Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... And YOU Think:

1. Cluster :: **BLEEP**

2. Announcement :: Information to Pass Along

3. Respect :: Must be earned

4. Incident :: You know it will be much worse than "incident" makes it sound.

5. Accordion :: Polka!

6. Drunk :: Sloppy

7. If :: Then

8. Dexter :: Gordon

9. Wedding :: Nuptuals

10. Gambling :: Press Your Luck

I had to look up Dexter Gordon, even though I was pretty sure I couldn't make up that name. Sure enough, he's a jazz saxophonist. Yay me. As for the rest, if you are sloppy drunk on your wedding day, you are gambling with your future. Best not to press your luck and end in a Cluster *BLEEP*

This important announcement brought to you by GreenTuna who reminds you that Respect is more than an Aretha Franklin song, and wishes you no incidents on the day of your nuptuals.

Everybody Polka!

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... And YOU Think:

1. Cluster :: **BLEEP**

2. Announcement :: Information to Pass Along

3. Respect :: Must be earned

4. Incident :: You know it will be much worse than "incident" makes it sound.

5. Accordion :: Polka!

6. Drunk :: Sloppy

7. If :: Then

8. Dexter :: Gordon

9. Wedding :: Nuptuals

10. Gambling :: Press Your Luck

I had to look up Dexter Gordon, even though I was pretty sure I couldn't make up that name. Sure enough, he's a jazz saxophonist. Yay me. As for the rest, if you are sloppy drunk on your wedding day, you are gambling with your future. Best not to press your luck and end in a Cluster *BLEEP*

This important announcement brought to you by GreenTuna who reminds you that Respect is more than an Aretha Franklin song, and wishes you no incidents on the day of your nuptuals.

Everybody Polka!

Friday's Feast

It's the I-don't-feel-like-working-right-now mid-morning version of Friday's Feast.
Anyone hungry?

Appetizer: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?

PIE!

Soup: What is one word you don't like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
Word hatred? That's harsh. There are lots of words I don't like the spelling of, but that's because I can't spell it correctly, and is that the words fault? No. Who can hate the SOUND of the word? It's just innocent vowels and consonants playing together. And heck, if you hate the sound of a word, just mispronounce it. On purpose. Or say it in a different language. Or in a combination of languages. Or in a fake language. Now, word meanings are a whole different story. I would say that I am definitely sick and tired of both patriot and terrorism because lately, many would use one to define the other, but in all honesty, with each passing day the line separating the two becomes more and more blurry.

Salad: Do you wear sunglasses when you're outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?
When I'm outside and it's uh, ... sunny ... um, yes. What do they look like? Well, the lenses are this really dark grayish black color.

Main Course: If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?
I would dedicate it to "the one I love the best" and let you all duke it out.

Dessert: Name a beverage you enjoy
One that includes the words "micro brew" or "hard lemonade" that someone else buys for me. Those are the yummiest of all.

Friday's Feast

It's the I-don't-feel-like-working-right-now mid-morning version of Friday's Feast.
Anyone hungry?

Appetizer: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?

PIE!

Soup: What is one word you don't like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
Word hatred? That's harsh. There are lots of words I don't like the spelling of, but that's because I can't spell it correctly, and is that the words fault? No. Who can hate the SOUND of the word? It's just innocent vowels and consonants playing together. And heck, if you hate the sound of a word, just mispronounce it. On purpose. Or say it in a different language. Or in a combination of languages. Or in a fake language. Now, word meanings are a whole different story. I would say that I am definitely sick and tired of both patriot and terrorism because lately, many would use one to define the other, but in all honesty, with each passing day the line separating the two becomes more and more blurry.

Salad: Do you wear sunglasses when you're outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?
When I'm outside and it's uh, ... sunny ... um, yes. What do they look like? Well, the lenses are this really dark grayish black color.

Main Course: If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?
I would dedicate it to "the one I love the best" and let you all duke it out.

