Yesterday afternoon saw the naming of a new aesthetic approach: schmush and smear. Take any Classical period work which relies for its wit on the clear articulation of rhythmic elements, play the piece like an interminable run-on sentence and--voila! schmush and smear.

Admittedly it takes time to put in an occasional comma or period. But what's the rush?

Perhaps the rush is the result of the boredom inherent in schmush and smear.

Thanks to the nine-year-old whose beaming smile at the contrast proved that there is something to it.