text:
                      He Tried Not to Think

He wandered aimlessly. He didn’t think. Thinking took too much effort. He walked. Just walked, because that was all he could do. His phone was in his pocket and he endured the cold while he waited for it to ring. The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin. He was not walking to anywhere in particular or for any other reason than to stall. The streets were deserted and the park by the lake contained nothing but the geese lagging behind on their journey south.

His mind trailed off. Where could she be? What could she be doing? When was the last time I saw her? Does she even want to see me? Am I simply just wasting my time? No, no, no he thought; don’t let your mind wonder off. Thinking hurts too much. She cannot just be gone without a goodbye or a mere fare thee well.

Nine p.m. she said. We will go to the movies, and then have dinner. It would be wonderful but reality is never like your expectations.

He approached the pond and walked down the hill till he was on the middle of it. He sat down and looked out across. It was calm except for the ripples caused by the wind. The silence was the best part. Silence was a commodity he longed for. He didn’t need everyone telling him that it would be alright, you need to get out some, she isn’t coming, but what did they know?

Snow began falling. He and she were heading down the road one night. The winter storms had rolled in and the snow blinded their way as he drove. The tree lined road was interspersed with the occasional home or driveway leading deeper into the woods. The snow was so bad that it was near impossible to see more than twenty feet ahead, but the road he drove on, he had been on a thousand times and it was practically a straight line. Yet then he saw a blur dash in the road. Then he felt the wheels leave the ground and the crashing of glass and the crumple of steel and the cold air rushing in. The car pushed in around them forcing them closer together as it continued to tumble down the road until they came to a rest with his body pressed against hers with nowhere to move. The next moment he was in the snow with eyes looking over him as the cold embedded itself in his bones.

 He felt his phone in his pocket and looked at the time: ten-thirty. No missed messages, no missed calls, not anything. He put it away and stared at the light on the other side of the lake. He wrapped his hands around himself and stuck them under his arms to stay warm and waited for a call. Ten-forty-five. At ten-forty-five it finally arrives. The phone rings and he answers. Contempt, hate, rage, and longing coursed through him. He didn’t speak immediately. Control was important, nothing good comes from impulse. “Hello my dear. Is it as I fear? Will I still see you here?”

“No my love, I am coming now. I’m sorry, I am sorry I took so long. The people I was with just kept rambling on and on, like loons, but don’t be mad; I will be beside you soon.”

A consolation time, being second, what else should one expect?  Don’t expect anything, no ever expected anything from him, so he was never disappointed. He said. “Okay then. It was your time, and never mine but yours to spend. I just thought it was on you that I could depend.”

He let the cold slip in further. His ears went numb, then his cheeks, and then his toes. Finally he stood up and proceeded home. He opened the door and the warmth hurried out. The couch welcomed him, and hugged around him when he sat down. Eleven o’clock his phone said now. Better late than never he thought. Then twelve came around. Then one, and then finally his eyes fell shut and he gave up.

As the days wore on after the crash he slowly pieced together what happened while in a hospital bed until his memory finally returned and he was able to make sense of everything. Countless faces with sad, pitying smiles expressing halfhearted condolences and apologies paced through the room ceaselessly for days and days. He was constantly in the presence of the one or two who actually cared but they were of no help to him. He asked almost hourly how she was doing but in return he only received saddened faces and pitying looks that he so longed would just go away. Maybe deep down he knew what actually happened. Maybe one day he would be able to actually face it. His mind wouldn’t accept it though. Even when he was cleared to leave he would ask his friends if he could see her.

It went on until people stopped being nice about it. They started shouting, they started to bluntly say what hurt him the most, and they no longer felt the need to give a reassuring lie because it was time to face what happened. It was of course for no use though. The shelter of his mind kept him warm and blanketed from the harsh unforgiving world around him. Then one day people just gave up. He was left to himself. People would show up occasionally but only to drop off food and other groceries. He was slowly being forgotten and left to be a part of the past.

One day though he received a phone call, “Hello my love, it’s been far too long. Will you be busy around nine so that we can dine and once again be fine? How about a movie or we can just be joyous and sing songs until morning’s dawn? I will be there then my dear, don’t fear.” The call ended just after and he was left bewildered but so happy to have heard her. He waited. He waited until nine had become ten and he could take it no more and he had to leave for a walk.

He woke up with hands running through his hair. Cold hands. He looked up and saw her. The smile crept across their faces as they stared. “Hello my love,” he said looking above, “why have you taken so long?”

“Because here my dear, is not where I belong. You have known this for far too long. Yet it appeared I must come along, to remind you that I am always here. I am always there. To be a reminder to you that things only get colder and harder, but never darker”

“But my love you must explain. Why am I in so much pain? Why must you be so delayed?  I have love for you that cannot be swayed, but I would rather just end this masquerade. I would rather you just have always stayed.”

“And one day soon. That will happen for you. Though it may hurt, I promise you will just simply awake. With my hand in your hair and a smile in which we both partake, and I won’t be cold, I will be something you can actually hold. And be far more than Lenore or some forgotten lore. I will be yours.”

And then she was gone. He felt his head. It was still cold. He
checked his phone and saw no calls. No messages. There was nothing at all. There was nothing at all to ease his mind. So he lay there, just trying not to think.

For days after he stared at his phone in the hopes that she would call again. The phone though stayed blank with no calls, messages, or anything of the sort that would light up the screen. He couldn’t take it. He was just there with her. Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her.

title: He Tried Not to Think (revised)

question: Who phones him at 10.45?

answer: The person who phones him at 10.45 is his girlfriend.

text: "He asked almost hourly how she was doing but in return he only received saddened faces and pitying looks that he so longed would just go away. Maybe deep down he knew what actually happened. Maybe one day he would be able to actually face it. His mind wouldn’t accept it though." is evidence that his girlfriend died in a car crash where he was the driver. His brain does not accept the information. In his mind it is his girlfriend that is calling, but it is not true in reality. Change the answer to reflect this duality.

refinement: He thinks his girlfriend phones him at 10.45.

text: "'Hello my dear. Is it as I fear? Will I still see you here?'" is evidence that the man's 'dear' is on the other end of the line.

text: "'No my love, I am coming now. I’m sorry, I am sorry I took so long. The people I was with just kept rambling on and on, like loons, but don’t be mad; I will be beside you soon.'" is evidence that it was his 'love'.

answer: The woman he is waiting for.

text: "'No my love, I am coming now. I’m sorry, I am sorry I took so long. The people I was with just kept rambling on and on, like loons, but don’t be mad; I will be beside you soon.'" is evidence that it was his 'love'.

text: "His mind trailed off. Where could she be? What could she be doing? When was the last time I saw her?" is evidence that he is waiting for a woman. And that the woman takes a long time to show up.

answer: The person who phones him at 10.45 is his lover.

text: "He asked almost hourly how she was doing but in return he only received saddened faces and pitying looks that he so longed would just go away. Maybe deep down he knew what actually happened. Maybe one day he would be able to actually face it. His mind wouldn’t accept it though." is evidence that his girlfriend died in a car crash where he was the driver. His brain does not accept the information. In his mind it is his girlfriend that is calling, but it is not true in reality. Change the answer to reflect this duality.

text: "'No my love, I am coming now. I’m sorry, I am sorry I took so long. The people I was with just kept rambling on and on, like loons, but don’t be mad; I will be beside you soon.'" is evidence that it was his 'love'.

answer: Nobody. It is a figment of his imagination

text: "He asked almost hourly how she was doing but in return he only received saddened faces and pitying looks that he so longed would just go away. Maybe deep down he knew what actually happened. Maybe one day he would be able to actually face it. His mind wouldn’t accept it though." is evidence that his girlfriend died in a car crash where he was the driver. His brain does not accept the information. In his mind it is his girlfriend that is calling, but it is not true in reality. It is his imagination.

question: Why does he wait on the ice and in the elements?

answer: He is waiting for a phone call from his girlfriend.

