Monthly Archives: January 2015
Talk to who (or is it whom)?
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Fireside Chat.”
What person whom you don’t know very well in real life — it could be a blogger whose writing you enjoy, a friend you just recently made, etc. — would you like to have over for a long chat in which they tell you their life story?
A person I don’t know very well? For a long chat? Really? Well, as long as it is really in front of a fire, and there is wine or cognac involved. Entering into a long chat about someone-you-don’t-know-well’s life could be dangerous.
Not to mention this person would have to not be allergic to cats, although they would probably only see Elliot, since the others always hide from strangers.
Prompts like these always stump me. Is there a right answer? What if I pick someone and decide later that someone else would be more interesting? What if I don’t pick an inspiring enough person that others go “Yeah – that WOULD be the most interesting person to listen to!”? What if someone reads this and wonders who is the crazy lady who wants to talk to the person who used to write Calvin and Hobbes? Or what if one of the bloggers I follow wonders why I didn’t pick them? Nope. Too much pressure. I think I’ll just settle in front of the fire with my glass of wine with hubby and kitties nearby and enjoy the latest episode of The Daily Show (note that I would have said The Walking Dead, but it doesn’t come back until February – damn them!!)
Two Right Feet (A Daily Post)
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Two Right Feet.”
First, I have to apologize for how this post originally may have appeared, with large font and italics. I am not sure how this happened, but I couldn’t seem to change it, so I reposted and deleted the original. It may have something to do with posting from the Daily Post site? Not sure…I’ll try not to let this happen again with my next post.
Well, this is my second Daily Post, which asks
What are the things you need to do within 30 minutes of waking up to ensure your day gets off on the right foot? What happened the last time you didn’t do one of these things?
Two things I NEED to do? When I first read this, I thought of the things I WANT to do, like yoga (which I do if I get up early enough – a task I find challenging at this time of year. It’s dark outside, man!) and meditation (which I do even if I get up a little later), and then maybe start a post to my blog (or at least think about what I want to post that day). But I don’t feel that I NEED to do these things. Need implies, to me anyway, that if I don’t do these things, there are repercussions of some kind. And if these particular things are not done, the only repercussions are my feelings that I should have gotten up earlier, and “I’ll do them tomorrow”. Oh, and BTW, it doesn’t look like I’ll get the yoga or the meditation done this morning because I’ve been sucked nicely into the Daily Post vortex…
No, need is different. So, what I NEED to do within 30 minutes of waking up are 1) feed the boys. There are definitely repercussions if I don’t, namely 4 whiny kitties asking why are you up out of bed and not feeding us? I don’t need that at 5:00 am.
You’ve seen all my boys before, but here are 2 of them (Elliot as a kitten and Dexter) doing what they need to do within 30 minutes of me getting up in the morning.
And 2) (although I would prefer this to be 1, but I can’t really enjoy 2 if I don’t complete 1 first) – coffee. And I can’t say that strongly enough. Coffee.
What happens if I don’t have coffee? Well, you probably don’t want to know.
Daily Post
What was the last picture you took? Tell us the story behind it. (No story behind the photo? Make one up, or choose the last picture you took that had one.)
Ok. Let’s try our hand at the daily prompt. Why? Because I can’t always decide what to blog about, so this gives me something!
Now, the last picture I took – that’s never hard because I take a lot of pictures. I’ve just started a new 365 Project, and I am doing a 52 week project, as well as a photo a month topic challenge. And I just got a new point and shoot a few months ago, a new iPhone, have a DSLR I still need to learn how to use, and am just getting a new iPad today. So, lots of options for shooting pics.
So, the LAST pic I took was this one
What is this, you say? Well, it’s our dining room table, still with some leaves in it left over from the last time we had people over for dinner. The 365 Project topic yesterday was “space”, and this felt very spacious with no one sitting at it. We had lots of people over for dinner over the Christmas holidays (I call them that because I work for a post-secondary institution, and we actually get all that time between Christmas and New Year’s off.). And now it seems empty and lonely. And that, for me, was space.
Now, a little more interesting were some pictures I took during my walk at work yesterday, which were the second-last pictures I took. I had to fix them a bit as I am still getting used to the new camera (and I’m still not happy so obviously I need more practice with it), and then I decided to have some fun.
Just because.
Now, there is not much of a story here. I walked up a hill, and back down, on my lunch break yesterday, as I do many days when it’s not pouring rain. I like trees, and I like trees with moss on them, so there you have it!
