Sometimes I wonder about what’s next in life for me. Winter is pretty much here. You’ve got to be kidding me! A steady blade balances the soul. That’s what I’m going to do. I can’t stop the feeling. Let’s see what I think of next. That was lucky. I’m almost there. The toughest sentence is the first.
Prompt: Incredible Blogger Marathon Challenge #03
Tis the season for cozying up to someone special and listening to the almost musical crackle of burning logs. It’s a pretty good way to catch up with family as well. Sometimes, my family have the fire going in the aftermath of the Christmas present-opening, while the younger ones romp and play, and we do occasionally sit down to a holiday movie together (a bit rare until the younger nephew grows a bit more and settles down.) It’s time to warm up, and not just temperature-wise.
Prompt: Incredible Blogger Marathon Challenge #02.
(Note: I have misplaced the source of this prompt. I did not create the prompt, but I did feel like responding to it enough to save it.)
Imagine that since the first day of college, you’ve had a serious crush on someone who has just begun to reciprocate your romantic interest. After class last week, she invited you to a party and you finally felt confident enough to ask her out on a date. You decided to go to the party and had a blast…at least at first. After spending the entire night casually brushing up against one another and exchanging flirty glances, you snuck outside with her to talk. Just as you were about to ask her to join you for dinner next weekend, another man whispered something in her ear. When you asked her what he said, she disclosed that he said you were a player. Soon after, she started giving you the cold shoulder so you decided to leave. On your way to your car, you walked past the guy who called you a player. What would your response have been if this actually happened to you? Would you have taken revenge? If so, how?
My first reaction would be “wow, after all that, after my long crush or her, she believed this guy, despite the evidence to the contrary.” After that shock, I’d remind myself that since I’m not a player, that he probably is, and that if he’s got to resort to this tactic, and it worked, he’s worse off than I am. I’d also be sad that my crush got the very type of guy she thinks she’s avoiding.
I believe that if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. My crush would have ignored that guy because I would have already, by this point, demonstrated, through clear action and attitude, that my feelings were sincere, and more that the calculated approach of a “player”, which is not something I know how to be. Either she’s got the confidence to believe in me and give me a chance, or not.
If I also believed this other guy was a player himself, then the best revenge, if any, would be to move on, eventually get over the sting of that sudden setback, and find another person that will not be so easily manipulated and ultimately to be happy when that works out. There’s not a good reason to directly work to get revenge on the guy and that would only reflect badly on my part, so I just could not stoop to such a level.
It could be a few things, such as that thing the guy does when you initially order cable for the first time. It could also be the thing you wait for when your car is broken and won’t go.
Perhaps it’s even all those things, combined, that the people who fight fires, take care of the ill, and fight battles overseas do to help make life better for the rest of us.
All of these things seem to be services to me. What do dictionaries say? Let’s see:
Service
noun
- an act of helpful activity; help; aid:
to do someone a service.
[Source: Dictionary.com]
That also looks good, and pretty much all of the above, and more, fit that particular definition. It’s not the only one, and this is one word that is very versatile.
Inspired by a prompt at The One-Minute Writer
Lots of things can be invaluable, but what’s invaluable to me? This is actually a tricky thing to figure out. Would it be something like my glasses, that help me to see without getting headaches from eye-strain?
Maybe.
Possibly, it could be something much larger, like the entirety of the internet. It’s a vast resource that often allows me to achieve feats of wizardry, as I pick up knowledge that would have been very fuzzy in accuracy back in the days before I had access to it. In those days, knowledge was primarily gained from ancient objects known as books, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias. Those were often bulky or far slower to find relevant information from. Back then, however, they were definitely invaluable, and their importance and continued existence and evolution are an important aspect of the internet.
A dictionary that pronounces words and has hyperlinks to synonyms and antonyms is super-awesome. That was an expensive way to go before the internet, which put it largely out of reach in any practical form for me.
That usefulness extends to my smart phone, an iPhone, and that also makes it an invaluable device to have. I literally have access to any part of the internet whenever I carry it and have cellular service or free wi-fi.
I do sometimes wonder when I encounter a person that actually struggles with finding information and yet, they also carry a similar device. Why don’t they try to use it to answer a question they have. Reliance on “group think” on the small scale (people actually present) can sometimes be error-prone, especially if nobody there has the relevant expertise or experience to properly field the question, so why not try getting the information from a larger, usually first-hand from those that deposit the information? Yes, sometimes bias creeps in, but, for the most part, for information that needs to be factual, with no room for opinions, there’s often no better source at hand than the internet.
I definitely don’t claim that sites like Wikipedia are perfect, but I do believe that sites like Dictionary.com, which pull from their traditional counterparts, can be very solid.
So, if you don’t look up information online first, or you still try to first memorize directions to a location without assistance, why is that so? Comment on that.
We’ve all had this happen, or will:
You’re out in the world, at some place, usually a social gathering or event, like a convention, or a concert; basically, any place you’ll see a lot of strangers. Suddenly, you see somebody that you recognize, or at least you think you do.
For me, I usually take a bit of time to wait and see if the person also recognizes me as well. If looks like they do as well, they a friendly “hey”, or “hey, [name]. How ya doing?” follows.
A few very, very rare times I’ve even spotted my own doppelgänger. Those moments make you get a little nervous because you wonder if that person also sees themselves in you. The former happens to me a lot more at conventions since I usually meet a few new people and add friends nearly every time and there’s a few cosplayers I say hi to when I get a chance to. The latter is super rare and its been a few years since it last happened to me.
