Life in progress


22 Comments

#SoCS – Colds and Hots

When you’ve got a cold, do you ever wonder why you didn’t appreciate being healthy when you were? And then, when you get rid of the cold, you sigh and think, yes – I will always appreciate this feeling of not being sick until, like, the next day when you totally start taking it for granted again.

Why do they call it a cold when it makes you hot?

When it was hot in the summer, my mother used to swear by drinking hot tea. This was back in the days before homes were air conditioned and we just had to live with it. Her theory was that a hot drink made you sweat more, and when you sweated (is that a word? It doesn’t look like a word. Don’t you hate it when that happens?) …anyway, when your body produced sweat (better), the air, though hot, cooled you off more than if you had just been sweating normally. Like you do on a hot day.

My mother may have been crazy. I realize that now.

Yet it means that I don’t shy away from drinking the  hot coffee I crave, nay, need in the middle of summer. Or in stupid temperatures in the fall like we’re having now.

At least I don’t have to turn my heat on.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is fun, and best of all, it’s free! Click the following link and see how you can join in today! https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-2317/


Leave a comment

22. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Strong language

Friday, September 22nd, 10:00pm
Edward (and Bella and Alice)

 

Edward sits at the window. Bella takes the seat beside him and faces Alice across the aisle.

Bella: (to Alice) Are you sure I look okay?

Alice: Bella, you look fine!

Bella: Cuz I’ve heard there are some really hot guys that go to this club.

Edward: You look wonderful.

Bella: (turns, noticing him for the first time) Who asked you?

Edward: No one. But you were going to.

Bella: (turns to Alice and whispers) What the fuck? (laughs) He’s wearing glitter.

Edward: I can hear you, you know. I have extra-sensitive hearing.

Bella: (to Edward) Look, creep …

Edward: I’m a vampire.

Bella bursts with laughter.

Edward: (seriously) How else would I know your name is Bella? (raises eyebrows)

Alice: Uh, because I said her name?

Edward bares a set of plastic teeth.

Bella: (to Edward, still laughing) Are you for real?

Edward: You’ll see tonight!

Bella and Alice get up and stagger, laughing, to the exit.

Edward: (yelling after them) I know where you live!

 

Next stop: Saturday, September 23rd, 9:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


43 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Sept. 23/17

Hellooo!! It’s Friday again, and time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. It’s been an interesting week around here. The first full week back to school for Alex, which has been nice. I’ve been seriously considering doing something totally out of the ordinary. For me, at least. If it happens, you’ll be the first to know. In the meantime, here’s your prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “hot/cold.” Use one, use both, bonus points if you start your post with one and end with the other. 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 our 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!!

 

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. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

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!


2 Comments

21. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Strong language, adult theme.

Thursday, September 21st, 8:00am
Gerald and Dick

 

Dick: You’ll never guess what my wife and I did last night for dinner.

Gerald: (raises eyebrows) Do I want to know? I mean, really, are you sure I want to know?

Dick: (elbows Gerald in the ribs) Come on, of course you do. Anyways, I get home from work last night and she’s got all these candles going in the dining room, right?

Gerald: Lucky you don’t have kids.

Dick: Yeah whatever. Anyways, I walk in the door and there’s all these candles on the table and the sideboard and everything, and there she is dressed up in this … thing …

Gerald: What, like a gorilla suit?

Dick: No! She’s not wearing a gorilla suit! She’s got this black lacy thing on with her boobs hanging out, out to here (gestures with his hands in front of him) and this tiny little thong stuck up the crack of her ass that’s she’s wiggling at me …

Gerald puts his hand to his face and slouches in his seat.

Dick: … and on the table – get this – on the table is this assortment of whips and handcuffs, and I’m like, holy shit babe, this book you’ve been reading, it’s right up my alley.

Gerald: Don’t tell me …

Dick: That’s right, man. That Forty Shades dealio.  I got my hogtie on with the handcuffs and the ball in the mouth and shit and she went to town on my ass, all night long, man. It’s incredible! Man, you should get that book for your wife.

