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 |  Daily scribbles on writing and living. How to get rid of cobwebs in my brain. CLOSED. |
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I am over the moon with joy this morning, as I got an anonymous gift from a co-writer on WdC. I can set up a blog for the coming three months since someone paid for an upgrade. If you ever read this Anonymous One, thank you so much! Many thanks to "Request An Upgrade From RAOK"     I have to think about this for a moment. Don't want to rush it, don't want to solely vent or underestimate the value of a daily blog for my writing. So I will carefully try to explore what it will bring me. “All my life, my heart has sought a thing I cannot name. Remembered line from a long-forgotten poem” ― Hunter S. Thompson, Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga When I was a teenager, my little brother stole my journal out of my bedroom and read it. I was so disappointed and mad about his action, I destroyed my writing and have been struggling with the concept of conveying my inner thoughts ever since. So, I will send my daily scribbles to the world. On How to get rid of cobwebs in my brain. To let in some air and rejoice. For another clumsy attempt at writing, check out "All fingers and thumbs "  [18+]. I am a Rising Star from  Rising Star Program 2016-2017.  Comments, scribbles, and notes welcome!       Thanks, 🌕 HuntersMoon  for the teal awardicon.Note ▼ |
| Do you have critters or a certain critter visit your yard every day? I do, and he follows the same routine every morning and evening. I call him Ollie, he is a little bird and tonight he brought a friend. (BCoFs) No, I don’t have a critter visiting my house every day. The only animal in my house is Arie, my dog. He is lovely and I spend a lot of quality "Doggie Time" The Olympics began August 5th. Did you watch the pageantry and the presentation of the athletes? What did you think? Which country caught your attention the most? What sport do you enjoy most? Which do you like better the Summer or the Winter events? (BC) Ah…Rio 2016. Everybody is worried about the Zika virus, but it is wintertime in Brazil so there are no mosquito's. Poverty was and will be an issue for years to come, despite the Olympics. Furthermore: everything is broken in Rio; the water is a problem inside and out and there is troubles with the accommodation for the athletes. In short, it is a very big event and I think I am going to watch some of it, though not all of it, on television. I hope there won’t be a terrorist attack. The cops in Rio have been called the deadliest in the world. The killings have caught the eye of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Although the killings are often described as "shootouts," evidence — including interviews with police officers — suggests that they are often extrajudicial executions of detained citizens. I hope that the government of Brazil will start bettering itself, with the eyes of the world at them. Alas, it is only for a few weeks. And now for the sport itself. We have in the Netherlands our eyes focused on swimming and gymnastics I think. I will see it when it’s on.  Day FOURTEEN "Give It 100!" |
| SIXTH day of backpacking across Europe with "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] The hotel in Montpellier, France is as common as you ever find accommodation, but it is fine with me. Breakfast is not being served though so I go outside for that famous petit pain avec marmalade et le café sans lait. My French is somewhat rusty. Today it’s the district of Antigone. I go there by tram. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrSjs9jhljU My first impression is that it’s HUGE!, big lanes, big architecture by Spanish architect, Ricardo Bofill. It’s impressive. I learn that this architect is famous in several countries, including my own, my own city even. He is responsible for a part of The Hague where I used to live. I am surprised. I never knew that. After two hours strolling I go back to the historic part of Montpellier. North of place Royale du Peyrou is one of Montpellier’s hidden gems, the Jardins des Plantes – the oldest botanical garden in France. Along its shady paths you’ll find more than 2500 species, including nine varieties of palm, 250 medicinal plants and an arboretum of rare trees, as well as a glorious greenhouse dating from 1860. I love botanical gardens. So I take a lot of photo’s: https://www.google.com/search?q=jardins+des+plantes+montpellier&client=firefox-b... After that it’s wine sampling, which is always fun. A little tipsy I meet everybody at dinner with empanadas. An empanada (Spanish pronunciation: [empaˈnaða] is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in Romance-speaking Europe, Latin America, the United States, and parts of Southeast Asia. The name comes from the Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanadas are made by folding dough or bread with stuffing consisting of a variety of meat, cheese, huitlacoche, vegetables, fruits, and others. Yummy. I have a memory about empanadas and my late mom. In the 1980ies I was with "The World Shop" a leftwing organization trying to save the world by doing a lot of good for third world countries and their awareness. We had organized a Chilean day with empanadas. My mother took one bite and there was a nut or a stone inside the empanada and she chewed on it. She broke her tooth. So I am very careful eating this delicious pastry. After that we go clubbing in Games Taverne. I have a cocktail or two called The Peach Princess. It looks fine by me, and it is gorgeous! Orange Vodka, Peach Schnapps,Banana Liqueur,Peach Juice, Splash of Sprite, Crushed Ice, Peach Rings. Mmmmm! Day FOURTEEN "Give It 100!" |
