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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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An additional work with only a, i, o, u, and y. "Going On"  [E] by Words Whirling 'Round  and tell us what you think. What would we do without this common symbol? No problem. It's an overrated symbol that represents more than one sound and is even mute at times. Perhaps if it only represented short 'eh' it would be less of a problem as no other letter is used for that sound. English orthography is a patch-quilt of other languages. It's horrific. It's a challenge to write without a common symbol but not difficult. Just write what you'd normally write than substitute with a word without that symbol. Use RhymeZone or the Ideanary. If you are still flumoxed rewrite a phrase or ask yourself whether it is necessary. We do this all the time when editing poetry and flash fiction.  That said, I too joined in the challenge because, for me, it was fun. Mini review: Yes, it avoids one letter. It's labeled as poetry. But is it? There is no repetition of sound or rhythm that I can discern. Meter maybe? The syntax and semantics feels tortured. I really like "Its ubiquity far outstrips / a supporting cast / of minor actors." The idea is nice but poetry is a skillful use of words not ideas. Ideas work best in essays although they can be expressed in poetic form. It's not that it's bad; and yes, it can be made better by smoothing out its flow. But even then it's not strong poetically. As a mind-game it's find. As poetry I give it a 3.0. 3483 |
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""The Kitty Took It...Honest, Mom!"" [18+] by Jim Hall - GoT Forest Child Mini-review: Delightful! Nice that Blue and Green are highlighted in blue and green.  Nice to have twins and Mittens be the culprit. Well written. No suggestions to make it better. 500 word flash works well at capturing the moment. I rate it a 4.8. It's one of the best 'cute' short stories I've read here. Prompt: Did you ever have a cat or dog take something and blamed someone else? There never was anyone else to blame! I've lived so many years alone that there never is anyone else to blame. That said, I'm chagrined to admit that I questioned whether help stole my charger in Cape Town. She didn't. And in high-school I punched someone for taking my books. He didn't. But they miraculously appeared in my locker the next day. Word got out and the culprits returned them. Still not proud of the moment. When I misplaced my glasses last week and couldn't find them I wondered again whether someone could've taken them. That was my suspicion when I lost my new glasses over a year ago (still haven't found them). In my case I suspect it's trauma from my childhood that's triggered (especially with glasses; I've had to use them since age 6). I just don't trust people like I should. Gas-lit too many times. Pranksters stress me out. Added: I commented to Blimprider: "I wrote daily in my journal for over 16 years and then stopped for three months this year. There was nothing there. But I started up again... a little. I have no life in this Season of Covid. Usually travel and writing compliment each other. I travel and engage with people while taking photos of everything and anything, almost a mania. Then I come home, collapse, write. It works for me if the two parts don't stretch out too long. 10 months of not leaving the city limits is far too long. My Muse seems to enjoy the mini-roller-coaster (as long as there's little or no drama). When I write I try on new forms. I wrote some flash fiction the last couple years. Never wrote steampunk though. Most of my poetry is short but I do try to stretch myself. Except for poetry month in April I mostly feel free to go with the flow. If A doesn't work, maybe B will. Or I just read blogs, get ideas, and by commenting prime the pump. Thanks for the read." 3469 |
| "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Here are a few prompts to get you to the end of the year: 28. Card Playing Day! Do you like playing cards? Which card games do you prefer? Did as a kid. Would if I could. I have two new decks. I live alone. I'd rather do a sudoku. Growing up any of the rummy games would do, as an adult 'canasta'. 29. December Full Moon (aka Cold Moon Write something about the full moon. I have many times in the past. "Of mice, owls and moonflowers"   30. Bacon Day. The perfect breakfast meat. Write anything about bacon! 'Perfect' unless you're a pig. Really like it but I don't buy it. For grease I stick to butter. I like maple-bacon ice cream I can get here at the creamery two blocks away. 31. Unlucky Day. Write about a time when you were particularly unlucky. I wobble between depression and anxiety. As a marginalized human being, an unlucky day for me is any day of the year. What's your point? For
