Tomorrow is my writing.com birthday

October 31 is not only Halloween, but it's my writing.com birthday. I won't celebrate Halloween, but I will celebrate my writing.com birthday. I have to go out in the morning to pick up some meds and do other stuff, but when I get back, I will get online and do some reviews.

I don't have to work tomorrow because it is Nevada Day and the schools are closed. Today I didn't work because of a dentist appointment this morning and a doctors appointment. So tomorrow, I will find a pharmacy that's open and have my meds filled. I have to pick up some meds for Mom so I'll probably have the prescription filled there.

Writing about Chocolate

I bought two chocolate candy bars this morning. The school where I work is selling them to raise money. When I got home, I give them to my mother and she put them in the freezer. We will have them either for breakfast tomorrow or on Halloween.

It's been several months since I bought a chocolate candy bar of any type. Lately my chocolate intake has been limited to cafe mocha. I make cafe mocha at home using powdered hot chocolate mix and fresh brewed coffee. If we eat the candy bars tomorrow for breakfast, then we will have cafe mocha on Halloween. I won't know until breakfast which we will have.

It's better to leave some decisions until the last minute. Eating chocolate for breakfast is one of those decisions. Only my mother and I live in the house, so we don't have to set a good example for anyone except ourselves. We can have anything we want for breakfast.

Some Poem Ideas

Walking gives a person ideas, in this case, some very good ideas for poems. In the last week or so I have encountered flowers I never expected to see. I would not have noticed those flowers if I were driving a car. Last week I encountered a yellow spring flower related to a tulip, I still am not sure about the name of the flower.

However, this week I do know the names of the flowers I encountered. Today I encountered roses on my way home. I took a different route home today because I went to the bank after work to make a deposit. I got off the Maryland Parkway bus on Oakey and walked down that street until I came to 17th Street. Normally, when I take that route I go straight down Oakey to Bruce, but today I decided to take 17th to Bracken. I am glad I did.

Someone planted the roses in front of a house right next to the sidewalk. They smelled so good and refreshing. I never expected to see roses this time of year in Las Vegas, but there they were in full bloom. Beautiful pink, white, and light red blossoms, life is good when you stop to smell the roses.

Pink roses bloom
beneath the afternoon sun
energizing scent

Writing about Peanut Butter Cookies

I want homemade peanut butter cookies. At Halloween my grandmother always made peanut butter cookies, she also made oatmeal raisin cookies. However, I want the peanut butter cookies right now.

My grandmother would make cookies for all the neighborhood children who came Trick or Treating. She made the peanut butter cookies and then wrapped them in clear plastic food wrap. After she made the peanut butter cookies, she would make oatmeal raisin cookies and wrap them separately. On Halloween night, each Trick or Treater who came to her door would get one peanut butter cookies and one oatmeal raaisin cookie.

While grandma was giving out cookies to the children who came to the house, grandpa would take us Trick or Treating. We went to the houses in the neighborhood he and grandma lived in first. After we went to all the houses in that neighborhood, then grandpa would take us to the houses in our own neighborhood. Grandpa never let us go Trick or Treating without him. Grandpa always kept a close eye on all of us. I miss my grandparents, especially around the holiday season. This year, however, I seem to miss them more then usual.

Writing about dream fragments

I've had some rather odd dreams in the past week or so. Actually ever since Tuesday when I begin my two-mile five day a week walk. I remember fragments from the dreams, short sketches of dreamscape with my grandparents in them. Some of the dreams are about reviewing on writing.com, while others have different themes. My grandparents are the threads holding the fragments together.

In one dream, pasta was scattered along the wall inside the house. Then someone set the pasta on fire. The idea of setting the pasta on fire was to drive the roaches out of the walls. My grandfather put the fire out that climbed up the walls and nothing except the pasta burned.

I haven't been sleeping very well lately, but the dreams come in those rare moments of sleep. I have the dream, roll over in bed and the pain in my knee wakes me up. The only parts of the dreams I remember contain my grandparents. I'm not sure what any of the dreams mean, all though the one with the pasta in it sounds like a good beginning to a short story or flash fiction piece.

