Life in progress

Monthly Archives: February 2016


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#SoCS – Winter Tires on Deck

When I lived in Quebec I had no choice – winter tires are mandatory. If you get caught without them after, I think, the middle of November you get a ticket. If you get in an accident without them your insurance doesn’t cover you. I had a great mechanic there. I think he liked me. Then again, I spent thousands of dollars at his shop getting my transmission fixed on my Montana. When I bought snow tires from him he offered to store my all-seasons for free for the winter. He labeled them “Linda Montana” so he’d know who they belonged to.

Anyhow, they’re talking about enforcing the same law in Ontario. I really didn’t see much difference when I drove on snowy roads, if any, so it seems like an unnecessary expense. But there you go. Luckily I don’t need a mechanic in my life anymore. My best friend is one. Wow, did that sound bad? Can’t change it now. Sorry John.

It’s really cold out today. Finally. -38 with the wind. I was afraid my car wouldn’t start, but it did. Not without complaint though. I’m looking forward to the warmer weather, though I have a new problem…

The puppy has been going outside to do his business, but my yard has too many things in it that can hurt him, so he’s restricted to the deck. My deck has become a poop deck. It needed a good cleaning anyway, so as soon as the nice weather comes we’ll scrub it, sand it, sandblast it, whatever it takes to really really get it clean and then stain it. I just hope the puppy isn’t too attached to it being his personal toilet. Dinner on the deck could get interesting.

No one without a boat should have a poop deck.

This post is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday: https://lindaghill.com/2016/02/12/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-1316/

SoCS badge 2015

And Love Is In Da Blog: https://justfoolingaroundwithbee.wordpress.com/2016/02/12/loisindabl-prompt-for-13feb16-stream-of-consciousness/ because I love my puppy even if he poops on my deck.

Love Is In Da Blog


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Badge-Making Contest Reminder

Just a quick note to remind everyone that the contest for the weekly One-Liner Wednesday prompt badge is coming to a close on Sunday night. All entries must be in by 23:59 EST (-5 GMT).

Check out the competition so far. In order of their entries:

Willow: https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/one-liner-wednesday-badge-call-for-submissions/

Dean: http://deankealy.com/2016/02/10/one-liner-wednesday-badge-design/

John: https://thesoundofonehandtyping.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/rip-dan-hicks-1linerweds/ (Go to the bottom of the post.)

Pretty cool, eh? If you want to give them a run for their money, start designing now!

You’ll find the rules here: https://lindaghill.com/2016/02/08/one-liner-wednesday-badge-call-for-submissions/ And don’t forget to vote on your favourite badge come Monday!


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 13/16

Today is Friday and time for the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. It’s a long weekend here in Ontario, Canada, so that means it’s a looong weekend for me with the kids home. Wish me luck! Here’s this week’s prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “tire.”  Use it with a prefix and/or and suffix or use it as is. 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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Inspiration and Copyright Infringement – How Fine Is The Line?

There are, arguably, seven basic plots. I won’t list them here, but you can find them if you click this link: The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker. All seven can be said to result from real life inspiration. While fiction can take these inspirations to incredible heights, the ideas begin from somewhere.

So we have inspiration, yes?

It was brought to my attention this morning that there has been a lawsuit taken up by Sherrilyn Kenyon, bestselling author of the Dark-Hunter paranormal romance series, accusing Cassandra Clare, bestselling author of Mortal Instruments and the Shadowhunter series, of copyright infringement. (Read the article here: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/10/sherrilyn-kenyon-sues-cassandra-clare-for-wilfully-copying-her-novels )

In this particular case, it seems to me a clear case of copying: if you read the exhibit (click here) given in the lawsuit, the infinite monkey theorem comes to mind as the only other possible explanation, particularly when Clare denies even having been inspired by Kenyon’s work. Either that or both authors are the same person and the lawsuit is an attempt to drum up business.

…hey, there’s an idea for a novel. You see what I mean? THAT’s inspiration.

While there is a lively discussion going on in the FaceBook group I belong to about whether or not an author can own an idea, and how within a genre certain aspects of creations (worlds, characters, fantastical traits) will keep popping up, there has to be a line upon which copying and inspiration is drawn. And my FaceBook acquaintances have a very good point. Though fiction is inspired by real life, fiction also inspires more fiction. How many novels and screenplays have been inspired by the character of Dracula? Countless. Although Dracula may be a bad example because its copyrights have expired, normally permission must be given to copy a story. But what about inspiration? I’m sure Ann Rice and Stephenie Meyer had no issues over creating vampires as their main characters. The point is, they created their own brand of vampires, expanding on the inspiration they received from the Master.

Just as there are only so many plotlines, world building is similarly restricted to having features that we humans can relate to; characters as well. There is a common fear among authors that we are infringing upon each other’s ideas, and these restrictions are to blame. Of course we can’t read everything, just to make sure, but when we do read something that inspires us, I believe it’s the mark of a good author that he or she can expand that inspiration to create something new from it.

So we have copyright infringement vs. inspiration. Is there a magic number of similarities which define where the line is and when it’s crossed? If so, what is it? Have you ever read something that you think crosses the line? Let’s discuss.


