Category: Commentary

Habit, Just Saying

Written in response to the Daily Post’s Daily Prompt:

Quirk of Habit

Which quirky habit annoys you the most, and what quirky habit do you love — in yourself, or other people?

Some things just annoy the heck out of me, but because I am polite and civilized I never call people out on these niggling bits. Okay, every now and then I might say something like, “Are you a freaking idiot?” That’s polite, right?

There are two verbal tics that make me clench my jaw and grind my teeth. The first is the insertion of the phrase, “you know” into every sentence–sometimes multiple times. 

Example: I was, you know, going to, you know, buy a new brassiere, but, you know, they’re just too, you know, expensive.”

You might think I’m exaggerating, but my college roommate was a world champion “you knower.” I found myself copying her speech pattern and flipping “you knows” about like pieces of confetti. When I realized what I’d done I had a long talk with myself and banned the phrase from my vocabulary. You know, I’ve been fairly, you know, successful. 

The other thing that drives me crazy is hearing people, most often women, order their food in a restaurant by saying, “Could I have…?” Even if I don’t know the person, even if she is sitting two tables over I want to leap up and say, “It’s on the damned menu! Of COURSE you can have it.” 

Instead I say a silent curse at whatever cultural practice makes women think they have to ask for permission to order something that is clearly available for purchase. It’s the same as our reflexive “I’m sorry” for things that aren’t our fault. I’m guilty of that one, lest you think me perfect. And I am so sorry.

http://videos.nymag.com/video/Inside-Amy-Schumer-I-m-Sorry
Quirky habits I love? That’s a little more difficult. I love the way Studly Doright can fall asleep and begin snoring softly the minute he closes his eyes. Of course sometimes this habit falls into the annoying category if I’m unable to join him in slumber within five minutes.

Another habit I love is one found in those people who are so filled with gratitude that “thank you,” in many different forms has become habit. My friend LeeAnn is one of these people. Her conversation is peppered with sincere expressions of gratitude, “How kind!” “What a blessing!” and, “I’m so thankful.”

Likewise my friend Janie has made a habit of finding the good in every situation. She calls herself a “lucky, lucky girl” and she makes everyone else more observant of the good in their own lives.

I’m sorry, but I’m just not good at being thankful, you know. Sorry. You know, I’m working on it.  

 

From the book, Nuns Just Wanna Have Fun.
 
Peace, people!

What’s Up, Pussycat?

Patches had been in this position, motionless for the past five minutes.   
I don’t believe her eyes have blinked the entire time. 

If I weren’t a chicken I’d look up to see what has her so fascinated. Please, oh please don’t let it be a gigantic woman-eating spider!

Peace, people!

Cats for Valentine’s Day

February 14 is this Sunday. You know what that means? Love is in the air, all around, just waiting to be celebrated.

What’s that? You say you don’t have someone to love? Well have we got a deal for you!

  
This weekend at Tallahassee Animal Services fees are waived on all animal adoptions. That means you could have a Valentine this Valentine’s Day and every day for many years to come. Without the calories of a box of chocolates! 

Here are some of our beautiful, available cats. 

   
    
 Love can be yours. 

Remember, adopt, don’t shop!

Peace, people!

Hail to the Beach

Written in response to The Daily Post’s Daily Prompt:

Sudden Shifts

You’re at the beach with some friends and/or family, enjoying the sun, nibbling on some watermelon. All of a sudden, within seconds, the weather shifts and hail starts descending from the sky. Write a post about what happens next.

Part I

A perfect day:
picnic lunch
followed by
a nap on a
blanket covering
sun-warmed dunes.
Toes dipped in
surf by frolicking
grandchildren on
moist shoreline sand,
while doting adults
watch in vigilance.
Waves resignedly
fail in their quest
to overtake dunlin
despite their
best lapping efforts.

 Part II

Clouds gathered,
rolling in on
gusts of frigid air,
sharp precursors of
coming attractions.
Urgent warnings
called out, squealing
kids for once take
heed, scampering for
cover beneath a
blanket anchored
by sturdy adults.
A barrage of hailstones
direct from cumulonimbus’
towers batter those
human tent stakes
for an endless minute.

  

Part III

As quickly as it
began the storm is spent.
Jubilant children,
no worse for the onslaught,
race back to the
foam for reunion
with the salt, and
the sun, and the sand.
Bemused grownups
examine their own
bruises, shrug
and move forward,
back to lifeguarding.
It’s what they
do best.

 

Greeting card photo by Brian Mollenkopf.
 

Peace, people!

New Hampshire

As I watch the unending news coverage of the primary in New Hampshire it occurred to me that there was probably a better side to the state. So I give you a few good reasons to talk about New Hampshire that are totally non-political.

Aren’t these gorgeous? All photos were found on Pinterest. 

 

Flume Cascade, Franconia Notch State Park

Portsmouth, NH

 
Mad River in the White Mountains

 
Berlin, NH

 
Sabbaday Falls, White Mountains
  
 
 

Connect Four

The Stat Connection

Go to your Stats page and check your top 3-5 posts. Why do you think they’ve been successful? Find the connection between them, and write about it.

After fooling around with my stats page by going to a place that I didn’t know existed, I discovered that I do have access to stats that are more than a week old. I’m so pitifully unsavvy about accessing such things. Poor, poor me.

But to find my top-viewed and best liked posts I didn’t have to go back very far at all. All of these were published in 2016: 

Without You http://wp.me/p4O8fw-1Gz

A Pauper’s Death http://wp.me/p4O8fw-1Et

Bathtub Follies http://wp.me/p4O8fw-1F1

Piano Player in a Whorehouse http://wp.me/p4O8fw-1Cs

I hope I’m learning to connect with readers more, and certainly I’ve learned how to interact with other bloggers in more productive ways.

