Bill W

This word comes from the Latin roots "prae" before and "scire" know, to form the verb praescire and then the adjective “praescientia,” meaning “knowing beforehand.” It also comes from the French "prescient" (15th century), to English in the late 16th century or early 17th century. The earliest known use of the word prescient in the Bible is in the Wycliffite version of the Bible around 1384. The earliest known use of the word prescient in English was around 1599 in "Preservation of King Henry VII".

For procrastinators, it means you can wait until sometime in September before you get started. 😜

The period was because it was at the end of the sentence. Maybe I should have put the five-letter name in quotes.

@Lee Wilson, I agree with Gary L. I had my colonoscopy in early November and it was nothing. It was the prep that gave me all the problems, so good luck.

I'm used to seeing the notification that it's up on the Forum page, but it wasn't there. After you told me it was up, I went to the "More" listing at the top of the page, clicked on it, and then I chose "Activity" and clicked on "blog" to find it.

Ditto that for me, &#@*%.

Yes, it is sad the we didn't get to see his take on events in his planned story, and unfortunately it may happen to some of the rest of us in due time, unless we stop writing before then. I only hope he found peace and is happy in his new plane of existence.

I celebrated the New Year alone at home, but I stayed up past midnight watching the various celebrations as the calendar changed here on the east coast of the USA. No alcohol, but lots of coffee, and I agree, the older I got the short each year seemed. I'm almost at the point where every time I wake up it's a new year. I gave up making New Year's resolutions a long time ago, because the never seemed to last very long, even with the year seeming to go by more quickly. I guess that means I lack willpower. Thanks for compiling all of this info again, Steve.

Renew comes from the Middle English word renewen, which is an alteration of the earlier word anewen. Anewen comes from the Old English word nīewian, which means "to restore, renovate, or renew". Nīewian is equivalent to re- + new. The word "renew" is from the Middle English period (1150-1500), with evidence found in a Wycliffite Bible translation from before 1382. Renewal (the noun) comes from the verb renew and the suffix -al. The earliest known use of renewal was in 1603 by Henoch Clapham, a theologian and preacher. The earliest known use of the word "renewal" is from the early 1600s, with the first recorded instance appearing in 1603. Renewance is a noun that comes from the verb renew and the suffix -ance. The earliest known use of renewance was in the mid-1500s. Renewing is an adjective that comes from the verb renew and the suffix -ing. The earliest known use of renewing was in 1574 in St. Augustine's Certaine Select Prayers.

That's funny, because I checked before I sent that post and it wasn't there.

Where's the weekly wrap up, Steve?

Nescient is from the Latin - ne (not) + scire (know) = nescire. Latin - Nescient (not knowing) The earliest known use of the word nescient is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for nescient is from before 1500, in Speculum Sacerdotale. nescient is a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin nescient-, nesciēns, nescīre. nescient - noun (plural nescients) 1. An ignorant person. 2. One who holds that only material phenomena can be known and knowledge of spiritual matters (the unmeasurable) or ultimate causes is impossible.

Thanks, Gary. It means a lot to me that you validated this short tribute to Carlos. He will definitely be missed and he'll leave a huge hole here in the GA family, along with Comicality.

Incongruity comes from the Latin word Incongruus, which is a combination of in- ("not") and congruus ("suitable, proper") and the Middle French word Incongruité The word "incongruity" means something that is out of place or doesn't fit in its situation. For example, you might describe burping at the dinner table as incongruous behavior. The earliest known use of the word "incongruity" was in the mid-1500s. The word "incongruous" and its antonym, "congruous", both first appeared in English in the early 1580s.

OMG, they've got technical skills as well! 😵

Anachronism comes from the Greek roots ana- which means "against" and khronos- which means "time." Together they represent a situation in which something happens that should not because it belongs to another time period. The earliest known use of the word "anachronism" in English was in 1617 in a sermon by John Hales, the Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford. An anachronism from the Bible: Abraham is portrayed as having camels, yet camels were not domesticated until a thousand years later4. He is said to come from “Ur of the Chaldees”, yet the city of Ur was in southern Mesopotamia and the Chaldeans did not occupy the region until about 1000 BC. Parachronism is a type of anachronism that occurs when something from the past is placed in a futuristic or modern setting. In other words, parachronism is when a modern setting uses a person, object, or technology that doesn't fit because it is considered outdated (e.g., a typewriter in a modern office setting).