| This lovely woman in a long flowing red dress dances up to you and tosses her arms out straight at you.... what happens next?(BCoFs) As I am not a dancer, let alone doing the flamenco, I would stand up from front row, give the woman a courtesy nod and I would take my seat again. I would feel very embarrassed nevertheless. The last time I got really, really embarrassed was in the audience at a theater play of Eric Schneider, a famous Dutch actor. He was doing this wonderful monologue, very difficult since there was a LOT of text involved and it was beautiful just listening to him and seeing him on stage. I was glued to my seat, and didn’t want to miss anything. He was actually brilliant. I think it was Shakespeare..King Lear! Anyway, suddenly I got this attack of some sort having to cough really loud, I mean really LOUD. Did I mention I was sitting front row with probably one meter (3,5 feet) between us? It wasn’t just the one cough, it was a coughing period of at least ten minutes, and I am not exaggerating. Ten whole minutes of me coughing looking him straight in the face while he stoic, not blinking an eye and keep on performing. I didn’t think of leaving my seat, I just wanted to look on to him, and wishing the cough would end. But it didn’t. I was sooo embarrassed. He was great though. I bet he is still talking about it with his friends…that one time when some stupid girl kept at her seat and coughed the whole third act. I keep on fallin', In and out of love, With you, Sometimes I love ya, Sometimes you make me blue, Sometimes I feel good , At times I feel used, Lovin you darlin', Makes me so confused..... spin me a tale as in any direction you want. (BC) This reminds me ofcorse of all those times I have been in love. It has been a while since that happened though. I am single for the last, oops, ten years or so. Not dating, not meeting any man at all, and also not looking out for this to happen, so maybe there is a reason for ya. I am not so much paying attention to affairs of the heart as of late. Actually, I have been ignoring or neglecting my heart for some time now. I know it still can happen at my age, since my late father and his second wife fell in love when they were both seventy years old, complete with butterflies and all. So yeah, I am not giving up hope as of yet. I still have to clean up my eyes and my act first for it to happen. But sometimes, I can actually wish for it to happen, since it is a wonderful feeling to be IN love, it’s the falling OUT of it that sucks. Day THIRTEEN "Give It 100!" |
| FIFTH day of backpacking across Europe with "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] In stead of the theme park, the beach, or playing golf I decided to stay in the hotel in the morning for some wonderful leisure time. I had to have this day to myself in my own pace. Therefore, I slept in, YEAH and had my breakfast at ten thirty. Wonderful. After that, I had a swim so I could start this day fresh. At 11:15 I sat on my balcony in the shade to do some writing, after all we are a group of writers abroad, aren't we? I finished the story of "Enriqueta Martí i Ripollés" [18+] about the most notorious serial killer of Barcelona. I had my lunch using room service with marmalade on toast, scrambled eggs and lots of coffee. It's yet another hot day. I am loving it! To cool down I wanted to go shopping this afternoon. So I visit the Rambla and some of Barcelona’s shopping malls. Great fun window-shopping. I buy NOTHING! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpPVafoFHJU At seven, we meet up for dinner and I count heads, since I got a mail that I’ve been chosen, with three others, as Newbies Member SHOWCASE of August. That calls for a drink or two on my tab later on in the bar. I hope I didn’t leave anybody out: WakeUpAndLive️~🚬🚭2024  says CHEERS to Elycia Lee ☮  , Jellyfish  , Andy~hating university  , 🇺🇸 Carol St.Ann 🇺🇸  , Apondia  , Prosperous Snow celebrating  , Princess Megan Rose 22 Years  , Kit  , SandraLynn Team Florent! , Winnie  , Lyn's a Witchy Woman  , SB Musing  , PandaPaws Licensed VetTech , 💙 Carly  , Finn O'Flaherty , BlueMoon ,Sally and Gaby ~ Quiet contemplation  . We celebrate; pasar un buen rato (have a good time)!Before heading off to bed I take another swim in the hotel pool. It’s an early start tomorrow. Day THIRTEEN "Give It 100!" |
| Prompt: A girl sitting alone on a rock at the edge of the woods jumps when she hears...... You take it from here. (BC) A girl sitting alone on a rock at the edge of the woods jumps when she hears the sound of his footsteps approaching her. It’s Antonio Banderas all dressed up as a gentleman from 1878. He is there to make his newest movie Finding Altamira. The location is Spain. It’s hot and humid. She watches him getting closer, then with a sudden outcry she runs towards him. “Mr. Banderas, can I get your autograph? I am a big fan. My name is SandraLynn Team Florent! and I am here on a tour with my buddies from Writing.Com.” He nods, takes her hand and starts to sing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e-0nikgtGg They disappear together in the Spanish woods, never to be seen again. If you were to live under the ocean, what would you look like? What would you eat? Who or what would you interact with? Paint a picture of your life under the ocean. (BCoFs) I would be a fish, eating coral and totally enjoying myself. Eating, swimming, relaxing, and staying away from the big fish, or the hooks and nets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kj_vwleR6Q Day TWELVE "Give It 100!" |
