Monday's Motivation is Writing Through the Depression

It's Monday, August 31, and I am depressed. I was slightly depressed before I ate breakfast, but now I'm falling deeper into the darkness. I know when I'm depress because I always feel guilty, even when I have nothing to feel guilty about. The only ways I know to overcome this miserable emotions is to write and pray (not necessarily in that order).

I'm praying and I'm writing. The feeling keeps hanging on, so I think I may have to get out of the house and walk in the sunshine to overcome it entirely. Normally the feeling isn't this deep so it may be something I ate for breakfast. My breakfast today consisted of bacon sandwiches. Those shouldn't have caused an issue, unless the problem was the bread which is a carbohydrate. I suppose it could be part of the problem, but I can't figure out why it affected me so soon after breakfast.

Writing through the depression
means keeping the fingers moving
across the keyboard.

I don't know what else to do. I don't like to take to my doctor because she will just prescribe another medication. I'm taking enough medication as it is. Maybe the problem is vitamin D. I have to check my supply, I don't think I took my vitamin D tablet yesterday. I'll take one today and I have to check to see if I need any more vitamin D tablets.

The Last Saturday in August 2015.

Writing, reviewing
going to see the doctors
themes for poetry.

It's the last Saturday in August 2015, with the first of September only two days away. August was an interesting month for writing and reviewing. I written three stories, four or five poems, and several blog entries. I will finish another story today and then I have to plan for September.

Interesting life
August a successful month
writing, reviewing.

September is writing.com's fifteenth birthday celebration. This means I will focus my writing and reviewing on birthday themes. I also have three doctor's appointments each on Tuesdays. On the first I have an afternoon appointment with my podiatrist. On the eight I have to have a blood test and on the fifteenth an appointment with my kidney doctor. I'm not worried because I'm feeling good today. I've been feeling good for several days. I'm presuming this is a good sign.

September coming
more writing and reviewing
life is beautiful.

 

Wednesday's Word: Morning

The scent of coffee
Permeates morning's silence
Rousing both my mind and muse

It's about 6:27 am here in Las Vegas. I'm attempting to wake up so that I can get ready for my day. I have to go to the store later this morning for some necessary items. I don't want to leave the house until I'm fully awake and the store is open. The drug store I'm going to doesn't open until 9:00 am so I have a couple of hours to fill until then. At least I think it opens at 9:00, if I get there and it's not open then I'll just go to one of the twenty-four hour supermarkets on Maryland Parkway.

This morning the only thing I feel like doing is drinking coffee and writing. I don't want to do housework and I don't want to take the trash to the alley this early. I'll roll the trash to the alley when I leave the house to go to the drug store. After yesterday's bout of housework, I have a 13 gallon trash bag full of trash to take out. I'm not going to lug a 13 gallon plastic bag to the alley because it's too cumbersome to carry and use my cane at the same time.

I'm using my cane a lot more lately, especially of a morning when I take the trash to the alley. The cane helps me stand up straight while giving me something to help balance. The problem is carrying small plastic grocery bags to the alley while attempting to stand up straight and balance. I don't appear to have a problem with balance any other time. I also use the cane to help me up and down steps or curbs.

With my wooden cane
I stand up straight when I walk
My back feels better

 

Housekeeping and Writing

I spent most of the morning organizing my kitchen. It was tiring, but fulfilling. I still have to mop the floor, but since I don't have a working light in the kitchen that will have to wait until Wednesday. The light fixtures are in the ceiling so it is difficulty for me to safely install a new light bulb. Fortunately, the maintenance tech came today to see what needed fixing. He will install all the light bulbs plus fix the hole in the wall and put in two new bedroom doors next week. I will have to be patient until then and do all my housekeeping during the day.

Because I have to do housework during the day, I am switching to late afternoon and evening writing. I have a lamp with a light bulb by the couch and that will let me write in my pen and paper journal. When I work on the computer I do no need any extra light because the there is enough light coming form the computer monitor for me to see what I am doing.

One of the disadvantages of living alone is lack of help. I have to do everything by myself and sometimes it can be a pain. I am referring to both the difficulty in getting things done and the pain I experience in my lower back. Fortunately, I have prescription pain medication for the lower back, but there is no pain medication for inconvenience. I do not know how well this new writing schedule is going to work because my muse and imagination prefer to work in the morning.

Success Saturday: The Third Week in August 2015

I have composed several blog entries, one flash fiction, and one poem. I also mailed one birthday greeting. All in all this week was a successful writing week.

