Day: November 23, 2018

Friday Fictioneers + First Line Friday

Fandango23 Comments

B4E31777-3AF4-49F5-BECE-CD4EC6DF892F“This was by far, the bleakest and blackest of Fridays,” Craig said, sitting with his wife in the park near the serenity of a series of small waterfalls.

“You say that every year on the day after Thanksgiving,” Anna said. “But yes, last night’s dinner was extreme.”

“I just can’t fathom how gullible and, yes, stupid, some of my relatives are,” Craig said. “I’m sorry, Anna, but this is it. No more family Thanksgiving dinners at our home. Never again. I can’t take it anymore.”

“Never say never,” Anna said, trying to console her husband. “Trump won’t be president forever.”

(100 words)

Written for Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers prompt and for the  Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie First Line Friday prompt. Photo credit: Dale Rogerson.

The Sounds Inside My Head

Fandango26 Comments

AEE37EA9-236B-429C-A71C-5F3D939CB78AI have the dubious distinction of suffering from a condition known as tinnitus. If you’re not familiar with tinnitus, it’s a perception of noise or ringing in the ears. It can be a ringing, a buzzing, or a wide range of sounds that only those with this malady can hear. And thus, the key word is perception, since there really are no sounds other than the inner “melody” perceived by those with tinnitus.

My tinnitus is in both ears and it sounds like a high pitched tone, almost like one you might hear if you stand close to high tension electrical wires. I’ve had tinnitus for years, but the good news is that, because it’s my constant companion, I am able to manage it. In fact, I’m so used to that ringing that sometimes I don’t even notice it. But at other times, it can overwhelm me. When I’m sick, for instance. Or when I’m overly tired. Or when it’s otherwise very quiet. Then it can seem quite loud. And quite annoying.

I have spent hours online shopping for so-called miracle cures. But to no avail. I’ve also visited a number of doctors and audiologists, many of which visits are not covered by my health insurance. And since the cause for tinnitus is unknown and there is no known cure, the best advice I received from all of these medical practitioners has been to “learn to live with it.”

And so I have. Because the alternative to not learning to live with it is not an option.

Written for these one-word prompts: Word of the Day Challenge (dubious), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (melody), Your Daily Word Prompt (overwhelm), Ragtag Daily Prompt (shop), and Scotts Daily Prompt (insurance).

Mel’s Three Questions

Fandango2 Comments

So my blogger friend, Mel, at Crushed Caramel decided to tag me for a post in which she was tagged by one blogger who had been tagged by another blogger. Anyway, long story short, she asked three new questions and I thought I’d list her questions and offer my answers:

When you went to the play-park as a child, did you have a favorite apparatus? (e.g., the swings, see-saw, slides, climbing frame)

If there was one other person at the playground with me, we’d be on the see-saw. If I was with more than one other person, maybe the swings. And if I was alone, the monkey bars (what we called the climbing frame).555B54F9-06B7-4BFE-9D96-9E202C555A1B

If I were to send you a bouquet of flowers, what kind of flowers would you like to see in it?

I like Edible Arrangements. And if the edibles have been infused with marijuana (which is perfectly legal where I live), all the better!3A32C5EF-5EB1-430E-AAAB-E10D7BE1E981

When you have a cold, how do you treat it? Do you dose yourself up with items you have bought from the pharmacy or do you have any home remedies you rely on? Is there anything else you do to try to cheer yourself up while you are ill?

I drink lots and lots of water, I take Airborne effervescent tablets at least three times a day, and I get Sudafed at the pharmacy. But it has to be the kind of Sudafed you have to get from the pharmacist and sign for, not the kind of Sudafed you find on a shelf in an aisle. That stuff is worthless.C1FC3781-46BF-49E5-84FE-604ACECF6A84

Okay. Now I think I’m supposed to tag three more bloggers and ask three more questions. But I’m tired and stuffed from all of the Thanksgiving turkey I ate last night. So I’m going to throw it open to anyone who wishes to answer these same three questions that Mel asked.

FOWC with Fandango — Melody

Fandango38 Comments

FOWCWelcome to November 23, 2018 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “melody.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.