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Love Is In Da Blog – Wordless Wednesday

WW Dec 2014

Bee’s prompt today is Wordless Wednesday – flowers we love.


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One-Liner Wednesday – A Disco?

So on Sunday I walked into a restaurant and was greeted by the hostess, as you are. She glanced out the window and saw that there was an ambulance, lights flashing, at the seniors home across the street.

“Oh look at that,” she said. “An ambulance. It looks like a disco over there.”

I stared at her, a little flabbergasted, with a remark on the tip of my tongue that went something like, I doubt it does to the person the ambulance is there for. But I said nothing. Because once in a while, we all say something totally stupid.

 

Hey! Don’t forget the badge contest for One-Liner Wednesday! (Which, by the way, this post is NOT a good example of. In fact it’s a great example of how you can break the rules!) For details on the contest and to get your name (and/or your blog’s address) mentioned numerous times every week, click the link! https://lindaghill.com/2016/02/08/one-liner-wednesday-badge-call-for-submissions/ The contest closes Sunday and voting for the best badge starts Monday. Don’t delay – start designing now!

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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 – Oasis

Is it weird that I remember the band, Oasis, more for the fights between Liam and Noel Gallagher than I remember their songs?

I suppose the theory that there’s no such thing as bad publicity is true. We humans seem to have a better memory for the negative than the positive.

The Tuesday Use It In A Sentence prompt is brought you this week by My Loving Wife at A Word Adventure. Click the link and join in today!


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One-Liner Wednesday Badge – Call for submissions!

I began One-Liner Wednesday on March 19th, 2014. It wasn’t until the summer of the same year that I turned it into a prompt.

My very first One-Liner Wednesday, before I made it a prompt.

Until now, One-Liner Wednesday has not had a badge to identify it. I intend to change that, but I need your help! Yes, once again I’m calling on all artists, photographers, and badge-makers to submit the best of your art thing to be voted upon for our new visual.

The guidelines for entry into the contest are as follows:

1. The design can be anything you want it to be but it must include either “One-Liner Wednesday” and your name and/or the name of your website.

2. Any pictures (art or photo) must be your own.

3. All entries will be posted here on my blog on Monday, February 15th, 2016, along with a poll that will close the next day, on Tuesday the 16th. I would ask that each of the entrants make a blog post on their own website with their artwork so that I can post links for voters to check them out, and that they link their post back HERE in the comment section no later than Sunday, February 14th. All links included here will be added to the voting list.

4. The winner’s badge will be available for anyone who participates in One-Liner Wednesday to post permanently on their website as a widget and/or to embed in each weekly One-Liner Wednesday post.

5. One entry per person. The contest is open to anyone with a blog, WordPress or otherwise (see #3 for entry requirements).

6, Poll results will not be available while the poll is open. If there is a tie, I will choose the winner myself.

7. If I’ve missed anything, or if you have any questions please ask in the comment section below.

8. Have fun!

So that’s it. Get out your paintbrushes and coloured pencils, your cameras, or whatever you generally art with and art away!


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How did we meet?

One of my favourite things about WordPress is the way networking works. Sometimes I go looking for other bloggers according to interests (tag search in the Reader is a wonderful tool!),  once in a while I’ll discover someone through an article shared on FaceBook, and I can’t count how many people I’ve met through HarsH ReaLiTy. (Have you checked out Jason’s new site yet? If not, you should! Click here!) Often I stumble across another because of an interesting comment they’ve left on a blog we both follow.

And then there are the prompts. I’ve met countless bloggers through the A-Z April Challenge, a few through The Daily Post, and many through my own prompts, which is something I find amazing.

I can’t remember where I met you all, though some I do. Do you remember how you first found me? Or did I find  you first? And how long has it been?

Please let me know in the comments. 😀


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#SoCS – Fingers and Puppy Update

Fingers. How could we live without them? I’ve spent more time wagging mine at the puppy in the last couple of months since we got him than I think I have in the last ten years at my kids. Then there’s Alex. He’s Deaf, so there’s not much communicating going on if he doesn’t have his fingers for sign language.  Back when he was at the hospital half the time I had to ask them to put his IVs in his feet, so he could still communicate. They couldn’t leave his hands unwrapped (with bandages) or he picked them off. What’s kind of amusing is that I can swear as much as I want to (or feel I need to) in front of Alex without guilt, but I don’t dare give anyone the finger.

Fingers hold rings, but I still haven’t found mine. I probably lost it in the parking lot of the grocery store. Fat chance anyone would turn it in, but I’ve asked a couple of times anyway. There’s a Dollar Store there too. Maybe I should ask in there. One can always hope.

Funny thing about fingers – I’ve been touch-typing since I was a little girl. I learned on an old Underwood with keys you could get your fingers stuck between and letters that got stuck together if you typed too fast. But I’ve never been able to play the piano. It must be a different part of the brain.  …then again, you have no idea how many typos I make in the process of typing a single sentence. It’s silly… glad I can watch the screen as I type.

The puppy finally got his cone off his head today. It’s been twelve days since his surgery. He’s looking very handsome without it. Pictures to come. Later. For now, with the cone.

 

Winston - Feb. 4/16

Winston – Feb. 4/16

This post is part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click here to join in today!

SoCS badge 2015