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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/profile/blog/joycag/sort_by/entry_order DESC, entry_creation_time DESC/page/27
by Joy
Rated: 18+ · Book · Experience · #2003843
Second blog -- answers to an ocean of prompts
Kathleen-613's creation for my blog

"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself."
CHARLIE CHAPLIN


Blog City image small

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.

David Whyte


Marci's gift sig










This is my supplementary blog in which I will post entries written for prompts.
Previous ... 23 24 25 26 -27- 28 29 30 31 32 ... Next
January 17, 2020 at 8:56pm
January 17, 2020 at 8:56pm
#973618
Prompt: Free writing: Set a timer for 5 minutes and write about anything that comes to mind.

-------


Free-flow is my favorite type of writing, but I couldn’t get to it until now at 8:48 PM.

Five minutes ago, I came across a book that is purported to be a magical realism piece. Almost every day, I keep running into books that claim magical realism. If embedding concrete, factual details inside most fantastical descriptions is magical realism, then isn't all literature magical realism? How come literariness suddenly changes its name?

Then, take all the different kinds of romance novels or mystery. Who taught of splitting the genres into more genres? Aren’t we confused enough? I never think of a genre when I start writing. This means I write, even with an outline, without thinking of the genre. Still, even with an outline, sometimes ghosts sneak into the story or bedroom scenes or horror, Heaven forbid! Sometimes the story takes over and out goes the outline.

When we talk of originality, it might be the originality of the storyline or the originality of the writer's (story's) form, but if the work is truly original, the two go hand in hand. Style and content develop as one. If the characters are developed enough that the writer and the reader understand their world and their motivations, then no plot can take a wrong turn even if it consciously stays within a genre, but giving so much emphasis to genres constricts a writer’s creativity, I think.

As a marketing ploy, however, a genre can be useful, but pushing the authors into writing in any one genre goes against the freedom of a writer and his creativity.

As to reading, I do not prefer any one genre. I’ll read anything as long it has a literary bone in its body. If written from the heart and the writer is talented in putting words together, any genre is acceptable to me.

I don’t know why I began picking on genre-splitting in this free-flow. Maybe because recently I have been doing more reading than writing, as I can read anywhere, but I can write at only one place: my desk.

I am reading about ten books at the same time, no kidding. Some of them are from the library and others are from Amazon, and still others are print books. I am just about to finish Goldfinch by Donna Tart, a Pulitzer winner, no less. Good book. I got it in paperback from a used book place. Large book, too. 963 pages. I am at page 712. I am not too crazy at the way it is ending, although maybe it will get better, but the beginning was awesome.



January 16, 2020 at 11:21pm
January 16, 2020 at 11:21pm
#973546
Prompt: "Projects that sound strange or impossible at first often end up being the most rewarding if given a chance." Amy Flurry Do you agree with this statement?

----

Yes. That statement is so true.

That is one reason why I try to write for any one prompt, even if I don’t comprehend it perfectly at the start and even if my real life buts in and keeps me busy not letting me do or write as much as I’d like to.

Sometimes, I even answer a prompt inside my head, although I know I won’t have the time to write it down. Not just the prompts in Blog City, but anywhere I run into one. Not that what I write is rewarding but the thinking about it is. At least, I'll have that.

Then, when something I have to do in real life that I wouldn’t volunteer initially pops up and I tackle it, it sometimes ends up as something I like or something I enjoyed doing.

Still one has to draw the line at some place concerning what is strange and impossible. I saw this on the Business Insider. This is one job I would stay away from, no matter how rewarding, although I am grateful for the brave souls who take it upon themselves to do it. Here it is:

“Snake milkers extract venom from some of the world's most dangerous snakes, like rattlesnakes and cobras. The extracted venom is often used to create antivenom for hospital or laboratory use, and can be sold for up to $1,000 per gram.”

Strange and impossible and so rewarding? Yes! Just not for me.
January 15, 2020 at 12:57pm
January 15, 2020 at 12:57pm
#973462
Prompt: Do you believe some people cause their own problems?


