Slightly Off Kilter

W, X, Y, Z

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

I thought I should finish in 2006. So, here are W, X, Y, and Z.

W is For...

• Weblog - I have such fun writing my weblogs. I wish I had known about this wonderful idea so much earlier!

• Weird - That's me, a little bit weird. I don't mind.

• Wikipedia - proof that people aren't just couch potatoes and a collaborative encyclopedia project can work.

V is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

V is For...

• Values - What are your values? Some of mine are: Work/Life Balance, Stability, Independence, Quality, Choice, Control, Time, Truth, Trust, Structure, Organization, Creativity, and Competence.

• Vanilla - Vanilla bean. Vanilla extract. Vanilla ice cream. A splash of vanilla in hot chocolate.

• Vanilla steamed milk.

U is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

U is For...

• Umbrella - When I was little, I loved a book about Davey and the Big Yellow Umbrella. The umbrella was so large that Davey's father cut square holes in it, inserted clear plastic, and taped up the sides, so Davey could see through.

• Unix - I was introduced to the Unix operating system shortly after meeting Richard (who had recently purchased a Sun Microsystems workstation). Unix is my preferred operating system for programming. I've been working with Unix since 1983.

T is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

T is For...

• Tail - Maine Coon cats have the most incredible plumey tails!

• Tapioca pudding - One of my favorite deserts. I prefer "real" tapioca pudding, not the "a few beads of tapioca in vanilla pudding" mix you get at most restaurants.

S is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

S is For...

• San Francisco - The City. San Francisco defines our local metropolitan area. We visit often but I wouldn't want to actually live in the City. My sister and I visited San Francisco the year I graduated from College and she graduated from High School. I knew I would come back (and, a little over three years later, I did).

• Science - I "majored" in science in High School. I took every science class that was offered. We were required to take one science class in three years. I took two a year.

R is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

R is For...

• Raccoons - We get raccoons in our back yard at night. They come to the feeder and eat seed or just walk back and forth on the sunroom roof. They're very cute. Sometimes I go out on the deck and toss marshmallows for them to eat.

• Rain - The sound of rain on the roof is a sound I can't hear often enough. I love a rainy night.

Q is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

Q is For...

• QALITY - When I was playing Quality Lead, I got a license plate that read QALITY (note the missing U; it's a joke). So many people failed to "get" the joke that I applied for a new plate less than a year later.

P is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

P is For...

• Peaches - Fresh peaches are one of my favorite seasonal fruits. Our local grocery store buys the most incredible peaches - huge but juicy and delicious.

O is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

O is For...

• Oatmeal - I like oatmeal. When I was growing up and we'd visit my grandmother for a weekend, we always had oatmeal, with maple sugar, and bacon sandwiches for breakfast on Saturday morning. I'm fond of oatmeal cookies too.

• Ocean - Growing up in Central Pennsylvania, I didn't see a lot of ocean. Now we live a few miles from the Pacific. I really like that.

N is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

N is For...

• Nap - I love to take naps, particularly when joined by one or more cats. (To be honest, I don't sleep as well without a cat.)

• Nature - When we go for walks, I'm always on the lookout for lizards, bunnies, deer, interesting plants, birds, and such. Once, we saw a king snake; another time, a garter snake. Once we even saw a turtle.

M is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

M is For...

• Macintosh - The world's best computer (especially since Mac OS X) Mac OS - Mac OS has been my favorite desktop system since I started working for Apple in 1986..

• Mac OS X - My current operating system. The Mac look plus Unix underpinnings. Mac OS X: It Just Works.

L is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

L is For...

• Laboratory - I've spent quite a bit of time in science labs of one sort or another. I "majored" in Science in High School and beyond. I have degrees in Microbiology. But I'm much happier out of the lab and working on the computer.

• Labyrinth - One of my favorite movies. Many of the Labyrinth cast members are muppets.

K is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

K is For...

• Kahlua - One of three ingredients in my favorite mixed drink, a Toasted Almond.

• Kaleidoscope - Rich and I both enjoy looking through the moire fanciful kaleidoscopes, the ones made with glass chips and oil, for example. We have a few, relatively inexpensive models, purchased over the years at craft fairs.

J is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

J is For...

• Jabberwocky - I have memorized Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky. It's one of my favorite poems. Did you know that Lewis Carroll invented the word "chortle" (among others, now in common use) for the poem.

  "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
  O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
  He chortled in his joy.

I is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

I is For...

• I - I am Me. I am Vicki. I am...

