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 |   A terminal for all blogs coming in or going out. A view into my life. |
Started July 1st 2019 for contests, etc. as other blogs are filling up and have other purposes.  I'm starting a new blog because
I'll be linking to
I've started an appendix (I no longer have one personally) to keep track of my Space Cadet journals for Space Blog. It's a work constantly under construction. Mind the mess.
I needed to start a folder for contests as there are so many deadlines and details to remember.
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BradJShaw ⚓  has an interesting entry on internet security. I responded:I have an old TV monitor with VHS built in. I don't have TV; don't have cable. Movies's all I use it for. However, my computer has dual cameras... hmm. Passwords: I need to write them down in one place because I have forgotten some and it's so easy to get locked out of accounts. bobturn My blankie was a pale blue-green. "Conspiracies" more than annoy me. Yes, there may be some truth in some of them but the hysteria surrounding most of them blots that out. And I don't approve of their entertainment/horror value. So... really... I have an old TV/VHS. I haven't watched it in ages. I have over 200 titles (I expanded by buying part of someone's collection). I should watch "Gaslight" or rewatch some of my favorites. I haven't done the tape-over-my-camera thingy... maybe I should? As for passwords... took forever for me to get back into one account. Recently succeeded. I do need to write them all down in one place. I tend to keep them in my journal but I've had to change a couple... and that complicates everything. Big time. I get confused between old and new passwords. Breaking into one's own account is painful and time consuming. My blankie... Bob is hilarious and has been writing for SCREAMS. Want a surrealistic nightmare? Visit his blog! Conspiracies: I post my displeasure all the time on facebook. I don't believe Hillary killed anyone. I don't think every politician has bad intentions. I don't think Trump is a two-headed alien, just unsuited to be president. And that's based on what he says and does.  I fact-check as much as I can. Some of my friends wear me out by re-posting debunked false news again and again. I try to ignore them. I'm not a purist, so I do see the negative along with the good and realize that point-of-view matters. It's just that I have an inner moral compass that I check before believing the worse of everyone and a brain that asks questions. A rambling blog entry...  |
Sum1  will be meeting up with a couple of fellow WDC writers in Virginia. I'm jealous. Yes, I've met a few. There was a gathering in Minneapolis when Scarlett  and her husband traveled to the USA from England. Was that 2009? I forget. Ten years is an age ago. And in 2011 I wen to England and visted them and other members of WDC. Had a grand time. Best vacation ever.I've met WDC writers in California, Iowa, Sweden, Romania and Australia. I wish I could meet more. India, Zimbabwe and New Zealand are still on my list. I swear... I think of you-all all the time. It's time to travel again... My friends and family aren't getting younger. I'm getting stiffer. And at times, I feel very lonely. Wish I had a magic wand to bring them all together for a week... somewhere... Anyhoo, feeling anxious and scattered tonight. I want to go to Morocco. Almost bought tickets. Even got out the travel guide book from library. Then thought... March may be better. So if not there... where? Must decide soon. Very soon. That may be why I wrote a disturbed flash fiction as I remembered Jonas who drowned in Costa Rica years ago (totally fictionalized but he entered my mind and I had to write.)