===

Yes, but not always, although it depends on the problem that faces a person. Did the Jews and the other central Europeans cause the holocaust? Doesn’t this entirely stand on Germany’s far-out faction’s shoulders? In the same vein, does a newborn cause her birth-mother’s leaving her in a trash bin or inside a cold snow pile?

Then, imagine you are a young girl in school studying and suddenly a terrorist’s bomb falls on the school and you are left without legs and only one arm. I did meet such a young person many years ago. How could she have caused her problems that evolved and multiplied after this incident?

On the other hand, some people do choose badly. They choose to make money in crime or find a loser for a mate or do not give their children the necessary attention to later mourn the results of their negligence. Yet, we have to ask ourselves this question: what causes some people to make the wrong choices and cause their own problems. Genetics, coincidence, bad attention, or something that happened in their background that resulted in problems?

The statistics usually point the finger to the backstory. It doesn’t have to be a tear-jerker, poverty, and abuse type of a backstory either. It might be taking on one’s parents’ beliefs and actions or the societal expectations. These, too, may have a negative effect on some people. Such tiny influences, even if we don’t exactly notice or accept their presence, combined with our inexperience especially earlier in life, most of us tend to choose to behave in a certain way or choose people and actions that may cause problems for us.

Then, mostly, when we goof, we goof on our relationship problems. By that, I mean all relationships, personal, social, political, and international. Such negative choices include the give-and-take between the countries and our negligence of taking care of our planet, in which we are all to blame.

January 14, 2020 at 7:54pm
January 14, 2020 at 7:54pm
#973409
Prompt: “Confidence Is Silent; Insecurities Are Loud.” Brandy Lidbeck
In what ways does this quote apply to real life and to your experiences?


---

In my experience, people who took every opportunity to boast by highlighting their achievements and skills or even the royalty of their ancestors have been the ones who were the most insecure in their own two shoes. A truly confident and secure person doesn’t need to advertise himself. I am not saying that a person should deny their high points but always trying to switch people’s attentions to that area shows some internal inferiority problems.

Those who experience a calm, justified confidence from within, even if they are pleased with the praise they get, they don’t find it important. Fact is, although being praised helps build one’s self-esteem, in the long term, depending on that praise does not make sense because secure people are not the ones to rely on others’ opinions about their selves. Instead, they mind their own business, which usually is bettering themselves and living their lives as fully as they can.


Free clip art



Prompt: “Hold out the possibility that what you have learned isn’t true.” Doug Nelson
Another what if question in this quote. Can you think of a thing or things, which may not be true that you have learned to be true?


---

Some of the things I have learned and things that are taught to masses have proven to be totally incorrect or with missing parts. For example, in our time, we have found out the communism has been a failure on a grand scale.

Then, once upon a time, people were taught that the earth was flat. Today we know better.

On a smaller scale, take the medical beliefs. Because I tested with high cholesterol about 25 years ago, I was put on a fatless diet. I got sicker that what any high cholesterol could have done to me, and my cholesterol count didn’t improve on a fat-free diet, either, because part of my problem might be genetic. Today, I have a manageable diet and medication, and my count shows up in the normal range.

Then, in the beginning of the 20th century, they performed lobotomy on some patients with psychiatric problems. They had learned (falsely) that lobotomy could be a cure. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Yet, what is the truth behind anything and how do we reach it? I guess it will be by learning and relearning, and never trusting fully what we have learned previously, especially in the field of medicine.


January 11, 2020 at 9:10pm
January 11, 2020 at 9:10pm
#973191
Prompt: “Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.”
Paul Tournier
What do you think about this quote, and what kinds of situations force us to keep secrets? Then, are all our secrets necessary?


----

Most secrets are based on fear and guilt, and they have to do with not only what the person has done but what has been done to him or her. Even some crime victims may feel guilty of being the victim and not being able to prevent what has been done to them. They fear they’ll be ostracized and they’ll be looked down upon. This guilt is what makes a person act out in irregular and anti-social ways. That is why some groups and religions encourage confessions.

