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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 ▼ |
| The Twenty fifth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Motivational Monday! Sophia Petrillo once said, "I always wondered why blessings wore disguises. If I were a blessing, I'd run around naked." Do you think it's better to do nice things anonymously, or would you rather it be known? Sophia was played on television by actress Estelle Getty, who was born on this day in 1923. I loved the tv-series The Golden Girls, and Estelle Getty as the mother Sophia Petrillo was great. I’d rather do nice things anonymously. Here on WdC there is an Anonymous One who paid for my upgrade membership. I am not the only one that got a favor. Others have had gifts aswell, be it GPs , costumicons or memberships. I think that is wonderful. But if you are a do-gooder you would rather work in private without anybody knowing your identity because otherwise you wouldn’t have a life. People would turn to you every second if they knew who was responsible, either to thank or to beg for more . Now since nobody knows who you are you can do good as often as you wish. Taking credit for doing nice things can be great for a while, but to continue the good work I think it’s imperative you stay anonymous. Day TWO "Give It 100!" |
| The twenty fourth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] The Sunday News! Comedian and sitcom star Jim Gaffigan recently did a stand-up comedy show in Buffalo, NY, and apparently was so funny it drove a pregnant woman into labor three weeks early. There really isn't any way of knowing for sure if one led to the other, of course, but you can tell us this...'One time I laughed so hard...' (and then what happened?). One time I laughed so hard, I fell off the couch onto the floor where I kept on laughing. I remember it was British humor in an English television show. I love British humor. It is very dry humor, sophisticated at best and most of the time linguistic in nature. It can be very funny. The last time I laughed aloud at the point of hysteria was in the Comedy Train in Denver, Colorado in summer of 2004. I tried to Google it but apparently, that little theater somewhere downtown Denver no longer exists. Shame. It was a lovely theater with five American stand-up comedians per (Saturday) night. I remember laughing my pants off at the point of attracting the attention of a man in the audience. He had to smile because I enjoyed myself so much. He was very good looking and our eyes just interlocked for a few minutes. I never saw him again after that. Double shame. Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you. Langston Hughes Day ONE "Give It 100!" |
| "Welcome To My Reality Forum" [E] 28. Tell me what it was like growing up where you lived, Do you still live there? The first eight years of my life I lived in the city The Hague where I currently am living again, since I came back here when I was forty four. However, my childhood I spent in Zoetermeer, a small town a few miles outside The Hague. I went to primary school and high school there, had my first room outside the family home and had an apartment flat with my boyfriend at the time. Zoetermeer, the sleeping city of The Hague! There was not much there and frankly, it was a bit boring. But I felt safe and had my first steps into adulthood. In the 13th century a village center was formed, which still exists as the historic Dorpsstraat (Town Street). Until the 17th century, there was a lake, called the Zoetermeer (Sweet Lake). Although Zoetermeer nowadays has the image of a modern city, there are still remains of the past. Like the old village center with its small houses and the church with late medieval 15th-century clock tower and the old farms, surrounded by modern houses nowadays. My memory goes back to walking the park when I was nine years old, on a Sunday afternoon with my siblings and my father and mother. All dressed up nicely for church earlier. I had a red blazer and a blue dress with white polka dots. Black shiny shoes and white socks high up to the knee. We probably were not happy that day since we always quarreled (among us kids and with our parents), were summoned to sit still in church to continue fighting when church was over. I always thought that very hypocritical. It interlude a long, long period of aversion against church and religion. My childhood was not a happy one, but my memories of Zoetermeer didn’t suffer because of it. I made some wonderful friends, was busy during high school with the school’s plays and left home when I was seventeen. I stayed in Zoetermeer until I was in my early twenties, never to look back again. 36. What does your weekly routine look like? Sunday through Saturday? I am working from home so that’s where you will find me most days. At the computer. One morning per week, I spend at the office. Moreover, in September 2016 I will be spending one afternoon per week and one afternoon per fourth night in the local library as assistant librarian. The last few years I did a lot of volunteering but always made sure, I had plenty of time for my writing. On Sundays, I visit my stepmom, so she won’t be alone during weekends since my dad passed away. She is coming over this weekend to my place. It is the first time in twelve years I have a guest sleeping over, which will be fun. Four times a day every day I go for a walk with Arie, my dog. And almost every day I do my groceries in the nearby shopping mall. That’s my routine I guess. Since June 1, I have WdC to incorporate into my routine. I will be starting "I Write in August-September-October" [ASR], I am member of "Invalid Item" and "Simply Positive Review Forum " [E] and I am blogging member of "BCoF Blog Entries Book 1" [E] and "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" [E]. I just signed up for "Give It 100!" today. Writing on this website has become a daily routine as well, which gives me a lot of pleasure and fun. Hopefully that will remain after the holiday period. I have plenty of time to see movies with a friend of mine or with my brother. I am a movie buff. Next weekend my brother and I will watch The man who knew infinity. And I noticed there is a new release of Star Trek I will probably watch by myself since there is no one else who likes SFi. 39. Do you believe in Miracles? If So, Why? If Not, Why? I want to believe in miracles! I think a miracle is an event not explicable by natural or scientific laws. Such an event may be attributed to a supernatural being (a deity), magic, a miracle worker, a saint or a religious leader. (Wikipedia) I never witnessed a real miracle but life is a mystery and not everything can be explained by science. Not only because in science not everything is explained as of yet and has the potential in the future maybe, also because there are many things that transcend scientific notions. Nature for one thing, life in general and love. Three things that to my knowledge and understanding have all that ‘je ne sais quoi’, that inexplicable wonder in it. Our mere existence as human beings can’t be solely explained by natural laws or science. You only have to watch a newborn child to ask yourself how this possibly can be. Ofcorse there are the stories of the flowers and the bees, the sperm and the egg and the lab experiments but that doesn’t explain the magic of it all. I think all creation, including the art of writing, is a miracle and has some magic in it. So in that sense my writing on WdC, all the writing on WdC is a mere miracle. WdC is a miracle factory and, I am repeating myself, I love it! For those who are willing to make an effort, great miracles and wonderful treasures are in store. Isaac Bashevis Singer. |
