Month: August 2023

Thursday Inspiration — Forever Man

Fandango10 Comments

For this week’s Thursday Inspiration prompt, Jim Adams has asked us to respond to this challenge by either using the prompt words “boss,” “work,” or “job,” or going with the picture he provided, or by means of the song “Forever Man,” or with another song by Eric Clapton, or something by Steve Winwood, or with anything else that you think fits.

I usually respond to Jim’s Thursday Inspiration prompts with a song. But this time I’m going in an entirely different direction. I’m going to do a little bit of political flash fiction focusing on two old friends and the phrase “forever man.”

“I don’t get it,” Tony said. “We’ve been best friends since, well, forever, man. And now your saying you don’t want to be friends anymore?”

“Well, what did you expect, Tony, after that fracas we had the last time we were together?” Alex said. “That was some pretty heavy shit we got into. There’s a reason, Tony, that I don’t like to talk politics with people, especially if it’s with a close friend like you. I was shattered when you said you were going to vote for Trump in 2024. In all the years we’ve known each other, I knew you leaned a little to the right, but I never imagined that you’d be a Trump supporter, that you’d vote for him in 2016 and again in 2020, and that with all of the unethical, immoral, and illegal actions he’s taken, including an attempted coup after he lost the 2020 election, that you’re still on his team. That’s a big issue for me, Tony.”

“He’s strong and determined,” Tony said. “Did you see his ‘Never Surrender!’ mug shot? The guy’s a fighter and he can do a good job for America.

“The fact is that he’s the first U.S. president in history to be impeached twice. The fact is that he’s the first former American president to be criminally indicted not just once but four times. The fact is that he’s the first former American president to ever have a mug shot,” Alex said. “I don’t understand how so many Americans have been afflicted by this syndrome that makes them believe in Donald Trump as if he’s the second coming of Christ.”

“That’s exactly what he is,” Tony said. “Ask yourself, Alex, ‘What would Jesus do?’ And the answer is precisely what Trump is doing.”

“That, Tony, is why we can no longer be friends. You’ve lost it, buddy.”

Also written for these daily prompts: Your Daily Word Prompt (fracas), Ragtag Daily Prompt (there’s a reason), Fandango’s One Word Challenge (shatter), My Vivid Blog (years), Word of the Day Challenge (issue), and The Daily Prompt (syndrome).

FOWC with Fandango — Shatter

Fandango23 Comments
FOWC

Welcome to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (U.S.).

Today’s word is “shatter.”

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. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. Show them some love.

WDYS — Worst Road Trip Ever

Fandango8 Comments

“I’m sorry, Ken, but I find your conversation on this road trip less than stimulating.”

“Well, Larry, I’m sorry I don’t have a bunch of boffola stories with which to keep you entertained,” Ken said.

“Plus, we’re in the middle of nowhere and I can’t find a radio station that plays decent music and that lasts for more than five minutes before the signal fades,” Larry said. “I’m going to pull over to the side the road. I’ve got a case in the trunk with a dozen cassette tapes. We can listen to them.”

Larry got out of the car, retrieved the case full of cassettes, and brought them inside the car. He handed the case to Ken and said, “These are my mix tapes. I spent hours recording them from songs on the radio. Pick a few out and we can listen to them.”

“You kept these tapes in the trunk of your car?” Ken asked as he opened up the case with the cassettes inside. “The issue is that most of these cassettes are either partially melted or seriously warped from being stored in the hot trunk of your car, Larry.”

“Pick the one that is least warped and try that,” Larry instructed Ken. But no matter which cassette Ken tried, they were all too warped to fit into the tape deck.

“You have one of them new iPod things, don’t you?” Larry asked. “Hand it over. I have a holder affixed to my windshield and we can listen to some good old rock and roll, right, buddy?”

“Yes, I do have an iPod, Larry,” Ken said, “But I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. The only “tunes” I’ve downloaded to my iPod are classical.”

“Classic rock! My favorite,” Larry said.

“No, not classic rock,” Ken said. “Classical. Think Chopin, Beethoven, Haydn, Bach, and Mozart.”

Worst road trip ever, Larry thought.

Written for Sadje’s What Do You See prompt. Photo credit: Tobias Tullius @ Unsplash. Also for these daily prompts: Fandango’s One Word Challenge (stimulating), Ragtag Daily Prompt (boffola), and Word of the Day Challenge (issue).

WDP — Last Online Search

Fandango13 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?
View all responses

On Sunday, for the first time since I bought my electric car two years earlier, I had it valet parked. On Sunday, for the first time since I bought my electric car, when I got it back from valet parking, there was a message on my dashboard display saying that my two right tires were low on air. Coincidence?

Yesterday I pulled my car into a gas station for the first time since I bought my electric car two years earlier. I backed over to the “free air dispenser” and attempted to add air to my two tires that my dashboard display would not let me forget had low air pressure.

I’ve done this a million times with other cars and never had a problem. But yesterday I did have a problem. It may have been because of my situation with my broken hip and not being able to bend down sufficiently to get the air hose properly seated on the tire’s valve stem. Or, because something was wrong with the “free air dispenser” hose. But by the end of the process, the air pressure in my tires was lower than before I started.

So when I got home, I went on Amazon and did a search for tire inflators/air compressors. I wanted something that could be delivered overnight, that was inexpensive, and that got at least a 4.5 in user reviews.

It’s scheduled to be delivered today.

One-Liner Wednesday — Educational Television

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“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

Groucho Marx, American comedian, actor, writer, singer, stage, film, radio, and television star

Written for Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt.