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 |   Theses are my thoughts and ramblings as I forge my way through this thing they call life. |
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These are my thoughts and ramblings as I forge my way through this thing they call Life. I blog with these groups:     "Blogging Circle of Friends "  [E] 
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Blogging Circle of Friends DAY 3279 October 29, 2021 October is almost over and the insanity of nanowrimo begins. Are you participating in the writing challenge? Or are you working on other goals? I am participating in NaNoWriMo. I have every year since 2012. 9 years of the insanity, though the first year, I only remembered the day before it was to start and I decided to go for it. Being a discovery writer, who only plans when things get tight, I did very well and I met a lot of local NaNoWriMo people who have become great friends. That surge of writerly confidence brought me to WDC the following spring and by the next October (2013) I was prepping with the best of them. I have decided to write a whole new novel this year - a paranormal romance. I am excited. I have done the prep exercises in the October NaNo Prep Challenge and I logged the last of my assignments this morning. Am I ready? I think so.... I can only plan so much and then I need to write. I think I am ready to get in there and learn more about my characters and their world. I will find clarity as I move forward. This November is going to be busy. NaNoWriMo will be a strong focus, but so will caring for my mother as she is having hip surgery on November 3. I will be taking time away from supply teaching to be her caregiver so I will be home to write while she is resting. With all the prep I have done, I expect I will be on track to move forward. I hope to still get in some supply work, but I will be more selective over the course of the month. With mom laid up, I will be in charge of getting the groceries and all the heavy lifting. She will keep me on my toes, I am sure. Most of my groups shift into NaNoWriMo mode. The only bit of extra is the Wild Writer's Festival which is online. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7 pm from November 1 to 21. There are also Zoom meetings Saturdays and Sundays so I will have to put the links into my calendar and pay attention. I will also need to post links for Guelph NaNoWriMo events and KW NaNoWriMo events. I won't bother with Cambridge as they let the library run their program and don't do anything interesting. Last year their was an overnighter in Guelph - online of course. KW did a longer write in, but I think they finished at midnight or 2 am. Write ins are all online in Zoom or on Google Meet. Discord (Guelph) and Slack (KW) are other ways of conversing. On WDC I will be doing writing sprints with the October Preppers. I will be participation in the NaNoWriMo Write-a-thon. I will also try to complete 4 more contests before the end of the calendar year. This will be for I Write in 2021. I know they are giving out extra weeks for paricipating in the Prep and the Write-A-Thon, but I want to say I actually did 52 contest in 52 weeks and not a few contest with bonus weeks. The point is to write, enter and review. One of the contests I need to do is a paranormal romance short story. Given that my Nano novel is a paranormal romance... I think I can wing that. I also find that I need to remind myself that the whole world does not revolve around NaNo. Other writers are working on other projects and challenging themselves in other ways. I Write in 2021 helps me remember that. And besides, sometimes you just gotta write a little poetry or blog to keep from drowning in the mire of your NaNoWriMo story. It's a cleansing, of a sort. Good luck to all of you, whatever you decide to do. With only two months left in 2021, let's make it shine. What goals have you got left you want to tackle? |
WDC Birthday Bash Blog Day Seven: AN INCONVENIENT BIRTHDAY I have a deadline. A raging deadline and it must be met. Every time I get to it and just start to get into the flow someone interrupts with birthday wishes. They can stick their wishes.... no, I really should not be so upset about it, but the thing is... I need to get this damn story finished and in to my editor before the end of the day. Why the hell did I pick today to be the day for the deadline, I'll never know. I guess I figured I would be done by now. Done and celebrating. Now that was a crazy idea. I hate birthdays. Another year older. No damn wiser. Just more aches and pains.... and pains in my ass. I mumbled the last bit aloud as I grabbed the phone as it shrilled. I tried to keep my voice calm, but the irritation shimmered under the surface like some kind of demonic monster. "Happy Birthday, cheri!" trilled another well wisher. I ground my teeth, blew out a calming breath and thanked them as kindly