brusquer

The blur of the countryside when speeding by...

Gift idea for the French wine lover in your life: The Wines of France: The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers by Jacqueline Friedrich

brusquer (broo-skay) verb
  to rush, hustle, hurry

adjective: brusque = abrupt, sudden

Nous appellerons émotion une chute brusque de la conscience dans le magique.
We will call emotion the sudden plunge of consciousness into magic.
                                                    --Jean-Paul Sartre
.

Feeling a bit hurried, rushed, precipitated now that the holiday season is underway? On second thought, is "precipitated" the right word...or does that mean rain? No, that's "precipitation". Although when we are overwhelmed we do feel rained down upon or, worse, hail-struck.

Thoughts reeling, I've gotten off the "brusquer" topic already. But isn't that how it goes when we are overwhelmed? The hustle, hurry, and rush have us either running in place...or in every possible direction. Those of us who don't run write lists, I suppose.

Did you know that a French synonym for "brusquer" is "torturer"? Yes, that explains it--and in one evil verb! Time now to release those tortured thoughts, get them out and onto paper. Here for you today, my "To Do" list--or just a few things that I've plucked out of my hail-stricken brain and put down on paper. The English version follows.

À Faire:
-- éplucher les légumes pour la soupe de courge
-- remercier Jeffrey pour les livres*
-- arroser Eve et Rachel (je vous expliquerai plus tard...)
-- vider la laitière litière de Coco
-- trouver la boîte marquée "Christmas ornaments"
-- trouver une nappe propre et un jeux d'assiettes avec les mêmes motifs pour le repas de samedi soir
-- planter le blé de la Sainte Barbe,* peu importe si c'est trois jours trop tard
--créer un compte email pour beau-frère Jacques pour recevoir son fan mail.
--acheter la peinture rouge vif et la moquette léopard pour Jackie. Accepter ses goûts excentriques, hérités de sa grand-mère Jules.
--promouvoir le French word-a-day "blidget" (blog + widget):
   http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/french-word-a-day

To Do:
--peel vegetables for pumpkin soup
--thank Jeffrey for the books*
--water Eve and Rachel (I'll explain later...)
--empty Coco's litter box
--find the box marked "Christmas ornaments"
--find a clean tablecloth and a matching set of dishes for Saturday night's dinner
--plant Sainte Barbe's wheat, never mind if it is three days too late
--create an email account for brother-in-law, Jacques, to receive his fan mail
--buy bright red paint and a leopard rug for Jackie -- accept her eccentric taste, inherited from her grandmother Jules
--promote the French Word-A-Day blidget (blog + widget):
  http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/french-word-a-day

                                      *   *   *
Update: I've crossed one thing off my list, having created an email account for my beau-frère! For those of you who responded to the "beau-frère" post with photos and er... friendship offers, here's his address! Don't take it personally if he doesn't email back right away. He still doesn't know how to access his account and his English is comme ci comme ça.


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References: books = (including this one by Simone Weil); Sainte Barbe's wheat = Provençale tradition: plant the wheat on December 4th, on the festival of Sainte-Barbe. Just sprinkle the seeds over cotton and add a bit of water each day, watching them grow: the straighter and higher, the more prosperous the coming year!; comme ci comme ça = so-so

In books: "Retiring in France" includes information on the cost of living; health services, learning French, and more. Check it out here.

:: Audio File ::

Listen to Jean-Marc pronounce today's quote:

Nous appellerons émotion une chute brusque de la conscience dans le magique.
Download brusque.mp3
Download brusque.wav

Terms & Expressions:
  brusquer une chose = to precipitate matters
  brusquer l'aventure / la fortune = to try one's luck

Shopping:
French music: Noel, Noel!: Noels Francais/ French Christmas music
French film: My Father's Glory
French cuisine: Fleur De Sel De Camargue French Sea Salt
French games: Mille Bornes: First published in 1962, Mille Bornes (pronounced "meel born," French for
"milestones") is an auto racing card game whose object, for each team of two players, is to be the first to complete a series of 1,000-mile trips.