| "Welcome To My Reality Forum" [E] 18. Describe your favorite season. Wintertime and Spring would be my favorite seasons of the year, although I am very glad that we have four seasons here in Europe. The seasons cover the whole range of weather developments throughout the year from rain and wind in Fall, snow and ice in Winter, blossom and buds in Spring and hot sunshine in Summer. That way the seasons are never boring. Every day has its unique presence, not one day is the same weather wise. What I like most about our climate is the accumulation of clouds. The cloud forming in our country by the North sea is quite astonishing and subject to many paintings of old masters and photographs. The combination of lots of rain and the wind from the North Sea gives this special effect which is not comparable to any other sky anywhere else on the planet. I love clouds, specially in Spring and Summertime when they form all kinds of crazy objects in the sky. Laying in the grass feeling the breeze and looking up at the clouds is a favorite pass time of mine. I feel very connected with the earth when I do that. It feels safe and secure to watch that cloudy roof over my head. In wintertime the year is ending, we hope for snow and crispy sunny days and stay indoors with warm chocolate drink and a good read. In Spring we enjoy the first sunshine outside and the opening of the buds; the flowers, plants and trees are just getting to get acquainted with a new year and so is the new offspring of birds. I love that! 20. Tell me about your Mother. My mother’s name was Elisabeth, but everybody called her Lies. She was born in "Invalid Item" She was a women with a great passion for life. She choose to walk a lot and participate in the Four days of Nijmegen every year for years, where she would walk 30 kilometers a day for a whole week and get a medal. During the year she and her group would exercise every week to get ready for the big event. She choose also to start a course in English grammar in her sixties. I found the proof when cleaning out her desk at the attic of the old house after she died. She was a very beautiful woman of small build with fine hands and feet. A real Asian type of woman, looking more and more like a little Chinese when aging. We teased her about that. She only smiled her mysterious smile. She kept a lot private, although she could be very talkative when she felt at ease. But she had a difficult life with my dad: although they we’re very much in love they quarreled every day for their entire marriage. Her great passion was Nature. She loved being outdoors looking at plants and watching birds. She and my dad had a passion for biking holidays aswell. Fortunately I have a lot of old photo’s of their vacations in several countries stashed on my computer to watch. When I have time I will go through them with pleasure. She died too young sixteen years ago. 22. Tell me about your Dad. He was a man from the province of Limburg, down South in my country, from a town and area with its own dialect. When he was on the phone with his family he would talk funny, we then could hardly understand his speech. I take after my father in many ways. He was a great learner and very intelligent although he never finished his study in Economics because it was a difficult combination with a fulltime job and raising a family of five. In his youth there was no money for university, although he had the brains. So he wanted to join the fraters (monks) of Franciscus of Assisi so he could have an education. But when they told him he had to be celibate his entire life he answered ‘I will come back when it’s possible to have two sets of slippers under the bed’. He declined. He was a God fearing man who liked going to church every Sunday. He read the bible from time to time among all the other things he read. And he read a LOT. His book collection was famous. He also read the newspaper every day from cover to cover. He loved classical music and read about that also. He loved to go to classical concerts. He died very sudden of an aneurysm. It’s been more than 7 months now and I cherish my "Memories" . The computer I am working on is his. So in a way I am reminded of him every day. |
| The twenty third day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Creation Saturday! Invent a new dance move. Tell us in detail how to do it...does it include shoulders, hips, arms, knees, etc.? Feel free to add some music you'd show off your new moves to. It’s a move of a few seconds and has to be repeated for the duration of the song of 4.06 minutes. On HAPPY by Pharrell Williams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM Stand on your two feet Clap your hands rhythmically Use your hips, arms and head simultaneously. Just repeat (Also possible when sitting down) Lyrics ▼ |
| "Welcome To My Reality Forum" [E] 15. When you are really frustrated or angry, how do you release or express it? I can’t remember being angry in ages. I don’t get upset that easily. But when I did get angry in my youth I could explode. I remember when I lived together with a boyfriend in my early twenties he could get under my skin easily. We would have a fight with words which I won more times than not, as I recall. I even threw dishes one time. Stupid action ofcorse. When I get frustrated I tend to withdraw myself from company. When really really frustrated about something I would want to be on my own because I want to have time to think things over and contemplate. I probably would vent in a journal. But that doesn’t happen quiet often. In my youth I had a terrible time with my parents. They couldn’t handle a teenager with an opinion so there were lots of arguments. I left my home when I was seventeen, nothing sweet about that. I learned to take care of myself at a very young age. I think that’s the reason I try to talk about things first and not vent out my feelings on to other people. I have seen what a bad temper can do to the people around you and it isn’t pretty. Now I just express my emotions in a controlled way. If something is bugging me I keep it to myself and when things become clearer to me I will allow other people in. But then the first emotional outburst is already over. I rarely take people into confidence and sort things out between us. I live alone and tend to be somewhat private about my personal feelings. 