Bike to Boat a Norway Trip

Watch athletes Olaf Obsommer, Lukas Wielett and Philipp Baues ride bikes and then shoot the rapids in this exciting video. Click on the video below to watch the fun.

Patchwork Sky Over Las Vegas

In a neighbor's front yard,
the Stars and Strips wave
and wind carries clouds across the firmament
making a patchwork quilt
out of the afternoon sky.

A patchwork
of blue sky and white clouds
draws my attention
and keeps me glancing out my window
as the wind changes direction
and the American flag
indicates the direction of the wind.

Thankful Thursday: July 25. 2013

Today I am thankful...

1. that this is Thursday so that I can find something to be I can be grateful for
2. that I have a jar of mixed fruit in the refrigerator I can eat for breakfast
3. for spellchecker programs so that I can find the misspelled words
4. for iced coffee that cools me down on a warm summer morning
5. that I have a package of hamburger buns so that I can make grilled cheese sandwiches
6. for air conditioning because it helps keep me cool indoors
7. for online dictionaries because I can look up the spelling of a word
8. for dental adhesive because it keeps food from getting under my dentures
9. for the birds that sing in the morning when I go out to pick up my newspaper
10. that I have oranges in the refrigerator so that I can have a cool snake this afternoon

Singapore Sessions

Singapore Sessions is a thought leadership forum. In this forum experts from various background discuss the business challenges of tomorrow. Click on the video below to learn more about Singapore Sessions.

Sunday Thoughts on Blog Entries

I realized this week that if I do not make a blog entry of a morning then it is almost impossible to make one in the evening. In Las Vegas’ triple digit temperatures it gets too hot in the afternoon for me to turn on the computers. The temperatures do not cool down until about 7:30 or 8:00 PM and by that time; I am ready to go to bed.

These are reasons and I have to figure out a way to work around the problem. I have to admit that I have not done a good job working around it this last week. Perhaps I am worrying too much. I have a tendency to worry or rather to obsess over an issue.

I think I need to relax. I think I need to write what I can write and not worry about anything else. There is nothing wrong with posting every-other-day, which are about four posts a week. I know that I should be satisfied with doing that, but for some reason I am not.

I am beginning to wonder if this post makes any sense at all. My thoughts are scattered and that does not contribute to a good post. A good post should focus on one issue and not ramble. Since I am beginning to ramble, I am going to post this and do another activity.

After Last Night's Thunderstorm

I watched lightning flash
I listened to thunder boom
I watched the wind blowing tree limbs
I listened to the falling rain
I slept peacefully
After last night's thunderstorm

I remember a bright streak of light
Connecting heaven and earth
I remember the frightening roar of thunder
That sent chills up my spine
But this morning I give thanks
For last night's thunderstorm

During the storm I was frightened
By the wind and the blowing rain
By the blinding lightening flashes
By the deafening thunder
Awe is the only emotion remaining
After last night's thunderstorm

Thankful Thursday: July 18, 2013

Today I give thanks for...

1. the taste of iced coffee on a warm summer morning
2. the scattered clouds floating across a beautiful blue sky
3. the sound of coffee brewing in the breakfast room
4. the slight breeze playing the a neighbor's olive tree
5. the peace of mind that comes after prayer
6. the deep shadows cast by the morning sun
7. the ice cube trays I use to freeze coffee ice cubes
8. the sound of a nightingale greeting the day
9. the way a poem feels when I read it aloud
10. the cool sensation a sip of iced coffee sends through my body

The best way to discover France

What is the best way to discover France for non-European residence? It is a French Rail Pass which you can use to visit Paris, Lyon, Nice, or any place in France you have always dreamed of going. Click on the video below and find out more.

Saturday Review: A Poem

What happened to the memory of the week?
Did accomplishments just slip through my mind?
As I so tired,
I cannot remember what I wrote.

What happened to the memory of the week?
It is Saturday.
It is time to review my week...
My mind is a blank.
I am sure I wrote of poem,
But I cannot remember the name.

What happened to the memory of the week?
Is this forgetfulness the results of stress?
Is it worry that causes my mind to go bank
And my eyes to stare
At the computer’s monitor?

What happened to the memory of the week?
Will another cup of coffee help me think?
Perhaps I need an afternoon nap.

Monsoon Season in Las Vegas

Monsoon season has arrived, with thunderstorms and flash flood warnings. The sky is cloudy or partly cloudy, while the National Weather Service interrupts televisions shows and commercials by announcements of flash flood warnings for mid-central and southern Clark County.

monsoonal moisture
humidity and rain clouds
Las Vegas summer

It is monsoon season in Las Vegas, with triple digit temperatures and high humidity. July and August brings the heat and the rain. Thunderstorms and flash flood warnings telling people to turn around and not drive through flooded areas. I do not know how well people listen to those warning because every year someone has to be rescued because a car or truck stalls on a flooded street.

Midweek Reflections on the Scent of Smoke

the scent of smoke hangs
in this morning’s humid air
the forest still burn

The mountain is still burning. When I went out to pick up the paper this morning, I could smell the smoke in the valley. Now, I think I can smell aroma of burning trees, in the house. I do not know if that is my imagination or not.

the scent of wood smoke
irritates my nose and eyes
my throat becomes sore

The wind today is variegated; at least I think I want that word. Perhaps the proper word is variable. Sometimes the wind blows for several minutes in one direction and then changes direction or stops blowing completely. I can tell which way the wind is blowing by looking at the America flag flying in my neighbor’s front yard.

the scent of wood smoke
hanging heavy in the air
the mountain still burns

I was not planning to go to the store or anywhere else today. I am planning to take trash and recyclables to the garages. Going outside will irritate my sinuousness’s even more, but it cannot be helped. I have to do what I have to do.

the scent of smoke haunts
the mountains and the city
the wildfire still burns

A Cordial Proposition

In a Cordial Proposition, H. Bud Chadwickson informs us about the benefits of the Motorola Defy XT from Republic Wireless. One of these benefits is the unlimited talk, text, and data plan for $19 per month. Click on the video below to find out more about the Motorola Defy XT smart phone and Republic Wireless.

