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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Welcome to my blog on Writing.com Enjoy your visit |
| ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 25, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1492, the crew of the Pinta (one of Christopher Columbus' ships) mistakenly thought that they had spotted land. Your prompt: When has a trip of any sort not turned out as initially expected?   Stay-cations, that's the place for me. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] This brings to mind a funny story, from a few years back. (1995?) It was Super Bowl Sunday, The National Football League's (NFL) championship game. The NFL is very popular with sports fans here in Canada. The Super Bowl game was being played in Miami, Florida. Early that morning the local "rock" FM radio station, 92 CITI FM began making the following announcement. "We just acquired the biggest prize award in radio history, and were giving it away right now. All that you have to do to win it - is to come down to the radio station right now and claim the prize. The prize is...An all inclusive trip to Miami to see the Super Bowl. The game takes place tonight, so you have to get down here right away to claim your seat for the trip to Miami. It's first come- first served, so hurry up, and get down here, and claim your seat for a trip to Miami to see the Super Bowl." The announcement went on for only a short time, with each subsequent announcement, urgency was stressed, with reports like... The seats are filling up, hurry up and get down here! There will never be another prize like this. If you want to go see the Super Bowl in Miami, you'll have to get down here fast! What really happened - The radio station was able to fill to capacity, a chartered bus, with would be winners of an all inclusive trip to Miami, Florida to see the Super Bowl game. BUT they NEVER said Miami, Florida. So... They took an entire bus load of listeners to Miami, Manitoba ( a small town, Seventy-five miles south of Winnipeg - [POP - 1,500]) to watch the Super Bowl game on TV in a local bar. The people that showed up for the trip weren't too badly upset, as the radio station did provide meals, game snacks, and a free bar to all of the winners. Some of the people who went to this, were later interviewed on the TV news. Although they were a bit disappointed they didn't actually go to Miami Florida, they did admit, it was still a pretty good day, and they had fun. Have a nice weekend! Joel ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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| ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 24, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge The Wildcard Round! 5000 GPs to the random winner! Your prompt: Have you ever had to politely thank someone for something you would've normally found to be unwanted or offensive? How would you handle a situation like that? Tough crowd - I'm here all week. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Fitting that my blog entry is birthday related. A few years ago, around this very same time, I celebrated my fiftieth birthday. Historically my birthday, hasn't always been a very good day. September twenty-fourth marks the day of some other less celebratory events. But my fiftieth birthday, shared the day of The Winnipeg Jets, playing their first (pre-season) hockey game in the National Hockey League, after being absent from the league for twenty-five years. You would think I would have been happy about that , being that I was a HUGE Winnipeg Jet fan, back in the days before the team was sold to Phoenix. Oh but Noooo, I wasn't very impressed at all with the return of the Jets to Winnipeg, because of the way it was done. One thing I was against was that the team would play in the newly built MTS Centre, which was too small. So small in-fact, that it is sold out for the next three years. For me that meant... No more live hockey. Coupled with this is the fact that ticket prices (if you can get one) went from $22.00 a seat to $106.00 a seat. I really enjoyed the AHL team in Winnipeg, The Manitoba Moose, which was the affiliate team of The Vancouver Canucks. Leslie and I went to most of the games, it was excellent hockey, and an affordable night out. Back to my fiftieth birthday, which Leslie put on a party for me. All of my friends family and guests who attended, assumed I was happy about the return of the Jets, but I was not. I was upset more so, about losing The Moose. I was already pre-determined to not attend any games and to not support, financially, the team in any way. I was willing to watch them on TV, and that was only because I'm a fan of the sport - not the team. Anyhow, every one of my friends and family gave me a Winnipeg Jets T-shirt, sweatshirt, hoodie, or hat as a gift. I had planned to not wear any Jet gear in a way of showing my discontentment with the team owners. Still, I was very thankful for all the gifts I received, and even wear the team colors on a fairly regular basis. I did get a chance to see the team play live, but it was in Vancouver at a price of $200.00 a seat. I haven't tossed this video out there in a long while, but, for what it's worth...here's a video blog I made, on my fiftieth birthday, during the party. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Имаат благословен ден Џоел ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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| ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 23, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge War Chest Wednesday! Have you ever lost yourself in the world of clouds or stars or in any other natural phenomenon? If yes, what did you see? Some random shapes, or some guiding strength? They're sending a probe to Uranus. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Just to be difficult... What if my answer is no? What do I write about then? Luckily, I have lost myself in the world of celestial wonders, atmospheric conditions and anomalies, both natural and un-natural phenomenon. I've always had a keen fascination with the cosmos - I took up space in school. Back in the day when school teachers were allowed to physically assault their students to encourage them to pay attention - I took numerous, attention getting, attacks, which would painfully interrupted my moment of whimsically gazing out the window at the sky outside. But hey, I don't hold any grudges. I'd love to take any and all of those educators I mentioned, out to a quiet country area, far from the bright lights of the city, and show them the night sky, which I have had the privilege to witness over the years. With an 18" telescope I would show them the wonders of our universe - The red planet, Mars. The rings of Saturn. The moons of Jupiter. I would show them star clusters and nebulas, deep space objects, which most people have never witnessed first hand. I would have them lay on their backs and watch a meteor shower, or be mesmerized by the vividness of the Northern Lights phenomenon. Laying on their backs in the darkness, as the stars, planets, and man made satellites fill their field of vision, far from the city lights. They would get lost in the dazzling splendor of the night sky. Then, when they reach that moment of silent awe - I would whack them upside the head with a yardstick hard enough to break the stick into pieces. Then they would really see stars.  I'm just kidding about that! I DO hold grudges.  Joel ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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| ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 22, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge Talk Tuesday! The Pope will be making a trip to the US very soon, and some citizens will be displaced due to his travel safety regimen. Has anything like this happened to you before, being stuck in traffic so a famous person could get by? Jesus, The Pope, and Mohammad walk into a bar... Not that it really matters, but... Pope John Paul II visited Winnipeg, Manitoba (my home town). He held mass at a church in my neighborhood. I didn't make an attempt to go see him, and he made no attempt to come see me. We haven't spoken since. One day, back when I was living a different life, the bus I was riding to work, became bogged down in traffic. The bus had to make a detour around a roped off section of downtown. A lady sitting next to me told me that they were shooting a movie scene with Molly Ringwald. "Who the hell is that," I thought. I didn't ask, because I figured I should know. Truth be told, I really don't care. Like my boss didn't care, when I explained what made me late for work. White smoke = Volkswagon exhaust during testing. Black smoke = Volkswagon exhaust after you buy one. That'll have to do. Joel ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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| ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 21, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge Music Monday! Tell us about a certain memory that is triggered whenever you hear a specific song. Was the song actually playing at that moment, or is it something in the lyrics or the music itself that jogs your memory? [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Play dat funky music white boy I hope this makes someone smile. The Singing Nun - Dominique (1963) I was born in 1961. The story I'm about to tell is one my earliest childhood memories. I was nearly three years old or perhaps three and a couple months. I had four older siblings, our youngest brother was not yet born. We didn't own a television set yet, we had a floor model radio in the living room, much like this one. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Each morning the radio played CJOB (a local AM station, still on the air today) Each morning the radio announcer (Red Alex) would ring a school bell, reminding moms it was time to send their children off to school. This was my favorite time of the morning, because my older siblings would leave for school, and I became king of the house. At the time... Shortly after the school bell was rung, CJOB would play the song Dominique. Wherever I was in the house, at the time I heard the first note of this song, I would run to the kitchen cupboard, and get the big red plastic popcorn bowl. I would put this bowl on my head, and wear it like a hat. Then I would run into the living room, run straight to the radio, and twist the volume knob as loud as it would go. Then, wearing my red popcorn bowl hat, I would run circles around the coffee table, for the entire length of the song. I stop only on occasion to hug the radio and push my ear right up to the speaker. I remember one day, as I was running around the coffee table, red bowl hat on my head, Dominique blaring at full volume, I caught a glimpse, through the large living room window, my siblings and a couple of their friends, all of them - standing on our front stairs, watching me through the window. They were laughing at me. How dare they! I closed the living room curtains, slammed them closed, as I recall, then went back to my coffee table running. This to me was bliss - The best feeling in the world. The song still stirs some sort of feeling of elation with me, I have no idea why. My kids love this story. My son especially finds it extremely funny. One of my adult friends, in-fact, pissed his pants, literally, pissed his pants, from laughing so hard, when I told him about this morning ritual I had back in 1963. Leslie is away at a meeting right now. I have the house to myself. I have the song on Youtube. I have to go now. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 20, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge The Sunday News! This week in Texas, a fourteen-year-old Muslim boy was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school ...his teachers mistook the item for a bomb. Was this the right move, or did the teachers in question blow this situation too far out of proportion? Are we now erring on the side of too much caution? [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] It's da bomb I saw this news story when it first ran, earlier in the week. I'm a 'news-junkie' - There's not much that I miss. This story, and countless others like it, are a direct result of the terrorist actions that took place on 9-11. In addition to the targets that were struck on that day, we (all of the free world) face continued assaults, which are direct fallout from those initial strikes. Our trust, and our confidence in our safety took direct hits. In Canada, like our American neighbors, we have become paranoid protectionists, where we were once open minded and welcoming. I wonder... If the young fellow in this news story, were a Caucasian Christian, if he would have faced the same scrutiny. But this topic gets rejected through my, ever struggling to remain sane, thought process. I default to comic relieve, and I'm compelled to make up a related story for my own amusement. Like the time the popular advantaged Caucasian Christian kid took his homemade clock to school to show all the students his work. The teachers marveled at his feat in engineering and creativity. They gathered the entire school around his project so that everyone could see the great work the student made. "Why are there all these added components to the clock," one student asked? The students answer were the last words spoken or heard. "Because it's an exploding clock." Sometimes you have to laugh, to keep from crying. Joel ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 19, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge Creation Saturday! Write about a time where the end of something has led to the beginning of something else. Why Hooray for Saturday. A good time to rip off a Saturday rant. Everything that comes to an end gives birth to a new beginning. It happens all the time. It happens at the end of every sentence I write. This is a new sentence. See? When sleeping ends - a new day begins. When cooking ends - eating begins. When eating ends - washing dishes begins. When thinking ends - writing begins. Things are forever coming to an end as new beginnings are born. It never ends. How can this be? For me personally, I think that suffering begins, as good things come to an end, and suffering has infinite beginnings, but never truly ends. When suffering ends - See? The end. Joel ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 18, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1709, the creator of the first dictionary of the English language, Samuel Johnson, was born in England. Have some fun...make up a couple of words and their meanings. monkey's wedding - (S. African) simultaneous rain and sunshine I better just do this. Looks like we'll have to use words to for this one. Writertainment - When your blog entry is read by a multitude of readers and found to be highly entertaining by all. Writerbation - When your blog entry isn't read by anybody, other than yourself, but still, you were entertained while writing it. Be careful out there. Joel ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 17, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge The Wildcard Round! Today's winners will get a bunch of Sparkly Butterfly Cupcakes from "Sticky Treats Lottery" ...as soon as I get my act together and reward all the other winners from this month. Your prompt: How'd it get this late so early? [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] I'M HERE ALL WEEK. Where did the time go? It seems like it was just yesterday, when I was playing outside with my friends. without a care in the world. Mom worked tirelessly, making sure we (my siblings and I) were properly dressed each morning, and had a nourishing breakfast meal, followed by lunch and supper meals. Nobody noticed all the work she did each day, just so we could waste another day on youthful exuberance. She worked late into the night, making sure we were bathed and comfortable in our cozy beds with freshly washed sheets and blankets. Tomorrow is another day. Now mom needs the help getting dressed, taking meals, bathing, and doing all the things that used to be taken for-granted. How'd it get this late so early? ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** September 16, 2015 Prompt for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Official September Challenge War Chest Wednesday! From the War Chest... From a humorous perspective, what is the worst thing parents can do to their children? Hi mom! This one goes out to my dad. Back when I was around eight or nine years old, I saved up a small fortune in coins. I had nearly three dollars in small change, (five quarters, and the rest in dimes, nickels, and pennies.) I would sit in the living room and count and fondle my fortune. I would imagine that my coins were solid gold, and I was king of the world. Anyhow... My dad, who was not very engaging for the most part, took one of my quarters, and asked me to watch, as he balanced the quarter on it's edge on our coffee table top. When the quarter was balanced and standing on-edge, dad threw out a challenge to me - He said, "I'll give you a nickel for every quarter you can stand on-edge." This is how I remember I had five quarters, because I worked at this challenge until I had all five of my quarters standing on-edge. When I called my dad over to witness my accomplishment and pay me out, he took my five quarters, then gave me back one saying, "There you go, a nickel for every quarter you balanced on-edge."  Wha...  huh...  you...  woah...  He did eventually returned my four quarters to me, but I had to cry, and my mom had to scold him on my behalf. Take it, and go. Joel ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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