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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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Finishing up: 19. What makes you laugh? Not what others consider funny. I don't watch Hollywood comedies. I was raised on Lucy, so some of her antics still make me smile. Why? It was her delivery. Robin Williams too ... especially when he wasn't trying to be funny. I suspect the unexpected tickles me the most. I do laugh ... but not on cue. 24. How do you deal with negative comments? Not well. I am easily bruised. I do try to brush it off but without a support system surrounding me (people die, move away, become ghosts) I get defensive and wounded. A lot of that unfortunate responsegoes back to my childhood and lack of self-confidence. By nice comments cheer me up, especially unexpected ones for strangers. 25. Who or what keeps you calm? Kevin helped for years. Hearing Gary's voice would be great... but covid... I can't focus properly on anything so writing and depression napping has been my crutch. Not good but it is what it is. I keep track of my temp and blood pressure and have a bp pill to take when it's high. But calm? Not really in my nature. 28. Are you easily frustrated? What is that frustrates you? Yep. Ever since I was a child and couldn't see well enough to find my glasses. Still can't. I misplace things all the time. But I live alone so I have no one to help me. If it's something important it'seven worse. Stupidity also frustrates me: my own and other's. I resent having to play fact-checker with adults who refuse to check anything. I need to learn to just let go and not make it my problem. 29. Do you find yourself feeling guilty over things that are beyond your control? I was born guilty. Guilty of what? I'm not so sure. Guilty of not being pure (as in German), not being abled as a child (I was small, weak, glasses at age 6), not fitting in? I'm always guilty. Part of it comes from being HSP, caring, easily overwhelmed. I can't easily brush off the notion that somehow I could've said or done things differently. Then out of fear or shame ... I avoid confronting those things. 33. What do you miss the most? The 1980s ... (but not going numb in '86... or waking up in the hospital in '88). The 1990s were better. I miss having a circle of friends I can play cards with, having parties in my house and huge events in my garden. I don't miss my insanity... bad enough to have flashbacks. I missbeing apart of people's lives. 34. What do you need the most in life? To connect. I especially feel estranged these last 8 months. I need movement. No movement these last 8 months; I barely go out. Movement is life. Connection sustains life. I could use perspective. What I don't need is drama (although I know I'm alive when it's present) soto flip that ... I need calm around me so I can deal better with inner turmoils. 35. What makes you feel better? Finishing something. Like this challenge! I decided to finish it today. I'mnot good at wrapping things up. I have a million ideas I don't follow through with. Any and every accomplishment is a cause for celebration. I was so thrilled to graduate form university for instance. Not knowing what I'm doing leads to anxiety. So when I travel my nerves shatter until I purchase the ticket. And I'm so much calmer once I'm seated on a plane. Anticipation = anxiety for me. Closure is better. 41. Do you have mood swings? What do you think causes them? I'm very emotional and HSP so I feel everything more intensely. I go deep into depression at times and feel like Eeyore. Cause? I am also low energy soit'shard at times when I'm both. But I'm easily amused and animated. I show how I feel. You'll know it! I suspect coffee doesn't help. I'd worry more if I seem manic. It's as if my motor is running by I'm not in gear. Sunshine... It's bitter cold today but the sun streaming in helps lift my energy and mood. 43. Do you find it easy to talk about your feelings, or do you bottle things up? Both. There are things I'm afraid to share. Wether from shame or afeeling of guilt. Then again... it's obvious to everyone when I'm upset. I can be read like a book even before I open my mouth. Do I share that I'm upset? Yep. The actual reasons why? Not always. Can I smile, laugh or cry? Yep, especially cry. I was born with a smile so that doesn't count. Questions I didn't answer on October's list: 26. Do you carry emotional baggage? Yes. How do you deal with this? Not well. 27. Are your emotions unbalanced? Yes. How can you address this? A therapist would help. 38. Do your emotions motivate you? Yes. Is this in a positive or negative way? Both. 39. What causes you to be anxious? Uncertainty. 40. What makes you joyful? Small things |
