Life in progress


21 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – Don’t blink

monarch

Take not life for granted, for it passes us by far too swiftly.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Anyone who would like to participate, 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. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our very cool badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

#1linerWeds badge by nearlywes.com

#1linerWeds badge by nearlywes.com


16 Comments

Song Lyric Sunday – Django!!! by Buck-Tick

I’ve made a promise to myself not to plague you with Japanese band, Buck-Tick, songs too often for this prompt, but when I read this week’s theme given out by our own, lovely Helen, I couldn’t help it. The theme is ‘songs that make us happy.’

I’m not able to include the lyrics here since the one site I trust to properly translate doesn’t allow me to copy them without express permission, but I can tell you what they’re about. To read the actual lyrics (in English) please watch the video. And hear the song! Any song with the lyrics “bibbidy bobbidy boo” must be listened to!

The song is named “Django!!! – Genwaku no Django” or “Django!!! – Django the Dazzler” after the jazz guitarist Django Reihardt.  Born in 1910, he started his career as a guitarist early, but lost the use of two fingers on his left hand in a fire. From wikipedia:

He created an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique (sometimes called ‘hot’ jazz guitar), which has since become a living musical tradition within French Gypsy culture. With violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Reinhardt co-founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France, described by critic Thom Jurek as “one of the most original bands in the history of recorded jazz”.

He was known as a “magician” guitarist in his time. Django was further referenced in the recent movie bearing his name. You can read about him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt

But before you do, watch the video and read the lyrics. And as a bonus, hear a song that’s guaranteed to make you want to dance!


26 Comments

#SoCS – Drink before bed

What am I doing here when i’m too tired to be here? I just came to say I ate so much tonight, I feel like a snake who swallowed an elephant whole. i may not move for the next three days. Also, while i was out, my son was using my laptop and now my left shift key doesn’t work. Which is why some of my “i”s aren’t capitalized.

i usually take a glass of wine up to bed with me, but tonight it will be water. I hope i’m feeling better enough by the morning that I’ll be able to drink coffee.

Here are some ducks and turtles hanging out:

ducks and turtles hanging out

ducks and turtles hanging out

Good night.

This post is part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click the link to see how you can join in the fun! https://lindaghill.com/2016/06/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2516/

SoCS badge 2015


59 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS June 25/16

Holy Workweek, Batman! It’s Friday! I’ve been so busy today, I didn’t think I’d make it in time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt! Whew! I think I need a coffee. But first, here’s your prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “drink.” Use it as a noun or a verb. 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!


14 Comments

Thursday Doors – A Tale of Two Doors

Just a simple post this week for Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors prompt.

2doors

I’d have kept the old one. How about you?


58 Comments

Is it Live? Or is it Internet?

Do you remember the old Memorex commercial? No? If you’re wondering why I’m asking, see the title of this post. Okay, on with my point.

What kind of person are you? Are you like me and wonder what happened to someone if they don’t show up online for, like, twelve hours? Or do you figure they’re just living their life in real life? Because seriously, it’s hard to differentiate between online life and real life sometimes. If someone stays offline for three days it’s not the same as if they don’t come out of their house for three days. But we still wonder, are they laying on the kitchen floor in the puddle of grease they slipped on because it’s been thirty-six hours since they last posted a picture of a cat on Facebook?

You hear stories of how the mailman calls 911 because the old lady in 226 hasn’t emptied her mailbox since last Tuesday, but you do the same thing for your online friends and you end up with the police knocking on YOUR door with a restraining order. Okay, there may be exceptions: like when they don’t show up online for months (yeah, I’m looking at you, Paul Curran). But the fact is, we don’t really (usually) know what goes on in the background of our online friend’s lives. Just like we shouldn’t judge people by the way they look, we shouldn’t necessarily worry or think others are ignoring us when they’re not around the internet at the same time every day.

I do consider my online friends as friends. It’s a totally different friendship we have with our physical neighbours though. Right?

How soon do you start to worry?


31 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – You could feed a family of 4 with that!

major asparagus

Asparagus, anyone?

