New Tire Haiku

Beautiful circles
Safety’s circumference turns
I stop at the light

I bought two new tires yesterday; the mechanic put them on the back wheels, and moved the rear tires to the front. I can tell the difference when I put on the breaks. I have to get two more new tires in November.

I need to rewrite yesterday’s blog entry

I just reread yesterday’s blog entry and found too many redundancies. I should rewrite it, so that there are fewer redundancies. I suspect that is one of my weaknesses, which is remedies by rewriting. I have to admit that I did not do a good job of describing my garage roof.

The shingles are simulated wood; the manufacturer created them to look like wood. Seeing them from a distance they resemble a shake shingle roof (I thinks that is what they were supposed to do). When Mom and I moved into the house, we had the roof replace. We had no choice it had to be replaced and every 4th of July I give thanks because I do not have to worry if the neighbors’ illegal fireworks land on my roof.

When I write a story or poem, I usually let the piece lay for an hour or so before submitting or posting. However, with blog entries I simply write and post. I check my spelling and syntax; after that, I post the entry. When I read the post on Wednesday, I did not notice the redundancy, but today it jumped out at me, like a cat pouncing on a toy mouse.

I look out my living room window

I look out my living room window and see a partly cloudy sky. The weather report for today is chilly because temperatures are supposed to be 10 degrees below normal. It looks like a chilly day because the sun, shining through the afternoon clouds, does not cast shadows on the roof of my garage.

I look out my living room window at the shingles on the roof of my garage. The shingles look like wood, but they are really an artificial substance created to look like wood. These types of shingles cover both the garage and the roof of the house. They look nice, but they do not stand out like the shingles on other houses. They are flame resistant as are the shingles on most of the houses in this neighborhood.

I look out my living room window at the white clouds against the blue sky. It is autumn in Las Vegas. It does not look like autumn because the leaves on the trees have not changed color yet. The nighttime temperatures have not reached the freeze point. It may not get that cold for another few weeks. I am not sure what to expect because the weather has been a bit odd this year.

Writing Form Poetry Shatters Writers’ Block

A few years ago, I discovered that writing form poetry shatters writers’ block. I have meditated, contemplated, and mulled over this concept for several years in an attempt to answer the question: “Why does writing form poetry shatter writers’ block?

I have concluded that, for me, it is the focus on form. When I write a form poem, I concentrate on the form and the words or metaphors that fit form. By focusing on one poetic attribute, in this case the form, I ignore the voice of my inner critic telling my: “You can’t think of anything to write.”

As a result, of focusing on the form the poem I write may not be good. At this point, whether the poem is good or bad is unimportant because I can always rewrite the poem. The import thing is that I have written a poem and broken writers’ block.

Family time fun

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Las Vegas Weather Report

I looked out my living room window and see a cloud covered sky. A cold front is moving through the area bringing clouds and breezes. When I went out for the newspaper this morning, it did not feel cold. I have to go out again to take some trash to the garage and make the windows are rolled up in my car.

I know there is a slight wind chill factor because I can see the shadows of tree limbs on my window. The meteorologist does not predicted rain, but I hear something that sounds like distant thunder. There is no use taking any chances with wet seats. My car smells weird enough as it is and I do not know what is causing the odor. It is not a bad odor; I cannot identify the odor.

Clouds cover the sky
A breeze chills late October
Central air turned off

How many words can I write in fifteen minutes?

October is ending. About seven days remain in the month. On November 1, NaNoWriMo begins. During November, I have set the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I know this is possible because I have accomplished this goal before.

I had more time then and did not have to worry about breaking my writing time into small bit sized intervals. This year, I have to divide my writing time down into small increments. I think that fifteen minutes intervals are about right; however, I may have to cut those fifteen minutes into five-minute segments. The problem is interruptions I encounter frequent interruptions.

Most of the interruptions come in the morning, at least the have come in the morning lately. The interruptions occur when my mother has lost something and needs me to help find the items. My mother loses things frequently and sometimes gets very upset when she cannot find the item. When Mom gets upset she cries, I stop what I am doing and help her find whatever she is looking for.

