Tuesday's Tip: What is Patience? How do you practice patience?

What is patience?
It is finding something else to do
while you are waiting
for the other shoe
to drop.

What are some of the synonyms for patience? Long-suffering, tolerance, forbearance, and sufferance are some of the synonyms you will find when you look patience up in a thesaurus.

What is patience? Patience is the ability of an individual to endure under tests and difficulties without complaining. Sometime I have problems practicing patience in time of difficulty without complaining. I think this is one reason I keep encountering tests and difficulties. The problems I complain about most are the ones I keep encountering over and over. It has gotten to the point that I am beginning to think that complaining attracts problems.

How do you practice patience? I have found that prayer helps. Keeping my mind busy and focused on something else helps. Taking some type of action also helps. Sometimes the only action I can take is to do dishes or sweep the floor. The problem with those actions is that they keep the body busy but not the mind. I have found three actions that keep my mind busy. Those actions are (1) prayer, (2) writing, and (3) reading. I cannot do any of these things and worry at the same time, which means that I am not complaining about the situation I find myself in.

How do you practice patience?
Sit down and say a prayer.
Sit down with your journal
and write.
Sit down on the couch
pick up a book
and read.

Monday Motivation: Motivation and Catching Up

On Sunday, March 29, I left the house at 8:15 am and returned home about 6:30 pm PDT. Needless to say I did not get much writing or anything else accomplished around the house. I went to the Baha'i Center on East Oakey Avenue to listen to a presentation by Alex Gottdank the author of Preparing for Christ's New Name. After returning home I responded to a blog prompt from one of the writing.com blogging groups I participate in, then I created a survey for another group and posted a blogging prompt for today. When I fished those things I went to bed.

My motivation for Monday and Tuesday is to catch up on as much as I can before I have to go to the eye doctor on Wednesday morning. I want to go to the laundromat of Friday or Saturday, at the latest. So I have to get enough writing and other chores caught up before then. When I go to the laundromat it takes me three or four hours to do laundry. If I go to the store after doing laundry then it takes longer which means I have to have everything written that has deadlines on Friday or Saturday..

I am sure I can get the writing accomplished. It is the housework that might cause an issue. I live in a studio apartment and I am still attempting to find storage for items I do not intend to give away. I am also packing a box of stuff to give away or put into storage. I do not think I want to put stuff in storage so I have to decide what I want to keep, throwaway, or give away. This is a difficult process which is only aggravated with my tendency to procrastinate when confronted with stress.

Success Saturday: The Last Full Week in March 2015

encourage motivation
accomplish the goal
then celebrate

A successful week passes into history. This week I completed stage 3 in the Breakthrough challenge on writing.com. I did a good job of accomplishing my word count goal and an excellent job of accomplishing my review goal.

encourage motivation
look at success
then look at failures

Where do I need to make improvements? I have to do a better job when it comes to blog entries. I am supposed to write at least one 200 word blog entry each day. I did not do that everyday. This week I have to make an effort to write a minimum of 200 words for each blog entry I make. This is not difficult when I respond to prompts, but it is difficulty when I am dealing only with a theme.

How do I improve?
Is there a formula to follow?
Should I use a schedule?

I am not sure the schedule idea will help much when it comes to the length of the entry. A schedule helps when it comes to sitting a time to compose and post the entries, but not when it comes to the number of words in an entry. I believe that the best way to handle that is to just make a second entry if I find that the first entry is too short. Since I do not have to make both entries consecutively, I can spread them out over the day.

Form Friday: I Write Haibun

I write haibun
prose combined with poetry
precise expressions

I write haibun! Sometimes I combine prose paragraphs with haiku or senryu because the syllable counts require precise words. At other time I combine the paragraphs with short, three or four line, free verse poems. My haibun blog entries are continually evolving because I experiment with the form.

I write haibun!
I listen to birds singing
on Sunrise Avenue
and I write.

I like the haibun form because it is versatile. I can use it with any subject and with any short poetry form. I can describe an early Las Vegas morning or a trip across the city. It is especially good when I want to sit with my front door open while I am writing. I can write a short paragraph, glance out my front door, and then write a poem

Early morning sky
Black transformed to powder blue
A rooster crows

Haibun is also good after meditation or prayer. When I write haibun I feel as if I am writing a meditation. A paragraph is inhaling a breath and the poem is exhaling the breath. Perhaps this is why I enjoy writing this poetry form.