Yesterday was a lost day, I think

Istiqlál (Independence), 9 Ilm (Knowledge), 165 B.E. – Friday, October 24, 2008 about 5:31 PM Pacific Time

I was so wore out from my two-mile walk that it was a struggle making it home. I came home, took a nap and attempted to do some work on line. I didn't get anything done because I was so wore out that I couldn't think. Today I'm feeling better, but I'm not sure of the reason.

This morning I got a ride half way to work, so I actually walked only a mile and a half today. However, I was still to tired to walk the half mile to the bus stop so I could go to the bank. I'm going to go tomorrow. I'll go in the morning, catch the bus on Charleston and change at Maryland Parkway. Then take the Sahara bus to Food 4 Less and gets some items we need.

The only problem is that we'll have to take the Eastern bus back. The problem with that bus is that sometimes the bus driver doesn't stop at Oakey, even when there is a request to stop. If it doesn't stop at Oakey then there is an extra mile or so walk back to the house. Oh well, that's life. I had other things to do this weekend beside walk an extra mile or so to get home.

It might be easier to walk the mile from Food 4 Less to the house, but Mom's going to be with me so the bus is probably the best option. Not that I could actually make the walk myself. It's getting harder and harder to walk the the mile to work and the mile back home. I had planned to rest this weekend, but that's out now. I have to make a deposite and buy some groceries.

I want to know why

I want to know why, when you have your hands busy at something else you nose starts to itch. You can go all day without your nose itching, but the minute you start making cookies and you have flour up to your elbow, you nose starts to itch.

There has to be a reason or not. Maybe it is just one of those mysteries in life; like having to go to the bathroom, the minute water starts running. Or when you are half way between home and the airport, every child in the car has to go to the bathroom at the same time, when none of them had to go before you left the house.

Then there is that check you are expecting to come through the mail. Instead of coming on a day when the bank closes at 5:00 or 6:00 PM, it comes on Saturday five minutes before the bank closes and you live ten minutes from the bank. You know that by the time you get to the bank on Monday, the account is going to be overdrawn.

It's little things like these that make me curious. Personally, I suspect that Fate, God or Mother Nature (whichever you want to blame it on) has an interesting and unique sense of humor. This probably explains some of the interesting and weird stuff that's been happening in my life lately, but I'll go into that in another entry.

Writing about Walking

I walked to work today,
it is about two miles both ways
and because of my right knee
the walk is painful.

However,
the pain in my knee
did not compare to the beauty
around me.

On a corner
hidden among green leaves
and evergreen trees
from anyone driving down the street
I saw a yellow flower blooming
and my baby boomer heart
leaped for joy.

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I am celebrating my writing.com birthday this month

I joined writing.com on October 31, 2002. This year I am celebrating my sixth year as a member of this online writing community. The thing I like best about writing.com is receiving reviews of my creative effort. I also review the writing of other members. Reviewing and receiving reviews helps me to improve my writing.

Since joining writing.com I have expanded my creative efforts from poetry to stories. I am doing some reviewing on writing.com right now. I just paused to make an entry in this blog. Today was a strange day, this morning I was ill and slept for about an hour and a half. I am feeling better now, but because of the nap, I am behind on today's writing.

This week I am attempting to work out a time schedule. Tomorrow I go back to work and I will be walking since I do not have a car. My car is in the shop and I have no idea when I am going to get it back. I am looking forward to getting my car back, hopefully before Halloween because I do not intend to give out candy. If I have the car, we can go out somewhere until after the Trick or Treating is finished. All though, I probably should stay home and turn the lights off.

Weather Report from Las Vegas a poem

I look out my living room window
see a cloudy sky
and I miss Oklahoma.

Autumn clouds in Las Vegas
make me homesick
for Oklahoma
in this holiday season.

I remember
looking out my grandparents' living room window
and seeing snow on the ground.

I live in Nevada,
I live in a desert,
I miss Oklahoma,
I miss seeing snow on the ground.

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Writing off Line and posting later

I can’t seem to get back on line today. There is nothing wrong with the phone number I’m dialing, but it doesn’t want to let me on. This is Saturday, October 18, 2008. So I’m going to write this and post it later. I’m frustrated, but I’m not sure there is much I can do about it at this point.

I have other writing to finish and post on line. I can get through right now, the server just doesn’t respond in a timely manner. I’ll finish this entry to Poet 999’s Thoughts about Writing and Other Stuff. Then I’ll attempt it again. If I can’t get through, then I’m going to have to call there number again and see what’s going on. However, earlier the line was busy, so I suspect the problem is that there are just too many people attempting to connect to the server at the same time.

