%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
For the avoidance of doubt... Yes... I definitely have an opinion... |
 Welcome to my Blog!! Having an opinion is better than not having a thought of your own. I have many of both.... Pull up a pew and grab a hot, steaming mug of your choice. |
| Prompt: Minor mishaps. Which kinds of minor mishaps annoy you the most, minor mishaps such ah getting drenched in the rain, dropping something, annoying phone calls, etc. Then, when such a thing happens, how do you handle it at the moment that it happens? *** I think it depends on what else is going on or what my general emotional state is as to whether I will get annoyed with the minor mishap or just laugh it off. I can have a short fuse - so I may erupt like a mini volcano. Or I can shut down in a type of denial and ignore it. I can be short and snappy for a couple of hours. Or I can laugh at myself and the situation. It's a bit like Russian roulette - you never know what's going to happen. I remember being caught out in the rain with no coat while I ran to catch a bus and finding it funny despite the fact I still had a 40-minute journeys on the bus and my clothes were clinging to me. I remember being caught out in the rain during a run and being soaked through - but actually enjoying it. But equally I remember stepping in a puddle that was deeper than I thought on my way to work, my shoes and socks getting completely soaked through, and being extremely agitated by it - I had to walk around bare foot in the office until they dried. It's swing and roundabouts. I hate it when we run out of milk in the morning; when the kids use the last of it up by drowning their cereal, and there is nothing left for my tea; especially when most of it is left in the bottom of the bowl... I'm then grumpy until I get to the cafe or shops. I handle stubbing my toes, or banging by elbow way better than my husband, who swears like a trooper. But both of those are minor compared to the list of accidents and injuries I can gotten into over the years - which is probably why they are nothing more than water off a duck's back. I used to burn my wrists on the shelves in the oven frequently (once a week). I'm not sure how or why, but every time I would reach in a retrieve a tray, I would catch the side of my wrist. I would be bound with special burn plasters and wrappings to the point that my work colleagues if I had something I wanted/needed to tell them (I looked like an advert for self-harm). They were minor mishaps that I still have the scars for. Not major events that really mattered and too frequent to get overly dramatic about. It became a running joke in work that one year at Christmas the Sales Director bought me oven gloves and plasters. My son once (recently) flooded the bathroom. He covered the drain in the shower, and it flowed up and over the shower basin and covered the floor with half an inch of water. There was so much water that is leaked through the ceiling into the toilet downstairs that it looked like an indoor water feature through the light/fan. It could have blown the electrics - it didn't. The floor could have been damaged and needed replacing - it didn't. I'm still not sure why he didn't just turn off the shower. He was six at the time. It took ages to clean up. Nearly every towel in the house. I was fuming - shouted a lot. My son felt very guilty. I felt guilty for shouting... in the grand scheme of things it was a minor inconvenience. 40 minutes later the tiles were dry, a bucket was collecting the residual waterfall, and the carpet in the hall was starting to dry. I know when I'm under the pump and stressed, or there have been a series of things that have gone wrong, the smallest thing will break "the camel's back" and I will crack - cry - shut down. It's like the safety valve for the rest of the world, so that I don't commit murder... It's my way of recalibrating. |
| Prompt - June 7th celebrates Chocolate Ice Cream Day. What's your favourite way to enjoy ice cream by itself or as a side? Favourite flavour? *** I am lactose intolerant, which means I cannot enjoy ice-cream without consequences or unless it is the lactose free/dairy alternative. In general, I don't think the dairy alternatives are not as nice as regular ice-cream (it tends to taste icy rather than creamy), and most lactose free versions only really come in vanilla - which is nice but limited. So, I guess my favourite is vanilla by default. I do tend to opt of sorbet when we are out and about - strawberry, raspberry and mango are my favs. Anything fruity! Summer in Australia = ice-cream and they have some amazing ice-creameries with so many different flavours - I have even seen a vegemite flavoured ice-cream  Defiantly not for me...I LOVE vanilla as a flavour. I tend to triple to volume of it in recipes - particularity when I bake brownies. I also like the fact that I can had lots of toppings depending on my fancy that day: chocolate sauce, hundreds and thousands (sprinkles to you Americans), chopping nuts etc... it's basically an ice-cream sundae regardless of whether it is in a cone or bowl. Vanilla is also one of my favourite scents for candles, oils, and simmer pots. I find it relaxing and homely. |