Also, when a person hides things from others, surely, they won’t be able to relate to them fully and as the result, they’ll feel lonely. Simply put, secrets cause alienation.

Everyone may have a secret, personal or belonging to others. some families have secrets, from the innocent to the deeply sinister. Sometimes, there are good reasons to keep them under wraps. Sometimes there is no reason to make them public or to hide them. But once a secret is out, the secret bearer is off the hook.

On the other hand, other people’s secrets, government secrets, and military secrets have to be respected.

January 9, 2020 at 11:25pm
January 9, 2020 at 11:25pm
#973070
Prompt: When you run out of book case space, where do you put your over flow of books?

---

I hate to say this but they are all over the place. We have several bookshelves in almost every room. The only rooms that don’t have free-standing bookshelves are the kitchen and the living room. Inside the kitchen, however, I have a drawer where I keep age-old cooking books. In the living room, too, we have side tables and a cocktail table with open bottoms that were meant for books, which are filled up with books and some DVDs.

Ever since the e-readers sprung up, my buying print books have diminished, though not stopped. I used to give away the books to the library, but now the library has stopped accepting them because they are inundated and perhaps the donated books make extra work for the staff. So, I am at a loss with what to do with all those books that take up space.


tiny heart


Prompt: "A good painting to me has always been like a friend. It keeps me company, comforts and inspires." Hedy Lamarr Do you feel this way about a good painting?

----

I guess our emotional dependence on art began with the cave drawings of the early men. All arts offer expressive solutions to our emotions by becoming a way for people to access themselves.

A painting usually opens up the hidden parts of the human experience that cannot be effectively expressed by words alone. Loving a painting can be a release, an affirmation or a consolation.

I feel like that about a few paintings. Two of them are of my children when they were little. Another one is of an ocean. The ocean always meant things to me I couldn’t fully express, although I have written several things on the subject. But just looking at that painting, makes me feel different things each time my eye catches it.

tiny heart


Prompt: "The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart." Judy Garland What are your thoughts about this quote?

---

A true treasure is unseen as it is held like a secret inwardly. It sometimes takes the form of strong beliefs and faith, and at other times, it is the perseverance and the good wishes for all creatures even during the most difficult times. This comes from the love of all creation, which is always there inside the heart.

January 6, 2020 at 5:11pm
January 6, 2020 at 5:11pm
#972813
Prompt: “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” Herb Simon
Why is paying attention and noticing what’s on the outside and the inside of things so important in our time when we have a wealth of information bombarded on us?


----

Attention is a precious resource because by using it we flush out the irrelevant information and focus on what is important to us. This takes some discipline and learning and there are several books on the subject. One of them is The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker, which I just finished reading; although this book has many exercises for honing one’s attention, some of them may or may not apply to every person’s attention problems. Still, it offers some help by reminding us to look around, carefully, and notice.

In fact, it is important to train ourselves on the subject. A simple example to untrained attention is the inability of attack victims not being able to describe their attackers even when they have seen them. Mostly, they see the color of the clothing on the attacker, which may not mean much to the police as clothing can easily be discarded.

Usually, starting with me, we are all guilty of focusing our attention, not on people or the buildings or what’s around us, but on our devices and concerns that pertain only to us. It is funny rather tragic that so many people walk on the street looking at their cellphones, and consequently bumping into things and people.

Unfortunately, directing our attention constantly at those computing devices or cellphones can work against us, as their content and messaging, even if informative and entertaining, may not be in our best interest all the time. To begin with, they drive us to distraction, letting us omit what may really be most important for our welfare, be it in difficult situations or with family and friends and other societal give-and-take. it may just be a wise idea to take some time off each day for noticing things in nature, around us, and in our families.

January 2, 2020 at 12:11pm
January 2, 2020 at 12:11pm
#972475
Prompt: Have you ever felt embarrassed by things you used to like?

----

I don’t think so. Not at my age. When I was a teen, just about everything embarrassed me. I used to blush a lot too. Then, I would get embarrassed for blushing.

