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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’

The Way of Things

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on September 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

This morning: up early, start a batch of bread, do laundry, prep a batch of household items for a Ukrainian family new to Canada, including a heavy couch that promised to be a hassle. Everything went according to plan, better than, really. Even the couch move went well.

This afternoon: The new batch of flour is strangely weak, I finished none of the pieces I planned to work on, my Scrivener short story file has developed some concerning hiccups, and (for reasons too pedestrian to get into) I was recently doused in chicken stock.

Ah well! Such is the way of things. 

The sun is bright, the birds sing, and a monarch butterfly has adopted one of the pine trees out back. Life is good.

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Photo by Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández on Unsplash

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Good Weekend

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on September 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

I’m happy it’s Friday and I’m looking forward to making the most of the weekend. I can’t, of course, do that if I’m creaky from hours at the computer. (As a writer with a computer-facing day job, let’s face it, I usually am.)

We also have “move a couch” on tomorrow’s social calendar so I want to be ready.

Ok, ready-ish.

NPR recently showcased four simple exercises by Vinh Pham designed to help ward off physical pain by extending your range of motion and increasing flexibility. 

After a day of intensive computer time some of these exercises hurt just to look at, but they’re really just stretches and I should still do them. You might appreciate them too.

This 15-minute exercise can help ‘futureproof’ your body from chronic pain

What if there was a way to stop chronic pain in your body before it strikes?

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Photo by Timo Volz on Unsplash

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Daily Recommended Dose

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on September 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.”

— Zig Ziglar

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Photo by Oscar Sutton on Unsplash

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What Do They Say?

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on August 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Summer night—
even the stars
are whispering to each other.

― Kobayashi Issa

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Photo by Trevor McKinnon on Unsplash

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Taking My Own Advice

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on August 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

For the past few days, my inbox has been filling up with emails on advice to writers. You know the type: listicles with “What every writer should know” and “Top ten tips for writers,” that sort of thing. That’s fine as far as it goes, and depending on your progress as a writer, many of these comments may very well be useful.

Still, I can’t help thinking that my own advice would be both shorter and more broadly applicable. (And yes, when it comes to recommendations like this I am my own best customer.)

You can’t finish what’s not started.

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Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

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The Trick

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on August 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” 

― Ray Bradbury

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Photo by Nick Brunner on Unsplash

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Whoosh!

Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged , , , on August 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »

And somehow the last bit of my break is over. What have I done? Not much and a lot. I originally considered setting some big dramatic goal, like writing a novel, but decided that I’d benefit much more by just… not. So I wrote some but read more, cooked some and ate more, hiked some and lounged more. Did I cross a lot off my list? Yes, but I decided not to worry too much about the remaining items.

I also had a little fun along the way. Here’s a birthday card I put together (with the relevant numbers removed to protect the innocent).

vroom vroom!

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Treasures of Memory

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , on August 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »

So there I was, digging through a stack of papers on the hunt for a bit of gold. I needed metallic paper so that I could make a birthday card. I eventually recovered a piece big enough for the project, but I found a number of other things along the way. One of them was a quatro-fold sheet of paper covered in scribbled trip notes.

On this day (years ago), Mr Man and I traveled from Boston to Fredericton, New Brunswick, at the start of a trip Out East.

We stayed at the Abbey Glenn Riverfront (not “side” or “view”, silly scribe) B&B and had dinner at the Snooty Fox. (Whole clams with chips and salmon on a cedar plank, apparently.)

I’m glad I wrote this down because my memory for details like this is not the best. I am great at making scribbled notes on random bits of paper, though, and keeping them to be discovered later, minor treasures of memory.

In a complete coincidence, we’re having salmon tonight, too.

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Photo by Bryan Goff on Unsplash

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Mediocre Monday

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on August 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

It’s one of those days today, where the clouds hang low and only drizzle when you go to the mailbox or want to go for a walk. I’ve been working steadily but not getting as much done as I’d like. Such is the way of Mondays.

In honor of this deeply mediocre Monday, I give you my version of the Omnitaur. Here’s the original by xkcd:

And here is my own half-assed version. It needs more work and focus, and that’s just not happening today. And oh look, I just noticed that the bull segment disappeared somewhere along the way. Ah well!

Some days creativity doesn’t quite work. Still worth it.

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Random Musing

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on August 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

A random musing in the form of a drabble: What if finding an adult sponsor were the only way to live past your 18th birthday?

Old and New
Travis smiled as he helped Mr. Frederick with his groceries. Dead-end job? Sure, but it gave him a chance to meet a lot of elders. They usually hid behind retirement community walls, but everyone had to eat.

He slipped a Recommendation card into the last bag, between a head of broccoli and an eggplant.

“Thanks, kid,” the old man said.

Damn it, three weeks of sucking up and Mr. Frederick still didn’t know his name? All his other prospects had fallen through. Travis gave a silent groan as he counted the days to his 18th birthday.

He was so dead.

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Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash

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