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 lifeinsurancenet.info@identityremains.< I found some bones in my basement. Any suggestions? Carl: We only insure living people. < Well, my great aunt had a policy that was never cashed in. She's been missing for 5 years. Carl: Did you file a missing person's report? < No. We assumed she had moved to get away from all of us. She was an ornery old cuss. Her name is Cassandra Stoughton Howard. Could you check? Carl: When was she born? < 1930 I think. Her birthday was April 2nd. She never celebrated it but it's in the family bible. Carl: Do you have a relative by the name of Felicia? < Yes. Why do you ask? Carl: She signed for your aunt when she cashed the policy 4 years ago. The signature matches. < Funny you should ask that. She's never said anything. Lives in the same ratty old house and vacations at the same beach cottage every July. As meek and mild as a church mouse and as poor. Carl: Well, I'd call the police and ask them to check into those bones. How did you find them? < My wife won't go into the basement and I'm not fond of spiders and snakes. But I needed to check the furnace and decided to look around. Found an old sack in the corner closet where my great grandfather kept canned tomatoes and pickles. Found a couple unopened jars. But that sack didn't look empty. It wasn't. Found the bones. Carl: You really should call the police. If there's anything suspicious give us a call. Your aunt... had a large policy. What's your address? <  12808 Hazard Ave. Way out in the boonies. It once was a farm.Carl: Are you home today? < Yep. Going nowhere. Carl: Good I'll call the police to ask them to investigate just to be sure. Call us if they find anything. < You betcha. Could just be a fake Halloween skeleton or an old dog. Family always kept a few. I didn't look too close. Guess I'd better tell the Missus we're having company. She's not going to be happy. She's like old Aunt Cassie. Almost as ornery and doesn't like company. © Kåre Enga [177.268] (25.oktober.2020) Only 2 to go from these 4 remaining prompts: *Drbag* Dr. Fangman *Stop* Porcupine Pt. *Mailr* hairtherapy@gilbertneurolgy.com *Mailr* politicalwatch@appliancerepairscottsdaleaz.com Note: guess I could do this in reverse like emails usually are, but that's a lot of extra work. Which I did trimming it down to 300 words in
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| "Can your dreams be long if your life is short?" Albert asked his teacher in a calm even voice, knowing she couldn't answer. He could. He dreamed of being an astronaut and setting up a colony in Mars. He even asked his science teacher how he could extract water. His teacher laughed, "Ask your Dutch father." So he did, but tears got in the way. Not his, never his. His dad's. His mom had grown up in Indonesia on a small island. She would only smile and say, "Just find enough to drink but not too much." She feared tsunamis. The teacher stood there stunned. His friend Samantha waved her hand and blurted out, "I can." Jimmy gasped; no one dared move or say a word. "Even a fruit fly dreams of fruit. A short dream maybe but just as good. Lots of fruit means lots of flies which means lots of dreams." The teacher sat down and put her head in her hands. Jimmy started to cry. "I going to go to Mars someday." Albert said this in a soft steady voice. "When I die next summer my parents are going to put me in a container and have me sent there." Now Samantha began to cry. "It's my fondest dream." |
I responded to n.lea  You write: "The ocean and the beach have always been a place of calm amidst the chaos if my life growing up. The lulling sound of waves crashing and lapping at the shore in it's irregular regularity, like the time in music was a grounding me." << This phrase already uses poetic devices. It can be used to create another poem... or as an intro to a chapbook of poems on this theme. Write a poem every day for a month or every week for a year and you will soon have enough for a small tome.Thank-you for responding. I rarely do regular reviews because they end up sounding too harsh and I don't want to poison other readers by my low ratings. Also, some things I know little about (like writing a novel... don't ask about