Weekly Prompts

Weekly Prompts Wednesday — Mini Me

Fandango16 Comments

I’m a big Mini fan.

Okay, yes, that may sound like an oxymoron, such as “jumbo shrimp.” But it’s not l. By saying I’m a big Mini fan, I don’t mean I’m a diminutive person who is a fan of, say, an athletic team. I’m actually a regular-sized person who is a fan of a number of sports teams. But I’m also a big fan of Mini Coopers, the British-made cars now owned by the German automotive company, BMW.

My wife and I, back in 2008, bought two Mini Coopers. She got the very sporty John Cooper Works Mini convertible and I got the very practical Mini Cooper Clubman, a slightly stretched version of the regular Mini Cooper hardtop. Then, in 2012, we bought a Mini Cooper Countryman (pictured below), a small SUV model, which we loved.

Alas, we are now Mini-less, as we decided last year to migrate to an electric car. At the time, Mini Cooper did not offer an electric model. In fact, even today, the only fully-electric Mini is the smallest model, the two door hardtop.

We are happy with our non-Mini Cooper electric car, but if Mini ever decides to launch fully-electric version of its Countryman model — which today is available in a plug-in hybrid model, but not all electric — we would seriously consider becoming Mini owners once again.

Written for the Weekly Prompts Wednesday challenge, where the word is “mini.”

I Don’t Want to be Late

Fandango9 Comments

“We can’t leave for the the restaurant until you’ve disposed of all of the ashes in the fireplace,” Zelda said. “How long have I been bugging you about that, Hank?”

“But I’ve reserved a table at the restaurant across from the fairgrounds where the concert is being held,” Hank said. “If we’re fifteen minutes late for our reservation, they’ll give away our table. Then we’ll be late for the start of Aardvarks Utd’s live show. You know I’ve been waiting for months to see them perform.”

“Okay fine,” Zelda said. “We can get it done with a division of labor. You sweep out as much as you can and I’ll vacuum out the rest. I wouldn’t want you to miss a second of your precious Aardvarks.”

Written for these daily prompts: Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (ashes), The Daily Spur (fireplace), E.M.’s Random Word Prompt (reserved), Ragtag Daily Prompt (concert), My Vivid Blog (aardvark), Word of the Day Challenge (division), and Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge (fairgrounds).

Fandango’s note: When I started thinking about how to respond to these prompts, I decided that The Aardvarks would be a good name for a band. I mean why not? There were The Beatles and The Monkees, right? So The Aardvarks sounded reasonable. After I wrote the post, on a whim I googled “the Aardvarks band” and guess what I found:

Aardvarks United (Utd.) is a band of guys from the Seattle area who deliver a high-energy show that fuses straight-ahead rock sets with funk grooves and disco favorites across several decades.

https://aardvarksutd.com/about/

I even found this video of the band on YouTube:

Star of the Circuit

Fandango22 Comments

Her stage name was Bubbles and she was a veteran of the strip club circuit. As was her tradition, she would perform her famous bubble dance, and it was uncanny how the audience would respond to her moves. With the huge, shimmering bubble seemingly floating above her, her very exotic, erotic, and rather explicit act catapulted her to top billing wherever she appeared. She was a warrior.

But as happens to all of us, Bubbles’ age was starting to show. Her hair was turning grayish. Gravity was taking its toll on some of her more ample assets. And her once limber, flexible body began to falter.

Bubbles had carved out a highly successful career for herself, but she could no longer purport to be the rockstar she had once been. So, with a consciousness that many in her profession lacked, Bubbles gave away her bubble machine, retired from the circuit, and returned to being a housewife and mother — soon to be a grandmother — named Greta Shapiro.

But to this day, her husband, Harry, still calls her Bubbles, and reassures her that no one will ever burst her bubble in his eyes.

Written for these prompts: Ragtag Daily Prompt (bubbles/carved), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (tradition/explicit), My Vivid Blog (uncanny/warrior), The Daily Spur (audience/veteran), E.M.’s Random Word Prompt (floating/consciousness), Word of the Day Challenge (catapult), Weekly Prompts Color Challenge (grayish), and Your Daily Word Prompt (purport).

Weekly Writing Prompt — Jamboree

Fandango8 Comments

As a reviewer for The Village Voice, I had to go to the music jamboree in Central Park last night. The crowd was vast, barely fitting within the stanchions placed around the field. I watched as people applauded in unison, caught up in the festivities, the music, and the mood.

But I’m an agoraphobic, you follow me? I can’t deal with large crowds. What is scintillating for others, would be a blunder for me. I automatically keep my distance, like the proverbial fly on the wall.

(Exactly 86 words)

Written for Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt, where the word is “jamboree” in exactly 86 words. Also for Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge (review). And for these daily prompts: Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (vast/fly), Ragtag Daily Prompt (night), Your Daily Word Prompt (stanchion/scintillating), Word of the Day Challenge (unison), My Vivid Blog (follow), E.M.’s Random Word Prompt (blunder), and The Daily Spur (automatic).

My Way or the Highway

Fandango11 Comments

“Okay guys, listen up,” Stan said to the assembled group. “I’ve stitched together a plan in which John’s team and Arlene’s team will pool their staffs and, using our combined resources, we will hit the market by storm.”

Stan’s announcement was met with dead silence and, as he looked around the room, he saw a bunch of blank faces staring back and glaring at him. “What’s wrong with you people?” he asked. “This plan is a win-win. This is something you should all be excited about.”

“Stan, can John and I talk with you in your office for a moment? Arlene asked. Stan nodded and the three of them left the large conferences room and walked to his office. Stan sat down in his leather chair behind his large, mahogany desk. “Stan, you know that John and I have always been your ardent supporters, but in this case, we think you should have run this by us, as team leaders, before announcing it to the whole group,” Arlene said. “That way, we might have been able to reach an accord on how to make this work. But blindsiding us like this, Stan, is unacceptable.”

“I get it, Arlene,” Stan said, “but I’m the boss. I’m the decision maker, and in this outfit, it’s my way or the highway.”

Arlene stood up and said, “Alrighty then, Stan, I’m hitting the road.” Then she turned around and walked out of Stan’s office.

Written for these prompts from yesterday: The Daily Spur (stitch), Word of the Day Challenge (glare), Ragtag Daily Prompt (excited), My Vivid Blog (ardent), and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (accord). Also for Weekly Prompts Wednesday (pool).