Midweek Reflections April 30, 2008

‘Idál (Justice), 3 Jamál (Beauty), 165 B.E. – Wednesday, April 30, 2008 about 5:57 PM PDT

The last week in April passed quickly, with some interesting events occurring in my life. I wrote an article for the writing.com Fantasy Newsletter about Dark Fantasy. I think the newsletter arrives in member's e-mail boxes later today or early tomorrow.

Last night when I took the trash to the curb, I had an encounter with an extremely friendly dog. Between the neighbors across the street and me, we found an 800 number on his collar. Fortunatetly, the dog's owner was looking for him and I got the kids attention when he passed the corner. The dog got back to his owners safely.

We do not get many dogs running free in this neighborhood. Most of those that do get out accidently are friendly. That does not mean they will not hurt you, but they are not vicious. When dealing with them you have to be careful.

I think I will use the dog experience in a poem or short story. I am not sure how just yet, but it is something that would be interesting to speculate about; instead of a dog use a mythological creature of some type. That would make a good fantasy story; perhaps use a unicorn or a dragon instead of a dog. I would use a baby dragon in a story like that. An extremely friendly baby dragon running free in a town or neighborhood would make an interesting story. Make it a children's story so I could stretch my creativity.

I need an office with a door

Fidál (Grace), 2 Jamál (Beauty), 165 B.E. – Tuesday, April 29, 2008 about 7:05 PM PDT

I need an office with a door. I want a private office with a door that I can shut. An office that I can go into and write without distractions. My computer is in the living room. My office is part of a shared living space. My desk is next to the living room window.

Having my computer and desk next to the picture window helps my muse. Having an office in a room shared with other is distracting. There are advantages and disadvantages to having an office in a room without a door. Sometimes it would be easier to write if I could go into a home-office and write without distraction.

Sometimes I just want to go into a room and shut the world out. Sometimes I want to shut the world out and write until I have written the subject out. Sometimes I want to work on a novel, short story, or poem without any distractions. Then sometimes I want to write with people around. Therefore, I need an office with a door that I can shut.

If I had a private home-office, I could go in and shut the door. When I wanted to be alone and write I could. When I wanted to be with other people and write I could. An office with door that I could shut and lock would give me that option. I do not have that option now.

Now the only time I can be alone and write is when everyone else in the house is asleep. There was a time when I could stay up all night, catch an hour or so of sleep and go to work. Now I need at least six hours of sleep and three or four cup of coffee to function at an acceptable level. When I do not get enough sleep at night, I fall asleep during the day.

I want a private home-office with a door that I can shut and lock. This way when I wanted to be alone and write, I could shut and lock the door. This way when I wanted to have someone else in the room I could leave the door unlocked and open. I think I just want the option to be alone with my thoughts and my writing.

When I wanted to leave

Kamál (Perfection), 1 Jamál (Beauty), 165 B.E. – Monday, April 28, 2008 about 6:14 PM PDT

Dairly Writing Practice Prompt for April 28, 2008: Write about a time you wanted to leave but coudln't.

Times when I want to leave but cannot usually occur when I get bored, uncomfortable, or stop having fun. Boredem by a presentation or lecture is the worst. I can think of everything I could be doing at home these times. I always have a list of things I could be doing; things that are more productive then listening to a boring lecture or presentation.

I get uncomfortable when I am hungry or tired. I dislike falling asleep sitting in a chair with people on either side. When I sit up and sleep, I snore. I know I snore at these times because I wake myself up. The people on either side do not have to wake me.

A time when I wanted to leave but could not occurred several years ago when I went to a mall on Christmas Eve. I went because I needed to get a gift for some reason. It could not have been a Christmas gift because I do not celebrate Christmas. My reason for going at the time seemed important. I cannot remember why I needed the gift, perhaps a birthday present or something like that.

Anyway I got into the mall and it was crowded with last minute Christmas shoppers. I pushed my way through the crowd and realized I was not having fun shopping. I like to shop, but when I stop having fun doing it then I want to go home. Unfortunately, I could not go home until I bought the gift. I pushed my way through the crowd and finally arrived at the store. It took me an hour and a half to get to the store. It took me another hour and a half to get out of the mall. Then it took me two hours to drive through traffic. The drive is usually less then thirty minutes.

Sundays Are

Jamál (Beauty), 19 Jalál (Glory), 165 B.E. – Sunday, April 27, 2008 about 6:30 AM PDT

Journal Writing Prompt for Sunday, April 27, 2008: Sundays are...

