It's a polish name. In Polish it's pronounced like chesh-lak. But here it pronounced see-slak. Oh how many times have I have that name mispronounced? Too many times...
Alright. Now that we have the pronunciation down, what does it mean to be a Cieslak? And who's to say? Answer: A Cieslak himself.
Perhaps I can only speak for some of the men in the family in this. But Brian, Calvin, Gary, and I all seem to share some characteristics. All four of us seem to be brilliant (not just my words) in their own way. Brian is an incredible writer. Gary is a brilliant doctor. Calvin and I are both intelligent and great writers and well. On top of that, we all seem to posess some amount of musical talent. Calvin and Brian both are skilled guitarists, and Gary and I both are skilled pianoists (plus my saxophone). If we added in Uncle Dave, we'd have nearly a full band!
But I digress. There is one more truly important thing about being a Cieslak. Through everything that I've seen of my family, it suggests that every one of us are good, intelligent, fun people. I've been blessed with quite a family...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
King James Prose
While all the other authors have made their first contributions to the new family blog, I was not able to think of anything worth posting. I had read the first few entries on this page and exchanged emails with Brian and Joe regarding the orientation of literary content we were planning on having here. So far, it seems all of us have come up with some pretty good...filler. Just filling up space.
While I contemplated the nature of my first post on The Cieslaks, a remark my dad had made earlier this week at dinner echoed through my vacant mind: "I wish you guys would cut it out with the King James prose - just say what you want to say!"
This, of course, is coming from the man that always has a new vocabulary word for the family at dinner time.
I must admit that, at times, it does seem a little nonessential. So I'll try and keep the King James prose and 25 cent words to a minimum - honest.
A Collaborative Effort
It's more difficult than I thought to sustain a multi-authored blog than I had supposed. Already I've gotten five emails from Brian and Calvin (more than I've ever had from them) and they both sound confused. What is this blog about? Is it under some sort of genre?
To be honest, I don't know. Maybe winging it isn't the best answer. So what do I do? Wing it of course!
So I've got to make up a vague genre and subject to make sure I don't seem like a fool. I just want this to be a fun blog with some good creative writing in it. And maybe a supplement to our other blogs. After all, it sounds like Brian's writing some sort of epic story (he gets the girl of course). It'll probably be under the "memoirs" genre. Kind of like our other writing.
So there!
Happy now?
To be honest, I don't know. Maybe winging it isn't the best answer. So what do I do? Wing it of course!
So I've got to make up a vague genre and subject to make sure I don't seem like a fool. I just want this to be a fun blog with some good creative writing in it. And maybe a supplement to our other blogs. After all, it sounds like Brian's writing some sort of epic story (he gets the girl of course). It'll probably be under the "memoirs" genre. Kind of like our other writing.
So there!
Happy now?
Friday, February 22, 2008
Avuncular, Part 2
Why would anyone embark on any sort of collaborative endeavor—especially a blog—with their own uncle?
Uncles, after all, can be irascible and mercurial. Perhaps that is why they don’t fare very well in popular culture.
Quick: name a famous uncle.
Uncle Fester? Crazy, wide-eyed eccentric.
Uncle Sam? Always pointing his finger at you, harping about “duty,” and trying to get you to join the army.
And then there’s Uncle Scrooge.
Dicken’s most memorable character is perhaps one of the most notorious relatives in Western culture. Recall this exchange:
Oh sure, Disney tried to soften his image years later with their Scrooge McDuck character. Bottom line: same old curmudgeon repackaged in tail feathers.
Still, if that’s what you desire as you walk through this world, to call on, from time to time, your dad’s weird brother—with his wisps of gray hair, old Led Zeppelin 8-tracks, and worn out Levi’s—I am humbled...
Uncles, after all, can be irascible and mercurial. Perhaps that is why they don’t fare very well in popular culture.
Quick: name a famous uncle.
Uncle Fester? Crazy, wide-eyed eccentric.
Uncle Sam? Always pointing his finger at you, harping about “duty,” and trying to get you to join the army.
And then there’s Uncle Scrooge.
Dicken’s most memorable character is perhaps one of the most notorious relatives in Western culture. Recall this exchange:
"A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!" cried a cheerful voice. ItWho would want to hang out with this guy?
was the voice of Scrooge's nephew…
"Bah!" said Scrooge, "Humbug!"
"I want nothing from you; I ask nothing of you; why cannot we be friends?"
"Good afternoon," said Scrooge.
"I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. But I have made the trial in homage to Christmas, and I'll keep my Christmas humor to the last. So A Merry Christmas, uncle!"
Oh sure, Disney tried to soften his image years later with their Scrooge McDuck character. Bottom line: same old curmudgeon repackaged in tail feathers.
Still, if that’s what you desire as you walk through this world, to call on, from time to time, your dad’s weird brother—with his wisps of gray hair, old Led Zeppelin 8-tracks, and worn out Levi’s—I am humbled...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Meet the Bloggers
Welcome, one and all. On display today we have Brian Cieslak, Calvin Cieslak, and Joe Cieslak pitching in to make, hopefully, one hell of a blog! Tune in next time...
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