• Ice Cream - The Penn State Creamery is famous for its Bittersweet Mint ice cream. They also made a heavenly Peach ice cream in the summer. My parent's church holds a Strawberry festival every June, at which the church ladies serve ice cream, strawberries, and your choice of cake. My Dad's favorite ice cream is chocolate marshmallow; my Mom's favorite is butter pecan. Although I love chocolate in many forms, I prefer vanilla ice cream.

H is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

H is For...

• Hacker - Being a hacker is a good thing. In recent times, the word has been misused by the media, but it originally had only positive connotations. The basic difference is this: hackers build things, crackers break them.

• Hair - My hair is a medium auburn color and wavy (not curly). I like my hair. It kinks up in humid weather, which we had a lot of when I was living in Pennsylvania and Maryland. However, the weather in Northern California, where I live now, is perfect. My mother used to occasionally suggest I "do something about my hair". I don't think she had in mind my moving to California, but it worked.

G is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

G is For...

• Gargoyle - I enjoy Gargoyles (sometimes called "grotesques". I visited the Yale campus once; there are lots of gargoyles. We have a small flying gargoyle protecting the front of our house.

• Garnet - My birthstone is garnet. I'm very fond of garnets because they are also my favorite color.

F is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

F is For...

• Fantasy - One of my favorite fiction genres for reading.

• Feet - Specifically, feline feet. I love cat paws. Ooooh. Feline foot fetish!

• Felines - Cats cats, and all things feline from domestic puddy tats to siberian tigers. Prrrrrrrrrr.

E is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

E is For...

• Eccentric - Blessed are the Cracked, for They Shall let in the Light.

• Eggs - What an amazing thing is an egg. The eggshell "breathes" (lets air in and out). An egg can turn into a chicken... or an omelet. Egg whites whip into fluffy mounds. Add sugar and bake, et voila! - meringue. My family used to gather around the kitchen table every year to decorate Easter Eggs. Scrambled, poached, fried, sunny side up (aka "dippy eggs") or over easy. Eggs are an equally fine choice for breakfast or a late-night snack. Egg salad makes a wonderful quick sandwich (especially, served warm on freshly toasted sourdough).

• Eggnog - Don't forget the eggnog during the winter holidays, with a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg.

D is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

D is For...

• Daffodils - Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers. I love the scent.

• Dates - Nature's candy. Medjool dates are the best!

C is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

C is For...

• California - Where we live; it's a great place to live.

• Cardinals - Cardinals are one of my favorite types of bird. We had cardinals in Pennsylvania but we don't have any in California. They're one of the things I miss.

• Carnations - Carnations are my favorite "winter" flower. They smell like cinnamon.

B is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

B is For...

• Bacon - Yummmm. I like my bacon extra crispy. Bacon and tomato (leave out the lettuce) on toasted sourdough or bacon and apple butter on toasted whole wheat with a bowl of oatmeal.

• BBEdit - my favorite text editor (for Mac OS)

• Bebop - Our majordomo and Cat-in-charge.

Five Things

I found this a few days ago and decided to respond.

Back in March, blogger Laume wrote:

I was reading the local paper this afternoon. It has one of those My Two Cents columns, where the roving photographer goes out and about town and asks some question to people at large. This week's question was "What are five things you can't live without?" ...

A is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

A is For...

• Aardvark - You can't have an alphabet without an Aardvark!

• Alert - one of my favorite punny jokes: Be alert. California needs more lerts. We're short of loofs too. How about fluents? (Two fs, dummy!)

• Alliteration - In writing, I work in ways to weave my words (alliteratively).

• Alphabet - Playing the game.

Wordplay

I'm playing a new web meme — WordPlay: the Personal Alphabet Meme. I found the idea on Laume's weblog. You're cordially invited to play along. ...
       Continue reading "Wordplay"

Back to School

The school across the street started the 2004/5 school year today. Some schools in the state started a week or more ago. This seems very early to me; when I was a kid, we didn't start till after Labor Day. In fact, the school system I went through (in State College, PA) still starts the day after Labor Day.

Several people were talking about this at the Company Where I Work today. We all remembered starting later when we were kids.

In honor of the occasion (across the street if not in Central Pennsylvania) I thought today would be appropriate to respond to a web meme from a few months ago. This was posted in the Saturday Slant on May 1, 2004:

You’ve been offered a full college/university grant, all expenses paid, for the school and study program of your choice. You can go to any school, anywhere, and study anything you want, without a single cent out of pocket for education, materials, or cost of living. Would you take the offer? Where would you go? What would you learn? Would you pursue a course of study related to your current occupation, or would you explore something all together new? Get your pencils and notebooks, let’s go back to school.

