμίαν, TA πάθη Id. Lucull. 5, etc.; τὸν θυμόν Ael. ap. Suid., etc. καταστοχάζομαι, Dep. to aim at; and so, to hit, guess, Tt Polyb. 12. 13, 4, Diod. 19. 39; τινος Ath, 391 B, Suid. 2. 20 pursue, τινος Basil. M., etc. καταστοχασμός, 6, conjecture, Diod. 1. 37. καταστοχαστέον, verb. Adj. one must guess, Ptol. kKataoToXacTyHs, οὔ, 6, one who guesses, Suid. 5. ν. προφητεία. καταστοχαστικός, 77, dv, able to guess at, τινός Clem. Al. 820. καταστραγγίζω, fut. ἔσω or ἐῶ, to let drop down, LXx (Lev. 5. 9). κατ-αστράπτω, fut. ψω, to hurl down lightning, flash lightning, κατὰ τόπον upon a place, Soph. Tr. 437; absol., καταστράπτει it lightens, Plut. Galb. 23. ΤΙ. trans. ¢o strike with lightning, dazzle, τὰς ὄψεις Id. Timol. 82; τινά Themist. 337 D; τινὰ τῷ κάλλει Heliod. 2. 4:— ὅπλοις κ. τὸ πεδίον to make it gleam with arms, Id. 9. 14. καταστρᾶτεύομαι, Dep. to take the field against, make war upon, τινος Clem. Al. 827; so in Act., Anon. ap. Suid.; and Causal, καταστρατεύειν ἐμπίδας αὐτοῖς to send an army of gnats against, Theodoret. II. to overrun in war, τὸν Πόντον Chion. Ep. 2. καταστρἄτηγέω, to overcome by generalship or stratagem, Twa Polyb. 3. 71,1, etc. ; τινός Byz.:—metaph. to outgeneral, outwit, Dion. H. 4.10; τοὺς δικαστάς Id. de Isae. 3, cf. Suid. καταστρατηγία, ἡ, conquest by stratagem, Tzetz. Hist. 9. 70. καταστρἄτοπεδεία, ἡ, the pitching a camp: living in camps, Phylarch. ap. Ath. 539 C, cf. Ael. V. H. 9. 3.

• From The Things They Carried (1990)

  Shrugging, Kiowa pulled off his boots. He wanted to say more, just to lighten up his sleep, but instead he opened his New Testament and arranged it beneath his head as a pillow. The fog made things seem hollow and unattached. He tried not to think about Ted Lavender, but then he was thinking how fast it was, no drama, down and dead, and how it was hard to feel anything except surprise. It seemed unchristian. He wished he could find some great sadness, or even anger, but the emotion wasn't there and he couldn't make it happen. Mostly he felt pleased to be alive. He liked the smell of the New Testament under his cheek, the leather and ink and paper and glue, whatever the chemicals were. He liked hearing the sounds of night. Even his fatigue, it felt fine, the stiff muscles and the prickly awareness of his own body, a floating feeling. He enjoyed not being dead. Lying there, Kiowa admired Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's capacity for grief. He wanted to share the man's pain, he wanted to care as Jimmy Cross cared. And yet when he closed his eyes, all he could think was Boom-down, and all he could feel was the pleasure of having his boots off and the fog curling in around him and the damp soil and the Bible smells and the plush comfort of night. After a moment Norman Bowker sat up in the dark. What the hell, he said. You want to talk, talk. Tell it to me. Forget it. No, man, go on. One thing I hate, it's a silent Indian. For the most part they carried themselves with poise, a kind of dignity. Now and then, however, there were times of panic, when they squealed or wanted to squeal but couldn't, when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said Dear Jesus and flopped around on the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and sobbed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and to God and to their mothers and fathers, hoping not to die. In different ways, it happened to all of them. Afterward, when the firing

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  ἀ-θορύβητος, ov, undisturbed: τὸ a0. tranquillity of mind, Xen. Αρεβ.0, 7. ἀ-θόρῦὕβος. ον, αἰδήμονα uproar, undisturbed, tranquil, Plat. Legg. 640 C. Adv. —Bws, Bue Or. 630. aos, Dor. for ἦθος. ἀθραγένη, ἣ, a tree of which tinder was made, Theophr. H. P. 5. 9, 6. ἄϑρακτος, ον, (θράσσω) = ἀτάρακτος, Soph. Fr. 812. ἀ-θράνευτος, ov, expl. by dotpwros, prob. wncushioned, Eur. Fr. 573, A. B. 352. ἄ-θραυστος, ov, unbroken, undestroyed, unhurt, sound, Eur. Hec. 17, etc.: not to be broken, Arist. Meteor. 4. 8, 5, etc. ἄθρεπτος, f. 1. for ἄτρεπτος, Anth. P. 5.178. ἀθρέω or ἁθρέω : fut. ήσω (v. Elmsl. Med. 519): aor. opt. ἀθρήσειε, inf. ἀθρῆσαι Hom., Soph.: aor. med. ἀθρήσασθαι Timo 6: Ep. part. ἀθρειο- μένου Manetho 6.60. (The Root appears to be OEP, with a prefixed ; cf. θράω.) To look earnestly at, gaze at, observe, perceive, iva μή τις ᾿Αχαιῶν βλήμενον ἀθρήσειε Il. 12. 391, cf. 14. 3343 οὐδέ πῃ ἀθρῆσαι δυνάμην͵ (sc. Σεύλλην) Od. 12. 232, cf. 19. 478, Eur. Hec. 679, El. 827; [οἱ μεθύοντες] ἀθρεῖν τὰ πόρρω ov δύνανται Arist. Probl. 3. 9- 2. absol. or with a Prep. to look earnestly, gaze, ὅτ᾽ és πεδίον τὸ Τρωϊκὸν ἀθρήσειεν Il. 10.11; ἄθρει observe, watch, Aesch. Fr. 225 ; δεῦρ᾽ ἄθρησον look hither, Eur. Hipp. 300; λεύσσετ᾽, ἀθρήσατε Id. Andr. 1228; ov yap ἴδοις ἂν ἀθρῶν by observing, Soph. O. C. 252. II. later, of the mind, ¢o look at or into a thing, to observe, consider, τι Pind. P. 2. 129; πολλὰ πυθέσθαι, πολλὰ δ᾽ ἀθρῆσαι Soph. O. T. 1305, cf. O. C. 1032; ἄθρησον αὐτό Eur. Bacch. 1282, cf. 1327, etc.:—foll. by an interrog. or rel. clause, καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἄθρησον, εἰ .. consider this also, whether .., Soph. Ant. 1077, cf. 1216; τόδε τοίνυν ἄθρει πότερον .. Plat. Rep. 394 E; ἄθρει μὴ ov.. Id. Phaedo 104 B, Gorg. 495 B; ἄθρει ὅτι.. Id. Rep. 583 B; and Plat. generally uses this imper. form, but ἀθρῶ Parm. 144 Ὁ, ἀθρῶν Tim. gt E. 2. absol. ἄθρησον, consider, Eur. I. A. 1410. IIL. to perceive, οὔασιν ἀθρ. Nic. Th. 164. ἀθρήματα, τά, ---ὀπτήρια, Hesych. ἀ-θρήνητοϑ, ον, unlamented, to expl. νώνυμνος, Eust. 928. 63. ἀθρηγνί, Adv. (θρῆνος) without mourning, Suid. ἀθρητέον, verb. Adj. of ἀθρέω, one must consider, Eur. Hipp. 379. Xen. Symp. 8, 39. ἀ-θριάμβευτος, ov, uncelebrated, Eust. Opusc. 237. 57. ἀ-θρίγγωτος, ov, without coping, E. M. ἄ-θριξ, τρἴχος, 6, 7, without hair, Matro ap. Ath. 656 F: cf. ὄθριξ. ἀθρτπήδεστος, ov, not worm-eaten, Theophr. H. P. 5.1, 2, where the Mss. ἀθριπηδέστατον : cf. θριπήδεστος. GOpoet, Adv. of ἄθροος. Philes 5. 149.