text: "The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin. He was not walking to anywhere in particular or for any other reason than to stall." proves that he was stalling, buying time before he had to go home. He did not want to think, while his body moved, he didn't have to think.

refinement: He is stalling while waiting for a phone call from his girlfriend.

text: "His phone was in his pocket and he endured the cold while he waited for it to ring." is evidence that he is waiting for his phone to ring.

text: "The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin. He was not walking to anywhere in particular or for any other reason than to stall." is proof that he is not on his way anywhere or had any real purpose. He was walking not to think. The cold probably helped with that.

answer: He waits on the ice and in the elements because he believes that his lost love will come back to him. He is desperate for her to return and so he waits in the cold, hoping that she will appear.

text: "He let the cold slip in further. His ears went numb, then his cheeks, and then his toes. Finally he stood up and proceeded home. He opened the door and the warmth hurried out. The couch welcomed him, and hugged around him when he sat down." is proof that after stalling for time he went home when he felt too cold. He is welcomed home, but he cannot fall asleep.

refinement: He waits on the ice and in the elements because he believes that his lost love will come back to him. He is desperate for her to return and so he waits in the cold, hoping that she will appear.

text: "His phone was in his pocket and he endured the cold while he waited for it to ring. The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin. He was not walking to anywhere in particular or for any other reason than to stall" is proof that he was stalling, buying time before he had to face going home.

refinement: He waits on the ice and in the elements because he believes that his lost love will come back to him. He is stalling for time before having to go home.

text: "Nine p.m. she said. We will go to the movies, and then have dinner. It would be wonderful but reality is never like your expectations." proves that he had an appointment to keep with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is dead, but he still believed in the appointment.

answer: He waits because he is waiting for his love to come back to him.

text: "His phone was in his pocket and he endured the cold while he waited for it to ring. The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin. He was not walking to anywhere in particular or for any other reason than to stall" is proof that he was stalling, buying time before he had to face going home.

refinement: He waits because he is waiting for his love to come back to him. He is avoiding going home because he cannot face it. He waits until he is freezing before heading home.

text: "Nine p.m. she said. We will go to the movies, and then have dinner. It would be wonderful but reality is never like your expectations." proves that he had an appointment to keep with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is dead, but he still believed in the appointment.

answer: He may be punishing himself for driving her to her death? Perhaps he has a death wish of his own.

text: "The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin. He was not walking to anywhere in particular or for any other reason than to stall." proves that he was stalling, buying time before he had to go home. He did not want to think, while his body moved, he didn't have to think.

refinement: He is stalling, buying time before having to go home. When he gets too cold, he goes home. He is welcomed, but he can't sleep. Perhaps he has a death wish of his own.

text: "Nine p.m. she said. We will go to the movies, and then have dinner. It would be wonderful but reality is never like your expectations." proves that he had an appointment to keep with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is dead, but he still believed in the appointment.

refinement: He believes that he has an appointment with his dead girlfriend. He is stalling, buying time before having to go home. When he gets too cold, he goes home. He is welcomed, but he can't sleep.

question: Is someone playing mind games with him, phoning and making a date and then not pitching?

answer: No, it's his dead girlfriend.

text: "Nine p.m. she said. We will go to the movies, and then have dinner. It would be wonderful but reality is never like your expectations." proves that he had an appointment to keep with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is dead, but he still believed in the appointment.

text: "Nine p.m. she said. We will go to the movies, and then have dinner. It would be wonderful but reality is never like your expectations." proves that he had an appointment to keep with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is dead, but he still believed in the appointment.

refinement: No, he believes he has an appointment with his dead girlfriend. His mind does not want to face the reality that she is dead.

answer: It seems as though someone is playing mind games with the main character, phoning him and making plans, only to not show up.

text: "One day though he received a phone call, 'Hello my love, it’s been far too long. Will you be busy around nine so that we can dine and once again be fine? How about a movie or we can just be joyous and sing songs until morning’s dawn? I will be there then my dear, don’t fear.” The call ended just after and he was left bewildered but so happy to have heard her. He waited. He waited until nine had become ten and he could take it no more and he had to leave for a walk.'" proves that he had an appointment to keep with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is dead, but he still believed in the appointment.

refinement: The man believes his dead girlfriend made an appointment with him to spend the night together. She did not show up because she is dead. He needs closure after her death.

answer: No, it is all a dream and when he awakes her cold ghost hands touch his forehead.

text: "One day though he received a phone call, “Hello my love, it’s been far too long. Will you be busy around nine so that we can dine and once again be fine? How about a movie or we can just be joyous and sing songs until morning’s dawn? I will be there then my dear, don’t fear.” The call ended just after and he was left bewildered but so happy to have heard her. He waited. He waited until nine had become ten and he could take it no more and he had to leave for a walk." is proof that he is under the impression that his dead girlfriend made an appointment with him to spend the evening together.

refinement: No, he is under the impression that his dead girlfriend made plans with him to spend the night together. It is all a dream and when he awakes her cold ghost hands touch his forehead.

text: "He woke up with hands running through his hair. Cold hands. He looked up and saw her. The smile crept across their faces as they stared. 'Hello my love,' he said looking above, 'why have you taken so long?'" is proof that after he woke from the dream he had a conversation with his dead girlfriend about moving on from her death. He longed to see her again even after his visit.

refinement: No, he is under the impression that his dead girlfriend made plans with him to spend the night together. He wakes from a dream to find his dead girlfriend standing there.

text:
"He woke up with hands running through his hair. Cold hands. He looked up and saw her. The smile crept across their faces as they stared.
'Hello my love,' he said looking above, 'why have you taken so long?'" is proof that he wakes from a dream.

question: Why did he give up and die?

answer: He gave up and died because he could not bear the pain of being without the one he loved. He could not face the reality of what had happened and so he chose to end his life.

text: "He was slowly being forgotten and left to be a part of the past." is proof of the response of other people to his prolonged grief.

text: "Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is evidence that he did not feel he belonged in the current time.

answer: He gave up and died because he was forgotten and left to be a part of the past.

text: "Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is proof that he felt there was nothing left for him. He went to join her.

refinement: He gave up and died because he was forgotten and he felt that there was nothing left for him without his girlfriend.

text: "He was slowly being forgotten and left to be a part of the past." is evidence of the response of other people to his prolonged grief.

answer: He was in so much pain and he had no one to help him.

text: "Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is evidence that he is responsible for his own mental state.

refinement: He was in so much pain and he could not see a way out of it or through it.

text: "Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is evidence of his emotional pain.

text: "It went on until people stopped being nice about it. They started shouting, they started to bluntly say what hurt him the most, and they no longer felt the need to give a reassuring lie because it was time to face what happened. It was of course for no use though. The shelter of his mind kept him warm and blanketed from the harsh unforgiving world around him. Then one day people just gave up. He was left to himself. People would show up occasionally but only to drop off food and other groceries. He was slowly being forgotten and left to be a part of the past." is evidence of the response of other people to his prolonged grief.

answer: Because she didn't reappear in his dreams. He couldn't bear to be parted from her a second time.

text: "Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is proof that he felt he belonged in the moment with her and no moment without her.

question: Write a ~16 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator wanders around in the icy snow waiting for his girl to phone him. How could she desert him without a farewell? She’d made arrangements to spend the evening with him. He walks to the middle of the frozen pond and sits upon the ice.

As the snow begins to fall, he remembers a similar evening when the two of them were driving through the snow. They were in an accident.

Now he waits for her to phone. She phones and says she’s on her way. But it’s 11 pm, then 12 then 1 and his eyes fall shut and he gives up.

After the accident, he was surrounded by pitying people all trying to help, offering condolences. Maybe one day he could face what actually happened. Eventually, people stop visiting or calling him.

Then one night she calls him and her cold hands run through his hair. Then she is gone. There are no messages, no calls. There is nothing left for him so he joins her.

text: "He approached the pond and walked down the hill till he was on the middle of it." is proof that he walked toward the middle of the pond, down a hill and sat down in the middle of the hill on his way to the pond.

refinement:
The narrator wanders around in the icy snow waiting for his girl to phone him. How could she desert him without a farewell? She’d made arrangements to spend the evening with him. He walks to the middle of the hill on his way to the pond and sits down in the cold.