Threesome By Three

June 17, 2004
::Things that go bump in the night::

Onesome: Things that go-
What's the strangest contraption you've ever had to use to get from point A to point B?

Twosome: Bump-
Have you ever hurt yourself doing something you weren't supposed to be doing?

Threesome: In the night-
Do you believe in things that go bump in the night or anything supernatural?

June 10, 2004
"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do." -- Walt Disney

Onesome: When you're curious-
Is there a specific subject you're especially curious about? A person? A region of the world? An animal? A field of study?

Twosome: you find lots of interesting-
What do you consider your most interesting trait/ feature?

Threesome: things to do-
What's on your list of things to do everyday, whether you want to or not? Filing, phone calls, homework, chasing around after kiddos, cooking, cleaning, etc.

...
       Continue reading "Threesome By Three"

The Skit

This is the sequel I wrote for my "Cheerleader" essay for Daily Writing Practice

Mac OS System 7 added a new feature call "Balloon Help". When it was turned on, anything the mouse hovered over caused the Mac to put a little "balloon" on the screen with helpful information about whatever the mouse was on. This included all of the standard windows and buttons, so a normal session using the computer generated a LOT of balloons very quickly. Most of us got tired of Balloon Help within a very short time and turned it off, relishing the virtual "silence" that followed.

Our skit was about Balloon Help :-) ...
       Continue reading "The Skit"

The Cheerleader

The following was my response to a writing prompt from Daily Writing Practice.

The Cheerleader

I have discovered, at many companies where I have worked in the past, that the marketing and human resources people (in league with receptionists, department admins, and some project managers), take on the role of company cheerleader, setting up "games", "activities", and "Fun! events" for the employees. Unfortunately, I'm a software engineer; we don't tend to appreciate this sort of games. We tend to get twitchy whenever someone says the fateful words "Come on! Let's Play! It will be Fun!".

No, it won't. Can't I just go back to work now? I have this project I'm... Sigh. ...
       Continue reading "The Cheerleader"

Change

The following was my totally off the wall response to a writing prompt from Daily Writing Practice

Write about change

Things were all so different before everything changed. ...
       Continue reading "Change"

Small Regrets

Talk About Small Regrets

Small regrets are regrets that don't last very long and don't really matter in the long run. Tonight, for example, I regret choosing the "Chocolate Seduction" instead of the Apple Crisp for desert. The Chocolate was good... but not wonderful. The Apple Crisp is always wonderful. In a few days, it will all be forgotten. That's a small regret. ...
       Continue reading "Small Regrets"

When I grow up...

When I was nine years old I wanted to grow up to be...

What? A doctor? An artist? An astronaut? In honor of my step-daughter's ninth birthday today, tell your readers and fellow Slanters what you wanted to grow up to be when you were nine. Tell us how that differs from what you did grow up to be, and why the difference.

[ Today's question is from Saturday Slant ]

Goodie Two Shoes

Onesome: Goodie--
What is your your favorite "goodie" you treat yourself to when you've finished a project or maybe even just survived a long day? Ice cream? ...a long bath? ...a good book?

Twosome: Two--
Two things that make you smile! No thinking, just write!

Threesome: Shoes--
...and how about your favorite pair of shoes? You know, the ones you look for an occasion to wear! (Yes, guys that ratty pair of tennis shoes does count...)

Looking for Memes?

Bad news in the Blogosphere this week. The Friday Five has closed its doors after a two and a half year run. I have the archives from before I started playing, so you may see some "vintage" Friday Fives in this space in the future. Or not.

Also, if you're looking for this week's Saturday Slant, you'll find my response on my other weblog, commentary. It seemed to fit better over there.

The Family Techie

I should point out that I really despise the word geek, a word originally coined to describe carnival sideshow performers who did unspeakable things to chickens. Even though the word has come into more common parlance as describing someone who is "accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits" it bears a strong connotation of social ineptitude. The word nerd provides only a slight improvement, the minor difference owing to the (minor) fact that "nerd" doesn't share the sideshow history!

I prefer "techie". I will accept "hacker" as well. (Note that "hacker" does not mean what the media keeps using it to portray; get a clue, guys).

Now that we've clarified our vocabulary, on to the questions.

Onesome: --A geek
Hey, who handles tech support at your place? You? ...the six year old? ...or someone from outside? ...and how about in your web space? No, we're not looking for techs; we're just curious .

Twosome: --in the
computer? Just a curiosity for the designer types: what Operating System are you running? ...and which browser? Since sites can show up differently in different browsers it's more than a casual question.

