Weekly Writer’s Quote: Thoughts on a Perfectly Happy Childhood

"Those of us who had a perfectly happy childhood should be able to sue for deprivation of literary royalties." ~ Chris Patten

I am not convinced there is such a thing as a “perfectly happy childhood”, any more then I am convinced that a “perfectly” unhappy childhood exists. Life and growing up is a combination of events that lead to happiness and unhappiness.

Happiness depends on an individual’s definition of the word. It depends upon the individual’s perception of an event occurring in one life. A person or writer can be happy despite the occurrences in his or her life. Unhappiness works the same way.

Whatever events occurred in a writer’s childhood, whether those events led to happiness or unhappiness, the author needs to attempt to incorporate then into his or her works. It does not matter whether the person is writing slices of life, romance, science fiction or fantasy, these the events and emotions give depth to the stories, novel, and poems. Even when the reader does not realize that, the writer is basing some of the items on his or her experiences.

New Resolutions (Goals) for a New Year – Part 2

Only a couple of more days left in 2011. I have to finalize my goals (resolutions) for the coming year. In my last post, I mentioned one of my goals. I did not discuss my writing goals then. I have decided to continue the 2,000 words a day goal.

New Resolutions (Goals) for a New Year – Part 1

As anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows, I prefer the term “goals” rather then “resolutions”. Other people prefer the term “resolutions” for goals set at the beginning of a New Year. While there is a slight difference, at least, when it comes to the definitions those terms appear interchangeable. Therefore, I am using the word “resolutions” to refer to my new goals for the coming year.

On December 24, 2011, I turned 65 and I am now eligible for Medicare. I joined a Medicare advantage plan with a nationally know health care provider. One of the advantages, to the plan I joined (besides cost) is a free gym membership. The first goal on my resolutions list is to join a gym.

I spoke to a customer care representative from my health care plan and she gave me the names of four local gyms to consider. The gym I chose must be close to my house, while I do have a working car; I do not want to drive very far for a weekly or bi-monthly workout. I have only two requirements for the gym. First, it must be close to my house. Second, it must have a pool.

To state the resolution concretely, in 2012 I will join a gym within 10 miles of my home that has a pool and will exercise a maximum of once a week and a minimum of twice a month.

A beautiful winter day in Las Vegas

A bright morning sun
No breeze caressing the trees
A beautiful day

A microwave baked birthday cake

Today is my birthday, so I baked myself a birthday cake. When I went to the store on Thursday, I bought a package chocolate cake mix and a can of chocolate frosting. This morning I mixed the cake and baked it. The cake only took eight minutes to cook in my microwave oven.

My other oven does not work. The only way I can bake is in the microwave. I can fix anything in the microwave. I have to be careful with some things so they do not burn, but I can cook anything with the proper preparation. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to make baked sweet potatoes with marshmallows.

A chocolate caked
In the microwave oven
Takes just eight minutes

A writing routine

There are advantages to having a daily writing routine. The main advantage is accomplishment. If a writer has a regular routine, even if it is only writing between midnight and 1:00 AM, then he or she is completing a manuscript.

Winter in Las Vegas

Snow in the mountains
In the city bright sunshine
In the air a chill

Today the sun is shining. Clouds and rain on Saturday and Sunday. On Mount Charleston snow. It is winter in Las Vegas. Outside the temperature is either pleasant or chilly depending on who you talk to. When I go outside, I wear a ski jacket and a long sleeve blouse or sweater, which prepares me the temperature. If it is too warm for the ski jacket then I can leave it in the car and the sweater will keep my arms warm.

It is winter in Las Vegas, so I write cold weather haiku. When summer comes, I will write hot weather haiku. My favorite seasons in Nevada are spring and fall because the weather is neither too hot nor too cold. If I have a choice I prefer the hot weather because it is easier to keep cool then it is to keep warm.

A daily poetry contest

There is a daily poetry contest on writing.com called “A Poem a Day”. Each week prompts are posted for six days, while one day there are no prompts. The challenge for the participants is to write a poem about at least one of the prompts. One of the prompts is a poetry form.

The forms for this week are (1) Triolet, (2) Monotetra, (3) Balassi Stanza, (4) Le Sizain Hétérométrique, and (5) Candlelight Poem. The forms are challenging enough to push the poet and short enough to finish the poem in a single day. I want to attempt to enter the contest every day. This is the third or fourth week I have attempted this challenge. Even though the poems are short, sometimes it is difficult to write a poem every day.

The poems I write for the contest I post in my writing.com portfolio under Contest Submissions. The poem I wrote for today is a Triolet titled “A Cloudy Sunday Morning”. It rained in Las Vegas last night and early this morning. When I woke up, I washed some bed linen with the intention of hanging the sheets on the line; I had to change my plans. This was the inspiration for the poem.