• From Synanon Kid: Book One: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Synanon Cult

  They had no standard of dress particular to their communal membership, other than the style of the late seventies/early eighties—flared blue jeans, drawstring tops, linen V-neck shirts, wrap-around skirts, knee high boots, and long hair parted in the middle or curly hair proudly worn with a headband. We entered through the kitchen. I was excited to see a full spread of food. Chicken, ham, rice, pasta, bread, butter, a cheese platter, salad, wine, juice, loaf cake, and several varieties of cookies were clustered on the kitchen counter, and a round dinner table was stacked with paper plates and plastic utensils. “Help yourself,” one of the women said, touching my back lightly with the palm of her hand and smiling warmly at me. I picked up a plate and immediately loaded it with everything there. At eleven, I always had an appetite. We had arrived late and our hosts had already eaten, but they waited patiently while we served ourselves dinner before inviting us to join them in the living room. Again, we sat in a circle on the floor. One of the men formally welcomed us, inquired about our drive, and asked if we had run into any problems finding them. Ray enthusiastically began to talk about the windy road and made jokes about how slow we had to go. This emitted polite laughter, followed by introductions, as we all took turns to say our names and a little about ourselves. Once the introductions were over, I tucked into my dinner, blocking out most of the rest of the adult conversation, which centered on spiritual beliefs and the University guru, Christopher Hills. A few hours later we said our goodbyes. “So if we joined them, we could live in our own house?” Sara asked as we walked to our car. My ears perked up. During the University of the Trees gathering, I’d done what I always did in meetings––daydream. As a result, I’d missed that important bit of information. “Yes!” Ray said. He smiled at Theresa and put his arm around her. “See, isn’t this nice?” “I liked them very much,” Theresa acknowledged. “But I still want to visit the Summit Lighthouse.” “Of course. I’m only saying that University of the Trees is definitely worth considering.” The community members had arranged for us to stay as guests in a cottage used as a school for some of the younger children. It sat tucked away in a wooded area nearby. We arrived at our lodgings two minutes later. Someone had left blankets, pillows, and futons for us. We laid out our bedding under a blackboard and a shelf of primers. Watercolor paintings held in place by clothespins on twine were strung across the room, the faint smell of paint lingering in the air. After climbing under the covers, I was asleep in minutes, lulled by the quiet and serenity of the country environment.

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  B. INTR. :—pf. ἄρᾶρα with pres. sense, Ion. and Ep. ἄρηρα, part. apapws, done, Hom., Trag., and late Prose (except that Xen. has προσ- apapevar, Hell. 4. 7; 6); Ep. fem. part. adpypvia Hes. Th. 608, and metri grat. ἀρᾶἄρυϊα Hom.; and so in Opp. H. 3. 367, εὖ ἀρᾶρός : Ion. and Ep. plqpf. ἀρήρειν, also ἠρήρειν, with impf. sense, Il. 10. 265., 12 56, etc.:—of the Med. we only find part. aor. 2 syncop. dppevos, ἢ, ov, also os, ov Hes. Op. 784, (cf. however ἀρηρεμένος) : on aor. 2 used intr., Vv. supr. A. I. To be joined closely together, Τρῶες ἀρηρότες the Trojans thronged together, in close order, Il. 13. 800 ; ; ἄραρον κύρυθές τε καὶ ἀσπίδες τό. 214: ἑξείης ποτὶ τοῖχον ὅταν τ: [πίθοι οἴνου] piled close against the wall, Od. 2. 342: hence, 2. absol. to be Jixed, φρεσὶν How ἀρηρώς το. 553; θυμὸς ἀρηρώς Theocr. 25. 113 —in Trag., apape a thing is Jixed, either physically, ἄραρεν ἥδε γ᾽ ὠλένη Aesch. Pr. 60; or metaph., ἄραρε γάρ τις ὅρκος Id. Ag. 1284 Dind. ; θεῶν .. πίστις οὐκέτ᾽ ἄραρε Eur. Med. 414; ws ταῦτ᾽ apape Ib. 322: absol., apape ’tis fixed, Ib. 745, Or. 1330, ubi v. Pors. II. to Jit or suit, fit well or closely, ζωστὴρ ἀρηρώς a close-fitting belt, Il. 4. 134; πύλαι, σανίδες εὖ (or στιβαρῶς) ἀραρυῖαι Hom. : to fit or be fitted toa thing, δοῦρα, ἔγχος παλάμῃφιν ἀρήρει fitted the hands, often in Hom.; κόρυθες κροτάφοις ἀραρυῖαι, κνημῖδες ἐπισφυρίοις ἀραρυζαι, Hom.; κυνέη ἑκατὸν πρυλέεσσ᾽ ἀραρυῖα fitting a hundred champions, i.e. large enough for them, Il. 5. 7443; also with a Prep., κυνέη ἐπὶ κροτάφοις ἀραρυῖα Od. 18. 378, Hes. Sc. 137; ὄφρ᾽ ἂν... δούρατ᾽ ἐν ἁρμονίῃσιν ἀρήρῃ Od. 5. 361; κεραυνὸς ἐν κράτει ἀρ. joined with might and victory, Pind. O. Io (11). οὗ. III. to be Jitted, furnished with a ι thing, τάφρος σκολύπεσσιν ἀρήρει Il. 12. 56; πόλις πύργοις ἀραρυῖα 15. ΠΣ ζώνη θυσάνοις dpaputa 14. 181: hence, later, furnished, endowed with, χαρίτεσσιν ἀραρώς Pind. I. 2, 29; κάλλει ἀραρώς Eur. ΕἸ. 948 ; πολλῇσιν ἐπωνυμίῃσιν apnpws Dion. P. 28. IV. to be fitting, meet or suitable, agreeable or pleasing, like the kindred ἀρέσκω, ἐνὶ φρεσὶν ἤραρεν ἡμῖν it fitted our temper well, Od. 4. 777 (this sense nowhere else in Hom.); so, ἄκοιτιν ἀραρυῖαν πραπίδεσσι Hes. Th. 608: also ἄραρεν, ’tis fair or favourable, Pind. N. 5. OL: V. we must esp. remark the syncop, part. aor. 2 med. ἄρμενος, ἢ, ov » fitting, Jjitted or suited to (in Hom. just like pf. part. apnpws), c. dat., ἱστὸν .. καὶ ἐπίκριον ἄρμενον αὐτῷ fitted or fastened to the mast, Od. 5. 254 (v. sub ἄρμενα, τά); also, τροχὸν ἄρμενον ἐν παλάμῃσιν 1]. 18. 600; πέλεκυν ... ἄρμ. ἐν Tr. Od. 5. 234. 2. fitting, fit, meet, conve- nient, Lat. habilis, ws 6 τε τις τροχὸν ἄρμενον ον κεραμεὺς πειρή- σεται Il. 18. 600; μάλα γάρ νύ οἱ ἄρμενα εἶπεν Hes, Sc. 116; rarely c. inf., ἡμέρα κούρῃσι γενέσθαι ἄρμενος a day meet for girls to be born, Hes. Op. 784 (where the part. is used like an Adj. of two termin.). 3. prepared, ready, χρήματα δ᾽ εἰν οἴκῳ πάντ᾽ ἄρμενα ποιήσασθαι Hes. Op. 405; ἄρμενα πάντα παρασχεῖν Id. Sc. 84, Theogn. 2753 ἄρμενος εἴς TL Ap. Rh. 4. 1461. 4. agreeable, w welcome, ἄρμενα πράξαις, = εὖ πράξας, Pind. Ο. 8. 96; ἐν ἀρμένοις θυμὸν αὔξων Pind. N. 3. 99; so of men, ξείνοις ἄρμενον Plat. Epigr. 28.

