Life in progress


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS May 26/18

Welcome to the Friday reminder for the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. Well, the weather’s getting hot here, so I guess we’ve had our three hours of spring. At least that’s what it feels like. Can’t never make a Canadian happy, I tell ye. Here’s your prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “grill.” Use it any way you’d like. 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 our new 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!


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266. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Thursday, May 24th, 4:00pm
Drew (and Sean)

 

Drew sits at the window. Sean takes the seat beside him.

Drew: Have you ever wondered at the delicacy of the connection we have with society on the world wide web?

Sean: No.

Drew: Think about it. We’ve become so reliant on this service, this technology. And yet it is what it is: a web. Strong and yet so precarious. We stomp along the spokes, hopping around what is essentially the world, and yet what if it should break?

Sean: Snail mail?

Drew: Indeed. You’re very smart, young man. Where do you get all that intellectual prowess from?

Sean: (shrugs) I saw a street address on the back of a cereal box once, for people who don’t have the internet.

Drew: Really?

Sean: Count Chocula, I think.

Drew: Fascinating.

 

Next stop: Friday, May 25th, 6:00pm

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


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265. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Strong Language

Wednesday, May 23rd, 6:00pm
Drommen (and Hillary)

 

Drommen sits at the window. Hillary takes the seat beside him.

Hillary: Hey, how goes it?

Drommen: Well thanks, and you?

Hillary: Ehh, not bad I guess. Same shit.

Drommen nods.

Hillary: I kinda been missing you.

Drommen: Really?

Hillary: (shrugs) Kinda.

Drommen: That’s funny, I’ve kind of been missing you too.

Hillary: What do you say we go out for a coffee or something?

Drommen: Just a coffee?

Hillary: If you want.

Drommen: That sounds nice. Actually, I’ve got something for you.

Hillary frowns.

Drommen: No, not that. It’s something I bought the other day. You can have it if you want it.

Hillary: What is it?

Drommen: It’s a tablet.

Hillary: Like, a computer tablet?

Drommen: Yeah.

Hillary: And you want to give it to me?

Drommen: Sure.

Hillary: You really are a weirdo, aren’t you?

Drommen: (cocks head) I guess.

Hillary: How about we start with a coffee?

Drommen: Okay.

 

Next stop: Thursday, May 24th, 4:00pm

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


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One-Liner Wednesday – It’s a Con-undrum

If I can’t come up with a one-liner for my own prompt, will I go to jail? More importantly, how will I be sentenced?

 


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 lovely new badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

#1linerWeds badge by Cheryl, at dreamingreality646941880.wordpress.com/


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264. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Strong language. Also, don’t read this whilst eating.

Tuesday, May 22nd, 5:00pm
Andrea (and Ralph)

 

Andrea sits at window. Ralph takes the seat beside her.

Ralph: Good afternoon.

Andrea: Yeah? What’s so good about it?

Ralph: Oh I don’t know. I’m feeling pretty good.

Andrea: Good for you! I’ve had a lousy day. First of all my alarm clock, like, doesn’t go off on time? And I have to take a taxi to work, then I get there and the coffee pot’s, like, broken so I have to wait ’til lunch time to get a dose of caffeine, and then I come back and, like, this new guy? Who just started working? He won’t shut up with the innuendos. You know, like, comin’ on to me and shit. I’m like dude, you’re like more than thirty years old!

Ralph: Sounds like a rough day.

Andrea: (snorts) You could say that.

Ralph: I just got out of hospital. I started shitting green stuff and before I knew it I was …

Andrea: (holds up hand) Please, don’t go on.

Ralph: … puking up all this brown crap, and I hadn’t been eating anything brown …

Andrea: (gags) Please.

Ralph: … so it was like my puke was coming out of my ass and sh …

Andrea: (stands, hand over mouth) Excuse me.

Ralph: … it coming out of my …

Andrea: MOVE!

Ralph: … throat.

Andrea stands at the door retching, waiting for the bus stop.

Ralph: (calling out to her) Hope you have a better day tomorrow!

 

Next stop: Wednesday, May 23rd, 6:00pm

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


44 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – We have a New Badge! 2018-19 edition

First, I’d like to say one last thank-you to Dan Antion for your wonderful 2017-18 One-Liner Wednesday badge. It has served us well for the past year, and won’t be forgotten.

All together now: Thanks, Dan!

#1linerWeds badge by Dan Antion

I guess you’re wondering who, won, eh?

Not so fast.

In 3rd place we had Connection by Wire by J-Dub. Thank you, Jill! Honorable mention goes to you.

Close behind, in 4th place was Take My Card by John Holton. Cheers, John! You’ve won two of my contests so far (SoCS badge and create-the-hashtag #1linerWeds). Keep trying for number three!

Then all close together in the votes from 5th to 8th place came Blue Sky and Clouds by Hip to be Snark, Shoreline by Frank Hubeny, Don’t say no by Jim Adams, and Giraffes by Myrna in that order. Thanks so much to you all for participating!