NaNoWriMo... I'm struggling.) But poetry... too many years listening to my Muse... [edited below] 1. Concrete is better than abstract in my opinion (imo). Specific concrete nouns like maple/elm/oak are better than tree (unless you are Joyce Kilmer) and Burns may be able to get away with "a rose is a rose is a rose" but we can't. (I know I've written about the very fragrant lavender rose "Angel Face" ... somewhere. And roses have thorns, stems, leaves, hips and are used as hedge rows, potpourri, perfume, jelly) 2. Senses ...especially if it's an unexpected one. In Japan "sakura" is the iconic cherry, "hanami" is the season. But both usually refer to the beauty of blossoms not the taste of plum wine, deer drunk on rotting fruit, the flies that gather, the sound of a ripe or unripe plum hitting/splatting the ground, the smell/taste of cherry juice, the texture of the bark. A surprise is good. 3. Anglo-saxon words tend to be short; Latin words are long. This effects the rhythm and rhyme as well as its poetic impact (and age group written for), better short and transparent imo unless it's poetic philosophy. And it's better not to write in legalese unless that's the intended audience. Rare is the essay that waxes poetic! Legal brief? Nevuh. 4. One can show or tell. Showing and evoking emotion is used a lot in Eastern forms. But... "rage rage against the dying of the light!" In telling his father to fight off Death, Dylan Thomas taps into the human angst over dying; but, it's still evokes our own emotions. HOWEVER, writing a poem and then adding lines to tell the reader what they are supposed to get from it is great in marketing but unacceptable in poetry. Author 'self-critiques' or 'didactic lesson plans' should be kept separate. Many poems end before they end. 'Wrapping it up' is an echo of a homework assignment. 5. Language... repetition like rhythm and rhyme even line/refrain; assonance, consonance, alliteration... all important. Weak words such as 'the' may occasionally help with rhythm if there is no other option but in general take them out. Same with 'is'. 'Is' is just an equal sign and adds nothing; active verbs are important. Adjectives and adverbs? Subordinate clauses? Unless they add 'something' they can be limited or dispensed with. Syntax? Don't torture to rhyme. There are better options. Like free verse where any rhymes don't come at the end of lines. Very freeing. 6. Truth. The only truth that matters is the internal truth of the poem. A poet isn't a lawyer. The house is/was 'green'? Maybe true; but you need something more specific or with a different cadence or more syllables or needto evoke a certain emotion? Try 'chartreuse', 'hunter', 'aquamarine' ... or even 'ultramarine with a blush of maroon'. It doesn't usually matter what it is in real life. The poem has it's own inner reality. Well, enough yadayadayada ... |
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 Dr. Croissant Ricotta Vascular Lab"Where the Big Cheese Cleans You Out" I'm looking for Rotor-rooter man. Plugged drain? Nope. Plugged veins. Ah ... Dr. Croissant's office is down the street next to the pizza place. Which one? Only one in this one-horse town. *__* What's clogged? Seems my legs don't work as well as before. Doc back home thought I should have my veins checked. Where's home. Rochester. My uncle has a pizza place there. Le Pizza? No, Marchione's. May be why my pipes are plugged. I love greasy pizza, the greasier the better. Next time order their Sicilian white pizza, best with just a sprinkle of anchovies. Fish and olive oils are better for you. Do you order with double cheese? Triple. That may be your problem! So let's check out those veins. Afterwards you can go next door to Miguela's. She my aunt. I'll send over a prescription for no meat, no cheese. She makes an awesome spinach pizza with pinole. For:
A free-verse poem about the life of an everyday person. "The Writer's Life"  by lexos02 Mini-review: Ars poetica: a writer writing about writing. We all do it! What I like: "the page stays blank ... the story just ends." Yep. It shows promise but it's not overly poetic. Lines of subject-verb-object-period don't work well for poetry. And it reads like a list at first, although it gets better. Sometimes adverbs like "finally" distract; it distracted me; it can get its point across without this *sigh*. I give it a 3.5 at this point. With stronger words and poetics it could be a 4. Prompt: Write about your life as a writer. I won more than once this week.