16. Do you enjoy life as a whole? Why or why not? I am enjoying my life very much. I have daily activities I enjoy doing and although my income is small I can do whatever I like and I have modest wants and needs. I love the company of my dog in my household. He keeps me sane. I have to take care of him and in return he gives me his attention and his love. Also he forces me to go outside and have walks a few times per day which is good for my health. I have a small family and few friends but just enough to keep me sociable. I tend to be on my own most of the time but that suits me perfectly. I love being around people, make no mistake, but I enjoy my own company aswell. I have made some choices early in life and they determine my life at present. I still can vouch for those choices, I don’t regret them. One of those choices involves not wanting any kids of my own. I’ve had bad experiences in my youth and didn’t want that for others. Lateron I worked with troubled adolescents and discovered I didn’t want to add more unhappy kids into this world. I don’t think I would have been a good mother. And I never experienced motherly love in me. So I am glad I didn’t have to put this to the test. All in all I am content and happy in my life. I must admit finding WdC and reconnecting with my Muse has something to do with that. 17. What I know About Myself. Life has not been rosy all the time. I have had two major mental breakdowns seventeen and twelve years ago. I have come a long way since. The reason for my dark period is little described in "Fears of this and that" Looking back on it: my profession being a psychologist defined me as a person. When I lost that I lost myself. I had to reinvent myself and my life all over again, coming from literally scratch. I’m very proud of who I am now. I missed out on a few chances that’s true, one of them is finding a partner for life. I regret that because I think having a mate in life is wonderful. It feeds you and you grow as a human being because of it. I never had that. Apart from the occasional man in my life I had to do it all alone. But I am very good in alone. I am a bit of a loner. Feeling good about that too. I try to be more open to others. That’s not easy for me to do because I have been hiding myself from the outside world in that dark period in my forties. One of the bad things that came out of that period is my low self esteem. I still suffer from it and it is hard for me to see myself as a worthy person, capable of giving something to others. I just feel very small in comparison with who I was before all this happened. Because I have accepted my recent life I slowly rediscover myself and I am in the process of loving me for me. I think that’s a good thing. But it takes time. More time than I ever could imagine it would. |
| The twenty second day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1926, legendary baseball player Babe Ruth caught a baseball at Mitchell Field in New York. The ball had been dropped from an airplane flying at 250 feet. Have you ever done anything extraordinary that no one else you know has done? Or, do you have any kind of weird/unique talent that your friends can't do? Nope, I don’t have any special talent, in fact I am quite ordinary. I once saved a woman’s life from the quicksand and wrote about this in "Surviving the bog" On the other hand I hope my writing will be extraordinary one day. I have always cherished the publication of three booklets of Dutch poetry in my early years. And I was very proud when a lunch play I wrote took to the stages. Seeing your work performed by others is a crazy but great feel.  Prompt: How many things do you pay for, that you really don't need too? Have you thought about this? (BC) http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/everydaymoney/12-dumb-things-we-pay-for-but-dont-... We as Dutch have a name for wanting things cheap or for free. So the Internet is my thing and for free. I don’t pay for a virus scanner, I have AVG for free and it suits me fine. I often buy thing second hand in stead of paying for it in full. Books, sometimes clothing, my sofa, my cars I bought them all second hand. I am all in favor of giving items a second life. Recycling is better for the planet. |
| "Welcome To My Reality Forum" [E] 12. Write a bucket list of ten things you wish to experience before your lifetime ends. Why do you want to do these things? Have you done any of them yet? 1. Travel to New York City (plans for 2017) Love to experience this great capitol of one of the largest countries on earth. 2. Write my second thriller Pygmelion (started on epilogue) Have experienced the flow and the exhilaration of writing and finishing my first thriller that was lost during a house move; want to experience it again. 3. Publish Pygmalion. To see my name and writing in print is a dream of mine. 4. Commit to Writing.com for years to come (from June first 2016 onwards) I’ve never belonged to a club before, like Groucho Marx said: I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member. WdC is the exception to the rule. 5. Win the lottery (once in a while I buy a ticket) I am a sucker for the dream of having a large amount of money just once in my lifetime. 6. Stop smoking. (I started reading Allen Carr's Easy ways to stop smoking). Bad for health and a filthy habit I started when I was 17 y.o. 7. Fall in love again (At the moment no way) Would like to experience that again. It is very inspiring and an awesome feeling. 8. Go scuba diving on the Bahamas or another great exotic place. (I have had a licence but didn’t follow up on it, so it expired.) Want to dive the ocean once more. 9. Visit Gambia, Africa to see my foster child. (No money to travel) Would like to see Saikoe once in my life, since I only have pictures. 10. Visit family in Colorado, USA again. (No money to travel). Been there twice, was totally in love with USA from then on.  13. What is your all-time favorite meal? Do you prepare it yourself, or eat out to have it? One of my better receipts: Spinach with puffed pastry in the oven. Delicious. Very easy to make. This is a receipt for a large pastry of six servings. 