Dessert: Name a beverage you enjoy
One that includes the words "micro brew" or "hard lemonade" that someone else buys for me. Those are the yummiest of all.

Ta-Daaaaah!

Yes, I think it's funny. I bet Jesus does, too.

(Hat tip to Random Good Stuff because you have to admit, it's both)

Ta-Daaaaah!

Yes, I think it's funny. I bet Jesus does, too.

(Hat tip to Random Good Stuff because you have to admit, it's both)

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about GREENTUNA

Thirteen Haiku on My Sister's Birthday Dinner Menu
("Freshly processed" farm roasted chickens with onions, garlic smashed potatoes, farm green beans, the usual corn and bread, Cole slaw, Chocolate pound cake, Raspberry or Strawberry Sherbet)

1. Dinner from the farm.
Deadly game of duck duck goose.
Rabbits look relieved.

2. Farm-fresh Clucky says
"Freshly processed" really means
"Clucky Unlucky"

3. TeenTuna used to
turn up her nose at onions
now wants grilled daily.

4. Pity the vampire
No garlic? Fate worse than death.
And vampires should know.

5. Mashed is smooth and blah.
Smashed potato lumps? Yummy
edible conflict.

6. Eggs and Ham are things
not meant to be green like beans.
How about tuna?

7. I have a question.
Who exactly is this Cole?
(Really, I don't care)

8. Everybody knows
that for me it's Pie, Pie PIE
(except that mince one)

9. Staples. Metal wires
join odd things together like
corn and bread at meals.

10. Sherbet or ice cream
No difference when it it stirred
and becomes gross soup.

11. The children will cry.
No triple chocolate cheesecake?
No! Eat your whipped cream.

12. Fred, Joe, Bobby, Jane...
When counting for dinner, please
Do not forget Mike(s).

13. Forget Great Pumpkin.
Nephew prays that he might see
The Great Turducken.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about GREENTUNA

Thirteen Haiku on My Sister's Birthday Dinner Menu
("Freshly processed" farm roasted chickens with onions, garlic smashed potatoes, farm green beans, the usual corn and bread, Cole slaw, Chocolate pound cake, Raspberry or Strawberry Sherbet)

1. Dinner from the farm.
Deadly game of duck duck goose.
Rabbits look relieved.

2. Farm-fresh Clucky says
"Freshly processed" really means
"Clucky Unlucky"

3. TeenTuna used to
turn up her nose at onions
now wants grilled daily.

4. Pity the vampire
No garlic? Fate worse than death.
And vampires should know.

5. Mashed is smooth and blah.
Smashed potato lumps? Yummy
edible conflict.

6. Eggs and Ham are things
not meant to be green like beans.
How about tuna?

7. I have a question.
Who exactly is this Cole?
(Really, I don't care)

8. Everybody knows
that for me it's Pie, Pie PIE
(except that mince one)

9. Staples. Metal wires
join odd things together like
corn and bread at meals.

10. Sherbet or ice cream
No difference when it it stirred
and becomes gross soup.

11. The children will cry.
No triple chocolate cheesecake?
No! Eat your whipped cream.

12. Fred, Joe, Bobby, Jane...
When counting for dinner, please
Do not forget Mike(s).

13. Forget Great Pumpkin.
Nephew prays that he might see
The Great Turducken.

Comic Wednesday

Speaking of comics, from xkcd:


This dorkness on parade? Given the opportunity, this is exactly the kind of stuff I'd do all day long. For instance, whenever we drove to BSTuna's house this summer, we had to go through several miles of construction zone. That in and of itself is no news whatsoever, because from March through November the entire state is a construction zone.

Anyway.

This particular construction zone diverted all traffic way over to the side of the road, and for about 5 miles we had to drive over rumble strips, or "butt numbers" as they are known in Tuna lingo.

Numbers as in numb as in I can't feel my butt anymore. Not as in counting. Maybe numb-ers? This is suddenly a confusing concept. Continuing...

