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 |   Blog Challenge And Other Tidbits |
| An opinion or two...or three or four... |
| Creation Saturday! Why is your face on a "Wanted" poster, and why haven't the authorities located you yet? It was the most horrid Saturday of my life! And I mean THE MOST HORRID! It all started that morning when I rolled over and felt my cheek rub the cold spit that I slobbered out the night before. It was slimy and I couldn't wipe it off fast enough. I squinted at the clock and saw that it was already nine! Huh? I couldn't believe my bad luck. I'd never slept that long! I sat up and shook my head, spit and all, to get my brain working. My eyes caught a small lavender card sitting neatly on my nightstand. And then I remembered. Sweat beaded on my forehead. In fact sweat beaded all over. My armpits felt wet. I was in trouble. Big trouble. That card was my ticket. But it was only good until eight o'clock! Man, I screwed up! I had to get out! And get out fast! I slapped on some clothes. Never mind the clean underwear. I had no time to find it! And for the life of Pete, whoever he is, I couldn't find a sock! So I settled for the sandals, broken buckle and all. A splash of water across my face and a taste of mouthwash across my teeth. Not a hairbrush to be found. Seriously? I couldn't look worse. I ran my fingers through the mop on my head and let my curly locks fall where they may. I could only hope my efforts were good enough. But a last look in a mirror told me I had a chance. A fighting chance. One I had to take. As luck would have it I fled without the little lavender card. It wasn't until I ducked into a coffee house that I realized it wasn't there. It was my ticket to a new identity and a new life. It was my insurance I could stop running. Oh, I was so tired of running. That ticket could also buy me time. Time for the face on the "WANTED" poster to secretly disappear and fade quickly away. But no. Even as disheveled as I was, my face was clearly the face on the poster. I was afraid there would be hell to pay. So I did my best to look cool. To blend into the crowd. To keep my head down. But two suits with collars and ties pointed me out. And just as quick two uniforms backed me into a wall. Their dark beady eyes told me they were taking me in. It came as no surprise when they spun me around and cold metal rings clicked into place around my wrists. There was no point in talking. So I kept quiet. And the uniforms never spoke. They hauled me to the joint. Dumped me in the sally port. Then another uniform, this one young and naive, hauled me down a corridor and sat me in a room. No windows. No phone. No air. Everything gray. I let my head fall to the table and let my arms fall to my side. Surrender I must. This gig was up. "You ran a good race," the uniform said. "We thought we'd never find you." "It must've been the poster," was all I could say. |
| Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1958, US Vice President Richard Nixon's limousine was battered by rocks thrown by anti-US demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela. Have you ever protested something before, big or small? Loud, or silently? Protest? Are you kidding me? I'm the biggest protestor on the planet! Yep, hard to believe, but it's true. Only thing is, I'm very quiet about it. I'm a very typical passive aggressive Gemini. Tell me I can't and I'll spend every future moment proving that I can. Tell me I can and I'll spend every future moment arguing that I can't. Very two-faced, and very typical of a Gemini. Give me advice on how to better myself and I'll do the exact opposite. Cut me down and tell me how terrible I am and I'll go right on shining. Tell me it's wrong, and I'll argue it's right. Tell me it's right and I'll argue it's wrong. Judge me and I'll judge you right back. Express happiness for me and I'll wonder why. Give me the world and I'll politely give it back. For me it's a world of opposites. And that's how I protest. It takes a lot to rile me up, but when I really don't like something I'll do everything in my power to do the exact opposite. I don't why I'm like that. I blame Gemini for that. |
| The Wildcard Round! Today's winner, chosen by Virtual Dice from all eligible entries, will get 5,000 GPs. What's more important to you...one or two friends you can tell absolutely anything to, or any number of friends you can see only on certain occasions? Oh! A chance to win some GP's! This is always fun. But today's topic may just need some extra brain cells. I read the topic late last night before bed and tossed it around while I slept. Lots of things went through my head, but when I woke up this morning I was still wrestling with this. I'm not sure why, but I think it has a lot to do with my family and how we process "secrets" or "sensitive" information, or any information for that matter. And just so you know I come from a large family. We are very close, and always have been...but...well, you'll see. Here's how it works. Let's say I have something that's troubling me. I toss it around in my head for a while. I have a pretty good idea on the resolution but I want to ensure I'm taking the right path. I could ask a friend...or...I could ask...my sister. Yep, that's right, my sister. When she picks up the phone she'll jabber at me for a half hour. And believe