Visit My Portfolio @ Writing.Com

Saturday Evening a week before my birthday

A silent sunset
Brings to mind my next birthday
Christmas Eve baby

My birthday is next Saturday, December 24. Tonight I am remembering the birthdays of my childhood and growing nostalgic. At the time, I did not enjoy being a Christmas Eve baby. I wanted a birthday that did not fall on a holiday. Now I miss those birthday celebrations, I suppose age brings wisdom and nostalgia.

LG DoublePlay with a dual customizable screen

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LG DoublePlay™ for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The LG DoublePlay, which is available exclusively  through T-Mobile, has two displays which can operate together or independent of each other. The main display is a 3.5 inch screen while the second screen is 2.0 inches. The DoublePlay has a complete slide-out QWERTY and the ability to multitask. This feature gives you the ability to surf the web and update your Facebook page at the same time. In addition, the DoublePlay also has a video recorder and a camera. You can take pictures or capture video and share them using e-mail, Facebook, or messaging.

LG DoublePlay™

I send dozens of text messages a month with my present phone. However,  the phone I have now will not let me e-mail or update my Facebook page. The new LG DoublePlay would give me the ability to take pictures and update my Facebook page. Now I take a picture of Mom and send it to each one of my brothers individually, but with the new LG DoublePlay I could take either pictures or videos and update my Facebook page. I would not have to send the picture to each brother separately. It would save me time and make my life so much easier.

How much time do you spend texting or Social Networking on your phone? How would the LG DoublePlay change the way you Social Network or text? Please leave me a comment that answers those questions.

 

Midweek reflections on a hospital waiting room in Las Vegas

A chilly morning
The parking lot half empty
Waiting room half full

I went to see a Wound Specialist today. I knew the hospital was not large, that is why I picked it when I made the appointment last week. It is difficult to walk with the “wound” on my left leg, so I did not want a large hospital that would require a long walk.

My appointment was at 10:30 AM. I arrived about 10:00 for the outpatient procedure. I left the hospital about 1:00 PM. I took a magazine with me to read after I finished the paperwork. I liked the waiting room because it was cozy, I know that is an odd description of a hospital waiting room, but that is how it felt.

Time to consider New Year’s Resolutions or Goals

2011 is almost over and it is time for me to make New Year’s Resolutions or Goals. The first step to making new goals for the New Year is to review the goals set for this year. This means I have to look at the goals I set in January 2011 and at my accomplishments during the year.

One thing I need to do in 2012 is to review my goals every three or four months. I think I prefer reviewing them every three months. Once I have reviewed them, then I need to decide if any changes are necessary. In 2012, I will review my goals at the end of March, June, September, and December. Now that I have decided when I will review my 2012 goals, I need to decide on the goals and write them down.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will decide on the goals and write them down. Making goals for the New Year is a serious decision, therefore I will pray about the goals before I make and write them down. I will put them in my prayers because I believe serious decisions require prayer. I will write my goals down. The deadline for finalizing my 2012 goals is December 30, 2011.

A hot chocolate day in Las Vegas

Dark gray cloud cover
Rain puddle in the driveway
Hot chocolate day

It is damp and chilly. The clouds completely cover the blue sky and hide the sun. It is a hot choclate day. The chocolate warms my body as I drink it and the liquid keeps me warm. The warmth will last a little while.

There is snow on Mount Charleston, but not in the Las Vegas valley. The weather in Las Vegas is not as cold as on the Mountain, but it is still chilly. I feel the dampness in my bones. It is a hot chocolate day.

Sunset in Las Vegas

The sunsets behind
Snowcapped peaks and lights white clouds
A long day’s journey

It has been a long and weary day. Mom went to bed early, I cannot go to bed yet because I have to wake Mom up at 8:00 PM to give her another medication. I also have four pills to take myself, but it is too early for me to take them. I will find something to do in the mean time.

Saturday Afternoon at Home in Las Vegas

Clouds conceal the sun
Birds fly between oak tress
The day slowly warms

When I took the trash to the curb this morning, it was chilly. At least, it was chilly to most people; however, to me it seemed cold. Fortunately, I have a heavy sky jacket to wear when I go outside. The day is warming up, while the sun plays hide-and-seek.

Sheets hung on the line
Drying as the sun smiled down
It plays hide-and-seek

The chill did not keep me from washing some sheets this morning. The four I washed dried when the sun came out. The sun is now behind a cloud, so I am not washing any more sheets today. I will wash the cloths that I hang on the drying rack in the house.

Secret Dressing Room (FPR 3D)

In this suggestive video about FPR 3D, two girls talk in a dressing room. Then one of the girls tells about her new entertainment tool that she can use anywhere including in bed. She then invites her friend over to see the item. This is a suggestive video, that shows the advantages of FPR 3D.