| Prompt - On June 6, 1933, eager motorists parked their automobiles on the grounds of Camden Drive-In, the first-ever drive-in movie theater, located on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Have you been to a drive-in movie? If you have been to a drive-in was it with family or with friends or on a date? If you haven't been to a drive-in, can you remember a movie that featured scenes with drive-ins? *** I'm writing this on the fly... well train to be exact. Heading home after a long week. I would ordinarily be getting in to my car once I arrived at the train station, but some tw@ has stolen my car and taken it for a joy ride. My hubby just got a phone call from the police as someone has reported the car as driving dangerously and erratically... they are in pursuit. I doubt I'll have an intact car by this evening. And it can't remember if the insurance has a courtesy car included. Needless to say I will not be going to a drive in movie this weekend! I have never been to a drive-in movie. The weather doesn't really scream outdoor movie in the UK. To many chances of rain. I'm not even sure if they have them in Australia.... they feel like a US thing. I base this solely on Greese and Travolta... so the only drive in movie I have ever seen is the cartoon about the hotdog doing circus tricks and then jumping in the bun. |
| Prompt: Do you use Apps on your phone? What are your favourite Apps? *** I use lots of apps Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, various bank apps, Novelist, Story Plotter, School and childcare apps, the kids activities apps - gymnastics, Parkour, and Circus - there are apps for EVERYTHING. The world is online and "on the go" - I don't think it would keep turning is there were not apps to help us run our lives. I wouldn't be able to keep in touch with my family and friends back in the UK as easily if I didn't use apps. They are the ones that I use the most. Coffee groups, parents' group, book club, sometimes we just send memes and GIFs at each other - my niece and I can have whole conversations without typing a word. I send my mum photos of the kids to help her feel connected with them, and so she does feel like she's missing out. I even send her the digital copies of the school photos so she can print them out. We are contemplating one of other digital frame where I can just upload photos and they appear on her frame at home. I have to book childcare spot through their app. I have to log absences at the school and activities via the app. I can book extra session and pay tuition fees... it's very convenient. I can organise my UK bank and payments while I'm in Australia. Send money at a drop of the hat. Log ideas on the various writing ones I have. I even access writingdotcom on my photo - though that is through Edge and not an app. I even my train ticket/pass is on my phone!! |
| Prompt: What color do you feel like today and why? Write about this in your Blog entry today. *** I feel grey… I wasn’t sure whether I would write to the prompt today, I didn’t want to write about something mundane or analysis a quote, when I feel the way I do. I wasn’t sure whether I would even write a post. But it turns out that the prompt, surreptitiously, worked with how I feel and maybe it will be cathartic. Last night my husband sat me down and let me know that he’d spoken to my best friend’s husband and he’d let him know that his brain cancer had returned. My husband didn’t know how to tell me. He knew I’d be devastated for both my best friend and her husband. And I was. I am. When we lived in the UK we were all incredible close. Games night, random coffee trips. Clair visited me so many times while I was in hospital having my daughter (I was hospitalised at 30 weeks along and had to stay in hospital until a schedule c-section at 37 weeks). She brought me hot chocolate, and tea, and chocolate cake. She kept me sane. And Phil was a point of sanity for my husband while we were apart. My husband and I even spoke about who we would want our kids to go to if anything happened to us, and it was always Clair and Phil – even above our family. We love them like they are family - because they are, just not by blood. When we moved to Australia 5 years ago, we left them behind physically. But there are emails, and texts, and video calls, and random presents that arrive through the post to remind us that we may be on opposite sides of the world but never far from each other’s hearts and thoughts. We cheer the kids on when they pass another taekwondo belt or pass a driving test. So, to be on this side of the world when they are going through this is numbing. Except I'm not numb, I'm all over the place. Phil was diagnosed last year. He went through treatment; Clair took a year off work to support