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 |   Originally efforts for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge in July... now just a blog |
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The 30 Day Blogging Challenge ..... lets see how far I get... Pretty far it seems! Winner (1st place) for the July 2013 "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  Second place for the September 2014 "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" |
| 30DBC - 27th Jan - Prompt: Are you an optimist, pessimist or realist? Explain why you think so. Do you think your friends and/or family would agree or disagree with you? Huh. It's kinda interesting that this prompt has come up. It means I can talk a little about the past week while answering the prompt. I've been struggling with my depression quite a lot over the past few weeks and months. I'm fully aware of this and have been making a conscious effort to try and clear up my messy brain. I'm not there yet, but at least I'm trying. The thing is, I'm a very positive person. I have to be positive in my work - so I wouldn't have got the job if I wasn't positive. In competition, I would consider the possibility of winning well before the possibility of messing up. However, depression - or the black clouds as I call it - can suck out all the optimism and positivity from your brain. Even if you know full well that your life is pretty damn good really. So, when I say I'm trying hard, I mean I'm trying to wipe away all the negative shit to find how I really feel underneath the black clouds. Unfortunately, Chris is currently going through a... what can I call it... a bit of a negative, moany and complaining spell. Mostly about work. Well, no, it is about work. But it has been seeping into everything. Seeing only what he hasn't got, rather than what he has, kind of thing. Pessimism at his greatest. He goes through these stages every so often and, I think, I'm pretty good at helping him work through this stuff and making him see the positives. But when you've got your own battles going on, it can be quite hard to deal with. For example, the other day, I'd finally found the head space to start an essay that I'd been putting off for about 10 months(!). I was so pleased with myself. But, I was barely a paragraph in when Chris got home... straight away he started moaning about the fact nothing had been taken out the freezer for dinner. Then made a call to our mortgage company to complain about something. Nothing huge, but enough to bring negativity into the house. Instantly, the positive head space I fought for (literally) hours to find, was gone! I was mortified. So, I actually think that whether people are optimistic or pessimistic can totally be affected by their environment... and, obviously, internal chemical reactions. Therefore, I need to stop Chris being grumpy AND get rid of my black clouds... then I'll be optimistic again!  |
| 30DBC - 26th Jan - Prompt: Pick three of your fellow challengers this month, and come up with a word, phrase, or saying you think they would wear on a t-shirt based on what you've read of theirs so far. Well, I did start this post yesterday, but Chris's parents arrived and I had to step away. This annoys me as I at least wanted to finish 30DBC on time, even if I hadn't stuck to it on a daily basis. Balls. Chris and his parent's have popped out for a while. So I thought I'd try again. I'm not sure I have enough time to get anything other than this post done    Ooo I've not said this in a few days... I hate this kind of prompt. It feels a bit like choosing teams in schools... These people will be on my team and get a mention in my blog, but you won't  That is totally not what it is like, but that's the kind of mood I'm in. So... these are coming out... ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I will, however, choose a t-shirt slogan for every one. This is possible on the basis that everyone doing this challenge is a writer. So, let's think... Write drunk; edit sober! Ernest Hemingway Orrrrrr... I'm guessing everyone reads, too. So, I'd give away this t-shirt as well...  Seeeee... by not choosing three people, everyone gets two t-shirts! Isn't that nicer? You're welcome! |
| 30DBC - 25th Jan - Prompt: You're attending a Pot Luck lunch (or dinner)...what dish are you bringing to share with everyone? Humm it has been a funny week. I've made headway with breaking through the depressive, feeling like shit stuff. While, at the same time, increasingly feeling like shit  to be explained.Chris' parents are coming to visit today (staying until Monday). So, my plan was to complete 30DBC before they arrived. As expected, this is not going to happen: they'll get here any time now and I have 5 posts to write (+ comments). Balls. To be honest, I am totally not in the mood for visitors and having to entertain. In that case, instead of my feel shit stuff, I'll get straight to the prompt... Invalid Photo #1043529 Prior to this, I'd never heard of a Pot Luck dinner thingy. Apparently, it is this: A potluck is a gathering where each guest contributes a dish of food that is to be shared. Synonyms include: potluck dinner, spread, Jacob's join,[1][2] Jacob's supper, faith supper, covered dish supper, dish party, bring and share, shared lunch, pitch-in, bring-a-plate, dish-to-pass, fuddle, "carry-in". Now, I can cook. But I very rarely do. When I do, I tend to chuck stuff together and hope it works. Therefore, I don't have a favourite recipe or anything. Soooo... for this Pot Luck thing I'm stopping by a take-away on my way. I'll be picking up a dish that I could eat every day, if I was allowed:  Udon Noodles Pan fried noodles with chicken, prawn, beef, pork, egg and vegetables Yummy yummy  |