me, I am silent for that half hour. Eventually she'll ask what's wrong. I casually tell her my problem. Then we discuss it for another half hour. We come to a conclusion. Yes, it's probably the conclusion I already had in mind. Then...and here's the important part...I tell her not to say anything. I ask her to keep it "secret" because it's "sensitive" information. She agrees. I'm happy because what I've just done is ensure that EVERY SINGLE PERSON in my family will know this information before midnight. This sets off a chain reaction. Phone calls, email, text messages, and the like start to pour in. All of them with the same message: "Somebody mentioned you might..." And it starts that way every time. But in the end I've gotten lots of advice - both good and bad - and I've also gotten consensus on the best way to handle my problem! Works every time. And by the way, it works the same with "secrets". For that matter, it works for anything. So although I love to have friends to confide in and rely on, it always seems that the best way for me to find support is to just call my sister. That gets buy-in from everybody else in my family! And just in case you're wondering...yes, we can tell each other absolutely anything. Anything. It's that plain and simple. Sure we all hate and love each other at the same time, but it's always been that way. We've always been close. And now that our parents are gone we seem to be that much closer. So...friends? I love them. Have lots of them. Confide in my favorite friends. Tell them absolutely anything? Well...maybe yes...and maybe no. For me the sure thing is my family. |
| War Chest Wednesday! From the War Chest of prompts... If you had been born in any other period in time, when would it have been and what type of person do you think you would have been (or will become)? Oh gosh, I've been thinking and thinking about this, and I keep coming to the same conclusion. I'll have to say that I'm pretty happy being born in my own time. It just seems to me that across all the previous millennia women have had a hard time. Women have been persecuted, mistreated, misunderstood, forgotten and ignored. There have been lots of points in history where women had value less than an animal. It really wasn't until the 20th century that women had a voice and value. So, reflecting on that, I am confident to say that I'm quite being a woman in this century...well...I was born in the 20th century and am living the golden years in the 21st century...but you get what I mean... And speaking of the 20th century I'll have to say that was a good time. We gathered around the dinner table each evening. We had chores and earned allowance. We stayed out to play all summer. We went swimming all summer, even if it was in an ocean or a river. We didn't always have a chlorinated pool. We ate snacks, played ball, rode bikes, and in our teen years we dreamed and prepared for the careers we wanted to pursue. Yes, I know, I sound like all those other nostalgics who reminisce about the past. But a lot of it is true. And the 21st century? Wow! Just thinking about the technology we have at our fingertips is astounding. The internet, advances in medicine, choices galore for food, clothing, cars, and all the luxuries of home. Minus all the strife and war in our world, I'll have to say that now is a pretty good time too. So would I want to be someone in the past? No, I don't think so. I'm happy where I am. And to quote a phrase from the 60's, "You've come a long way, baby!" |
| Talk Tuesday! Has the practice of crowdfunding gone too far? Share some positive and/or negative examples you're familiar with. Crowdfunding...hmmm...I'm really not so sure that I have an opinion one way or another. Although I've heard of crowdfunding I'm not that familiar with it. To be honest, when I think of crowdfunding I immediately think of Shark Tank in the U.S. Because of that show I think people are scrambling to come up with what they believe is the latest-greatest-thing-people-can't-live-without and bring it to Shark Tank for some very big dollars. Now I know the Sharks aren't crowd funders but it seems to me that all the inventors on the show have started their journey by crowdfunding. That seems to get them just enough money to put something together and bring it to the Sharks. And even if they don't bring it to the Sharks then there's a big chance the inventors won't follow through and get their invention to the people who actually funded them. So...that's my humble opinion on crowdfunding. See? I really don't know enough to have an opinion...but, hey, I'm honest about it. And I almost forgot! I mentioned Shark Tank. And that means I also have to give a shout-out to Dragon's Den. That was the precursor to Shark Tank. I wish Dragon's Den was still on the air...I miss those feisty dragons... |