I have to plan these interruptions into my writing. Sometimes I get only ten or fifteen minutes without an interruption of some type. In order to complete the novel during November, I have to write about 1,667 words a day. I do not know how many words I can write in fifteen minutes, so I am going to have to find out. The best time to do this during the day when the interruptions are most likely to occur.

It Rained Last Night in Las Vegas

The late evening rain
Dispersed the afternoon heat
The desert refreshed

I enjoyed listening to the rain last night. When I took trash to the garage the drops were cold on my arms. The rain reminded me of autumn in Oklahoma.

I found furniture I like

I like rustic furniture. I want to furnish my entire home with rustic furniture. I am always looking for living room, bedroom, and dining room furniture that suggest give the feeling of living in the country or the woods. I finally found a website that contains the furniture I want in my home.

When I accessed the website, three pieces immediately caught my eye. The first piece was the Hall Tree Coat Rack. I have always wanted a coat rack, but until now, I have never found one that I liked. This coat rack is made of Eastern Red Cedar and is hand crafted to look like a real tree. This 12" x 72" tree is perfect for my foyer.

The second piece of rustic furniture that attracted my eye was the Walnut 3 Drawer Corner Desk. This handcrafted desk will give my writer's office the feeling I want when I compose poetry or write a story. Sitting at a desk like this will allow me to meditate before beginning to write.

The third piece of furniture that caught my attention was the Teakwood Wagon Wheel Bench. This 45" x 31" x 45" 225 lb. bench would fit on either my front porch or enclosed patio. If I put this bench on my patio, I could relax and watch the sunset behind the Rocky Mountains.

Coffee and writing

Coffee goes well with writing. A hot cup of coffee sitting on a T.V. tray near the computer encourages and warms my muse in the fall and winter. A tall glass of iced coffee cools the heat of summer and reminds me of a crisp spring morning.

Every morning, after taking thyroid meds and saying my prayers, I make a pot of coffee. For the past year or so I have used an electric peculator and the sound of the coffee maker echoes though the house. I am considering purchasing a drip coffee maker at the end of the year. My birthday is December 24 and I want one for my birthday. Therefore, I plan to purchase one in December.

Writing goes well with coffee. I want to try a new brand or flavor of coffee. For the past month, I have sipped the same brand and flavor of coffee; I think I am in a rut. I need to try a new coffee flavor, perhaps something with chocolate. Therefore, the next time I go to the store I will buy instant coco mix along with the can of coffee.

My personal recipe for café mocha is to pour 1 pkg. of powder hot coco mix in a large mug and then mix in the freshly brewed coffee. Sometimes, I use the coco mix with the little marshmallows in them and sometimes I use the regular hot coco mix. It depends on how I am feeling when I get up in the morning.

Vicarious Vacation Defined

I need a vacation; however, I am unable to get out of town at this time. Therefore, I am taking a vicarious vacation, which sounds like a good title for a short story or flash fiction. My vicarious vacation consists of reading travel blogs, looking at the pictures taken by other people, and imagining myself in those locations.

I am a writer with a good imagination, so a vicarious vacation is somewhat relaxing. I may not be as relaxing as a real vacation, by this, I mean a vacation in which I physically go to the mountains, the ocean, or a national park, but it helps me get away mentally and my muse enjoys the adventure.

I would like to take a real vacation, but because I am my mother’s caregiver a real, leave Las Vegas, vacation is difficult. I can take periodic stay-cations when I can find someone to stay with Mom. A stay-cation is difficult because it cost to have someone come in and stay with Mom. In addition, Mom gets angry if I leave her with someone else, so I have to be extremely careful about picking the times I get away from the house.

A cloudy evening in Las Vegas

Another cloudy sunset, I look out my living room wind and see the bright edges of gray clouds. I doubt that it rains all though I have roll up my car window. If it does rain, it won’t be enough to wash my car. Early in the year, it rained hard and long enough to wash my car. That happened only once.

I have to have my car washed sometime this month. You would think getting the car washed would be easy. It isn’t because I can’t wash it myself, I have to take it to a car wash because of the drought. Using excess water gets a ticket, I think the first may be a warning ticket; however, I’m not sure about that. However, I’m not going take a chance of getting a ticket because I washed my car. I’ll scrap up the money and go to a carwash, they do a better job anyway.