So we were driving over the butt numb-ers for what seemed forever and quickly discovered the numb-ers had a specific pitch and rhythm which depended on the speed of the car. We spent the entire construction zone attempting different sounds and discussing the overall coolness of the butt numb-er concerto.

Thankfully we were not pulled over by a police officer, because I don't think I could have explained that one away without someone hauling me off in handcuffs or at the very least, making me take a drunk test.

So, yeah. Tapping out Jurassic Park on the desk? Think I'll try it today. It sounds cool.

Comic Wednesday

Speaking of comics, from xkcd:


This dorkness on parade? Given the opportunity, this is exactly the kind of stuff I'd do all day long. For instance, whenever we drove to BSTuna's house this summer, we had to go through several miles of construction zone. That in and of itself is no news whatsoever, because from March through November the entire state is a construction zone.

Anyway.

This particular construction zone diverted all traffic way over to the side of the road, and for about 5 miles we had to drive over rumble strips, or "butt numbers" as they are known in Tuna lingo.

Numbers as in numb as in I can't feel my butt anymore. Not as in counting. Maybe numb-ers? This is suddenly a confusing concept. Continuing...

So we were driving over the butt numb-ers for what seemed forever and quickly discovered the numb-ers had a specific pitch and rhythm which depended on the speed of the car. We spent the entire construction zone attempting different sounds and discussing the overall coolness of the butt numb-er concerto.

Thankfully we were not pulled over by a police officer, because I don't think I could have explained that one away without someone hauling me off in handcuffs or at the very least, making me take a drunk test.

So, yeah. Tapping out Jurassic Park on the desk? Think I'll try it today. It sounds cool.

Good Company

If I were 16 years old, I'd be one of the nine. And please, no interventions. I've made it this long. I'd like to keep the streak alive. Sorry, Molly.

Oh, how I love the chickens.

Good Company

If I were 16 years old, I'd be one of the nine. And please, no interventions. I've made it this long. I'd like to keep the streak alive. Sorry, Molly.

Oh, how I love the chickens.

My Celebrity Look-Alikes

Good God, I don't even know what to make of this. Maybe I can use the excuse that this picture is some 20-odd years old. But still, this is quite the eclectic group, don't you think? I mean, Evander Holyfield?? And seriously, can I take young Elizabeth Taylor and not old nutty-as-a-fruitcake Elizabeth Taylor? Thanks.

Talk amongst yourselves.

My Celebrity Look-Alikes

Good God, I don't even know what to make of this. Maybe I can use the excuse that this picture is some 20-odd years old. But still, this is quite the eclectic group, don't you think? I mean, Evander Holyfield?? And seriously, can I take young Elizabeth Taylor and not old nutty-as-a-fruitcake Elizabeth Taylor? Thanks.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... And You Think:

1. Crook :: Thief

2. Career :: Move

3. Freckles :: Cute

4. Scramble :: Dodge

5. Mistake :: Error

6. Telephone :: Call

7. Thank You :: Notes

8. Obstruction :: Of Justice

9. 24/7 :: All day, All night

10. SciFi :: Kind of dopey, but done right can be good

Well, this seems to be the Law and Order version of Unconscious Mutterings. I'm not sure where freckles comes from (thematically speaking) unless it's a nickname like Bugsy or ...The Kid. And come to think of it, I don't think any criminals are writing thank you notes. Unless, of course, it's some sort of weird SciFi show.

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... And You Think:

1. Crook :: Thief

2. Career :: Move

3. Freckles :: Cute

4. Scramble :: Dodge

5. Mistake :: Error

6. Telephone :: Call

7. Thank You :: Notes

8. Obstruction :: Of Justice

9. 24/7 :: All day, All night

10. SciFi :: Kind of dopey, but done right can be good

Well, this seems to be the Law and Order version of Unconscious Mutterings. I'm not sure where freckles comes from (thematically speaking) unless it's a nickname like Bugsy or ...The Kid. And come to think of it, I don't think any criminals are writing thank you notes. Unless, of course, it's some sort of weird SciFi show.