| Motivational Monday! Let's try something different today...here is a list of famous people who were born on May 9th . Feel free to use anyone from this list (or find someone else on your own) and share a favorite quote, lyric, or piece of their work. Tell us a little bit about it and what you enjoy or how it makes you feel. And...I'll tack on some bonus points when judging your entries if you can name the person I would use (hint: he or she on the HuffPo list). Happy Monday to Everyone! This week I'm changing things up a bit. Instead of coffee, coffee, coffee, I'm drinking tea. Hot tea, cold tea, lukewarm tea, old tea, new tea. And even though I'm from the U.S. I drink my tea the "correct" way...like the British...I take it with milk. No sugar. No cream. Just milk. And because I'm a vegetarian it's almond milk. So...not so British after all... And now the breaking news! Billy Joel is 65 today! What? Has it been that long? I practically grew up with Billy Joel. Well...he's ten years older than me, and I was already in college by the time his music was popular, but that doesn't matter. He came on the music scene during a time when I questioned everything about my life. I didn't come from a rich family, and my family didn't pay my way through school. I did that myself. And unlike "all the other students" I had to go find a part-time job to pay for tuition and books. I didn't get to party all night and sleep in every morning. So Billy Joel's song "Uptown Girl" spoke to me. Not as a man of course, but as someone who didn't come from old money or new money or any money for that matter. I had to earn my place in life. I worked hard for it. Sometimes I missed out on fun events because of work. Sometimes I missed out because money was low. But I don't regret it. The best thing for me was to understand the value of hard work and the value of a dollar. I don't consider myself a "downtown" girl, or and "uptown" girl. I just consider myself a girl who had a goal and found a way to achieve that. For me, Billy Joel's music will remain timeless. Even though we're all getting older his music will follow me throughout the years. It's still hard for me to believe he's 65 today! |
| The Sunday News! A new smartphone video game app has been developed that scientists say will be able to diagnose cases of Dementia and Alzheimer's . What do you think about this? Would you want to know this about yourself or a loved one, even if the research hasn't proven yet to be effective? First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there, U.S. or not. We are special people, and we're the only people who can put up with the rest of the world!  And now to our prompt for today...an app that could diagnose Dementia or Alzheimer's? Hmmm...I'm not really sure how I feel about this. On one hand it could be an early warning sign to someone who has time to change their habits and take preventative measures; on the other hand it could be totally frightening. I think I'm more in the camp of totally frightening. My mom suffered with Dementia in her later years and I saw first hand what it did to her. And I know first hand what it did to me. I can only imagine how much worse Alzheimer's can be. And I'm not the only one in this camp. Like cancer, we have gotten to a point in history when everybody knows somebody who's been touched by Dementia or Alzheimer's. And at the end of the day both are horribly cruel. And because I watched my mom succumb to Dementia I take measures now to prevent the same fate for myself. Of course, science doesn't really know what prevents these horrible diseases. When it comes down to it, I think it's really a best guess. So I have to accept that if it's going to happen it will happen. I hate to say that but it's true. And a final note. It's Mother's Day today. A day of happiness. A day of no cooking. A day of no dishes. A day of no laundry. A day of flowers and presents and kisses. And this prompt is a real downer! Why oh why did our host pick this one for today? I don't know...I think I'll go get some coffee before I forget where the pot is... |
| Creation Saturday! Since Sunday is Mother's Day in the US, write a tribute to your mom, grandmother, favorite aunt, or friend that helped you in a motherly way. Ah...Mother's Day. Both joyous and bittersweet for me. Joyous because of what I had...and bittersweet because of what only remains as memory. I am the Mom on one beautiful daughter. My husband and I gave everything to our only child. A private education. A home near her grandparents. Everything she could possibly need or want. I said it before and I'll say it again - we put the world at her fingertips. And for a time everything was peaches and cream.But then things changed, as all things must, and I found myself at war with my only child. Something I didn't understand at all. I was best friends with my own mom, so I just assumed my daughter and I would have the same relationship. Sadly, that isn't so. Eventually our relationship was estranged, and there it is today. We talk on occasion, but the conversation is strained; each of us trying not to anger the other. But it is what it is. We love each other, that's true, but we have learned that it's better for us if we each live our own lives and keep judgement at bay. This is okay, but what saddens me the most is that I will probably never be "The Mother of The Bride", and I will probably never be "Grandma" or "Granny", and I will probably never know a son-in-law. These are her choices and this is what I have come to accept. On the other hand I think of my own Mom, and the beautiful, vivacious, wonderful, knowing old soul that she was. She's been gone fourteen years and I still think of her daily. Definitely she was my best friend. And she knew everything I needed to know. She taught me everything I needed to learn. She showed me how love will always triumph, and in