Life in progress

Monthly Archives: October 2015


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Oct 23/15

Friday is here, and time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. How is everybody today? I have a birthday boy on my hands, so it’s going to be a busy one for me. Alex is fifteen years old! So hard to fathom. Anyway, here’s your SoCS prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “beef.”  Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use the SoCS badge! Just 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!!

SoCS badge 2015

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,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. 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. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


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The WordPress Stat Nobody Talks About

…or at least I’ve never seen anyone talk about it. I think of it as something like “tax free” day – the day the government tells you that they’ve collected every cent you’ve earned so far but the rest of the money you make in the year is yours. At that point you can sit back and not worry about losing anything. How in the actual heck does this relate to WordPress stats? Let me tell you.

If you’ve been blogging for more than a year, there comes a point if your second calendar year is better than your first that you hit the total number of views you had the year before. For instance, in my first year I had one view. I surpassed that number in January of my second year. My third year, however, was a little more difficult since in the second I had over 14,000 views. I didn’t get to my “tax free” point in my third year until June. Why in the actual heck am I talking about this now? Let me tell you.

In about 300 views I’m going to reach the same number of total views as I had last (my third) year. After that I’ll be able to sit back, put my feet up, drink a glass of wine and not bother writing another thing on my blog because I know from here on in I’m coastin’. Just soakin’ up the glory…

I’m kidding. Of course I’m still going to post. 😀

Have you been blogging for more than a year? Have you hit your “tax free” day yet? Let me know in the comments!


by 25 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – The Past Meets the Future

CAM00895-EFFECTS

 
May some things never change; may beauty survive despite us.

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Anyone who would like to try it out, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a ping back, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), 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.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Have fun!


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Tuesday Use It In A Sentence – Overrun

My lawn sparkles when it’s overrun with fireflies. It’s one of my favourite things about summer.

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Here are the prompt rules:

  1. Make a sentence with the word of the week. Leave it as just a sentence or write a post to go with it.
  2. Try to do it on Tuesday.
  3. Include the hashtag #tuesdayuseitinasentence.
  4. Post it on Twitter and/or Facebook (if you have a public site) and/or Pinterest and/or WordPress and/or any other social media site you belong to.
  5. Participate as many times as you’d like. You can write a different sentence for each platform, but please keep it to one sentence per post.
  6. I will be trolling Twitter for the hashtag, so watch my Twitter feed in the sidebar for retweets. Make sure to connect on Twitter with other participants!
  7. If you post your sentence here on WordPress or on any other site where there’s a clickable link, include the link in the comment section for this week.
  8. Google #tuesdayuseitinasentence to find other participants! The more you connect, the bigger it gets and the more views and followers you’ll have.
  9. Have fun!

 

What are you waiting for? Make up a sentence and join in!


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A Directional Nightmare

This is my excuse for not getting anything done today: I had all my hotel bookings set for my trip to Japan – had some fantastic places to stay. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this when I booked them (or in particular, the one I had booked for the nights of the concerts), but I thought I’d check the directions today to see how I’d get from the concert venue back “home.” I planned to do it on foot so I stayed fairly close, just like I did last time. After all, the trip will be made alone in the dark. With that in mind… hahaha… here are my directions from Google:

ＮＨＫホール
Japan, 〒150-0041 東京都渋谷区 神南２丁目２−１
Head northeast
400 m
Take the crosswalk
24 m
Take the crosswalk
100 m
Take the crosswalk
66 m
Take the crosswalk
110 m
Take the crosswalk
47 m
Turn right
55 m
Slight right
18 m
Cross the road
33 m
Cross the road
40 m
Cross the road
18 m
Take the crosswalk
12 m
Cross the road
19 m
Cross the road
40 m
Cross the road
47 m
Turn left
22 m
Take the crosswalk
130 m
Cross the road
55 m
Take the crosswalk
120 m
Cross the road
52 m
Take the crosswalk
33 m
Take the crosswalk
100 m
Cross the road
25 m
Cross the road
38 m
Cross the road
110 m
Take the crosswalk
50 m
Cross the road
68 m
Take the crosswalk
38 m
Take the crosswalk
36 m
Turn right
110 m
Take the crosswalk
63 m
4 Chome-5-9 Aobadai

It’s THAT EASY!!! I shit you not, that’s all I get for directions. Because as I explained in this post, there is no such thing as a street name in Tokyo. Needless to say, I canceled that booking and made another one closer to the train station, from whence I can get a bus. Or at the very least, since it’s the closest station to the venue, someone has to know how to get there. In fact, I’ll follow the crowd. It’s in Shibuya, arguably the busiest part of the city.

So this is where I’m staying now – a gorgeous hotel three minutes’ walk from the famous Shibuya intersection, for a measly $140 Cdn. per night, breakfast included. Can’t beat that.

Not too bad an excuse for getting nothing done today, eh?


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#SoCS – Still is the answer, what was the question?