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  ἁρμονία, 7, (ἁρμόζω) a means of joining, a fastening of some kind, used to keep ship-planks together, γόμφοις μιν... καὶ ἁρμονίῃσιν ἄρηρεν Od. 5. 248; of the ship, ὄφρ᾽ ἂν... ἐν ἁρμονίῃσιν ἀρήρῃ Ib. 361; cf. “Αρμονίδης. 2. ajoining, joint, as between a ship’s planks, τὰς ἅρμ. ἐπάκτωσαν τῇ βύβλῳ caulked the joints with byblus, Hdt. 2. 96; τῶν ἁρμονιῶν διαχασκουσῶν the joints wide-gaping, Ar. Eq. 533; αἱ τῶν λίθων ἁρμ., in masonry, Diod. 2.8, cf. Paus. 8.8,8., 9.33, 7:—in anatomy, the union of two bones by mere apposition, Galen: 2. 255, in pl. 3. a frame, frame-work, ῥηγνὺς ἁρμονίαν . . λύρας Soph. Fr. 232, cf. Plat. Symp. 187 A; esp. of the human frame, ἁρμονίην ἀναλυέμεν ἀνθρώποιο Pseudo-Phoc. 96, cf. Hipp. 277. 6.,749 Ὁ ; κώλων ἔκλυτος app. Anth. P. 7. 283; τὰς app. διαχαλᾷ τοῦ σώματος, of a worn-out, decaying person, Epicr. Ἄντ. 2. 10. b. of the mind, δύστροπος γυναικῶν apy. women’s perverse temperament, Eur. Hipp. 162. 11. a covenant, agreement, in pl. (like συνθῆκαι, etc.), μάρτυροι... καὶ ἐπίσκοποι dppo- νιάων 1]. 22. 255. III. settled government, order, τὰν Διὸς app. Aesch. Pr. 551. IV. harmony, as a concord of sounds, first as a mythical personage, Harmonia, Music, companion of Hebé, the Graces and the Hours, h. Hom. Ap. 195; child of the Muses, Eur. Med. 834; properly a Boeotian divinity, daughter of Ares and Aphrodité, Hes. Th. 937; wife of Cadmus, Ib., Pind. P. 3. 161, Eur. Bacch. 1356; sym- bolising, both by her parentage and by her union with the introducer of the alphabet, the civilisation of a rude country by music and letters, cf. Plut. Pelop. 19. 2. appellat. concord, music, or rather a system of music, esp. the octave-system (ἡ διὰ πασῶν), attributed to Pythagoras, Philolaus p. 66 Bockh, Nicom. in Mus. Vett. p. 17, Plut. 2. 1145 A; ἐκ πασῶν OKTw οὐσῶν μίαν app. ξυμφωνεῖν Plat. Rep. 617 B; ἑπτὰ χορδαὶ ἡ app. Arist. Metaph. 13. 6, 5, cf. Probl. 19. 25; cf. Chappell’s Hist. of Music, 77 sq.;—but ἁρμονία never meant ‘harmony’ in the modern sense, Ib.15. The Pythag. theory of the music of the spheres seems to have been based on this system, v. Arist. Cael. 2.9, 1 sq., Mund. 6, 17 sq., cf. Lewis, πλόγησις, 7, “A pmovidns — ἀροτρευτήρ. Astron. of Ancients, p.131. 8. a special hind of music, a mode, ἁρμονία Λυδία Pind. N. 4. 73; AioAis Pratinas 5, Lasus 1; cf. Plat. Rep. 398 E, 443 Ὁ 54., Arist. Pol. 3. 3, 8., 8. 7, 8 sq. :—the technical word for this was τόνος, V. τόνος II. 2. d, or τρόπος IV. 4. ἁρμονίαν λύγων λαβών a due arrangement of words, fit to be set to music, Plat. Theaet. 175 Ε,176. A:— also the intonation or modulation of the voice, Arist. Rhet. 3. 1, 4. 5. metaph., of persons and things, harmony, concord, Plat. Rep. 431 E, etc. Αρμονίδης, ου, 6, patron., son of a Carpenter, 1]. 5. 60.

• From Synanon Kid: Book One: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Synanon Cult

  Theresa set the bag of food on the seat between Sara and me. I opened my novel, but I had barely read a word when Theresa said, “I didn’t appreciate being rushed and talked to like that.” “Theresa , we had to get going. We’re running late as it is,” Ray said in his strained I-can’t-take-this-anymore voice. “Yes, but there are better ways to communicate that.” “Look, I don’t see how I could have communicated it any better. We needed to go.” “Also, I noticed that you are not really listening to me; you are only waiting to argue your point.” “What?” “I expressed to you that I didn’t really like the way that I was being treated, but you are not hearing what I am saying, Ray.” He sighed. “Ok, you didn’t like the way I spoke to you when I said it was time to go, right?” “Yes. It hurt my feelings when you cut me off. I was trying to tell you that I packed granola, because I know you like granola.” Ray did not respond right away as he took in what she said. When he spoke again, his tone had changed to the carefully modulated “I’m using my calm and reasonable voice now.” “So you are saying your feelings were hurt when you were talking about the granola because you felt I cut you off?” “Yes.” Sara rolled her eyes and made gagging motions with her fingers pointed at her open mouth. I grinned. “I hear what you are saying. You didn’t like the way I spoke to you when I said it was time to go. You felt it was abrupt.” “Yes.” “I understand and I will try to communicate better in the future, but sometimes I feel like you don’t always listen. When I expressed that we needed to leave, you continued to talk about the food you packed and I found that irritating.” “I hear that you were irritated...” and so it went. I returned my attention to my book and enjoyed the rest of the uneventful drive to LA. I read and gazed out the window in turn at dry hills with scrubby brown grass, interspersed with acres of mono crops and orchards, while munching on almonds, raisins, and my egg salad sandwich. At one point we passed a field of oil pumps. They reminded me of large chickens endlessly bobbing up and down in slow motion, pecking tirelessly at the barren earth beneath them. The mood was serene and the scenery hypnotic, until we actually arrived in LA and found ourselves in a tangle of traffic, cars weaving in and out of lanes, horns blaring. Ray had suddenly turned into a fugitive again, shoulders pushed up to his ears, head swiveling every other second over his shoulder as he maneuvered to get into the far-right lane. The Summit Lighthouse Community was located in Malibu Canyon, Calabasas, the property surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains.

• From The Things They Carried (1990)

  One afternoon, somewhere west of the Batangan Peninsula, we came across an abandoned pagoda. Or almost abandoned, because a pair of monks lived there in a tar paper shack, tending a small garden and some broken shrines. They spoke almost no English at all. When we dug our foxholes in the yard, the monks did not seem upset or displeased, though the younger one performed a washing motion with his hands. No one could decide what it meant. The older monk led us into the pagoda. The place was dark and cool, I remember, with crumbling walls and sandbagged windows and a ceiling full of holes. "It's bad news," Kiowa said. "You don't mess with churches." But we spent the night there, turning the pagoda into a little fortress, and then for the next seven or eight days we used the place as a base of operations. It was mostly a very peaceful time. Each morning the two monks brought us buckets of water. They giggled when we stripped down to bathe; they smiled happily while we soaped up and splashed one an other. On the second day the older monk carried in a cane chair for the use of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, placing it near the altar area, bowing and gesturing for him to sit down. The old monk seemed proud of the chair, and proud that such a man as Lieutenant Cross should be sitting in it. On another occasion the younger monk presented us with four ripe watermelons from his garden. He stood watching until the watermelons were eaten down to the rinds, then he smiled and made the strange washing motion with his hands. Though they were kind to all of us, the monks took a special liking for Henry Dobbins. "Soldier Jesus," they'd say, "good soldier Jesus." Squatting quietly in the cool pagoda, they would help Dobbins disassemble and clean his machine gun, carefully brushing the parts with oil. The three of them seemed to have an understanding. Nothing in words, just a quietness they shared. "You know," Dobbins said to Kiowa one morning, "after the war maybe I'll join up with these guys." "Join how?" Kiowa said. "Wear robes. Take the pledge." Kiowa thought about it. "That's a new one. I didn't know you were all that religious." "Well, I'm not," Dobbins said. Beside him, the two monks were working on the M-60. He watched them take turns running oiled swabs through the barrel. "I mean, I'm not the churchy type. When I was a little kid, way back, I used to sit there on Sunday counting bricks in the wall. Church wasn't for me. But then in high school, I started to think how I'd like to be a minister. Free house, free car. Lots of potlucks. It looked like a pretty good life." "You're serious?" Kiowa said.