Threesome: --Family
Do any family members read your place? Do they care? Do they have a clue? ...and how about your 'off line' friends? ...or do you supply a little bit of separation there?

Can't Sleep?

From the Late Night Edition of the Back Porch
::Insomnia, the Cure for Sleep::

Onesome: Insomnia--
Ever have it? Some do and some don't, but have you ever been hounded awake for that endless hour after hour with no hope of sleep? ...or does the very act of touching head to pillow put you out for the count?

Twosome: the cure--
Hey, if you do have the occasional bout or chronic insomnia, what do you do about it? Work? Read? Try cures? Hmmm... Did you ever find one that worked?

Threesome: for sleep--
Female/male, young/not so young, we all need varying amounts of sleep. What's your personal sleep cycle? Five hours? Ten hours? ...and if you had a choice, what would be your personal sleep cycle? ...and yes, "All day long" is a valid answer

Home Improvement Shows

Home Improvement Shows:

Onesome: --Home
What's the one thing your dream home must have?

Twosome: --Improvement
What's the one thing you would change about your current home? New bed, couch? New carpet or wallpaper? Or something major like an addition?

Threesome: --Shows
Do you ever watch home improvement shows?

Daffodils

[ A writing prompt from Daily Writing Practice ]

Daffodils in the garden...

I have planted daffodils; sometimes they come back up, sometimes not. Each year I consider planting more. Often I buy a pot of flowers to set on my porch in the spring. ...
       Continue reading "Daffodils"

Home Improvement Shows

Home Improvement Shows:

Onesome: --Home
What's the one thing your dream home must have?

Twosome: --Improvement
What's the one thing you would change about your current home? New bed, couch? New carpet or wallpaper? Or something major like an addition?

Threesome: --Shows
Do you ever watch home improvement shows?

Computer Meme

Computer Anti-Virus Software:

Onesome: --Computer
What was/is your first computer? A clunky old Commodore or something a touch more modern?

Twosome: --Anti-Virus
Have you ever had a computer virus? How bad was it? Or are you one of the lucky ones who have managed to avoid them?

Threesome: --Software
What piece of software really made you more productive on your computer?

Summer Fun Toy

Summer’s coming. If you had to pick just one summer fun toy, what would it be? Would you cruise around the South West in an RV? Does the convenient refreshment of a backyard pool entice you? Looking to steam up the summer nights in your very own hot tub? Up for wave-skimming excitement with a jet ski? Or are you more of a home-body, opting for an ice-cold air conditioner to keep movie nights comfortable? What is your summer fun activity toy?

With Silver Bells and Cockle Shells

What do you like to grow? Do you have a green or a brown thumb?

I have a brown thumb. I guess it came with my name :-)

In any event, most houseplants do not survive our tender care. Besides that, we have housecats and cats and plants often do not mix (or when they do, it is to the continued detriment of the plants). So, all plants have been banished outdoors, where they mostly fend for themselves. ...
       Continue reading "With Silver Bells and Cockle Shells"

In My Room

Describe the room you are in right now. How does this room make you feel?

I am sitting in my favorite room of our house, my office. My office is approximately 10x14 feet in dimension and I share it with no one but the cats. My workstation is a Power Macintosh G3 (with three 1280x1024 resolution monitors), running Mac OS X. Above each monitor is a "bucket" from Office Depot, with a faux "sheepskin" liner in the bottom.; The cats love to sleep above my monitors (and I love to look up and see them). The liner (the sort of thing you buy at the petstore) is comfy for the kitties and has the added benefit of preventing cat hair from sifting into my monitors. ...
       Continue reading "In My Room"

Garbage Project

What would people find in your garbage bin?

Another member wrote:
If someone were gross enough to snoop through my garbage...
Truly! But, what the hey... here goes! ...
       Continue reading "Garbage Project"

The Attic of My Mind

This prompt came from Journal Inspirations, an elist for journaling.

What does your "dream" attic look like?

My dream attic is dry and not too hot, with a board floor and the smell of wood, not unlike my grandmother's attic. Like her attic, it has treasures waiting to be discovered (unlike her attic, it has many more treasures). It is an attic made up of all the attics in all the children's books I have ever read and loved.

There's an old sewing machine in one corner, and a rocking horse. Of course there's a dressmaker's dummy and trunks full of old clothes. There are scrapbooks of photographs dating back to the turn of the century, and a pile of newspapers dating back to before the Civil War. There is a box full of letters, tied with ribbon. There are boxes of board games and old card games, games that were popular long ago. There's a Victrola and a box of wax cylinder recordings.