Paragraph inhaled
Poem exhaled
Focusing on the words and lines
Counting breathes

Wednesday Word: Inspiration

Inspiration everywhere!
All I do is pull up a chair,
pour myself a cup of strong back coffee
and watch the steam rising from the cup.

Where do I get my inspiration? I get it from everywhere. I review a poem and I find inspiration in one of the lines or stanza. I read someone else's review of on of my stories or poems and I get inspiration for a story or poem (usually a poem). I open the door in the morning, listen to the birds sing, a rooster crow, or watch the pigeons scavenging in the gutter. I listen to the neighbor's music and I get inspiration.

Inspiration everywhere!
Today the weather is fair
and the temperature
in the low 70s;
an inspiration to the bids,
the neighborhood cats
and dog
who inspire some of my odds,

Where do I get my inspiration? Washing dishes inspires me to write rhymed thank you notes. The memory of past lovers inspires me to write bitter love poems. I sit down with a cup of coffee and am inspired to write a story. I say a prayer and write a poem about God's Glory. I go to a spiritual service and write a poem about the soul.

A bird is singing
Expressing its gratitude
On a windy day

Action Cam: The Creature

The creature, in this video, was composed using live Action Cam footage. Click on the video below and watch what happens from the creature's animation to the live VFX composing and on to drones. This video shows how a director can push the limits of what technology can do with a hand-held camera.

A Melancholy Tuesday Morning

Dawn clouds
obscure the morning sun,
while birds
in the pine tree sing.

The clouds
and the morning passes
into the west.

The sun come out
casting dark shadows
across the dark asphalt
of the one-way street.

A melancholy Tuesday morning
is transformed
into a happy
smiling day
while the birds
continue to sing.

Action Cam: The Picture Machine

In this video the action cam is put inside a remote-control car-rig. The car then travels around a circle on an animation system. As the car travels the cam shoots which produces an effect of watching an animated zoetrope. Click on the video below and enjoy the show as the car travels around its circular path.

Tuesday's Tip: Laughter and Bird Song

I get a bit melancholy on cloudy days, which was the problem this morning. I decided not to stay in the mood because it was interfering with my writing. I read funny story. I opened the door and listed to the birds singing. I listened to the neighbor's dog barking at the street sweeper. I washed dishes. I am now in an upbeat writing mood.

Tuesday's Tip

Don't let depression get you down. Find something amusing or funny to read, watch, listen to, or write about. Open the door or a window and listen to the songs of birds or the neighbor's dog barking. If these do not get you out of your melancholy mood then get up and get some exercise. If you don't want to go outside then wash the dishes or do some housework that gets you active.

Action Cam: Paperports

The buildings and vehicles were constructed, hand-cut and folded using paper. Next an action cam was placed in the center of the model which was arranged in a circle. This was mounted on a platform which let it turn freely 360 degrees. Check out the video below to watch this process.

Monday Motivation: Motivation for the week of March 22 to March 28, 2015

I was away from home most of Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I went to a Naw-Ruz party at the Las Vegas Baha'i Center here in Las Vegas. Then on Sunday I went to a spiritual service at the center. While I was home, I wrote a poem, a 1,000 plus word short story, finished my edition of the writing.com fantasy newsletter, and did a few short story or poem reviews. I also discovered that the best motivation I had was being behind on my writing with a deadline closing in.

This week I have a form poem and a short story to write. The short story has to be between 1,250 and 2,500 words to write. The form poem is a Rispetto, an Italian rhyming poem containing two quatrain stanzas. I am writing a heroic Rispetto, which uses iambic pentameter rather then iambic tetrameter. I started the poem this morning before I took the trash out to the alley. I have to get back to it after I post this entry because I cannot put off writing either the poem or the story.

The story, which is a romance, is due on Saturday, March 28. The deadline for the poem is Sunday, March 29. Since I will be out of the house all evening Saturday and all day Sunday, I have to get those items finished before 4:00 pm on Saturday. On those days I am going to the Baha'i Center for a Free Seminar titled "Exploring the Meaning of Revelation 3:12".

Success Saturday: I Successfully Celebrated Naw-Ruz Today

This morning I went to a Naw-Ruz celebration at the Baha'i Center on the west side of Las Vegas. It is the first party or celebration I have been to in 2015, which makes me extremely happy. I enjoyed myself socializing with other people. In commemoration of this wonderful experience, I wrote the following poem.

A bird is singing
proclaiming Happy Naw-Ruz
to humanity.

Gray clouds decorate
the blue sky of the New Day
a chilly wind blows.

Glowing from within
buds of green, pink, blue, yellow
cast love across God's garden.

Proclaiming Happy Naw-Ruz
lovers of God's Glory
celebrate a New Year.

Flowers of humanity gather
beneath the dome of God's love
in celebration of a new heaven and Earth.

We set with eyes closed
listening to prayers ascending
to the throne of God.

Celebrate Naw-Ruz
raise your voice in praise of God
and of His Glory.

Listen to the violin
intoning its praise
and gratitude to the Glory of God.

Thursday Thoughts: Writing on Thursday Morning in Late Winter 2015

It is still winter. Spring does not officially arrive until Friday, March 20, at 22:45 UTC (3:45 PM PDT). The temperature feels like spring and people in my neighborhood are wearing light sweaters or long sleeved shirts because of the slight spring chill in the air. It looks as if today will be a beautiful and pleasant day.

A charcoal gray cat
Wanders through the neighborhood
Going home to sleep

I have to door open on this cool early spring morning. Beautiful whitish clouds decorate the pale blue sky. The sun cast weak shadows through the clouds. It is not too cold and it is not too hot. It is a nice day in Las Vegas.

Birds nest in pine trees
Songs of gratitude greet dawn
Children walk to school

It is easy to write on this third Thursday morning in March 2015 because the neighborhood is quiet and serene. The sun ascends into the mostly cloudy sky casting weak shadows across Sunrise Avenue. Children walk past my apartment on their way to school. Adults walk past on their way to the bus stop on Eastern Avenue. A school bus drives past transporting its load of enthusiastic children to their morning classes.

Spring celebrations
The vernal equinox
Followed by Naw-Ruz
Followed by Easter

BoConcept: The Guest

Click on the video below to see the amazing furniture The Guest encounters in this home. Then learn how you can win $5,000 worth of furniture.

Tuesday's Tip: A Writer Should Never Leave the House Without a Good Breakfast or Lunch

Yesterday my breakfast consisted of cereal with hot coffee poured over it. I know that milk is the traditional liquid to pour over cereal, but I have never been a fan of a traditional breakfast. Don't assume that I don't like a traditional breakfast, I do; it's just that I don't want it for breakfast. I prefer a nontraditional breakfast such as tossed salad and scrambled eggs, cereal with coffee poured over it, or whatever is leftover from last night's supper.

Anyway, on Monday I ate two bowls of cereal with coffee poured over them and then I left house (my studio apartment). I went to one of the food pantries to pick up some food. I had to stand in line to get the food. By the time I returned to the house with the food I was tired, but since, I received a check in the mail, I could only stay long enough to put the perishables away and eat a little more food. I fixed myself a small sandwich.

Because my energy was lagging I need more the just a small sandwich. I fixed the sandwich, ate it, and then went to the bank. By the time I returned home I was so tired I could not think. I could not focus on writing or reviewing. I took an afternoon nap; however that did not seem to help. I realized this morning the problem was caused by too little food for breakfast and lunch. A little more food would have helped my energy level.

Sunday Speculations: Half Past March 2015

It is half past March, there are sixteen day left in the third month of 2015. I have did all right in working on my goals, but I could do better. This is normal because everyday is a change to do better on something. I to place everyday in God's hands. I have to place every situation in God's hands. I have to continue to pray, to write, to move forward in the darkness surrounds.

It is half past March, I do not know what the next sixteen days hold for me. I know what the past fourteen days held, but the future is concealed withing the veil of night. That is what the future is, which means I can only see a little way without light. The only lights I have are prayers and faith. I can imagine and I can worry about what will happen in the next two weeks, but I do not know for sure what will happen. Only God knows what will happen in the next few days and God has not chosen to tell me. It is a good thing that God has not chosen to reveal the near future to me because now I can work on developing my faith in God.

I pray,
I meditate,
and then I write
about the my Beloved.

 

Success Saturday: What Successes Have I Experienced Between March 8 to March 14?

As I sit here sipping a Ginger Ale and listening to spiritual music, I ask myself "What writing successes have I experienced this week?" First, I wrote a romantic story called Lady's Night at the Greasy Fork. Second, I accomplished or exceeded my word count goal six days out of seven. Third, I accomplished my review goal seven days out of seven. Today I discovered that I can write better if I listen to music.

Pigeons at the curb
Pecking on the black asphalt
Look for scattered crumbs

I lean back in my chair, look out my open door and watch the birds or people walking past my apartment. It is a beautiful late winter day with a gentle breeze blowing through the limbs of the trees. Pigeons hop-walk along the curb while pecking for crumbs or water in the street. The shadow of a larger bird passes over, but the pigeons do not appear frightened. These are city birds, who normally do not have to worry about hawks swooping down and taking one of them for its lunch or supper. The only thing the birds on Sunrise Avenue have to worry about is the well fed neighborhood cats or a car speeding the wrong way down the street.

Beautiful weekend
Blue sky, scattered clouds, slight wind,
And mild temperatures.

I still have a Minute poem to write for an activity on writing.com. The deadline is on Sunday, March 15. I attempted to write it during the week, but could not get beyond the first line. I will finish it or rather start a new one tonight. Sometimes writing a form poem can be difficult; however, it is rewarding. I decided to change the approach of the Minute poem and make it a spiritual poem.

Form Friday: Free Verse Poem - Random Thoughts on Friday the Thirteenth

Listen to the birds
the sing joyful notes of praise
on Friday
or any other day.

They don't let worries
bother about
monetary issues
bother them.

They have problems
that are natural,
simple,
and solvable.

They have to watch
for the neighborhood cats,
find food in a desert city,
look for water on hot or cool days,

This is Friday the Thirteenth
and I worry,
but not about
good or bad luck
because luck
and coincidence
are two sides
of the same coin.

I worry
about finances,
about getting money in the bank
by Monday;
I stop,
I say a prayer,
I work online
knowing that no matter
how much I make this weekend
it will not get into the bank
before Tuesday,
Wednesday,
or Thursday
and it needs to be there
on Monday.

I will not give up
not matter how impossible
the problem I face
because
miracles happen
and working on something
alleviate worry energy
that prevents me
from finding a solution.

Thursday Thoughts: On Thankful Thursday - A Poem

On Thankful Thursday
Birds intone their gratitude
To the winds of March.

On Thankful Thursday
I am grateful for sunshine,
Shadows, and blue sky.

On Thankful Thursday
The wind whispers gratitude
To the olive tree.

On Thankful Thursday
I am grateful for fresh brewed
The wind chill factor.

On Thankful Thursday
The sun beams its gratitude
To humanity.

On Thankful Thursday
I am grateful for white cars
That reflect the morning sun.

On Thankful Thursday
The pigeons show gratitude
As they pick up crumbs

On Thankful Thursday
I am grateful for postal
Workers who deliver mail.


On Thankful Thursday
The pine trees show gratitude
By sharing their shade.

On Thankful Thursday
I am grateful for laughter
Reverberating
Through the neighborhood.

Wednesday Word: Romance

I have written two romance stories in the past two weeks. The first was a flash fiction of about 300 words. The second was still within the flash fiction range, but a little longer. The second story was approximately 625 words. Both stories were too short because there was several things in it that the reviewers did not understand. The next romance story I plan to write needs to be more then 625 but less then 1,500 words.

The first two stories were related. The second story was an extension of the first. I do not plan to make the third story related to the first two; however, I could change my mind when I sit down to write. I usually do not write romance stories, but I decided to attempt to get out of my comfort zone in 2015. Writing romances is a good way to do that.

I think I will make the next one about... well I am not sure what just yet. Perhaps I need to come up with some characters or check a prompt generator for a title, characters, or a plot. When I cannot think of an idea then a prompt generator helps get the creative juices flowing. Maybe I will set the romance on another planet or an earth colony. I can deal with romance in science fiction and fancy, but the romance stories set in the present do not appeal to me. In fact stories set in the present do not appeal to me.

Tuesday's Tip: Don't Just Do Something Stand There

Get up from your chair,
go to the front or back door,
open it the door
and just stand there looking into the yard.

All right, this was what usually happened on a snowy winter day in in Blackwell, Oklahoma when Grandma Mary opened the door to let Jay out. Jay was Grandma's neutered Siamese cat. On snowy and rainy days he loved to stand in the door and look outside. He would stand there a few minutes watching the precipitation until he decided that it was going to continue snowing, raining, or whatever it was doing. Then he would go to another door meow for it to be opened and do the same thing. Once he decided that it was too wet to go outside then he would go to his litter box and do whatever he had planned to do outside in the litter box.