| FOURTH day of backpacking across Europe with "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] It is EARLY and I mean EARLY for breakfast, but I am having a continental breakfast, which I love: scrambled eggs on toast and strong, strong coffee for me please. I take a few sandwiches in a doggy bag with me since I have to keep an eye on my blood sugar level. At 7 am, we are set for the train ride to Barcelona. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maTDgNPAgvM In less than 3 hours we are in Barcelona, I dozed off at the train but managed to chat with a few in our group. I love traveling by train, it makes me philosophical: Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown. Through them we pass out into adventure and sunshine, to them, alas! we return. E. M. Forster Barcelona by bus. I love it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-NmaPuZiJM The weather is beautiful. I hop off the bus at stop 12 to go to the Fundació Joan Miró, where I marvel at Miro’s paintings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vaayenk9meY Stop 14. Miramar-Jardins Costa i Llobera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feGAzoTiDLI Since it is another hot and humid day I go walking in this beautiful garden. I love cactus. And the shade. I combine my bus routes and stop also at Park Güell to visit the Antoni Gaudi House. I HAVE to visit since I make mosaic art myself sometimes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB2hAF928NE At the Picasso museum, I am interested in his famous works but I get more than I bargained for. A beautiful tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFJ4YfHzZ2U In the late afternoon a Spanish buffet while we watch Flamenco Dance. I am starved so I eat Coctel de Camarones (Shrimp Cocktail) and Mariscada Spain, Shellfish Casserole in red sauce with rice and a salad. Yummy! At night, Lynn has signed us up for Flamenco class. Focus on the heals, listen to the rhythm, one two three four and a little bit faster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW1Bcy5khiw I am in the class with Winnie and SandraLynn Team Florent! . There is a lot of giggling and feelings of inadequacy while we try to do the steps properly. I have absolutely no rhythm so after half an hour I watch the others. They are doing okay.The accomodation this time is a bit more luxurious so I am going to enjoy the Grand Marina hotel and its beautiful view. Good night to ya all! ** Image ID #2092270 Unavailable ** Day TWELVE "Give It 100!" |
| THIRD day of backpacking across Europe with "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Today’s walking tour of Avila: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfOrEJeZ6O0 I loved this! June-September are ideal months to visit Avila. Every year, at this time, the historic center of the city becomes a scene from the Middle Ages, with medieval talks and sessions, a street market, the Ronda de Leyendas (actors recreate legendary historic events in the street) and theatre performances on the city wall. Come and relive an extraordinary, magical period in this historic city. I sure am going to enjoy this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMcxEK5t4_k Then off again by bus to Segovia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4yo8qNcugU We had a Segovian lunch with pork, their specialty. ** Image ID #2092137 Unavailable ** I got talking with SB Musing and Kit . The latter comes originally from The Netherlands as I am. A great evening with lots of wine, soft drinks and tapas for a light dinner. When we were back in Madrid we had to rescue PandaPaws Licensed VetTech from a life in prison. All in all a very satisfying day. Tomorrow an early travel by train to Barcelona.Prompt: What are some of your favorite blog entries you have written? I want to hear about them.(BC) I only started blogging two months ago so I reread some of the stuff I wrote. I personally enjoyed writing my Welcome to my Reality series: "Welcome to my reality - One - " Prompt: I took a short walk around my neighborhood and saw... Tell me what you or your character saw. (BCoFs) I took a short walk around my neighborhood and I saw one shopping mall and one community park just within the ¼ mile radius. These are the two things in my neighborhood I like the best, they are the features why I love this area and wanted very much to live here 10 years ago. The shopping mall is very convenient since every shop is there and add some. Three supermarkets, many shops, my hairdresser’s and a few tearooms where you can sit and have some of your beverages. There is only one small white bookstore, which means they only sell some cheap books. It is the only thing I miss here, a decent bookstore, but for that and the rest I have to go to the city center 20 minutes away from here by tram. The city park is beautiful in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. It has a few lakes, lots of grassland, a few trees and park benches to sit on. I go there with my dog Arie. Strolling in the South park is very nice. In early years, it had an outside theater as well where I watched my first outdoor plays as a kid. They broke down that part of the park and they are building a new soccer stadium instead. Very nice to have a park this close to my house. Day ELEVEN "Give It 100!" |