I need silence when I write

I need silence when I write. I used to be able to work with the television going because I could ignore the noise. As long I could not see the pictures, I could ignore what the actors or the talking heads were saying. I cannot do that any more, when I hear the television I have to stop whatever I am doing and watch.

writing distractions
people talking or singing
on television

I have not listened to a radio in several years, but I think it would be as distracting as the television. It is interesting how I have changed since I turned fifty. I know that before my fiftieth birthday, I could still listen to television or a radio without becoming distracted. I am not sure when this change occurred, but it was sometime between my fiftieth and sixtieth birthdays.

writing distractions
interrupt mental focus
and the plot is lost

Over the weekend, I attempted to write a poem while the television was on. I turned it on because I thought the house was too quiet, I thought I needed to hear some noise because I felt lonely. The noise did not help the feeling of loneliness and it did not help me to write the poem. I finished the poem, but only after, I turned the television off. That is when I realized I felt as lonely with the television on as I did with it off.

Writing During a Thunderstorm in Las Vegas

It is Sunday, July 7, and I am writing during a thunderstorm. I can hear the thunder grumbling. I can look out my window and watch oak tree limbs waving in the wind. I can see birds flying from tree to tree, but I cannot see any lightning or raindrops.

It is not raining yet. The clouds look like rain clouds. The thunder sounds like rain thunder, if that type of thunder sounds different from any other type of thunder. I do not see any lightning, but lightning is so quick unless I am looking in the right direction I could not see it. All the thunder appears to be doing now is threatening. I have turned off the computers I am sitting on the couch in the living room composing this entry.

It is raining! I got up to turn off the computer I have put into hibernation earlier today (I forgot I put into hibernation instead of turning it off). Since I had put it into hibernation, the computer turned itself back on for some reason. Since it was thundering, which comes with lightning, I had to get up off the couch and turn it off.

After I turned the computer off, I looked out my window, saw a puddle of water in my driveway, and raindrops falling into the puddle. I do not know when the rain will stop, but as soon as it does, I will post this entry.

Ten Random thoughts about short stories, poetry, and writing in general

I have attempted for two day to make this list. I finally managed to get ten items on the list. I may try this exercise again later in the month when I am awake.

1. Love is an interactive story written by at least two people.
2. Grief is a writer’s muse.
3. When a light shines in the darkness, describe it.
4. Celebrate a holiday with a poem or short story.
5. When in doubt, write about it.
6. Wake up refreshed from an afternoon nap and write down your dream.
7. Carry a something with down your ideas.
8. When stuck on a plot direction get another cup of coffee.
9. Look out the window and describe what you see.
10. When encountering writer’s block, describe it.

Sunset on the Fourth of July: A Poem

I listen to explosions,
booms celebrating America's birthday.

I watch the sun descend,
behind the western mountains
and I smile.

Memories
of my childhood
in Blackwell, Oklahoman,
as I listen to firecrackers and what
sounds like cherry bombs.

Is someone in my neighborhood,
igniting fireworks
that are not safe and sane;
I wonder,
I glance nervously
out my living room window,
but  all I hear are the booms
reverberating though the Las Vegas.

Wordless Wednesday: Syndicated Player with different videos

I learn by doing

I learn by doing what I have to do (sorry Mr. Roethke). This morning I learned that my cell phone did not go dead, but lost power. This is how it happened, yesterday afternoon I went to sleep with the cell my left hand. When I woke up, the cell phone was dark and for some reason I could not get it to turn on.

I presumed the phone was dead, so I attempted to call customer service and recorded voice informed me that it would be a three-hour wait and apologized for the inconvenience. I have enough patience to wait an hour on hold, but not three hours. I sent an e-mail to the company last night. This morning I attempted to contact customer service and the same voice again apologized for the inconvenience.

I opened the phone and again attempted to turn it on. This time the phone came on with the information that I needed to recharge the battery. I am recharging the battery at this moment. What I cannot figure out is how the battery lost power while I slept. I checked it before I sit down on the couch and there was enough power for two or three phone calls. I did not sleep very long; I am sure I slept only an hour or two.

The entire incident seems a bit weird to me. I suppose it is possible that the battery may be going, but I have owned the phone less then a year. From now on, I will make sure the phone is on the coffee table instead of my hand when I sit down on the couch. That way I will not go to sleep with it in my hand.

Cell Phone Problems: A Poem

My cell phone died...
a three hour wait on hold,
the recorded voice apologized
for the inconvenience.

My cell phone died...
a three hour wait on hold;
perhaps I am too impatient,
but then I am getting old
I sent an e-mail
with an alternate phone number.
 

Vertriders: The Line

Vertriders Axel Kreuter, Benedikt Purner, Christian Piccolruaz, Christof Pfeifer, Gerhard Senfter, and Sylvia Leimgruber are back. Watch as they ride their bikes down descend mountains, carry the bikes up mountains, or camp out under the stars. Click on the video below then listen to the music and watch the mountain biking fun.