There's a window in the gable at each end with the sun beaming through on a sunny afternoon (a little light even on a rainy day) and a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. There are mysterious boxes and half-recognized items tucked under the eves. I could spend hours up here, exploring.

Quartet for a Friday morning

I've started playing with poetry again. One of my journaling list groups publishes prompt words every week or two. There's always a "poem" word. Three of the past poem words have been: Blanket, Sleeping, Clean.

For the first two pieces, I played with senryu (senryu has the same structure as haiku but doesn't require a seasonal reference). The fourth entry recasts one of the previous words (Sleeping) as a different part of speech (Sleep). (To be honest, I composed this one because I misremembered the third posted word; inspiration comes in odd forms :-) ...
       Continue reading "Quartet for a Friday morning"

Spring is Here

This is Wednesday's prompt from Purple Ink. This was a perfect prompt, coming at a perfect time. I had been out yesterday morning, and when I came home, my African daisies were all open in the front yard, faces to the sun. I just had to take some photos! Then I decided to take the camera out to the back garden and take more photos. The tulips are up, the white lilac is absolutely covered in blossoms (and I can never resist burying my face in them). So I took a bunch of pictures and then I wrote a poem and worked on the page for that, getting it all set up.

And THEN I did this prompt. So everything fits together. Life is but a giant Jigsaw puzzle.

How does Spring make you feel?

Spring is longer days. Spring is warmer weather, no need for a jacket.

Spring is a fervent Goodbye and Good Riddance to Winter, to Winter's short days, long nights, too much dark and not enough light. Spring is enough rain that things are still green for another month or two before they start to become brown and dry in the summer.

Spring starts here on February 1 when the first ornamental plum trees burst into flower. It ends sometime in June when we have the last of the rainfall until Autumn.

Spring is flowers everywhere, in my garden, along the roads, in people's yards. Spring is a profusion of blossoms. Spring is tulips, pink, red, and yellow. Spring is Magnolia and Plum trees blooming. Spring is the white lilac in my yard, exuberant with flowers. Spring is happy plants, waking after hibernation, reaching for the sun.

Spring is all the senses relishing the season. Spring is sights and tastes and sounds and smells. Spring is the feel of the sun on my face.

Spring is a constant, light, almost-evasive perfume on the breeze. Spring is opening the windows for the cats and letting that breeze flow into the house and sweep out the corners.

Spring is light. Spring is color. Spring is poetry. Spring is song.

Spring is new life. Spring is a new year. Spring makes me feel alive and well and happy.

Random Purple Questions

One of the members wrote:
Okay, I really need to find a new job. I'm bored again so here are some more questions:

I'm not bored, but I sympathize. I also enjoy this sort of thing, so here we go.

• How old are you? (okay, if you don't want to be specific how about a decade)
• Where do you live? Country? Type of home?
• What do you do for a living? Or what did you do?
• What type of education do you have?
• Who is in your family?
• Do you have pets?
• What do you look like?
• What languages do you speak?
• What languages would you like to speak?
• Who are your favorite actors?
• Who are your favorite actresses?
• What do you like to watch on tv?
• Favorite colors?
• Favorite films?
• Favorite play?
• Favorite magazines?
• Favorite type of cheese?
• Favorite drink?
• What was/is your favourite book (or other type of) store? Why? Is it still there?

Tax Time

It's that time of year. The days are getting longer and warmer (although some localities still have snow on the ground!) Still, in many places, the trees are budding, the grass is greening, the birds are singing. All across America, papers are being collected, pencils are being sharpened, and from many homes you hear the weeping, wailing and, most of all, groans... it's Tax Time.

i'm doing my taxes this weekend. could it be possible to say that that's what inspired me for this week's wL? haha, but it has.

• yay or nay for math?

• who gets your taxes done?

• have you ever *gasp* cheated?

• do you usually make plans for your refund or do you save it?

[ questions courtesy of the weeklyLeak ]

If I Ran a School

If I Ran a School

I don't have much good to say about the way the typical K-12 educational system is run. My spouse is of a similar opinion. We'd both do a lot of things very differently if we were in charge. ...
       Continue reading "If I Ran a School"

If I Ran a Restaurant

If I Ran a Restaurant

I probably wouldn't ever actually start a restaurant; it's a lot of work. It's also fun to dream about. Maybe, if I hired the chef and staff and everything...

Anyway, if I owned a restaurant, it would be a Pennsylvania Dutch Family Style restaurant in Northern (i.e. Central Coastal) Bay Area California. You find quite a few restaurants like this in south-eastern Pennsylvania, especially in Lancaster County. I really miss the opportunity to get this sort of food. ...
       Continue reading "If I Ran a Restaurant"

If 'twere up to me...