1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment (preferable) but you can use aluminum foil with a light spray of cooking oil. 2. Melt butter and cook onions for a few minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute. 3. Beat eggs in medium bowl. Add cooked onion, spinach, feta, parmesan, bread crumbs. Add salt, pepper, & nutmeg. Mix well with fork. 4. Place one unfolded sheet of puff pastry on the parchment or sprayed aluminum foil. Spread the spinach mixture over the pastry, leaving a border of one inch all around the edges. Keep the spinach flat; do not pile high. 5. Brush the edges with the egg wash made with the last egg. Cover with the second sheet of pastry that has been slightly flattened with a rolling pin to one inch bigger than the first sheet. (This ensures all the spinach will be covered). Press edges together with fingertips or fork, making sure mixture is sealed well. Brush just the top with egg wash, careful not to drip any down the sides. Cut a few slits in the top with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape. 6. Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Can be served hot or at room temperature. Serve with a fresh green salad and a glass of white wine. Yummy! 14. Who is your all time favorite author and why? That would be Jonathan Kellerman, an American author of psychological thrillers featuring main character Alex Delaware, a psychologist and Milo the fat cop solving murders in and around LA. His wife Fay Kellerman is a famous published author too as is their son. Jonathan Kellerman is an American psychologist, and Edgar and Anthony Award-winning author of numerous bestselling suspense novels. Jonathan has written 31 Delaware thrillers. I think I read most of them. I love his suspense, and the fact that he and his main character are both psychologists. I am a former psychologist myself. He is very good in in-dept analysis. I would love to write a little bit like him, that would be awesome. Still a long, long way to go. On Victims (2012): Not since Jack the Ripper terrorized the London slums has there been such a gruesome crime scene. By all accounts, acid-tongued Vita Berlin hadn’t a friend in the world, but whom did she cross so badly as to end up arranged in such a grotesque tableau? One look at her apartment–turned–charnel house prompts hard-bitten LAPD detective Milo Sturgis to summon his go-to expert in hunting homicidal maniacs, Alex Delaware. But despite his finely honed skills, even Alex is stymied when more slayings occur in the same ghastly fashion . . . yet with no apparent connection among the victims. And the only clue left behind—a blank page bearing a question mark—seems to be both a menacing taunt and a cry for help from a killer baffled by his own lethal urges. Under pressure to end the bloody spree and prevent a citywide panic, Milo redoubles his efforts to discover a link between the disparate victims. Meanwhile, Alex navigates the secretive world of mental health treatment, from the sleek office of a Beverly Hills therapist to a shuttered mental institution where he once honed his craft—and where an unholy alliance between the mad and the monstrous may have been sealed in blood. As each jagged piece of the puzzle fits into place, an ever more horrific portrait emerges of a sinister mind at its most unimaginable—and an evil soul at its most unspeakable. “This one was different,” Alex observes at the start of the case. This one will haunt his waking life, and his darkest dreams, long after its end. (Goodreads.com) |
| The twenty first day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] The Wildcard Round! What is the best (or worst) non-medical advice you've ever received for an injury or an illness? Raccoon eyes or panda eyes is bilaterale periorbitale ecchymosis which means two dark rings around the eyes. When I was seven or eight years old I played outside and fell with my head down on a wooden log and hurt my nose. It was a severe concussion and left a scar; my eyes were black for a few days. A friend of mine came to see me and told me “You have tattooed glasses on your face so your eyesight would be better from now on.” I thought it was rather funny. Day 1335: July 21, 2016 I got shiny new crutches yesterday that I have to use for 7 weeks, and I have a big batting, plaster, Ace wrap, and tape covered lower left leg. Interesting story, really, but I will leave that for my blog. But I want to hear of a time YOU were on crutches or were in a cast/splint. How did you injure yourself? Were you a kid or an adult? Can you laugh about it now that it's in the past (unless it is something you're still going through, in which case how are you coping?) If you've never been injured this way, what do you attribute that to?(BcoFs) I remember this summer day in 1974, I was thirteen years old and very much in love with Bob, my high school sweetheart. The family and I were about to go on holiday and that would mean three weeks without Bob. I was devastated. So I wanted to visit him once more before taking off on holiday the next day. I rode my bike in a hurry, eager to be with my love and turned the corner into a dark alley. I didn’t see the loose gravel laying on the pavement but I felt it even more when I crashed bike and all to the ground. I had injured my right leg and ankle. My parents hired a wheel chair and off we went on holiday. I remember me enjoying myself even less. When we visited the zoo one day I stood up from my wheelchair every so often just to show the public that there was nothing wrong with me. I thought people looked at me funny, acting like I was a retard or something. When back home after the holidays, I got the surprise of a lifetime: Bob broke up the relationship. I cried a lot those days. My leg and my heart healed eventually. Prompt: If you had a chance to sail the seven seas on a yacht for a year, who would you take with you? What countries would you stop to visit? Would it be a peaceful trip? Write about this anyway you want. (BC) I would choose the Mediterranean Sea but the European side of it; I would stay away from the hot spots of turmoil like Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. These days you can’t be too careful. So I would visit Gibraltar, Spain, France, Montecarlo, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and six large islands: Majorca, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete and Cyprus. Me and Canadian actor, producer, director and musician Keanu Reeves would have a field trip. I had a crush on Keanu from the day I watched the movie The Matrix Trilogy. I would visit obscure shops to obtain his earlier work on video and later on DVD. I think I watched almost everything he ever featured in. The movies I loved the most were Point Break (1991), Speed (1994), The devil’s advocate (1997) and The Matrix (1999-2003). I think I lust after his body AND his acting qualities. I’ll be frank about it. Keanu rocks! ** Image ID #2090839 Unavailable ** |