30DBC - 24th Jan - Prompt: Several media outlets have reported that 2015 was globally the warmest year in history. How does it make you feel when someone with limited scientific or meteorological knowledge tells you that climate change isn't real or shouldn't be a legitimate concern?  I don't really like to argue about things that I don't have that much knowledge about. Climate change is one such things. I do not know about the scientific ins and outs. However, there is no denying that it is an issue and I guess it does bug me when people say it isn't an issue. Mind you, I think it annoys me more when people say, "yeah, but it's not my problem!" It is a global problem Therefore... It is YOUR problem Nonetheless, I don't have much to say about this. Nothing that I can articulate very well, anyway. So, instead, I've found a few quotes about climate change that I liked...  Climate change is happening, humans are causing it, and I think this is perhaps the most serious environmental issue facing us. Bill Nye The most important thing about global warming is this. Whether humans are responsible for the bulk of climate change is going to be left to the scientists, but it's all of our responsibility to leave this planet in better shape for the future generations than we found it. Mike Huckabee Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth... these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women's empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all. Ban Ki-moon |
| 30DBC - 23rd January - Prompt: You have a choice between building a giant snow fort or sand castle...big enough to live in. Which one would you pick, how would you do it, and what would it look like? Ohhh I thought I only had two posts to write. I thought I was less shit at keeping up than I actually am. What a ball ache. Made worse by the fact that I really don't like this prompt!  I have stuff I want to do today... whether or not I do any of it, totally depends on my brain and if it feels like working or not. Basically, I have no idea what today will bring. That's how my life goes at the moment and I kinda hate it.  I'll let you know. This is a slightly unfair prompt as, being British, I will never have the materials to perform such a task. If we are lucky, we get just enough snow to build a snow penis... and that's a small snow penis. And, our beaches are shit (and nowhere near me). So, it'd be more like a filthy rock castle than a sand castle. Let's see... the best snowman I've ever built looked something like this:  And the best sandcastle I've ever built looked something like this:  Impressive, huh? I know you're impressed. In truth, the real reason I don't like this prompt is because snow and sand are the two things I hate the most. Snow is cold. I hate being cold. Sand gets everywhere. Ick. Therefore, there are 250,000,000 I'd rather be doing than playing with snow or sand. However, given that I'm being forced to choose... I choose to make a sandcastle on the basis that sand hopefully = warm. My awesome sand castle would look like this:  To build it, I would need:  Sand Glue A giant 3D printerI would 3D print the castle, then get other people to cover it in sand. You didn't say it had to be built of sand. BOOM... hello sandcastle! |
| 30DBC - 22nd Jan - Prompt: On this day in 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. Personal computers have revolutionized nearly every aspect of our lives...in what ways have they been most important to you? Ho humm... I seem to have made it through the last three blog posts with minimal pain. I feel like I've been playing catch up all month. Which, to be fair, is because I have  I really must go and read and comment on other blogs. I did go through a few last week but I must try harder on this front. I'm not getting the usual "we're in this together" feeling I get when I do 30DBC. I think I might have worked out what I want to do this year. Or, perhaps, what I need to do to make me feel like I'm not just turning my brain into a blob. I want to do some learning. I'd already started a Creative Writing course, but haven't done any work for it in a while. So, I need to do something with that. Also, I have some CPD funding owed to me and I'm toying with the idea of doing two or three other courses too... I'll talk about this more another time. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I must admit, I am a bit of Apple geek. I've used a MacBook for years. In fact, I've used one for so long now that I struggle when I try and use a PC - Chris' Windows laptop really pisses me off. Windows is just not user friendly at all (in my opinion). I think I would struggle without a computer. They allow me to communicate to a far higher standard than I'd otherwise be able to. Not just with wonderful people across the world (like here on WDC) but in general. Because of my impairment, my hand writing is shockingly bad. Therefore, without the use of a computer I'd have struggled to get the education I got in the end and none of my ideas would come to fruition. I also use email far more than the phone so I wouldn't be able to do this either. That'd affect my ability to work, of course. Basically, without a computer, I'd be fucked  And without Apple I'd be frustrated  Cheers guys  |
