One of the exercises at a writer's group I attended was to create a list of your 100 favorite words. They can be chosen for their sound, their meaning, or even be taken from poetry or prose. You can learn a lot about someone from how they go about choosing their words as well as from the actual words they choose. It's also a good jumping off point for creative endeavors and wordplay.
I made my list this morning and learned fairly quickly that 100 is a darn lot of words. I think 50 is a more manageable number, so I stopped there. My favorite words are ones that make me smile, due to meaning or just being fun to say. Here goes:
shrubbery * whimsy * mothership * fluffy * cosmic * hollyberry * twinkle * donut * exuberant * delightful * adventure * astronomy * cupcake * moose * moonbeam * conquistador * explore * curious * snuggle * wander * silly * snacks * popcorn * bliss * woolly * poppy * hopscotch * puppy * goldfish * sparkly * meander * muffin * willow * lilypad * dapper * dandy * cad * teacup * bamboo * snout * lollipop * thunder * love * goofy * scandalous * ancient * snort * daydream * sprinkle * flurry
If you make a list of your own, please considering sharing in the comments section!
Showing posts with label Slice of life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slice of life. Show all posts
This is my second Thanksgiving dinner of the week. Kurt and I celebrated with my dad on Monday, and today we'll have dinner with his family up in Michigan. Two Thanksgiving dinners makes for a very good year. Who knows, the sun might even pop out a bit this afternoon.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day full of family and friends and good food (and FOOTBALL)!
I hope everyone has a wonderful day full of family and friends and good food (and FOOTBALL)!
Kurt came in today with what looked like a sunflower seed stuck to his leg. We figured out it was a tick (thank you Google!), and from the size, we guess it's been feasting on him for at least a couple of weeks. We spent the afternoon at the doc having it removed. The good news is that with two stitches and 21 days of antibiotics, he should be as good as new. The bad news is no hot tub for the rest of the week while it heals. Poor Dr. H.
I couldn't resist, I had to share this blog before I left. It's a daily one minute writing prompt, timer included. Having used prompts at an Amherst writer's method seminar, I can vouch that they're a great way to get the creative juices flowing. I know how I'll be spending one minute a day!
(Sayonara for real this time!)
(Sayonara for real this time!)
As you've probably noticed (if not, seek help), the blog has a new look. I was tired of the blogger template that lots of people have, so I went searching for a new one last night. The mistake: starting the search at 11:30pm. It was 2:30am (!!!) before the new template was installed and functional. In the interim, I looked at hundreds of designs and tried out at least 6 or 7 others. Only 2 were serious contenders, but I couldn't get the blasted things to work. One refused to add the image that made it worthwhile (not sure it was "me" anyway, but it was super cool), and the other couldn't accommodate the length of my blog name. Given that I know nothing about html, this was like running into a brick wall. I tried to go in and make adjustments, but it was beyond me to know which line of nonsense needed to be tweaked.
The one I settled on gets points for actually working (hurrah!) and for the groovy, relaxing blue design up top. I hope the smaller font is still readable for everyone. This was something I tried to tweak last night, but every attempt to make it bigger made it disappear. Hrumph. Maybe someday I'll learn a little html and do something truly custom. In the interim, blue swirls it is!
The one I settled on gets points for actually working (hurrah!) and for the groovy, relaxing blue design up top. I hope the smaller font is still readable for everyone. This was something I tried to tweak last night, but every attempt to make it bigger made it disappear. Hrumph. Maybe someday I'll learn a little html and do something truly custom. In the interim, blue swirls it is!
For two years running, the Inner Peace Yoga Center has been voted Indiana's Best in TheIndyChannel's A-list awards. I'm a regular in their beginner two class and can vouch for the high quality instruction and relaxed atmosphere. When my class burst out laughing when the teacher suggested we do 'head-to-knee', I knew I was in the right place. The instructors emphasize proper breathing and alignment and encourage everyone to go at their own pace. Classes end with total body relaxation and in the beginner two class, chanting and alternate nostril breathing (nodi sodhana).