• From The Things They Carried (1990)

  security at all. As soldiers, the ARVNs were useless; the Ruff-and-Puffs were outright dangerous. And yet even with decent troops the place was clearly indefensible. To the north and west the country rose up in thick walls of wilderness, triple-canopied jungle, mountains unfolding into higher mountains, ravines and gorges and fast-moving rivers and waterfalls and exotic butterflies and steep cliffs and smoky little hamlets and great valleys of bamboo and elephant grass. Originally, in the early 1960s, the place had been set up as a Special Forces outpost, and when Rat Kiley arrived nearly a decade later, a squad of six Green Berets still used the compound as a base of operations. The Greenies were not social animals. Animals, Rat said, but far from social. They had their own hootch at the edge of the perimeter, fortified with sandbags and a metal fence, and except for the bare essentials they avoided contact with the medical detachment. Secretive and suspicious, loners by nature, the six Greenies would sometimes vanish for days at a time, or even weeks, then late in the night they would just as magically reappear, moving like shadows through the moonlight, filing in silently from the dense rain forest off to the west. Among the medics there were jokes about this, but no one asked questions. While the outpost was isolated and vulnerable, Rat said, he always felt a curious sense of safety there. Nothing much ever happened. The place was never mortared, never taken under fire, and the war seemed to be somewhere far away. On occasion, when casualties came in, there were quick spurts of activity, but otherwise the days flowed by without incident, a smooth and peaceful time. Most mornings were spent on the volleyball court. In the heat of midday the men would head for the shade, lazing away the long afternoons, and after sundown there were movies and card games and sometimes all-night drinking sessions. It was during one of those late nights that Eddie Diamond first brought up the tantalizing possibility. It was an offhand comment. A joke, really. What they should do, Eddie said, was pool some bucks and bring in a few mama-sans from Saigon, spice things up, and after a moment one of the men laughed and said, "Our own little EM club," and somebody else said, "Hey, yeah, we pay our fuckin' dues, don't we?" It was nothing serious. Just passing time, playing with the possibilities, and so for a while they tossed the idea around, how you could actually get away with it, no officers or anything, nobody to clamp down, then they dropped the subject and moved on to cars and baseball. Later in the night, though, a young medic named Mark Fossie kept coming back to the subject. "Look, if you think about it," he said, "it's not that crazy. You could actually do it." "Do what?" Rat said. "You know. Bring in a girl. I mean, what's the problem?" Rat shrugged. "Nothing. A war."

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  εὐμάρεια, 7, Ion. -ίη (not - ἔη, v. Koen. Greg. p. 521): easiness, ease, opportunity, τινι for doing a thing, Eur. Fr. 181; but more commonly τινος, Soph. Ph. 284, 7043 εὐμ. φυγῆς Anon. ap. Suid.; τῆς ζητήσεως Arist. Pol. 3. 3, 4. 2. ease of movement, dexterity, χεροῖν Eur. Bacch. 1128: metaph. of the mind, M. Anton. 4. 3. 3. of internal con- dition, ease, comfort, evpapela χρῆσθαι to be at ease, in comfort, Soph. Tr. 193; but also, εὐμαρίῃ χρᾶσθαι euphem. for alvwm exonerare, to ease oneself, Hdt. 2. 35, cf. 4. 113; εὖμ. παρασκευάζειν to provide easy or ready means, Plat.Legg.738D; πρὸς τὰς Διὸς ὥρας εὐμ. μηχανᾶσθαι provision for, protection against, Id. Prot. 321 A; εὖμ. ἐστι, ἢ. inf. ’tis easy to.., Id. Lys. 204 Ὁ, Xen. Oec. 5,9; δύ εὐμαρείας easily, Luc. Amor. 13; πρὸς εὐμάρειάν τινος for his convenience, Id. Hippias 5. εὐμᾶρής, és, easy, convenient, without trouble, like εὔκολος, except that 3 / εὐλογιίιστεω --- @ ’ , εὐμετακινῆτος. it is commonly used of things, first in Theogn. 843 (who has also the Adv. —éws, 463); dp. χείρωμα an easy prey, Aesch. Ag. 1326; δυστυ- χούντων γ᾽ εὐμαρὴς ἀπαλλαγή Id. Supp. 338 :—edpapés [ἐστι], c. inf. *tis easy, Simon. 154, Pind. P. 3. fin., N. 3. 37, Eur. Alc. 492; so, ἐν εὐμαρεῖ [ἐστι] Id. 1. A. 969, cf. Hel. 1227, Fr. 385. Io. 2. rarely of persons, easy, gentle, Hipp. 24. 52, Soph. El. 179, Aretae. Caus. M. Diut. 1. 6. ΤΙ. Adv. —pas, poét. —péws, mildly, Theogp. l.c., Plat. Criti. 113 E. 2. easily, Aesch. Fr. 332, Plat. Legg. 706 B, Luc. Amor. 53. (Acc. to Schol. Ven. Il. 15. 37, from obsol. μάρη = χείρ, cf. εὐχερής.) [ἅ, except in Epich. 23 Ahr.] εὐμᾶρίζω, to lighten, make easy, Eccl. εὐμᾶρίη. ἡ, Ion. for εὐμάρεια. εὔμᾶρις, Sos, 7, (not εὐμαρίς, Arcad. p. 34, whose rule is confirmed by the acc. εὔμαριν in Aesch. Pers. 660) :—an Asiatic shoe or slipper, Bap- βάροις ἐν εὐμάρισι Eur. Or. 1370; κροκόβαπτον .. εὔμαριν ἀείρων (yellow being the royal colour in Persia), Aesch. ].c.; they had thick soles, hence βαθύπελμος, Anth. P. 7. 413, cf. Lyc. 855. (Prob. a foreign word.) [The ἃ is made short in Anth.] εὐμᾶρότης, ητος, ἡ, -- εὐμάρεια, Callistr. 894. εὐμάχᾶνος, ον, [ἃ]. Dor. for εὐμήχανος. εὔμᾶχος, ov, easy to fight against, assailable, Max. Tyr. 26. 2. εὐμεγέθης, es, of good size, very large, Ar. Pl. 543, Eubul. Tv. 1; μάλα εὐμ. Xen. Hell. 5. 2, 4. 2. considerable, μαρτυρία Dem, 625. 22. εὐμεθόδευτος, ov, =sq., Ptolem. εὐμέθοδος, ov, well-arranged, Alex. Trall. 15 :—Adv.—6ws, Aristaen. 1.13. εὐμέθυστος, ov, easily made drunk, Geop. 7. 34, 2. εὐμειδής, és, smiling, propitious, Ap. Rh. 4.715, Call. Dian, 129. εὐμείλικτος and εὐμείλἴχος, ov, easily appeased, Hesych. εὐμέλᾶἄνος, ov, well-blackened, inky, Auth. P. 6. 295. εὐμέλεια, ἡ, melody, Diod. 4.84, Plut. 2. 456 B, etc.

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  ἡδύς, ἡδεῖα, ἡδύ, but once in Hom. ἡδὺς airpH (as fem.) Od. 12. 369: Dor. ἁδύς, irreg. acc. ἁδέα for ἡδύν Theocr. 20. 44, Mosch. 3. 83, for ἡδεῖαν Theocr. 20. 8 (cf. θῆλυς) : Ion. fem. ἡδέδ, Dor. ἁδέα :—Comp. ἡδίων [τ], Sup. ἥδιστος Od. 13. 80, and Att. ; in late authors, also regul. ἡδύτερος, Pseudo-Phocyl. 183, Anth. P. 9. 247, Theophr. H. P. 3. 2, 1 (si vera 1.); ἡδύτατος Anth. P. 11. 298, Plut. 2. 98 E. Ie sweet to the taste, δεῖπνον Od. 20. 391; often of wine, 3. 51., 9. 197, etc.; to the smell, ἀμβροσίην .. ἡδὺ μάλα πνείουσαν 4. 446: ὀδμὴ δ᾽ ἡδεῖα ἀπὸ κρητῆρος ὀδώδει g. 210; to the hearing, δίδου δ᾽ ἡδεῖαν ἀοι- δήν ὃ. 64.; αὐδή Hes. Th. 40; then of any pleasant feeling, state, etc., as of sleep, ἡδὺς ὕπνος Il. 4. 131, and often in Od.; ἡδὺς κοῖτος Ig. 510; ἡδὺ μάλα κνώσσουσα 4.809; ἡδὺς μῦθος, opp. to ἀλγεινός, Soph. Ant. 12, cf. 436 sq. :—c. inf., ἡδὺς δρακεῖν Aesch. Ag. 602; ἡδὺς ἀκοῦσαι λόγος Plat. Meno 81 Ὁ, cf. Ar. Vesp. 503 (ν. γλυκύς I. 2) :—Hdv ἐστι or γίγνεται it is pleasant, ei .. τόδε πᾶσι φίλον Kal ἡδὺ γένοιτο 1]. 4. 17, cf. 7. 387; c. inf., od ἂν ἔμοιγε μετὰ φρεσὶν ἡδὺ γένοιτο ζωέμεν Od. 24. 435; ἁδύ τι θαρσαλέαις τὸν μακρὸν τείνειν βίον ἐλπίσι Aesch. Pr. 536, εἴς. ; so, οὔ μοι ἥδιόν ἐστι λέγειν (like οὐκ ἄμεινόν ἐστι) I had rather not .., Hdt. 2. 46:—neut. as Subst., τὸ δι᾿ ἀκοῆς τε καὶ ὄψεως ἡδύ Plat. Hipp. Ma. 298 A; τὰ ἡδέα pleasures, Thuc. 5.105, Plat. Gorg. 495 A, etc. :—neut. as Adv., sweetly, ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ ἡδὺ γέλασσαν Il. 2. 270, etc.; ἁδὺ δὲ καὶ τὺ τυρίσδες Theocr. 1. 3. II. after Hom., of persons, pleasant, welcome, Soph. O.'T. 82, Ph. 530, cf. El. 929 ;— iron., ἥδιστος .. δεσμώτης ἔσω θακεῖ Id. Aj. 105. 2. well- pleased, glad, Id. O. T. 82; ἡδίους ἔσεσθε ἀκούσαντες Dem. 641. 9; ἡδίους ταῖς ἐλπίσιν Plut. Camill. 32; ἡδίω τὴν γνώμην πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ποιεῖν to open a pleasanter view of the future, Id. Fab. 5: in addressing a person, ὦ ἥδιστε, Horace’s dulcissime rerum, Plat. Rep. 348 C, etc. 8. like γλυκύς and εὐήθης, in laxer sense, innocent, simple, ws ἡδὺς εἶ Id. Gorg. 491 Ὁ, Rep. 337 Ὁ, al. 17. Adv. ἡδέως, sweetly, pleasantly, with pleasure, ἡδέως ἀλγεινῶς θ᾽ ἅμα Soph. Tr. 436; ἡδ. εὕδειν Ib. 175; δρᾶν τι Id. Ant. 70; ὁρᾶν τινα Eur. I. A.1122; βίοτον ἄγειν Id. Cycl. 453, cf. Ar. Eq. 440, Xen., etc.; ἡδέως ἂν ἐροίμην I would gladly ask, should like to ask, Dem. 246. 10 ;---ἧδ. ἔχειν τι to be pleased or content with, Eur. Ion 647, 1602; 75. ἔχειν τινός Hipp. 1089 G, Macho ap. Ath. 577 E; 98. ἔχειν πρός τινα or τινί to be hind, well-disposed to one, Isocr. 6 B, Dem. 60. fin. ; 75. ἔχειν, of things, to be pleasant, Eur. I. A. 483:—75éws μοί ἐστι it pleases me well, Heind. Plat. Hipp. Ma. 300 C, cf. Soph. Ant. 436:—Comp. ἥδιον Lys. 111. 41, Pherecr. Kop. 1, Plat., etc. :—Sup., ἥδιστα μεντἂν ἤκουσα Plat. Theaet. 183 D, etc. 2. in Hom., ἡδύ is used as Adv., v. supr. (Akin to ἦδος, ἥδομαι ; v. sub ἁνδάνω.) [In Eur. Supp. 1101, κατεῖχε χειρί: πατρὶ δ᾽ οὐδὲν ἥδιον, πὰ Alex. ’Acwr.1. 6, γαστρὸς οὐδὲν ἥδϊον,---- prob. corruptly. ]

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  εὐδεινός, 7, dv, =evdveds, An. Ox. 2. 207, in Comp. —érepos: hence prob. εὐδεινοὺς λιμένας should be restored for εὐδινούς in C.1. 4717. 22, and εὐδεινύτατος for εὐδινώτατος in Eus. H. E. 9. 7, de Mart. Pal. 9. εὐδειπνία, ἡ, a happy festival, Harmod. ap. Ath. 149 B, 479 Ὁ. εὔδειπνος, ov, with goodly feasts, δαῖτες εὔδ. well-appointed, sumptuous feasts, Eur. Med. 200. TI. in Aesch. Cho. 484, map evdeimvois . . ἐμπύ- pots, it is doubtful which is the Subst. ; prob. the former, since εὔδειπνα (in E. M. εὔδειπνος ἑορτή) is expl. by Hesych. as a festival to the memory of Erigoné, and by the Schol. as a funeral-feast; so that εὔδειπνα ἔμπυρα would be the smoking funeral-feasts. evSevdpos, ov, well-wooded, abounding in fair trees, Pind. O. 8. 12, P. 4. 131, Eur. I. T. 134, etc.; also in Prose, Hipp. Aér. 288, Strabo 100. εὐδερκήξς, és, seeing brightly, bright-eyed, Maxim. π. KaTapxX. 151, 263. εὐδέρμᾶτος, (δέρμα) with good, stout hide, Schol. Ap. Rh. 2. 125. εὐδέψητος, ον, (SePéw) well-tanned, δέρματα Hipp. Art. 797. εὔδηλος, ov, quite clear, abundantly manifest, Aesch. Pers. 1009, etc. : εὔδηλός [ἐστι] ποιῶν all may see him doing .., Ar. Ach. 1130; εὔδηλόν [ἐστιν] ὅτι .., Plat. Polit. 308 D; φιλόσοφός τις e@— εὔδηλον Alex. Aw. 1011; ἐν εὐδήλῳ [ἐστι] Hipp.6.3: v. sub δῆλος. Adv. —Aws, Plut. Thes. 3. εὐδία, ἡ. fair weather, éx χειμῶνος εὐδία Pind. 1. 7 (6). 52; ἐν εὐδίᾳ χειμῶνα ποιεῖν Xen. Hell. 2. 4,14; ὅταν εὐδία γένηται Arist. H. A. 5. 19, 3; εὐδίας (gen.) in fine weather, Ib. 8. 12, 10:—pl., ἔν ye χειμῶσι καὶ ἐν εὐδίαις Plat. Legg. 961 F; εὐδιῶν οὐσῶν Arist. H. A. 9. 40, 36. 2. metaph. tranquillity, calm, Pind. O. 1. 158, P. 5. 12, Aesch. Theb. 795, Antipho 116. 25, Xen. An. 5.8, 19; of the mind, Protag. ap. Plut. 2. 118 E, ubi v. Wytt.; σαρκὸς edd. good condition of .., 10. 126 C. [On the prosody, v. εὔδιος.] εὐδιάβἄτος, ον, easy to cross, ποταμός Xen. Hell. 4s 2.11, Plut. εὐδιάβλητος, ov, =sq., Chrysipp. ap. Plut. 2. 1040 B. εὐδιάβολος, ov, easy to misrepresent, easily misrepresented, Plat. Lege. 944 B; εὐδιάβολα τὰ τοιαῦτα πρὸς τοὺς πολλούς Id. Euthyphro 3 B. Adv., εὐδιαβόλως ἔχειν Dem. 1406. το. εὐδιάγνωστος, ov, easy to distinguish, Galen. 14. p. 63. 10, Eccl. εὐδιάγωγος. ov, cheerful. Diosc. 4.61, Philo 1. 52, etc. 597 εὐδιάζομαι, Dep., -- εὐδιάω, Bios ἀσαλεύτῳ ἡσυχίᾳ εὐδιαζόμενος Plat. Ax. 370 D :—Act. in Greg. Nyss. εὐδιάθετος, ov, well-arranged:—Adv. —Tws, Joseph. B.J.3.5, 2. ΤΠ well-disposed, of persons, Eccl., Byz. TIL. easy to dispose of (in marriage), opp. to 6va6., Hesych. εὐδιάθρυπτος, ov, quite crushed : contrite, Eccl.

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  εὖ, Ep. ἐύ (but only before a double consonant, so that v becomes long by position, v. infr. V). Adv. (properly neut. of és), well, Lat. bene, opp. to κακῶς, from Hom. downwards: often joined with another Advy., εὖ καὶ ἐπισταμένως well and workmanlike, Il. το. 265, Od. 20. τότ; εὖ λειήνας, ἅρματα εὖ πεπυκασμένα, etc., ν. omn. 1]. 2. 382 54.; so, εὖ κατὰ κόσμον 10. 4723 more rarely, luckily, happily, well off, Od. 3. 188, 190., 19. 79. —Usages : I. with Verbs, esp. of knowing, εὖ οἶδα, εὖ εἰδώς, εὖ γιγνώσκειν, etc., Hom., etc.; εὖ οἶδ᾽ ὅτι, inserted parenthetically i in colloquial Att., σὺ yap, εὖ ᾿οἵδ᾽ ὅτι, οὐ πράγματ᾽ ἄσει Ar. Pax 1296, Dem., εἴς. ; εὖ wap σαφῶς τόδ᾽ ἴστε Aesch. Pers. 784; εὖ οἶδα, in answers, Dioxipp. ΦιλαργΎ. 1; also, εὖ μήδεο consider well, Il. 2. 360;—ed ἔρδειν, -- εὐεργετεῖν, 5.650; εὖ εἰπεῖν τινά to speak well of him, Od. 1. 302 :—after Hom., εὖ δρᾶν, ποιεῖν, θέσθαι to do good, set right, opp. to εὖ πάσχειν, εὖ πράσσειν, εὖ βεβηκέναι to be well off, fare or do well, see the Verbs; so, εὖ ἔχειν, ἥκειν, λαχεῖν to be well off, in health, wealth, or condition, Hdt., etc.; c. gen., εὖ ἥκειν τοῦ βίου Hdt. 1. 30; εὖ φρονεῖν, ν. φρονέω; εὖ σεβεῖν, ν. εὐσεβέω, etc. ;—to give emphasis, it sometimes stands last, ἄνδρες γεγονότες εὖ Hdt..7.134; νόμους μὴ λύειν ἔχοντας εὖ Id. 3.82; and sometimes sepa- rated from its Verb, εὖ πρᾶγμα συντεθέν Dem. 275.20. 2. εὖ 1; oft. in answers, V. sub εὖγε. ΤΙ. with Adjectives or Adverbs, εὖ πάντες or πάντα, like μάλα πάντες, Od. 8. 37, 39, etc.; εὖ μάλα 4. 96, etc. εὖ μάλα πάντες h. Hom. Ap. 172; εὖ μάλα πρεσβύτης Plat. makyabie 44; μάλ᾽ εὖ Ar. Fr. 142, Plat. Soph. 286 Ὁ; εὖ καὶ μάλα Id. Symp. 194A; κάρτα ε εὖ Hdt. 3. 150; εὖ.. πάνυ or πάνυ εὖ Ar, Pl. 198, Plat. Meno 80. A; εὖ σαφῶς Aesch. Pers. 784; εὖ πως Eur. Hec. go2 ; ay, ἄνδρες, εὖ σφόδρα Nicostr. “AmeA. 1: so also, καλῶς τε καὶ εὖ, εὖ τε καὶ καλῶς Hdt. 1. 59, Plat.; εὖ κἀνδρικῶς, εὖ κἀνδρείως Ar. Eq. 379, Thesm. 656. IIT. ἃς Subst., τὸ εὖ the right, the good cause, τὸ δ᾽ εὖ νικάτω Aesch. Ag. 121, 139, cf. Soph. Ph. 1140, Ar. Ach. 661; Tod εὖ ἕνεκα Arist. de Sens. 1, 8. IV. as the Predicate of a propos., τί τῶνδ᾽ εὖ; Aesch. Cho. 337, cf. 116; εὖ εἴη may it be well, Id. Ag. 216; εὖ σοι γένοιτο well be with thee, Poéta. ap. Ath. 186 C. V. in Compos., it has all the senses of the Ady., but commonly implies great- ness, abundance, prosperity, or easiness: thus its compds. often =the compds. of πολύ, opp. to those of κακός and dva-. When a double conson. follows in compos., it is in Ep. commonly ἐῦ-- with v by position, as ἐύὔγναμπτος, ἔΐδμητος, ἐὔζυγος, etc., Herm. h. Hom. Ap. 36; semi- vowels after it are doubled, as étppeAins, ἐὕννητος, ἐύρροος, ἐύσσελμος; in Ep., ἢ is sometimes inserted metri grat., as εὐηγενής, εὐηπελής. Like α-- privat., Lat. ix+, δυσ--, it is compounded only with Nouns, Verbs in which εὖ is the Ist syll. being derived from the compd. Noun, as, εὐπαθέω from εὐπαθής: such forms as εὐπάσχω, εὐποιέω should be written divisim εὖ πάσχω, etc.: in ἐὐκτίμενος, εὐναιόμενος, etc., the Participle has be- come an Adj.:—v. omnino Lob. Phryn. 561 sq.

• From Synanon Kid: Book One: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Synanon Cult

  After a minute it went into shock, huddled at the center of the cage, panting out its fright. Assured that the cat had spent itself, I carefully latched the door and threw a blanket over the cage so we could transport it without anyone seeing what we had. A few days later we caught the tabby and named him Tiger. We kept the two cats in cages for a few weeks, their waste collected and emptied from bottom sliding trays while they watched us in stiff wide-eyed distrust. Gradually they became tame enough to sniff our fingers without recoiling when we opened their cages’ doors to deposit food and water. One day Bear decided we should leave the cage doors open, allowing the cats the option to explore. This turned out to be a slow process that required much sniffing and inspection of the open doorway. Little by little, they came out and explored the encampment. Any sudden movement from one of the hens or duck sent them darting back into the safety of their little jails. Eventually the cats allowed us to pet them while they lay in a flattened position. Another few weeks and they were scampering about playfully, using the trees to sharpen their claws and following us when we took the fowl for a walk. After a few more weeks they were tame enough to sit in our laps and purr. With four of us running our little zoo there was always someone there to take care of things. Our biggest concern was having enough cat food on hand. We never exactly knew when the next trip to the supermarket would happen, and when the food ran low we had to ration servings for every other day, reasoning that the cats could catch rats and mice as they had when they’d looked after themselves. Bear decided to ask her mom, who didn’t live in the commune and for some reason was allowed to visit on a regular basis, to buy cat food for us. I had accompanied Bear a few times on these parental visits. Her mother, who reminded me of Chrissy Hinds from The Pretenders, usually spent the first ten minutes or so of their time together pinning Bear against her car or a wall while she examined her face and squeezed at all her blackheads and whiteheads. The next time her mother came to visit, she brought two medium-sized bags of cat food concealed in a black rubbish bag. I spent every spare moment at our zoo. In our secret spot there was no radio blasting games of people screaming at one another or capricious adults who could change the course of a child’s day or week on a whim. There was only nature and the animals, and I sat easily for an hour or two at a stretch just watching them. The other girls felt the same way.