At least, this gives me something to write about, which I didn’t have earlier in the day. It’s after noon here in Las Vegas right now. I’m not sure when I’m going to be posting this, that all right. The idea is to get it done and get on with the rest of the writing I have to do. I still have some planning to do on my NaNoWriMo novel; I’m behind on that so that is the next items on my writing agenda.

I'm Back Online!

A Poetry Day

Today is a poetry day
when everything I read or do or see
inspires a poem.

I see the form of poetry
in the green needles of a stone pine tree
or hear it in the voice of my mother
as she makes her plans for the day.

This is a poetry day
when my muse sees inspiration
in the mundane
disasters of daily life.

Goals for this 19-day period

Istijlál (Majesty), 1 Ilm (Knowledge), 165 B.E. – Thursday, October 16, 2008 about 9:54 AM Pacific Time

A new 19-day period of achievement has begun. My goals for this period haven't changed much, especially since I had difficulty last 19-days achieving the word count goal. I am not lowering the word count goal because I'm too stubborn to admit that I can't write at least 2,500 words in a 24 hour period.

My goals for this 19-day period are as follows

1. Write a poem every day
2. Write at least 2,500 a day
3. Complete the planning for my NaNoWriMo Novel
4. Begin reading The Dawn Breakers
5. Continue reading The Book of Forms
6. Work out a writing schedule
7. Post weekly for Reviewing Class

I think that's all I'm going to focus on right now. The Reviewing class in on writing.com and I need to reread last week's assignment because it concerns plot, conflict, beginning and endings. This week's class has to do with characterization and point of view.

We are the Working Poor

We are the working poor,
we rise in the cold darkness before dawn
to begin another day
of laboring for survival.

Another day
of working two, three or more jobs
just to pay
for yesterday's
food, shelter or clothing.

We are the working poor,
we pray that our transportation remains reliable,
or the bus isn't too early,
or too late,
or doesn't miss our stop
so that after our first job
we're on time for the second,
then the third...

We are the working poor,
laboring for survival.

I Appeared on the Evening News Last Night

My car is still parked in my driveway not running. Therefore, my only means of transportation to and from work or the medical clinic is my own two feet. I walked to work yesterday, which isn't that far from where I live.

I think the walk is about a mile one-way. I went to work and after work, instead of going home I went to the medical clinic on Eastern Ave. That particular clinic opened about two or three months ago. I have go there because it is closer to where I live then the others. Anyway, yesterday since I was walking I went to the clinic right after I got off work.

My appointment wasn't until 3:30 PM (all though, I thought it was at 2:30 PM) and I get off work about 12:30 or 1:00 PM. I knew that if I went home, I wouldn't want to walk back to the clinic for my appointment, so I went to the clinic early. Yesterday, they had the grand opening of that clinic and there was a news crew there from Channel 3 in Las Vegas.

They wanted someone to interview about the clinic, I was interviewed about the clinic and getting a full set of dentures. I appeared on the Channel 3 news last night. The played the part of the interview about how much the clinic would help this community and about me getting new teeth. Life is full of surprises; if the car were running I wouldn't have gone to the clinic early and wouldn't have been interviewed.

Creative cooking in Autumn

Autumn is here and my muse is turning to food. It finally got chilly in Las Vegas, all right maybe most people wouldn't call 70 degrees chilly. I would, of course it's going to get down right cold. This winter the temperatures will be in the 40s and 50s. I'm going to be eating a lot of soup because that warms me up and keeps me warm.

My muse is becoming extremely creative when it comes to making soup. Not soup made for scratch, but soup from a can. Yes, you can get creative using canned soup and veggies to make meals. Today I opened a can of chicken rice soup, chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, potato soup and spinach. Not spinach soup just a regular can of cut spinach. I put them all together in the slow cooker and let them heat. When they were hot we ate.

It's going to be a cold winter so we're going to be using a lot of canned soup and veggies for meals. I think tomorrow I will heat the leftover soup with some of the other leftovers we have in the fridge. Together they should make and good meal.

Writing on a cold Autumn Day

It finally feels like autumn. The temperatures are down, not to freezing but they are cold. Today there is a wind chill factor so it feels even colder. This morning the sky was partly cloudy and this afternoon there is a cloud cover.

