Monday Matters: A Good End to March 2014

March is going out like a lion. On Sunday, March 30, the wind woke me up scattering trash and palm fronds across the neighborhood, This morning when I went to the gym the wind was not blowing hard, but an hour later the wind had increased by two or three miles per hour,  perhaps more. By the time I drove home, seven or eight minutes later, it had increased even more. As I look out the window, I see it has increased another four or five miles per hour.

Since I do not plan an outing this afternoon, it does not matter how fast the wind blows. I have several pieces of writing to finish and I need to do some more reviews on writing.com, which makes going out again today difficult. Tomorrow, I plan to do a load of laundry and go to the gym for about an hour. Wednesday morning I have an exercise class and in the afternoon my grief counseling group meets (yes, I am still going to grief counseling because my mother's death hit me really hard). Thursday I have to do another load of laundry (unless I change my mind and do two loads on Tuesday) and then an hour at the gym. I also need to pay my rent on Thursday, so I am not sure how much writing I will accomplish that day.

Today I have to balance my books and sit up my April goals spreadsheet. It is a good thing I picked up food at Lutheran Social Services on Friday, March 28, because now I have stuff I can just pop in the microwave and reheat for my lunch and dinner. I suppose I should check the weather forecast for the rest of the week because I do not want to be surprised by rain or strong gust of wind when I am driving across Las Vegas.

Success Saturday: A week to celebrate

The week of March 23 to March 29, 2014 is a week to celebrate two accomplishments. First, I completed Ordeal By Fang, which I begin on Sunday, March 23. The story is in a book of related stories in my writing.com portfolio. Second, I made or exceeded my daily word count everyday this week despite the interruptions and stress.

I am weary, but not sleepy, so there is no use in attempting to go to sleep. In addition, I am not hungry which is odd because I am usually ravenous when I am writing or completing a project, but perhaps my new eating and snacking schedule helps the hunger. I eat three small meals and two snacks a day. I think my earlier problem was that I was not eating enough. I used to eat one or two big meals and not snacks, but I think that was the wrong approach.

I am eating healthier meals and smaller portions. I believe this has helped me accomplish my goal because I am not so focused on hunger. I also think that going to the gym has helped my muse; I did not go five days this week; however, on Monday I start back to the five day a week gym schedule. I need the physical exercise to help me lose weight and focus my muse. I can write much easier when I get the proper exercise.

Fragment Friday: Morning Writing is Easier

Morning writing is easier
the line fragments
like soldiers on parade
march across the page
forming stanzas,
with little difficulty.

Afternoon writing is a test
the line fragments
are battalions on a battlefield
scattered across
a thousand mile battle front
separated by barbed wire
and pinned down in trenches
by the advancing enemy.

Wordless Wednesday: Check out this writing website

Monday Matters: A Beautiful Writing Day in Las Vegas

It is a beautiful day in Las Vegas, as I look out my window I see bright sunshine and a blue sky. I have ate breakfast, finished off a carafe of coffee, and washed dishes. Last night or early this morning (went to bed around midnight), I finished the responses to three blog prompts and posted them in my writing.com blog. There are advantages to living in the west and posting to a blog on the east coast.

Today, I have a follow-up appointment at 11:15 am to discus the results from the colonoscopy last Monday. I also have to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few items. After that, I plan on going to the gym for an hour and then return home to finish unpacking a suitcase my sister brought over last week. The problem with unpacking the suitcase is where to put the clothes. I found an empty drawer in my file cabinet for my socks, but I do not know what I am going to do with the rest of the clothes, especially the blouses. Right now all the hangers in my closet are in use.

It is a beautiful writing day in Las Vegas, so maybe I will write a rant about closet space. Compare the size of the single closet I have now with the four closets I had in the house. I could also write a fantasy story about  closets or maybe a poem. I will have to consider both while I am waiting to see the doctor.

Sunday Review: Looking Back Over the Past Week

The week of March 16 to March 22, 2014, was (to say the least) an interesting and stressful week for writing and living. On Monday, March 17, I had a colonoscopy, the doctor found a polyp. Finding a  polyp at my age is not unusual and, in fact, is to be expected. I go back on Monday, March 24, for a follow-up and then on Tuesday, March 25, to see my regular physician.