.  Isn't that badge pretty? I write for badges! And tonight I decided to write a quick flash fiction. The key is to drop the reader into a scene and evoke some kind of reaction. Not as easy to do as it seems and I'm still hit-and-miss. But tonight I won for: " Stuck at home again [263] (268 words)" for "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" . Arakun the Twisted Raccoon  has been running this for years. I highly recommend reading a few and then writing one yourself... one-a-day for a month  . It's the only way to learn. Ask Jacky Hugh Wesley dragonwoman  or even my friend QueenNormaJeanGreeneggs&vegham  how that works. Persistance is a virtue. I'm writing a lot because I can't travel, I'm depressed, I'm bored and I have too much time on my hands. My Muse seems to be happy with this even if I'm not thrilled. So two hot flashes in one day (the above is flash) and two poems completed but not posted yet. AND TOO MUCH TO DO before deadlines at the end of the month. I could go on and on ... and I have in multiple blogs. 3,105 |
| Those who believe in the Goddess seem to be more peaceful. Yes, there are Goddesses of War like Athena and yes, there are many belligerent and bellicose women but war seems to be linked to masculinity in Western culture and nature/nuture to female fertility. For "Space Blog" "The peace she brings" by n.lea A mini-review. "I need" need only be mentoned once. The idea is fine but an idea doesn't make it something poetry... no matter how good. It needs to be rethought, redone. Until then it needs no rating. Another recent poem "Waiting on paper" shows more promise although it needs editing as well and either regular grammar or some defiant reason to break the rules (otherwise it comes off as sloppy) and imho, it's salvageable.Prompt: Write about the beach and peace. The Ocean is mighty ... and does not evoke peace. The inner fjords of Sogn og Fjordane are calm, clear, cool, peaceful. Small lakes can be peaceful. A loon in the evening, a shimmer of moonlight. I don't think of 'beaches' being calm or peaceful though. For "Welcome To My Reality Forum" 54. How do you deal with emotional pain? I avoid. I curl up. I withdraw. I've been known to reach out and that has helped on occasion but I'm more likely to just sleep it away. 55. What do you love about life? Dying? Maybe the opportunity to learn? Cashews? Since I know little to nothing about dying I can't compare, can I? Right now I have little to live for. I feel estranged from the living in many ways. It's not a happy time. I live for connections so even collecting leaves and scoring chocolate milk on sale counts for something... but that doesn't answer the question. 3.103 |
| For: "Space Blog" from: "Beauty" by Nikola~Ugh Summer!  Hard to rate/review this short musing from 2004. It's pleasant enough and could be a good Space Cadet prompt. I can imagine a planet setting or character being inspired by this wonderful image: Safe in its haven of harsh thorns, the rose offers the promise of grace amid chaos. Would the Crew be lost in the sensation? Hmm... That said, the poem is pleasant but weak poetically. 'fingers' would be better than 'senses'; too generic (a rose is a rose is a rose has been done before); words like 'the' and 'is' provide no action nor specificity. To strengthen it would have to be transformed. As is I give it a 3.5. Write about beauty in your Blog entry today. I've written about 'beauty' too many times before ... and will again, but not at this moment. However, a Baha'i prayer would be uplifting: O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action, and remembrance of Thee my companion, and the power of Thy sovereignty my succorer, and Thy habitation my home, and my dwelling-place the seat Thou hast sanctified from the limitations imposed upon them who are shut out as by a veil from Thee. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful. — Bahá’u’lláh For: "Welcome To My Reality Forum" 13. Do you deal well with change? Yes and no. I've had to be flexible when traveling which I handled, but not necessarily with grace. I've learned that I may not always thrive when I'm traumatized and that wounds may not heal but somehow at the end of the day I'm still here, there or somewhere. I will survive! Costa Rica and being homeless were two instances of survival. A case of thriving was landing in Oklahoma ... I actually did well; same with U Kansas. Covid is really pushing my buttons... and not in a good way. 14. How do you cope with stressful situations? Again... not well; but stressful for me isn't necessarily a problem for someone else. If I am with someone who knows what to say or do then I may as well let go and let them handle it. At home or alone? Distraction. Breathing. Knowing 'this too shall pass'. Unfortunately ... sleeping. I'm avoidant as times, easily hurt and curl up and become invisible or coccon. If I deal with it... that pent up stress tends to dissipate. |
