Wednesday Word: Exercise

Exercise is good for me! It's probably good for you as well, but this entry is about my exercises. I walk everyday. I walk the floor of my studio apartment for five minutes every morning. I also take the trash to the alley about every other day (I live alone so I don't have that much garbage). I take longer walks one or two times a week. I took the longer walk this morning about 9:00 am.

This morning I walked from my apartment to the alley where I got in my car. I then drove my car to the grocery store. I went into the grocery store, got a cart, and did some shopping. I don't have a specific walking pattern when I go into the supermarket because one of the reasons for going is to get exercise. The other reason, of course, is to purchase food.

I know there is supposed to be a specific pattern to walking up and down the aisles in a grocery store. I don't know what it is and I'm not interest in finding out because the was I do it works and it increases my exercise time. After I get my grocery cart then I chose a random aisle and begin my shopping. I walk down or up the aisle looking at the contents on the shelf.

This morning I begin on the aisle that had packaged dried fruit. I picked up a large package of dried cranberries, read the ingredients on the label, and then put it in my shopping cart. After I decided on the large package of dried cranberries, I saw a smaller package. I picked up the package and looked at the ingredients and then at the size. I put the small package of cranberries back on the shelf because it was more economical for me to purchase the large one.

Next I went to the packaged meat section because I wanted some chicken breast, hamburger, and turkey sausage. I picked out the meat and then I went back to the aisle where I purchased the cranberries. I know that's not the was one is supposed to shop, but I was looking for peanut butter. I didn't purchase any peanut butter because before I got to the peanut butter I found a nice size container of apple butter and bought that. After that I went looking for the rest of the stuff I went in to buy.

The only things I went into the grocery store for was meat, coffee filters, and to get a little exercise. I got what I went in for and much more. I will have to go back to the store on Friday or Saturday because I need some dish washing liquid, but I may go to a different store because I have an e-coupon at another store for that.

Monday Motivation: Motivation and Meditation

I've heard rumors that meditation helps motivation. I'm about to find out if it does because after the stressful day I've had I'm ready to change something. Normally I meditate in the afternoon, but that is becoming impossible because of the music that reverberates through the walls of my apartment. When I first moved in the music didn't bother me, but lately it's become irritating. It could be that the guy next door plays the same damn songs over and over and over.


The music not only interferes with meditation, but it interferes with writing as well. I can't th ink while the that music is playing. I have missed three weeks of submitting a story to a challenge on writing.com. I have a chance to make up the three stories I've missed; however, in order to do that I must write a 2,500 to 5,000 word story this week, a 5,000 to 10,000 word story next week, and a 8,000 to 40,000 word story the following week. Since the music plays in the afternoon between 3:00 pm to 7:00 or 8:00 pm I will be doing most of my writing and meditating in the mornings or late evenings. The advantage to this is that I will have my afternoons free to do housework or go grocery shopping unless I go to a food bank (I have to go to those before noon.

Beginning on Tuesday I will do my meditation in the morning and pray I don't go to sleep while meditating. Perhaps I should change my bedtime from 9:30 to 10:30 pm, that way if I go to sleep while meditating it won't matter. Look for an update to this sometime later this week.

Sunday Speculations: Speculations on a Windy Sunday

Sneeze causing wind blows
Through the Las Vegas valley
A windchill factor

Don't you just love spring? The wind blowing through olive and other pollen producing trees causes you to sneeze. The birds don't seem to mind because the sing in their nest as the wind blows the boughs of the trees. People wear different types of clothes when the wind of spring blows because sometimes it is could and chills them to the bone. Sometimes it doesn't raises goosebumps and sometimes it is warm without a noticeable windchill factor.

Walked to the alley
Took the trash to the dumpster
The wind breaker helped

On windy days it's better to take the trash to the dumpster in the afternoon because all you need is a windbreaker to keep your arms warm. The problem with spring and the wind is that you don't know whether to dress for winter, spring, or summer. This means you have to keep one warm hoodie and a windbreaker out so that you are dressed properly. In addition, always wear an undershirt under the hoodie incase you have to remove the hoodie. A light blouse will do under the windbreaker, but you need a t-shirt under the hoodie.