Sundays are for planning the week ahead,
for looking at old and new goals,
for changing the changeable,
for accepting the unchangeable,
for attempting to know the difference.

Sundays are for prayer and meditation
on the important reasons for living life to the fullest
and finding ways to achieve the goal.

Sundays are for relaxing and contemplating
the little things that bring us joy and happiness.

Sundays are for proclaiming the eternal beloved,
for stopping to smell the roses,
for watching the dawn of a new day,
for acquiescing to the will of God.

Sundays are for making new decisions,
for letting go of the past,
for listening to the inner voice of happiness,
for memorizing prayers,
for eating peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches,
for trying a new breakfast cereal.

Sundays are for being alone,
for experimenting with a new recipe,
for catching up on the important things left undone
over the past week.

Sundays are for singing,
for writing letters,
for relaxing.

Tuesday Writing - the Triquatrain

Fidál (Grace), 14 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Tuesday, April 22, 2008 about 5:23 PM PDT

This weeks poetry form is the Triquatrain, which Robert L. Huntsman created. This form consists of a quatrain with a specific rhyme pattern. The first and third lines of each stanza have internal rhymes while the second and fourth lines have end rhymes. There is no specific meter or length to the Triquatrain.

Rhyme Pattern

Line 1: a, a
Line 2: b
Line 3: c, c
Line 4: b

For more information on this form see My Heart is Bleeding for You by Jermie6363 or ShadowPoetry.com Triquatrain.

I am not sure about the length of the poem I am going to write. The subject I am working on is weather phonomena such as lightning or rainbows. Both of these events bring back memories of Oklahoma and my childhood. It is amazing what a person remembers and misses about his or her childhood home. One thing I miss about Oklahoma is the lightning and the thunderstorms.

I know the length will be at least three stanzas, but I am considering a longer poem. It seems the older I get the more I miss the Oklahoma of my childhood. If I can get something in the poem about my grandparents, I will. However, I am focusing on the memory of the lightning and the rainbows after the thunderstorms were over. I do remember we had a dog that was afraid of the thunder. She would hid or let my sister cuddle her whenever a thunderstorm occurred. I think my sister or one of my brothers was afraid of the lightning or the thunder, I am going to have to ask my mother about that.

A crisp clear lightning strike lights up the night.

That is as far as I have gotten on this poem. I have to have it completed by April 27.

Monday Writing - How to get unstuck

Kamál (Perfection), 13 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Monday, April 21, 2008 about 6:23 PM PDT

I think I need a vacation and I do not see one coming for sometime. Perhaps I am too close to my problems to see the light. I could just need a slight change of view to get me going. The problem has to do with writing and worrying. I have several writing projects I cannot seem to complete. I have tried getting away from them, but that does not help. I think my only solutions is just to work on the project push trough the block.

I am going to try that with a novel I have to finish. I am going to start at chapter one and make the necessary changes. I will go on to chapter two and continue to work through one chapter at a time until I get to the last chapter. It is the last chapter I am stuck on. I thought I had it finished until I realized I needed to get one more group of colonist to the planet's surface. The problem is simple; I am not sure where to put them. The other four groups I have a place to put them, it is only one group that I am having difficulty placing.

Perhaps I am over thinking the problem. I have a tendency to over think problems sometimes. However, lately I am doing a lot of over thinking all my problems. I could be too close to them. Sometimes you can be so involved with a problem that the solution is not obvious.

A Windy April Day in Las Vegas

Jamál (Beauty), 12 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Saturday, April 19, 2008 about 8:47 PM PDT

The wind dances through
the boughs of stone pine and olive trees
while the water department
digs a hole in the street
to fix a leak.

5000 Questions Survey - Questions 301 to 325

Istijlál (Majesty), 9 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Thursday, April 17, 2008 about 7:02 PM PDT

301. List 5 things you have not experienced that you would like to experience before you die.
A Visiting another country
B Finding my father's grave
C Going to the Utah Shakespearean Festival
D Being debt free
E Sleeping in a bed and breakfast

302. Will you try to accomplish any of these things within the next year?
Yes, visiting another country.

303. What do you feel controlled by?
Frustration of not getting the soda machine that's taking up room in my garage out.

304. If Jesus appeared to you and told you that the moon was made of green cheese would you believe him?
I suspect Jesus would have a lot more to talk about then whether or not the moon is made of green cheese. All though the moon being made of green cheese would solve the world hunger problem.