as I could manage. I really had to find a way out from under these distractions. My eyes glanced out the window to the mountain range in the distance. An idea formed as my aunt droned on about some kind of family thing. I really had no interest. As soon as I could, I carved myself out of the conversation trying not to hang up or cut her off, but this particular aunt could talk for days if given the chance. With my ear pasted to the phone I jumbled myself into a jacket and gathered my gear. Within moments of hanging up I was out the door and heading for the mountain path. No Cell service. No internet. I could get my work done and be home in time for dinner and some damn reservation at Chez Pierre. No doubt a surprise party that I really had no interest in. Why couldn't I just crawl under a rock until tomorrow? Words = 340 |
WDC Birthday Bash Blog Day Six: THE IDEAL BIRTHDAY PARTY What would you say to a birthday party with your favourite characters or authors. I am not a huge fan of birthday parties with me as the center of attention, but with characters and authors.... it could be intriguing. Imagine attending a lavish country estate in England where servants served a picnic banquet of roast ham and beef. They would cut your choice and you would pile it high on homemade bread, complete with a selection of your own sandwich toppings and side fixings. Pickles, potato salad, five cup or ambrosia salad. Veggies all picked fresh from the garden - tomatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower. And the most amazing dip.... cause good veggies need a great dip. Anything you wished. A dessert buffet would follow this. Being the ideal birthday party, there would be no calories and the selection would be fabulous. English Triffle, Tiramisu, cherry New York style cheesecake, pastries, berries of all kinds and ice cream of any flavour you could dream up. The day would be perfect. A sunny 25 degrees Celsius with NO humidity. My party would have Jane Austen Characters: Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Knightly, Jane and Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, and Georgina Darcy to name a few. Everyone would dress the part and the day would be such lovely fun. You could be another character and play your part. Imagine the story lines of Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion and the unfinished Sanditon mixing. Delightful. |
WDC Birthday Bash Blog Day Five: MUCH ADO ABOUT CAKE Created confession Always appreciated Kindly enjoyed Even if it looks like an elephant. Lines = 4. Note: this poem is in response to my teammate Choconut ~ House Targaryen   |
WDC Birthday Bash Blog Day Four: SCARIEST BIRTHDAY EVER Josh, my boyfriend of two years, said he had a wonderful birthday surprise for me. I was excited, but also apprehensive. Josh's surprises were not always my cup of tea. I was hoping for a hike along the escapement, a picnic lunch under a canopy of lush vegetation and maybe even a marriage proposal. Saturday morning we headed in the direction of my dreams, but then pulled up in front of a plane hanger. My heart sunk. "We're going skydiving!" My horror matched his enthusiasm. This was not the first time he had planned something for us that was more his thing. If I showed any dissention, he would pout the whole day and my birthday would be ruined. The thought of jumping out of a plane was just this side of suicide as far as I was concerned. Josh was dancing in delight. As usual, he was completely oblivious to my fears and concerns. "We get a training session and then its up, up and away!" He bounded from the car. I felt the nausea roll through me as the chills gripped my gut, leaving me light headed with terror as I struggled to make my way out of the car. My limbs felt like lead. "Happy Birthday, Meg! This is going to be awesome." he called as he made his way into the hanger not even waiting for me. I dragged in breaths of air hoping to find some equilibrium. When I did manage to move forward, it was on legs of rubber. As I entered the hanger one of the training crew caught my eye. He gave me a reassured smile as he listened to Josh yammer on about this being the best birthday ever. "Is this your birthday?" the young man asked him. "Hell, no. It's her's. The big 30." His booming voice made me cringe as he shared those details. I was already on tenterhooks about the idea of being 30 and not yet married. "Oh, so you're both going up?" the young man asked looking over at the ashen look on my face. "Damn straight." Josh said as he walked over to inspect the equipment. "Are you sure?" the man asked me. I bit my lip. To say no would result in a tantrum. I did not want these people to see how vile Josh could be when he didn't get this way. I pulled in a deep breath and nodded curtly. "We could offer you a tandem jump?" the man offered. "No way. Full on. Grab the bull by the horns, Meggie and do this right." Josh called over