It's sad to lose friends and potential friends and ... well ... good people. Sadder when they are young. 747 |
Two old prompts I responded to from Annette  :30 Day Blogging Challenge Prompt September 5th: Is there any item type available to you that you've never created? Any that you've never read? Any tool or feature on WDC that you haven't tried? Why not? What are the benefits of having these extra features available on a site dedicated to writing? (I have a feeling our restless muses are to blame, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!) Edited and expanded: I keep myself at this level (premium) because downsizing would be more than painful. I have too much! Yes, backing-up and house-cleaning would be wise... but I won't make the time to do it. And I have nowhere to store it all. I now live on facebook (it's where I keep my gazillion photos), MSN (because I'm a news junkie just like my parents), and 538 (because I like numbers, patterns, trends). I don't have time for more social media like some others who wander here and there on the internet begging me to follow; it's too much for my anxiety. Yes, I should be off-line more. When I travel it's a different life. So... to the prompt... I've done surveys and should do some again. I follow 3 Word Mayhem and Kraken's Code but have no desire to make my own. Somethings like C-notes don't interest me at all. I agree that having fun on-site, same as on-line, is time consuming. I have better things to do. Like, I really should focus more on writing contests. Not because I don't write, but because it helps me focus, stretches my abilities and spurs me on. Like the Flash Fiction daily prompts. For a poet, they are helping me understand narrative, one of my weaknesses. What to add? I need my own a web-site. But that's time and money. And I'd be crying, Pouvez-vous m'aider? Tous les jours! 30 Day Blogging Challenge Prompt September 6th: I have long adored the practice on WDC of memorializing the portfolios of members who have passed away so all their writings remain visible without needing a membership. See: "White Case Memorial" and "Request a Deceased Member Be Memorialized" Do you hope to be remembered for your writing? What do you think your writings will say about you when you’re gone? Is your WDC portfolio in suitable shape to be memorialized tomorrow if you were no longer around to tend it? I would like to be remembered. It's why I've given copies of writings to the person who inspired me. If it matters only to them then that's fine. I would like to be published in journals, but the submission process triggers my anxiety. I have some items that are begging for a wider audience. I have tons of notes! Mostly on paper! My portfolio isn't in shape to be memorialized. I should re-order it; if only so I can find things! 737 |
Stealing from tah2o. Hers is funny though "Invalid Entry"  Mine? Not: “This morning I took out a comma and this afternoon I put it back again.” ~ Oscar Wilde I may have done this as a child but rarely do I do this now as I am easily bored. I'd find something else to do. Still sometimes progress with a piece seems frustrating and pointless. “Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald I use them because it saves words. However, there are times I dispense with exclamation points, quotation marks and question marks when it's obvious and redundant. “Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.” ~ Pyotr Tchaikovsky I force myself to write at times. Other times my writing forces me to at least take notes. My Muse is a harsh master. “Most editors are failed writers – but so are most writers.” ~ T.S. Eliot Lots of failed writers... that don't write. Editing and writing though... two different processes. I could use a secretary and a proof reader and... well... everything. That said, I am a writer because I write. Full stop. “Hobbes: Do you have an idea for your story yet? Calvin: No, I’m waiting for inspiration. You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. Hobbes: What mood is that? Calvin: Last-minute panic.” ~ Bill Watterson Sometimes the Flash Fiction contest pushes me. Like a couple nights ago. One hour till deadline to write and edit? I did it and won. Today's writing I started early, left, shopped, came back and edited and submitted early. Laundry calls... Two recent flash fictions:
“There are three rules for writing. Unfortunately, no one can agree what they are.” ~ Somerset Maugham 1. Write. That's the only commandment; all else is commentary. |