| Prompt: Which do you enjoy more, reading about the lives of characters in fiction or non-fiction? Do you enjoy reading a book or a series of books that cover the entire lifespan of the main character or do you rather prefer only one or two impressive stories within a life? (BC) I prefer non-fiction in biographies covering the entire life span of the main character. I recall having enjoyed the life of Camille Claudel (1864–1943), the partner of Rodin, the famous sculptor. I also recently finished a biography of President Barack Obama. Interesting stuff. You get to know them very intimately. I like that. On my bucket list for next month is Into the heart by Kenneth Good & David Chanoff. About the twelve years into the Amazon of anthropologist Kenneth Good where he marries Yarima, a Yanomami-wife. Let's talk about fast food. McDonald's is making changes again, are these changes enough for you to be a regular customer? How important are fast food chains like McDonald's Burger King, Wendy's to your eating habits? How frequently do you indulge? If not what kind of quick option do you use?(BCoFs) When I visit Mac Donald’s I am not interested in their healthy food as if you can call their salads that. Then I am into the hamburgers and French fries. I must admit I am a fan of Mac D’s. I try not to go there too often since it is not good for me. However, I am enjoying the fast-paced service once a month I think. Sometimes when I have a date with friends to go to the movies I sneak in 5 minutes earlier at the Mac D. to stuff in a burger. It only coasts one euro and it is served within minutes. I like that. Day TEN "Give It 100!" |
| SECOND day of backpacking across Europe with "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] I meet up with you guys. Great. I hope to get a chance to be acquainted over the little breakfast. A typical Spanish breakfast might include café con leche - strong coffee with hot, frothy milk, bollos (sweet rolls) with jam, toast with jam or mild cheese, or simply "Maria" crackers dunked in hot milk. Then a visit to the Prado. The Prado Museum is Madrid's top cultural sight and one of the world's greatest art galleries. Located in the eponymous street, El Paseo del Prado, its dazzling display of works by the great European masters such as Velázquez, Goya, Raphael, Rubens, and Bosch (among other major Italian and Flemish artists), is housed in an 18th-century Neo-Classical building that opened as a museum in 1819. The Prado Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Nmv8TQBHw I totally love Hieronymus Bosch, since he is a Dutch painter. I never thought the Garden of Earthly Delights was this huge. It is so excitingly full of details, my head is spinning.  I loved the Segway tour too. I never saw a Segway before let alone use one and I struggled with my balance before I get the hang of it. But then…just fly away so very softly onto the streets of Madrid. Great architecture. We stopped for a break because there is this typical flamenco street dance we just had to check out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwO3aeBLtQ . I know I took a lot of pictures. I really wanted to visit the rooftop bars Madrid is so famous of. Great views over the city. And we drank delicious sangrias and mojitos. And ate the famous tapas for lunch. Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers and snacks that take many forms. Often served with some kind of bread, you’ll get everything from jamon, salmon, fried octopus, olives, and sardines sometimes combined with different types cheeses, sauces, and random toppings. Watch this spectacular 360 degrees panoramic view over Madrid. And some additional photos of the area. Stunning material. http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Madrid-Spain Then another highlight of mine: the Spanish food. I hoped we pick up a very nice little restaurant off the beaten path. And YES, I found the perfect place. I will take you on a culinary adventure in Restaurant DiverXo with Chef David Munoz. Dinner will never be the same. Enjoy. Not for the squeamish! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSzI_7lZ0Pc After this delightful day, we headed off to our bunk beds. Have a good night sleep. Buenas noches. Day TEN "Give It 100!" |
| Prompt: Right now I am looking up at the ceiling; when outside, I look up at the sky, the clouds, and the tops of trees. Do you ever look up, and what does looking up mean to you?(BC) No, I usually don’t look up while walking the streets for example. There are two reasons I always look down. First I have weak ankles. I tend to stumble and sprain my ankle if I am not careful. The slightest unevenness in the pavement causes a sprained ankle so I am always careful walking. The other reason is my dog Arie. Looking up to me means looking up to somebody I admire or love. On this site, I look up to a few writers. I won’t mention any names though; it is partly because I am a newbie still figuring things out, and because there are many awesome writers working this site. When I am a fan of somebody, I tend to look up to that person a little, without idolizing though since I don’t like that. That’s too much honor. We are all equal in the face of Life. But some people are more prone to greatness or are more lovable than others. Prompt: "My first poem was a bolt from the blue... it broke a spell of disillusion and suicidal despondence... it filled me with soul satisfying joy." - William Carlos Williams. Have you ever written something or encountered a piece of writing that filled your soul with joy. If you haven't had that type of experience when writing did you have it at any other time. Tell us about it. (BCoFs) Yes, I had that experience of feeling soul satisfying joy when I finished my first Dutch thriller 16 years ago. It contained 120 pages and its title was Molest. I had written it in a few months, writing day and night and experiencing that writers flow for the first time. It was mind bubbling. I loved that feeling. Unfortunately, that writing is lost in moving house and changing computers so I don’t have any copies of it. It is as if it doesn’t exist at all. Only in my memory, I have that notion of accomplishing a piece of art. Day NINE "Give It 100!" |
| PROLOGUE day of backpacking across Europe with "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] We will be in Madrid until Aug. 4th then we are onto Barcelona, then Montpelier, Monaco, Florence, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris ending in London. Your first prompt is packing your backpack and familiarizing yourself with staying at hostels. Have you ever done this before? What do you think they are like? Have you traveled in Europe before, what was it like if you have? If you haven't what are you hoping to explore? Wow, I am so excited: traveling in my backyard with a group of awesome writers for a whole month. I am going to pack my rucksack immediately and get myself familiarized with our first stay in Madrid, 1434 kilometers (892 miles) from here. What a great hostel you picked to accommodate us all Lyn's a Witchy Woman . I have never stayed in hostels before, only hotels and bed & breakfasts. I always think of hostels as only for the very young, with small (dirty?) sleeping accommodation in large dorm like facilities. But these rooms look great and fresh in Las Musas. Which means ‘the Muses’, and is so very appropriate for our group. Ahhh, I am going to love this month.  Sleeping with four or five in one room is going to be a challenge. But ofcorse we will not stay in the rooms other than to sleep. I for one am snoring a little bit. I think I prefer the down bunk if it’s going to be a bunk high sleeper, uno cama en alto in Spanish. I’ve got myself one mini dictionary Spanish-Dutch, Dutch-Spanish I will bring along. There is WIFI, so auntie Google is not far away. When I think of Madrid, I think of museums, history and great art. The temperature will be great too, low 16 (61) degrees, high 33 (91) degrees in August. I have been to Spain once before when I was twenty-five. I went with a girlfriend by bus to the coast. I had an incident with a young hotel guard there. What happened? I was in my hotel room listening to music on my headphone, dancing on “Road to nowhere”of the Talking Heads on the balcony, while my friend took a shower. I was totally into that music and lyrics. “We're on a road to nowhere, Come on inside,Taking that ride to nowhere,We'll take that ride, I'm feeling okay this morning, And you know, We're on the road to paradise, Here we go, here we go…” When suddenly I saw down under near the hotel entrance this young hotel guard chasing a stray dog AND KICKING IT several times! I was furious, steam coming out of my ears; I stumped out of the room, down to meet this young man. Ofcorse I didn’t speak Spanish and I didn’t want to start a fight or anything so the only thing I could come up with was sitting in front of the hotel lobby watching that hotel guard and staring him down for half an hour shouting : Anarchy, anarchy, since this young man’s uniform was in my face. I was so mad he was cruel to that dog, I could spit. At the end of our stay, I picked some flowers and put it near the entrance as a token of peace towards the guard. I think he never understood what that was all about.  Cruelty to animals is something I cannot bear. I know there are many strays in Spain and they are neglected or abused there. There are people who take those Spanish strays back to their country to sell them to dog lovers so they will have a good home, neutered and all. I totally support that. Day NINE "Give It 100!" ** Image ID #2091866 Unavailable ** |
A Poem and a quote from Federico García Lorca, a 20-century Spanish poet, to familiarize myself with Spain since we are traveling in Europe with "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" “Never let me lose the marvel of your statue-like eyes, or the accent the solitary rose of your breath places on my cheek at night. I am afraid of being, on this shore, a branchless trunk, and what I most regret is having no flower, pulp, or clay for the worm of my despair. If you are my hidden treasure, if you are my cross, my dampened pain, if I am a dog, and you alone my master, never let me lose what I have gained, and adorn the branches of your river with leaves of my estranged Autumn.” ― Federico García Lorca. “The artist, and particularly the poet, is always an anarchist in the best sense of the word. He must heed only the call that arises within him from three strong voices: the voice of death, with all its foreboding, the voice of love and the voice of art.” ― Federico García Lorca. See you in Europe! Day EIGHT "Give It 100!" |