Start to Finish

BlogFriday is a weekly challenge to write a blog post themed by the "word of the week", and submit it to this website to share with others. The word changes each week on midnight (GMT) on Friday.

The word for this week is: START


Some people are not good starters, because to start means to begin to do (something) which requires decision making, action taking and making a change. It's important, too, to make the distinction between starters and self-starters, because those who are unable to start on their own without a laid-out plan, or who start only because somebody told them to aren't really starters at all, they are just doers, which requires no individual thought-process at all.

It seems that starting is easy.
But finishing? That's the trick.

To finish takes time, and lack of time is a convenient excuse. Nobody has the time to finish all sorts of things, so when the teetering stack of books (all unread past page 15) sits gathering dust, "I just don't have the time right now," is an easy-out. Everybody understands. Nobody judges. Time is precious and in short supply, and it seems to not have enough is part of life.

To finish takes dedication. A commitment to finish, or more specifically a lack thereof, is tougher to explain away. To start is to be involved with something new, exciting and shiny. But like many things, after time, it can become faded and dull, and then dedication quickly turns to resentment. The mundane isn't much fun when there are new things to start, and once any started project begins to drag down in the mire, it's hard hard to remember why you ever wanted to start this drudgery to begin with.

To finish means to see it through until the end. To finish means it will end. And while completion marks success, it also means an end. No more pages to turn in your book. Snip the last thread and throw another completed sewing project in the "done" pile. No more tinkering with words and phrases. Hit PUBLISH POST and you're done.

Finished.
Over.
No more.
Empty.
Kind of sad.

Why sad? There are always more books to read. There are always more projects to undertake, and any writer knows they could spend from now until doomsday editing, re-editing and re-re-editing paragraphs and never be satisfied.

It's just the whole finality of the thing. There is so much time and energy invested in any given task, not to mention the investment of SELF. And when it's over, it's over. The time is spent. The energy used. And if you have given yourself over to this project, you've traveled from start to finish, and now you're in a different place from where you began.

And what if that different place isn't better? What if it's worse? What if it's just different? Then time spent becomes time wasted. Energy spent becomes energy lost. And the journey that you've taken from start to finish is racked up as a big failure.

So maybe, if you're unsure what the result might be, you don't finish.
Because if you don't ever finish you won't ever have to find out.
And you will never have to admit failure
because you will have never moved,
except maybe in circles.
Tracing familiar footprints,
digging a rut deeper and deeper,
because that's the only path you know.
Starting and starting and starting
but never finishing.

This summer I made a conscious effort to start finishing all sorts of things. Not everything has turned out perfectly, or even as I might have expected, but as I look back over the last several months, I recognize that I am in a different place. Sometimes it seems better. Sometimes it seems worse. Sometimes it just seems different.

But at least I'm not moving circles anymore.
I'm starting to aim for something better,
and I'm not going to stop until I'm finished.

Start to Finish

BlogFriday is a weekly challenge to write a blog post themed by the "word of the week", and submit it to this website to share with others. The word changes each week on midnight (GMT) on Friday.

The word for this week is: START


Some people are not good starters, because to start means to begin to do (something) which requires decision making, action taking and making a change. It's important, too, to make the distinction between starters and self-starters, because those who are unable to start on their own without a laid-out plan, or who start only because somebody told them to aren't really starters at all, they are just doers, which requires no individual thought-process at all.

It seems that starting is easy.
But finishing? That's the trick.

To finish takes time, and lack of time is a convenient excuse. Nobody has the time to finish all sorts of things, so when the teetering stack of books (all unread past page 15) sits gathering dust, "I just don't have the time right now," is an easy-out. Everybody understands. Nobody judges. Time is precious and in short supply, and it seems to not have enough is part of life.