Today I purchased a new pushcart to transport my groceries from the car to the house. It is easier to put all my purchases in a cart and push them to the house instead of carrying several different grocery bags. If I did not use a pushcart I would have to make several different trips to the car to carry everything in the house. While this would probably be good exercise, it is a waste of energy and time.

This week I discovered that if I do not put a task on my appointment to do list it does not get done. Therefore, I put the this blog on that list so that I have to do the entries.

A successful week
A week of discovery
A week of writing

I posted something almost everyday to Facebook. I don't post long status update unless something unusual happens. I think short status updates are better because people can respond to them easier. I also managed to make a fresh carafe of coffee everyday because I have only a five cup coffeemaker.

A Hot Day In Las Vegas

It's a hat day in Las Vegas
with temperatures in the triple digits
and cooling stations open
for the homeless.

It's a hot day in Las Vegas
with air conditions running
and raising power bills
all over the city.

It's a hot day in Las Vegas
with teens and preteens
crowding swimming pools
and air conditioned malls.

It's a hot day is Las Vegas
with the city under
an extreme heat warning.

Sunday Speculations: Excessive Heat Warning

Excessive heat warning
Sunday and Monday

I plan to get a lot of writing and housework accomplished because of the excessive heat warning. Since my car does not have a working air conditioner I intend to remain inside my cool apartment. I may not be able to do this because no matter what I plan something always or rather almost always comes up to change those plans. However, this week I will do my best to remain indoors.

When I was younger (under 65) the heat did not bother me. It did not matter that my car's air conditioner was broken. However, that all changed when I turned 66. I am not sure whether the change had to do with my age health conditions or the increase in summer temperatures in the Las Vegas area. Whatever the cause I summer without an air conditioner is difficult to deal with. This is why I try to stay in during the day.

Evening temperatures are a little easier to handle. Most of the time I do not have a problem in the evening. True I drive with at least one window down, which sometimes helps deal with the hear. This year I have started putting bottles of water in the freezer so that I have something to take with me when I go out.

Severe weather alert
Another excessive heat warning
Temperatures rise past 110 degrees

Visit Britain Culture

Click on the video below to find out why you should visit London this autumn. There are several cultural events that you will enjoy if you are going to Britain in the autumn.

Setting the Writing and Reviewing Mood

On Wednesday, August 12, this week's editions of the writing.com newsletters came out. The title of the Noticing Newbies newsletter is "Setting the 'Mood'" and discusses getting in the mood for writing. According to the newsletter's editor everyone has their own way to get into the writing mood. All authors have a routine that must occur so that they can focus on writing and cut down on the distractions.

I know that I have a routine which I usually follow. That routine is take my thyroid medication, brew coffee, and then meditate or say prayers while I am waiting for the coffee to brew. This morning that routine was interrupted when I woke up at, 12:30 am Pacific Daylight time, and was unable to get back to sleep. Since 12:30 was too early to take my thyroid medication (I usually take that pill between 3:00 and 4:00 am), I went directly to prayers and meditation. I said some prayers and meditated. After that I turned on the computer to log into writing.com.

It was sometime between 1:30 and 2:00 am when I logged in. I respond to three blog prompts, posted those in my writing.com blog and another journal, posted those and then checked the time. It was now 3:00 and time to take my thyroid medication. I logged out, took my meds, and put the coffee onto brew. I usually have my first cup of coffee about thirty minutes after I take my thyroid tablet. I sit down on the couch to write in my pen and paper journal while I was waiting for the coffee to brew. I wrote one paragraph and then went to sleep.

I woke up again about 5:30 or 6:00 am. Since it was time to eat, I fixed myself my first breakfast. I was ready to review, or at least I thought I was ready. I clicked a newsletter so that I could begin reading and reviewing the Editors' Picks for this week. I found I could not focus on either a story or a poem. I leaned back into my chair to figure out what was wrong and that is when it hit me. I do not review until after I have written something.

This morning, my messed up routine prevented me from focusing on the items I wanted to review. I have to write something of my own before I can review the work of anyone else. At that moment, I decided to get myself another cup of coffee and compose this blog entry. This being done, I am going to post it, pour my third cup of coffee, and then review a few items from the Editors' Picks.

Tuesday's Rant: Why I like Driving in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a wonderful city to live in because it has the best and the worst drivers in the world. The reason for this is that drivers from all over Earth come to Las Vegas either to live or to visit. They bring their good and bad driving habits with them. This makes driving from one end of the city to the other an adventure. In fact, even driving in my own neighborhood is an adventure.