love, everything survives. My mom taught me to make the best pot of chicken soup on the planet. And I mean the planet. There is no better soup than hers...and now mine. She taught me that chicken soup cures everything. EVERYTHING. Colds, flu, sadness, despair, broken bones and even broken hearts. Chicken soup cures everything. She said it works because when making soup you MUST put all your love and kindness into each stir of the spoon. You MUST be grateful for each ingredient you have. And you MUST rejoice for better times ahead. And at the end of the day you must say THANK YOU for the goodness of the soup. This mother's day I am caught. Caught between the pain of missing my mom and missing my daughter. I stir the soup. And add another ingredient. I am grateful for better days ahead, because I know that in love, everything survives. |
| On this day in 1840, the first adhesive postage stamps went on sale in Great Britain. Who would you like to send a letter to, past or present? So...here we are on Friday morning...yawn...yawn...there's no coffee and no tea because the plumber had to come bright and early to fix an annoying problem with the shower. Good thing I actually showered before said plumber arrived! And I have to say I'm impressed because he's johnny-on-the-spot. He said he'd be here between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Based on past experiences I just naturally expected him about 11:00! So I thought I had plenty of time! But no...he's here now, working on fixing the shower, and although I'm truly grateful I'm also cranky because I've had no coffee and no tea...and quite honestly, it's my own fault...  Quite an interesting prompt this morning. I had no idea the adhesive postage stamp had been around so long! My only question is this: who licked the stamp? The author of the letter? Or the house servant mailing the letter? And did it taste nasty? I can only imagine... Anyway, as I'm yawning and wishing for tea I'm also considering my list of candidates I could write to (yes, I know, dangling participle, but hey, it's my blog). Would it be my Mom or Dad? Both have been gone for twelve years but I still miss them each day. There are so many things I want to ask and to tell them. Or would it be my oldest brother? He's also been gone twelve years, and yes, I miss him every day. Or would it be one of my other siblings? They have a tendency to email and text. They can't find the time to pick up the phone so I can't imagine they'd find the time to actually read a hand-written letter... And that brings up another point. Would I hand-write the letter? Or would I just type it out on the computer? For me, it would definitely have to be hand-written. Mostly because I, in turn, just love to receive a hand-written letter. Of course the writing must be legible. And my writing? Well...it's not so great...it's been declining for the past thirty-two years. It's all because of university. I had to take notes so hastily that eventually I started to scribble. Sadly, scribbling became the norm. So...I guess I'd have to re-think that. A legible letter my addressee can read? Or scribbling that only I can decipher? Well...I'll get back to that. As a joke, Spouse said he thinks I should write a letter to the Royal Navy. Apparently they didn't like "Boaty McBoatface" as the name of their new vessel. That'll teach them for putting it out there on the internet. Instead they decided to name the vessel The Sir David Attenborough. Quite a distinquished name! But...as a nickname for a high-tech submarine they are also keeping "Boaty McBoatface". That's wrong. That's just plain wrong. I was very adamant about it. Spouse just laughed and told me to write a letter! Well! Little did he know that writing a letter was exactly our prompt. So...if I'm writing a letter today it's going to be addressed to whomever is in command of the Royal Navy to express my dismay at naming a high tech submarine that collects data "Boaty McBoatface". And my letter will be hand-written. And...I will find an old-fashioned stamp I can lick.  |
| How did you get out of something you were obligated to do? Just like a few of my fellow bloggers, I have a terrible time saying "no". I've always been a "yes" person. Maybe that comes from growing up in a military family. All of us, especially my parents, expected us to find a way to say "yes". And growing up I worked very hard at finding a way to say "yes". In fact, the word "no" practically left my vocabulary entirely by the time I was an adult. And then...I became a mom...and guess what? I suddenly remembered that little word "no" with gusto. Yes, I was surprised at myself when I realized I was saying it more and more. I was concerned that it became a habit as our daughter entered grade school and then middle school. I was absolutely shocked when I found myself screeching that word during the teenage years. But it's not so bad anymore... Now, in my later years, I find that word "no" has once again completely left my vocabulary. I'm back to being the "yes" person, the person who can, the person who'll get it done, the person who won't give up, the person who finds a way, the person who...darnit..says "yes." So getting out of an obligation? I guess I could lie, or delegate, or "forget"...but darnit...why can't I just say "NO"??? |
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