| The thirtieth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Last Creation Saturday, you guys! How relieved are you to not have to do the "30-Day Blogging Challenge" or get these prompts anymore? Don't be shy. Ha, I am so scared to fall into that big black hole after 30-Day Blogging Challenge, I signed up immediately for the camping trip to Europe in August for the summer 30-Day Blogging Challenge. That’s how much I loved having those prompts every day. I thought they were excellent. Thanks Lyn's a Witchy Woman What's the difference between emotion versus feeling? How do you write the subtle differences on the page?(BC) Emotions play out in the theater of the body. Feelings play out in the theater of the mind. Dr. Sarah McKay Emotions are chemicals released in response to our interpretation of a specific trigger. It takes our brains about 1/4 second to identify the trigger, and about another 1/4 second to produce the chemicals. By the way, emotion chemicals are released throughout our bodies, not just in our brains, and they form a kind of feedback loop between our brains & bodies. They last for about six seconds. Feelings happen as we begin to integrate the emotion, to think about it, to “let it soak in.” In English, we use “feel” for both physical and emotional sensation — we can say we physically feel cold, but we can also emotionally feel cold. This is a clue to the meaning of “feeling,” it’s something we sense. Feelings are more “cognitively saturated” as the emotion chemicals are processed in our brains & bodies. Feelings are often fueled by a mix of emotions, and last for longer than emotions. (Joshua Freedman) Prompt: Amusement parks can be found everywhere. Are you fond of them and if so, what is your favorite ride and why?(BCoFs) I hate amusements parks. They are expensive, loud, noisy, too crowdy and full of cheap thrills. The food is usually terrible. Then again, I don’t have kids! If you have brats who want to go out with the whole family then amusement parks can be your thing. I like the parks where they have those electronic wrist devices for your little ones so they can’t get lost in the park and if they do you can trace them down. I am more of a zoo kind of person. Now zoos I like. Animal watching is one of my favorite pass times. As is people watching as a special kind of animal watching.Preferably in the sun on a terrace with a cold drink and good company. Day SEVEN "Give It 100!" |
| The twenty ninth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1773, the first schoolhouse to be located west of the Allegheny Mountains was built in Schoenbrunn, Ohio. What's one of your fondest memories from the early days of your schooling? When I was four years old, I attended kindergarten. I sometimes think back on that period meeting up with Marcelino, my best friend with whom I was going to marry. He was blond with curly hair. We played together all the time, outside in the sand pit or inside the school. It is one of my my earliest memories. Prompt: I was reading a writing prompt on Writing.Com when suddenly... I don't know where you're going to take us but I'm looking forward to the journey. (BcoFs) I was reading a writing prompt on Writing.Com when suddenly I had to yawn so hard it split my jaw into two. On yawning: “Just do it. Now.” ― M. Yeats  I think this is funny (I need to explain this, why?) because you cannot yawn at will, it’s an involuntary action, second you cannot yawn if your jaws is broken. Now it’s no longer funny!  Prompt: What's the best way to help someone when they are having a crisis? Your input matters. Is it more important to pitch right in, or better to offer solutions and let them resolve it their own way. Where do you draw the line at meddling.(BC) On a personal note: My middle son and family had a fire last night, they lost their garage and wood working shop. Thankfully, it did not spread to their home. Everyone is safe! The fire marshal said it was an electrical issue because of the extreme heat issues where they reside. I am not good at meddling, I like to leave people be and offer my assistance when they need or want me to help. In acute crisis like a fire, I would offer immediate help ofcorse. Alternatively, when I can do something that makes a real difference I would do it. But under normal circumstances I would wait until the other party invites me to bud in. Day SIX "Give It 100!" |
| The twenty eighth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Wildcard Thursday! Bullying. Is there a place for it, and if so, why? There is no place for bullying. I think it is one of the worst things that can happen to people, whether kids or adults. It is the thing that comes closest to warfare. It should be banned, root and all. In recent years, a series of bullying-related suicides in the US and across the globe have drawn attention to the connection between bullying and suicide. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University. A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying. 10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide, according to the study above. According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying (bullyingstatistics.org). Prompt: "That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." Emily Dickinson. How do you feel about this?