30DBC - 21st Jan - Prompt: Tell us about your latest act of random kindness. bear with me... I'm trying to think...This is a tricky one. I kinda like to think I do kind stuff all the time, but it's just what I do... I don't do it because I think "ooh that's kind". I just do it. I lent my friend some money the other day, just so she wouldn't have to extend a stupid pay-day-loan she has. I'm not sure that counts though as it wasn't particularly random. Nope. In that case, I'm not sure. Maybe I'm never randomly kind. No, that's not fair, I am. Okay, got one... At Christmas my best friend had a cancer scare, and I went with her to the appointment. She's fine thank god. I stayed over the night before the appointment and, on my way over, I stopped at a supermarket. There, I filled a big gift bag with things I knew would make her smile or laugh. For example, she stays at mine a lot and ALWAYS nicks my pyjamas. So, I bought her some PJs and the thickest, fluffiest, socks I could find. She loved it all. Then looked at me with a questioning smile and said, "do we have matching pyjamas?" As an added extra I did, indeed, buy myself the same PJs because I knew it'd make her laugh. So, I pulled out my new PJs and said, "but, of course!" For while she laughed, danced around the kitchen, and forgot everything else. All because of some PJs and a bag of bits n bobs no one else would've cared about but her |
| 30DBC - 20th Jan - Prompt: If you had to choose one city to live in for the rest of your life, where/what would it be and why? I'm not sure how to answer this if I'm honest. How do you answer this? I don't know! I've never really lived in a city before... I'm a village kinda girl. I've lived on the outskirts of Cambridge (a UK city) for years. Now, it seems I'm a country girl. I live in the middle of nowhere now. Seriously, when trying to find my house, if you hit a dirt road, you've gone too far! I feel this prompt is more directed at the American market  ... So, since I'm British, I took a quiz! This quiz .The U.S City I apparently should live in is... Manhattan, New York You belong in Manhattan, NY. You are a highly cosmopolitan person and like to indulge in the finer things in life. You enjoy museums, cafes, nightlife, theatre, people, food, and just about everything that makes Manhattan the place it is today. You prefer busy surroundings and like to be at the center of it all. Errrrm... I'm not sure. I really really like New York. But would I survive there? Yeeeeeahh... I'm not sure. I think it might be way to busy for my liking. I like cities. They're fun to visit. But I'm not a city girl. So, what if I don't wanna live in a city? Yeah... I don't wanna. Thanks though! |
| 30DBC - 19th Jan - Prompt: Share with us your favorite inspirational or motivational quote, passage, or song lyric. I'm trying really hard, today, to chip away at the black clouds. I hate the black clouds - they make my brain stop working the way I know it can. But they keep coming and they've been at it for far too long, It is time they melted away. Sometimes, the only way for that to happen is to force them back. Maybe they'll return. But for now it's working. I've just done 5 jobs I've been putting off for ages. Progress = a hole in the clouds. Let's just get these posts done before my brain gives up. I have other stuff I want to do  I think we've had this prompt before during 30DBC? Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure we have. I'm also pretty sure my answer today will be the same as last time  As a motivational speaker, in a way, I come up with motivational quotes all the time. Sometimes I say stuff and have no clue where it came from It's a bit like a "huh!" moment. Sometimes it makes total sense and I use it again. Occasionally, though, I find myself thinking 'what a load of bollocks'  There is one thing I always say, though. It is a quote I actually thought I had made up myself. But then I found it online one day, credited to 'Anon'. So, I don't credit anyone... I just say it as part of one of my stories. I usually say it in relation to the day at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games when I was told not to race due to a severe shoulder injury. I've told this story in this blog before, so I won't go into it all again. But my favourite motivational type quote is this... I would rather have a life full of 'oh wells' than a life full of 'what ifs' It's true. What is the point of saying 'what if'? Give it a go... if it goes wrong, the worst you can/should say is 'oh well'. |
| 30DBC - 18th Jan - Prompt: Time to go out to eat...chain restaurant, local establishment, or fast food? State your case. I'm feeling a bit 'blughhhh' today. I don't really know why - I thought I'd got over the "I feel sick" stage of my recovery. Evidently not. I've just received some morphine patches instead of the pills I take, I'm guessing they may make me feel a bit dodge, too. Ick. I do feel ick, but I think I feel lethargic more than anything. Not surprising after being stuck home for so long. I need a plan!  My days are going too quickly and I'm not really doing anything with them. Um. Well, Chris and I haven't eaten out much in the last few years. We tend to just get take away delivered, which can get a little dull I guess. Although, we are kinda excited that we have a take-away van (fish & chips etc) that stops directly outside our front door on Friday nights That reminds me, I haven't really spoken about our new house yet. I should do. Maybe I will do a photo tour for you all soon. Anyway, I love eating out, but I don't really. But I should. I think, if I eat out, I choose where to eat on the basis of what I/we fancy rather than what type of restaurant it is. Well, no, if I know it is a shit restaurant, I obviously won't go there. But if I fancy pizza over indian, then I might choose a chain over a local establishment. I like food and, if it's good, I will eat it. If it is shit I will not. Simple. However, if I fancy a burger, I'd rather have a Gourmet Burger Kitchen burger than a McDonnalds burger. McDonnalds is an emergency stop only New Food Discovery: Since we are talking about food, I thought I'd share a new discovery of mine...  Like cheese puffs, but with Peanut Butter instead of cheese. The first few are ODD, but then they're gooooood  Try some! |
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