No more! And not especially with the things I like. Plus, it has been a very long time since my teenage years.

The definition for embarrassment is a feeling of self-consciousness, shame, or awkwardness. Sometimes, the actions of those close to me, not finding the exact word I am looking for, a messy house, a faux pas that slips from my lips, and things like that embarrass me. Those things are my dislikes, too. Then, I am also embarrassed not for myself but on behalf of other people who openly point out to others’ tiny mistakes, putting those mistakes in public spotlight.

How one wishes to be seen and what is perceived by others has to do with embarrassment. Embarrassment Is not the same as shame as shame has moral overtones such as the failing of one’s character. Embarrassment may be painful but it is only the result of some insignificant social mistake, which we are all bound to do.

As to the things I like to do-- like writing, reading, watching YouTube, and nature--, they are what I like, and there is nothing embarrassing about one’s likes.


January 1, 2020 at 12:51pm
January 1, 2020 at 12:51pm
#972381
Prompt: Happy New Year! Prompt: What are your plans for 2020, this New Year?

==========

I don’t really make plans or come up with resolutions due to self-protection. This is because if I promise something to someone (including me) and can’t do it, I beat on me rather badly, and I am no masochist.

But do I want to do things this year? Yes. Several. At the beginning.

First, I’ll try to stay alive as that is the first rule for anyone of us.

Then, since I am a reader first and I read quite a bit as it is, I’ll concentrate on reading more of the classics this year, and I hope, works of better contemporary authors, which isn’t a given. Sometimes a brand-new author can come up with a knockout book while a famed award-winner produces a dud. Not being sure of the outcome, I’m crossing my fingers on this.

Then, I’ll try to finish writing the first draft of 2019’s NaNo novel. Although I wrote 54K in November, the story isn’t finished.

Then, I have had this habit of writing little notes on pieces of paper when an idea strikes or I come across a quote or something. Eventually, those notes made up such a big mess. They had taken up so much space, in boxes and such, that I threw away a big lot of them, but I thought the better of it. I thought I should keep what is left of them inside my purses and around my desk or stuck inside books and notebooks. So last month, I started copying them into a private item here in my WdC port. This will take some time but I want to finish or continue it. If I can finish it, I can copy the file into several places for future reference and delete the item here. I believe WdC to be more reliable than any Cloud space I have anywhere.

Another thing is I want to give away some things from my closet and the household items as I don’t want to turn into one of those crazed hoarders. These things I want to do, but I am not putting any pressure on myself to do them.

Other things, I want to keep the status quo and hope that nothing turns worse, breaks, and changes into something that would hurt or annoy me.

December 27, 2019 at 6:51pm
December 27, 2019 at 6:51pm
#972122
“I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Discuss this quote in your blog and how it relates to you.


----

in a nutshell, Louisa May Alcott, the heroine-author of my early teens, means to say in a nutshell, “Live your life well. You can do it!”

Most of us, in our earliest years, use a mental image of a perfect life for ourselves. Still for most of us tricks of fate or life have a way of fooling around with us and messing up that image. What Alcott is saying that she knows how it can be done; we have to take charge and persevere.

Sounds so easy, right? Nope. What she says feels almost condescending to me as I feel I am being talked down to. Life is not that easy. Just read about the camps in World War II. Some of us have unspeakable difficulties that cloud our lives and we may face troubles that affect the way we look at and handle things. Enough said.

On the other hand, if you have an average beginning in life, why not try to make your life to become the best one for you? A clear, acute vision and strong perseverance are what is needed. Maybe a few people can achieve using that key to open door of their castle in the air. With a few alterations, if I may add.

Of course, in Little Women, Jo was the heroine and what we, who were big readers at that time, wanted to emulate her. Although Jo came out okay, I am not too sure she reached her (internal) dream 100%, either. Because nothing is perfect. Sometimes along the way, we feel complete for a while and learn to smile at life. If that may be all we can hope for, so be it. That is still a success.