This is the type of day you want to stay in the house, not that I'm going anywhere any way. I have a new battery and the car still won't start. The gas gage shows there is gas in the tank, but it's not getting a spark. Since I don't have enough money to have it towed to the mechanic it's just going to stay in my driveway. Maybe I'll go out tonight and put a blank over the hood just to keep the car warm.

I used to know a guy that did that. In winter, he would put a blanket over the hood so that it wouldn't freeze. I don't know if it worked or not, but it sounds like something to put in a story. Maybe Halloween story about a haunted car or has the haunted car theme been over used.

I may as well use my car for something because it's not going any place until I can get it running again. I car that doesn't run can't be completely useless, it must be good for something. I'll use the car to generate some ideas to write about.

The Holiday Writing Season

The holiday season has arrived. People are deciding what they want for Christmas (if they celebrate Christmas as a gift-giving holiday). People are deciding where they are going for Thanksgiving (if they don't already know). People are deciding what treats to give out for Halloween (if they give out treats that night).

Halloween falls on Friday this year, so those children who do go "Tricker Treating" will have the entire weekend to enjoy their treats without worrying about going to school until Monday. That should make the teachers happy who now won't have to deal with children on "sugar highs".

Time falls back on November 2 and I suppose I'll get used to the changes in Daylight Savings Time. It will take a while, but I will get used to it and won't have to look at the calendar to see when the time either falls back or leaps forward. Both of those seem like a good start of a story or poem.

Holiday season for me is somewhat depressing, but since I can write through my depression I have a number of good starts for stories or poems. My birthday is December 24, so I have Christmas Issues and that sounds like a good working title for a story. I enjoy Thanksgiving much more then I enjoy Christmas or my birthday. Halloween is just a night when I have to turn off the porch light so "Treaker Treaters" don't knock at my door. All in all, this holiday season should produce some interesting stories and poems.

Writing in the early morning in Las Vegas

It's early Thursday morning in Las Vegas. I'm essentially without a car, so I'm going to have to walk to work today. . Fortunately, I don't have that far to walk, I don't think. Actually I don't know how many blocks it is, but it doesn't seem that far. Of course walking it may give me a completely different perspective. I don't think I have any other choice.

The car ran out of power yesterday and it still had gas in the tank. There isn't enough juice in the battery to start the car. I probably need an alternator or a fuel pump, all though I don't see how it could be the fuel pump. Anyway, if I don't post before I get ready for work today, I may not get anything posted at all.

This is my own fault because I don't have a back load of money so that I can take a taxi. I have an appointment next week to attempt to get certified for Paratransit. I may very well be eligible. I'm 61 going on 62 with a knee that gives me fits when I walk great distances. The walk this morning is going to be a test of some type. However, since I can't afford to take off I don't think I have any other choice.

I do have a reward waiting for me when I get home this afternoon. A cup or two of premium blend coffee. The last time I went to the store, they sold out the type I usually buy so I had to get the premium blend, which cost a little more. It was worth the price. The premium blend is so strong and smooth that I'm planning on writing a poem or two about it. I have one title all ready Meditation on a Cup of Coffee.

Worry Causes Writers' Block

Writers' block has many causes
One is worry (without a doubt)
Repeating the same fear over and over and over again
Repeating the same problem endlessly
Yet never finding a solution or closure.

Can
Anyone fine a cure for this type of writers' block;
Unless the individual writer him/herself
Stops the obsessive worrying
Express the problem or the fear
States in written words on a piece of notebook paper.

Writing the problem causing the worry.
Reading
It over again and then
Taking the written copy of the worry and
Either putting it in a prayer box or
Rewriting it from a different perspective and a
Solution to the problem causing the worry is found.

Believe that the solution to the problem is approaching;
Look for the unexpected
Or the obvious;
Call on your muse for help, but
Keep writing not matter what.

Write, Write and Write

Keep writing. Keep the pen moving. Keep pressing those keys. Don't stop writing because then you will forget what you were going to say. Don't go back and correct your mistakes. If it's a misspelled word or a typo then the spell checker will catch it. If it's a grammar problem then catch on the rewrite, but don't stop writing until you've reached your daily word count goal.