Now, it’s your turn:
That moment when you think – hey I know that person! #writingprompt #writing #amwriting pic.twitter.com/QSU6OEgyFm
— Let's get writing! (@letsgetwriting) November 24, 2015
Let’s see what you think in the comments, or write a post of your own. I want to know if others get that thrill of recognition.
“You can fix anything but a blank page.” – Nora Roberts
Source: Daily Post – 4.24.2015 – Daily Writing – Desk Community
A blank page as a writing “problem” to solve – that’s an interesting way to look at it, right?
It is the single most intimidating part of writing, I think. I mean it’s like this. How can I turn this blank screen into a number of paragraphs, that each have something semi-interesting to say? Brainstorming didn’t always seem practical to me in my schooling days. Now that I’ve been adulting for a while, however, I guess I get to avoid blank screens more, so it’s easier. Replying to emails, for example, allows me to quote the original email and even to reply inline, and both of these features of modern text communication are what “seed” most of my actual writing.
I do sort of miss pen-and-paper writing a bit, but not the blank pages. Perhaps I’ll give that another try to make sure I can still do that kind of writing.
At any rate, this page isn’t nearly as blank as when I started, so I think I’ve “fixed” it, until the next time, which begins as soon as I click “publish.” 🙂
Now, it’s your turn (can’t let you get away with just reading this, now can I?) How do you conquer the Blank Page Boss? Let’s see some strategies. Post or comment.
I already mentioned that my current iPhone and I are nearly inseparable, but where did my attachment begin? It started, for me, with the iPhone 3GS.
The iPhone 3GS was my first smartphone, and basically began what seems to be a long-term relationship with highly connected technology. Before I had it, my phone was a pretty basic flip-phone from LG. That phone was OK, not great (call dropped too easily and often), so I was finally fed up by the time the third generations of iPhone was released.
I’d seen a few of the first and second generation phones among friends, but could not quite understand how the apps available could justify such a steep cost jump for a communication device. Then, I played with one in a local Apple store. That’s when, I think, I “got it”. There weren’t just the dumbed-down apps many “feature” phones had, but, instead, you could have a solid web browser, “visual” voicemail (much easier to work with than regular), and some apps that just didn’t really do much on “dumb” phones (twitter, for example was originally something designed for text-only).
I’m not sure if I’m saying this right, but the iPhone felt more like a flexible communication tool than just a phone you could carry in your pocket. I could quickly(!) search for information, and have the answers while others were waiting for 411 to even pick up sometimes. I remember checking movie showtimes using the (now defunct) 777-FILM number for Moviefone (miss that voice), but an app (actually, multiple apps) did the job better, and, faster.
Without that iPhone, I probably would have waited even longer or even dabbled in the Android cloud of devices. Even back then, before Android was released, I often heard friends lament they had to reboot their phones again and again. I really wondered how instability could be tolerated, but it really came down to cost, in most cases. Paying for quality is sometimes a good investment. It means you usually buy less often. Even now, I usually skip at least one generation before thinking about an upgrade. A new phone every year still doesn’t make sense to me.
When did you get your first smart phone? What was it and why did you choose that one? And how has your opinion and perspective around mobile devices changed since that eventful day?
via Daily Post – 1.18.2015 – Daily Writing – Desk Community.
If you know me pretty well, you know I’m nearly inseparable from a single gadget. That gadget is my iPhone. I won’t say I can’t live without it, but nearly so. I’d be limited in much functionality without it. It’s mainly the small conveniences I’d miss.
For example, in a typical day, it’s my alarm clock (and sleep monitor, so I wake up at a good time.) Then, it’s good background for music while performing the morning rituals. Traffic hardly phases me with the handy navigation software. Work’s a rare location I’d barely miss it, but it’s still handy sometimes. Then, heading home, or on longer trips, it’s great to have other good listening materials, such as audiobooks and podcasts, handy.
When did I first discover this multi-function device? That was actually years before I first purchased one. This is surprising since I’m also an Apple fan. I knew about the device from the day it was first announce, on January 7, 2007, at MacWorld.
It wasn’t until the iPhone 3GS that I made the leap from a very basic flip-phone, to the device that is like a Star Trek tricorder. I’ve skipped a few generations due to the 2 year contract cycle (I’m grandfathered in on the unlimited plan), but I don’t feel I’ll be leaving the platform any time soon.
What is one gadget (tech or non-tech) that you can’t live without? Tell a story of how you first discovered it.
Sometimes, a mistyped, but catchy, phrase can lead to some interesting cultural discoveries.
First, I did a search for this phrase which apparently has its origins in India, and found that the phrase, reported to commonly appear on trucks, is actually “Horn OK Please.” It’s used to tell approaching drivers to sound their horn when passing the truck which has the phrase emblazoned on its backside. The origins are unknown, but it makes sense, and the information appears in a WikiPedia article as well.
I also found a few interesting stories, indirectly, such as an ambitious-looking travel project based on the phrase and a blog of a runner. Both sites appear to be dormant. I wonder if the road trip has any more interesting stories?
Searching can be..interesting, sometimes. Exploring the web is an adventure in itself. Give it a try sometime, and, by all means, write about it. What strange sites have you stumbled upon in searches lately?
Photo Credit: ToGa Wanderings via Compfight cc
via writingprom.pt
