Does everyone out there occasionally get famous people following them on Twitter? If you have any, list them in the comments. Just for fun.
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Time
I read an article yesterday that talked about what is important to us and how we spend our time doing things that aren’t important. The article went on to say what you do is what you are.
To a certain degree I agree. I write, I am a writer. I take care of my family, I am a mother. But what do I do that makes me simply a human being? I spend time thinking about what I can do to help others, I try to spend time relaxing and even more time attempting to be inspired by something that I would like to write. I don’t think it’s possible to ever really be doing nothing. Even when we’re playing mindless games or watching crappy television programs, our minds are active.
The article stated also that if we laze around doing useless things then our lives are useless. If we spend all our time working for things we think we need (extras, that is) then we’re probably even worse off, especially if our goal in life is to provide for our family. A family we rarely see.
Anyway, it got me thinking about what I spend my time doing. I often say I’m doing nothing, and it’s true that many days little gets accomplished that I can actually see with my eyes. The dishes pile up, the dusting and vacuuming don’t get done. But in all, my children are happy and I’m pretty content. Sitting with Alex, even if we’re both on our laptops, keeps him happy and avoiding Chris unless he wants something – and then being available to talk to him when he does – makes for a peaceful household. The dishes, the dust, the vacuum cleaner – they don’t really care what I do with my time.
This post is part of SoCS. Find this week’s prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-august-1614/
Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions
P.S. Here’s the link to the article: http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/the-60-second-guide-to-bullshit-free-life/
The Friday Reminder and Prompt for SoCS August 16/14
It’s an understatement to say it’s been a crazy week. I don’t think there’s anyone in the English-speaking world who hasn’t been affected by the recent news, if for no other reason than being sick of hearing about it. It was difficult to decide, with that in mind, on a prompt for this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday. I considered making it completely open-ended, but then I thought of all the people who are having a hard time concentrating on anything but the news. In light of that, I’ve chosen to make the prompt something people can focus on. Focus has, these past few days, been an expensive commodity.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “time.”
After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at the prompt page in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!
We have a SoCS badge now! Paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!
Badge by: Doobster @ Mindful Digressions
Here are the rules:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” or “Begin with the word ‘The’.”
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people will come and read your post! The way to ping back, is to just copy and paste the URL of my post somewhere on your post. Then your URL will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. For example, in your post you can copy and paste the following: This post is part of SoCS: https://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-august-1614/ The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. Have fun!
And the Winner by Popular Vote Is…
Doobster at Mindful Digressions! As it turned out, I didn’t have to make the choice although it was SO close!
Here are the results:
I said in the voting post that if Doobster won I’d choose which of his badges would be the ultimate winner and I have done so. I took into consideration the comments in his post here: http://mindfuldigressions.com/2014/08/08/i-yam-what-i-yam/ and I also took a close look at both. My reason for choosing this one:
is that unless the two are side-by-side, it’s impossible to tell what the image is in the background of the other one – for me at least.
So that’s that.
Thank you so much to Colleen at Silver Threading and KG at Books, Music, Photography, & Movies for your wonderful entries.
And congratulations to Doobster!
SoCS Badge Design Contest – Please Vote!
We have three entries in the Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS) Badge Design contest. Please take a look at all of them before you vote.
Here they are in order of when they entered:
Silver Threading: http://silverthreading.com/2014/08/07/socs-badge-design-contest/
Books, Music, Photography, & Movies: http://booksmusicandmovies.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/my-attempt-socs-badge-design/
Mindful Digressions: http://mindfuldigressions.com/2014/08/08/i-yam-what-i-yam/ – please note because Doobster at Mindful Digressions hasn’t played by the rules *stares at you, Doobster* and ignored the bit about one badge per entrant, (Rule #5) that if he wins, I will choose which badge of his two will be the ultimate winner.
Poll is closed.
It’s going to be a tough choice – all three are amazing!
The poll will remain open for one day. Results will be posted on Friday.
Vote now and help choose our new SoCS badge!!
One-Liner Wednesday – Now
If there is ever enough money there won’t be enough time, and vice versa; before you know it, time will have run out – do it now!!
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Anyone who would like to try it out may feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post. If you do, please ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday, if you see a ping back from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet. It’s a great way to meet new bloggers!
The rules that I’ve made for myself for “One-Liner Wednesday” are as follows:
1. Make it one sentence.
2. Make it either funny or inspirational.
Have fun!
Distraction and Randomness
Am I the only one who is incredibly distracted by all the articles on Robin Williams? I think it’s the vast contradiction between the man who made us laugh and the exceptionally sad circumstances of his death that have me reeling so much over the news. I’ve tried to write more on the subject, but no matter what I write, it just makes no sense.
In other news, I went upstairs to go to bed the other night (it must have been more than a week ago by now) and Alex was talking in his sleep. Keep in mind that he doesn’t speak – he only signs. I actually walked to my room to the sound of applause. I’ve seen him do it before though. It’s quite funny to watch him have a conversation with someone in his dream. He giggles a lot as well.
When I was at the Museum of Nature in Ottawa I saw a Splitfin Flashlight fish. Try saying that three times fast.
Don’t forget to get your entries in for the badge design contest tomorrow!
That’s really all I can come up with at the moment. (See first paragraph.)
Blah.
Shock
I’m writing this as I sit in a state of shock. The numbness – the suspension of disbelief – I feel when I find out that suddenly someone I grew up “knowing” has died, is incomparable to anything else. It’s not as though I actually knew the man. Yet he was part of my life. The kind of guy you figure will be around forever.
Stars are immortal, and yet they’re not.
Rest in peace, Robin Williams.
Nanoo nanoo.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/robin-williams-dead-in-apparent-suicide-1.2733770
The Anti-Bully
Every parent needs to read this touching story. Seriously, please read this. Be sure to comment on Joey’s site.
Thank you so much, Joey, for sharing this.
Years ago, when the girls were in first and second grade, we sat in the food court of the PX (Post Exchange) and Sassy said she wanted to go get a drink refill, but she wanted to wait til this other kid wasn’t over there. I asked her why she didn’t want to be around him, and she told me, “That’s Eric. No one likes him.”
“Why not?”
“Cause he’s so weird. He’s always roaming around the classroom, talkin to himself. He wears these patch things on his arm and they’re supposed to help him sit down and be quiet, but they don’t work.”
How I felt was monumentally affected. Sad for Eric is an understatement. Sad for his parents, too. Grievous might be the better word.
“Sassy. That could be a little version of your brother over there. He had the same troubles as Eric, only he didn’t roam…
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Likeable Villains – Opinions Wanted
I’m back home from my weekend in Ottawa where I had a chance to do some writing. With the work I accomplished, I’ve arrived home with a question for all my followers who are fiction lovers. But first a little information.
I have a new villain in the sequel to my novel and I’m finding I like her. She’s as sharp and witty as she is rotten to the core. So far, 40,000 words into the novel, she has yet to show how bad she can be. My question to you is, have you ever loved a villain despite the fact that they’re cruel and horrible people? Is what I’m doing a no-no?
In the comments, please let me know if you’ve ever read (or seen in a movie) a villain you’ve liked – who you’ve been excited to see when they turned up in a scene.
P.S. I’ll be answering all the comments from the weekend and reading as many of the SoCS entries as I can after I put Alex to bed. Thanks to everyone for your contributions to both!
lindaghill.com 