"Invalid Item" [] by A Guest Visitor Mini-review: It would make a nice blog entry. It is not poetic. There are no poetic devices used. It reads like prose, the line breaks and quirky grammar do not help. Too many abstract words. It tells not shows. It expresses feeling but does not evoke emotion. IMHO, it isn't salvageable as a poem. Use as an intro to an essay on the up-coming year. I unfortunately need to rate this a 1.5. Sorry. Prompt: How do you feel about the new year coming up? Your hopes and dreams? My New Year doesn't start until spring. By then I'm hoping that the political and pandemic turmoil will have calmed down. I've spent 10 months grounded with my wheels spinning. I'm hoping I can travel again soon. I have no specific writing goals. I'll just keep doing what I've been doing. 2021? I'll just need to remember to put the right date on my rent check. Looking back with 2022 hindsight I can only hope it was a good one. 3.455 |
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" Languages I'd like to learn. " [E] by River Mini-review: It is merely a list. No need to review. Prompt: What languages would you like to learn? I've answered this too many times. I'd love to have an implant translator like Space Cadet. I meet people from all over the world. I watch foreign video series. Ah... weekly goals. My Queen's List of Five:  1. finish off at least two contest entries... and remember to submit! 2. blog everyday. 3. do a review 'dump' of my December mini-reviews; remember to add my vulture trinket. 4. respond to some recent reviews. 5. plan to make at least one more trinket (photo, title. writing, comments, links) for the next time they are on sale. And personal goals: 6. clean out the fridge. (cleaned out the freezer) 7. continue washing by hand. (shirts and socks) 8. get out every day. Most counts. |
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"Old spice in the air" [ASR] by n.lea  Mini-review: It's a great idea for a poem. Fragrance does evoke memories and emotions. However, poetry is based on the use of language to bring this moment to life. Ideas need to find the right flow (which is okay) and words (not-s'okay) and to be poetry needs to use poetic devices properly (inconsistent). This needs an edit for spelling and grammar. Somes rhymes like tight/might seem forced (although nice use of 'nares'). 'fragile slow growing' is either awkward or overly descriptive; prune. The idea is salvageable; the poetry is not. I give it a 2.5. I suggest starting over. Prompt: What emotions do fragrances bring for you? I boil lavender, cloves, orange peels, rosemary... anything... to up the humidity in this very dry old and dusty once-upon-a-time hotel. The fragrances help make it cozy. I don't have any patchouli or sandalwood which brings back the 70s. Each time I get off the plane in Costa Rica I breathe in the mix of fragrances that tell me that I'm back in 'mi lindo pais'. I wish I were there now. My smeller is fading away with age. Plus, Montana is very dry. I appreciate smelling anything at all. "Caveman" [E] by Whiskerfacebythefireplace  Full-review: Here I go again as I did a mini-review and lost it.  There are 5 major components that make a hokku a haiku or senryu.1. Two images juxtaposed. 2. No emotion given, just elicited in haiku. Senryu seems to bend this rule. 3. Concrete images. Humans count as natural images. "Johnny" does not. 4. One cutting word. In English, punctuation counts as such. 5. Season word. (sakura = warm spring; ume = early cold spring; etc.) What doesn't matter. 6. Exactly 17 syllables arranged 5/7/5. This is an English language convention. Japanese is 17 'on' (morae). 7. caPiTaliZation. Japanese has none. It is irrelevant. 8. Rhyme. It is irrelevant... 