Success Saturday: What are the prerequisites for Success?

"To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence."
Mark Twain

Is ignorance a prerequisite to success? Yes! If you don't know something is impossible then you are going to succeed.

Is confidence a prerequisite for success? Yes! Confidence is faith in yourself and in your idea. If you lack faith in either then you will believe that success in impossible.

What are two other prerequisites to success? I believe courage and a sense of humor are necessary for success. A person needs courage to face all the negativity that he or she encounters when attempting something. Sometimes the negativity comments or doubts come from outside ones own mind, but they can also come from the person's own lack of self-confidence or low self-esteem. No matter where the negativity comes from a person needs courage to push beyond it and succeed.

Why is a sense of humor necessary? Laughter is a good stress reliever. A sense of humor lets a person laugh even in the midst of tears. The ability to laugh at yourself or an absurd situations relieves stress and gives you a chance to refocus on the situation from a different angle.

Trollbeads: Mothers Day 2015

Do you remember all those times when your mother was there for you? How many times was your mother there for you but you do not remember? For all the times your mother was there for you celebrate her love. Click on the video below to you how you can celebrate your mother's love with Trollbeads.

Wednesday Word: Earth

Happy Earth Day!

Humanity the children of Mother Earth
and citizens of the planet
celebrate Earth Day
as they work and play.

Celebrate Earth Day
by recycling,
by planting trees,
by listening to speeches,
by praying,
by asking: "What can I do for Earth today?"

Tuesday's Tips: Free Write - A Poem

1

The idea is to write!

Write
without worry,
without distraction,
without looking at the open door
every time someone walks past the apartment.

Free the words
that are hiding somewhere
in the subconscious mind.

Write prose:
put one letter after another,
put one word after another,
put one sentence after another,
put one paragraph after another until
you have finished the free write.

Don't worry about spelling or grammar
that is why
spellcheckers
and editing was created.

Write poetry:
describe the weird noise
you heard last night
coming from the apartment
next door.

When you are finished
turn the poem
or the prose
into an extended metaphor.

2

The idea is to write!

Write
when you can't think of anything
to write
then free write
about something
or nothing.

At first
the sentences
and paragraphs
will appear incoherent,
but that's all right.

That's all right
because you are searching
for something to write
and in the mess
of free write paragraphs
you will find a topic
that you can edit
into a thought provoking
blog entry,
story,
or poem.

Sunday Speculations: I Miss My Mother

Coffee cup empty
I live alone; by myself
No one to share my coffee

I miss my mother everyday. Everyday I make a fresh carafe of coffee in a 5-cup Black and Decker coffee maker. Monday through Friday I can make and drink the coffee without crying, but on the weekends I want to cry. I miss my mother most on Saturday and Sunday because those are the days we could sit together talking over a good cup of coffee. I miss having someone to talk to while drinking my Saturday or Sunday carafe of coffee.

I miss my Mother
I miss making and sharing
Breakfast and coffee

I miss having someone to make lunch for on Saturday afternoons or breakfast on Sunday mornings. Mom and I didn't always have a big breakfast or lunch, but we ate them together on the weekends. I miss the sharing, the laughter, and the talking. Sometimes it is difficulty to make a good breakfast or lunch because I cook for myself. It is much more enjoyable cooking for two people.

Coffee with Mama
Was always an adventure
Talking and laughing.

I'm tired of living alone. I thought I would be all right living alone. I have found out differently because I have no one to make coffee or cook for. I think I need to find another apartment and a roommate so that I have someone to share the coffee and the food.

Thursday Thoughts: I Like Yogurt on My Cereal and Other Poem Ideas

I like yogurt on my cereal,
because milk
is so uninteresting.

That is a good idea, but I do not know where to go from there. I discovered a new poetry form today, so I may use that idea or the first line when I write the new form. I like working with new forms of poetry because it keeps my mind busy and it prevents me from over-thinking.

New poetry forms
stretch the mind and scatter
clouds of depression.