• From Lit: A Memoir (2009)

  For weeks I’ve hounded Mother daily about brisket, and she’s sworn to ante up. But yesterday her corns hurt, and as late as dawn this morning, the meat hadn’t been bought. She was having palpitations, but I swore if the stove was cold when we walked in, I’d head back to the airport. It could kill me to go to the store with my heart fluttering this way, she said. If you drop dead making this brisket, I said, you’ll go straight up to live with Baby Jesus. I’m thinking of going back to being a Buddhist, she said. Then you’ll escape the wheel of rebirth, I said. Minutes after we pull in, my sister’s face floats cherublike above an electric skillet holding a mess of peppery brisket. She uses her hand to wave toward her nose the white ribbons of steam swiveling up. Mother breathes frost on her big square glasses, then wipes them. She looks stunned we’re making such a big deal. Oh, she says with a distracted look, I forgot to get the blow-up mattress. (Lecia and I sent her—separately, it turns out—cash to buy an extra mattress.) My sister’s deaf to this. She’s forking up saucy meat with a beatific expression. Such a token might not exactly undo past hurts, but they might reshape our mouths to savor what’s now being served up. That night, at opposite ends of the bulbous sofa, Lecia and I have lain our respective heads like characters in a storybook rowboat under tinfoil stars, with a faded blue quilt covering our middles. In the saggy double bed we used to share, our boys have sacked out—Dev blond like her, Case dark like me. At the schoolyard basketball court today, we’d watched Dev drag in Case’s wake as I had Lecia’s. Just thirteen, Case can just barely palm the ball for a second or two, his hand like a giant spider holding it aloft as Dev gapes. Ready? Case said, and he bounce-passed it to the smaller boy. Dev two-stepped through a layup, the orange ball slipping through the white net, which prompted Case to shout out swish. Leaping for the rebound, Case stepped back and started to lecture, detailing proper form for a shot with the rigor of a ballet master. Bend your knees. Hold it here. Finish with the tips of your fingers right over the front rim. That night on Mother’s sofa, Lecia asks, Who does Case remind you of? In terms of the need to expound? You and Daddy, I say. Frightening, she says. About then Mother stumps in, hair every which way, a piece of cheese disappearing into her maw. She says, What’re y’all talking about so late? Our deep and abiding love for you, Lecia says. Mother slumps down on the facing chair, staring at the grassy shag carpet. When she lifts her head, there are tears in her eyes. I wish your daddy was here for this, she says, us all together this way.

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  εὐψυχέω, to be of good courage, Ep. Phil. 2.19, Poll. 3. 135. II. εὐψύχει, farewell, a common inscr. on tombs, like Lat. have pia anima!, Anth. P. append. 244, C. I. 2204, 4467, al.: cf. εὐπλοέω, εὐτυχέω. εὐψυχής, ἔς, (ψῦχος) agreeably cool, Hdn. 1. 12., 6. 6. εὐψυχία, ἡ, good courage, high spirit, Aesch. Pers. 326, Eur. Med. 402, Thuc, 1. 121, al.; opp. to κακοψυχία, Plat. Legg. 791 Ὁ. εὔψῦχος, ov, (ψυχήν) of good courage, stout of heart, courageous, Lat. animosus, Aesch. Pers. 394, Eur. Rhes. 510, etc.; τὸ .. és τὰ ἔργα εὔ- ψυχον Thuc. 2. 39., cf. 43., 4.126; εὐψυχότατοι πρὸς τὸ ἐπιέναι Id. 2. 621 11:—Advy. -χως, Xen. Eq. Mag. 8, 21. 11. (Wixw) refreshing, Theophr. C. ἘΞ 5.14, 1. evo, fut. Vow: aor. εὗσα without augm.: (ν. sub αὔω) :—poét. Verb, fo singe, in Hom. of singeing off swine’s bristles before they are cooked, εὗσέ τε μίστυλλέν τε καὶ dup ὀβέλοισιν ἔπειρεν Od. 14. 75, cf. 426., 2. 300; σύες εὑόμενοι τανύοντο διὰ φλογός Il. 9. 468., 22. 333 so of the Cyclops, πάντα δέ οἱ βλέφαρ᾽ ἀμφὶ καὶ ὀφρύας εὗσεν ἀὐτμή Od. ο. 389: metaph. of a shrewish wife, ever ἄτερ δαλοῦ ἄνδρα Hes. Op. 703. In Luc. Lexiph. 11 and E. M. it is written evw; but the Compds. ἀφεύω, ἐφεύω are against this. εὐωδέω, 10 be fragrant, Hdn. Epimer. 250, Eccl. εὐώδης, ες, (ὄζω, ddwba) sweet-smelling, fragrant, opp. to δυσώδης, ἐν θαλάμῳ εὐώδεὶ 1]. 3.382; εὐῶδες ἔλαιον Od. 2. 339; εὐώδης κυπάρισσος 5.64; εὐωδέστατος Hdt. 3.112; then in Pind., in Att. Poets and Prose; τὸ εὐῶδες -- εὐωδία, Arist. de An. 2.9, 11; εὐωδὲς ὄζειν Id. Probl. 12. 3. εὐωδία, Ion. -ίη, ἡ, a sweet smell, Hdt. 4. 75, Xen. Symp. 2, 3; in pl., Plat. Tim, 65 A; but in pl., also, fragrant substances, Diod. 1. 84. εὐωδιάζω, to perfume :—Pass. to emit sweet smells, to be Sragrant, Strabo 721, Diosc. 2. 91. εὐωδίζομαι, Dep. to perceive a sweet smell, Sext. Emp. M. 7. 193. evadiv, ivos, 6, ἡ, happy as a parent, fruitful, Opp. C. 3.19; νηδύς Anth. P. 6. 201; epith. of Demeter, Maxim. 7. καταρχ. 529. Ti, pass. happily born, Coluth, 281, Nonn. D. 14. 148. εὔῳδος, ov, sweet-sounding, γῆρυς Plut. 2. 405 F. evadevos, ov, fair-armed, Pind. P. 9. 31; δεξιά Eur. Hipp. 605. εὐωμοσία, ἡ, observance of an oath, Hdn. Epimer. 205. εὐώμοτος, ov, (ὄμνυμι) observing oaths, Poll. 1. 39. εὐώνητος, ov, well-bought, cheap, Strabo 218. εὐωνία, 7, cheapness, Polyb. 2. 15, 4:---εαὐωνίζω, to hold cheap, Aq. V.T. εὔωνος, ov, of fair price, cheap (Fr. ἃ bon marché), Epich. 19 Ahr., Dem. 255.12, etc.; φίλοι Xen. Mem. 2. 10, 4; θάνατος Anth. P. 11. 169: —Comp. εὐωνότερος, Sup. -ὅτατος, Dem. 255.12, Plat.Euthyd. 304B; but irreg. —véaTepos, Epich. ap. Ath. 424D. Ady. —vws, Sup. -ότατα C.1. 2483. εὐωνυμέομαι, Pass. to enjoy a good name, Eust. Opusc. 141. 13.

• From A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell-Scott) (1957)

