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 |  January 2016 (30 Day Blogging Challenge) |
| LET THE GAMES BEGIN! |
| Lots of people on WDC seem to have a special affinity for animals: tell us about your animal/pet experiences. Include 1 silly animal story and 1 sad animal story. If you don't feel you do have an affinity for animals (ie. You don't like 'em) feel free to tell us why and include examples of animals in your life that have reenforced your dislike. I may be on the unpopular side of this opinion, but I am not a fan of animals. It started when I was a little girl. My parents always had German Shepards, which are regal, beautiful dogs and very protective. When Dutch was just a puppy he jumped on me affectionately, I was terrified of this giant furry thing coming near me. He knocked me to the ground and I never stepped closer than 2 feet away from him. Dogs = Fear As a toddler I won a goldfish at one of those carnival games. My parents purchased a glass bowl which we filled with sparkly orange pebbles and a little castle. The first week I watched Bubbles swim around and I was starting to love this fish. I needed to change the bowl to clean it. I wanted to impress my mom on how well I could take care of Bubbles so with her help I scooped him up and put him in another bowl. I then washed his bowl, filled it with water the temperature I would like in a bath, and then without my mom watching I placed Bubbles back in. If you know anything about fish, they do not like hot water. Bubbles was floating at the top of the tank the very next times I looked at him. FIsh =Tears When I moved to San Francisco for a new job early in my career, I was lonely and adopted a kitten. I adored Portia. Unfortunately, when my boyfriend stayed over this cuddly, mellow, sweet kitten turned into a ferocious beast. She would chew his leather shoes, strategically place hair balls right next to his side of the bed, jump on his face while he was sleeping and scratch him whenever he got close. Cat = Jealousy. When our son turned 3 he wanted a brother/sister. I was not up for it. So my husband suggested a dog. I said no. So while I was in Chicago on business for a week, my son called to tell me about the doggy he loves that daddy just brought home and begged me to let him keep it. Jack is now 13 years old. Amazing that he is still with us as he has urinated on my grand piano, bit me on more than one occasion, chewed the molding from the kitchen cabinets in our last house and we will not go into his touchy stomach issues. Puppy = Work. So no I do not have a strong affinity to animals. I am against the inhumane treatment of them and certainly not ok with cruelty. I say Live and Let Live, just please do not live near me. Later in life I had a parakeet. Norton was colored bright blue with a yellow spot on his belly. For two weeks I fed, him, pet him and |
| I have sincerely enjoyed reading the entries of this group and found it difficult to isolate one. But the winner for me is.....drum roll please.... Thundersbeard Day 5: A formal complaint about what scares you the most.
The main reason I choose this entry is because I believe it epitomizes the essence of a blog entry. How? 1 - Although I do not know you Thundersbeard, I feel like I can hear you speak through these words. They feel authentic and genuine. 2 - The title captured me. I wanted to read on. 3 - The voice was so personal, clearly stating how you felt. It takes a great deal to share such a personal and painful time. 4 - The specifics of your story added to credibility. 5 - It was what I consider the perfect length. If a blog gets to long it reads differently and I frankly lose interest. You said what you wanted to say and you finished it. Although not really relevant to blog posts, I did also enjoy the repeating first few words in the beginning of the first few paragraphs. The technique added to the joy in reading. My only criticism (as is necessary in any review) is your ending. You presented hope and a little humor but it didn't flow well with the rest of the entry. I almost thought you were rushed and not sure how to finish up. Thanks for sharing this entry. |
| I hate my birthday. God knows it is better than the alternative and who doesn't like a party with cake and gifts? But I view my birthday as just one day closer to old age and ultimately death. A little morbid? Maybe. I hate to bring you down but just think about it. First, why are we celebrating "me" on this day when I frankly had nothing to do with it. It's not my accomplishment as much as my parents. Send them flowers and gifts. Second, should I be thrilled that my body is not as tight, my mind not as sharp and my energy level not as full? Not to mention this sunny disposition I currently hold. I do not subscribe to aging gracefully. I am fighting it every step of the way. I recently celebrated a big bday. I left my 30s and entered...argh...middle age. I was so depressed. Spent the entire week moping around the house feeling sorry for myself for not being young. Stupid but true. The actual day of my birthday I picked up my son from school came into the house and threw my self down on the master stair case. I almost deserved an Oscar for the drama. My son basically tagged my husband and said "She's all yours. I am out. You can deal with it now". Being of sounder mind than me, my loving husband decides to try and cheer me up, asking "Would you like your gift now? I don't want it to stay in the box too long". That simple statement set me off. I started yelling at him: "Did you buy me candy? Don't you know I feel fat already? You didn't buy me a pet did you? Its bad enough I have to take care of everyone else and not myself! Why do you insist on celebrating my decline into oblivion - you sadist!"...and on and on and on. If it wasn't so embarrassing it might be funny. I was such a witch. After a few days I was back to normal, little bit less witchy and much nicer to be around. I am not that way at all with other people's bdays. I love to throw surprise parties and pick out the most personal, appropriate gifts. I am actually a fun person to be around if it's your birthday  Just not mine.Bonnie14222 |