_____________________________________________________________________________

Anyone who would like to participate, 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. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our very cool badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

#1linerWeds badge by nearlywes.com

#1linerWeds badge by nearlywes.com


30 Comments

Let’s go camping! (and #tuesdayuseitinasentence)

Before I get started on my post, I just want to mention how awesome MLW is with her Tuesday Use It In A Sentence prompts. This week, the word is “quest.” Click the link and check out the rules so you can join in too! https://stephaniecolpron.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/tuesdayuseitinasentence-quest/

Okay, so, camp. I’m not talking about the traditional back-destroying, sleeping-in-a-sleeping-bag, sit-around-a-campfire-and-roast-marshmallows-and-drink-an-entire-bottle-of-Jack-Daniels-whilst-looking-up-at-the-stars-and-contemplating-the-universe-type camping. The days of being able to walk the day after sleeping on the ground are long gone for me. I’m talking about Camp NaNo! What is Camp NaNo, you ask? Well let me tell you.

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is in November. During that time, the goal is to write at least 50,000 words, no excuses. Write 49,999 and you lose. But the people who bring us NaNoWriMo also host two “camps” every year. They are in April and July. During the camps you set your own goal. Anywhere from 30 words to 1,000,000 – it’s up to you. Campers are assigned to cabins, and each member of the cabin encourages the others. There can be challenges, there are forums full of experts to help with research, and chats over coffee… it’s fun!

Since I’m on a quest to finish the sequel of my epic novel, I’ve decided to join Camp NaNo in July. I actually started my sequel at the camp in April of 2014, when I managed to write about 30,000 words.

So, who’s with me? Anyone out there already signed up? Have a cabin for me to join? I’m thinking I may start my own, otherwise. Here’s the link: https://campnanowrimo.org/sign_in

Let’s sit around the campfire and roast marshmallows and drink an entire bottle of Jack Daniels whilst looking up at the stars and contemplate writing, without the stiff and aching muscles, together!


12 Comments

REVIEW – Faking It by Elisa Lorello

Faking ItFaking It by Elisa Lorello
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once in a while I go to the bookstore and pick up a few books from the sale racks. This one turned out to be an amazing read. It took me no time at all to fall in love with the characters, who are written not only with incredible depth, but with such ease that I didn’t realize I was becoming immersed until I couldn’t put down the novel.
If you enjoy a good love story with imperfect but perfectly lovable characters, you’ll love Faking It. I can’t wait to read the sequel.

View all my reviews


26 Comments

#SoCS – Classes

I’d be a full-time student if I could. Most of what is holding me back is time. I’d hate to spend all that money (which would have to come in the form of government grants, but still) and then find out I haven’t got enough hours in the day to complete a course. So I wait until the perfect time. HA! Yeah, that’s going to come along.

What I do think I’ll be able to manage though, is a course from the college where I graduated from my writing program. One of the classes they offered but I didn’t take because it didn’t fit with what I was doing at the time, was for writing memoirs. I could really use that for my story about Alex and parenting a Deaf child, when I get the chance to gather all that up. Yeah, time again.

Speaking of time, how pathetic is it that I almost didn’t get my post for my own prompt written before midnight? I was so afraid I’d not get my fiction one done, that I wrote it before this. It’s also a SoCS post – I’m actually quite proud of it. Often when I write stream of consciousness fiction it ends up sucking. But I don’t think today’s did. I hope you’ll check it out. The link to it is over there —-> on the right-hand sidebar. At least right now it’s there. Next week it probably won’t be there, so you’ll have to look for it with the rest of the links in the comments of this post. Where you can join in too! It’s fun!!!

I wonder if I’d be as enthusiastic about taking classes if I had to go back to the same set-up as we had in public school. Tiny little desks, teachers who demanded respect and sent you out into the hall if they didn’t get it… lousy cafeteria food, and hall monitors. Now the only monitor I have to deal with is the one I’m looking at when I type.

I skipped school a lot. Writing this, I can see why.

SoCS badge 2015