It is no secret that I have been remiss in posting on Poop-fish. I would like to say I did not have the time, but that is just untrue. I like the quote “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” (John Lennon, English singer and song writer 1940-1980, “Beautiful Boy”) because I think it helps sum up why my posting is so infrequent and probably will be until “Life” decides otherwise.

I am not complaining though. I have been afforded some great opportunities and I would be silly if I did not jump on them. So effectively I have shifted the time I would normally spend on Poop-fish with these new priorities. The time that is left over is spent hanging with my wife, playing with my dog, chilling with my friends, or just taking time to do my own thing.

Poop-fish tomfoolery will happen during the time when I am doing my own thing, but not all the time. Like I said posting will be sporadic, but it will not end completely. There are tons of weird and zany thoughts or things that still are stored in my subconscious reserves.

Let us begin then ; )

Not too long ago I was introduced to a book that had a special word within it that I instantly latched onto. The book is Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein and the word is “Grok.” The definition is below.

grok |gräk|
verb ( grokked, grokking) [ trans. ] informal
understand (something) intuitively or by empathy : because of all the commercials, children grok things immediately.
• [ intrans. ] empathize or communicate sympathetically; establish a rapport.
ORIGIN mid 20th cent.: a word coined by Robert Heinlein (1907–88), American science fiction writer, in Stranger in a Strange Land.

“Grok” is such an unusual word, but is immediately understood by anyone that has read Stranger in a Strange Land. It really is freaking amazing. Naturally, I adopted the word and integrated it into my passion, which is graphic design. I developed my own font for the word and then created a logo, which I would like to make posters and t-shirts of. The digital files are currently made, but there has been no physical production, but that is beside the point.

I showed a coworker of mine the designs and talked about the plans I had for “Grok.” He liked what he saw and heard and expressed this with words and enthusiastic expressions.  As I watched him it was easy to see his thoughts turned inward. He later told me that he was trying to think of a word like “Grok” that inspired him to come up with an entire design. He thought I had made the word up, but I quickly told him it was not I and sighted Stranger in a Strange Land.

However, this did not stop us from putting our heads together and trying to make up an entirely new word that he could use for an amazing and possibly life changing design. Our brainstorming session lasted about 5 minutes and these are the words that were produced.

1. Rackle Spurt
2. Spart Nukle
3. Whomph

Unfortunately, these words did not find a life beyond our 5-minute session. Well maybe they have based off the fact that I am writing about them now. Ok, so they do have a life and here it is from the beginning. Let’s call these words seeds. These seeds where planted in the very center of my brain. Feeding of the nutrient rich folds they have germinated, grown, flowered, and then produced a most delicious fruit.  Heavy with sweet and fleshy thoughts, I reached in through my right ear, not my left, and harvested the plump ripe word that was produced.

And that word was “Churlup.”

I was driving with my wife and I saw a mound of dirt sitting on the driveway of a house we passed by. I asked her then, “ If that is a mound of dirt over there on the driveway, what would you call a smaller amount of dirt?” She responded, “ That would be a pile of dirt.” I kept asking what would the next smaller amount of dirt be called. These are the levels of dirt going from biggest to smallest.

Level 1: Mound
Level 2: Pile
Level 3: ???

I did some research and found the words “mound” and “pile” are interchangeable. Meaning I could either use “mound” or “pile” to describe the same amount of dirt. Thankfully, this was not a roadblock, because I was trying to figure out what the word was for a small amount of dirt that could not be called a “mound” or a “pile.”

The plump ripe word I plucked from my mind is the answer.

Churlup | ch ər  l əp |
noun
A small amount of dirt that cannot be called a “mound” or a “pile.”
There are numerous churlups of dirt at the base of the mound.

This word is not in the dictionary yet. I am hoping over time it will catch on and be used in everyday life so often that it will have to be recognized as an actual word. I could go the book route, but I am at a loss with how used “Churlup” in such a way that people would use it in everyday life.

So next time you are walking with a friend and  you spot  some dirt on the sidewalk that looks to be about 2 teaspoons, feel free to let your friend know to watch out for the “Churlup” of dirt.