Thinking back over this little game, I have decided he might have had a good idea. This is a way to get exercise and find out what is going on in your neighborhood. This afternoon there is not much going on in my neighborhood. Across the street a maintenance person is repairing a window in one of the apartment. There are two cars and a truck parked across the street. A young woman walks past going to wherever it is she is going. My tip for this Tuesday is get a little exercise, even if it is just to walk to the door and look out at your yard or neighborhood.

Everyday Heroes

Who is your everyday hero? Is there someone in your life that is struggling and taken for granted? Click on the video below to learn more about everyday heroes. Support the everyday heroes by sharing this video.

Sunday Speculations: How to Spring Forward without Hurting Yourself

It's too late for me to suggest taking your clock off the shelf so that it doesn't hurt its hands when it springs forward. Daylight savings time arrive precisely at 2:00 am when the clocks on my computer and cellphone sprung forward. Fortunately neither the computer nor the cellphone hurt themselves when their clocks sprung forward. I managed to extract myself from my bed sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 am Pacific Daylight Time which my body said was between 4:00 and 5:00 am Pacific Standard Time. I took my thyroid tablet medication and then messed about my apartment for an hour or so before making breakfast.

This morning breakfast consisted of a carafe of coffee, a couple of Twinkies, and a couple of mugs of soup. I am awake! I'm groggy because of the time change, but I'm awake. I'm attempting to write 2,000 words. I also have to decided whether I'm in any condition to carry two small bags of trash to the dumpster in the alley. According to several different studies the days right after the change from Standard Time to Daylight Savings Time are dangerous because there are more accidents. There are more accidents because people are getting up an hour earlier (because the clocks jumped forward) and they are sleepy.

I'm groggy. I'm moving slowly. I'm attempting to plan my week without much success. I have a lot of writing to do before March 16, which is next Monday. Unfortunately, I can't focus because of the time change. I'm not even sure that this entry makes any sense, but I'll finish it and post it anyway. I'm so unfocused that the weird noises the neighbors make is startling me, which is unusual. Normally I pay no attention to the noises that come from outside or next door, but today it's different. I think the reason for that is the switch from Standard Time to Daylight Savings Time.

To be on the safe side, I think I'll just carry one bag of trash to the alley. Then tomorrow, when I go to the store to pick up my eye drop prescription I'll take out the bag of plastic bottles. I have to take out one bag today because it contains something that I removed from the refrigerator this morning. I think the item may have been a salad, but it had begun to grow little fuzzy stuff and so I threw it out.

Success Saturday: A Mixed Week in Las Vegas

I have had both successes and failures this week. I managed to make my writing goal four days out of seven. I also managed to get the refrigerator and freezer reorganized. On Thursday I went to the store and ware myself out walking up and down the aisles because I did not take a list with me. I kept going back to an aisle when I remember something else I needed.

I wrote a romantic flash fiction story and submitted it to a contest on writing.com. I still need to do a little work on the story after the contest. The problem I had with the story is that I did not put enough forethought about the plot and the characters. I will write another romantic story this coming week, but I will take a little different approach to it then I did the one I wrote this week.

I will be working the primary and general election this year. I went to a class on Friday for clerk. Last year I work the early voting, but I probably won't work it this year because this is a municipal election year. Voter turn out in municipal elections is always low so not as many people are needed to work the polls. As soon as I receive my sample ballot I will decide where I am going to early vote. I hope I can do it in one of the grocery stores because then I can early vote and then do some grocery shopping.

Thursday Thoughts: Gratitude

A bird is singing
Intoning his gratitude
To the warm afternoon sun

Shadows grow longer
Sunset and evening approach
The bird says thank you

Listening to the birds
At the joy they sing to us
Whisper a prayer

The day grows cooler
The birds continue to sing
Songs of gratitude

I am thankful for
The hot butternut squash soup
That tastes good with bread

Wednesday Word: Winter

Freezing temperatures
I shiver under layers
Of sweat shirts, sweaters.

This morning it is cold in Las Vegas. It is now about 9:20 am, the temperature at 8:56 am was 49 degrees predicted to raise to 50 degrees by 10:00 am. Sometime today, the temperature is supposed to get as high as 61 degrees. I am wearing a sweater, a sweat shirt, and a pair of slacks, which should keep me warm. I am not warm. My arms are cold. My legs are cold. Worst of all, despite the fact that I am wearing shoes and socks, my feet are cold. The only part of me that is not cold is my head and my ears.

The arctic express
blowing through Las Vegas
drives locals indoors.