Washing my own car
Is no longer an option
No wasting water

Dog Joke - An overheard conversation

On way for a writer to get ideas, is to listen to conversation in public places. You can hear some very interesting things, such as jokes that are new to you.

Question: Why do dogs avoid the sun?

Response: I don’t know, why?

Answer: Because it makes them hot dogs.

Writing about a busy week in Las Vegas

I had two technicians in this week. On Tuesday, the tech came to check the air conditioner before we turned the heat on for the year. On Thursday, a tech from the phone company came to put a splitter on the alarm system. Now I do not have to worry about the air when I decide to turn on the heat after Thanksgiving. I also do not have to worry about the alarm system interfering with my DSL modem.

On Wednesday, Mom and I picked up our senior commodities for October. I also stop at another place that gives away free bread. We picked up four loaves. Four loaves of bread is enough to last the weekend. Also, on Wednesday we picked up some of Mom's prescriptions.

Today I have to pick up one of my prescriptions and take Mom in for a vitamin shot. Then this evening we are going to attend the Feast of Ilm. I want to stay home on Saturday, but I also have a trunk full of aluminum cans I have to sell. I am not sure whether I should do that on Saturday or Monday.

I am always looking for insurance quotes

I am always looking for insurance quotes because I want to be sure that I am paying the best price for my auto insurance policy. I am responsible for determining my own insurance needs and paying for the policy. Therefore, I need to know that the coverage I am paying for is reasonable and economical.

I find researching auto insurance is educational because I learn the difference between "comprehensive", "third party fire and theft", and "third party only" coverage. Once I learn the differences among these three items, I can then discuss my auto insurance needs logically, while asking the proper questions.

In order to find out if I am paying a reasonable price for my auto insurance policy, I check websites like motor trade insurance. As a result, I know the questions I want to ask an insurance representative and I know the type of coverage I need to purchase. I have also learned a great deal about the different types of auto insurance policies.

Since auto insurance is required in most countries and all U.S. states, I feel it is my responsibility to learn about the different types of coverage. This way, I know I am paying for the coverage I need without being over insured.

Thursday morning in Las Vegas

Cloths on the line dry
Dawn warms Las Vegas backyards
The neighbor's cat purrs

I want to watch TV shows online

I want to watch TV online. I enjoy watching science fiction, fantasy, news, horror, mysteries, medical, and classic TV shows. My mother enjoys watching comedies, documentaries, game, and classic TV shows. I am looking for an online TV guide so that we can both find the types of shows we want to watch.

I want to find one guide that gives information on all the shows available without doing a search for the individual shows. While Mom likes to watch TV online, she has difficulty when it comes to using the search engines to find TV shows online. Therefore, I need to find one website that will give both of us information on the TV shows.

I am looking for a guide that will let us Watch TV Shows Online. I am looking for a website with easy to navigate links to any TV show Mom or I want to watch. I also want a toolbar so that so that it is easy for Mom to find the shows she wants to watch.

I am looking for a website that gives me access to the huge amount of free TV shows available online. I am looking for a site that has already researched the online television sites. I also want a site that has a blog, which will give me information about what is available.

This is Day 12 of the NaNoWriMoPrep Challenge

I am still in the challenge. I am still planning my 2010 NaNoWriMo novel. Today I wrote a short story about that set up the plot for the novel. I am looking forward to completing the NaNoWriMoPrep Challenge this year. I am looking forward to completing NaNoWriMo in November.

Planning this novel is a struggle because I keep encountering interruptions in the middle of planning. Writing the story today was easy enough even with the interruptions. However, yesterday writing was difficult because of the interruptions. I am not sure why it was easier to write today then yesterday.

Nigel & Victoria - Ep 8 - 'The departure'

I enjoyed this episode because Nigel has something to tell Victoria, but he cannot get the words out. Nigel goes to the airport, with a useful gift for Victoria. Victoria is going to be away for several months, so this is Nigel's final chance to tell her how he feels about her until she returns. Will Nigel be able to tell her? Click on episode 8 and find out.