When my sister and brother-in-law came into Las Vegas Monday, to  take me to the specialist, they brought a blue-gray suite case. The suite case has sit next to my refrigerator for the past several day because I thought it was heavy. When I picked it  up today, to put it on the couch, so that I could unpack it  I discovered it was not as heavy as I thought because it only has clothes in it. Unfortunately, I need to get more hangers before I can hang them up.

On Wednesday, (which was my mother's 93rd birthday), I started back to my to my grief counseling meetings. Apparently, March has been more stressful then I thought. On Friday, I attended the Naw-Ruz celebration at the Baha'i Center in Las Vegas and began a poem about the subject. The rest of the week, I went to the gym and worked out.

Fragment Friday: What Movies do I want to see?

Fragments of thought,
like images on a movie screen,
roll through my mind.

The question I need to answer today "When was the last time I went to a movie?" Thinking back over the last several years, I realize the last movie I saw (not counting movies on television) was seven to ten years ago.

I want to see a movie.
I want to sit in a theater
eating popcorn
and watch actors on the screen.

What movies do I want to see in 2014? How many of these movies can I afford to see in 2014?
1. Divergence
2. Muppets Most Wanted
3. Transcendence
4. Godzilla
5. Guardians of the Galaxy
6. Dracula Untold
7. Interstellar
8. The Hobbit: There and Back Again
9. Noah

Wordless Wednesday: Check what's showing on this Syndicated Player

Tuesday Tasks: After no solid food for 48 hours

On Monday, March 17, I had a colonoscopy, which mean I had to stop eating solid food Saturday afternoon and go to clear liquids. Fortunately, coffee without cream or sugar or anything else added is considered a clear liquid. Anyway, as I was saying, I could not have solid food for 48 hours, so today I am remaining home to build up my strength so that I can go back to the gym on Wednesday.

I know, from past experiences, that if I go to the gym without eating several meals that I will get too tired to do anything after returning home. Therefore, today's tasks include eating several well-balanced meals. Well, as well-balanced as I can prepare under the circumstances. Between eating, I will attempt to catch up on the writing I did not complete yesterday because I spent form 12:30 to 4:30 pm in outpatient surgery. After I returned home, I did not want to do much of anything except eat and rest. I think between sleeping through the colonoscopy, in the recovery room, and then again at home I may have gotten too much rest.

Right now, I am not feeling too well. Maybe peanut butter sandwiches was not a good breakfast choice; especially since my body was looking forward to a spinach omelet. Another reason I may not be feeling good is that I need to drink more water instead of the rest of the coffee. I am glad I decided to stay home today because of the way I feel, maybe my body just needs to recover from the colonoscopy before I do too much exercise. I finish some writing projects and do light housework today.

Success Saturday: Little Successes

It's been an interesting week full of small success and little victories. Friday afternoon, I went to the laundromat with a load of clothes. I decided that lugging the baskets out to the car and into the laundromat is a bit much. I now take only one load at a time, which means that I always have another load or  two laundry waiting to go. Since I don't have an automatic washer or dryer in my apartment so that I can do a load of laundry everyday I will accept the situation as it is for now.

Laundry
a thankless
and never ending task.

Accepting the laundry situation is one of the small victories I can celebrate this week. One of my little success is writing my first Pi poem; it was fifteen lines about pie. It was a good poem and I enjoyed writing it, so that is another victory I can celebrate this week. Perhaps I should write a Pi poem about doing laundry, the laundromat, or laundry day.

Writing poems
line by line
creating metaphors
and similes;
a good way
to spend the day.

Thankful Thursday: March 12, 2014

Today I am thankful...

01. ...for my friends and family on Facebook.

02. ...that I was able to go 30 minutes on the treadmill today.

03. ...for writing.com.

04. ...that I am able to write poetry.

05. ...for grocery carts at the grocery store.

06.  ...that I was able to pick up my prescription today.

07. ...for coffee in the morning.

08.  ...that I had a coupon for coffee when I went to the grocery store today.

09. ...for cordial cherry ice cream.

10.  ...that I received peanut butter with my senior food allotment.

Tuesday Tasks: All I want to do is write

All I want to do is write.
I want to sit down at the computer
and start typing something,
anything;
I don't care what I type
as long as I'm writing.