The Friday 5 for this week asks five apparently unrelated questions. There is one thread that connects each question, however; each asks the respondent what s/he would do in a specific, imaginary, situation. The five questions each ask "If you did something like this, what would you do that made your version special?".

The five questions are:

1. If you owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?
   
2. If you wrote a book, what genre would it be?
   
3. If you recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?
   
4. If you owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
   
5. If you ran a school, what would you teach?
   

Thursday Threesome - Blog Design Exchange

::Blog Design Exchange::

Onesome: Blog-- How long have you been a member of the blogosphere? ...and from a different angle: how long have you been on the Net?

Twosome: Design-- Do you do your own design work for your site? ...and if not, where are you finding templates you like?

Threesome: Exchange-- ...and while we're on the Net, have you ever participated in any of the Net "exchanges" such as recipes, Christmas ornaments, site exchanges, guest blogging or related things?

Last of the Purple Prompts (week of 3/7)

What is your favorite season? Why?

The days get LONGER again (the sun won't set today until 6:15 today, with twilight for another half hour after that! . The air is cool to warm, but rarely hot or cold. I can open the windows again for the kitties to smell the air and listen to the sounds outside. The hills are still green from winter (winter is our rainy season here), not yet brown (summer). Ornamental flowering trees are bursting with buds and color. There are some incredible puffy yellow things and the plums are frothy pink. There are daffodils and Cala lilies and even tulips. Years ago, someone planted patches of daffodils along the highway south of here, in an area that's mostly cow pasture; this is a great time to drive through there!.

What is your favorite type of day weather wise? Why?

Catching A Leprechaun

Legend has it if you catch a leprechaun he is honor bound to grant you a single wish, even as far as to give up his pot of gold. A single wish. The Jin of Aladdin’s tales grant three—room enough to correct mistakes. With a single wish, however, there is no going back. You hold in your grip a spry little man with beard and curls of amber. Annoyed at being caught he glares up at you demanding: “Aye. What shall ye be wishing then, hey?” A single wish. Think carefully before you answer.

More Purple prompts (week of 3/7)

What are you currently reading?

The next to last in Barbara D'Amato's Cat Marsala mystery series. Great books,these. Interesting plots, good characterization and excellent writing.

Which room of your house is the messiest and why?

The garage; because it's where everything goes that doesn't have a home anywhere else. We cleared out the storage locker and everything came home to the garage. Hubby keeps working on trying to organize the garage; it's his space.

My office is second but I'm trying really hard to keep it relatively neat. ...
       Continue reading "More Purple prompts (week of 3/7)"

Purple Prompts (week of 3/7)

Sunday

If I could live in any other time period, I would you choose the future, sometime after interstellar travel (warp/hyper drive, FTL drive, subspace drive; whatever you want to call it) has been discovered and in use for a while and we're colonizing other planets and visiting distant stars.

Many past times in history are of interest to me but as a myopic woman who appreciates indoor plumbing, good roads, germ theory and the associated advances in medicine, and also loves technology and science, I wouldn't fit in back then.

Monday

Dinner and a Movie

"A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it."
~ Alfred Hitchcock

Onesome: -- The dinner: What's your favourite meal? Is it something you get out or can you get it at home?

Twosome: -- the theatre Admission: What's your favourite movie and/or play and why?

Threesome: -- and the babysitter: We've all been left with a babysitter at one point or another. Did you have a favourite childhood babysitter? What made that person special?

Strikingly Unusual

A recent prompt from the Journal-Inspirations list group:

Write about the most unusual person you met today.

However, if we stretch the meaning of "meet" to include "saw and spoke to", I met an unusual person last night. I made it a point to approach her and compliment her on her attire. She's certainly worth describing! ...
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My Muse

Monday's prompt in Journal Inspirations:

Muse: a source of inspiration; especially : a guiding genius

What would you consider to be your muse? Why?

Purple Prompts for this week

Sunday

Mostly I spend money on books and groceries and meals. We eat a lot of meals out (although tonight we will be eating at home). I track our expenses because Hubby and I share the financial responsibility but I pay for almost everything up front.

But I'm not going to tell anyone how much that is :-)

Monday

A Night on the Town

Onesome: Night: -- Nights can be difficult if you need something from somewhere: what time do the stores shut down where you are? I mean, if you needed something more than a loaf of bread, is there any hope late at night?