Columbus Day Thoughts and Memories

It's Columbus Day
Celebrate discovery
1492

I remember celebrating Columbus Day in Blackwell, Oklahoma. As a child, you never question the history lessons. As a child, you hope you can remember enough of the dates to pass the next test. I don't think we had to go to school on Columbus Day.

I enjoyed days off because we could stay at Grandma's house all day. Mom worked, which meant we couldn't stay home alone; we had to stay with my Grandparents. Since Grandpa worked, we stayed with Grandma all day.

Sunday Thoughts on the past couple of days.

It's Sunday, October 10, and I haven't posted since Thursday, October 7. On Friday, I spent most of the day dealing with technical difficulties. My modem went out Thursday evening and I presumed it was nothing more then unplugging the phone jack and plugging it back in, but that wasn't the problem. The problem apparently has something to do with the fact that my alarm system goes through the phone line and it doesn't have the proper protection or splitter. A tech from the phone company is coming in on Thursday morning to take care of that issue.

I don't know why I didn't post on Saturday. I spent Saturday morning driving around Las Vegas and Saturday afternoon I caught up on writing. In addition, Mom had a difficult time Saturday afternoon. There are some days like that especially when we go out in the morning. Mom has Alzheimer's disease and get angry easily.

Saturday afternoon Mom was upset over something. I'm not sure what caused the problem, anything can upset Mom. When Mom is upset she either gets angry or cries and yesterday she got angry. Sometimes Mom gets angry because she has to take medication. Sometimes Mom gets angry because she has to wear a hearing aid. I still don't know why she got angry yesterday afternoon because going out in the morning usually brightens her mood.

Thankful Thursday, October 07, 2010

Thankful Thursday is the day I list ten things for which I am grateful. I usually make one list in my off line journal, but today I am going to make two lists one in my off line journal and another in this blog. The reason I am making two list concerns the subject of writing. The list in my off line journal did not list any writing items.

Today I am grateful for writing.com.

Today I am thankful that my mother, who is 89, encourages me to write.

Today I am grateful for postsecret.

Today I am thankful for Poet 999 - A Butterfly Emerges from Her Cocoon (my other blog).

Today I am grateful for socialspark.

Today I am thankful for sponzai.

Today I am grateful for payperpost.

Today I am thankful for inpostlinks.

Today I am grateful for National Novel Writing Month.

Today I am thankful for goviral network.

Today I checked the blogs of note on blogger.com

I usually check the Blogs of Note about once or twice a week. September was the exception because I did not check Blogs of Note. Today I decided to check it and I found an interesting blog.

The Blog of Note for October 5, 2010 is Cat Chat. This is an interesting, creative, and educational blog. I enjoyed looking at the cat photos and reading the post. I enjoyed this blog so much that I added it to the blogs I am following.

I look out my living room window

I look out my living room window,
I watch the white clouds floating in the sky,
I wonder if it will rain
in Las Vegas today.

I check my e-mail inbox,
I see a weather reports
about thunderstorm and flash flood warnings
for Clark County, Nevada,
and wonder if it will rain
in Las Vegas today.

Nigel & Victoria - Ep 7 - 'Get a room'

Nigel and Victoria is an unromantic comedy. I enjoyed this episode of Nigel and Victoria. It is fun to watch the interaction between Nigel and Victoria because you can relax and get involved in the episode. I especially enjoyed the trampoline scene.

Setting and achieving goals

The New Year of 2011 is less then three months away, so it is time to reflect on the goals set in 2010. The best was to achieve goals is to plan, act, and reflect. Reflection on your goals should occur about every three months. This way you can see which actions assist in accomplishing the goals and which actions you have to change. Reflecting on the goals every three months lets you decide if you set the goal too low or too high.

Think about these questions when you reflect on your writing goal or goals. Did you achieve the the goal too easily? Have you achieved part of the goal or the entire goal? Did you put a deadline on achieving the goal? Did you place that deadline on your planning calendar? Even though 2010 is almost over, there is still time to achieve part of your writing goal.

October and Candy Corn

October at last
Candy corn is in the store
The bags are too small

My favorite Halloween candy is candy corn. I can buy it only during the Halloween season, so I buy two or three bags and share them with my mother.