Gerald: (unenthusiastically) Sounds like balls of fun.

Dick: Speaking of balls, mine are fucking aching this morning. You know, after all that she didn’t even want to have sex. She just flat shut me out. It’s like she just wanted to beat the hell outta me.

Gerald: Hey maybe I should read that book … The lingerie’s not a requirement, right?

Dick: … I guess not. But what would you want to read it for?

Gerald: I don’t know, Dick. I don’t know.

 

Next stop: Friday, September 22nd, 10:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


5 Comments

20. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Adult theme.

Wednesday, September 20th, 8:00pm
Zoey (and Donald)

 

Zoey sits beside the window. Donald takes the seat beside her.

Donald: Hi.

Zoey: (looks at him suspiciously) Hiii?

Donald: Nice night out.

Zoey: You’re not going to ask me if you can play with yourself, are you?

Donald: (laughs) No. I’m on my way to a psychiatrist appointment.

Zoey turns to the window.

Donald: (leans toward her and whispers) I think I might be gay.

Zoey: And you need a psychiatrist for that?

Donald: I don’t want to be (whispers) gay.

Zoey: I don’t think you have much of a choice. You are or you aren’t. Or you’re bi.

Donald: (raises his eyebrows) Bi? You mean that’s really a thing? I thought it was a myth.

Zoey rolls her eyes and stares out the window.

Donald: You know, come to think of it, you kind of turn me on.

Zoey: Take your dick out and I’ll kick it.

Donald moves to another seat.

 

Next stop: Thursday, September 21st, 8:00am

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


46 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – You say potato, I say what?

A potato with eyes that look like, well, eyes, and a smiling mouth.

He was a happy spud: delicious, too.

____________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to participate in this prompt, 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 pingback, 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.

NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, like Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a pingback 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 Dan Antion


9 Comments

19. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Tuesday, September 19th, 5:00pm
Jeff (and Candice)

 

Jeff sits beside the window alone.

Candice: (taking the seat beside him) Hey, aren’t you Sandi’s boyfriend?

Jeff opens his mouth but says nothing.

Candice: You’re Jeff, right?

Jeff: Yes …

Candice: Sandi told me all about you. I work with her.

Jeff: At the …

Candice: Dungeon, yeah. She says you’re going to save her.

Jeff tugs at his clerical collar.

Candice: It looks like all you want to do right now is save yourself from this conversation.

Jeff: (laughs) You’re very astute. What exactly did Sandi tell you about me?

Candice: She told me you spent a ‘heavenly’ weekend together.

Jeff: That we did.

Candice: So are you going to make an honest woman out of her?

Jeff: I’d like to. But I know she enjoys her job very much.

Candice: And I’m guessing you do too.

Jeff nods.

Candice: Have you ever thought about checking out where we work? I mean, for yourself … not to save everyone there.

Jeff: I couldn’t …

Candice: There are plenty of things that I would think you ‘couldn’t’ do.

Jeff looks down at his hands and smiles.

Candice: (bumps his shoulder with hers) Struck a nerve?

Jeff: (laughs wryly) I suppose I owe it to Miss Fantasia to see where she spends her days. She’s familiar with my workplace, after all.

Candice: I’m sure she’d be thrilled.

Jeff: (looks her in the eye) Thank you.

Candice: For what?

Jeff: For helping me see the light.

Candice: (slaps his knee) You’re a funny guy.

 

Next stop: Wednesday, September 20th, 8:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


8 Comments

18. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Monday, September 18th, 8:00am
Michael (and Phil)

 

Michael sits beside the window, reading a book. Phil takes the seat beside him.

Phil: My car broke down.

Michael: Excuse me?

Phil: I don’t usually take the bus, but my car broke down today.

Michael nods and goes back to reading.

Phil: I had a feeling it wouldn’t start.

Michael begrudgingly looks up from his book.

Phil: It’s just one of those days when you know something’s going to go wrong. Know what I mean?

Michael: Yeah. (glances out the window for a moment, then goes back to the book)

Phil: Do you own a car?