| "Welcome To My Reality Forum" [E] 9. Do you enter WDC contests? How often? Do you win some of them? Yes, I do enter contests a few times per month. I like the fact you can get your work judged by peers. It’s a way of getting information of readers, like the reviews. I’ve won three times so far. I was thrilled and did not expect to win at all. There are such good and talented writers in this community, I didn’t feel I stood out amongst those. Luckily there is "Invalid Item" and "Invalid Item" where you don’t have to fear the greater competition. It is relatively safe to enter. So I did in June with success. As a newbie I am hooked once more.Entering a contest or competition is challenging and exciting. It keeps you on your toes. I sometimes forget I entered a contest with a particular story or poem and edited something because of a review I got. That’s reason for disqualification, never edit when in a contest. Also READ THE RULES! I am somewhat of a careless reader given the opportunity so I have to read those rules a couple of times in order to get it right. But when you enter a contest it’s the waiting that bugs me a little so I tend to suppress the memory I ever entered in the first place. That way I forgot all about it. When I win it’s a very big surprise and I can get YAHOO!, when I lose I forgot all about it so it will not be a big disappointment. I have my own ways of cheating on myself. Indulge me! 10. If you write a story or poem, that you are really proud of, do you get offended if you get a review with a lot of suggestions, or do you feel offended? Blog about this. I never get offended by a review. I usually convince myself that when the story or poem is finished it is out of my hands. My child has to enter the real world and I should let go. It’s up to that individual work to stand on its own and earn its merit. Ofcorse I still feel responsible and I am aware that I wrote it but it makes it easier to follow the process at a distance. (This is the way I look at parenting aswell. I don’t have kids of my own so it is probably only theoretical in nature.) I love it when people make suggestions. It is just that I probably never thought about it myself so it keeps my thinking about the work fresh. I also love it when they take the time and effort to really dig into a story or poem. It matters a great deal whether good or bad. I can’t stand the flat, meaningless reviews with nothing in it. It shows that the reviewer is doing it for the GPs or to add the review to its list. Quantity over quality, it sucks. But at the same time: I can understand it, since it's part of the reviewing system here at WdC. I try to find the WOW-factor in my reviews of choice. At best I only chose stories or poems that I really want to read and review. If it doesn’t interest me I stay away. Why bother. If you have nothing to say, don’t say it! 11. Do you feel secure and stable in your life at this time? Why or why not? At this moment in life things are working for me. I feel very stable and secure at the moment. As a writer I have had my share of writers block and that is no fun period to be in I assure you. But I imagine all writers know this and have experienced it one way or another. As a human being I feel self-confident again and coming from a bad spot a few years ago, this feels so good. Writing.com has made the difference of a lifetime. It gave me a platform to work on and a purpose to come out of bed every morning. Me trying to write on my own was not a great success. I forgot how important a writers community is to get challenged, get input and get new insights on things in general. The features on this site are more than great. You can pimp up your portfolio, your writing and your presence in forums. Everything looks good and is accessible. The Writing ML is easy to use even for a layman like me. The technical help forums are great and there is help everywhere. I love that about this community. What is really bad and makes me a little bit insecure as a person is the situation in the world right now. Terrorist attacks, political coups, refugees, the Brexit and even the election in the States are making me feel less secure. Things are changing rapidly and there is no way of telling what will be the outcome in this era. |
| The twentieth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] War Chest Wednesday! From a previous challenger... Is there something wrong with always having to be right? Yes, I think there is something wrong with it. People can’t be right all the time so if they claim to be it’s annoying. I think in aging I tend to be less right about things then in my early twenties and thirties. You then have more confidence and you think the world lies at your feet. You think you know it all. Later you discover there is more nuance in the world and things are not as much right or wrong but more like shades of grey. Prompt: Plan your work. Work your plan. Does this sound like a plan to you? Write about it. (BCoFs) The original quote comes from Margaret Thatcher: Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan. Thatcher was a British stateswoman and politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to have held the office. A Soviet journalist dubbed her the "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising right-wing politics and leadership style. As Prime Minister, she implemented policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism. I have known her politics from up close and personal back then and I didn’t like it one bit. But I saw the biographical movie The Iron Lady with Merill Streep as Thatcher and that was awesome. The quote is applicable to many situations. It’s best to plan the things you are about to do (I make a lot of lists for example) and then stick by your plan and work on it. It organizes your work and keep you accountable of its progress. Prompt: Write something about nature?(BC) My best account ever with nature was when visiting the USA back in 2004. I traveled the state of Colorado and by this day I am mesmerized by its nature. We went to the Grand Mesa National Forrest and it was the most astonishing views I ever saw. It is the largest flat-topped mountain in the entire world. It has an area of about 500 square miles (1,300 km2) and stretches for about 40 miles (64 km) east of Grand Junction between the Colorado River and the Gunnison River, its tributary to the south. In Europe we don’t have nature like that. As a city girl, the best you can get are some trees in your street. Luckily I have those. So my view from my balcony is somewhat green. I have the ocean at twenty minutes from my house. I love that. Nature is the backbone of the universe to me. Being surrounded by nature makes me relax and breath better. It is a reminder of this wonders creation and it is always a humbling experience. |
