Life in progress


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#JusJoJan 2018, the 22nd – Liberty

People take such liberties these days, don’t they? Yeah, I know I sound like I’m going into a “back in my day” rant, but it really does seem to me that the meaning of “free speech” has somehow gotten skewed. Free speech means that one is free to say whatever they want, yeah. We have the legal right to speak, as long as it’s not to falsely malign or spread hate. But it’s a legal right, not a moral one.

Used to be that people were polite. Then again, it used to be that people spoke face to face, or at least over the phone. These kids with their technology, they hide behind their screens in their dark little basement rooms and say whatever they want and damn the consequences. It ain’t right, I tell ya! It just ain’t right.

Such liberties.

This old-folk rant, courtesy of my birthday, is brought to you by Just Jot it January, and in particular, prompted by the word “liberty,” provided by Capt Jill! Thank you so much, Jill! She hadn’t posted for the prompt yet at the publishing of this post, but you can find her blog by clicking right here. Please go and say hi! To participate in the prompt, please visit this post, where you’ll find the rules and you can leave your link in the comments.


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144. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Adult theme

Monday, January 22nd, 3:00pm
Drommen (and Holly)

 

Drommen sits at the window. A light shines on him from above and he stands and addresses the audience.

Drommen: Hello. (steps into the aisle, resting a hand on the back of the seat) What if none of this is real. What if I am just the fantasy of a writer. An author in a crisis of identity. What would the outcome be.

Drommen takes a seat and stares out the window as the overhead light dims. Holly approaches.

Holly: Hey! How are you? Long time no see!

Drommen: (looks up and smiles) Well, hi there. Have a seat.

Holly: (sits) How have you been?

Drommen: Oh, not bad. My sister Francine moved in with me, but apart from that nothing much is new. How about you?

Holly: Everything’s great! The baby is due in a few months. No sign of Mr. Fangs or my ex, so things are fantastic. And I’ve got you to thank for it. (nudges him) So what was it you wanted to show me last time?

Drommen: (frowns) I was going to ask you if you’d mind if I masturbate.

Holly: (smiles) Go ahead! I’d love to watch.

Drommen: But now I’m a little reluctant.

Holly: Why is that?

Drommen: Well you see, I’ve got all these other people watching now, and I’m not sure I can do it.

Holly: Performance anxiety?

Drommen: Precisely.

Holly freezes. A light shines from above and Drommen stands and addresses the audience.

Drommen: And there you have it. I’m Jake Drommen, and this is the Bus Stop Zone.

 

Next stop: Tuesday, January 23rd, 7:00pm

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


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#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – January 22nd, 2018

It’s Monday once again and time for your Monday Just Jot it January prompt. As I write this Sunday night, I see in the forecast that we’re supposed to get freezing rain all day tomorrow. Which means no school. Which means Mom gets to play Monopoly all day. I can feel the love already. What fun! Here’s your prompt:

Your prompt for January 22nd, 2018, brought to you by the friendly and nautically inclined Capt Jill, is “Liberty.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Jill at her blog, “Capt Jills Journeys” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://captjillsjourneys.wordpress.com/

Here are the general rules to follow for Just Jot it January:

1. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list) counts as a “Jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

2. I’ll post the daily prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5), every day except for Saturday’s Stream of Consciousness (SoCS) prompt–you’ll find that one on Friday morning at 9:30am. That daily post (i.e. this one) will be where you leave your link for others to find in the comment section. There will be a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday.

3. As long as your blog is on WordPress, you’ll be able to link via pingback. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! If you’re participating from another blogging host, just drop a link into the comment section. Note: The newest pingbacks and comments will appear at the top.

4. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

5. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

6. The prompts are here both to remind you and to inspire you to write. However, you don’t have to use the prompt word of the day. You can link any kind of jot back here. Note: If it’s 18+ content, please say so in a comment with your link or close to your pingback.

7. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

8. Have fun!

To find the full list of daily prompts from now until the end of the month, click this link: https://lindaghill.com/2017/12/27/what-is-just-jot-it-january-2018-rules/ and scroll down to the bottom of the post.