While all of the classes have been good, my favorite is the beginner one class taught by Charles (the owner) on Monday night. He explains the poses clearly and brings humor (and many years experience) to the lesson. In addition to yoga, meditation classes are offered quarterly and chanting takes place on the last Friday of every month. (No singing ability is required - if they let someone as tone deaf as me sing, all are clearly welcome.)
While all of the classes have been good, my favorite is the beginner one class taught by Charles (the owner) on Monday night. He explains the poses clearly and brings humor (and many years experience) to the lesson. In addition to yoga, meditation classes are offered quarterly and chanting takes place on the last Friday of every month. (No singing ability is required - if they let someone as tone deaf as me sing, all are clearly welcome.)
While poking through my childhood bedroom last night, I found a bright red box high on the closet shelf. Inside ... Paddington Bear! I hadn't seen him in ages. Poor Paddington. He was always a favorite growing up. Marmalade sandwiches, hard stares, and of course, darkest Peru. He's custom made for little girls (and big girls?) with wild imaginations and the itch to travel. Thankfully, I liberated him in time for his 50th anniversary (ok, a notch late - I've probably earned a hard stare myself!).
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Candy apples, scary movies, silly costumes - what's not to love? This year Dr. H and I handed out 53 pieces of candy. I only bought 64, so we came in just under the wire. My dad called and warned me about group of 30 (!!!) kids heading my way, but they never made it here, thank goodness. I was down to about 15 pieces left when he called.
Best costume this year: A 5 year old in a clown suit. Pretty mundane except for the red nose that honked when you squeezed it. Awesome. I bet she was so sick it by the end of the night. Poor girl.
I did my cop-out costume of black tee, ears and tail. Instant kitty! At least I did something, unlike some people I know (Kurt!). I tried to get him to buy the banana suit we saw at Wal-Mart, but he wasn't feeling it. Hopefully next year we'll plan better and come up with coordinating outfits. I think Sonny and Cher has potential. Lucy and Ricky, maybe?
The highlight of the weekend was visiting Kurt's family and playing with his niece and nephew. They were in costume, of course, and looking fabulous. It was exhausting and wonderful with glorious weather to boot! Perfection.
Kitties! Me and James the Fabulous Orange Cat
Best costume this year: A 5 year old in a clown suit. Pretty mundane except for the red nose that honked when you squeezed it. Awesome. I bet she was so sick it by the end of the night. Poor girl.
I did my cop-out costume of black tee, ears and tail. Instant kitty! At least I did something, unlike some people I know (Kurt!). I tried to get him to buy the banana suit we saw at Wal-Mart, but he wasn't feeling it. Hopefully next year we'll plan better and come up with coordinating outfits. I think Sonny and Cher has potential. Lucy and Ricky, maybe?
The highlight of the weekend was visiting Kurt's family and playing with his niece and nephew. They were in costume, of course, and looking fabulous. It was exhausting and wonderful with glorious weather to boot! Perfection.
Kitties! Me and James the Fabulous Orange Cat
How cute is this purse? It was marked down and down and then I had a coupon, so I got it for ... wait for it ... $10! Wahoo!
I'm trying to grow a plant for the first time in about 15 years. I have a spotty track record with growing things, so I picked a jade plant which is apparently hard to kill (unless you totally overwater it). It's also kitty friendly in case Nels takes a nibble. It came with a mammoth tropism but otherwise seems pretty healthy. I read that you can start a new plant from a leaf. I might try that and add another to the pot, so it looks more balanced. I'm hoping to end up with a cool tree with lots of branches like they have at the yoga center. In any case, it's nice to have a bit of greenery in my den.
Behold the super grainy photo of me and the plantling!
Behold the super grainy photo of me and the plantling!