December 22, 2019 at 10:17pm
December 22, 2019 at 10:17pm
#971895
Prompt: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances,” Dostoevsky
Discuss the role of attitude in our lives. What is the difference between actions and attitudes? Are we always aware of our own attitudes?
(And if you wish) Were there any instances in your life where you were disappointed with your own attitude, not your actions but just the attitude?


-------

Attitude is a person’s belief, feelings, knowledge, and internal behavioral urge about an idea, object, or event. Many things influence our attitudes. Even when we think we are acting rightfully and rationally, it is a good idea to always watch oneself and ask questions such as: what is the way I am feeling about this subject based upon? Is something in my past influencing me or the ideas of my group and friendships?

Most of the time our attitudes influence our actions, so it is a good idea to examine each and every attitude before we act. Even though some people foster different attitudes inside themselves, sometimes, they act either to cover up for them or to gain some kind of favor from a person or society. Then, there are instilled attitudes inside us by our upbringing and backgrounds that make us act automatically without thinking for the best action. This is one reason we may be almost never aware of our own attitudes, and thus, we defend our actions resulting from them vehemently.

Although I do try to keep my attitudes in check, there have been many instances of wrong, automatic actions on my part; mostly wrong for my own welfare, though.

The reason I picked this saying by Fyodor Dostoevsky is because, during my formative years, I was awed by his writing and also because this author lived such a dramatic life.

In a nutshell, Dostoevsky began life wanting to read widely and write; however, he was arrested for belonging to a literary group that read books the tsarist regime chose to accept as being dangerous. He was taken to be executed with several other men. After all the rituals of execution were performed and the prisoners were lined up to be gunned down, the announcement of pardon by the tsar was read. The author’s sentence was reduced to four years in a labor camp in Siberia and compulsory military service later while in exile. This sentence didn’t let him have time to write but gave him an enormous amount of material, feelings, ideas, and attitude for his later years.

His resolve to write was never shaken and his attitude had even grown stronger toward his object of desire. I think his attitude and strength under such terrible conditions are to be admired and maybe even emulated.



December 19, 2019 at 12:25pm
December 19, 2019 at 12:25pm
#971706
Prompt: Do you believe in karma and what goes around comes around?

---

I may say sometimes that what goes around comes around. Do I believe it? I sort of wish it were true. I think it is true only at times but not in all cases or for everything since I have witnessed people who have done really rotten things get away with those and lead perfectly happy lives. When such a person gets a bad illness or dies, people say he got what he deserved. But then, don’t we all die and aren’t we all liable to get terrible diseases?

Yet. there is something to the idea of karma. Just that dread of its existence can stop some people from doing any evil stuff. Then when something senseless happens in our lives, we search for reasons and answers at least inside our minds, and we wonder if in some unknowable way we had a hand in our own misery, even if we can’t recall what we did. Also, the idea of things happening at random doesn’t agree with my thinking, either. I do believe in some kind of an order in the universe.

Maybe as the Hindus insist, we’ve had other lives where we weren’t so up-to-par people and now is the payback time.

Still, I am not sure if karma exists; yet, I wouldn’t vouch for its non-existence, either. If there’s an order to the universe, which I believe there is, then some sort of action-reaction mechanism must be built into it. Whether it’s a tit-for-tat reaction or not is beyond my comprehension.

December 18, 2019 at 1:46pm
December 18, 2019 at 1:46pm
#971654
Prompt: What was the best year of your life?

====

It is hard to choose. I usually recall incidences rather than the years.

We can never really know what the best years are. In youth, one has the strength of the body, but also the lack of life experience. When we get enough experience to make heads and tails of everything, then the body starts going down and you lose people along the way.

If I have to pick though, I guess when I was nineteen was a very good year. I was in college and very hopeful and happy with where I was, but then when I was 26, I had my first son, and then when I was 32, I had the second son. They were all good years, all with some difficulties, but then, I can’t pinpoint a year without any difficulties or annoyances. But those three years were the best.