| The nineteenth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Talk Tuesday! What do you do to make yourself happy, while knowing it irritates others? In order to survive life and make something out of this crazy ride we call living I have to apply some stress management. That means I have to take care of my time, my energy and my resources very carefully in order not to burn out. In reality that means I have to say no to some offers or do things in a slower pace people are used to coming from me. I have to disappoint them sometimes. This is no fun, but I do it anyway in order to keep control over my affairs the best I know how. I can’t please everybody and I have to take care of myself since I am the only one who can do that.  Pick something that happened on this day and talk about it in your blog. I've included a link to give you some ideas. (BCoFs) http://www.onthisday.com/events/july/19 1595 Astronomer Johannes Kepler has an epiphany and develops his theory of the geometrical basis of the universe. I once came across the historical novel Keppler by John Banville and read a few pages. It was winner of "The Guardian" Fiction Prize in 1981. I know it was astonishing but I never finished the book. I wished I had. Johannes Kepler builds on the insights of Copernicus and the observations of Tycho Brahe to create new theories of planetary motion that reinforce and are themselves strengthened by the work of Galileo. Kepler experienced the difference between astrology and astronomy. His initial theories, based on geometry but not yet algebraically sensible, seemed to fit the amazingly-accurate measurements of Tycho Brahe, but there was a deeper elegance to discover in the elliptical orbits. Since infinite theories fit any finite set of experimental data points, and science (as Popper observed) "tells us when we're wrong but never when we're right", any lack of rigor or verification leads the scientist into numerological games in search of elegance whenever he lacks peer pressure to force him to real rigor (the novel Keppler). Kepler claimed to have had an epiphany on July 19, 1595, while teaching in Graz, demonstrating the periodic conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the zodiac; he realized that regular polygons bound one inscribed and one circumscribed circle at definite ratios, which, he reasoned, might be the geometrical basis of the universe. Johannes Keppler was first to correctly explain planetary motion, thereby, becoming founder of celestial mechanics and the first "natural laws" in the modern sense; being universal, verifiable, precise. All too fascinating. I will try to fetch that historical novel from somewhere and read it this time!  |
| "Welcome To My Reality Forum" [E] 5. What was your least favorite thing that happened in your life last month? (June). I have to dig deep for this one; really, my month of June was the best month in a long time. However, there was one day I recall something was off with my dog Arie. This fox terrier of 11 ½ years old is the best dog ever, he is playful and sweet. We spent a lot of quality "Doggie Time" [ASR]. So he recovered from pulling some teeth but a few days later he was limping. I checked every paw but could not find anything wrong. This strange walking behavior lasted a few hours and then it disappeared. Until this day I am not sure what was the matter. 7. Is there something happening in the near future that you are really looking forward to? Please, do tell. Yes! I am very excited about this one: I am going on a trip to New York City in spring 2017 with my best friend. Since I am in no position to pay for this the treat is on her for the entire amount of money. I am flabbergasted by this generosity. Apparently she wants to go to NY very badly and I am the only one coming with her. So in a way she is paying for company. She does not want to go alone. I am thrilled. Yesterday we had a meet in the sun on a terrace in the city center. A white wine in one hand and a talk about New York, it was lovely. I am a bit chicken when it comes to traveling to a big city like NY so I thought it was best to go in a group with others. That way everything is planned for you, you know the trip will cover all the important visits like Manhattan with the Public Library, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 5th Avenue and Central Park, Visit to Ellis Island, Liberty Island with the statue of liberty, Battery Park, Wall Street, Federal Hall, Trinity Church, Firemen Memorial and Ground Zero with a visit to 9/11 museum, visits to Greenwich Village, Soho and Chelsea and a unique Harlem Gospel tour. I had it all figured out. But no chance: my friend doesn’t want a group travel following the woman with the white umbrella all day listening for hours to boring talks. That’s here version of things anyway. Since she is paying she is in charge as far as I’m concerned. So the latest is we travel by ourselves, plan and execute the trip according to our own wishes. I am on board! 8. What would you do if you found a purse or wallet with a large amount of cash in. That’s at first glance an easy one for me: I would pick up the purse, look into the wallet and discovering all that great cash I would do a little doodle-dee-doo-dance right then and there. I would keep the money. Definitely! I am as honest as the next girl, believe me, and if I saw someone losing a purse in the street I ‘ll be the first to run after that person holding the wallet and shouting, “Hey there, you lost something.” In fact this happened for real last year. But when confronted by a wallet with no one in sight to claim it I wouldn’t hesitate one second and keep it for that proverbially rainy day. It’s always raining in The Netherlands so there you go. That money is mine! I would make plans with that money for sure. I would go on a trip to the US, I would redecorate my livingroom, and I would help my sister who is in a predicament at this moment. I would spend it like crazy. I would enjoy myself doing it. No regrets or guilty feelings about the money. No siree! The trip I choose would be The Grand Tour USA by Fox travel. A group travel of 22 days through West-America. To discover cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix en Las Vegas. Visit to Alcatraz in San Francisco. Well known spectacles like Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Bryce Canyon, Goblin Valley State Park, Arches, Capitol Reef and Dead Horse Point. For the prize of 4000 euro (4421 US dollar) all-inclusive. My mouth is watering! |