Well, having never tried the Daily Prompt before, I’m not sure how this works beyond posting here, so I will have to investigate this and see where I am supposed to put the link to this post, and then we’ll see what happens!
Daily Prompt: A Moment in Time – there there is a camera, there is a photo to be uploaded
ABC Wednesday (round 16): A is for…
Here is my first ABC Wednesday challenge post. And for me, today, A is for…All the pretty flowers. They are not blooming now, but will be again soon.
Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Serenity
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Serenity.”
I searched my archives today to find pictures that would be my idea of serenity, and here are some of them (note that most of these are from Victoria, my current home, but the last is from Saskatchewan, where I grew up. Even though I love the serenity of the ocean out here, there is nothing more serene than a Saskatchewan sunset):
Ah…serenity…
2014: A Short Recap
So, after reading other blog posts this month, I have decided that I want to do a 2014 recap post. Not a blog recap, but a recap on what happened in our lives last year. I thought it would be fun, for me anyway, and I could re-post some pictures I posted last year…and maybe some new ones.
So, 2014. The year I turned 50, finished my first marathon, finished the first year at my new (and kind of dream) job, and finally took a road trip vacation with Kevin – first vacation in almost 20 years. Other things happened to, so let’s take a look!
January and February were exciting months. We had our new(ish) gas dryer installed. And February saw us choosing the vinyl flooring for the porch which was getting very close to being finished – the refurbishment, not a new porch, but it feels like a new porch!
In March I think the porch was pretty much finished, and I painted the office…finally!
A couple of races in April and May – the Times Colonist 10K and the Oak Bay half marathon
In May/June I delivered my first full slate of workshops at work, so it was a busy time!
Then, in July, the road trip vacation back to Saskatchewan – as I said, the first vacation we’ve really taken in 20 years. And one I will finally continue to blog about in the coming weeks. July and August were also the months of the longest stretch of vacation I’ve had in years. 5 weeks off!
September was quiet, but October was my first marathon, my 50th birthday, and along with that a surprise visit from my best bud Susan (that’s her with my friend Darca who lives here now) from Saskatchewan. What a treat that was!!!
November and December saw a bit more work on the house. Some window repairs and storm windows in the office and the dining room, and a new railing on our deck! December also brought Christmas, and dinners with family and friends. My Aunt Carol, Uncle Bob and cousin Julie along with her new boyfriend Phil, came up from Sequim in Washington and it was a whirlwind Christmas feast before they headed right back (and no pics, as I was cooking a lot of the time!).
I am sure other things happened last year. Mom and dad and I went to symphony concerts and the opera, I went to book club meetings. Kevin and I saw Bobby McFerrin in June, which was a treat, and back in May, Kevin, Judy and I went to see Steve Martin and his bluegrass group. Another memorable evening. I could keep digging up other random events, but all to say all in all it was a good year, and I am looking forward to 2015!
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: You Are My Sunshine, Chorus
Find out more about this fun challenge here: http://ceenphotography.com/2015/01/13/cees-fun-foto-challenge-you-are-my-sunshine-chorus/
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy (family – including kitties, friends)
When skies are grey
You’ll never know dear how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away
Blogging 101: Be Inspired by the Neighbours
Today’s assignment: write a post that builds on one of the comments you left yesterday. Don’t forget to link to the other blog!
Oh – you may have wanted to warn us in advance that this was coming so we remembered what blogs we commented on. Yikes!! Maybe I’ll pick on one of my favourite bloggers (not to pick favourites, but I’m not above a little flattery, although I know I’ll get comments back on this).
So, M.R., or la lasciata, at rinnovata.me (http://rinnovata.me/2015/01/15/would-you-believe-another-dog/). By the way, I just bought your book, and it’s next in line for reading! My profound comments was to mention that the dog is indeed adorable, but Dexter would eat her for lunch. I perhaps, however, should have said Elliot would eat her for lunch because although Elliot is smaller than Dexter, he is much braver. Dexter would more likely run and hide under the bed if he encountered this cute pooch.
Dexter:
Elliot:
I am not sure I am going to continue on with the Blogging 101. Nothing against it, but I have already completed most of the challenges – last year when I really started blogging – and I’m starting to get bored, which means it’s time to be moving on. I have a backlog of posts I want to complete from last year, so I am going to start with those (after I do a 2014 recap post, just because) and keep posting the various photo challenge posts I am participating in, and let’s see how it goes!