9. ...although... senryu can also be witty and word-play is part of that. So, lets look at it: Cavern-like shelter Cold, dank, and isolated Internet caveman Good: Does elicit a response (#2). Images seem concrete (#3), although 'isolated' is iffy if applied to caveman as it bends this rule. Not good: No cutting word or punctuation (#4) means that I'm not sure where line 2 fits (#1) and images are blurry. There is NO season word (#5). Caves/caverns tend to be cold and dank year round. Questionable: (#6) makes this feel like middle school class assignment. Snowdrifts block the cavern — an internet terminal blinks This would fulfill #1-5. It feels a bit 'heavy' as 14 syllables is a bit much (about 28 'on') Snow blocks the cave — a blue screen blinks This would be shorter, maybe too short in English with 8 syllables (~24 'on'). Frozen man-cave — a cell-phone rings (~19 'on') But still missing something. Anyhoo. Points on an image that elicits a response. I believe that's what others are rating this on. So 2 out of 5. To strengthen this either abandon the grade-school form and severely edit or abandon the idea that it's a hokku and rework it into a short-form that fits it (24 syllable contest might work). As is, it isn't a haiku/senryu. I rate it a 3.1 on strength of decent images and evoked response. It's worthy of editing to strengthen it. Do you ever feel like an Internet caveman? Tell us about it or tell us about a caveman encountering the 21st century. Yes. I have not gone out in three days except to use the toilet and pace the hall a few times. I'm going to try to focus a bit more on my place, projects, plants, cooking, reading, journal, snailmail. The covidiots and the Idiot in the WH is still negatively affecting me... but it's getting better. I'm watching a BL ghost story out of Thailand (no English title... sorry). From basebook haiku group: unisex restroom-- on the seat a drop of blood — Mykel Board My comment to comments: "I think some folks are overthinking. It matters little where it was (as long as it's somewhere... restroom suffices), whether there's one drop or two or many (they all work; just 'drops' works well) or whether the blood is from a female or male (unisex is awesome choice of word, wish it were shorter but it works). Haiku isn't a Victorian novel with elaborate details (Japanese and East Asian cultures aren't caught up with puritanical 'morals' either). Au contraire, the reader is supposed to feel "something" and disgust is a great reaction! Life isn't all pretty pretty or sad or angry; there are many emotions that aren't explored by writers who stick to cliches. Two concrete images juxtaposed is what it's all about (and yes, an emdash works well imho). That said... when is this? I really want it grounded in time. A word like 'steamy' or 'frozen' tells me something. Especially 'frozen blood' (unheated outdoor toilet?) although I'm sure there are other words that apply. What shouldn't be done is 1. adding another image or line or 2. adding any emotion. I like it as is, but a haiku demands a season. Because the images are concrete (restroom is physical structure) and natural (animals bleed) I think it's as much a haiku as a senryu. But I don't think the label matters." Looking at how I rated the above offering I consider this non-WdC haiku/senryu stronger. It covers 4 of 5 points. It had one commenter writing 'ew' and just that makes it a keeper! Hard to evoke strong responses. ("That's nice" = kiss of death imho). If it were here I'd rate it a 4.6. 3.449 |
| Lilli's QOTD about a do-over: Coming late to the party I get the bounty of everyone's wisdom.  Yes, I can think of many poor choices or lack of action. Yes, I want a do-over. But no... that's not the way to live... looking in the mirror of the past deluded that one can change it. I'm not happy with certain times in my past. I'm not happy about many aspects of my present! But... the present is the only time I'm alive and I'm better off facing an uncertain future than trying to recreate a mythological past. Except for my writing (photos, trinkets)... as long as I don't get snared by the past and unable to come back to the present. "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Week 4: Dec 21 -2721. Winter Solstice Our shortest day and longest night... We’re about to enter the season of winter: Quiet. Reflection. Incubation. Going Inward. Write something inspired by that. Not inspired at the moment. I've had 10 months of solitude. This solstice was all about covid cuffs and collars (how you carry your mask). I saw the rings of Saturn. 22. Today in History Look up some events that happened on December 22nd, select one, and tell us about it. 1989 - Romania's hard-line Communist ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu, was overthrown in a popular uprising. 