Twosome: on the: -- River? Hey, are there any rivers near you? ...or are you located out in the wilderness somewhere?

Threesome: Town! -- If you could have any "Night on the Town" you wanted, what would you like to do? ...and would you like some company or would you go it alone?

Word Beads on Sentence Strings

Words in a sentence are like beads on a string. You can choose large ones, tiny ones, and any size in between. As with beads, you have a choice of many types, in this case nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and more. Your words can be plain or colorful.

Recently I ran across a journalling prompt idea in a writing list group I've joined. I thought it would make a good recurring weblog meme which I've called Word Beads on Sentence Strings. The idea is simple: ...
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House Ordinary

Housework has never been my strong suit. I grew up in a family of packrats; my parents believed in taking a laissez faire approach to housework. The dining room table tended to accumulate mail, craft projects, and general piles of whatever; it was cleared on occasions when we had two or more guests for dinner (otherwise, the family ate in the kitchen). We'd vacuum when company was coming or whenever the rug seemed to need it.

As a child, I was never required to clean my room. My room varied between an average, fairly disorganized, child's room and the result of one of my periodic spontaneous outbursts of organization. (To my credit, those cleaning bursts never uncovered a half sandwich or anything of that nature!)

My first (and last) College room mate (actually grad school) was, to my mind, a neat freak. In a flat rented by 3 adult women who were usually in class or in the lab and thus rarely home, she decided that the flat needed to be vacuumed every Saturday morning. Once a week I would be awakened by the vrooooom of the vacuum outside my door, well before 10 am. When she suggested I take a turn some week, I reminded her that I owned the vacuum cleaner and closed the door again. After that experience, I rented one-bedroom apartments until I met my Spouse.

I'm no Martha Stewart and Spouse isn't Mr. Clean. While our house isn't exactly ... messy... you wouldn't want to eat off the floor. We try to straighten up the public areas, but if you can't deal with cat hair, I wouldn't advise you to visit. ...
       Continue reading "House Ordinary"

Choreography

Onesome: -- Choreography: What do you choreograph in your life? Your morning routine? The dinner ritual? How you study?

Twosome: -- The art of symbolically: Art? Hmmmm... Sure, what do you like to have? ...or do you? ...but how about that little symbol you keep on your desk or headboard? The one you keep because??? I mean, if you can share that...

Threesome: -- representing dancing: No, not 'do you dance?' (although that's fine too!); rather, which type(s) of dancing will you stop and watch for a moment? Ballroom? Swing? Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey?

A Little Bit Crazy

Part of being sane, is being a little bit crazy.
    -- Janet Long

List the ways you are just a little bit crazy.

Breaking the Rules

List 20 rules you've broken.

The Magnificent Truth

Every night at bedtime, say this prayer:
God, help me accept the truth about myself, no matter how magnificent it is.
    — Rhonda Hull, Ph.D.

What is the magnificent truth about yourself?

On a Perfect Day...

How would your day go if it went perfectly?

Three More Questions

Cartoon Characters
List your favorite cartoon characters.

Personality Trait
Name the personality trait you have tried hardest to change in yourself.

Childhood Books
Name your favorite book from childhood. ...
       Continue reading "Three More Questions"

Thursday Threesome: Serendipity

::Serendipity: Making fortunate discoveries by accident::

Onesome: Serendipity:-- Do you believe in destiny?

Twosome: Making fortunate discoveries-- What is your greatest "find"? Is it an antique you discovered tucked away at a garage sale? Or maybe something as simple as the great sale on khakis or lawn mowers at your favorite store?

Threesome: by accident-- Have you ever discovered a place entirely by accident and it's become a favourite place to go now? A hidden grove in the city park, a wonderful little coffee shop or restaurant, a treasure trove of a shop?

Three Questions

Name Five Things...
Name five things in your refrigerator/freezer.
Name five things in your pantry.
Name five things under your kitchen sink.
Name five things around your computer.
Name five things in your medicine cabinet.

Handling Change
Sometimes we spend a lot of time and energy resisting change in our lives. Many of us don't like change...we prefer to keep things comfortable. But change is necessary for personal growth. How well do you deal with change? Do you try to keep things simple and routine in your life or do you love the challenge of new things?

Bad Ideas
What are three things you wish were never invented? ...
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Four Questions

Unrequited
If you could have returned the love of someone you rejected in the past, who would it be?

Cityscape
If you were to pick a city which best represents your personality, which would you choose?

Hobbies
List your hobbies.

Word Use
If you could prevent someone you know from overusing one word, what would the word be? ...
       Continue reading "Four Questions"

I've Been to Georgia and California...