305. What is one thing you are sure of?
That God is alive and in charge of the universe.

306. At what part of the day do you feel the most alert?
Morning, right after my first cup of coffee.

307. Have you ever played in a band?
No, the only thing I can play is chop sticks on the piano

308. Have you ever stared into the ocean thinking 'early creatures crawled outta that'?
No, when I stare at the ocean I always think how beautiful it is.

309. If not, what do you think of when you are staring into the ocean?
Another thing I think of when staring at the ocean is how to put the movement of the waves into a poem.

310. Do you like the mental challenge of chess or other games?
I like mental challenges of any type.

311. Do you ever think of where your atoms were before they were in you?
This is one subject I've never thought about until now.

312. Do you ever think about where your atoms will go after they have been in you?
This doesn't worry me.

313. If you didn't know that people couldn't fly do you think that you could?
People can fly, they just can't do it in the same way as birds or bat.

314. Are you someone that others call when they're having a problem and want to talk about it?
Sometimes

315. When it comes to literature, do you see beyond the writing and into the meaning intended by the author?
Sometimes

316. Is there anything you can take apart completely, and then put back together, and have no left over parts?
No without instructions

317. What are your feelings about the death penalty?
It depends on the crime and the circumstances surrounding it.

318. If there was a god and you could ask him/her one question what would it be?
God exists and I don't think I'm qualified to ask the Divine Essence questions.

319. Do you believe that life will be found on other planets?
Of course

320. What is something worth suffering for?
Faith

321. If you could put an extra eye on your body anywhere you wanted, where would you put it?
In the back of my head

322. Are you in touch with the earth and nature?
I'm attempting to be in touch with them.

323. Would you rather live simply or extravagently?
Extravagantly might be a different experience. I would like to try it for a little while.

324. Have you ever been camping?
Yes, I don't like camping without an indoor toilet and hot shower.

325. Is your heart open when you meet someone new?
Yes

The Proper Way to Wash Your Hands

‘Idál (Justice), 8 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Wednesday, April 16, 2008 about 5:40 PM PDT

When I was growing up both my mother and grandmother emphasized hand washing, they were always reminding my siblings and me to wash our hands. Grandma and Mom would have us wash our hands before and after meals, when we went outside to play and came in. I am not sure, but I think I spent more time in the bathroom washing my hands then I did in my bedroom sleeping.

This morning I went to an orientation meeting. One of the videos showed the proper method of washing your hands. In the video, the woman who demonstrated the method showed how germs spread in one's normal day-to-day activity. Anyway this is how the video show us how to wash our hands.

1. Wash you hands under warm water for 30 seconds
2. Turn the water on and get your hands wet
3. Then put liquid soap into your palm
4. Lather and then was your hands thoroughly
5. Thorough hand washing is between the fingers and under the nails as well as the hands and the wrist.
6. You leave the water on while you dry your hand with a disposable towel
7. You turn the water off using the towel you just dried your hands with
8. The reason you do this is not to get germs back on your hands

That is how I remember the demonstration.

Another Windy Day in Las Vegas

It's another windy day in Las Vegas
dry and warm,
not hot as it will be later in the year.

It's another windy day in Las Vegas
I just want to stay indoors
out of the wind,
out of the dust,
out of the pollen.

Tying the Day Up

Fidál (Grace), 7 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Monday, April 14, 2008 about 9:32 PM PDT

April 14, 2008 was a long day. It was a day away from home. I spent the morning in a meeting, then on the way home mailed my income tax return. In the afternoon, a chemical peel and then cashed a check. I bought gas with the money. I am thankful that I did not pay more then about $3.35 per gallon. I bought enough gas to get me around the rest of the week (I hope). What I am going to do for gas next week I have no idea. I worry about that next week.

I am weary and am going to bed in a few minutes. April 15 is going to be another long day, but not as long for me as for the postal workers. The main post office in Las Vegas will remain open until midnight for the procrastinators. On the 15th I have a meeting all morning. Then two places to go in the afternoon.

How much writing I will achieve I have no idea. Good night.

Writing My Thoughts

Jamál (Beauty), 5 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Sunday, April 13, 2008 about 4:23 PM PDT

Sometimes it is difficult to write my thoughts to put emotions into words. Sometimes putting words into lines and then lines into stanzas is hard. What is the best word to express the emotion of the moment? What is the best phrase to describe the feelings of a character? Is there a single word to describe the color of a robin's egg, besides robin's egg blue?

What is the color of fear or the hue of happiness? What word express the tears shed when you realize that love is lost? Sometimes it is difficult to put my thoughts into sentences and then those sentences into paragraphs. This difficulty is not writer's block, but something else.