The following dialogue-only is for:
Pee please Golden State Urology 100 South Kitchen-Dick Road East Helena, Montana 59626 So you're from California I see. Yep. Moved to Montucky twenty years ago. And you didn't leave yet? Nope. All the rich folk moved to Kalispell and Bozeman. I got stuck here in Hell. Seen any gold? Only pee.  "We will booze" seems to be the state motto. It comes out all colors. So what can you tell me about my pee? Drink less beer and coffee and more water. Don't you tell that to everyone? Yep. And I'm right most of the time. How did a nice gal like you ever end up in a place like this? I like shoving tubes up men's dicks. Umm... It's a job. Pays well and as much as some men are dicks they're pussies when they walk in that door. Amazing how pain can change a man's attitude. So... how about me. Drink more water. You were only dehydrated. No problems. But if you have any pain contact us immediately. Any bladder, kidney, urinary track infection can be both painful and serious. You're fortunate. Today that is. You free Friday night? I only date men who piss out a rainbow, honey. Like... Like otherwise my wife get's jealous. © Kåre Enga [177.259] (20.oktober.2020) For
Cruising through WDC today we found a new star less than three months old. "A lesson for life" by Vertika Saxena The writer's bio-block states: "Always curious to learn something new.....deep reader.....observer...a great designer (second place of interest), first is of course writing!!...a dedicated traveler..." I'd love to see some travel writing or comments. As a writer (I read the other posted items) I would suggest the new free verse forum by Brian K Compton  as the poetry fits best into that 'form'. Editing this work with free verse in mind would help. That said, this poem suffers from a very common malady here on WDC. IMHO, the words 'the' and 'is' should be banned. It truly weakens poetry. It starts out good: Let me just shut my view and locate my stars, to find out if I am honest enough with my love and past. but needs tightening up (in other words a good edit). Regardless, it shows promise. I'd give it a 3.5 at this stage. Space Blog Prompt: What experiences have you gained from life? Well... 3,000 blog entries so... have a good time reading them! The question is far too broad to answer. For: "Welcome To My Reality Forum" 1. Your Thoughts, Feelings, Emotions: I recently stopped writing in my journal after 15+ years and 50k+ pages. I kept track of all types of assorted minutiae. Staying at home for 8 months, barely going outside, there's little to write about. Maybe if I were to sit in the window I could sketch what I see with words but I have little interaction with people. 2. What makes you feel at peace? I'm not sure what that feels like. Certainly the opposite of stressed or overwhelmed. Calm, tranquil? The political upheaval isn't peaceful. I know deep within that this too shall pass as war and genocide always subside. But peace is not merely the end of war ... the unresolved injustices will recycle the human condition until humanity decides that unity is a far better way forward. For me focusing out (like noticing nature) helps stabilize myself as belonging here, a small entity in a big universe. |