As the snow begins to fall, he remembers a similar evening when the two of them were driving through the snow. They were in an accident.

Now he waits for her to phone. She phones and says she’s on her way. But it’s 11 pm, then 12 then 1 and his eyes fall shut and he gives up.

After the accident, he was surrounded by pitying people all trying to help, offering condolences. Maybe one day he could face what actually happened. Eventually, people stop visiting or calling him.

Then one night she calls him and her cold hands run through his hair. Then she is gone. There are no messages, no calls. There is nothing left for him so he joins her.

text: "Finally he stood up and proceeded home. He opened the door and the warmth hurried out. The couch welcomed him, and hugged around him when he sat down. Eleven o’clock his phone said now. Better late than never he thought. Then twelve came around. Then one, and then finally his eyes fell shut and he gave up." is proof that he headed home after the phone call. No one was there. He fell asleep.

refinement:
The narrator wanders around in the icy snow waiting for his girl to phone him. How could she desert him without a farewell? She’d made arrangements to spend the evening with him. He walks to the middle of the hill on his way to the pond and sits down in the cold.

As the snow begins to fall, he remembers a similar evening when the two of them were driving through the snow. They were in an accident.

Now he waits for her to phone. She phones and apologizes for being late. He heads home after the phone call. No one is there. At 1 his eyes fall shut and he gives up.

After the accident, he was surrounded by pitying people all trying to help, offering condolences. Maybe one day he could face what actually happened. Eventually, people stop visiting or calling him.

Then one night she calls him and her cold hands run through his hair. Then she is gone. There are no messages, no calls. There is nothing left for him so he joins her.

text: "His phone was in his pocket and he endured the cold while he waited for it to ring." is proof that the man was waiting for a phone call.

text: "The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin." proves that it was very cold.

text: "She cannot just be gone without a goodbye or a mere fare thee well." is proof that he wonders what happened to her and that she left without an explanation.

text: "Nine p.m. she said. We will go to the movies, and then have dinner. It would be wonderful but reality is never like your expectations." is proof that she made plans with him.

text: "Snow began falling. He and she were heading down the road one night" is proof that the snow triggers his memory of the car accident.

text: "Yet then he saw a blur dash in the road. Then he felt the wheels leave the ground and the crashing of glass and the crumple of steel and the cold air rushing in. The car pushed in around them forcing them closer together as it continued to tumble down the road until they came to a rest with his body pressed against hers with nowhere to move." is a description of the car crash that they were involved in.

text: "At ten-forty-five it finally arrives. The phone rings and he answers." is proof that the phone rings and that he answers it.

text: "“No my love, I am coming now. I’m sorry, I am sorry I took so long. The people I was with just kept rambling on and on, like loons, but don’t be mad; I will be beside you soon.”" is proof that she calls to say she was held up but that she is on her way now.

text: "Countless faces with sad, pitying smiles expressing halfhearted condolences and apologies paced through the room ceaselessly for days and days." is proof of the response of other people after the accident.

text: "Maybe deep down he knew what actually happened. Maybe one day he would be able to actually face it. His mind wouldn’t accept it though. " is proof that his mind could not accept what happened to him during the crash and would not acknowledge the loss he suffered.

text: "Then one day people just gave up. He was left to himself. People would show up occasionally but only to drop off food and other groceries. He was slowly being forgotten and left to be a part of the past." is proof of the response of the other people to his prolonged grief.

text: "One day though he received a phone call, “Hello my love, it’s been far too long. Will you be busy around nine so that we can dine and once again be fine? How about a movie or we can just be joyous and sing songs until morning’s dawn? I will be there then my dear, don’t fear.” The call ended just after and he was left bewildered but so happy to have heard her. He waited. He waited until nine had become ten and he could take it no more and he had to leave for a walk." is proof of the phone call that he received.

text: "Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is proof of the man's solution to life and his loss.

answer: The protagonist is a man who is in love with a woman who has died. He is trying to move on, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't. He is waiting for

text: Remove duplicate sentences.

refinement: The protagonist is a man who is in love with a woman who has died. He is trying to move on, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't.

text: "For days after he stared at his phone in the hopes that she would call again. The phone though stayed blank with no calls, messages, or anything of the sort that would light up the screen. He couldn’t take it. He was just there with her. Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is proof that he experiences her presence again after her death. The purpose of the visit was to tell him to move on, to live again. He does not feel that he can do that. He decides to give up this life to be with her in the next life.

refinement: The protagonist is a man who is in love with a woman who has died. He is trying to move on, but he can't. He is waiting for her to call him, but she never does. He is trying to not think about her, but he can't. He experiences her presence again after her death. The purpose of the visit was to tell him to move on, to live again. He does not feel that he can do that. He decides to give up this life to be with her in the next life.

text: "His mind trailed off. Where could she be? What could she be doing? When was the last time I saw her? Does she even want to see me? Am I simply just wasting my time?" is proof that he is waiting unexpectedly for his girlfriend to show up.

text: "He asked almost hourly how she was doing but in return he only received saddened faces and pitying looks that he so longed would just go away. Maybe deep down he knew what actually happened. Maybe one day he would be able to actually face it. His mind wouldn’t accept it though." is proof that she is dead, but that he does not want to face her death.

text: "No missed messages, no missed calls, not anything. He put it away and stared at the light on the other side of the lake. He wrapped his hands around himself and stuck them under his arms to stay warm and waited for a call." is proof that he is waiting a long time for her to phone him.

text: "He wandered aimlessly. He didn’t think. Thinking took too much effort. He walked. Just walked, because that was all he could do. His phone was in his pocket and he endured the cold while he waited for it to ring. The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin. He was not walking to anywhere in particular or for any other reason than to stall." is proof that he is trying not to think about her and failing.

answer: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. He is thinking about how he is second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how he is always second. He is thinking about how

text: Remove duplicate sentences.

refinement: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. He is thinking about how he is second. He is thinking about how he is always second.

text: "“No my love, I am coming now. I’m sorry, I am sorry I took so long. The people I was with just kept rambling on and on, like loons, but don’t be mad; I will be beside you soon.”" is evidence that she phones to say she is on her way. The man's reaction is to feel that he is always second prize.

refinement: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. She calls to say she was held up. He feels like a consolation prize.

text: "He let the cold slip in further. His ears went numb, then his cheeks, and then his toes. Finally he stood up and proceeded home. He opened the door and the warmth hurried out. The couch welcomed him, and hugged around him when he sat down. Eleven o’clock his phone said now. Better late than never he thought. Then twelve came around. Then one, and then finally his eyes fell shut and he gave up." is proof that he heads home after the phone call. He warms up, but does not fall asleep until he gives up.

refinement: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. She calls to say she was held up. He feels like a consolation prize. He gets very cold and heads home to warmth. No one is there. He waits for a long time, gives up hope and finally falls asleep.

text: " Countless faces with sad, pitying smiles expressing halfhearted condolences and apologies paced through the room ceaselessly for days and days. He was constantly in the presence of the one or two who actually cared but they were of no help to him." is proof of the response of the other people after the fatal accident.

refinement: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. She calls to say she was held up. He feels like a consolation prize. He gets very cold and heads home to warmth. No one is there. He waits for a long time, gives up hope and finally falls asleep. After the accident people reached out to him.

text: "Maybe deep down he knew what actually happened. Maybe one day he would be able to actually face it. His mind wouldn’t accept it though." is proof that he has not accepted or acknowledged the death of his girlfriend. His mind cannot handle that information and he shuts it out to protect himself.

refinement: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. She calls to say she was held up. He feels like a consolation prize. He gets very cold and heads home to warmth. No one is there. He waits for a long time, gives up hope and finally falls asleep. After the accident people reached out to him, but he could not face what happened.

text: "The shelter of his mind kept him warm and blanketed from the harsh unforgiving world around him. Then one day people just gave up. He was left to himself. People would show up occasionally but only to drop off food and other groceries. He was slowly being forgotten and left to be a part of the past." is proof of the response of the other people to his prolonged period of grief.