  B. the Adv. οἰκείως has the same senses as the Adj., οἰκείως φέρε bear it like your own affair, Ar. Thesm. 197; otk. διαλέγεσθαί τινι ἴο converse familiarly with him, Thuc. 6. 573 oik. συνεῖναί τινι, Lat. fami- liariter utt aliqguo, Xen. Hell. 7. 3, 55 80, oik. διακεῖσθαί τινι Id. An. 7. 8: 16; πρός τι Polyb. 13. I, 23 otk. δέχεσθαί τινα Dem. 299. 28; otk. ἔχειν τινί Dem. 41: 17, etc. :—Comp. πότερον, Isocr. de Cleon. Hered. 49; ποτέρως, Arist. Categ. 7; Sup. -ότατα, Polyb. 5. 100, 4. 11. properly, Ar. Lys. 1118, Xen. sae 2,17; ἔθαψε, περιέστειλεν oir. Menand. ΜισοΎ. I. 12, etc. 2. affectionately, dutifully, Thuc. 2. 60. οἰκειότης, Ion. οἰκηιότης, ητος, 7, a being οἰκεῖος (signf. 11), kindred, relationship, Hdt. 6.54, Thuc. 2. 86, Plat. Rep. 537 C: intimacy, friend- ship, friendliness, kindness, φιλία καὶ oix. Thuc. 4 4. 19, cf. Plat. Symp. 197 Ὁ :—in pl. friendly relations, Andoc. 15. 40, Den: 237.12. 2. the living together as man and wife, marriage, Isocr. 216 C, Lys. 92. 21. II. of words and phrases, the proper sense, opp. to μεταφορά, Plut. Cic. 40, in pl. οἰκειό-φωνοϑ, ov, by word of mouth: in Adv. -νως, Ctes. Pers. 9. οἰκειό-χειρος, ov, with one’s own hands: Adv. --ρως, Byz. οἰκειόω, Ion. οἰκηιόω, to make one’s own (οἰκεῖος IIT). 1. to make a person one’s friend, opp. to ἀλλοτριόω, Thuc. 3. 65. II. mostly in Med., 1. c. acc. pers. to make a person one’s friend, win his favour or affection, conciliate, Hdt. 4.148, Plat. Legg. 738 Ὁ; oi. τινα πρός τινα Plut. Otho 2; οἷκ. τὸν δῆμον λόγῳ Dion. Η. 9. 44: —Pass. to be made friendly, opp. to πολεμοῦται, Thue. 1. 26, cf. Arist. Pol. 7. fey {9}. 2. c. acc. rei, to make one’s own, claim as one’s own, Appropriate, τὴν ᾿Ασιήν οἰκηιεῦνται οἱ Πέρσαι Hdt. τ. 4: τούτων τὴν ἐξεύρεσιν οὐκ οἰκηιεῦνται Λυδοί Ib. 943 so, Αἰγύπτιοι otk, παρ 1029 βυσέα claim him as their own, Id. 3. 2; ἅπαντα τὰ ἐν πόλει otk. Lo ap- propriate to oneself, ΤΠ ΘΡΟΙδθε, Plat. Rep. 466 Ο; much like σφετερίζω, Id. Legg. 843 E. 3. generally, to adapt, make fit or suitable, τινι τι Sotad. ᾽Ἔγπκλει. 1. 16; τι πρός τι Polyb. 9. 1, 2:—Pass. to become Samiliar or closely united, ταῖς ψυχαῖς Plat. Prot. "326 B, cf. Parm. 128 A; οἱ @rewpevor φυσιολογίᾳ Diog. L. 10. 37. oiketw, Ep. for oixéw, Hes. Th. 330. οἰκείωμα, τό, kindred, relationship, πρός τι Strab. 269. propriateness, Dion. H. de Rhet. 7. 5. οἰκείωσις, 7, a making one’s friend, Clem. Al. 777. 2. a taking as one’s own, appropriation, οἰκείωσιν ποιεῖσθαί τινος Thuc. 4. 128. 3. adaptation, Plut. 2. 1038 C. οἰκειωτικός, 77, Ov, (oixerda 2) appropriative, τέχνη oi. Plat. Soph. 223 B. 2. adapting, oix. δύναμις πρός τι Plut. 2. 759 E.

• From Synanon Kid: Book One: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Synanon Cult

  A CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE Physical Education “I WAS BORN DEAD,” Tim told me for the tenth time. “Yes, I know,” I said. I watched him bend over his shoe, retying the lace, contentment settled on his sleepy features. Tim was new to the community, and every day we kids were required to divide our time into two-hour slots to act as a sort of babysitter for him. He took immense pride in the fact that he’d been technically born dead, a fact that seemed to explain his mental retardation. Most of the adults humored him, holding out their hands to have him slap them five and often asking him how he liked living in Synanon. He always said, “It’s super!” which elicited the expected response, “All right!” This exchange was repeated all day, and Tim never tired of it. The demonstrators put Tim in as many school activities as he could handle and physical education. Physical education in the Synanon school had always been rigorous. Like inspection, it was performed military-style, and unless you were seriously ill, there was no getting out of the drills we were put through. After countless sit-ups, leg lifts, pull-ups and pushups, we ran a mile and a half to three miles, five days a week, in all weather. We ran in

• From Synanon Kid: Book One: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Synanon Cult

  Ray called from the bedroom, and poked his head out, looking tense. “We’re leaving in a few minutes.” Sara and I grabbed our bags and set them by the front door. “I packed us some food for the trip,” Theresa said, returning to the living room empty handed. I nodded and refrained from mentioning that I had been right there with her, bagging the egg salad sandwiches. “There are also some healthy snacks here for you girls.” She unfolded one of the bags. “Let’s see, there’s raisins and almonds, oranges...” “Theresa, we need to get going.” Ray breezed past my mom with his duffle bag and opened the front door. “Okay, I also packed some granola and fruit juice for you, Ray.” “Theresa, please , let’s talk about it in the car.” I watched my mother roll down the top of the paper bag that had our food in it, her eyebrows pulled tightly together. Minutes later we followed Ray out of the apartment and to the car. Theresa set the bag of food on the seat between Sara and me. I opened my novel, but I had barely read a word when Theresa said, “I didn’t appreciate being rushed and talked to like that.” “Theresa , we had to get going. We’re running late as it is,” Ray said in his strained I-can’t-take-this-anymore voice. “Yes, but there are better ways to communicate that.” “Look, I don’t see how I could have communicated it any better. We needed to go.” “Also, I noticed that you are not really listening to me; you are only waiting to argue your point.” “What?” “I expressed to you that I didn’t really like the way that I was being treated, but you are not hearing what I am saying, Ray.” He sighed. “Ok, you didn’t like the way I spoke to you when I said it was time to go, right?” “Yes. It hurt my feelings when you cut me off. I was trying to tell you that I packed granola, because I know you like granola.” Ray did not respond right away as he took in what she said. When he spoke again, his tone had changed to the carefully modulated “I’m using my calm and reasonable voice now.” “So you are saying your feelings were hurt when you were talking about the granola because you felt I cut you off?” “Yes.” Sara rolled her eyes and made gagging motions with her fingers pointed at her open mouth. I grinned. “I hear what you are saying. You didn’t like the way I spoke to you when I said it was time to go. You felt it was abrupt.” “Yes.” “I understand and I will try to communicate better in the future, but sometimes I feel like you don’t always listen.

• From Synanon Kid: Book One: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Synanon Cult

  When I expressed that we needed to leave, you continued to talk about the food you packed and I found that irritating.” “I hear that you were irritated...” and so it went. I returned my attention to my book and enjoyed the rest of the uneventful drive to LA. I read and gazed out the window in turn at dry hills with scrubby brown grass, interspersed with acres of mono crops and orchards, while munching on almonds, raisins, and my egg salad sandwich. At one point we passed a field of oil pumps. They reminded me of large chickens endlessly bobbing up and down in slow motion, pecking tirelessly at the barren earth beneath them. The mood was serene and the scenery hypnotic, until we actually arrived in LA and found ourselves in a tangle of traffic, cars weaving in and out of lanes, horns blaring. Ray had suddenly turned into a fugitive again, shoulders pushed up to his ears, head swiveling every other second over his shoulder as he maneuvered to get into the far-right lane. The Summit Lighthouse Community was located in Malibu Canyon, Calabasas, the property surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains. At one time a seminary of Claretian novitiates, the old campus and sprawling Spanish Colonial Revival style building was now home to the New Age spiritualist group that studied the teachings of the ascended masters. There did not seem to be anyone around when we arrived. From the parking lot we set forth on a foot path lined with rose bushes and impatiens to the impressive elegant structure, which sat atop a grassy knoll. At the entrance we were greeted by an elderly man wearing slacks and a sweater vest of an indiscriminate color, his white hair carefully combed and parted at the side. My eyes needed a moment to adjust to the dim lighting when we stepped inside and onto a plush carpet. “We are having our meditation now. Please, would you care to join us?” he said with quiet enthusiasm. Theresa and Ray accepted the offer. Sara and I opted out. We watched our parents follow the old man down the hallway. Left alone in the foyer, which now that it was coming into focus seemed to have the air of a funeral parlor, we studied several enlarged portraits of Elizabeth Clare Prophet and various solemn-looking ascended masters bathed in pastel-colored backdrops. In every picture of Elizabeth, she was dressed either in a suit or a gauzy blouse, the neckline plunging into feminine ruffles. She stared back, haloed in soft lighting with a look of contemplative benevolence.