Sometimes it is difficult to rip my soul open to the world. Sometimes I want to write, but cannot find the words to express my thoughts. Those are the times I sit and cry; those are the time is open my prayer book and pray. I read prayer after prayer looking for comfort and the right words to express my frustration at not being able to put my thoughts into words.

I Changed My Mind

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for April 13, 2008: Write about a time you changed your mind.

I changed my mind,
I looked at all the fact I knew,
those were very few
because I didn't know the entire story.

I changed my mind,
I followed my gut feeling
rather then the over cautious advice
of my selfish desires.

I changed my mind,
I accepted a new view of spirituality,
I new vision of divinity,
and was rewarded with new friends
who encouraged my soul's progress.

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5000 Questions Survey - Questions 276 to 300

Jalál (Glory), 4 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Saturday, April 12, 2008 about 1:41 PM PDT

276. Does fashion matter to you?

Fashions that make me look good matter to me.

277. Should politicians be held to the same legal standards as everyone else?

Of course, politicians are people too.

278. What do you get in trouble for the most?

Speeding

279. Should parents spank their kids?

No

280. What is your worst daily habit?

Procrastination

281. If you had your choice which one TV show would you have canceled?

Any reality show

282. Do you like the taste of sweet or salt?

Both at the same time

283. Are you very precise about what words you use to describe your feelings and thoughts?

Not always

284. What do you feel the most guilty about?

Not saying my prayers

285. Do you meditate?

Yes

286. Can dreams be visions, or do you feel they are always random images?

It depends some can and some are random

287. Do you try to write/say what you are feeling in a true and simple way?

Yes

288. The thief _______ that everyone steals.What verb would you fill in the blank with?

Time

289. What's the most incredible experience you ever had?

Riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle

290. Are you ever afraid to write/say/think how you feel?

Sometimes

291. Do you write/say/think it anyway or become intimidated and try to avoid it?

Sometime

292. What is one thing you can't do?

Walk on a tight rope

293. Do you like movies starring http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleton_Heston?

I haven't see all Mr. Heston's movies so I can't answer this question

294. Are you gentle?

Yes

295. When do you feel the most raw and vulnerable?

Before my morning cup of coffee

296. Are you trying to find yourself?

No, because I found myself

and then I forgot where I put me

297. Where are you looking?

Cheap gas

298. Are you sometimes afraid of being honest because you are afraid of hurting people's feelings?

Everyone is at times

299. What would make you a stronger person?

Prayer, meditations, faith, and chocolate

300. What book would you like to read sometime soon?

The Dawn Breakers

I Still Don't Know

Istijlál (Majesty), 2 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Thursday, April 10, 2008 about 4:37 PM PDT

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for April 10, 2008: I still don't know..."

I still don't know why
I don't like romance novels
unless there is a science fiction or fantasy
background.

I still don't know why
I would rather read mystic love poem
then love poems written
to another human being.

I still don't know why
I cry at sad movies

I still don't know why
I can never find a writing pen
when I need to write down a phone number,
but can always find a pen
or half-a-dozen of them
at any other time.

I still don't know why
I can laugh and cry
at the same time
without any effort at all.

I still don't know why
a cat wants to go outside
until you open the door to let it out;
then it decides it didn't want to go outside
after all.

Wind and clouds

Wind carries rags of clouds
across the blue sky
without a promise or threat of rain.

The wind-chill factor makes the day
cool and brisk
as the limbs of stone pine tress
wave good-bye to the clouds floating past.

Earth Day Approaches

‘Idál (Justice), 1 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Wednesday, April 9, 2008 about 10:17 PM PDT

Earth day approaches
time to celebrate mother Earth.

I am working on an Earth Day poem; the problem is I have not figured the approach yet. Since Earth is on April 22, I do have some time. I think I will write a form poem, celebrating mother Earth and Earth Day. I like form poems because I can focus on the poem template rather other aspects of the poem. Once the poem is written then I can rewrite, but if I am not sure about what to write a poem template helps me focus on the subject and the form.

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Writing is Frustrating

Fidál (Grace), 19 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Tuesday, April 8, 2008 12:29 PM PDT

Writing is frustrating
I encounter a period
and can't go any farther.

I look at the page
and see the white pure paper
without a word on it.

I look out my window
and see white clouds covering
the blue sky.

Perhaps if I get up
and check the Hobo stew
in the slow cooker
something will come to me
and end to a chapter
or the beginning of a poem.