refinement: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. She calls to say she was held up. He feels like a consolation prize. He gets very cold and heads home to warmth. No one is there. He waits for a long time, gives up hope and finally falls asleep. After the accident people reached out to him, but he could not face what happened. He could not accept what happened and people stopped reaching out to him.

text: "One day though he received a phone call, “Hello my love, it’s been far too long. Will you be busy around nine so that we can dine and once again be fine?" is the beginning of the phone call he received from her making an appointment with him.

refinement: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. She calls to say she was held up. He feels like a consolation prize. He gets very cold and heads home to warmth. No one is there. He waits for a long time, gives up hope and finally falls asleep. After the accident people reached out to him, but he could not face what happened. He could not accept what happened and people stopped reaching out to him. One night she calls and makes an appointment with him. Then she is never heard of again.

text: "Once again he had her next to him for her to only disappear as before but this time he really was alone. He really didn’t have anyone. He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is a description of his loss that is so acute that he decides to escape this life to be with her in the next life.

refinement: The narrator is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He is walking aimlessly, thinking about her. He is not sure if she will come. He is cold and waiting for her to arrive. He is thinking about the last time he saw her. He is thinking about the crash. She calls to say she was held up. He feels like a consolation prize. He gets very cold and heads home to warmth. No one is there. He waits for a long time, gives up hope and finally falls asleep. After the accident people reached out to him, but he could not face what happened. He could not accept what happened and people stopped reaching out to him. One night she calls and makes an appointment with him. Then she is never heard of again. He cannot live in her absence and decides to take his own life to join her.

text: "His mind trailed off. Where could she be? What could she be doing? When was the last time I saw her? Does she even want to see me? Am I simply just wasting my time?" is proof that he is waiting for his girlfriend, that he is unsure of her whereabouts.

text:
"He Tried Not to Think

He wandered aimlessly." is proof that he is walking aimlessly to try not to think.

text: "His phone was in his pocket and he endured the cold while he waited for it to ring. The breeze ran down the street and bit and tore until it worked its way into his skin." is proof that he was cold.

text: "Snow began falling. He and she were heading down the road one night. The winter storms had rolled in and the snow blinded their way as he drove. The tree lined road was interspersed with the occasional home or driveway leading deeper into the woods. The snow was so bad that it was near impossible to see more than twenty feet ahead, but the road he drove on, he had been on a thousand times and it was practically a straight line. Yet then he saw a blur dash in the road. Then he felt the wheels leave the ground and the crashing of glass and the crumple of steel and the cold air rushing in. The car pushed in around them forcing them closer together as it continued to tumble down the road until they came to a rest with his body pressed against hers with nowhere to move. The next moment he was in the snow with eyes looking over him as the cold embedded itself in his bones." describes the crash that they experienced that ended fatally for his girlfriend.

text: "A consolation time, being second, what else should one expect?" is proof that he feels like he is the consolation prize.

answer: The protagonist is desperately waiting for his lost love to return, but she never does. He eventually gives up and decides to join her, but before he does, she calls him and tells him that she will be there soon. He waits for her, but she never arrives. He eventually gives up on life and commits suicide.

text: "Snow began falling. He and she were heading down the road one night. The winter storms had rolled in and the snow blinded their way as he drove. The tree lined road was interspersed with the occasional home or driveway leading deeper into the woods. The snow was so bad that it was near impossible to see more than twenty feet ahead, but the road he drove on, he had been on a thousand times and it was practically a straight line. Yet then he saw a blur dash in the road. Then he felt the wheels leave the ground and the crashing of glass and the crumple of steel and the cold air rushing in. The car pushed in around them forcing them closer together as it continued to tumble down the road until they came to a rest with his body pressed against hers with nowhere to move. " is a description of the car crash in which the man's love was killed.

refinement: The protagonist is desperately waiting for his dead girlfriend to return. She never does. He eventually gives up and decides to join her, but before he does, he imagines her calling him and telling him that she will be there soon. He waits for her, but she never arrives. He eventually gives up on life and commits suicide.

text: "Where could she be? What could she be doing? When was the last time I saw her? Does she even want to see me? Am I simply just wasting my time?" is proof that he is waiting for this love to return.

text: "He didn’t need everyone telling him that it would be alright, you need to get out some, she isn’t coming, but what did they know?" is proof that his love is not coming and that he cannot accept it.

text: "He was already become a part of the past. He belonged to a particular moment in time that he could not escape. There was nothing left for him here, so he went to join her." is proof that he gives up on life and goes to be with his love in the next life.

text: "One day though he received a phone call, “Hello my love, it’s been far too long. Will you be busy around nine so that we can dine and once again be fine? How about a movie or we can just be joyous and sing songs until morning’s dawn? I will be there then my dear, don’t fear.” The call ended just after and he was left bewildered but so happy to have heard her. He waited. He waited until nine had become ten and he could take it no more and he had to leave for a walk." is proof of the phone call that the man experienced.


split: train

text:
TRDELNÍK (; or rarely TRDLO or TROZKOL) is a kind of spit cake. It is made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix.

Origin

Trdelník has several origins. In the mid-19th century it was known as a Slovak dish,[1], and in the 20th century as a Moravian dish.[2][3] A similar pastry was also popular in the Hungarian speaking part of Transylvania (in today's Romania), where it is called kürtőskalács. The word _trdelník_ is of Czech-Slovak origin; the root of this word, _trdlo,_ is the name of the wooden tool the cake ingredients are wrapped around during cooking (which gives it its traditional hollow shape), and can also mean “simpleton” in English (see _trdlo_).

In the 21st century it became popular among tourists in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Nowadays, _trdelník_ is very popular among tourists as a sweet pastry in many countries, mostly in the Czech Republic. A variation of trdelník with an ice cream filling was popularized by Prague cafés.[4]

The version from the Slovak town of Skalica (_Skalický trdelník_) was registered in December 2007 as a PGI (protected geographical indication) in the European Union.[5] The registration application with the detailed description of the product was published in April 2007 in the Official Journal of the European Union.[6]

Tourism in Prague

Although trdelník is usually presented as “a traditional Czech cake” or “the old Bohemian pastry”, and mentions of “_český trdelník_” can be found in 20th century literature,[7] trdelník is mostly mentioned in literature as a Slovak or Moravian, not Bohemian dish, and the mass spread of this dessert in Prague is recognized to have started more recently. Czech cinematographer and reporter Janek Rubeš argues that trdelník is only made for tourists, and that even the hamburger is more traditional in the Czech Republic.[8]

Skalický trdelník

[Baking of Trdelník] The production of trdelník has a long tradition in the Slovak town of Skalica near the border with the Moravian Slovakian town Hodonín. The original recipe was owned at the end of the 18th century by the cook József Gvadányi, a retired Hungarian general and resident of Skalica. The original recipe then was improved by the inhabitants of Skalica to its final form now known as _Skalický trdelník_.

The society _Skalický trdelník_ was founded in 2004 with the goal of keeping the tradition of the original open fire Trdelník production.

Similar products

[Slices of Skalický trdelník ready for serving. Note the hollow interior created by baking on a cylindrical spit.] [Trdelník booth at a market in Litoměřice.]

-   - Known in Hungary as _Kürtőskalács_

-   - Known in Austria as _Prügelkrapfen_

-   - Known in Germany as _Baumstriezel_

-   - known in Luxembourg as _Baamkuch_, has become a traditional dish served mostly on special occasions, such as weddings.

-   - Sękacz is a similar cake also cooked on a spit, normally over an open fire.

-   - Šakotis or Raguolis (Bankuchinas as known in western part of Lithuania) is made similarly but looks, tastes and is eaten completely different.

-   - _Colac secuiesc_ is a similar cake also cooked on a spit.