One of my Artist's Way exercises this week was to collect leaves or flowers and press them in a book between sheets of wax paper. Pretty much what we all did in kindergarten. I was skeptical, but it turned out to be a fun exercise! It was amazing to pay closer attention and take note of the variety of shapes and colors that the leaves have turned right here on my street. It's an excellent way to become attuned to the beauty all around us that we usually take for granted. I'm doubly lucky since fall is the perfect time of year for a project like this. Maybe those kindergarten teachers knew what they were doing after all ...
I just got back from a long weekend in Michigan with Kurt's family. We had a great time with good food, excellent company, clear sunny days, and the start of fall color on the trees. It was a vivid reminder of why this is my favorite time of year.
It's been a rough year for my fantasy football team, the Hapless Hedgehogs. Losing my first round draft pick Tom Brady in the first game of the season was just the start of our troubles. My star running back Willis McGahee has been sidelined with one injury after another, and I've been playing musical receivers trying to find some that are healthy and actually see a football once in a while.
I was 15 points down going into last night's New Orleans-Minnesota game with my kicker left to play. 15 points is on the outer edge of possibility for a kicker, so I wasn't too hopeful that we'd pull out a win. Then he make a 53 yard field goal - 5 points! Then a couple PATs. Then a 33 yard field goal. Next thing I knew, the Hogs had a shot!
When I woke up this morning to check the final score, I learned that, as always, the Hogs came up short. Ryan Longwell performed admirably but only got 14 points, meaning we lost (again!) 89-88. That was a season high score for us, so things are looking up at least. Maybe we'll pull one out this week.
Record: 1-4-0
Points: 295 (the leader has over 500)
Position in league: 9/10
I was 15 points down going into last night's New Orleans-Minnesota game with my kicker left to play. 15 points is on the outer edge of possibility for a kicker, so I wasn't too hopeful that we'd pull out a win. Then he make a 53 yard field goal - 5 points! Then a couple PATs. Then a 33 yard field goal. Next thing I knew, the Hogs had a shot!
When I woke up this morning to check the final score, I learned that, as always, the Hogs came up short. Ryan Longwell performed admirably but only got 14 points, meaning we lost (again!) 89-88. That was a season high score for us, so things are looking up at least. Maybe we'll pull one out this week.
Record: 1-4-0
Points: 295 (the leader has over 500)
Position in league: 9/10
Kurt brought me these yesterday for my birthday!
Best. Boyfriend. EVER.
Best. Boyfriend. EVER.
Yesterday, I turned thirty-#$@%! and, as I have for the last decade, went to India Palace with my dad for an excellent (and spicy!) Indian dinner. I had my new favorite, nav ratan shahi korma, and Dad went for his usual, the chicken tikka masala. In addition to papadum, naan, and basmati rice, they've started serving a trio of sauces with dinner: onion chutney, tamarind, and something green and not-so-delicious. The tamarind is so addicting that I'll be heading to the nearest Indian grocery to see if I can pick some up.
After dinner, we went home for presents and a black forest whipped cream cake from Taylor's Bakery. Growing up, I'd always have a homemade black forest cake (thanks Mom!) or a whipped cream cake from Roselyn Bakery. Taylor's has created the best of both worlds by adding layers of cherries to the traditional whipped cream and chocolate. YUM!
All in all, another fun birthday (except for the thirty-whatever part). Thanks to Dad for the great gifts, decorations, and cake!
You'll notice there's only one candle. You know you're getting older when you stop covering the cake with candles. Bah!
After dinner, we went home for presents and a black forest whipped cream cake from Taylor's Bakery. Growing up, I'd always have a homemade black forest cake (thanks Mom!) or a whipped cream cake from Roselyn Bakery. Taylor's has created the best of both worlds by adding layers of cherries to the traditional whipped cream and chocolate. YUM!
All in all, another fun birthday (except for the thirty-whatever part). Thanks to Dad for the great gifts, decorations, and cake!
You'll notice there's only one candle. You know you're getting older when you stop covering the cake with candles. Bah!