I find it incredibly hard to sit still. Especially when I’m trying to write. If I’m not getting up to get something I’m playing a mindless game on the computer because my brain just can’t handle, most of the time, the intense thought processes it has to go through to get what’s on it, on the screen. I need time to fully picture what I’m going to write before I write it. Once I have that picture I can go – and sometimes, yes, I’ll look up from the screen and realize it’s gotten dark outside without my noticing. Or, “Oh, look at that. I missed dinner time. No wonder I’m hungry.” This is, of course, only when I’m alone. Which is the best time for me to get anything done anyway.

I have a hard time sitting still but I wish my weight reflected that. Normally when I think of someone who’s always on the go I think of a person who is as skinny as a rail. Not me. Which proves that there’s no such thing as a stereotype where busyness is concerned. Then again, usually when I write and I have to distract myself, I end up in the kitchen…

The word “still” bugs me sometimes. At my most stressful times I’m usually saying “I still have to do this,” or “I still have to do that.” There’s always something I still have to do. I never get to the end of the damned “to do” list. That could have something to do with why I’m not sure my manuscript will ever be finished. There’s always a point I want to change or something I want to fix. Perfection must be achieved! Which I know sucks, but I don’t want to be criticized for something I could have fixed but didn’t.

Maybe instead of making my own wine (at the wine store) I’ll eventually end up with my own still in the basement. It may be the cure for all my stress. And hey, I can just pass out down there. That’ll keep me still.

SoCS badge 2015This post is part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click here https://lindaghill.com/2015/10/16/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-1715/ to learn more! Come and join us. 🙂


by 48 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Oct 17/15

Friday’s back again and that means it’s time for the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. The weather’s finally getting crisp and there’s frost on the pumpkins some mornings. Are you almost ready for Hallowe’en? Nah, me neither. 😛 Here’s your prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “still.”  Use any definition of the word in your post. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use the SoCS badge! Just 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!!

SoCS badge 2015

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,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. 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. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


by 48 Comments

What Type of Believer Are You?

There are different types of believers in this world. Those who are religious (or not) are usually the first to come to mind. Some believe devoutly in one political party over another, others are positive there are aliens hovering, just waiting for the right time to be taken to our leader (which may or may not have something to do with the example before). But none of these have anything to do with my ponderings, nor my question to you.

This morning, while I was preparing my son’s tube-feeding, I started thinking about the difference between people who believe in superstitions versus those who swear things that happen which are related to one another are mere coincidence. And then I thought about Murphy’s Law. You know, the one that goes something like, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” I then started to wonder if there’s any correlation between the pessimistic old Irishman and the half full/half empty glass.

Keeping in mind the fact that I was thinking all this at 5:30am, I’m sure you’ll bear with me through my semi-conclusions to this riot of contemplation. Right? Okay. Here we go.

If a person believes in Mr. Murphy’s doom and gloom prophesy, he (using male pronoun for no other reason than ease) is more likely to be superstitious. Why? Because it’s his only defense against a probable negative outcome. It follows then (or at least it did in the wee hours of this morning), that superstitious people are glass half-empty people. So, Murphy = superstition = pessimist.

Alternatively, if a person does not believe the infamous Mr. Murphy had a leg to stand on, then she (see above pronoun explanation) is more likely to believe that relatable happenings are coincidence. Why? Because why not. This happens, that happens, chances are if we do it right in the first place then it’ll be okay. You see where I’m going next… she is the glass half-full person. The coincidence believer. No Murphy = coincidence = optimist.

All cut and dry, right? It is until I take into account that I believe in some superstitions and most of the time our dear old Murphy AND I’m an optimistic glass half-full type. What to do with this confusing information… Hmm… Oh I know! Ask my wonderful friends in WordPress land! Where do you fit in to all of this gobbledigook?

To make it easier, I’ve created a poll.

Please answer it as best you can.

Further to the poll, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Am I way out to lunch? (Or breakfast, as the case may be.) Should I keep my 5:30am thoughts to myself? Let me know. And don’t forget to vote! This is science, people!

 


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Let me share with you

Do you ever experience something when you’re alone that’s so incredible, you just have to share it with someone else? It happened to me the other day, kind of. I was strolling along the waterfront trail when came across an elderly man who was sitting on a bench facing the water. He turned to me and I smiled and he said to me, “Do you want to see something?”

I said, “Sure,” and walked over to where he was sitting.

He pointed at a heron, standing close by on the rocky shore. “They don’t normally let you get this close,” he said to me. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

I agreed and then I respectfully oohed and aahed; I hadn’t the heart to tell him I’d been even closer to one of the huge, majestic birds just a few days before. When I walked away I felt good that I had been the one to share his wonderful discovery with him.

Here’s the first heron I saw:

heron

Isn’t he beautiful? 😉


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One-Liner Wednesday – I’m driving here!

Last night, as I was driving down the main laneway in a parking lot, an entire family stepped out in front of me. I stopped rather close to them by necessity and the woman yelled at me through my open window, “We’ve got kids here, you could wait your turn!” I hmphed and drove away. When I got home, my adult son told me I should have retorted, “I’ve got a car here, you could wait yours!”

From now on I’m not leaving home without my 21 year old son. I’m sure he’ll be pleased with that arrangement.

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Anyone who would like to try it out, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a ping back, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), 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.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Have fun!