| "Who is the person (living or dead) that has had the greatest influence on you & your life? How have they influenced you?" It is interesting to think about who has had the greatest influence on me. I seem to have a great deal of people who inspire me which I believe translates somewhat to influence but choosing one ultimate influential being is difficult. At the risk of not addressing the true spirit of the prompt, I am going to have to skirt the idea of one person and speak more to the grassroots efforts that created who I currently believe I am. As a kid it was my dad who was most influential. He was an incredibly hard worker who adored his family (still does). He encouraged me to focus on my career goals and to ensure that I would never be dependent on someone else to support me or my chosen lifestyle. He downplayed marriage and love. Ironically, it was the healthy marriage shared by my parents that drove me to choose my husband. My father gave me the courage to go out and pursue my dreams knowing that if I failed I could always come back home. My chosen career path was dominated by men, with very few women in the industry back when I started. Two woman specifically (Tricia and Kelly) were obvious leaders and taught me to use my strength, confidence and knowledge in a "man's world". They demonstrated by example that a woman could be feminine and attractive without using her sexuality to prove her worth. When I had our son, there were so many women who helped me become a mom. The most influential were my son's preschool teachers. Skip and Molly were elderly women who lovingly took care of my baby while I worked. They showed me, in the kindest way, that even though my son was "the best" he still had to follow rules like no hats in school, no sippy cup, no toys and that I as a mom could be stricter yet still loving. My son influences me daily...wait maybe its just that my world revolves around him at this point and so my days are dictated by his schedule. He teaches me tolerance, patience, how to be humble, how to truly laugh. It is also because of him that I live with worry every single day and that I appreciate the little things while understanding the fragility of life as we know it. I would never be the person I am today with out him. Most importantly is my husband. His influence has made me want to learn more, do more, be more than I ever expected. Like my dad he shows me how to follow whatever passion I desire. If it doesn't work out I always have him to comfort me. He likes to say he gives me enough rope to hang myself and then cuts me loose before I Iose consciousness. Boy this is two days of me being overly sentimental. I hope my cotton candy attitude is not making all of you nauseous. Promise to be back to mean and cynical at the next prompt . |
| If you have five (5) days left to spend together with your love one how would you spend those days? I should be thrilled and relish in the beautiful thoughts of what I would do with my love over 5 last days together. However, the thought that I would have so little time left is making me so incredibly sad. Not sure if it is the rainy weather, my lack of Vitamin D or a simply melancholy, but I am quite sentimental as I write this. I am very fortunate to have two men in my life who I adore and who love me back. The first is my husband and the second is my son so I will have to speak to days with both of them. First I would want to be sure to do things that they both love to do. When they enjoy what they are doing they smile and laugh, which of course would be the most pleasurable part of those 5 days for me. They are both Advanced SCUBA divers and mock my novice status so one day we would have to dive. We also like to boat - motor and sail - so we would have to spend some time on our boat with my husband as captain and my son as I as crew, just cruising Lake Erie and the Niagara River. The three of us have the best time at dinner, which is usually eaten at a restaurant. It is this time that we discuss the day, which can include trying to help solve each others problems, providing empathy or bringing up some new interesting point. Maybe one night we would all get dressed up and go for a formal dinner and one night we would eat at McDonalds -with my son loving it and my husband and I expressing our disgust. I love our dinners together and will miss that most when our son goes off to college in a few years. As simply as it may seem, we also enjoy watching TV together, going to the movies together, going to plays and even attending opera. I would want to do this simply to watch them watch some production. For TV we all cuddle on the coach (oh my teenage son would be so embarrassed if he read this!). Silly but we each have our spot on the couch and our blankets and we like to make giant bowls of popcorn for these evenings. We definitely would have to do pull ups. Yes pull ups. You see my son is terrific at them doing 10s at a time. My hubby barely any and I simply swing for the bar. We laugh at such absurdity every time! Individually, I would want to spend romantic evenings with my husband. Doesn't matter where just as long as we were together. And my son I would want to be able to crawl into his bed and hold him as he falls asleep. None of these things are special and its probably the ordinary that make them so perfect for our final time together. But that's all I can write because I am tearing just thinking about my last days with my boys. |
| When you went to sleep last night, it was in your own bed or familiar surroundings. You wake up this morning in a strange bed and unfamiliar surroundings. You recognize your reflection with some differences, the face in the mirror is an older/younger version of you. Everyone you meet knows you, but by a different name. Where are you? What is your name? How do you believe you arrived in your present location? The reflection in the mirror is a much younger face; the skin is tight without wrinkles and the eyes look hopeful rather than cynical. My hair is longer and my complexion tan. I am in Maui, waking up to a warm ocean breeze and nothing but sunshine. I rollover and kiss the man next to me, a much younger version of my husband; shirtless, tan and relaxed. Our friends know us as Kona and Izzy, with our son Rain. We are well known on the island due to our thriving water sport business. Izzy captains a few boats, Rain teaches surfing and scuba, and I run the shop. It is a peaceful, slow existence. This morning I woke disorientated because of the realistic dream that where I was living in cold Buffalo. In this dream my husband and I had stressful careers and were constantly running one place to the next. we were high strung, barely able to spend time together and extremely busy. So this present location of Hawaii is actually reality, with my blog writing and everyday "life" simply a long, difficult dream. Better not go back to sleep. |