and care for him – I almost jumped on a plane at that point. The treatment worked, the cancer responded and we all blew a collective sigh of relief. But it’s come back. There is little treatment left that will work. They are starting to look at hospice visits. And my husband and I are stuck on the other side of the world unable to do anything useful. We can’t lighten the load. We can’t just drop by for moral support or a good cry. I wish I could be angry about the whole thing – and a part of me is – but there is nowhere to direct it. I feel the anger build up, and then it just sinks back down into the pit of my stomach to fester to the point I feel sick. And I can’t stop crying – but what I’m feeling is nothing in comparison to what I know Clair must be feeling, to what Phil and their girls must be feeling. It pales in comparison and that just makes it worse because we’re here and they are there. We are going to go back in a few weeks. We’re trying to sort out annual leave, passports, visas, and dog and lizard sitting etc… I honestly don’t know if it’s for us or them. I mean, we’re literally planning on jumping on a plane just to give them a hug… best $10k ever spent… I’ll have to get my act together by then, because what use will I be to her otherwise. So, yes… I feel grey. |
| Prompt: Outer Space - True or false, a whole lot of information is on the web about the outer space these days, by means of Nasa, James Webb telescope, and the Voyager probes. Do you believe in what they tell us about UFOs and/or life on other planets and space? *** I am a firm believer in science and reproducible experiments/investigation. I like that if you do the same actions, under the same variables, you can get the same results – and so can other people. So why wouldn’t the same be true in space or other planets. If I’m not mistaken, bacteria has been found on asteroids in space and on Mars – it actually survives in the vacuum of space. Water, or indications of water, have been found on Mars. The molecular elements that are the basis of life on earth have been found during space expeditions. They have discovered thousands of “goldie locks” planets throughout the galaxy that have the potential to support life - it’s almost naive to suggest that life on other planets isn’t at least possible. And these are not things/evidence from one source, but rather multiple sources. I have no idea if UFOs exist – I mean other than they are flying objections that can’t be identified. I do wonder why they’d bother. Especially the abducting people for experiments – also why are all these people from the US, there is a big wide world but apparently E.T. only visits the Nevada Desert – it’s just rude. Honestly, I don’t think we are that interesting as a species. Or that advanced - in comparison to aliens with spaceships at least, so maybe they are just messing with us; it’s the equivalent of teenagers harassing their neighbours – intergalactic public nuisances. I am obsessed with Sci-fi, especially of the space variety: Star Trek, Star Wars, Farscape, Firefly, Alien(s), even Passengers… It’s one of my favourite genres. If there is a spacecraft on screen, I will happily watch it. And I love the books too; Seeds of Earth is one of my favourite novels. I don’t particularly want to encounter an alien – especially if they look and act like the ones from Independence Day, Predator, or Alien… (have you see a hilarious GIF about Cadbury’s crème eggs and the face huggers – I think it was Elves of the Shelves horror edition). But, Star Trek, Star Wars, Farscape and Firefly looked like a lot of fun – mostly for the space pirates – and I could totally get on board (literally) with that. |
| Prompt: Fishing - Have you ever gone fishing or been on a fishing trip? If so, what was your favorite part of the trip? *** Nope, I have never been fishing and probably never will. I have gutted and cleaned a fish (and octopus - very messy). I will happily eat fish and shellfish. But I don’t like fishing. And not for the common “I don’t like the idea of killing something/animal cruelty” position – which I respect but… I like to eat meat… It’s because I have ichthyophobia – a fear of fish. Or more precisely, encountering them in their natural environment – which is mostly in murky water that I cannot see the bottom of. I am fine with seeing them in fish tanks and aquarium. But the idea of swimming with them… Nope, nope, nope. Now, I could fish from a lake/riverbank, or a boat/kayak I hear you say and yes this might be true, BUT I also have an irrational fear of being pulled into said murky waters by said fish, or having a boat capsized… by the fish. I am aware that this is a completely idiotic fear. But I have seen TOO MANY films (JAWS) and TOO MANY docuseries about giant catfish… I even have a fear of swimming pools if I cannot see the bottom of it because of a film I should not have been watching when I was younger about a woman getting eaten by an alligator that had decided to “lay in wait” at