To finish takes dedication. A commitment to finish, or more specifically a lack thereof, is tougher to explain away. To start is to be involved with something new, exciting and shiny. But like many things, after time, it can become faded and dull, and then dedication quickly turns to resentment. The mundane isn't much fun when there are new things to start, and once any started project begins to drag down in the mire, it's hard hard to remember why you ever wanted to start this drudgery to begin with.

To finish means to see it through until the end. To finish means it will end. And while completion marks success, it also means an end. No more pages to turn in your book. Snip the last thread and throw another completed sewing project in the "done" pile. No more tinkering with words and phrases. Hit PUBLISH POST and you're done.

Finished.
Over.
No more.
Empty.
Kind of sad.

Why sad? There are always more books to read. There are always more projects to undertake, and any writer knows they could spend from now until doomsday editing, re-editing and re-re-editing paragraphs and never be satisfied.

It's just the whole finality of the thing. There is so much time and energy invested in any given task, not to mention the investment of SELF. And when it's over, it's over. The time is spent. The energy used. And if you have given yourself over to this project, you've traveled from start to finish, and now you're in a different place from where you began.

And what if that different place isn't better? What if it's worse? What if it's just different? Then time spent becomes time wasted. Energy spent becomes energy lost. And the journey that you've taken from start to finish is racked up as a big failure.

So maybe, if you're unsure what the result might be, you don't finish.
Because if you don't ever finish you won't ever have to find out.
And you will never have to admit failure
because you will have never moved,
except maybe in circles.
Tracing familiar footprints,
digging a rut deeper and deeper,
because that's the only path you know.
Starting and starting and starting
but never finishing.

This summer I made a conscious effort to start finishing all sorts of things. Not everything has turned out perfectly, or even as I might have expected, but as I look back over the last several months, I recognize that I am in a different place. Sometimes it seems better. Sometimes it seems worse. Sometimes it just seems different.

But at least I'm not moving circles anymore.
I'm starting to aim for something better,
and I'm not going to stop until I'm finished.

Friday's Feast

It's the before 9AM version of Friday's Feast! What does this mean? Who cares! Dig in.

Appetizer: How are you today?
I yam what I yam. Therefore, I must be Popeye. Pass the spinach.

Soup: Name three television shows you watch regularly.
The only thing I do with any regularity is sleep eat feed the animals and 8th grade homework. However, thanks to the glory of the Internets, I catch (when I can) Heroes, Survivor, and The Office, to name a few.

Salad: What is the scariest weather you've experienced?
Sure, everybody is going to say hurricanes or earthquakes or typhoons or smog or something like that. But be honest -- isn't the scariest weather one where the sky is crystal clear, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you have A HUMONGOUS TEST and need a snow day in the worst way? Yes, I thought so too.

Main Course: If you could wake up tomorrow in another country, where would you want to be?
Munich, Germany. It's the last weekend of Oktoberfest. All I would need are my pajamas and a toothbrush and I'd be good to go.

Dessert: What do you usually wear to sleep?
A look of utter exhaustion. And pajamas:

Ach, mein Himmel!

Friday's Feast

It's the before 9AM version of Friday's Feast! What does this mean? Who cares! Dig in.

Appetizer: How are you today?
I yam what I yam. Therefore, I must be Popeye. Pass the spinach.

Soup: Name three television shows you watch regularly.
The only thing I do with any regularity is sleep eat feed the animals and 8th grade homework. However, thanks to the glory of the Internets, I catch (when I can) Heroes, Survivor, and The Office, to name a few.

Salad: What is the scariest weather you've experienced?
Sure, everybody is going to say hurricanes or earthquakes or typhoons or smog or something like that. But be honest -- isn't the scariest weather one where the sky is crystal clear, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you have A HUMONGOUS TEST and need a snow day in the worst way? Yes, I thought so too.

Main Course: If you could wake up tomorrow in another country, where would you want to be?
Munich, Germany. It's the last weekend of Oktoberfest. All I would need are my pajamas and a toothbrush and I'd be good to go.

Dessert: What do you usually wear to sleep?
A look of utter exhaustion. And pajamas:

Ach, mein Himmel!