| When you went to sleep last night, it was in your own bed or familiar surroundings. You wake up this morning in a strange bed and unfamiliar surroundings. You recognize your reflection with some differences, the face in the mirror is an older/younger version of you. Everyone you meet knows you, but by a different name. Where are you? What is your name? How do you believe you arrived in your present location? The reflection in the mirror is a much younger face; the skin is tight without wrinkles and the eyes look hopeful rather than cyncial. My hair is longer and my complexion tan. I am in Maui, waking up to a warm ocean breeze and nothing but sunshine. I rollover and kiss the man next to me, a much younger version of my husband; shirtless, tan and relaxed. Our friends know us as Kona and Izzy, with our son Rain. We are well known on the island due to our thriving water sport business. Izzy captains a few boats, Rain teaches surfing and scuba, and I run the shop. It is a peaceful, slow existenance. This morning I woke disorientated because of the realistic dream that where I was living in cold Buffalo. In this dream my husband and I had stressful careers and were constanlty running one place to the next. we were high strung, barely able to spend time together and extremely busy. So this present location of Hawaii is actually reality, with my blog writing and everyday "life" simply a long, difficult dream. Better not go back to sleeep. Thanks for the fantasy Prosperous Snow |
| Zombies scare the hell out of me. I know it's kind of ridiculous. It's not like I think they are real. There are so many more real things I should be terrified of. That walk, slow dragging limbs and moaning. Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps. Remember Dawn of the Dead? I still hate going to the mall at night. I wouldn't even let my son dress as a zombie for Halloween because it horrified me. Certainly I will not defend zombies. They are vile creatures who should stay away from my brains, what's left of those brains anyway. So I will speak more to zombie defense as how I could protect myself. First I would run. Then I would run and then I would run again. Get the picture? Although I am not much of a gun person, I would buy a shot gun and shoot them. This sounds so childish but you really hit a scary hot button here. I watched the movie Zombieland just to get ideas of how to protect myself in case this happens. Argh. My nephews is 8 and I adore him. One day when he was 3, I was babysitting him and would not let him play with something dangerous. His response was that he wished zombies would eat all my brains so he could do whatever he likes. To this day it it his threat and I am still scared:). |
| Did you ever hear that song by Nina Simone "Don't let me be misunderstood"? It was the first thing that came to mind when I read this prompt. I would love to be able to explain some bizarre scientific concept or to educate you on a world mystery in three easy sentences, but in reality I think I misunderstand more than I understand. Getting older only makes me realize how little I do comprehend. So going back to Nina Simone, I would say I am misunderstood and I think many people are as well or so they believe they are. Think of the times your appearance, actions, or comments are used to make a judgment about who you are, what you believe or what you think. Appearances first. Clothing makes a statement. I love nice clothes and probably spend way too much on labels, shoes and handbags. Because of that I have had friends mention that before they knew me they suspected I was pretentious and superficial... NOT AT ALL TRUE. Similarly my husband is constantly misunderstood. He is brilliant...i mean honestly amazing. At social gatherings he is confident in his comments but rarely engages in idol chitchat. It's not that he is antisocial or aloof. It's actually that he is a little uncomfortable with new people. Email are constantly causing misunderstandings. Not because of the content, but because of the length. I cannot tell you how often I have had to explain that my terse response was simply because I was busy not because I was angry. I guess I should be thankful for those emoticons. To quote Nina "Oh Lord please don't let me be misunderstood!". |
| Did you ever hear that song by Nina Simone "Don't let me be misunderstood"? It was the first thing that came to mind when I read this prompt. I would love to be able to explain some bizarre scientific concept or to educate you on a world mystery in three easy sentences, but in reality I think I misunderstand more than I understand. Getting older only makes me realize how little I do comprehend. So going back to Nina Simone, I would say I am misunderstood and I think many people are as well or so they believe they are. Think of the times your appearance, actions, or comments are used to make a judgement about who you are, what you believe or what you think. Appearances first. Clothing makes a statement. I love nice clothes and probably spend way too much on labels, shoes and handbags. Because of that I have had friends mention that before they knew me they suspected I was pretentious and superficial... NOT AT ALL TRUE. Similarly my husband is constantly misunderstood. He is brilliant...i mean honestly amazing. At social gatherings he is confident in his comments but rarely engages in idol chitchat. It's not that he is antisocial or aloof. It's actually that he is a little uncomfortable with new people. |
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