Spring is still sixteen long and cold days away. I am complaining about the cold. Last summer, when it was so hot, I said I would never complain about the cold. I know I shouldn't have said that, but I said it in triple digit temperatures when the thought of double digit temperatures seemed like a distant dream. I am so cold that triple digit temperatures sound nice. Of course, when summer comes with its 115 or 120 degree temperatures I will wish for 45 or 50 degree temperatures.

Cold penetrates the
marrow of my bones and chills
internal organs.

I really should be thankful for the winter temperatures and the wind chill factor because they both inspire poetry, rants, and short stories. Winter, like the other three seasons, is inspiring. The temperatures inspire creative ways of keeping warm or cool. They inspire creativity in all areas of life because you always have unreasonable power bills draining your finances. If I could afford it I would run the central air unite twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year; however, I am on a fixed income and cannot afford high power bills.

Tuesday's Tip: Ten Things you need to do or have on a Cold Rainy Day in Las Vegas

01. Do not get out in the rain. If you have to go out make sure to wear warm waterproof clothing.

02. Find a flashlight that has good batteries or candles with matches because you will need one or both of them if the electricity goes off.

03. If you are editing or writing a story make sure to save it every three minutes in case the electricity goes off. It is very irritating to lose power when you have not saved your document for thirty minutes.

04. Pour yourself a nice hot cup of coffee so that you have something to wrap your arthritic fingers around to keep warm. Because arthritis slows down your typing speed you cannot type fast enough to keep your fingers warm or your joints from aching in the cold.

05. Do not use the dishwasher to was dishes. Instead run a sink full of hot soapy water to wash dishes. The hot water helps keep your hands warm while doing something to alleviate the pain in your finger joints.

06. Fix hot soup. If you do not have canned soup in the house then you can create your own recipe by opening cans of veggies. You can also make soup with the leftovers you have in the refrigerator or freezer.

07. Get up from the computer ever few minutes to walk around so that you can get your blood flowing. This will help keep your body warm.

08. When you get up take your flashlight or cellphone with you in case the electricity goes off> You do not want to fall over anything.

09. Make sure your pen and paper journal is close at hand so that you can write by candle light or flashlight if the electricity goes off.

10. Give thanks for the cold rain because if it were not for this rain then you could not appreciate the warm spring days that are on their way to Las Vegas.

Monday Motivation: March is for Motivation

The wind blew all day trimming the palm trees. Dead palm fronds lay in the street and make some very weird sounds when cars run over them. The first time I heard a car drive over a dead palm frond it startled me because it sounded like a hallow cough, but now that I am used to the sound it does not bather me.

A palm trimming wind
blows through the streets of Las Vegas
shivering tourist.

The late winter wind of early March is cold. Today it feels as if it were blowing off an iceberg sending chills down my arms. I took the trash out before noon today. I had to throw away a dead mouse, so I thought I would go to the alley before it started raining again, so about 11:00 am I put on a sweater, a sweatshirt, and a hoodie. They kept me warm while I walked to the alley and back to my apartment.

The arctic express
blows down Sunrise Avenue
freezing exposed skin.

March is for motivation. It is a fickle and inconsistent month that some years comes in like a lion and other like a lamb. This year March changed its mind and came in like a Siberian tiger stalking its prey across the frozen tundra. That is how the wind chill factor makes me feel. I am thankful for the motivation that the fickle month of March brings into Las Vegas.

March motivation
early springtime's fickle winds
sometimes cold and sometimes warm.

Sunday Speculations: Nineteen Days and Counting

There are nineteen day left in winter. This year the vernal equinox occurs on Friday, March 20. Is this arctic weather the last gasp of winter? Are warm spring temperatures coming soon? I do not know, but I hope so. I am tired of being cold. I know that I have complained in the past about the heat and the power bills. I may complain about them again at some future date, however, right now I am tired of being cold.

Perhaps the cold just got to me worse this year because this is the first full winter I spent in this studio apartment. Maybe the problem is that I am living alone and I do not like living alone. The problem with being by myself is that I do not have anyone complain to except myself. I know that it does no good to complain or rant about the weather. The weather will be what it is no matter what I think about it or how much I complain.

My mother used to say it did no good to complain about the weather because complaining did not change the weather or the temperature. Mom was right! Also complaining just seems to make things worse. The more I complain about the temperature the colder I feel. I complain. I check the temperature. I find out that it is not as cold as I thought. Therefore, complaining only makes me notice the cold more and I think it is colder then the actual temperature.