not looking at me. I hated when he called me Meggie. It made my skin crawl. I blew out another shaky breath and said around a dry mouth, "Would that be a safer option?" The man raised a brow and gave a half shrug and a lopsided smile as he said, "Only marginally." I had to appreciate his honesty and the fact that he seemed more concerned about me than my boyfriend. "Well, if I have to do this..." "You don't have to," he began. "Yes, she does. This is my present to her. Don't be a chicken s***, Meggie." I flinched as if hit. Straightening up to my full height - a mere 5 feet, I nodded determined to suffer through this. "I'll do tandem... with you?" I asked the young man who gave me a reassuring smile. "Oh, Meggie," I heard Josh mutter disapprovingly. I suffered through the training and the safety measures. Each bit of knowledge made me sick with fright, but glancing over at my tandem partner as he lead the group, I did not feel quite as awful as I expected. Tension built as we loaded ourselves into the plane and headed up into the perfectly blue sky. I could do this, I told myself. And if I lived through it things were going to change. I was done balking and backing down to Josh's thoughtlessness. Josh was the first out. I watched him sail through the air. Malicious thoughts scraped at me as he descended. When his shoot opened, it was my turn. Gabe shifted up behind me and asked if I was ready. I nodded and he connected us. We moved carefully to the open doorway of the plane. My life held, then catapulted as we jumped. I screamed, not caring what Gabe would think. My life flashed before me and I realized - This had to end. Either in my death or this relationship. Either way, I was done. When we were safely on the ground. I could hear Josh whooping and hollering like it was the best thing he had ever experienced. I could feel Gabe's strength behind me. Even as he untangled our gear he kept a hold of me. I still shook from the exhilaration and terror of the experience. "You okay?" he asked. "I will be," I said smiling back at him. My first real smile and he smiled back. As Josh rushed towards me. I held up my hand to stop him. "NO." I bellowed as loud as I could. He stopped in his tracks. "We're done." "But," he sputtered, "you loved it." "That's just it Josh. I didn't and you don't even realize that... I am done. No more. Good bye, Josh." I headed off towards the truck that would take us back to the hanger. I could hear Josh laughing behind me. He didn't believe I was serious. When he climbed back into the truck, I turned to Gabe and asked, "Do you think someone could drive me back into the City?" "My pleasure," he said. "I know this great burger place on the way, if your interested?' I smiled my acceptance as I avoided looking at Josh. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his jaw had dropped as the dawning of my seriousness began to weigh on him. Words = 992    |
WDC Birthday Bash Blog Day Three: A FORGOTTEN BIRTHDAY I don't like being the center of attention, but I also don't want to be forgotten either. I don't want a big party, but I don't want to be ignored either. I feel for those people living alone without access to technology. I'm sure many of them had their birthday's forgotten or they did not get any fanfare. I also feel for those people stuck in a hospital. Word Count = 68 |
WDC Birthday Bash Blog Day Two: Worst Present Ever Who gives a pink bedspread to a daughter who's husband clearly would not like it What thought goes into that gift? Think fuzzy Pepto Bismal in King size splendor.... I don't even like pink It's far too girly even for me You gotta wonder how much thought goes into my mother's gifts Or was she thinking it funny? My husband, at the time stayed quiet But he was not impressed He told me exactly what he thought after our guests left. His dislike of my mother grew How could mom figure I would put it on our bed I didn't even put the wedding ring quilt on our marriage bed And it only had a bit of pink mixed in with lovely greens It was relegated to the spare room Now it has a place of honour On my bed.... but that husband... He's long gone And so is that ugly pink bedspread. Gone Sally's way. Lines = 20 |
WDC Birthday Bash Blog Day One: A PANDEMIC- AL BIRTHDAY No cards sent No presents wrapped in fancy paper No candle lit dinners at fancy restaurants Or birthday cakes made with a delicate pastry chef's skill No parties as life milestones are crossed But there is always love and good wishes. Songs sung across Zoom screens are laughable as we try to get ourselves in sync - without anyone cutting -- -- out or being dropped --- - with a bad connection, Some even see family from far away countries that would never have been able to make it. Drive byes have a whole new connotation - As people sit outside in lawn chairs, Numbered balloons tied to the back, bobbing in the breeze as horns blast and people call out Birthday wishes and wave Complete strangers get caught in the convoy And instead of stewing and snarling at their plight, They join in and ring out greetings with smiles Of pleasure at being part of something... anything. Anything is better than sitting home alone. Others, who do venture close, send smiles set back at a safe distance Hidden under wraps and masks Some birthday celebrations even make the news - a glimmer of goodness within the onslaught of Covid stats. We have all learned to find the good within this darkness. The sliver lining through the densely packed clouds The smile behind the mask Humanity will always find a way to connect. Happy 21st Birthday WDC! Being a free verse poem the word count = 237. Lines = 27. |