Second to them, is the year I met and married my husband when I was 22. I count it second to the above three, only because I had to fight my mother tooth and nail to get her to agree to our marriage. That took a lot out of me, and that is why it wasn’t the best year. Otherwise, if I didn’t have to fight so hard for my choices, it would have been the best year.

My present few years are not so bad either since my husband and I have been together about 53 years, and we always had a good relationship. Now that we are old, aging takes a bit of a toll on our everyday lives, such as we can’t travel like we used to, and we have to deal with our creaking and croaking bodies. Other than that, I would count the last twenty or so years as best, too, since vocational and child-raising problems are left behind and we have what we need. Nothing in excess to become a problem but enough of everything to keep us going.
December 12, 2019 at 1:02pm
December 12, 2019 at 1:02pm
#971354
Prompt: "I just want to live happily ever after, every now and then." Jimmy Buffet Do you agree with Jimmy?

-----

Who am I to disagree with Jimmy? *Rolling* Although at my age I have stopped looking for adventure, since adventure has been finding me on its own.

After all, aren't we all stunt (wo)men? We’ve all lived and are living in iffy situations. Even when we think we've established a good setup and we’ve got it made, we don’t really know we’ve got it made for good.

First, nothing ever stays the same. Things can change in the blink of an eye. Those people we’re attached to leave, change, or die. Things break, corrode, or are snitched away from us. Then, because we have this sugar-plum-fairy idea of forever-happiness, we minimize, look over, or discard those negative or even positive happenings.

For all of the above reasons, if we are alive, we are living an adventure, as adventure is allowing the unexpected happen to you. Some of us, because we’re control freaks, take it upon us to up the ante with adventure by climbing mountains, jumping in parachutes, or trekking inside the jungles of any kind.

Whether we knowingly seek extra adventure or not, every decision we make will be made with incomplete information. There is no escaping that. There will, however, always exist a lot of unknowns even if we think we’ve arranged everything to our liking. Thus, complete happiness is impossible, if for nothing but for noticing all the misery in our immediate or long-distance world.

In which case, we can only hope for a lift, be it only now and then.

tiny heart


"Happily Ever After (Now And Then)" by Jimmy Buffett

I've been a stand-in, a stunt man
I've takin' some falls
Troubles... I've had my share
But one has to learn how to run before walkin'
'Round breathin' that million air

Take it from me cuz I found
If you leave it then somebody else is bound
To find that treasure, that moment of pleasure
When yours, it could have been

Some people never find it
Some... only pretend, but me:
I just want to live happily ever after every now and then

I've been in vans and in bands
On and through stages
One thing I can conclude
One has to learn havin' fun is just smilin' through
Those Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Take it from me cuz I've found
If you leave it then somebody else is bound
To find that treasure, that moment of pleasure
When yours, it could have been

Some people never find it
Some... only pretend, but me:
I just want to live happily ever after every now and then

Some people never find it
Some... only pretend, but me, hell:
I just want to live happily ever after every now and then

December 11, 2019 at 6:22pm
December 11, 2019 at 6:22pm
#971316
Prompt: What things in your life have caused you to have separation anxiety?

========

Separation anxiety is an abnormal clinging to a person, situation, or even a thing.

Separation anxiety are usually seen in children. That is why playing peek-a-boo with babies is good. It makes them realize someone they think is gone is there but not seen easily. I don't recall being clingy to anyone in my life; maybe I was in childhood but I don't recall it or anyone talking about me being clingy.

This is probably because I don’t normally cling to places or things, but people getting seriously sick usually unnerves me. I might have a slight separation anxiety concerning my husband as he is older than me and we have been together more than half a century, but it is not to the degree that it renders me useless, and I don’t really cling to him in the first place.

I might have other worries, mostly hidden and very slight though, like being in an accident, being incapacitated to a degree that I can’t do anything for myself, a hurricane hitting the area, or something bad happening to my children, neighbors, or friends. But none of these worries is so bad that I can’t function. I just don't like it when such a thought occurs in my head.