(BC) I have no way of telling if this is true or false, but sometimes I think that we are here for the long haul. That we as people come back numerous times in different bodies to learn from our past mistakes. It’s called Karma and it has to do with reincarnation. I sometimes believe in that because I think Life is about conservation of energy. Why set up this marvelous mechanism for the duration of one lifetime? Perhaps our souls travel through time in order to pass these stages of becoming, before entering the eternal bliss. So I just moved into my very first apartment. Tell me about the first time you moved out on your own. (…) Use your creativity and paint the picture of what this looks like for your readers. (BCoFs) One Thursday morning in 1979, I was seventeen and didn’t want to go to school that morning because we had a boring class of gymnastics. I got in a terrible, terrible fight over it with my mother, and I run away from home. I never went back. That fight was the end of a long and bad childhood period. I went to my boyfriend’s family home, and slept there one night but we decided it was best for me to move to the house of friends. That family took me in for another couple of nights. One day I was telling my predicament to a girlfriend of the mother of my friends. She took it upon herself to offer me a very small room in her apartment. I think it was 16,5 square feet. That’s when I moved to my first real room outside the house. I had no money so she didn’t charge me anything until I had set up a financial plan. I stayed with her for almost one year until my boyfriend and I got our own apartment next door. Fortunately, the relationship with my parents got better after a few years. Day FIVE "Give It 100!" (It's my birthday today, so drinks and cup cakes are on me.) |
| The twenty seventh day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] If you were the wind, what type of wind would you be? I would like to be the sea breeze. I love walking the beach and sitting on a wooden deck chair in the cool sea breeze. Living only 20 minutes by bike or bus from the shore would make that a favorite pass time but I hardly go there. It's on my bucket list for this summer. Some family members live up north in Friesland where there is lots of water and good winds. They all sail and have their own boats. The summer of my seventeenth birthday, I took a sailing course in Friesland. It took me a week on a sailing camp. I passed the theory exam but I failed the practical exam. I had trouble with adjusting to the wind. Pity! But the story of my life. I always have had some trouble adjusting to the winds. Prompt: Use this quote for inspiration to write a poem or story. I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. Jimmy Dean. (BC) It seems this is not a quote for me since I’ve always tried to change the direction of the wind in my life. Of corse, I had to find out the hard way that’s not the way to go about this. You have to adjust to the wind, not the other way around. It took me some time fighting the wind before I could go with the flow of it. This is a quote for wise old people, when you are young, you don’t know. At least that was the case in my life. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy fighting with people and situations only to find out that is not the way. But it made me stronger. That’s for sure. Prompt: "Youth is, after all just a moment but it is the moment, the spark that you always carry in your heart." Raisa Gorbachey Do you agree? Write about this. (BC) I am not sure about this quote either. I think youth is just another phase in life. Now I am not thinking it particularly important. But maybe when you are at the end of your life you tend to look back and find that youth is a special period in time. Youth is special to old people. When you are young yourself it can be a very difficult period. Many young people have difficulties with adjusting and finding their place in the realm of life. It’s by falling down and standing up again on your own two feet, you learn about life. It can be painful and a bitter experience. Only now, in my second wind, I am learning! “You could not stop the winds and you could not stop Time. It went on and on,-and on.” ― Bess Streeter Aldrich Day FOUR "Give It 100!" |
It is dark outside, the bats just left circling the building. It is the end of yet another lovely summer’s day. Not much happened today, I’ve got my writing covered, and my plans made so it’s less hectic then a few weeks ago. Things are settling down on WdC for me. Next week I will be active for two months on WdC and summer camp is about to start. I am participating in "I Write in August-September-October" [ASR] and am in the third day of "Give It 100!" writing my daily blog.A nice surprise today: I got another merit badge for reviewing. I always love it when someone is gifting me with one. It does feel special every time. The day after tomorrow is my birthday. I am not celebrating, had a guest stay over last weekend and am going to the movies with my brother this coming weekend. He is buying me a thesaurus so that’s wonderful. I am going to need that to improve my vocabulary. I have to expand my knowledge of English idiom, grammar and spelling too in order to keep up with this site. Fortunately, there is more to writing then solely correct use of language. Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar. E. B. White Still, I found 11 key grammar rules. 1. Use active voice - Mary walked the dog 2. Link ideas with a conjunction - for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so 3. Use a comma to connect two ideas as one - Mary fed her dog, and I drank tea. 4. Use a serial comma in a list- Pete has dogs, birds, and a lizard 5. Use the semicolon to join two ideas- Mary's dog is hyperactive; it won't stop barking or sit still. 6. Use the simple present tense for habitual action - Mary likes dogs 7. Use the present progressing tense for current action - I am drinking Lapsang Souchong tea. 8. Add ‘ed’ to verbs for the past tense - Mary played fetch with her hyperactive dog. 9. Use present perfect tense for the unfinished past - Mary has walked her hyperactive poodle 100 times this week. 10. Use present perfect progressive tense for unfinished action and past - I have been drinking tea all day. 11. Use past perfect tense for the first of two past actions - I had not yet eaten breakfast when Mary walked her dog. Hopefully I am able to use them correctly. It’s been a long time since high school.  |