But wait, you might be saying. There were nine badges. Why are there only eight places?

We had a tie for second place!!

The two silver medals (virtual silver medals, that is–don’t get your hopes up) go to

The Waving Girl by Melissa

and

Bird on a Post by Bethany K,

which means our new One-Liner Wednesday badge is Peace, Love, and Please by Cheryl!!

Thanks so much to our runners-up, Melissa and Bethany. The race was extremely close!

And congratulations Cheryl!! I look forward to sharing your little guy every week for the next year. ❤ 😀

#1linerWeds badge by Cheryl, at dreamingreality646941880.wordpress.com/

Thanks again to all who participated. It was fun! ‘Til next May!


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263. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Monday, May 21st, 8:00pm
Lily (and Edward)

 

Lily sits at the window. Edward takes the seat beside her.

Lily: Oh, thank the Master you’re here.

Edward: What’s wrong?

Lily: I hooked up with this guy the other night, and he literally took a bite out of me. (lifts sleeve to show shoulder wound) Look.

Edward: (cringes) That’s nasty. I hope you bit him back.

Lily: Of course! But that doesn’t help this. (points to wound) And the worst part is I think I’ve got hair growing out of my ears now.

Edward: Do you think he’s a werewolf?

Lily: Holy Garlic, I hope not. What kind of monster would that make me?

Edward: Same kind as him if you bit him too. Let me look in your ears.

Lily brushes hair out of the way and tilts head.

Edward: Hmm …

Lily: What?

Edward: What colour is our ear wax supposed to be?

Lily: Vampires don’t have ear wax.

Edward: We don’t? (sticks finger in ear, pulls it out and studies it) You’re right. Well, the good news is I don’t see any hair.

Lily: The bad news?

Edward: I can see out the window through there.

Lily hits him, then doubles over in pain from shoulder wound.

 

Next stop: Tuesday, May 22nd, 5:00pm

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


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TIME TO VOTE for the 2018-2019 One Liner Wednesday Badge!

The time has come! All the entries–all nine of them!–for this year’s One-Liner Wednesday badge contest are in. The designs are fantastic, so make sure you have a look at all of them before you vote. It’s going to be another close race this year.

Please note the descriptions I’ve given them: they’ll be what you vote for on the poll. Here they are, in the order they entered the contest. Just click to visit each one:

Shoreline by Frank Hubeny

Don’t say no by Jim Adams

Bird on a Post by Bethany K

Connection by Wire by J-Dub

Take My Card by John Holton

Giraffes by Myrna

Blue Sky and Clouds by Hip to be Snark

The Waving Girl by Melissa

Peace, Love, and Please by Cheryl

I encourage the contestants and all their supporters to share their choices for best badge far and wide. Get all your friends to vote!

The poll will be available until Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at noon EST (GMT-5), so get your vote in while you can! The results will be posted Tuesday afternoon.

Best of luck to all the contestants! Thanks for participating!!


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262. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Sunday, May 20th, 11:00am
Trevor and Gloria

 

Trevor: You know what tonight is, right?

Gloria: Oh no, what now?

Trevor: It’s 70s night.

Gloria: Lovely.

Trevor: I found you the perfect pair of bellbottoms.

Gloria: No.

Trevor: And platform shoes.

Gloria: I said no.

Trevor: And heart-shaped glasses.

Gloria: And don’t tell me – an Afro wig.

Trevor: Oh yes.

Gloria: (sighs) You’re killing me softly.

Trevor: Gonna play that funky music.

Gloria: My sweet Lord.

Trevor: Gonna walk on the wild side.

Gloria: Dream on.

Trevor: Imagine!

Gloria: Let it be!

Trevor: Fine. Go your own way.

Gloria: (stares out the window) I will survive.

 

Next stop: Monday, May 21st, 8:00pm

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


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#SoCS – Empty – My Whoa Moment of the Week

This is really what stream of consciousness writing is all about, isn’t it? Emptiness.

Every time I’ve thought about writing this post today (and in the end I almost forgot to do it–imagine that), the only thing that has come to me has been the Taoist philosophy on emptiness being useful. A room with no space in it isn’t livable. Take things out of it–make space–and the emptiness makes the room useful.

For a long time I’ve endeavored to, once in a while, empty my mind. The largely western idea of the purpose of meditation–to sit and think about something, or to meditate on something–is the opposite of the eastern philosophy. I meditate to empty my mind. To clear out all the thoughts and regrets and worries for the future–and stress. Because once my mind is empty, I can fill it up with new ideas, better solutions, and calmer thoughts.

So how is writing stream of consciousness about emptiness? It’s a form of meditation. It’s the act of emptying our minds onto the page.

All together now– WHOA!

This mind-blowing-out-the-cobwebs post is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click the link and find all the post links in the comments! https://lindaghill.com/2018/05/18/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-19-18/