I went to the supermarket about 9:00 am to pick up my thyroid prescription. The supermarket I go to is on the corner of Maryland Parkway and Sahara Avenue. I live on Sunrise and Twenty-first, so I have a distance to drive through morning traffic. The traffic was mild and, most of the drivers, were awake. I got to the store safely and purchased my meds plus a few other items.

Coming home, I decided to turn on one of the residential streets that takes me from Sahara to Charleston without encountering more then a couple of four way stop signs. I came to the first four way stop and came to a complete halt. Not so the driver coming from the right of me. He (yes I am sure it was a male driver) paused without coming to a complete stop. Fortunately, I do not take my food off the break until I look in both directions and my rear view mirror (I have driven in Las Vegas over twenty years so I know to be overly cautious when I am at a four way stop sign).

Stop signs are periods
not commas;
you are supposed to come to a complete stop
not simply pause.

Happy National Smile Week

According to Holiday Insights calendar of bizarre and unique holiday, the second week in August is National Smile Week. Beginning today, August 9, take the initiative and smile. True there is a change that people will think you have gone a wee bit nutty, but there is always someone out there who probably thinks you are a bit nutty anyway.

You can celebrate the occasion by picking one person a day to smile at. Chances are if you smile then you will receive a smile in return. All you have to do is smile at one person to makes someone's world a little brighter. If you ride a bus then smile at the bus driver. I am sure that the bus driver will appreciate it and who know, you may be the only person to smile at the driver that day.

My grandfather, or perhaps it was my grandmother, had a saying "Smile and make people wonder what you're up to." I remember my grandmother's smile as being pleasant and friend. Sometime she would even smile before she put her teeth in her mouth each morning. This week is a chance to test the theory that smiling changes a person's entire attitude. Go out in the world and smile. See how many smiles you can get in return.

Happy National Smile Week

Unibroue at Saveur Summer Cookout

Click on the video below and check out Unibroue at the Saveur Summer Cookout in Manhattan. At this cookout eighteen renowned chefs each fix a tasty dish at the Boat Basin Cafe. These eighteen chefs are in New York fixing their dishes for 1000 foodies. Click on the clip below to see what they are fixing.

Wednesday Word: Newsletter

Dictionary.com contains two definition for newsletter. The first defines a newsletter as "a written report" containing news or information of interest to a group of people with similar interest. This is the type of newsletter I am writing about in this entry. If any of my readers are interested in the second definition then just click on newsletter and it will take you to both of dictionary.com's definitions.

Today, when I logged onto writing.com, I noticed I had thirteen new messages in my inbox. I opened my inbox to find the weekly newsletters covering different genre had arrived sometime between 2:41 and 3:34 am Eastern Daylight Time. I know I cannot read all the newsletters in one day, so I will begin with the newsletters covering the topics that interest me the most. Those three newsletters are (1) Horror/Scary: Lovecraftian Horror, (2) Spiritual: A Celebration of Life, (3) Poetry: Word Play! - Playing With Poetry, and (4) Fantasy: Fantasy For The Uninitiated. I should be able to read those over the next three or four days; less if I have difficulty sleeping.

Normally, I do not begin with the Horrow/Scary newsletter; however, I am a H. P. Lovecraft fan. I cannot wait to see what this week's editor has to say about this subgenre of horror.

At the beginning of a busy writing week

It is Sunday so I looked over the writing I have planned for this week. I started one story yesterday after I returned home from paying the rent and purchasing some necessary grocery items. It was not until I went to bed last night that I realized I did not make a blog entry in either of my Poet 999 blogs. I have an explanation, but not an excuse. The explanation is simple, I did not put the blog entry on my "To Do List" and, therefore, I did not make the entry.

Today is a busy as yesterday, but I do not have to leave the house. I am multitasking as I compose this entry. I put some vegetable on to cook to go with the pasta I fixed yesterday afternoon. I was not planning on eating vegetables with the pasta; however, I had to cook the vegetables before they went bad. That means today and tomorrow I will have vegetables and pasta with maybe a turkey patty or white fish.

Since I plan of being busy this week I have to put the blog entries on my "To Do List" that way I will wrote a few words about something. Since I am working on two stories, one of which I have to finish by August 8, I will probably write poems or comment on some news happening. I have to go into the kitchen to check the vegetable so I am posting this now.