The Oak Tree Next Door

An arctic wind blows
The oak tree next door is naked
Its yellow scattered

I went out to get something from my car and noticed that the oak tree in my next-door neighbor’s yard is naked. I look across the street and the oak it that yard still had a few leaves remaining. It is winter in Las Vegas.

What is the difference between FPR 3D and Shutter Glasses 3D?

To answer the question “What is the difference between FPR 3D and Shutter Glasses 3D?” click on the video below and watch the secret confessions of salesmen, who are selling Shutter Glasses 3D to a customer in an electronics store. Unknown to the two sales representatives someone is watching them as they work.

I feel Disconnected from the world

My cell phone is not sending or receiving calls. I need a new phone or a phone cord for my landline. I feel disconnected from the world. This is one more reason I should log onto my Facebook page everyday. I still have to send e-mails to both my brothers about this, so that they do not get worried if they attempt to call. Unfortunately, I cannot send an e-mail to my sister because she does not have an online presence.

I posted to my Facebook page about this problem, so now all I have to do is send the e-mails to the appropriate people. I contacted my provider through e-mail and received a reply. It may take up to 48 hours for them to solve the problem, in the mean time I feel disconnected from the world. I am not, because my computer and television still work. I just cannot make any phone calls.

I can pick up the landline voice mail over the internet; I cannot contact anyone back until I get a working phone. This is another reason I need to get Skype. The problem is that I am not sure I have room on my computer for the software. My computer runs slow most of the time anyway, I have to solve this problem as well. I will close this post and send the e-mails.

It’s that time of year again

Black Friday has past
While Cyber Monday has gone
I write Christmas odes

I do not celebrate Christmas, however, I do write Christmas poems. I started writing the poems on Sunday, December 4. The first poem is Christmas Expectation and the second, which I wrote today, is A Merry Christmas. I posted the poems in my writing.com portfolio under the folder Contest Submissions. I will continue with this theme until December 24 or 25, after that my theme will be New Year’s poems until after January 1, 2012.

Visit My Portfolio @ Writing.Com

The Wind off a Glacier

A blood-freezing chill
The wind blows from snowcapped peaks
Another cold day

When I went outside this morning to roll the trashcan to the curb, the wind felt as if it were blowing off a glacier. I wore a heavy jacket, the type that skiers wear, with a sweatshirt under it; I was still cold. I have to change the way I dress when I go outside of a morning.

In addition, to the jacket and sweatshirt, I have to start wearing slacks and gloves. This morning I wore a skirt, without any gloves. I also have to start zipping the jacket up. I cannot take the cold weather any more; there was a time when the cold did not bother me, but no longer.

A chill in the air
With snow on Mount Charleston
I am sixty-five

Perhaps, age is the reason the wind felt so cold this morning. The older I get the colder winter seems to become. My mother is 90 years old and is cold all of the time. She uses two heavy blankets at night, while I use only one. During the day, she wears heavier sweatshirt then I wear. Mom wants to live to be 100.

I also want to live to be 100; however, I am not looking forward to the winters. I suppose I need to get used to wearing layers in the winter. I need to learn to like wearing layers of clothing. Mom does not like wearing layers, but there is no other choice. I wonder if there is some place warmer then Las Vegas in winter.

Raindrops and snowflakes in Las Vegas

Rain in the valley
Snow covers Mount Charleston
Las Vegas winter

This morning it rained in Las Vegas. According to meteorologist, it snowed on Mount Charleston. I have not looked at Mount Charleston today because I did laundry this morning. I hung the wet clothes on a clothes rack to dry. Since I do not have an electric dryer I have to dry them, anyway I can.

This afternoon, the sun came out for a little while, but now the clouds cover the blue sky again. I hope I can hang some clothes out tomorrow because even on a cloudy day, clothes dry quicker on a clothes line in an indoor drying rack.

December 1, 2011

That is not a creative title, but it is the best I can think of right now. Winter finally came to Las Vegas with high wind warnings in the valley and winter storm warning in the mountains.

Mom went to the daycare center about 8:30 AM and came home around 4:00 PM. Her mood was good when she arrived home, so I am sure she had a good day. She is not having a good night. For the last couple of hours I have gone back and forth to her room attempting to calm her enough for her to go to sleep.

It is going to be a long night. I doubt I will get any sleep, which is all right since I did not plan to leave the house on Friday. I intend to do more laundry. I did two or three loads today and hung them on the line. The clothes dried despite the cloud cover. Eventually I will catch up on the laundry.

I have a lot of writing and housework to do this weekend. I can write while the clothes are washing. There are several minutes between the wash cycle and the rinse cycle. I have to watch this close so that I can add fabric softener when the clothes rinse. At least, I am getting my exercise.