Interesting read, although at times I was confused if this was modern fiction or historical fiction. The mention of Jason driving an older Saturn and Tom hiding out in an Airstream threw me off, since I didn't know Airstream RVs are still being made - I thought they were only something from my past. Even the mention of more modern references didn't help, such as cell phone (could have been anytime since the 1940s with the big, bulky models, to the newer versions from the mid-70s until now). The mention of tablets didn't help either (because they might have been references to the old paper type with cardboard covers) and the mention of the chatrooms didn't help either (since they've also been around since the mid-70s). Almost every reference might have fit a current situation or anything up to 50 years ago. It was an enjoyable read though, so I just went with the words and didn't try to place them in time, deciding instead to just enjoy the story line and the well-crafted descriptions of the scenery.

If you're open minded and enjoy reading about alternative realities, then this short story is for you. A military leader named Callim is leading his troops against an army of demons to prevent them from being able to invade the earth. If you've ever wondered how military leaders can send men into battle, knowing many of them won't return and others will return but never be the same again, then this story will give you a glimpse at how this military leader deals with that knowledge and those fears.

The brutality of war, no mater who or what the foe is, can definitely leave scars, as well as shadows and memories that will hunt you for years to come. This was an interesting world and an unusual battle, which you describes splendidly. In this brutal setting, with death and destruction all around, it was only Maris who could lift the shadows from Callim's soul. Thank you, Cia, for this wonderful short story.

Thank you, @mikedup, @weinerdog, @Gary L, @chris191070, @wenmale64, @davewri, @drsawzall, @akascrubber, @Flip-Flop, and @lucretiaseeks for reading my tribute to Carlos and commenting on it. As weinerdog pointed out, 2024 was a very difficult year because we lost both Carlos and Comicality, and now I've written the two tributes to Carlos, this one and the story in "Long May You Run", and I'll be submitting my tribute to Comicality in the April tribute to him.

That's an interesting prediction, but will they get close enough to discover which one it might be?

If you enjoy a well written drama/mystery with endearing characters and a moving, sensitive, and touching storyline, then this story is for you. It's an easy read and will keep you involved until the very end, and I predict that you won't soon forget about Teddy or Rose.

Val, I'm going back and trying to catch up on the stories I didn't have time to read before, so I apologize for being so late to finding this story. It was beautifully written, with wonderfully believable characters, and a fantastic storyline. I was impressed that Jeremiah and Marshall listened to Teddy and were willing to check out the information he was telling them, rather than rushing him off to a psychologist or psychiatrist. It's too bad Rod Serling wasn't still alive, because I'm sure he would have wanted to turn this story into an episode of "The Twilight Zone". It would rate up there with the episode, "The Changing of the Guard". When I was six or seven, I told my grandmother (who raised me) something after we'd just returned from a Fourth of July fireworks display. When I was older, she told me I explained that I remembered seeing fireworks before that night, but it was a long time ago. She said I described being in a large open room on the upper floor of the building and looking out the huge widow at the rockets exploding in the air. When she asked me if I knew where I was when that happened, she said I told her it was in New York City, but a really long time ago, and everybody was dressed up in costumes, like it was Halloween, but their costumes were all kind of alike. She said I also told her that I overheard two men talking and one said, "General Washington will make a fine President." I didn't remember any of that as she recounted what I'd said, but I did remember watching fireworks from an older style building I'd never seen before. I wouldn't have remembered any of this if she hadn't mentioned that episode to me when I was 25, and it's kind of haunted me ever since - did that really happen or was it just something I'd made up at the time, but where would I have learned all of that when I was six or seven?

A sophomore in high school (grade 10) moves to a new area and is immediately harassed by a gorgeous guy in his grade. Even though this story starts out like many other stories, you'll be surprised by how it plays out. It's a great read, with awesome characters, and a fantastic premise, so give it a read and I believe you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Steve, sorry it took me so long to get to this, but I'm now trying to catch up on my reading. This is a great story with awesome characters and a fantastic premise. It stands alone well, but I would like some follow up as well. Does Jason protect Todd from the bigots and bullies from now on? The sleepovers should be interesting as well and I'd like to hear about them. Jason's the alpha-male with lots of friends, so does he introduce Todd to all of them? You need to write a follow-up, because inquiring minds want to know. 😜