| I'm stealing from hullabaloo22 : ‘Harsh words break no bones, fine words butter no parsnips.’ Speech is an Act Not... "A speech act is an utterance that serves a function in communication. We perform speech acts when we offer an apology, greeting, request, complaint, invitation, compliment, or refusal." Rather: speech is not merely words. Speech is a verbal weapon that can heal or hurt. It can encourage or discourage others to heal and hurt. Harsh words break no bones... But they can kill. "J'accuse" has lead to many a head rolling. It is naïve to think that one isn't guilty until proven... that is a legal nicety. People condemn just based on accusations. Real harm results. It's why I'm death on fake news and mere pointing fingers. I've been on the receiving end. Some people handle accusations better than I do. I'm HSP (highly sensitive) so I bruise easily. It's not the only reason why I was traumatized, but it's an important one. Harsh words can break people. Far worse than they hurt me. It can easily lead to suicide or homicide. Bullying is real. Fine words butter no parsnips... I prefer my parsnips roasted. But... I'll take butter... in my coffee, on my potatoes, if it's Amish rolled butter... as is... or on bread. However, if we are talking crushed pineapple no nice words will matter. *yuck* I do believe that compliments are important. It doesn't hurt anyone to be truly nice. But... if the words are false they can doubly harm. Honesty is a virtue (so is tact). A speech act is an utterance that serves a function in communication. We perform speech acts when we offer an apology, greeting, request, complaint, invitation, compliment, or refusal. Which brings up the speech act. These can matter too. A genuine apology may not change reality but it might take away the sting. A simple No! may be most appropriate at times. Refusing another persons attempt to hold a conversation may be rude in some cultures but it sets an important boundary when necessary. In conclusion. Try to be truthful. Try to be kind. 719 |
| Blog City Prompt: "As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and one for helping others." --Audrey Hepburn I like the quote but I would disagree that age has something to do with it. This can be taught to children. That said... I don't think that I was taught generosity or self-love by my parents. And I can't say that I grew up in a culture that believed in this either. One of my lessons to learn was how generous people were with help, time and money. Learned this in rural Kansas decades ago. Folks here in Montana are fairly good at it too. Personally, I'm not as generous as I used to be. Bog City Prompt Deux: Can we ever have too much of a good thing? A bad thing? Is there really a healthy balance? Yes. Yes. Yes. Short response to yes/no questions. My understanding is more nuanced. 1. Too much food, as in gluttony, isn't healthy. It can also be selfish. Same with too much wealth. 2. People only see the straw that broke the camel's back. They seldom see the burden it is carrying. Broken people need to consider this. It explains why others do not understand them! 3. I do believe in balance but balance isn't always stable. It is attacked by all sides and merely being balanced isn't necessarily healthy. Not taken sides when someone's life is in danger is unethical. 713 |
Lilli 🧿 ☕  has the image ofAd Astra Per Aspera at the top of her blog. It is the motto of the University of Kansas, my alma mater. At the time I was thrilled to get away from the cold cold people of the North-East. Kansas was like the Land of Oz in Spring. I bloomed when I started in Autumn. Just call me Sunflower. I met so many kind and interesting people. My partner in Field Biology was much older than me. Marge was a blast! I met friends from Hong Kong, Ethiopia, Iran... and the small towns of waving wheat and endless dusty roads. The campus made me feel like I was attending a "real' university. I got to know it well that Fall, Winter and Spring, deciding to stay for the Summer session to take Meso-American Anthropology and Chemistry. Max was my first roommate in Templin Hall; he hailed from Detroit but had gone to military school in Tennesee. I shared a room in Oliver Hall that summer with Farhad from Tehran, Iran. But my main roommate that year was Lennie from Bushton. From 2005:  Bushton When I recently traveled across Kansas, I decided to go to the town my college roommate hailed from. Bushton. I knew it was small (300 is generous). Remembered the aerial photo he had on the wall. flat and square, checkered patterns interrupt the nothingness of wheatfields. And that he lived on Wisconsin Street. The weather was stormy, with tornadoes in the west. Rice County is flat and empty, I could see it coming. As I drove down the main street, I couldn't find Wisconsin. Who needs signs in a small town? Went east a block, drove back asked a young man (who wasn't born yet when I knew Lenny) if it was Wisconsin Street and did he know a Schwerdtfeger family. He pointed across the side street. I'd parked within a house of it. white house, under the sunset shadow of the water tower, recessed door. So ... went to the door and spent an hour with Mrs. Schwerdtfeger. Found out Lenny, Gwen and their 2 children live in Michigan. Nice visit. Told her how much I admired Lenny. This is ALWAYS a good thing for a mother to hear! And I meant it. dry humor as raspy as wheat in a winter windstorm; warmth hidden from the incurious. Lenny was always decent and compassionate. He grew up with a brother with Down's syndrome. This was no problem for them at a time when society didn't handle difference with love and kindness. But