Blogging Circle of Friends - Day 9120: June 2, 2021 Prompt: What do you think about writing prompts? What type of prompts do you like? What type of prompts do you dislike? I like writing prompts. I find I often need a jumping off point. A place to get me going when I first sit down to write. Sometimes I stay on topic and post the blog, other times I get off topic or find my way back into a short story or other piece of writing I have been doing. Either way I find I am able to get back into my writing. I like prompts that make me think. Make me consider my view of things. I also like prompts that give me a selection of words and have me make up a story or poem that incorporates them. I am pretty open to anything. If it intrigues me, I write. I don't like prompts that are too political or ones that are geared to American holidays. Being Canadian, I pass on those. Holidays in general, I'm up for those. Blog City - Day 2193 June 2, 2021 Prompt: Is there a difference between joy and happiness? I would make a distinction between contentment and happiness and joy... Happiness is fleeting. According to James Clear, from his book Atomic Habits, "Happiness is not about the achievement of pleasure (which is joy or satisfaction) but about the lack of desire." Caed Budris says "Happiness is the space between one desire being fulfilled and a new desire forming." We are always chasing our desires whether they are physical or whether they are more abstract (like fame or financial freedom). We always want something. Contentment is being okay with where you are and what you have. No desire to chase after more. Just an appreciation for what you have in that moment. It is more like a sense of peace. |
Blog City - Day 3115 May 28, 2021 What's your learning style? Do you prefer learning in a group and in an interactive setting? Or one-on-one? Do you retain information best through lectures, or visuals, or simply by reading books? This is an interesting topic. As a child, I preferred to learn on my own by simply reading books. I hated group work. I was shy and did not think my opinion mattered. I was not a fan of my peers in school and they were not into me. I was a wall flower. As I got older and began to work with interesting people - in university - I expanded my learning style to include others. I found working with another person, one I respected, was far more interesting. We got to bounce ideas off each other and challenge each other to be our best selves. When I got to teachers college, this expanded further to morph into small groups. I tend to choose people that inspire me and challenge me to do my very best. I think the older I got the more focused I was on the area of interest. In university, I studied Sociology and Psychology and in Teacher's College I was learning to take a curriculum topic and make it interesting for kids to learn. Collaboration became important and sharing ideas opened up my thinking and my learning. I love to read and sharing my ideas with others helps to reinforce the learning. With teaching, I find I learn so much from my students and am amazed at the learning that can happen when everyone is engaged in a topic. The trick is to get them engaged. Get them excited about the experience and watch it bloom. I know that when it comes to tech stuff, I prefer to learn hands on. I need to see and experience how to do the new technology and applications. If I need to do something on the computer that I have not done before, I will often ask for one-on-one help to get that hands-on, visual experience. I need to walk through the process to see what to do, so that I can do the rest on my own. Covid has made that kind of learning a challenge, but luckily I work in a school with two other special education teachers who are willing to help me out when I run into a new venture. I am a lifelong learner. I like to change things up. I read a lot. Usually one fiction and one non-fiction selection at a time - Most of these non-fiction choices are writing reference books, but I also enjoy books like Atomic Habits by James Clear to help me learn how to live my best life. |
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I'd need some company after that ghost tour.