| Spring? A mini-review of "Invalid Item" by Bruce.  Ah... Springtime in Surrey? In any case, although I like the sonnet and give it a 4.0 rating, its language is weak. What tree is blooming? Whitethorn, apple, plum? 'blossoms festoon whitethorn' perhaps. And could it be 'hyacinths' or 'lilacs' instead of 'spring flowers'? Why mention 'winter'; why not 'frost' or some other sign of winter. Instead of 'in the young hearts' why not 'in throbbing/budding/bursting hearts' or some other sign of action instead of merely descriptive and static adjectives. For that matter... every 'is' and 'the' needs to be struck. So much could be done to make this less generic! A stronger title could be "Springtime in Surrey" with no need to use the word 'spring' again in the text. The reader would know where and when. Do you have a May festival like in Derbyshire? Specificity is best. Adding a fragrance would be a nice touch; it already has sights and sounds. "Space Blog" "What is your favorite season and why is it your favorite?Spring. As in the Month of May. Where I grew up March was the cruel step-mother and April its cruel offspring. May was misty and warming, never too hot nor too cold. Any snow was a final kiss that melted in a day. Plus, all the flowers and new growth on the trees. And the first smell of freshly mown grass. May was a nice month elsewhere as well. Kansas = warm spring. Costa Rica = hot and humid and buggy after the first rains, but green and no longer dusty. Montana is nice in May, a warm green spring. For "Welcome To My Reality Forum" 3. What would make you happy right now? Hearing my friend Gary's voice. Always happy to connect with someone who is wind and water (think glacial). As a lava rock (earth and fire) I appreciate his unruffled demeanor. With coffee in my cup and sun shining through the windows on this cool day that would cheer me up. 4. How do you feel right at this moment? Okay... so much writing to do. So not completely calm. A bit on edge but my blood pressure and temperature seems okay (both yo-yo) so I should be grateful. I'm a tad overwhelmed but not to the extent that I was over the summer. 7. What makes you sad? Everything. A sense of loss. Health slipping away and the realization that I can't get it back. The loss of friends and family most of all. Joyce and Lavinia died (Ron too) so I can't tell them that I miss them. I'm not in touch with people like I'm used to when I travel or when I can hang out in a cafe. Many of the young people I once knew have flown away. Life goes on. I feel left behind. 8. What do you need to let go of? So many things. I've let my journal go (after over 15 years and 50,000 pages). I need to let go of family and friends. They aren't interested in me. I'm letting go of the idea of ever being a writer according to the world. I must be satisfied with writing for myself...  I need to let go of the notion that I can travel without some serious forethought.9. What makes you angry? How do you deal with your anger? Fear perhaps. A sense of losing control. Memory loss does not help. I may need to impose some routines on myself (like where I set my glasses down). The last 8 months have been full of free floating anxiety and the injustice of not being able to travel or even prove that I am safe to travel. And the sheer costs that limit a budget traveler. Deal with it? Not well. I try to avoid people when I'm overly angry. 10. What cheers you up when you are feeling down? Any small kindness. And weather events like the first snow. Any unexpected good news. A postcard in the mail for instance. Elle - on hiatus sent me a card from New Zealand and I must write a few for the Snail-Mail group "The Snail Mail Forum" . I picked up 6 Montana postcards last Saturday. No excuses! Sunshine helps as autumn fades into winter. 3.061 |
| (\_/) ( •_•) / >  I love my purple tomato.(\_/) ( •_•) / >  I love my new red eggplant.(\_/) ( •_•) / >🥕 I'll always remember scarlett_o_h. Look what she gave me! (\_/) ( •_•) / >  Lots of family = lots of love.(\_/) ( •_•) / >  Call me come March. Prostate Laser Center Dr. Fail Rabbit Run, Rhode Island"What's up, doc?" "You're not a rascally rabbit any more." "Then what am I?" "A dead bunny if you don't start taking care or yourself." "I'm only 97!" "Yeah, but you won't live to be 100 if you don't pay attention. Take this prescription and come back in 6 months. I want to monitor that growth. I don't want to operate unless necessary. If you have any problems peeing call and I'll see you before then." "Well my grandfather lived to be 104 and never complained." "And your father?" "38, but he fell off a tractor. Uncle Rafa..." "Just behave." "Why bother?" *sigh* "Was your grandfather as ornery as you are?" "Yep." "What did he die of?" "Followed the chicken across the road. Next silly question?" "Just take these pills and I'll see you in 6 months if not before then.' "Not if I can help it!" For:
3.055 |
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