For the past month, I've been working through The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. The goal of the book is to stimulate creativity and "awaken the artist within." Sounds good to me! I promised at the beginning of the course that I would suspend my natural skepticism and do all of the assignments, no matter how nutty they may seem. Like all good intentions, this one came back to bite me.
Everything was going well until week four when I encountered the reading deprivation assignment. She admits in the book that she's always the bad guy when she gives the assignment in class. Rightly so, I say. She has instructed us not to read for a week. No books, no email, no news articles, no magazines. Nothing. Nada. In addition, she says that filling the void with tv, radio, and "gossipy conversations" (hello! the best kind!) isn't in the spirit of things and should be avoided as well.
In the words of Dr. Kurt ... BUSH LEAGUE!
The theory behind the exercise is that blocked creatives often overindulge in the words and ideas of others and that a week without those distractions will open you up to try new activities and listen to your inner voice. While it is eye opening to realize how much time I spend reading (alot!), at this point my inner voice is mostly saying that it wants to check its email.
(In case you were wondering, blogging is writing, so it's allowed. At least that's what I'm telling myself ...)
Everything was going well until week four when I encountered the reading deprivation assignment. She admits in the book that she's always the bad guy when she gives the assignment in class. Rightly so, I say. She has instructed us not to read for a week. No books, no email, no news articles, no magazines. Nothing. Nada. In addition, she says that filling the void with tv, radio, and "gossipy conversations" (hello! the best kind!) isn't in the spirit of things and should be avoided as well.
In the words of Dr. Kurt ... BUSH LEAGUE!
The theory behind the exercise is that blocked creatives often overindulge in the words and ideas of others and that a week without those distractions will open you up to try new activities and listen to your inner voice. While it is eye opening to realize how much time I spend reading (alot!), at this point my inner voice is mostly saying that it wants to check its email.
(In case you were wondering, blogging is writing, so it's allowed. At least that's what I'm telling myself ...)
I usually enjoy power outages. There's something romantic about a storm brewing outside and being tucked inside with candlelight and a radio. Of course, I'd never gone without power for more than a handful of hours. Yesterday, I learned that 21 hours without electricity is anything but romantic.
It didn't start well. The tv flickered during the Colts game and finally gave out during the end of the third quarter. (Given how the Colts played, it would have been an act of mercy to block the signal during the first half. Just sayin'.) I got out the trusty hand crank radio and managed to hear the end of the game and Vinatieri's fabulous game saving kick. Sports on the radio usually don't get me going, but at least the Colts have Bob Lamey to inject some excitement into things.
Post-game, I read, did yoga, meditated on the ol' cosmic cushion, read more, and did still more yoga. I didn't want to open to fridge, so I was making do with peanut-sunflower granola bars (too salty - thumbs down), baked tortilla chips in desperate need of salsa, and a Mr. Goodbar. The refrigerator became an ongoing obsession as the night went on. It turns out that everything remotely tasty in my house is locked inside. Once I realized that I couldn't open the door, I became obsessed with thoughts of raspberry lemonade, pimento cheese, and smoothies. Even the green beans were calling my name, but I resisted. I mean really, the power was going to come on any moment, right?
Things took a turn for the worse when the sun set and it became too dark to read. I lit a candle, cranked up the radio, and settled in for a few HOURS of turning the dial in search of something inoffensive. None of the music was consistently decent, so I ended up with talk radio on 1430 AM. Sometimes entertaining, often offensive, and occasionally bewildering, at least it held my interest. Did you know that Glenn Beck has the third most popular radio show in the country? Apparently so, since he informed me of this at least twice an hour. Mind-boggling.
I fell asleep around midnight assured that I'd wake up and everything would be back to normal. Yeah right. Only at 12:30pm did the power finally come back on (just as I was loading up the items in my fridge to take elsewhere). By that time, all I wanted was a shower (no windows in the bathroom means no shower without power - bah!), food, and never to listen to talk radio again.
