Day: May 10, 2019

Challenge Accepted

Fandango8 Comments

53BA6B46-C0AD-4337-99D0-188BD86AA2A9Kristian, over at Tales From the Mind of Kristian, was nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award. Good for him, am I right?

Kristian did not nominate me for that award, but in his response to having, himself, been nominated, he wrote, “If you are reading this and haven’t had an award in a while, please consider yourself nominated.”

It turns out that I was, indeed, reading his post, but since mine is an award-free blog, I don’t really keep track of when I get nominated for awards. And since I wasn’t specifically tagged, I figured I’d just move on.

But then I wrote a comment on Kristian’s post. I wrote “Congratulations on yet another well-deserved award.” And he responded, “Thanks, Fandango. Why not have a go at answering the questions? 🙂”

Okay. Who can resist such a challenge? Challenge accepted, Kristian.

So here goes.

1. If you discovered the secret of eternal youth, would you share it with anyone else? If so, who?

I am already too old to have such a discovery do me any good. So if I did have knowledge of the secret to eternal youth, I’d sell it on eBay to the highest bidder and be financially set for the rest of my life.

2. If you could invent any device to help you, what would it be?

A device that would provide its owner with eternal youth and then I’d sell it on eBay to the highest bidder and be financially set for the rest of my life. Do you see a recurring theme here?

3. Have you ever looked into your family tree? Did you discover anyone famous or infamous?

Both of my parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe and the available records of their heritage are scarce, so I have no idea if there is anyone famous or infamous in my family tree.

4. What type of stories do you like to read?

As long as they are well-written and entertaining, that’s what matters to me. That said, I enjoy stories that keep me guessing. I am not a fan of predictability.

5. What song or tune always puts a smile on your face?

Time To Write — Ratted Out

Fandango4 Comments

8367FF00-E53A-4CFD-B703-0D32FBFCC9C8“How long have you been planning this heist?” Jake asked.

“A long time,” Bud said. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Sammy raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, Bud, but the whole thing seems like a big old mess to me.”

“A big old mess?” Bud responded. “Can you be any less ambiguous? How’s it a mess?

“First of all,” Sammy said, “You said that we weren’t going to harm anyone. But the first part of your plan is to take out the security guard.”

“Jeez, Sammy, I don’t mean kill him,” Bud said. “I mean take him out of commission. You know, like knock him upside the head with a big piece of wood, or something.”

“Oh, and you think smacking the guard in the head with a chunk of wood won’t harm him?” Jake chimed in.

“Not like shooting him would,” Bud answered.

Suddenly the door to Bud’s house was busted open. “This is the FBI. Stop what you’re doing and put your hands up,” the lead agent shouted. “We’ve got you in our crosshairs, so no funny business.”

Bud looked over at his co-conspirators and whispered, “Which one of you ratted us out?”

EE7F3200-C74E-4783-960C-A3EFF36EB49AWritten for Rachel Poli’s Time To Write prompt using these three random words: “harm,” “mess,” and “heist.”

Also for these daily prompts: Word of the Day Challenge (obvious), Ragtag Daily Prompt (eyebrow), Your Daily Word Prompt (ambiguous), The Daily Spur (wood), and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (crosshairs).

Fashionista I Am Not

Fandango12 Comments

Rory, A Guy Called Bloke, is at it again. He has more Question Fun, this time on the topic of “Fashionista.”2E7668F4-8F4F-4260-B6E0-E8D38B862814

I can assure you that I am not now, nor have I ever been someone who anyone would call a “fashionista.” But I thought it might be fun to answer Rory’s fun questions anyway.

Could you cope with buying no clothes for a full year?

Probably. I only buy new clothes when my old clothes wear out. So if I can get my current “wardrobe” to last for a year, I could go for a full year without buying anything new.

How many pairs of colored/patterned socks do you possess?

None. All of my socks are white sweat socks.

What is YOUR number one fashion rule?

Comfort always trumps fashion.

What is the quirkiest customised outfit you have ever worn and where and what for did you wear it?

I don’t know that I’ve ever worn anything quirky unless I think back to my hippie days when I used to wear colorful flower-patterned shirts, hip hugger bell bottom jeans, and sandals.

In your opinion what are 5 basic but important items of clothing?

  1. T-shirts
  2. Jeans
  3. Sweat socks
  4. Sneakers
  5. Sweatshirts

Ok, so Flares? Once popular for the 70’s sure …. but where are they now?

I assume “flares” equal bell bottoms. They’re gone but not forgotten.

Which are your best three quotes that mean the most to you with regards fashion/clothing/lifestyle?