the bottom of it. I am traumatised! I even have a real-life event that feeds into it. When I was about eight and lived in the Middle East with my parents (Saudi Arabia to be exact). We went to a hotel which had a lovely private beach and cove. It had a net across the entrance to the bay/cove thing, to stop big scarry things (like sharks) getting in. In the centre was an anchored Island. There were paddle boats that you could rent to putt about of the waves… But being a stubborn child and a very strong swimmer, I bet my father I could swim to the Island. Which didn’t seem as far from the sandy beach – however took considerably bloody longer when I was in the middle of the swim. Note: the distance was fine – it was probably 150/200m out if that and I’d swum 1500m by the time I was six and had the badge to prove it. No… the problem was that I suddenly became very frecking aware that I could not tell what was around me… in the water… and something, that felt rather large, touched my thigh as I was swimming. Now it was most likely seaweed, and my thigh was very small at the time… however, in my head it was a giant fish that had swum through the net as a baby fish and grew… I swam very, very fast to the island and refused to get back in the sea – waiting for a random paddle boater to rescue me… The other event… which was very reminiscent of JAWS…. Also happened in Saudi, or technically the Gulf Sea. I was water skiing (learning) and came off the rope. Thus, I was left floating in the sea, over the shelf so the sea was dark, while I waited for the speedboat to turn and come back for me – the cruel frecking muppets on the boat thought it would be funny to take a very wide turn, which added several minutes (left like hours) to the time I was left vulnerable and shark bait. I had the poster for JAWS in my head the entire time… That was bad enough… however a week later a man was swimming in the same spot and was attacked by a great white shark… (AND DIED). Needless to say – I did not go back in the water… In Summary - Fish are evil, but I will eat them. |
| Prompt: What is your approach to decision making? Do you decide easily, or do you take too long a time? Do you also believe some people can or do make snap decisions? *** I procrastinate. My house is never as clean as when I have to make a decision or actually do something I am not 100% invested in. I blog when I should be writing my novel… (seriously NanoWriMo would be a cake walk if I just had to give my opinions or blog – it’s also what I am doing right this second to avoid writing lol). I vacuum when I should be concentrating on a creative deadline. I get fixated on cleaning the grout in the shower when… well, you get the picture. It’s not that I am easily distracted – because this is a purposeful habit. I am a libra – an excuse I use regularly. “I can’t help it. It’s my nature to be indecisive and weigh every decision in painstaking detail.” I am the Queen of the "What If". Most of the time I have mapped out the consequences and probability to multiples scenarios in my head before I take a step – it’s like tree roots or lightning scorch. Numerous possible pathways. It’s hard to make a decision when you have that in your head – constantly. Which pathway do I choose? Which outcome do I want? I also thrive under pressure. I always have. I am the cliché that stays up until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning on an assignment – which always turns out pretty damn good. I like to overlook the fact it would probably be a masterpiece if I dedicated more time to it. Because where is the fun in that? Where is the thrill? The heart palpitations? My creativity is born from adrenaline. I can almost feel all the neurons popping and crackling in my head and it’s delicious. I sometimes purposefully wait. A test to see how close to the edge I can get before I fail – the “problem” is I haven’t yet. I’ve always passed the finish line. Which makes me want to step closer to that ledge. However, I do have a split personality on this matter when it comes to something I am fully invested in. Something I have a fixation on. Something I can hyperfocus on. Then I can make decisions in a fraction of a heartbeat. Many decisions. In quick successions. So much so, that it will probably give you whiplash. They don’t have to be small events either. If my heart, gut, and mind is fully aligned it will look like a snap decision. That I’ve said to hell with it. BUT. and this is a big but… I have run so many scenarios in my head over the years, analysed the success and failure rates, that I have a back catalogue of options to call on. To help me choose which one most closely lines up. This portfolio of possibilities is in constant use as I navigate the twist and turns of my decisions. Nudging me down different avenues until I get to the destination I want or discover one I am happy with. Is it tiring. YES. Does my brain ever switch off. NO. But I also wouldn’t change it. |
