one-word prompt

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — April 26th

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Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on any day this past year and link to that post in a comment.

How about it? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Flashback Friday post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

This was originally posted on April 26, 2018 on this blog.

Snidely Whiplash

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When I was a lot younger than I am now, I used to watch “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends” on TV. I loved the show, an animated television series that originally aired from November 1959 to June 1964.

Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series was structured as a cartoon variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters, Rocky the flying squirrel and Bullwinkle the moose.

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The main adversaries in most of their adventures were two Russian-like spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale.

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Other segments of the half-hour cartoon show included characters like Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties (a parody of old-time melodrama), Peabody’s Improbable History (a dog named Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman traveling through time), and Fractured Fairy Tales (classic fairy tales retold in comic fashion).

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Snidely Whiplash was the archenemy of Dudley Do-Right. Whiplash was the depicted as the stereotypical villain in the style of stock characters found in silent movies and earlier stage melodrama, wearing black clothing, a top hat, and sporting a handlebar mustache.

Snidely Whiplash was a character that, to me, anyway, is the personification (to the extent that a cartoon character can serve as a personification) of a cur, or a contemptible man. So naturally, when I saw today’s one-word prompt, “cur,” I immediately thought about Snidely.

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — March 29th

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Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on any day this past year and link to that post in a comment.

How about it? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Flashback Friday post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

This was originally posted on March 29, 2018 on this blog.

Time to Panic

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“What the hell’s the matter with you?” Clyde asked his daughter. “You’re acting like a maniac.”

“I’m frantic, Dad,” Lilith said. “I can’t find my iPhone.”

“Where did you leave it?” her father asked.

“If I knew that, Dad, I would be able to find it,” Lilith responded. “Duh!”

“When did you last use it?”

“When I was at Betsy’s last night. We were studying for the history test together.”

“Okay,” Clyde said. “Don’t panic.”

Lilith rolled her eyes. “Right, that’s easy for you to say. My whole life is on that phone.”

“Okay, calm down,” Clyde said. “Let me call your number.” He pulled out his own cellphone, an antique flip phone model, and dialed her number. “It’s ringing.”

But the sound of a ringing phone could not be heard anywhere near where they were standing. Lilith became even more frantic.

“Wait, someone answered,” her father said, hearing a boy’s voice. “Hello? Can you tell me how you’re answering my daughter’s phone?” There was a slight pause and then Clyde said, “I see. Okay, thanks. I’ll let her know.”

“So?” Lilith said, impatiently.

“I thought you said you were studying for your history test at Betsy’s place last night,” Clyde said.

Now it was time for Lilith to panic.

Written for today’s one-word prompt, “frantic.”

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — July 14th

Fandango22 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Flashback Friday post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (14th) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on July 14, 2017.

I’m Considering Dropping WordPress

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I’m seriously thinking about dropping WordPress. Well, from my blog’s URL that is.

It’s not because I have anything against having “.wordpress” in my blog’s web address. To be honest, I couldn’t give a shit about that. Especially since keeping “.wordpress” in the URL saves me some money. And I’m all about saving money.

But apparently my blog has become popular enough recently that ads are starting to show up on my posts. I realize that in life there’s no such thing as a free ride, or free lunch, or free market, or whatever that expression is. I also understand that we live in a capitalist society and somebody’s got to pay.

I appreciate that WordPress is providing a valuable service by enabling thousands — nay, millions — of us with this free blogging platform and that it takes effort and costs money to keep it going.

And, for the most part, I think the folks at WordPress are doing a damn fine job of it. It’s easy to use, there are many free themes (templates) available, and you can pretty much tailor the look of your blog any way you want.

That said, having advertisements displayed on my posts seems tacky to me. It’s pure unadulterated, crass commercialism.

Plus, I’m not a fan of ads. I rarely watch live TV because of that. I watch shows I’ve DVR’d so that I can fast forward through the commercials. Why would I want to have ads on my blog?

And so I’m torn. Should I continue to take advantage of the free blogging platform and not worry about burdening you, my readers, with ads? Or should I fork over 36 bucks a year so that my blog will be ad free?

To help me decide, I have three questions for you.

First, do advertisements appearing on blog posts annoy you?

Second, have you dropped “.wordpress” from your blog’s URL by purchasing an upgrade so that advertisements won’t show up on your posts (or for some other reason)?

Third, if so, was it worth it?

Thanks for you responses.

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — June 23rd

Fandango27 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Flashback Friday post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (23rd) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on June 23, 2017.

Commit to Sanity

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Starting today I am making a new commitment to myself.

I am going to commit to stop watching cable news on TV all the time.

I’m going to commit to stop constantly looking at the newsfeed on my iPhone.

I’m going to commit to reading only the sports section of the newspaper.

I’m going to commit to watching only comedy shows on TV, reading only lightweight, “escapist” books, and going to see movies that are not at all political.

I will refrain from engaging in conversations involving current events or politics.

I will commit to maintaining a positive perspective, irrespective of the lunacy that appears to be swirling around us all.

I will commit to my sanity.

This post is my entry into today’s one-word Daily Post using the word “commit.”

2023 update from Fandango: the sad truth is that after I wrote this post, and throughout the Trump presidency, I failed on each and every one of these commitments. That said, over the past year or so, I have cut back considerably on political news watching and reading. I never stopped, but I have cut back. Unfortunately, the lunacy that, back in 2017, appeared to be swirling around us all, is still swirling all around us, but the lunacy is even greater than it was back then.

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — May 19th

Fandango10 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Flashback Friday post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (19th) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on May 19, 2018.

Simple Instructions

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“There’s been a complication,” Larry said. “I’ve got a few leftover peg thingies, and I’m short a few of these screw thingies. And I can’t get this last piece to fit properly.”

“There’s nothing complicated about this,” Anita said. “You just have to follow the instructions, step by step. Can’t you follow simple instructions?”

“I have been following the ‘simple’ instructions and I’ve been at this for three hours and now I’m going to have to go back and start from scratch,” Larry groused.

“Seriously?” Anita said. “It looks like you’ve got most of it put together.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” said Larry, “but I messed up somewhere.”

“Should I call my father?” Anita asked. “He’s a mechanical engineer.”

“No way,” insisted Larry. “I’ll figure out how to put this damn crib together without help from your father. But I tell you what. We’re never buying another piece of furniture from IKEA ever again.”

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Written for today’s one-word prompt, “complication.”