| The Twenty sixth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Talk Tuesday! What's your take on celebrity gossip? Frankly, I am not that interested or keen on gossip let alone celebrity gossip. I think it is a rather cheap way of doing journalism and although there is a market for it I don’t like it most of the time. Celebrities are people like us and although it’s part of their job to be in the eye of the storm, they have their rights to privacy. Nowadays there are people who are plugged into being celebrities although it remains totally obscure what it is that they did that makes them that important. Most of the time it is nonsense so I am not bothered unless I am at the dentist, then I will read one of those gossip glossies. It always reminds me of the terrible accident of Princess Diana of Great Britain in 1997 who was followed by paparazzi and was killed in a car crash in Paris, France. That’s what celebrity gossip is made of. To be ignored! Prompt: The definition for xenophobia is: we tend to fear what we don’t know, and we exaggerate what we’re afraid of. I have the suspicion that the horror genre was born out of this type of exaggerated thinking. Do you agree? (BC) Xenophobia is an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that, which is foreign, or strange. Horror is a genre of fiction, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle their readers or viewers by inducing feelings of horror, terror and fear. The genre of horror has ancient origins with roots in folklore and religious traditions, focusing on death, the afterlife, evil, the demonic and the principle of the thing embodied in the person. The brain tends to like horror because it kicks into the system. I personally am only fond of the more sophisticated, intelligent genre, like the work of Stephen King. Slash movies and the Nightmare on Elm street type of sequels with lots of gore and blood I don’t like. It’s too scary to my taste. So Yes, I think that the horror genre is born out of exaggeration of our (primal) fears. I also think it is one of the most difficult genres to write. The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. H.P. Lovecraft. Day THREE "Give It 100!" |
| Analogy Parents and their young child - the sky is bleak, the food is scarce, their home taken away… In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register to ensure that everyone was paying taxes. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. (A journey of about 70 miles. The journey would have taken about three days .) He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:1-7 “We are just like Joseph and Mary”, Keith turned to Kim who had the little boy in her lap. “Osho is born just two days ago; we should rejoice and be happy”. “How can we?” replied Kim, looking worried.” We live in our car; we don’t have a house, practically no money. What should we do?” “We drive to The Hague to The Mauritshuis, the local museum there. We watch The Young bull by Paulus Potter and hide in the painting. Excellent painting to set up camp. What do you think?” Kim thought about this for a moment. “Okay, let’s do it.” ** Image ID #2091078 Unavailable ** Note ▼ Word count: 261 -----0----- Without title Oh, would Light pink soiled squares Shiver in use Then it would be all right When over the mountain tops it Scorches of rain Is it enough to hear How thousand elephants Wagtails Crackers spit fire It whiffles, storms with thunder Lots of noise, making sound Expectorate to nothing out of my ears One hair standing tall On my skin, I tremble Soundless saturated Note ▼ Lines: 16 |
| Blogging fragments (fiction). 13.51 pm - I am sitting on my boat in the small port of Leidschendam. The weather is fine. The sun is lovely and there is just the right amount of wind. Life is good on the water. My dog is with me. 14.21 pm - The air is saturated and smells of a familiar scent fill my nose: slightly sulfury, with just a pinch of green, and a briny finish. It was the smell of the seashore,but I wasn't actually at the seashore. I am waiting for the bridge to open and let us through. So I decided to sit on a terrace and drank a long drink. 16.39 pm.- The earth moved while we were enjoying the good weather on shore. An earthquake? No, it was the long metal ladder of a platform that got loose somehow. It came down with a lot of noise. Fortunately nobody got hurt. A lot of damage though. I got a free meal for the scare and am on my way again. We’ve got ourselves all fired up and ready to explore. Note ▼ Word count: 181 Losing friends When I think of those I left Behind - I cry a little, I die A little. Where are you now? B & A, my allies Long ago. Abandoned Why did you go When I called you both You know. Years gone by, seasons Long gone. Heart my Soul, memories of past Float in the sky. No need for tears! Over & out Losing friends Said goodbye. Note ▼ Lines: 16 |
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