Michael: (lets the book drop in his lap) Nope.

Phil: You wouldn’t understand then.

Michael: Understand what?

Phil: What it’s like to have to take the bus.

Michael frowns but Phil doesn’t notice.

Phil: I mean, what do you do on the bus? When you’re driving to work, you have something to do.

Michael: I like to read a book. (lifts the book up and shows Phil)

Phil: Oh yeah? That’s a good idea. What are you reading?

Michael: Deadly Karate Blows – The Medical Implications, by Brian Adams.

Phil: Oh.

 

Next stop: Tuesday, September 19th, 5:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


5 Comments

17. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Sunday, September 17th, 1:00pm
Agatha and Kitty

 

Agatha: When we get home, I think I’ll need a cup of tea.

Kitty stares out the window silently.

Agatha: All this traveling on the bus is for the birds. I’m not as young as I used to be.

Kitty regards Agatha and looks back out the window.

Agatha: I see all these young people, the boys with their bottoms hanging out of their pants and the girls … (shakes her head) If I’d tried to go out in the things the girls wear these days, my mother would have sent me to my room without any dinner. But, times change. I suppose I’m just old-fashioned.

Kitty turns to Agatha and blinks.

Agatha: You’re such a good girl, aren’t you pet?

Kitty yawns.

Agatha: Where would I be without you?

Kitty: Probably sitting at home drinking tea instead of taking me out to buy new jeans.

 

Next stop: Monday, September 18th, 8:00am

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


30 Comments

#SoCS – Volition

Gah! Why do I struggle so much to write something positive these days? To write something – anything – of my own volition? I swear, if it wasn’t for these prompts, I might not write at all for weeks on end. Which is strange, really, because when I start, it’s natural. It just goes. Before I go off on a tangent, I want to say thank you. To all of you who help me keep going with my prompts. Because though they may originate here, if it wasn’t for all of you reading and participating in them, I’d have no motivation to keep it up some weeks. Thank you. 🙂

I’m not going to get this posted on Saturday, but I’m happy I at least started it with a minute or two to spare. I’ve spent the day working and occasionally tending to my son Chris’s needs.  And talking to my mother on the phone about half a dozen times, allaying her fears that there really is nothing to worry about when she finds a note in her room that she wrote about something she was trying to remember to do three years ago. I swear sometimes it would be best to go through her room when she’s not there and empty it of every scrap of paper once a week. She’s always been a worrier. Now she finds something to worry about and with her dementia, she can discover it for the first time ten times in the space of an hour.

I actually tried not giving birth to an only child, as I am, so that only one child would be stuck looking after me as I age. As it turns out, my eldest will likely be stuck with both me and his two disabled brothers. Life just isn’t fair.

Gah! Why do I struggle so much to write something positive these days? (Yes, I copied that.)

So I was at the hospital with Alex the other day, and I was amazed at how many people I recognized from when he was there for the first eight months of his life. Not only that, there were so many of those people who recognized me. I must have made an impression. Or Alex did. He was admitted for a night after vomiting as he came out of anaesthesia and they were afraid that he may have aspirated. He spent the night with the nurses at the desk, apparently, hanging out and flirting. He didn’t want to leave the hospital when it was time to go. I remember one time he was in ICU after having a second surgery in the space of two days. He’d had sleep apnea and the first surgery wasn’t as successful as they’d hoped. Even after all that, he managed to wrap every nurse in the ICU around his little finger. I’ve never seen so many nurses drop what they were doing (in the bloody ICU!) to wave goodbye to him as they wheeled him on a stretcher out the door and back up to the ward where he would spend another few days recovering.

He gets it from his dad, I’m sure. I’m simply not that charming.

But soon we won’t have that particular hospital to go to anymore. It’s a children’s hospital, and Alex will turn seventeen in five weeks. I fear the adult hospital may not be as good.

Gah!

Alex’s first day of school, Sept. 5, 2017.

 

Check out the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt at the following link and read all the other posts. And join in too, if you’d like. It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/15/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-1617/