| "Welcome To My Reality Forum" [E] 1. How old were you the first time you thought you were in love? Was it true love? Tell us your memory. I was thirteen and very much in love with Bob, who became my high school sweetheart and my first boyfriend. We met at dancing class in school, he asked if he could bring me home on his bike, I said yes. We were together for a couple of trimesters but he broke up. After the holidays we got back together, (he threatened to kill himself if I did not take him back). I broke up after a few months, it didn’t work after all. Only a couple of years ago we met again and went out for dinner. It was lovely to see him after 40 years. It was true love from both sides. He was a very beautiful young man and from Indonesian descent (as I am) with dark complexion and beautiful eyes and hands. He was a very good tennis player, played the guitar and was into Pencak Silat, martial arts. All very romantic to me. I had a harsh upbringing so I remember my surprise I was allowed to go on a 5-day trip by train with Bob. It was a thing in the 70s called ‘teenage tour’, a train ticket that allowed you to travel all day for 5 days. Ofcorse we went home every night. It was in this period I wrote a diary with lots of intimate details about my feelings and my relationship with Bob, that my little brother took and read. From that day on, I had trouble trusting my words to a blank page in fear of anyone else reading it. I set the score now by working this blog! 2. Do you have any special plans for the summer ahead? What are they? If not, why? This summer I have planned for two months to have time writing, reading and reviewing on Writing.com. I have taken leave from my volunteering job at Pelita, an Indo organization working for and with Indos who were captured by the Japanese during World War 2 by offering them counseling and leisure. This group of elderly citizens is now decreasing and soon Pelita will be obsolete. But in the meantime I am working from home at my computer on their website on various content issues for nine years now. (Is it that long?) Once a week I go to the office to meet up with colleagues and have the occasional meeting. I don’t have money to travel abroad these days. In earlier years I went to several countries in Europe, North Africa, Indonesia and the USA. I loved to travel but have accepted the fact that my income won’t allow it these years. In addition, I am house bound by my dog. For 6 years I have visited my sister in a holiday trailer up North on a camping site. That was great fun since I could bring my dog with me. Last year I went on holiday for a few days with my father and stepmom in a rented cottage. It was lovely time spent together, especially in retrospect since my dad passed away only four months later. Since I joined Writing.com I have overcome my writers block of nine whole months. Therefore, I am very pleased to be able to have free time to write this summer. 3. What was your most favorite thing that happened in your life last month? (June) I found Writing.com by sheer accident while browsing the Internet. I joined in and buckled down. The rest is history. I love this site with its writer’s community, its contests, its activities and perks for reviewing. The last 6 ½ weeks I have spent hours and hours per day reading, writing and reviewing and loving every minute of it. Sofar I have managed 15 community recognitions with two awardicons and nine merit badges. I have given 122 public reviews, received 51, have 175 forum posts and entered a couple of contests of which I won three (first, 2nd and third place). I have written more than a dozen short stories and poems. YEAH! My Muse is definitely back. I missed her dearly. Since I am writing in English/American, things have been improving. My grammar and spelling sucks most of the time but my creativity is back and I am into some kind of flow. This blog is helping me by using as many prompts as possible so I have joined four blogging groups: 30-Day Blogging Challenge, Blog City, Blogging Circle of Friends and now also Welcome to my Reality. It’s working! Blogging is a lovely way for me to keep on writing. Welcome to my reality has covered a more personal part of blogging while the other three forums did less and were covering other areas. I love the fact that I am now blogging a variety range of subjects. Blogging became a reality in the first place because Anonymous has paid for my upgraded membership for three months total. I owe this person the opportunity of a lifetime.  |
It’s dark outside and the temperature of this first lovely sunny day in Western Europe is dropping. It’s cooling down. I am sitting at my new desktop that has been the legacy of my late "Dad" A little sadness creeps into this moment since I am listening to classical music, still in the crypts of the computer, he recorded before he died. It’s his music on his computer and I am missing him right now. It’s been 7 months since we cremated him. So I just feel the moment and cherish the memory. Note ▼ |
| The eighteenth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Motivational Monday! One of my all-time favorite quotes is from Hunter S. Thompson ..."Buy the ticket; take the ride." How much does "Buy the ticket; take the ride" apply to you? Are you a "get what you signed up for" type? Or someone else? Tune in, freak out, get beaten. I think I am the realistic type here so I would agree with this quote. Although it’s difficult sometimes to accept what’s coming my way and deal with it. I have learned this the hard way. Prompt: What kind of experiences or thinking makes a person change his ways, either from good to bad or from bad to good? (BC) Changes in behavior or thinking, good or bad reversed, would be caused by therapy, medication, drugs, mental illness or brain dysfunction, childhood experiences, accidents, trauma, interaction with others, love, abuse, education. But also by peer pressure, society calling, the media or religion. It’s the old classic Nature versus Nurture dilemma: it's really hard to decide whether a person's development (which change is) is predisposed in his DNA, or a majority of it is influenced by life experiences and environment. I would opt for both. I hope one day to quit smoking for reasons of health and because of society saying it’s bad for me and making it hard to continue smoking by raising the price of cigarettes and putting texts and photos on packages like “Smokers die young”. It would mean a change from bad to good. My late mother dying of lung cancer (but didn’t smoke) would tribute to my thinking that it’s bad and change my ways. Reading Allan Carr's Easy way to stop smoking would benefit in me stopping my bad habit. But since it is very hard to change your way I am not sure if this would work. Fact is I still am smoking!  We've experienced triple digit days here in Las Vegas. It' about time for the monsoonal moister to arrive so we'll be experiencing triple digit days with high humidity. Write a recipe for a Summer Cooler. It can be drink, food, or any other way you cool down on days with high humidity and triple digit temperatures. (BcoFs) Making Ice tea: Two liters of cold tea and the juice of three lemons. Stir. Put in the fridge. Voila! Serve with ice cubes. |