1990 - Lech Walesa was sworn in as Poland's first popularly elected president. These two are interesting. I've been to both Bucharest and Gdansk. History hasn't been kind to either leader. Ceausescu lost his head soon after being disposed. Walesa wasn't a very good president in spite of all the hope. It was a trying time for all of Eastern Europe. Is life better for the common person now? Depends on who you ask. Many Americans cringed for 4 years of Donald Trump's tirades. But many loved his style and 74 million voted for him in the election. 30 years from now the world's perspective will have changed looking back. 23. Happy Festivus! Let the 'Airing of Grievances' commence... I spent an entire year screaming. I've done ranted and raged. 24. Last-Minute Shopper's Day also National Eggnog Day I should think good strong eggnog would hit the spot after a day of shopping. See what you can come up with for that one. I went to the grocery store the day before. I no longer participate in shop-until-you drop. I don't do lines and I don't do drama. 25. Pumpkin Pie Day Are you a fan? Why or why not. I really like pumpkin pie or sweet-potato pie or just plain pie...  26. National Whiner's Day Whiner or winer... you pick. Maybe you'd like to whine about wine... Or perhaps you forgot to mention a grievance from Festivus... I whine too much. No one likes a whiner therefore... 27. National Fruitcake Day Write about your opinion of Fruitcake. If you don't like them, you haven't had mine. I was raised with a good brand that was mostly fruit not cake. (from Georgia?). It would be nice to have one now. Thin sliced it can be quite good. Plus, they keep well. These were my weekly goal for 21-25: I'm wanting to fall asleep, really worn out. (Updated) 1. I will post every day in my blog. I've barely missed a day all year, but I really need motivation this week. Yep. "Solstice and Star" counts (I accidently posted one minute early.} 2. I will make trinket #1 and begin to share. Done. 3. I will plan trinket #2. Planning to use moon photo for reviewing trinket. 4. I will post in at least one contest. My white-cow poem! 5. I will finish at least 2 pending pieces of prose or poetry. Cow poem and wrote [300]. I found my glasses while looking for something else, so that can't be a goal. Maybe not lose them again? My silly poem...
My spanky new trinket:   |
| 3,441 views since I started this blog. May seem like a lot but Blogville has died due to lack of interest. A few well-known bloggers do okay but I'm not one of them.  It's amazing how empty this place is. Earlier this year I kept track of how many comments I gave and how many I received. Very one-sided. Some folks never visited me. Others left a few words. I don't do quid-pro-quo but I do notice. I still visit people who act like I don't exist. Maybe it's the rating? Many individual posts are E-rated but my blogs are 18+, GC, XGC to allow me to be an adult. I tend to blog on most anything, my style varies and it's possible that readers expect consistency. 2020 hasn't helped. I'm bored. I'm boring. Yesterday I filched 3 leaves from Bri's basil plant in the hallway. I chopped them up with blueberry pie filling as a topping. I then ground up some rosemary and added it to a pork-patty I cooked in water. I combined everything on a potato-bread bun. Today I was given a cookie by a friend as they sat outside with their ham dinners. At home I ate blueberry and cottage cheese and later, a crunchy-peanut butter sandwich. How does one make a blog out of boring? It was cold... again. And the sun shone today... again. I need to read. I need to make a trinket. I need to finish my white-cow poem. I need a life. I did speak with my friend Bryan in Costa Rica earlier. It reminds how long it's been and how few hugs I've gotten. This year is killing me... and it won't be over anytime soon. It's been 10 months feeling trapped. |
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"Imagine" [E] by Ariel Mini-reveiw: From 2004 by a member who isn't 'active'. It's nice enough, poetic enough. Nice use of words and images. Never edited. I give it a 4.4. I really like these four lines: Imagine watching a fairy elf Until you both begin to sing. Imagine a sky painted in purple, A wind that whispers your name. Prompt: Write about imagine. I always daydreamed as a child. Still do. My poetry tends to reflect that, some of my flash fictions too. Like this poem that just got Honorable Mention in the Second Time Around contest:
Notice the pretty pink ribbon it just got? So appropriate. But no, I haven't had breast cancer but if I had something that 'scarred' me how would I hope to respond? I needed to dig down into my imagination to write this and yet keep it real. I've had friends who've had various cancers. As a creative writer I'm allowed to do that. 3438 |
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"Short Christmas Tune" [E] by SunWriter Mini-review: It's unfinished. Needs to be totally rethought. Is it supposed to be words that follow the tune or is it a parody? It doesn't work on any level, sorry. I rate it 1.8. I suggest starting over. Prompt: What are your thoughts on this cute Christmas tune? How does one trash a poem without trashing the poet? No one of any age needs to be crushed by a severe review but at the same time it's dishonest to applaud what is barely readable. I'm not just talking about this short unfinished ditty. I've read worse. And I've read 5.0 rated writings here that imho are no better than a 3.5. Are they only being read by friends? At times it's painful to read what people consider poetry. Some would be better off sticking to prose (which has different rules) or telling stories (not my strength). |
Re the  for "Invalid Item" "The skies cleared so I looked southwest and there was this bright shiny thing ... kinda blurred because even with glasses (I found them about an hour ago) my eyes are bad. So I got my camera and zoomed. Tried to take a picture but without a tripod through a window? Still zoomed in with my Cannon and ... lo and behold... I saw the rings of saturn! I think that's the first time! I agree that it's insignificant and merely special from our perspective BUT! the clouds were glowing reddish pink in the northeast at sunset and that was special too. So was a piece of marked-down cherry pie. I gather all the dust motes I can to make something special of my life." Poverty = you live off the crumbs. Happiness = having crumbs to live off of. For "Space Blog" "Poetry" [E] by lavarion Mini-review: not sure what exactly it is. Might be nice for a bio-block or statement of belief or purpose. By a newbie, so hard to fathom its purpose. Unratable by me. What are your views on this? What is poetry? Is it rhythmic? ~1~ I think repetition of rhythm, rhyme, line, sound matter but it needn't rhyme (look at haiku). Does it express your feelings? ~2~ Not necessary. Poetry to me is, something where you can feel free to be yourself. ~3~ Many would agree, but not necessary. If it helps free you... then that's good. It works that way for me sometimes but 5,153 pages in my journal help as well. Someplace that could take you far- you don't have to ever come back. ~4~ Ditto. You can be you; you can get wild. ~5~ Ditto. Except restrained is better and vomit is vomit. Get wild then learn to edit. May not be impressive to some, but to you- its your life. ~6~ It can work as Art Therapy. This is for those who don't know where life could take them- Those who aren't accepted- The beings that know who they are but can't seem to express it. ~7~ That's Art in general. Speak your mind. ~8~ Or the mind of your Muse or a million characters fictional and real. The writer is confusing poetry with writing and writing with Art and Creativity. Very simplistic so hopefully he/she will write a story or a poem and post. And then learn, grow, mature. "Blogging Circle of Friends " Prompt: Write a short story, poem, or thought about the grand conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurring on December 21, 2020. Well, since you asked... From your perspective you say we're "aligned" but you don't ask US! You say it's been 800 years since the last time? Pshaw, that's like... yesterday. In truth we follow the 'sun' just like y'all, and yet we aren't aligned at all. Go ask Pluto and Charon, who, sitting at the back of the bus, get a different view. *sigh* Must you search for meaning in everything? Remember that nasty encounter with an asteroid a few million of your years ago? No? Well it was quite a sight! We still remember but we don't fuss about it. s*** happens! And you humans wouldn't be around if it hadn't. I mean, you only arrived yesterday and now all of a sudden you think you own the place. Get over it. You'll be long gone before we are, even if you do move into the cheap real estate on Titan. (Not if we have a say about it!  ) So enjoy your "star"! Glad we can put on a show for you every 800 years. See y'all next time. (Neptune whispers... I doubt it.) 3.434 |
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