December 7, 2019 at 12:19pm
December 7, 2019 at 12:19pm
#971096
Prompt: Set a timer, and spend five minutes writing a stream of consciousness post.

======

This is my favorite type of writing. In fact, I do this almost every day. It is midday now. 12:15. Saturday, December 2019. I think I’ll talk about my desktop wallpapers today. Because this is what I have in front of my eyes. At this time, I have the wallpaper of a placid ocean view with only a calm blue ocean under blue sky and a silhouette of a lone seagull in black. Smack in the middle of the wallpaper is the silhouette of a young girl, sitting watching the ocean. I love this wallpaper because it reminds me of myself when I was a young college student. The hairstyle of the girl is long with the ends curling upward at her shoulders. I had the same hair, then. On top the wallpapers toward the right side, I wrote in Gimp, a quote, which I don’t know the origin of, that says “In the end, all is between you and God. It was never between you and anyone, anyway!”
I don’t know why this quote talks to me. Maybe it reminds me of my deep-down part. I change my laptop wallpapers often. This one I use repeatedly, especially when I need to calm down, and this is the season to remind oneself to calm down as there are many exciting things and excited people all around. I found out that I don’t like to look at snow scenes. In real life I loved looking at the snow, especially under moonlight, as when we lived up north, we had a two-acre semi-wild yard with lots of trees and a clearing toward the back. The moonbeams would come through the branches, creating a hollow effect, but the snow on the clearing would shine like a whitish cover. No photo I have taken of it has done it justice, but the vision of it in my memory. How did I come to my once-upon-a-time backyard? I was talking about wallpapers, wasn’t I? So going back, before this wallpaper, I had another wallpaper last month. It had the cute photo of a small white dog with friendly eyes. On top of that one, I had written, “Joy, don’t slouch!” in Gimp, I only use Gimp to write on images. This one was to remind me of not slouching since I kept that wallpaper all through November while I was doing the NaNo, and I sat at the computer for long periods of a time. I don’t sit at the computer for very long, usually, but I keep going and coming throughout the day. Since I got an android for a phone, I check my email and other stuff I used to check on the laptop. This is why I don’t sit at the computer for too long nowadays, which is for the better because of my slouching habit. Recently I bought a shoulder brace to help me not slouch, but as I write this I am laughing because the brace is hanging at the back of my chair, as I forgot to wear it when I sat down at the laptop. I think my five minutes are up.
December 5, 2019 at 10:52pm
December 5, 2019 at 10:52pm
#971045
Prompt: Can we ever have too much of a good thing? A bad thing? Is there really a healthy balance?

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This is a speculative prompt, which calls forth a highly personal answer from each person. In addition, a healthy balance depends on who the person is and what he considers to be a good or a bad thing.

As an example, in fastcompany.com, on 12/3/19, this was the headline: “AI is moving too fast, and that’s a good thing
This rapid rate of innovation gives us all the chance to gut-check what we really want out of this technology—while we still have time to affect its course.”


As emotion detection and facial recognition are two of the features in AI, there may be some people who think AI is a bad thing, unless if you ask DeepMind and many technological and commercial companies that are already in the process of trying to adapt AI technology to their needs.

Can there be a healthy balance? I don’t think so. If you ask me, I welcome any progress or any attempt at progress in every area. A so-called healthy balance, in this case, would hurt the progress of technology. I believe this is one of those things we’ll learn to get a good use of only by trial and error.

Accordingly, a good, bad, or healthy balance in anything depends on each person’s individual assessment.


December 5, 2019 at 11:42am
December 5, 2019 at 11:42am
#971009
Prompt: "As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others." Audrey Hepburn What are your thoughts about this?

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Helping oneself comes easily. We are all conditioned and possibly programmed even before birth to take care of number one. This is sometimes called the survival instinct.

Helping others comes later.

Some help those who have the same troubles or illnesses they or people they care about are suffering from. This, I call, helping through sympathetic sorrow. Nothing wrong with it, but it still refers back to one’s own self.