-   - Known in Turkey as _makara_

-   - Known in Israel as _kyortush_

-   - Known in South Africa as _stokbrood_

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: Trdelník

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about the origins of Trdelník?

answer: Trdelník has several origins, including its roots as a Slovak or Moravian dish. It is most popular among tourists in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the 21st century. A version of Trdelník cooked in the Slovak town of Skalica was registered as a PGI in 2007.

text: Everything after the first sentence is irrelevant

refinement: Trdelník has several origins, including its roots as a Slovak or Moravian dish.

text: It was known as a Slovak or Moravian dish at different points in time

refinement: Trdelník has several origins. In the mid-19th century, it was known as a Slovak dish, and in the 20th century as a Moravian dish.

text: A similar pastry was also popular in Transylvania

refinement: Trdelník has several origins. In the mid-19th century, it was known as a Slovak dish, and in the 20th century as a Moravian dish. A similar pastry was also popular in the Hungarian speaking part of Transylvania, where it is called kürtőskalács.

answer: In the mid-19th century, Trdelník was known as a Slovak dish, and later in the 20th century, it was known as a Moravian dish. It was also popular in Transylvania, where it is called kürtőskalács, and its Czech-Slovak origin. It was registered as a PGI in the European Union in December 2007.

text: The name is of Czech-Slovak origin

refinement: In the mid-19th century, Trdelník was known as a Slovak dish, and later in the 20th century, it was known as a Moravian dish. It was also popular in Transylvania, where it is called kürtőskalács. The word "trdelník" is of Czech-Slovak origin. It was registered as a PGI in the European Union in December 2007.

text: The last sentence is irrelevant

refinement: In the mid-19th century, Trdelník was known as a Slovak dish, and later in the 20th century, it was known as a Moravian dish. It was also popular in Transylvania, where it is called kürtőskalács. The word "trdelník" is of Czech-Slovak origin.

answer: Trdelník can be traced back to the 17th century. The name for the wooden tool that makes the pastry its traditional hollow shape, called trdlo, means simpleton in English. The pastry has been registered as a PGI in the European Union. Multiple variations of Trdelník can be found around the world, and the actual recipe is owned by the cook József Gvadányi from the Slovak town of Skalica.

text: Irrelevant/Inaccurate response

text: Provide a response

refinement: Trdelník has several origins. In the mid-19th century it was known as a Slovak dish, and in the 20th century as a Moravian dish. A similar pastry was also popular in the Hungarian speaking part of Transylvania, where it is called kürtőskalács. The word "trdelník" is of Czech-Slovak origin.

answer: Trdelník likely has Slovak and Moravian origins, but it is currently most popular as a sweet pastry among tourists in the Czech Republic. A version from Skalica was registered as a PGI in the European Union in 2007.

answer: Trdelník has several origins. In the mid-19th century it was known as a Slovak dish, and in the 20th century as a Moravian dish. There was a similar pastry called kürtőskalács, in the Hungarian-speaking part of Transylvania (now Romania). In the 21st century, it became popular in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The word "trdelník" is of Czech-Slovak origin.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What notable changes have been made to Trdelník nowadays?

answer:
Trdelník is usually presented as “a traditional Czech cake” although home of the modern version is Slovakia.
Trdelník is only made for tourists.

text: Response does not address the question

text: Provide a response

refinement: It has become popular among tourists in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and a variation with an ice cream filling was popularized by Prague cafes.

answer: Today, Trdelník is very popular among tourists as a sweet pastry in many countries, mostly in the Czech Republic. A variation of Trdelník with an ice cream filling became popular in Prague cafés. The version from the Slovak town of Skalica known as Skalický trdelník was even registered as a PGI (protected geographical location) in the European Union in December 2007. At the end of the 18th century, the original recipe was owned by József Gvadányi, a retired Hungarian general, cook, and resident of Skalica. The society of Skalický trdelník was founded in 2004 to keep the tradition of the original open fire Trdelník production.

text: I wouldn't count the 18th century as "nowadays"

refinement: Today, Trdelník is very popular among tourists as a sweet pastry in many countries, mostly in the Czech Republic. A variation of Trdelník with an ice cream filling became popular in Prague cafés. The version from the Slovak town of Skalica known as Skalický trdelník was even registered as a PGI (protected geographical location) in the European Union in December 2007. The society of Skalický trdelník was founded in 2004 to keep the tradition of the original open fire Trdelník production.

answer: The original recipe was owned at the end of the 18th century by the cook Jozsef Gvadanyi. Skalica society added improvements, and the final form is known today as Skalický trdelník. A similar cake kürtőskalács is also popular.

text: It is not indicated that kürtőskalács is a recent innovation

refinement: The original recipe was owned at the end of the 18th century by the cook Jozsef Gvadanyi. Skalica society added improvements, and the final form is known today as Skalický trdelník.

text: Include information about its connection to tourism and the variation with ice cream filling

refinement: The original recipe was owned at the end of the 18th century by the cook Jozsef Gvadanyi. Skalica society added improvements, and the final form is known today as Skalický trdelník. In the 21st century, it has become popular among tourists in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A variation of trdelník with an ice cream filling was also popularized by Prague cafés.

answer: Trdelník is now popular among tourists in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A variation of trdelník with an ice cream filling has also become popular in Prague cafés.

answer: Trdelník is now very popular among tourists as a sweet pastry, especially in the Czech Republic. It originated in the mid-19th century as a Slovak dish, and in the 20th century as a Moravian dish. However, the mass spread of this dessert in Prague is recognized to have started more recently. One version from the Slovak town of Skalica has been registered as a PGI (protected geographical indication) in the European Union. The Skalický trdelník version is baked on a spit and is known for its hollow interior. Other similar products include Kürtőskalács in Hungary and Prügelkrapfen in Germany. Šakotis in Lithuania, Colac secuiesc in Romania, Kyortush in Israel, and Stokbrood in South Africa are also comparable. Trdelník is now mostly enjoyed by tourists.

text: Lots of irrelevant and repeated information

refinement: Trdelník is now very popular among tourists as a sweet pastry, especially in the Czech Republic. The mass spread of this dessert in Prague is recognized to have started more recently. One version from the Slovak town of Skalica has been registered as a PGI (protected geographical indication) in the European Union.

text: Include the variation with an ice cream filling

refinement: Trdelník is now very popular among tourists as a sweet pastry, especially in the Czech Republic. The mass spread of this dessert in Prague is recognized to have started more recently. One version from the Slovak town of Skalica has been registered as a PGI (protected geographical indication) in the European Union. A variation of trdelník with an ice cream filling was also popularized by Prague cafés.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about Trdelník?

answer: Trdelník is a type of spit cake made from rolled dough wrapped around a stick, which is grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix. It is originally from Slovakia or Moravia, and spread in popularity in Prague more recently as a tourist attraction. The Skalický trdelník, from the Slovak town of Skalica, is the only variety that was registered as a PGI (protected geographical indication) in the European Union.

answer: Trdelník (, or rarely TRDLO or TROZKOL) is made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix. Despite being called "a traditional Czech cake", experts claim that the mass spread of this dessert has started more recently. Currently, the sweet pastry is very popular among tourists in various countries, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

answer: Trdelník is a kind of spit cake. It is made from rolled dough wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix. The word "trdelník" is of Czech-Slovak origin. It is also known (rarely) as Trdlo or Trozkol, which is actually the wooden tool where the cake ingredients are wrapped around during cooking. It gives the Trdelník its traditional hollow shape.

answer: Trdelník is a cake made from rolled dough wrapped around a stick, grilled, and topped with sugar and walnut mix which originates in Slovakia and has become popular among tourists in the Czech Republic. Skalický trdelník has been registered as a PGI.

answer: Trdelník is a kind of spit cake. It is made from rolled dough topped with sugar and walnut mix. The goal of this cake is for it to be hollow, which is what the original method of production was, which was the circular wooden tool which has given the cake its name that is dug into the dough to create a hollow inside. However, today, due to the increased demand and popularization of the cake, by using various versions of molds and pressing mechanisms, it can be rectangular and baked in an oven.