PAST: Where have you been?

PRESENT: Where are you now?

FUTURE: Where are you going?

Friday The 13th

The Friday 5 for this week discusses... (Doo DOO Doo doooo) superstitions!

1. Are you superstitious?
   
2. What extremes have you heard of someone going to in the name of superstition?
   
3. Believer or not, what's your favorite superstition?
   
4. Do you believe in luck? If yes, do you have a lucky number/article of clothing/ritual?
   
5. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not?
   

Sweet Happy Life

Sweet Happy Life

Sort of a continuation of yesterday's prompt:
There is a lot of drudgery, tediousness, and repetition in daily life. There are plenty of things that all of us have to do in the course of a day or week that are absolutely no fun at all. Life shouldn‚t necessarily be one big barrel of laughs, but at the same time, it‚s important that we not get weighed down by the endlessness of it all.

How do you rise above the dailiness? What techniques do you use to help yourself face down that hypothetical tower of dirty dishes? How do you diffuse the unpleasantness of certain things that you have to deal with in your life? Share some of the things that you do to make daily life a little sweeter.

Ignorance is Bliss

Ignorance is Bliss

...if a woman was to see all the dishes that she had to wash before she died, piled up before her in one pile, she'd lie down and die right then and there.
- Aunt Jane of Kentucky, "Anonymous Was a Woman"

What knowledge are you glad you didn't have at the time?
What part of your future are you thankful that you couldn't envision as a child?
What aspects of daily life would have made you "lie down and die right then and there" had you but known?

Finding Your Own Style

Finding Your Own Style

I received the latest issue of WireWoman's "Lurpl" zine this weekend. Plenty of great ideas in there, as usual, but there was one thing in particular that I‚ve been thinking about since I read it. With any kind of creative venture, most of us have a tendency to seek out every book, website, magazine, and other resource we can find on the subject. We like examples and full color photographs. We try some or all of the techniques we come across. The problem is (at least, for me), that it becomes very easy to get wrapped up in these other people's styles.

How do you keep the scale tipped on the side of Inspiration instead of Imitation? What is your take on what WW calls "Buying The Book"? Whether you keep "art journals" or regular journals, do you like to read up on the subject or do you prefer to keep outside influence to a minimum? If the former, how do you stretch beyond the how-to books and come up with something that is truly yours (describe or show us some examples if you can)? If the latter, why?

Does anyone else suffer from inspiration overload? When it comes to diaries and journals of any kind, I tend to keep the how-to books to a minimum and avoid the magazines altogether. I just can't take it. My brain completely absorbs the stuff from the "experts"and the "real" artists, and I end up in one or both of the above two situations.

Desire

Desire

Even though the holidays are over, what's on your wish list? What material things are you drooling over right now? Why?

Speaking of material things, what is your gratification policy? Do you try to get what you want as soon as possible or do you prefer to take your time before acquiring new things? Why? What cultural, environmental, spiritual, and/or familial elements shape your policy?

Circle of Words - #6

Circle of Words is a weekly set of questions that are somewhat personal, spiritual, and will explore your inner most thoughts and feelings. Hopefully these questions will provide you with a little bit of personal therapy and allow your readers a little peek inside your soul.

Rendezvous with the Authentic Archaeologist

We cannot kindle when we will
The fire that in the heart resides
The spirit bloweth and is still
In mystery our soul abides.
-Matthew Arnold

Pretend you are an archaeologist and you are going back examining your own life. How many layers would there be? Meaning how many different people would you say you were... sure all of us were once a baby..then toddler...and so on...but at what point can you remember being a certain "someone" and than someday that certain "someone" evolved into another "someone". Different stages in our lives directly cause us to develop into a certain person that may not have been the same as the one before? How many layers do you have...and describe them the best you can. ...
       Continue reading "Circle of Words - #6"

Sense of Self

This week, I would like to make you all think about specific abilities we have through our senses, that we usually take for granted. The reason I want to do this is because since I started this meme, I had in mind that not everyone in the world can see and hear, etc, so I thought I´d call your attention to the subtleties that our senses allow us to perceive in our everyday life that we wouldn´t be able to perceive if part of our senses (or one sense completelly) was taken away from us. I hope you enjoy thinking about this.

Catch a Phrase

PAST: Pick a memorable catchprase or classic utterance from your youth. And, of course, share it with the class.

PRESENT: What's a catchphrase that you probably use just a bit too often nowadays?

FUTURE: Give us a bit of something for the ages. Give us a saying, catchphrase or silly bit of verbage that you'd love to see enter the cultural lexicon.