After Midnight

Kamál (Perfection), 18 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Monday, April 6-7, 2008 about 12:10 AM PDT

It's after midnight,
I'm not sure what to write,
so I sit and type
a poem for poetry month.

I can't sleep
and I have a form poem to write
about a woman in a launder mat,
but I can't seem to write the lines.

Perhaps if I say some prayers
and get a fresh start at dawn
I'll be able to complete the poem.

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Comforting News for Someone with Arachnophobia

Jamál (Beauty), 17 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Sunday, April 6, 2008 about 9:19 AM PDT

I have arachnophobia and I get my news off the internet. This means that I encounter a lot of stories that I would not get from the local news. This head line attracted my attention immediately: Doctors downplay spider bite death.

A 63 year old woman in Missouri was bitten by a brown recluse spider about a month ago and died on Monday. Since the bite doctors were treating her for the symptoms. Apparently this is how the have to treat the bites of these spiders. Anyway biologist say there is no danger to the public.

This story attracted my attention immedietely for three reasons. First, I have arachnophobia (fear of spiders). Second, I am 61 going on 62. Third, I have to clean out my garage this spring.

I know spiders are in the garage because I have seen the webs. Not that brown recluse spiders weave webs, I do not think they do because the hide in dark places. However, if web weavers are in the garage then other spiders are in the garage as well.

I am going to be extra careful about cleaning stuff out of the garage, but that does help my fear of the eight-legged creatures. In addition, my imagination will work overtime now when it comes to spiders. You see I have had a spider crawl on me and remember what they feel like.

Spring in Las Vegas

Jalál (Glory), 16 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Saturday, April 5, 2008 about 5:08 PM PDT

It's spring in Vegas
and it's April poetry month;
this is the year of the early Easter,
my muse isn't too unhappy about that
though she would have like to write
a resurrection poem -
that will have to wait until next year.

Now the clouds cover the blue sky,
clouds that neither promise nor threaten rain;
the weather report
(the one I get in my e-mail box)
promise warmer temperatures
80 degree highs and 50 degree lows
with variable winds.

Today
my muse will have to be satisfied
with this,
I am behind and need to catch up
before settling down to write a Quadrilew form poem.

Waiting Room

Istijlál (Majesty), 14 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Thursday, April 3, 2008 about 5:27 PM PDT

Sitting in a doctors waiting room
surrounded by strangers
waiting to see a doctor in the clinic.

A child sings the A B C song
and memories of my own childhood
flood back
carrying with them the memory
of the first shot I received
from a doctor.

I remember running around a poll
in his examining room
while he and my mother attempted
to catch me
so he could give me a shot.

April is Poetry Month

‘Idál (Justice), 13 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Wednesday, April 2, 2008 about 6:40 PM PDT

April is poetry month and I have a confession to make. I forgot about April being poetry month. I write poetry so one would think I could remember when poetry month occurs. I forgot about it until I read a newsletter on the subject.

Now I really am worried about my memory. Yesterday I was worried because I forgot I drink all the coffee in my cup. After that, I had problems remembering a password. All right the coffee is no big deal. I take a sip; sit the cup down and a few minutes later take another sip. The cup is not a large mug, so it does not hold that much coffee. Still one would think a coffee drinker would remember drinking all the coffee. The password and poetry month are two completely different things.

In honor of poetry month and my memory

Forgetting

random events in a day

suggest too much stress.

April Fools Day brings out the Creative Side of People

April Fools' Day appears to bring out the creative side of people. The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time shows just how creative people have gotten through out history. This website tells about hoaxes from 1708 to 2007.

One of the more interesting had spaghetti growing in trees, which I suspect is much better then money because you can eat spaghetti. Another concerned a wild animal called the Hotheaded Naked Ice Borer. Then there was the one about a decrease in Earth's gravity because of an unusual planetary alignment. Yes, April Fools' Day brings out the creativity in the human race.

A Day to Celebrate Foolishness

Fidál (Grace), 12 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Tuesday, April 1, 2008 about 3:47 AM PDT

Today is April Fools' or All Fools' Day. There are various explanations of why foolishness is celebrated today. One-explanation concerns then change in the date of the New Year's Day celebration. According to the Julian Calendar New Year's Day falls on April 1, but when the Pope Gregory XIII implemented Gregorian Calendar the date changed to January 1.

Not everyone embraced this change. Some people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. The results, those who celebrated on January 1 made fun of those who celebrated April 1 as New Year's Day. This does not fully explain the spread of the custom, but it does make a nice explanation. The webpage April Fools' Day Origin and History gives more information.