The upside is that I have a new found appreciation for the many small things I take for granted everyday. I only had 21 hours of frustration which is nothing compared to the challenges of those in Texas this weekend. My thoughts are with all of you! (Especially Jan and Angela!)
It didn't start well. The tv flickered during the Colts game and finally gave out during the end of the third quarter. (Given how the Colts played, it would have been an act of mercy to block the signal during the first half. Just sayin'.) I got out the trusty hand crank radio and managed to hear the end of the game and Vinatieri's fabulous game saving kick. Sports on the radio usually don't get me going, but at least the Colts have Bob Lamey to inject some excitement into things.
Post-game, I read, did yoga, meditated on the ol' cosmic cushion, read more, and did still more yoga. I didn't want to open to fridge, so I was making do with peanut-sunflower granola bars (too salty - thumbs down), baked tortilla chips in desperate need of salsa, and a Mr. Goodbar. The refrigerator became an ongoing obsession as the night went on. It turns out that everything remotely tasty in my house is locked inside. Once I realized that I couldn't open the door, I became obsessed with thoughts of raspberry lemonade, pimento cheese, and smoothies. Even the green beans were calling my name, but I resisted. I mean really, the power was going to come on any moment, right?
Things took a turn for the worse when the sun set and it became too dark to read. I lit a candle, cranked up the radio, and settled in for a few HOURS of turning the dial in search of something inoffensive. None of the music was consistently decent, so I ended up with talk radio on 1430 AM. Sometimes entertaining, often offensive, and occasionally bewildering, at least it held my interest. Did you know that Glenn Beck has the third most popular radio show in the country? Apparently so, since he informed me of this at least twice an hour. Mind-boggling.
I fell asleep around midnight assured that I'd wake up and everything would be back to normal. Yeah right. Only at 12:30pm did the power finally come back on (just as I was loading up the items in my fridge to take elsewhere). By that time, all I wanted was a shower (no windows in the bathroom means no shower without power - bah!), food, and never to listen to talk radio again.
The upside is that I have a new found appreciation for the many small things I take for granted everyday. I only had 21 hours of frustration which is nothing compared to the challenges of those in Texas this weekend. My thoughts are with all of you! (Especially Jan and Angela!)
I stumbled across these last night while googling to find the difference between 'dead bug' and 'happy baby' (don't ask) and thought they were adorable. I might have to get one for inspiration!
I admit it. I am maniacally obsessed with fantasy football. I had high hopes for this season after drafting Tom Brady in the first round (yes, you see where this is going). My team, the Hapless Hedgehogs, was ready for total league domination.
Then Sunday happened. Brady is out for the season, my other star player McGahee didn't play, and my minor players couldn't even come through with the paltry 5 points they were expected to get. The result: Hedgehogs 37, Evil opponent: 63. Even worse, this puts me 60 points out of the lead. 60. It's inconceivable.
Early yesterday morning, I traded 8 players out of my team of 15. Hopefully I was able to nab some up-and-comers who no one expected to do well. My QBs are Pennington and Eli Manning. Not bad, but not great. My biggest "star" at this point is Reggie Wayne who, to his credit, managed to score 14 points last week.
Hopefully this is a Bad News Bears story in the making. They did win in the end, right? Sigh ...
Then Sunday happened. Brady is out for the season, my other star player McGahee didn't play, and my minor players couldn't even come through with the paltry 5 points they were expected to get. The result: Hedgehogs 37, Evil opponent: 63. Even worse, this puts me 60 points out of the lead. 60. It's inconceivable.
Early yesterday morning, I traded 8 players out of my team of 15. Hopefully I was able to nab some up-and-comers who no one expected to do well. My QBs are Pennington and Eli Manning. Not bad, but not great. My biggest "star" at this point is Reggie Wayne who, to his credit, managed to score 14 points last week.
Hopefully this is a Bad News Bears story in the making. They did win in the end, right? Sigh ...
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