text: It is named for the circular wooden tool

refinement: Trdelník is a kind of spit cake. It is made from rolled dough topped with sugar and walnut mix. The goal of this cake is for it to be hollow, and its name is derived from the word trdlo, which is the name of the wooden tool the cake ingredients are wrapped around during cooking. However, today, due to the increased demand and popularization of the cake, by using various versions of molds and pressing mechanisms, it can be rectangular and baked in an oven.

text: The last sentence is not supported

refinement: Trdelník is a kind of spit cake. It is made from rolled dough topped with sugar and walnut mix. The goal of this cake is for it to be hollow, and its name is derived from the word trdlo, which is the name of the wooden tool the cake ingredients are wrapped around during cooking.


text:
MATTHEW MOSKOWITZ (born 1976 in the United States) is an American abstract painter who works in New York. In 2012 his paintings were seen in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).[1] Moskowitz's show in London England was held in the art district Trinity Buoy Wharf. Moskowitz represented the United States. The title of the show was “Breathe.” It was an international event with career artist from several different countries. http://www.trinitybuoywharf.com/whats-on/event/breathe-art-exhibition Moskowitz's painting are within both private and corporate art collections. http://oysterbayenterprisepilot.com/2014/02/auctioning-art-for-charity/ Moskowitz is within the collection of Guild Hall Art Museum in East Hampton, New York. His painting titled “Safari” hung in its 79th Annual Artist Member Exhibition in April 2017. The show is the oldest running exhibition on Long Island. http://www.guildhall.org/events/?id=1098&mode=id [Matthew Moskowitz]

[1]

title: Matthew Moskowitz

question: Who is Matthew Moskowitz?

answer: Matthew Moskowitz is an American abstract painter working in New York in 2012.

text: "in 2012" adds a level of specificity that is not necessary.

refinement: Matthew Moskowitz is an American abstract painter working in New York.

answer: an American abstract painter who works in New York

text: The answer should be a complete sentence.

refinement: Moskowitz is an American abstract painter who works in New York

answer: An American abstract painter who works in New York.

text: The answer should be a complete sentence.

refinement: Moskowitz is an American abstract painter who works in New York.

question: When was Matthew Moskowitz born?

answer: That information can't be found in the article.

text: The answer is found in the article.

answer: 1976.

answer: 1976

question: When did Matthew Moskowitz's work appear in the Museum of Modern Art?

answer: The Museum of Modern Art depicted Moskowitz's work in 2012.

answer: Around 2012

text: The answer should be a complete sentence.

refinement: The Museum of Modern Art hosted Mskowitz' art in 2012.

answer: 2012

text: The answer should be a complete sentence.

refinement: The Museum of Modern Art hosted Mskowitz' art in 2012.

question: Where was Matthew Moskowitz's London England show held?

answer: It was held in the art district Trinity Buoy Wharf.

answer: The art district Trinity Buoy Wharf

text: The answer should be a complete sentence.

refinement: The show was held in the art district Trinity Buoy Wharf.

answer: in Trinity Buoy Warf

text: The answer should be a complete sentence.

question: What are some notable works by Matthew Moskowitz?

answer: Some notable works by Matthew Moskowitz include paintings titled "Breathe," "Safari," and those displayed at the Museum of Modern Art and Trinity Buoy Wharf art districts.

text: The name "Breathe" should be associated with the show, not a specific painting.

refinement: Some notable works by Matthew Moskowitz include paintings titled "Safari" and those displayed at the Museum of Modern Art and Trinity Buoy Wharf art districts.

answer: Some notable works by Matthew Moskowitz include his show at the Museum of Modern Art in 2012, "Breathe" at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London and his appearance in the 79th Annual Artist Member Exhibition of Guild Hall Art Museum in East Hampton, New York, where one of his paintings, "Safari," was displayed.

text: The question asks about notable works, not notable shows.

refinement: Some notable works by Matthew Moskowitz include his painting titled "Safari" which was hung at the Guild Hall Art Museum's 79th Annual Artist Member Exhibition in April 2017.

answer: Breathe and Safari

text: "Breathe" is the name of a show, not the title of a painting.

refinement: "Safari" is a painting that is housed at the Guild Hall Art Museum in East Hampton, New York, and was displayed at its 79th Annual Artist Member Exhibition in April 2017.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This document is a profile of Matthew Moskowitz, a New York City-based abstract painter who was born in 1976.

answer: Matthew Moskowitz is an abstract artist working in New York in the 2000s.

answer: Written by a contemporary art collector, this Wikipedia page his is on American Abstract Painter, Matthew Moskowitz.

text: The article does not mention that it was written by an art collector.

refinement: This Wikipedia page his is on American Abstract Painter, Matthew Moskowitz.

text: Grammar errors.

refinement: This Wikipedia page is on the American Abstract Painter, Matthew Moskowitz.

text: The answer could be more specific about who Moskowitz is.

refinement: This Wikipedia page is on the American Abstract Painter, Matthew Moskowitz, who works in New York.

answer: Matthew Moskowitz is an American abstract painter who works in New York.

answer: Matthew Moskowitz is an American abstract painter.

answer: The writer briefly talks about Matthew Moskowitz and his art collection history, beginning in 2012.

text: Moskowitz is not an art collector.

refinement: The writer briefly talks about Matthew Moskowitz and his artistic career, beginning in 2012.

text: His career did not begin in 2012.

refinement: The writer briefly talks about Matthew Moskowitz and his artistic career.


text:
All the world is silent. The streets outside of the window groan with each passing car, but none make noise. They are all distant, many miles away. Inside, there is more silence. A world of non-existent sounds and forever stillness. The laptop, set aside, shares nothing but the sheen of a blank screen. The cellphone is only a quiet piece of metal and plastic. There is no object that can penetrate the silence. There is no outside. There is only here, there is only now.

And now is a time for sitting. For quietly taking in what's before her. A bed sheet, a blanket, two pillows, and her feet. I like this, she thinks, but the registration of her thought disturbs her silence, so she pushes them back down and merely looks. She looks upon them, on the hardwood floor of her studio, and silently expresses satisfaction for herself, for her will to push past where she'd been, and where she is at now. All quietly, all without a thought. Loneliness introduces itself with a whisper, but it knows its place and its place is far away. It merely notifies her of its presence and that is enough. She acknowledges it for that's all that it needs, and continues on with what's before her. Mine, she thinks. The thought is firm and it creates ripples across her studio. It is not a disturbance, but a natural part of the world. There has never been anything more natural than a thought that is secure and definite and at this moment. I made this. This is mine.

And I like it.

And, hearing the conviction in her thought, far and away, Doubt rose and looked her way. And doubt was far. Very far. But there is a certain quality of Doubt that allows it to travel with a speed not limited by distance or time. And Doubt is not an impatient thing, it is one that is content to wait, and linger, and haunt, like Lonliness. Together, they are powerful forces that do not need to be near to be known. So Doubt rose and looked out at her and she felt it. Even from that distance, and with all the conviction she had within her, she felt Doubt.

It was not a good feeling, but she didn't have time to worry about Doubt now. The silent world was starting to murmur and she would not have it. Not tonight. Not while she had created her retreat in the middle of her living room. Not tonight. Not ever. So she stayed where she was and looked at her pillows, and blankets, and bed sheets and felt satisfied. But there was more to do. She needed string to suspend the sheets. She needed to get up to tie the string to her window blinds and across the room to her kitchen cabinet doors. She needed to make those secure so that her bed sheets would be able to hang from them and create the tent that she had in her mind. And then she needed to light it. She needed to create the atmosphere that would make her tent living room perfect. She needed her retreat and she needed it to be perfect.
And so, that's what she did.

She laid down her blankets, creating a soft bedding in the middle of her open living room. Above it, she suspended string reaching across the entirety of her studio, from the window blinds to the open kitchen cabinets, securing them tightly at each end, making them perfect for the exact tent shape that she wanted. A small pride grew within her as she started to see her creation take shape. She viewed it as herself and as an observer watching herself create and then be within the space she saw she was creating, and a small seed of accomplishment sprouted within her alongside her pride. All it needed now were some books to hold the sides of the suspended sheets down to create the proper shape of a tent and then some lights to -

and Lonliness comes again. A quick step closer than where it was before. It is pushed back by her will, but its step into her territory was a message: I am always here. I am always close. She stands at this and closes her eyes. There are no sights, there are no sounds, there is only me. There is only my wants and my desires and that is all. There is nothing else. There is only what I want. Lights. I want light.