  1. “Trendy is the last stage before tacky.” Karl Lagerfeld
  2. “Fashion is about something that comes from within you.” Ralph Lauren
  3. “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Mark Twain

You obviously have favorite colors you enjoy wearing, we all do – but if you were asked to wear the opposite colors to what you normally wear what would those colors be?

Pink, red, and colors that have names but I have no idea what they are, like mauve and chartreuse.

What are the wrong trousers to wear like ever?

Baggy sagging pants with one’s butt showing, as I wrote about here.

What is your favorite style of nightwear from the following options?

Baggy T-Shirt, boxers/long Johns
Ridiculous looking Pajamas
Nothing as in bare all over
Sexy attire – you know the naughty stuff
Other

Other. I wear a T-shirt and sweatpants.

For you what one single musical track just speaks fashion to you?

“Vogue” by Madonna.

The celebrity whose style you most identify with from the following?

Melissa McCarthy
Jack Nicholsan
Clarke Gable
Halle Berry
Meryl Streep
Lady Gaga
Charlie Chaplain
Gene Kelly
Other

Other. There is no celebrity whose style I identify with.

Would you wear stripes with squares?

Only if I were in prison.

Which out of the following line up are you most likely to wear?

Heels, Boots, Flats, Loafers, Sneakers, Brogues, Thongs [Flip Flops], Running Shoes, sandals, Wedges, Slippers, Lace Ups, Decks, Wellingtons, Riding Boots, Mules, Ankle Boots, Boat shoes, Chukkas, Chelsea Boot, Slips ons?

Sneakers. Only sneakers.

Are hats your thing? If so which styles?

Baseball caps.

For women; last time you wore a scarf and for men; last time you wore a tie?

The last time I wore a tie was my last day of work at the end of 2016.

Have you ever physically suffered for the sake of a fashion trend?

Remember, my first rule of fashion is comfort always trumps fashion.

Friday Fictioneers — The Homestead

Fandango16 Comments

08907395-1A34-46F6-9C15-90B1F3724596Craig pointed to what was left of the old, decrepit structure. “That’s the house that my great great grandfather built when he first came out west,” Craig said. “He got the land through the Homestead Act of 1862.”

“What happened to it?” Jill asked.

“My grandfather died when my father was a young boy,” Craig explained. “My grandmother couldn’t pay the taxes so she abandoned the place and moved to the city, where she met and married my step-grandfather.”

“Wow,” Jill said.

“Yes,” Craig said. “And I found out the land is for sale and I want to buy it back.”

(100 words)

Written for this week’s Friday Fictioneers prompt from Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Photo credit: Jean L. Hays.

#writephoto — Military Brat

Fandango14 Comments

210B7B0E-56CF-48D1-AF81-0BD9FDD689CDEd paused in front of the group of trees, admiring their long, spread out roots. He sighed and thought about how he much envied those trees for their roots. He thought about how his family had relocated every few years when he was growing up. He had been what was called a “military brat.”

His father was career army and was frequently transferred to different army bases before he retired after thirty years of service. For Ed, that meant being uprooted, being separated from his friends, being sent to a new school, and pretty much having to start his life all over every couple of years.

He had always felt rootless as he was growing up. He became a bit standoffish, almost to the point of being a loner. Not because he wasn’t an affable kid, but because he knew that as soon as he got really close to anyone, he’d have to say goodbye and move with his family to a different state. That was difficult for him as well as for those other kids he had befriended.

Ed promised himself that, as an adult, he wouldn’t keep uprooting himself and his own family. If he ever got married and had kids, he told himself that he would not put them through what he had gone through. He would stay in one place and give himself and his children the chance to establish roots. That was the plan, anyway.

But Ed found himself easily bored. Bored with his job. Bored with his wife. Bored with his life. Every few years, he would look for a new job in a different city or a different state. The first few times it happened, his wife and daughter went with him. But when he told his wife for the third time in seven years that a great new job opportunity in another state had surfaced, she refused to follow him.

Ed left his wife and his daughter behind, moved to a new city, began a new job, and started his life over. And he did that again and again.

Now an old man, Ed had left behind three ex-wives. He had five children from whom he was estranged. He had grandchildren, too, but he wasn’t sure how many because and he’d never met any of them. He had lost touch with his wives and kids over the years and now they were spread all around the county, while Ed, who never made any close friends, was totally alone in the world.

Ed looked at the long, spread out roots of those trees and thought about how different his life might have been if he, like those trees, had stayed in one place and been able to establish strong roots.

Written for this week’s Thursday Photo Prompt from Sue Vincent.