| Prompt: Have fun with these words- talented, adjust, public, nuisance, endorse, strength, strange, stumble and actor. *** My son is a talented actor. He’s seven-years-old and can switch from public nuisance or absolute angel in a heartbeat. He thinks he has everyone fooled. Cheeky smiles and big brown eyes soften most of his teachers. If I hadn’t rocked him to sleep, tucked him in, and caught every stumble – maybe I would be fooled too. I do not endorse his behaviour. I try to steer him in the right direction. Nudge him to adjust course when he gets distracted or tempted by quick rewards and gratification. He is constantly reminded that there are consequences for his actions, but in a strange turn of events he appears to have decided that there are some consequences he’s fine with. That somethings are worth the fall out. Give me strength! |
| Prompt - There are people who live socially correct lives but become a shadow of themselves versus the people who sink themselves deeply into all levels of life, exploring their dreams fully regardless of the cost and to attain their goals. Are certain individuals predisposed to take risks and others not?"~ Lene Gammelgaard - Climbing High. What do you think? Have you chased or known someone who has chased a dream regardless of the cost? *** Let me get on my soapbox… There are too many people who tie themselves in knots over conforming to society’s or their community’s standards – standards that change over time and quite frankly need to be tested and pushed against, or obliterated, on occasions. I completely understand how this can and does kill a part of that person as they bend over backwards to be the perfect parent, spouse, child, or employee. To portray who they think they should be. To blend in and not rock the boat. Far too worried, perhaps, of other people's opinions. There is a reason that we often look at those people who throw caution to the wind in the pursuit of their dream with a level of envy. They are called selfish, childish, directionless. Attention seeking adrenaline junkies who need to grow up. Things we, perhaps, wish we could be – if we allowed ourselves to relax the constraints that we bind ourselves with a little. They appear happy... They are all things I have been called at some point in my life. I used to be affected by those labels – slightly – in the silence of my bedroom, flat, or personal sanctuary. I say slightly because I have a stubborn streak a mile long that’s forged in titanium and pure bloody mindedness – a trait passed down by my mother who is equally in awe and vexed by it. But as I grew up those labels turned into badges of honour – to be celebrated. I am stubborn. I do know my worth. I like valid recognition. I have so many opinions and I will stand by them with conviction when needed. And I love those butterflies in my stomach. The ones that come around and let me know I am on the precipice of something life changing and amazing. The ones that make me smile and then jump off the cliff with two feet and a "whoop" and a "yip". Sometimes it really is “nothing ventured, nothing gained”. If I had listened to my mother, I wouldn’t have travelled to Australia and had a two-week, whirlwind romance. The man in question wouldn’t have followed me back to the UK based on said two-week holiday romance. We wouldn’t have fallen in love, got married, and had two gorgeous children. If I hadn’t listened to those butterfly and hadn’t jumped feet first into it – I’d of missed out on the greatest adventure of my life. I would have regretted it. That was how we both knew what to do. Standing at that point where we could have turned and walked away, but instead said fcuk it lets find out… let’s not regret it. I like saying fcuk it. It’s by far my favourite saying since I turned 40… I have always had rebellious tendencies. Subtle ones – nothing major. I like going against the grain. I also have control issues. I will dig my heels in quicker than a mule at the slightest inclination of perceived control. Case in point was MY wedding, where the idea of not wearing white was outrageous… My mother had a fit when I turned up wearing bright red platform pumps, complete with black sequin skulls and navy-blue nails – a pop of colour in a wash of white… I get my eye rolling capabilities from her - how she doesn’t recognise these traits in herself I will never know – and hers were magnificent that day. I took the small victory. My own form of rebellion. I am sure my daughter will pay me back - and I will smile. We are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. We won’t be remembered in a couple of generations. Society in general doesn’t care about us – it cares about the mass, not the individual. We should be enjoying our time beneath the sun while we have it – it doesn’t last forever after all. It’s often gone far too soon. It’s never the “long” in the “long and happy life” that matters in a eulogy, it’s the happy; it’s the living, and not simply existing. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