And the lights she has in mind are perfect. Small electric diodes taped to the inner lids of mason jars. Simply made and, when their wires are touched to a battery, emitting a warm light, they look to be the glow of small fireflies. Magic in a jar. Magic in a living room. It's beautifully cinematic and it's perfect.

title: All the World is Silent

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about doubt and loneliness?

answer:
In the text, the narrator mentions De silence, which is her idea of non-existence, and now, the time when she keeps everything to herself, devoid of any judgments. She utilizes this time to look at her pillows, blankets, and bed sheets, and understand that they are hers, and she made them thus giving herself satisfaction. In a sense, she can't rely on her thoughts, but her thoughts in themselves ensure her validation.

The narrator then experiences loneliness, which comes to notify her of its presence, she acknowledges it and gets on with what she was doing, which is taking command of her living room by making a tent out of her bed sheets. This however, is an insufficient source of assurance for the narrator, who still feels the manifestation of loneliness in herself, watching all of her actions as she takes takes of her creation.

text: The response contains inaccurate information.

refinement:
She utilizes this time to look at her pillows, blankets, and bed sheets, and understand that they are hers, and she made them thus giving herself satisfaction. In a sense, she can't rely on her thoughts, but her thoughts in themselves ensure her validation.

The narrator then experiences loneliness, which comes to notify her of its presence, she acknowledges it and gets on with what she was doing, which is taking command of her living room by making a tent out of her bed sheets.

text: The response contains irrelevant information.

refinement: The narrator experiences loneliness, which comes to notify her of its presence, she acknowledges it and gets on with what she was doing, which is taking command of her living room by making a tent out of her bed sheets.

text: The response could include more details on doubt.

refinement: The narrator experiences loneliness and doubt, which comes to notify her of their presence. She acknowledges them and gets on with what she was doing, which is taking command of her living room by making a tent out of her bed sheets.

answer: The story characterizes these feelings as if they are entities of their own right. They don't need to immediately cause issues for a person since they can bide their time. It's practically impossible to be completely free of them, but they can be kept at bay.

text: The response could include more detail.

refinement: The story characterizes these feelings as if they are entities of their own right. They don't need to immediately cause issues for a person since they can bide their time. It's practically impossible to be completely free of them, but they can be kept at bay. The narrator keeps them at bay by creating her sheet tent in her living room.

answer: The text conveys that doubt and loneliness are constant, persistent presences in the protagonist's life. Doubt is an active force that reaches out to her from even a great distance, while loneliness silently waits closer by. The protagonist acknowledges the presence of both, but she fights back against them and focuses on achieving her goals. Ultimately, the text suggests that doubt and loneliness create a challenge for the protagonist but do not prevent her from pursuing her goals.

answer: The text says that loneliness comes periodically, but is mostly kept at bay by the author's will and focus. Doubt comes closer than it has before, but it is still distant and easily pushed back. Both doubt and loneliness seem to represent a challenge to the author's control over her space and herself. Despite that challenge, she persists in her creation of a tent in her living room using lights. Ultimately, the author seems unfazed by doubt and loneliness and unwilling to give in to their challenges.

answer: The narrator encounters both of these emotions in the form of familiar notions. The narrator describes doubt as a sense of uncertainty and disbelief in themselves, wondering if it's meant to be. She feels a "small seed of accomplishment" within her alongside her pride and uses this to quash the doubt within her. The narrator described loneliness as a familiar feeling and acknowledges it, pushing it aside for the time being.


text:
***My girlfriend asked why my room was so messy, this is what I sent her.  Just curious what you guys think.  My first short story to the public.***

"Shit here we go again" I thought to myself as I opened my bedroom door. There was a fight going on in my room. This wasn't an ordinary fight, this was a fight to determine who deserves to be the chosen one. 'Chosen one? Wtf does that mean' you might ask. Well let me back track a little.

When I was younger I was never into fashion. I just wanted comfy clothes to wear. So I dedicated my life to find the comfiest clothes ever. After trying on hundreds of shirts and pants and every type of boxers I could think of I just couldn't find comfy enough clothes. Finally I thought 'hey, maybe I can invent some!' And that's where the trouble began.

Each day I would try to create the perfect comfy clothing. I would use a variety of techniques such as covering the clothes in mud and then  washing them for 3 days straight so they absorbed all the minerals and felt smooth on the skin. After much trial and error I had a certain technique that seemed to be working. Well one day as I was letting them out to dry in my back yard something happened. It's hard to put into words but all I saw was a giant flash through my window and a green glow radiate from my clothes. I rushed outside but the green glow was gone. I thought nothing of it after that and thought it was just some firework. Boy was I wrong.

The next morning I awoke to something I wasn't really sure was real. My black pants....my black pants were standing up. A little freaked out at first I just kinda stared. I thought I was dreaming but after a pinch or two I assured myself I was not. I reached out to grab it and out of nowhere a sock wraps around the top part of my pants and starts to what seemed to be choking it. The sock was actually being held by my favorite pair of jeans. They were fighting. My clothes....were fighting. After the struggle the black pants fell sprawled out on the ground. The jeans just stood there.
Well I just witnessed something crazy but nevertheless I still had to go to work because I was out of sick days. I went to grab a pair of my non standing pants but my favorite pair of jeans would not get out of my way. At the same time the other pants seemed to scurry in the corner afraid of the jeans. He was the champion. He was to be worn that day. I had no choice. I put the jeans on. The amount of comfort I felt on that day could not be matched by anything I have tried in the past. Something had changed these pants and frankly they were so comfy I didn't care. That night I go home to find an unpleasant site. Clothes were everywhere. It's as if there was a civil war between each section of clothing I have. And in the forefront of my room stood a single pair of pants, a button down shirt, and checkered boxers. It was weird but I didn't mind it since my jeans were so comfy. I realized I had done it. I have created the comfiest clothes in the world. Each victor comfier than the last. Each day I come home to a war scene of black socks vs striped, button shirts vs T's, dress pants vs jeans and checkered boxers vs polka dot. The fights somehow weed out the uncomfy ones but come the day after laundry day everyone has another chance that week and the process repeats itself. Some people think I'm crazy some people are jealous but I know that what I have is a miracle, a miracle of comfiness.

title: [MF] A Mircale of Comfiness

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What causes the clothes to be scattered across the narrator's room?

answer: The narrator's clothes fight for their positions in his closet.

text: The clothes fight for the right to be worn

refinement: The narrator's clothes fight for the right to be worn each day.

answer: Organized chaos, generated by the clothing itself.

text: Completely inaccurate response

text: Provide a response

refinement: The clothes fight to be the comfiest and the right to be worn each day.

answer: The clothes in the narrator's room are scattered due to frequent fights between them. The different clothing sections fight in order to determine which are the most comfortable.

answer: The narrator's clothes have become animated through a mysterious process. They fight over the right to be worn every day. Whichever set of clothes is the champion, the narrator must wear. He has no choice.

answer: The clothes in the narrator's room are scattered due to a series of increasingly-violent fights between different pieces of clothing. The winner of each fight is whichever fabric is deemed most comfortable by the narrator.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What prompted the narrator's clothes becoming animated?

answer: From the narrator mentioning the a black pants was standing up (source?), the narrator wrote that it would be arbitrary to choose a specific moment.

text: Doesn't address the question at all

text: Provide a response

refinement: The narrator left them out in their back yard to dry, when suddenly there was a bright flash and then a green glow radiated from them.

answer: It isn't stated.

text: Not accurate

refinement: The narrator left them out in their back yard to dry, when suddenly there was a bright flash and then a green glow radiated from them.

answer: The narrator's clothes became animated from a mysterious green glow that happened in their backyard.

answer: The narrator's clothes became animated due to a green glow that radiated from the clothes when the narrator first let them out to dry.

answer: The narrator was trying to find the comfiest clothes ever. In seeking that they tried many different methods to wash and dry them. This led to their clothes becoming animated in some mysterious fashion.


text:
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This weekend the writer and presenter _June Sarpong_ has released her book _Diversity_ for Harper Collins. Containing the tagline “because the world is separate enough” I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on this.