How does that sound? I'm composing advice for myself. November is novel writing month and I'm determined to complete it this year. I didn't complete it last year. I still have the beginning of the novel, it's just not finished. I'm going to start a new novel this year, but I'm not sure of the name. I'll think of a good working title by the first of November. I'll probably chose one of the two I have.

The daily goal is 1,167 words per day on the novel. If I do hat many words a day then I will get 50,000 words by the end of November. I wonder how long it takes to write 1,167 words. Does it take 10, 15, 20 minutes or longer? I'm going to have to find out before November so that I can set that amount of time aside each day.

Cooler Weather in the Morning

This morning when I went out to check the water in the radiator the air was chilly. I almost went back inside the house to get a sweater. I didn't go back in, instead I popped the hood on the car and removed the radiator cap. There was no water in the radiator so I put water in. I'm going to have to check the water level again in the morning.

It's becoming a morning ritual. I go out around dawn and pop the hood on the car. Then I remove the cap from the radiator, check the water level and add water. Sometimes I don't have to add water, those days I add coolant. I need a new water pump. Since I can't afford a new or late model car, I have to have this one fixed.

Right now I check the water level in the radiator every morning and every afternoon when I get off work. Tomorrow, I have a dental appointment so I'll check the water level after I get out of the dentist. My appointment is at 1:00 PM, but I'm going directly to the dentist office after I get off work. I have water for the radiator in the car, so adding it isn't a problem. Fortunately, I don't have to drive very far from work to the dentist office and then home.

Planning my 2008 NaNoWriMo Novel

I'm into the planning stage of my NaNoWriMo novel. I have the protagonist and the antagonist. The genre of the novel, which is Science Fiction instead of Fantasy. I thought it was going to be a Fantasy novel and said so in an earlier post. However, when I got down to planning it, I realized the concept works better as in science fiction.

My protagonist is still an outsider. In fact I wrote a short story about her today. It doesn't specifically say why she is considered an outsider, but it does deal with the subject. The story concerned an encounter between her and the antagonist. I still have more details to work out and I have to complete the outline.

I started the outline, but I'm not satisfied with it. I have to work out chapter names and events in the chapters. All I have of the outline right now is chapters with explanations, which I'm not satisfied with. For tomorrow, I have to write about an item in the story. I already know the item I'm going to write about. I think I just do notes about it rather then describing it out right. I'll wait until November to describe it.

Brainstorming a character for a novel

Lately I've felt like an outsider, I'm not sure why I should feel this way at this time of year or this time of life. However, I'm going to use those feelings as a basis for a character. I'll also explore them in my offline journal Writing my Spiritual Journey, but right now I need a character and a theme for my NaNoWriMo novel.

The character is female, most of my main characters are female. That's because I feel more comfortable writing about female characters. All though writing about male characters would be a good way to stretch my talent. Perhaps I'll put in male main character as well and make him the focus of some of the chapters.

Since the main character either is or feels like an outsider, I'll have to have reasons why she feels that way and put them in the novel. Perhaps put the roots of these feelings be incidents that occurred in her childhood. If I do that, then I'm either going to have to use flashbacks or put events in that remind her of incidents from her childhood.

I'm planning on writing a fantasy novel this November, instead of a science fiction. I haven't written a fantasy novel for NaNoWriMo. All right, I have my main character and a theme, the main character feels like or is perceived as an outsider in her society and the next step s to name the character and outline the novel.

October Memories an Acrostic poem

Oklahoma in autumn;
Cottonwood leaves waiting for the first freeze
To transform from shiny green to yellow,
Only a few weeks until Halloween and Trick or Treating,
But there were no completely store bought costumes for us
Each child could buy a mask while Mama or Grandma made the
Rest of the costume.

October is here

October is here and I have a busy writing month. I'm taking a class on review, not that I don't already know how to review short stories and poetry. It's just that I think I could improve my reviewing method. I need to learn the finer details of writing a review that is both encouraging to the author and points out spots for improvement in the writing.

I'm also working on a series of poems about the days of the week. I've posted two of the poems in this blog. The finished poems are for Sunday and Monday. I still have the rest of the week to do. I got to the Tuesday poem and decided I needed a different form. I'm still looking for a form for the Tuesday poem. I want a form I haven't used before because the first two poems were written in forms I've used.

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