Kansans are kind and Lenny was special. So when his mother told me that his son has tourette's syndrome, I smiled and said how lucky he was to have Lenny as a father. warm enough to melt the ice on winter wheat, to green the fields. Took photographs of the water tower, in the glow of a setting sun, headed west and skirted the bad weather around Goodland and spent the night in Dodge. To know Kansas, one must know the breed of people that inhabit it. To know a Kansan, one must know the dust and storms and be prepared to be amazed by the subtle beauty of a prairiescape that effects the hearts in this heart of the Heartland. miles of emptiness: beneath the watertower, before the coming of the storm, between the letters that come from those who have left. In response, I wrote a poem, "The last boy born in Bushton". Kåre Enga 3 juli 2005 as found in: "Bushton" The poem needs an editing but it's here: "Last boy born in Bushton" Ad astra per aspera... how little we ever know of the future... 701 |
Cass--Spring Spirit  inspired my comment regarding siblings. Guess we both had 2 younger sisters! "I have two younger sisters. When I changed my mind about having a younger sister it was already too late! Now? We kinda get along... but we live in three different states. Without a challenge to provide prompts and focus, I just steal prompts or ideas from other bloggers if my mind goes blank. Maybe I'll write about my sisters later... "And then I got sidetracked by writing another flash fiction:
 and getting a notice from KLM Flying Blue that I'm back up to the Silver Level (important because I may get an occasional upgrade for free). I forgot to blog.  So sisters... My older (16 months younger than me) sister and I grew up at the same time in the same environment. Because my mother was a bit sheltering *shrug* we played a lot together. She was bigger and stronger and more athletic. I was skinny, shy and more nerdy. But... even now we tend to see eye-to-eye on many things. My father worked overtime so he was more the disciplinarian. My younger sister... is different... our parents raised her different. She always felt she had 4 parents not two. She's also 8 years younger. She was very close to my father; I wasn't. She grew up less sheltered, more independent, feistier. She's a tosser; we are sentimental. We all do like animals though. Now we live far apart. Our mother is 97 and driving my younger sister nuts. My other sister wanted our mother to come live with her... probably too late now. Our family isn't "close" either. I did manage to tell our Aunt Dot about the current affairs but I'm the only one who keeps in touch with her.  Maybe if we all lived in the same town? But we don't. I don't think the younger generation even knows each other... |
| Blog City: What do you think about signature foods in general? Then, when you are writing about a setting, have you ever created for or assigned to a city or town a signature food, such as Philly's cheese steak and Chicago's deep-dish pizza? I told Kit  :"You left out two cheeses: "Gouda" and "Lancaster Bomb" . In Missoula we have "Evening in Missoula Tea" and in Buffalo we have "Wings". Everyone else called them "Buffalo Wings". We didn't. It was plain "Wings", either mild, medium, hot or suicide. By-the-way, I love both ideas for a Pepperpuff!" Might steal that last for a short story...  ...dedicated to her... of course! To answer the prompt: I immediately thought of Mars Bars and Mars, Pennsylvania because we drove past there on the way to my grandparent's house. But... Mars is a candy bar from the UK named after its founder, not the town. Keeping to chocolate: Hersey Bars ... and Hershey Pennsylvania. But M&Ms, also from Mars, Inc. are made in New Jersey... So many foods are associated with cities, states, regions or countries. Like brats... Wisconsin. Or white-hots... Rochester. Or Porto... and port. And eccles cakes! Which are ab-fab flaky pastry stuffed with currants named after the town of Eccles in England (from before 1793). The prompts asks whether I've used these or made one up... well now that you ask... I should.  Today's flash:
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| From: https://static01.nyt.com/images/blogs/learning/pdf/2014/500PromptsNarrativeAndPe... 163.Do you ever eavesdrop? In a word... yes. It comes with being observant. Others would call it nosy. It's a two edged sword. Sometimes it's better if I just say nothing. Sometimes I jot down a phrase or two. It can inspire my writing. Has it ever gotten me into trouble? Probably! Would I continue to eavesdrop? Yes. At times I feel safest when I know what is going on around me. Other times I choose to ignore everything. Much depends on context. When I travel I have to rely on tone, body language, what doesn't seem to fit... merely eavesdropping doesn't work when one doesn't know the language! Reading blogs is a bit like eavesdropping. "Don't mind me. I'm just a fly on your wall." Added links to two recent flash fictions:
And the main place I keep them:
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