In an article for Elle Sarpong discusses how she, as someone of Ghanaian heritage (where age brings with it a certain reverence where older women are valued for their wisdom and experience ) finds the Western distain for aging perplexing saying:

_Older women who have experienced life have so much to offer us in terms of balancing work and family life, thriving in male-dominated environments and pioneering different approaches to challenges, whether that be inflexible hours for working mothers or pay barriers._

Its timely to be reading all this as I have also been thinking about this subject for quite a while. Why are attitudes towards women over thirty so problematic? not least by women as they approach certain age milestones.

I am forever reading how “hard” aging is for women. Daily we are encouraged to invest in “anti-aging” remedies. The subtext being that for a woman to look anything other than twenty-two is to somehow fail one of the invisible tests of femininity.

The patriarchy suggests in its whiney little Nigel Farage voice, that to have currency, women must appear youthful, juicy, fertile. Don’t let the bloom fall off the rose.

Depressing statistics regularly suggest the socio-economic landscape favours men, and that women leaving the workplace to have children struggle to play catch up upon their return but is that the only reason women so often bemoan the privilege of getting older? Could it be that we have allowed our eyes to be averted from the glorious power that women in their forties, and onwards possess?

When I see women in their early thirties freaking out about “getting older” discounting other women because they are “past it” I feel a reinforcement of a distorted mythology around women and aging.

I can totally see why they are conditioned to feel that way but also feel unable to indulge such short-sighted views on the most inevitable aspects of the human condition- we all get older.

 Isn’t it time we stopped talking in a baby voice? Shouldn’t we stop wanting to be infantilised? When we post memes about not wanting to “adult” are we maybe just being really fucking lame?

Being an adult isn’t just about paying bills and having responsibilities, it’s about having enough experience to compare and contrast. It’s about knowing more than the narrow prescribed curriculum you studied at school because you have actually had time to fall in and out of love with different people, music, books, art.

Growing older means you can have had an _Egon Schiele_ and a _Lempicka_ phase and know why you no longer need to hang up art prints to prove you are smart. Growing older means you own your likes and dislikes and are no longer ashamed to admit that _The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole _ is still one of favourite books but feel confident to bring up _The Yellow wallpaper_ even if it is a bit obscure and involves ideas around madness and toxic interior design.

The question we need to ask ourselves is whether appearing young and sweet and attractive is more valuable to us than possessing wisdom? If knowledge is power surely increasing in years should be the goal. And yes, that includes looking older.

Perhaps part of our resistance to aging are the options we feel are on offer.

Are the only choices we have as women _Maiden, Mother, Crone?_  A bright young thing, a caregiver  and then someone waiting to be pushed out to sea on a boat made of poor pension pay-outs? Could there not be a fourth way?

Feminists like Jennifer Baumgardner have argued  since 2008 for a fourth wave of feminism, a movement with an  increased focus on intersectionality, including the repudiation of trans-exclusionary radical feminism and a focus on solidarity with other social justice movements.

Perhaps we also need to identify a new status that transcends ideas of women either being girls or mamas or matriarchs and, instead identifies us as wisdom gatherers and policy creators. Not yet crone but crone in waiting?

I’m not a young woman, I’ve been a young woman. I’ve moved onto a new life stage which is more varied and complex and rich than ever before and its intoxicating.

Ignore the bogeyman of ageing  He (and it is patriarchal thinking that encourages this mind-set) is too distracting. There is much work to do to create equality in the workforce especially for WOC and for our sisters in other countries, still struggling to access rights we take for granted.

There are real things for us to worry about but the physical appearance of growing older is not one of them.

As Le Tigre sing in Hot Topic

_Carol Rama and Eleanor Antin_

_Yoko Ono and Carolee Schneeman_

_You're getting old, that's what they'll say, but_

_Don't give a damn I'm listening anyway_

Our tents dont need to be red but we do need to start openly revering the process of ageing. Not respecting in some patronising head patting way but actually acknowledging how time more than anything else gives us the opportunity to become more educated and more empathetic.

Don't give a damn to what society tells you, I'm listening anyway.

Diversity By June Sarong is available to buy now

New 'Colour Me' Tshirt boxes - For Kids, and adults up to 5XL. Each item comes boxed with fabric pens,practice sheets & instructions.
AVAILABLE  ONLY  AT  Nicky Rockets

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question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the article say about the way society views older women?

answer: As women get older, they are expected to stop looking youthful and start looking more mature. They are also expected to act maturely and be less interested in the things they were interested in when they were younger. Older women are expected to be less desirable and less attractive. The article suggests that society is too focused on youth and beauty, and that women should be more interested in the things they have to offer due to their experience, wisdom, and life experience.

answer: Modern society seems to have a deep distain for aging and older women. Society suggests that for a woman to look anything other than 22 is to fail one of the deep tests of femininity. Society also suggests that women leaving the workplace to have children are not financially secure after returning. The author also conducts a study and finds it most common for younger women to judge older because of appearances. The fact that society celebrates youth and beauty says a lot about how we feel about aging.

text: The author never conducts a study

refinement: Modern society seems to have a deep distain for aging and older women. Society suggests that for a woman to look anything other than 22 is to fail one of the deep tests of femininity. Society also suggests that women leaving the workplace to have children are not financially secure after returning. The fact that society celebrates youth and beauty says a lot about how we feel about aging.

answer: The article discusses how the world would be better for everyone if people focused more on what older women had to offer and honored their roles in families. Sarpong discusses how older women bring a much-needed perspective and experience to working mothers and single moms as they balance family with career.

answer: As women get older, they are expected to stop looking youthful and start looking more mature. They are also expected to act maturely and be less interested in the things they were interested in when they were younger. Older women are expected to be less desirable and less attractive.

answer: The article discusses how the world would be better but for many things. It discusses how our perspective regarding women and aging is worse than when Sarpong was a child. Babies are seen as cute and harmless, but as we get older we are seen as either elderly and impossible to teach, or as some evil witch exploiting the animal instinct of men.

text: Completely inaccurate response

text: Provide a response

refinement: Women are encouraged to invest in "anti-aging" remedies, and there is a subtext that for a woman to look anything other than twenty-two is to somehow fail one of the invisible tests of femininity.

answer: According to the article, older women are not valued for their wisdom and experience in Ghana, where age brings with it a certain reverence. The author also talks about how women in their early thirties feel that they are "past it" and are discounted by other women. The author feels that women are conditioned to feel this way and that they are resisting the inevitable.

text: The first sentence is inaccurate

refinement: The author also talks about how women in their early thirties feel that they are "past it" and are discounted by other women. The author feels that women are conditioned to feel this way and that they are resisting the inevitable.

answer: Modern society seems to have a deep distain for aging and older women. Society suggests that for a woman to look anything other than 22 is to fail one of the deep tests of femininity. Society also suggests that women leaving the workplace to have children are not financially secure after returning. The author also conducts a study and finds it most common for younger women to judge older because of appearances. For example, women freak out at the thought of getting older because they fear they will no longer be treated as equals and they will end up as caregivers. The fact that society celebrates youth and beauty says a lot about how we feel about aging.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the article say about the matriarchy?

answer: No answer

answer: No answer

answer: No answer

answer: The article discusses how society favors men and how women need to work hard to catch up when they leave the workforce to have children. The author believes that women in their forties and onwards possess a glorious power. The author also believes that women should not give a damn what society says and that they should start openly revering the process of aging.

text: Accurate, but irrelevant

answer: No answer

answer: The article doesn't mention the matriarchy, but it does mention the patriarchy.