Try as I might, though, I cannot find any connection between these four posts, other than that they were all written by me.

Without You and Bathtub Follies are both slice-of-my-life stories and have a bit of humor to them, but A Pauper’s Death is a rather mournful poem, and Piano Player in a Whorehouse is a bit of futuristic fiction set in a post-Trump presidency America.

If I knew what made them succesful I’d copy down that formula and sell it; although, to be honest they weren’t THAT succesful. One of these days, though, as God is my witness, I’ll publish a piece that gets more than a mere 55 hits. And then, I’m going to celebrate with a donut.

  
Count on it.

Peace, people!

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/the-stat-connection/”>The Stat Connection</a>

Love the Name You’re With

Written in response to the Daily Post’s Daily Prompt:

Say Your Name

Write about your first name: Are you named after someone or something? Are there any stories or associations attached to it? If you had the choice, would you rename yourself?

The story of my first name, Leslie, hinges upon the story of my middle name, D’Aun. 

My mother had a close friend whose daughter was named D’Aun, (pronounced Dee Awn). Mom was enamored of the name, but didn’t want to infringe on the friend’s daughter’s name. And I suppose that might’ve been awkward.

“D’Aun, stop that right now!”

“But Mommy, I’m not doing anything!”

“Not you, D’Aun–D’Aun!”

So rather than deal with the confusion and the imagined penalty of name theft Mom elected to find a first name to precede the name D’Aun. Apparently that was no easy task. Many names were considered and subsequently discarded.

Then as my mom’s due date drew near her mother, (my Nanny), found my name while reading a book. The heroine was Leslie. And that name seemed to fit well with D’Aun. 

I’ve always believed the book Nanny was reading was Giant by Edna Ferber. It was published in 1952, and I was born in ’56, so the timing would’ve been right.

In the film version of Giant, Leslie is played by Elizabeth Taylor, so that only adds to my certainty that I am the character’s namesake. I mean, just look at her and then look at me! Or not.

  
The pronunciation of our names is different, though. Having only seen the name in print my Nanny believed Leslie was pronounced with a soft “s” sound, whereas in the film it’s a “z” sound.

Oh, that friend of Mom’s with the daughter named D’Aun–I don’t recall ever having met her. As is often the case friends from those early years drift away and are never heard from again. They could’ve left D’Aun as my first name and no one would’ve cared. 

There was a time in my life when I wished to have that romantic sounding moniker. D’Aun! I imagined in high school how much different my life might be as a D’Aun! But plain old Leslie suits me. I don’t think any other would fit me quite as well.

Peace, people!

  https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/say-your-name/

Lone Star Cuisine

Written in response to The Daily Post’s Daily Prompt:

Live to Eat

Some people eat to live, while others live to eat. What about you? How far would you travel for the best meal of your life?

I’m a Texan by birth, and even though I haven’t lived in the Lone Star State in well over two decades I still crave a couple of foods that just have no peers anywhere else on the planet.

The first is a chicken fried steak. 

 While one can order a chicken fried steak outside of Texas there is some undefinable attribute that is missing when this dish is served elsewhere. I am actually capable of making this comfort food, but making good gravy is not my forté. 

The other food I must travel to Texas to enjoy is chili Relleños. I’ve had Relleños served a hundred different ways, but in Texas the product is fairly consistent.

  
I’ve never attempted to make Relleños. Studly Doright doesn’t like them, so it seems a bit wasteful to cook them just for me. 

The question posed by the daily prompt was how far I’d need to travel to partake of my favorite foods. Thanks to Google, the answer is just a click away.

  
In ten hours or less I could be at my middle brother’s home in Houston. That’s totally doable. Start the car.

Peace, People!

Saturday Nap

I just woke up from a three hour nap. 

  
Yea, that’s how we be rollin’!

  
Exactly.

I’m hungry now.

Peace, people!

Zombies and Jane Austen

I just finished watching the film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Having read the novels, both Jane Austen’s original Pride and Prejudice as well as Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel upon which the movie was based, I was prepared for just about anything.

Seldom do I find that a film adaptation of a novel meets my expectations. In my mind I’ve already cast the main characters and imagined how certain scenes from the book will play out. Only the Harry Potter films had lived up to my expectations, until this film. 

The casting was perfect. Elizabeth Bennett, played by Lily James, was absolutely breathtaking as a kick ass zombie fighter. She could most likely play the pianoforte, as well, but that is beside the point.  Did I mention she is gorgeous?

Her Mr. Darcy, (Sam Riley) is as gifted in zombie slaying as he is clueless in matters of love. He’s pretty easy on the eyes, as well. 

The real heartthrob, though, is played by Douglas Booth in the role of Mr. Bingley. I might’ve swooned when he first was introduced to the Bennett sisters. Pretty sure I swooned. And I have unexplained drool on the bodice of my sweater.

The film is not a faithful play by play of either of the books. Thank goodness! Gone are the endless paragraphs of conversation and description. In their place are action and movement. 

Is it perfect? No. For one thing there was my least favorite plot device–an opening narrative that almost tarried too long. I had to remind myself that most viewers wouldn’t have read the novels and would need this background. 

A great deal from both books was omitted. I would have liked some of it included, such as the part from Grahame-Smith’s novel in which Elizabeth’s friend slowly becomes a zombie while living in a country parsonage. 

Another license was taken in introducing a twist to Mr. Wickham’s character. I won’t give that one away, but it was clever and added a whole new dimension to the story.

Best of all the film had a great deal of humor; although, I might’ve been the only one who was giggling. I did hear the man two seats over laugh once, whereas, I laughed a great deal. Hope I was supposed to.

  
I highly recommend Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This time, I mean the film.

Peace, people!