I have two good starts to poems. Now all I have to do is find a form that will fit the idea. Normally it is not difficult to find a form to fit an idea. This afternoon is a bit different because I am sleepy and yawning. I think the problem is allergies because the wind has blown here for the past few days which spread the dust and the pollen. That could be the reason I am not feeling good and cannot focus. Writing allergies would make a good poem or a good rant.

Wednesday Word: Wind

The wind blew most of the night trimming the dead frowns off palm trees, pushing litter down Sunrise Avenue, and scattering sneeze producing pollen across Las Vegas. I was up until about 10:30 pm. I had work to do online so I spent most of the evening at my computer. The lights blinked once, not enough to cut the electricity but, just enough to cause me to begin saving my work every two or three minutes.

Wind in Las Vegas
howls through residential neighborhood
pounding on doors.

About 9:00 pm I heard a horrendous noise. Something hit the roof of my apartment building. I line in a one-story building so the roof is directly above me without any intervening apartment. I do not know what it was, but it sounded as if it was about to come through my ceiling. What ever hit the roof did not penetrate the roof or cause any damage. I do not know the wind speed, but I know it was blowing fast because dead frowns were falling off palm trees. Maybe it was a palm frown from one of the nearby trees that hit the roof.

Wind in Las Vegas
pushes tourist along The Strip
knocks on casino doors.

 

 

Success Saturday: The First Saturday in April

It is the first Saturday in April. It has been a successful week of housework procrastination. I did get the trash taken out everyday, at least I think I took it out everyday because it has not piled up in my apartment. I kept the dishes washed on a regular basis, but that is because I do not have very many dishes and if I don't wash them every day I don't have anything to eat out of or with. All right, so much for my weird sense of humor this beautiful Saturday morning or is it afternoon.

This week I worked the primary election polls on Tuesday, April 7. It was interesting and fun, but the turn out was not all that great since it was a local election for mayor and some council people. There will be no general election this year because the winners received the majority (over 50%) of the votes. This means that I will not be working the polls until next year, which is a national election. The turnout in 2016 should be much better then this year because national elections always draw a bigger crowd of voters.

This week I earned more money from one of the survey groups. This makes three times in three weeks I have transferred money from one of my survey accounts to my bank account. This is good because it keeps me from stressing when I have to purchase nonfood items or pay for a prescription. I still have to worry about the power bill and the internet bill, but the money from working the polls will take care of one of those. I just have to figure out where the rest of the money is coming from.

This week I wrote a great deal. In fact I managed to make my word count goal and write some poem. I still have to deal with housework because I cannot afford a maid. If I could afford a maid I would hire one to clean the bathroom and mop the floor once a week. Since I am the only one doing that those items are lucky to get done once every two weeks. I am attempting something new with the house work this week, I am blocking out time for it on a schedule. Today was the first day I did that and I am not going to write how well I am doing until next Saturday.

Thursday Thoughts: Thursday Morning Frustration

If today was Friday, I would title this entry Frustration Friday. However, it is Thankful Thursday or Thoughtful Thursday so I cannot use Frustration Friday as the title. I can answer the question "Why are you frustrated?" I am frustrated because I am having difficulty logging onto a website. I have attempted to the website several times this morning and, it will neither accept my password nor will it access the area to send me a link to change my password. I suspect the problem is the website is either very busy or down. However, it does not give a message for either possibility.

I know the best thing for me to do is just let the situation go. I need to put the problem in God's hands and get on with my research, writing and housework. I have a newsletter to Edit at the end of April and I need to do some research on the subject. I am also working on a romance story that seems to be going nowhere. I will not even list how much housework I have. I could even change clothes and go out to the mail box to see if I received any bills or letters.

What am I going to do? I am going to see what type of vegetables I have in the freezer so that I can fix me a semi-balanced meal. I know I have both fish and turkey burger in the freezer, but I need some type of vegetables to go with them. I could make me an omelet with some of the sweet peppers and green onions I have in the refrigerator. This always happens when I am frustrated. The frustration makes me hunger, but I cannot make up my mind what I want to eat.

I think I will post this and then brew another carafe of coffee. Yes, I know I drink too much coffee, but I am a writer. That is no excuse for drinking too much coffee or for writing a ranting rambling blog entry. Today the frustration is the reason for the rambling and the ranting. I wish everyone a joyful, thankful, and thoughtful Thursday.

