For this week’s Sunday Poser, Sadje has asked…
Are you a people pleaser?
When I was younger, I did strive to be liked by others, so yes, I suppose I was a bit of a people pleaser. Maybe too much so.
But now…
Sunday Poser — People Pleaser
Day: May 7, 2023
Why Do I Blog?
Lorraine, aka blindzanygirl, asked us today, “Why Do You Blog?”
I started blogging in 2005 when I mentioned to a work associate that I enjoyed writing short stories and also writing letters to the editor of my local newspaper, a number of which had been published. He suggest that I should consider blogging. So I did. First I blogged at Blogger. Then, in 2009, I migrated to TypePad. In 2013, I switched to WordPress, and by then I was addicted to blogging.
By 2015, I had become so preoccupied with blogging that my work was suffering, my marriage was suffering, and I knew I had to reassess my priorities. So in April of 2015, I abruptly quit blogging.
I retired at the end of 2016. By then my wife and I had also sorted out our issues. And with the insanity of Donald Trump having been elected POTUS, I was itching to get back to blogging in order to express my outrage.
So on May 14, 2017, I published my first post on This, That, and the Other.
So why do I blog? Well, I still like to write short stories (flash fiction). I still enjoy writing letter-to-the-editor-type post wherein I share my opinions, views, perspective, and outrage. But most of all, it’s my ability to interact daily with a wonderful, supportive, and global community of bloggers who encourage me to keep on blogging.
What about you? Why do you blog? Click on the link to Lorraine’s post at the beginning of this post and let her know.
Cellpic Sunday — 5/7/23
John Steiner, the blogger behind Journeys With Johnbo, has this prompt he calls Cellpic Sunday in which he asks us to post a photo that was taken with a cellphone, tablet, or another mobile device. I thought this might be fun so I decided to join in.
I’m not normally the type who takes photos of every meal I eat at different restaurants or at home and post them on social media. But in January of this year I was in the hospital for two weeks after I fractured a hip. I had been complaining to my wife about how awful the meals had been.
But then, on January 20th, the sixth night of my hospital stay, I had this plate put on my bed tray.
It looked absolutely delicious. A generous piece of moist salmon with a salsa topping, diced carrots, diced beets, and white rice sides. I thought that finally I’d be getting a decent-tasting meal. I was so excited that I took this photo with my iPhone and sent it to my wife. She responded by texting me back, writing, “Looks yummy. Let me know how it tastes.”
A few minutes later I sent her this one-word text: “Inedible.”
If you wish to participate in this fun cellphone photo prompt, please click on the link to John’s post at the top of my post to see his photo and to read his instructions.
Spam Comment of the Week — Week 18 2023
I get some interesting spam comments on my blog, most of which are captured by Akismet, WordPress’ spam blocker. I generally do a mass delete of all of my spam comments after checking to see if any legitimate comments got caught up in Akismet’s spam-catching net.
I thought it might be fun to select a particularly interesting or unique or outrageous spam comment and highlight it each week.
This week I’m featuring a comment from Wayne Thomas. He left this comment on my response to the WordPress Daily Writing Prompt asking about our favorite emojis. Wayne, who also seems to want to be called “TheDogGod,” wrote…
We love reading your blog! Your unique perspective and genuine voice are game-changers in the world. Keep sharing, because your words make a difference. Thank you for being who you are!
Thanks – TheDogGod
I’m not sure who the “we” are that Wayne tells me love reading my blog, but I can tell you that Wayne, for whatever reason, sure seemed to be kissing my ass with his comment. But fear not, Wayne, I will continue to make a difference with my words and to be a game changer. You’re welcome, Wayne, aka TheDogGod.
What about you? Have you read some catchy spam comments that you’d like to share with us? If so, put them in the comments or create your own post and tag it #FSCW.
Song Lyric Sunday — Boy Bands
For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday theme, Jim Adams has given us “boy bands” music. He defines boy bands as “a small ensemble of males in their teens or twenties that express youthful exuberance, and play pop songs geared especially to a young female audience ages 10-14.” This seems to be category that is different from male bands for some reason. Age maybe? Makes me wonder if the band Boyz II Men is a boy band or a male band.
Anyway, I texted my daughter and asked her what her favorite boy band is and she said OneRepublic. I’m assuming that she didn’t lead me astray and that OneRepublic is (or was), in fact, a boy band. Then I asked her what her favorite OneRepublic song is and she said “Counting Stars.”
“Counting Stars” was a song from American pop rock [boy?] band, OneRepublic from their third studio album, Native. The song was written by lead singer Ryan Tedder, and was the album’s second single, released on June 14, 2013. The song was one of the band’s most successful singles, reaching number one in many countries including Canada and the United Kingdom, number two in the United States, and the top ten in 20 other countries.
Tedder was working on some songs with Beyoncé for her new album when he came across a little known folk song that he fell in love with. Wanting to write his own version of the tune, he tried to reach out to the original writer to see if he would collaborate with him, but hit a dead end. So Tedder came up with his own interpretation, heavy on piano and acoustic guitar. This arrangement took on a more soulful, gospel sound than the original.
Tedder said that he debated playing his song for Beyoncé and putting it forward for her album, but he didn’t think it felt like a song Beyoncé would record. He immediately came up with the chorus idea, went home spent the next three months finishing the Native album.
According to the band, song is about “laying in bed awake at night when you’re stressed out of your mind, thinking, ‘How are we gonna make ends meet? How are we gonna pay the bills?’ You know, all those things you wanna do with your life, how are we gonna make them work? How’s this actually gonna happen or come to pass? So, instead of counting sheep, we’re counting stars.”
Here are the lyrics to “Counting Stars.”
Lately, I've been, I've been losin' sleep
Dreamin' about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be countin' stars
Yeah, we'll be countin' stars
I see this life like a swingin' vine
Swing my heart across the line
In my face is flashin' signs
Seek it out and ye shall find
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
On just doing what we're told
I feel something so right
Doing the wrong thing
And I feel something so wrong
Doing the right thing
I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
Lately, I've been, I've been losin' sleep
Dreamin' about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be countin' stars
Lately, I've been, I've been losin' sleep
Dreamin' about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be
We'll be countin' stars
Hey, yeah
I feel your love and I feel it burn
Down this river, every turn
Hope is our four-letter word
Make that money, watch it burn
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
On just doing what we're told
And I feel something so wrong
Doing the right thing
I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly
Lately, I've been, I've been losin' sleep
Dreamin' about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be countin' stars
Lately, I've been, I've been losin' sleep
Dreamin' about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be
We'll be countin' stars
Oh
Take that money, watch it burn
Sink in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money, watch it burn
Sink in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money, watch it burn
Sink in the river the lessons I learned
Take that money, watch it burn
Sink in the river the lessons I learned
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
Lately, I've been, I've been losin' sleep
Dreamin' about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be countin' stars
Lately, I've been, I've been losin' sleep
Dreamin' about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be
We'll be countin' stars
Take that money, watch it burn
Sink in the river the lessons I've learned
Take that money, watch it burn
Sink in the river the lessons I've learned
Take that money, watch it burn
Sink in the river the lessons I've learned
Take that money, watch it burn
Sink in the river the lessons I've learned
This, That, and the Other 