All I want to do is write. Today I went to see the kidney specialist, he gave me another list of food that I can't eat. While I waited, I started a poem; so I did get to write a little bit in the doctor's waiting room. I accomplished one of my Tuesday Tasks, which was to write.

All I want to do is write.
I listen to the refrigerator running,
while I'm writing this poem.

All I want to do is write, but I have to get up and check the refrigerator to make sure I closed the door to the freezer because the noise is bugging me. Sometimes the freezer door does not close properly and I am not sure why. I closed the freezer door and the refrigerator stopped running, I have to make sure the door is closed properly.

 

It's Daylight Savings Time Again

Daylight savings time began this morning at 2:00 am, when the clocks were sit ahead one hour. Fortunately, I have only two clocks I need to sit ahead. One of the clocks is on the electric range, I sit it ahead last night. The other is on the microwave and I have not touched it. I may not sit that clock ahead because it takes me about five or six minutes to do it when I remember how.

I never look at the clock on the microwave. When I want to know the time I check my cellphone or one of the computers. The time on those are automatically set ahead either when I turn them on (the computers) or whenever the cellphone automatically jumps ahead.

Every year, at this time, my sense of time is messed up for about a week because of the change. This forces me to check the time more often to make sure I am not late for an appointment. This year I have my gym time to consider as well as doctor's appointments, all though I have only one of those this week. I have two morning classes and two afternoon classes at the gym. My goal is to get down to 180 pounds, which is the weight on my drivers license.

Flush to Paradise

On an ordinary morning let something extraordinary happen and discover Flush to Paradise. Click on the video below to find out  more about this captivating experience.

Fragment Friday: Before my first cup of Coffee

Before my first cup of coffee
thought fragments
flash though my mind;
unfocused ideas
waiting for me to write
them in black ink
on a white page.

I check the clock
has an hour passed
since I took the thyroid medication?

No!

I sigh,
I go to the coffee maker,
and prepare to brew coffee
knowing that
by the time it is finished
I can have a hot cup.

What is the easiest way for a woman to get a raise?

What is the easiest way for a woman to get a raise? To become a man. Starting on March 8, International Women's Day, a global protest against the unequal pay between men and women begins. Watch the video below to see a woman become a man to protest inequality in pay between the genders. Then click on the link at the end of the video and become a man to join this protest.

Monday Matters: A Treadmill Monday

After going to the bank and paying the rent, I went to the gym about 11:50 am. I was too late for the Silver Sneakers exercise, so I got on the treadmill for about ten minutes. I know that is not very long; however, it was all my out-of-shape body could take. I'm planning to build the time up five minutes each time I use it. The next time I will stay on the treadmill for fifteen minutes.

When I went to the gym on Saturday, I used the stationary bike and the cardio machine. I plan to go to the gym five days a week. On Monday and Wednesday at 11:00 am, on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00 pm, and again on Saturday morning between 10:30 and 11:00 am. I am looking forward to the exercise and the experience.I will use my experience at the gym in some of my poems and stories.

walking the treadmill
sweating with the exercise
exhilarating

Tourism Ireland St Patrick's Parade US

Win a holiday to Ireland. Click on the video below and find out about The Fantastic St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Success Saturday: This week I accomplished...

This week I successfully accomplished...

1. ...writing more then 2,000 words a day for six days. Since it isn't midnight yet, I expect to write over 2,000 words today.

2. ...updating my Facebook status once everyday instead of doing it three or four times each day.

3. ...getting up to Lutheran Social Services before 7:00 am to get in line for some food, so that I would have something to eat for the rest of the week.

4. ...riding the stationary bike at the gym for 12 minutes, next week I will raise that to 15 minutes.

5. ...working out on the cardio machine at the gym for 12 minutes, next week I will raise that to 15 minutes.

6. ...writing a 450 word flash fiction story called On Top of the Wheel and entered it in a contest on writing.com.

7. ...reviewing five items a day on writing.com.

8. ...going to the laundromat, where I wash and dried two loads of clothes. The next time I go, I'll purchase a bottle of water instead of a can of soda.

9. ...completing more paid surveys then last week.

I'm attending the gym five days a week, therefore, I have to establish a daily time schedule to get everything accomplished. This may mean posting every-other-day until I get the new routine established.