Monday Motivation: Sunny Wind

Is there anything more motivating then a sunny spring afternoon? The wind is blowing and the neighborhood children are waling home form school. At least, I think their walking home from school because they are making happy noises and conversation as they walk past my open door. The wind is blowing making life miserable for people with allergies. Today I have encountered two people wearing dust mask, which is something I do not often see here in Las Vegas.

The wind speed is 21 mph with gust up to 28 mph. It is scattering litter up and down Sunrise Avenue. The boughs on the pine tree are waving at the palm frowns which are waving back at the pine trees. The neighborhood children do no seem to notice the wind, but then kids have a way of ignoring things that do not enhance their play experience. The birds are not ignoring the wind. I have watch a couple of them have problems flying because the wind is disrupting their flight path. The cause of that may be the apartment buildings along the street. There are several two story apartment complexes along Sunrise which may be cause the issue with the birds taking off and landing.

I have not seen any pigeons this afternoon. Usually their are pigeons scavenging along the curb. They could be in the alley or they could be in their nests. I heard bird noises coming from the pine tree across the street. I think they sounded like baby birds, but I could not say for sure. I know the bird sounds resembled those of song birds and not pigeons. The wind does not seem to be bothering the humans much, but it is bothering the birds.

Sunday Speculations: A Windy Easter Sunday in Las Vegas

The wind blows litter
along Sunrise Avenue
pine tree boughs waving.

It is windy. There is not much more to say about the weather today. The wind is blowing hard enough to carry litter down the street. I can hear empty soda or beer cans blowing in the gutter. When I look out the door, I can see pieces of paper blowing east along Sunrise Avenue. Every once it a while a gust of wind picks up large piece of paper and lifts it in the air. The sparrows are flowing low because the wind is strong enough to blow them off course if the raise too high. The pigeons are walking, but then the pigeons always walk looking for bits of food in the gutter, in the street, and on the side walk.

Wind and broken clouds
birds singing while children play
on Easter Sunday.

Form Friday: Two Tercet Poetry Forms I Often Use

Tercets are three line poetry forms or stanzas. There are several different types of these three line forms. Two of the types I use frequently are Japanese forms called haiku and senryu. These two forms are composed of seventeen syllables traditionally written in line phase as 5-7-5 with each form having a different subject. The subject of a senryu is human beings or culture. The subject of a haiku is nature.

Good Friday Coffee:
A Senryu

Good Friday coffee
It is a two carafe day
A day for writing

Good Friday Wind:
A Haiku

Pine boughs sway at dawn
The wind carries morning's scent
Sparrows laying eggs

Action Cam: A Never Before Seen Film

In this video the action cam takes us into the mind and eyes of a fighter. Witness Greg Hackett's cinematic direction and list to, legendary sessions drummer, Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie's soulful voice. Click on the video below to listen and watch A Never Before Seen Film.

Wednesday Word: Poetry

Happy National Poetry Month!

Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.
Carl Sandburg

What is poetry? This is a question each poet has to answer while writing a poem. Every poet has a different answer and the answer changes with each poem. I can answer this question from my point of view, but I cannot answer it from the point of view of another poet.

Poetry a bird
singing in the Tree of Life
proclaiming sunrise.

Today, at this moment in time, I visualize poetry as a bird nesting in the boughs of the Tree of Life. I see poetry as a nightingale announcing the approach of dawn, as it raises its song into the air.

Yesterday's poems
a wind blowing through palm fronds
scattering laughter.

On Tuesday, March 31, the wind started to blow. It scattered little alone the curbs and blew through the boughs of olive, pine, or oak trees. It caused the flag in front of the apartment building to wave and it move palm fronds both living and dead. Yesterday, the wind generated poems, so yesterday poetry was a wind.

Tomorrow's poems
generated by birdsong
or an unknown wind

I do not know what will generate the poems I write tomorrow. The only thing I am sure of is that I will write poems. Since I have an appointment with my optometrist I might write a poem while sitting in the waiting room. I am also going to the grocery store tomorrow, so I may write one about that experience after I get home.

Poetry is food
feeding humanity's soul
with stanza and line