| The seventeenth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] The Sunday News! This week, Microsoft said they won't be able to meet their goal of having 1 billion Windows 10 users . I use Windows 10 and it's fine for everything I do; others feel passionately different. What's your take? Is the operating system important, or do you not care as long as the device itself still works? Just this week someone reminded me that it’s still possible for two whole weeks to get Windows 10 for free in my country. At the time I was wondering why this generous offer, now I understand: they want to reach their 1 billionth user before the end of this summer. My response was a sudden and quick NO to Windows 10 since I heard from several people it was not an improvement and in fact Windows 10 is not as user friendly as its predecessors. So, gullible as I am, I developed a slight Windows 10 phobia and in fact am refusing to use it so I stick with Windows 7 which is fine by me because I can understand it a little bit as far as understanding an operating system goes. In my country the majority is using Windows while a few artsy fartsy people refuse to use Microsoft out of principle. They feel that Microsoft is cornering the market for years selling systems that are misleading since you have to buy and use everything else from Microsoft to get your computer up and running. So they use Linnux instead, one of its advantages so I’ve been told is that it is a more compact system working less space. I won’t go that far, but I am comfortable using Windows 7. Hopefully I can do so for the coming years. Ofcorse if Microsoft decides otherwise it can just stop delivering stuff thereby forcing the public to make the switch anyhow. Microsoft rules, it’s that easy! We consumers just follow. |
| The sixteenth day of "30-Day Bloggers Group" [13+] Creation Saturday! The comeback of your life begins with... me winning third place of the Newbie ONLY Short stories and Poems Contest for June 2016 for "Doggie Time" Strangely enough, the fact that I am reading and writing in English/American as opposed to my native tongue Dutch has triggered things I guess. I am back into a flow, enjoying my stay at WdC and basically hitting it off these past 6 weeks. I am even dreaming and thinking in the English language. DAY 860 July 16, 2016 If you had the opportunity to choose an era to relocate in history would you take it? What time frame would you pick if you did go and why? (BC) I’ve always had a fascination with Cleopatra, the queen of the Arabian dessert since her name resembles mine. The last active pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt reigned from 51 – 12 August 30 BC for 21 years. Her name means "she who comes from a glorious father" and she was the fascination of many writers and movies. I would like to take her part in history for a year or two just to get a feel for the place and time. Ofcorse their would be the perk of having a relationship with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, two of the most worthy of men in those days. Cleopatra was of stunning beauty and had great intellect, she apparently could speak nine languages. Writing has it that she killed herself by way of an asp bite, a poisonous snake.  Cook Off Time Tonight we are going to have a cook-off. Not just any cook-off but a Political one. I have already received an entry for The Whopper king "Whopper King" infowarrior and my very own Independence Day Cookies "Explore Your Kitchen - At Your Own Risk" . I am getting ready to add a Trumpkin spice pie. Prompt: What would your entry be?(BcoFs) I would make a home made ice cream “Obamarama” with cookie dough. Vanilla with chocolate and big chunks. I loved President Obama for being the first Afro-American President of the USofA. I thought he was charming, trying to do good for both his country and the world and a relief to watch after the embarrassing presence of his predecessor George W.Bush. The fact that he didn’t keep all his promises to his own people had more to do with the Republicans being in his face than for him not trying his best. I am a fan. I will miss him dearly, not just because I am fearing with great fears Donald Trump, whom I think is a very dangerous buffoon and shady, untrustworthy Hilary Clinton, the best of two evils. I hope the Democrats win the election! I think it’s better for the world and for America. |
Yahoo!! I won third place Short story June 2016 Newbies ONLY short story and Poem Contest. I got an MB short stories for
that was creative and entertaining to read! My first price ever for writing so I am glowing and gleeing. I was so surprised but this is so rewarding! Great, great, great!  ![Merit Badge in Short Stories
[Click For More Info]
For your "award winning" Short Story, that is creative and entertaining to read. Congratulations for 3rd place in the [Link To Item #1873271] for June 2016. Keep up the excellent writing! Regards, Sisco.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Short_Stories-2180.gif) |
| Fifteenth day of "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 2006, the social networking service Twitter was publicly launched. Do you use Twitter? What are your thoughts on it? If you don't, tell us how you feel about social networking in 140 characters or less. For me Twitter is the first social network I used and still am using to some extent today. I use it primarily to keep updated on the whereabouts of some war journalists at their fronts in the different war zones. I love the fact you only have 140 characters so you must be very economical with your words. It’s a great tool to compress your thoughts . The occasional picture will help clarify. Nowadays, since I discovered that greater than great website called Writing Dot Com, I don’t visit Twitter as much any more. And I don’t post myself any longer. One hundred forty characters is too little for my needs now. DAY 859 July 15, 2016 First of all, I want to say my heart goes out to all the families involved in the barrage of violence happening around the world. Please take a moment to discuss something that is trending right now in your area in your entry. Are they important or trivial? I know when I glanced on MSN and saw the list, my first reaction was ... Seriously! Where is our world going?(BC) I wasn’t able to watch the news since I was busy installing a new desktop after mine crashed. But on Twitter things broke loose on the terrible terrorist attack in Nice, France where someone drove a truck into the crowd and killed dozens of people. I am going to watch CNN to find out more. The count now is 80 people killed, children among the death and more than 100 wounded. I am appalled, yet again. This is so tragic. What is there to say, other than again my heart goes out to those French people who lost family and friends. I am so afraid this type of attack and action will be something we will see a lot more of the coming years. These atrocities are not over, and neither is the war on terror. The world has become yet again a little darker. (The screams of people involved in this carnage, apparently taped and broadcast, is horrifying). The question is what can we do as writers, as citizens of the free world to put in front of these terrorist attacks? |
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