Some volunteering organizations and charities try to entice people into helping by saying or implying that:
*Star* Helping others feels good.
*Star* You’ll find a sense of purpose.
*Star* You can forget your own troubles and find happiness through helping.
*Star* Volunteering is a social activity. You won’t feel lonely.
*Star* If you help others you may live longer.
*Star* Helping others is a life-altering experience you need for your own growth.

Now, when you think about all these reasons, don’t they point to one’s own self, again?

Then, maybe just about everything reverts back to one’s own self.

I think the wish to help others should come from within oneself, through the simply feeling of empathy. Empathy is easier to feel toward individuals. In such a case, one’s helping should be subtle as to not make the other person feel indebted.

Also, talking about myself, I was raised to take care of what I did through the act of living. For example, when I stood up from a sitting position, I had to make sure the chair was pushed in or the cushions smoothed back to their original position. And if I were to see something messy, it would be a good idea to try to fix it.

This is because we live in a world where we have to make sure it stays livable for others because we are all one family: The human family.

Whether the good we do comes back to us or not.

December 4, 2019 at 12:27pm
December 4, 2019 at 12:27pm
#970953
Prompt: If a butterfly lands on you, do you think it is a message from a loved one who has passed?

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No, I have no such illusions. I am sure, on the other side, my loved ones are busier with more important things than messaging poor old me. *Rolling*

According to scientific sources:

If you find a butterfly coming down to rest on your arm, it's probably just looking for salt. According to Animal Corner, there is a belief that butterflies landing on you will bring you good luck, but, in all likelihood, they're simply attracted to your sweat.


Mixed flowers in a basket



Prompt: In your opinion, what qualities would make a perfect brother and what qualities would make a perfect sister? And if you have one or the other or both, in what ways would you want them to change?

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Leave it to me to come up with a prompt that I cannot answer myself. *Bigsmile*

I have no brothers or sisters. Boy, did I wish to have them all my life!

But I have cousins; wonderful, fantastic, capable cousins, each one a gem. In fact, one of them is my best friend for life.

Do they make up for the lack of siblings for me? No!

Since all of them have their own siblings. And guess to whom they run to when they need something. Their own siblings first. Me, later, if ever.

That is why all my life I wanted a sibling, which-at my age-I want no more because it is a major impossibility since both my parents are gone.

My cousin/best-friend tells me I should be happy because I had the best of everything that they didn’t have. The way I look at it: Big deal! Material things don’t count.

Cynthia Hand, in Hallowed, says, “Christian is staring at us. He’s an only child and could never understand the delicate joys of sibling abuse.” It may just be that I am a glutton for such a delicate joy! *Laugh*


December 2, 2019 at 12:54pm
December 2, 2019 at 12:54pm
#970858
Prompt: Signature foods and creative writing.
What do you think about signature foods in general? Then, when you are writing about a setting, have you ever created for or assigned to a city or town a signature food, such as Philly's cheesesteak and Chicago's deep-dish pizza?


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In general, signature foods are fun, like gumbo in Lousiana, Cheesecake, bagels,and pastrami sandwiches for NY, Boston Cream Pie and New England Clam Chowder for Boston, Crabcakes for Baltimore, Key Lime Pie for Key West, beignets for New Orleans, and sourdough bread for San Francisco, which is what I can think of at the moment. And although this was my prompt, for the life of me, I can’t recall a signature food associated with a place in fiction. Go figure!

I can, however, recall many works of fiction that had to do with food. Such as Like Water for Chocolate,The Joy Luck Club, Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Ichabod’s slapjacks), Pudding in Harry Potter, and I can also think of Green Eggs and Ham, which my kids were never tired of listening to, back in the day. I should have changed their names into Sam-I-am.

This I’ll remember, if I live long enough, to assign a signature dish to an imaginary city and maybe build a whole story around it. Maybe next NaNo? If anyone wants to use the idea, they are welcome to it, too.

And look who's talking! Although I made it to 53 K, this year’s NaNo isn’t finished yet. *Rolling*

That my mind works in circles is an understatement.

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