Scattered to the Winds

For Velvet Verbosity's 100 Words Challenge. This week's prompt is IMP.



She made her way though the empty outbuilding with the stragglers brought in by the auction. It had been a lucrative day. Even the box of ancient snapshots and postcards had been bought by a vintage photo collector. She wasn't sure why something lacerated inside her as she let go of the box, when she didn't recognize a single person in them. She watched the last buyer pull away as her parents' cherished Imp squeaked arthritically behind him. A slideshow of summer memories flipped through her mind. She felt her heart fold in on itself like that leaky old boat.

LMNO Puppies (A/Z)

"ABCD puppies?"
"LMNO puppies."
"OSAR puppies, CMPN?"

-- childhood play-with-letters joke


Does anyone remember this? The rough translation is 'Hey, Bee, see da puppies?' 'Hell, them ain't no puppies.' 'Oh yes they are puppies, see 'em peein'?' It was so naughtily funny to tell a joke about pee (not to mention the implied bad word) in grade school.

The above joke is totally unrelated to anything at all, and I fully admit this is cheating by the rules of the A to Z Challenge, using 4 letters in one post ... but some emergencies have come up in my life and I need to consolidate just this once. I'll try to get back on track as soon as possible.

Klansman? Me? (A/Z)

For the A to Z Challenge - Letter K. Warning: Rant below! :)

I have just about had it with the race card.

I'm not saying racism doesn't exist, because it most certainly does. But just because I expect answers doesn't make me a racist. Neither does expecting a leader to make responsible decisions. Pass responsible laws. Handle the national budget with sense. Refrain from lavish vacations for himself and his family on the country's dime during times of fiscal crisis. Demanding that the will of the people be taken into consideration. Remember that whole not the color of my skin but the content of my character thing?

Many people question his citizenship. Supposedly born in Hawaii, the question has been raised he may have been born in Indonesia or somewhere else - rendering him disqualified from being President of the United States. To be honest I don't really have a strong feeling either way on which is right. But I will tell you I have a very low tolerance for bullsh*t.

Listen up: If you were born here, prove it. Not with relatives swearing by it, not with xeroxed newspaper announcements, not by chuckling dismissively and saying you're getting picked on by racists. You're wasting my time. You're wasting America's time. Ante up your proof with original, doctor signed docmuents and settle the matter if you very well can so we can get on with important business.

And by the way, sticking up for a sub-par, expect no accountability president just because he is black (*ahem*, half-black, but you never hear mention of that), IS in fact, also being a racist.

Jack (A/Z)

For the A to Z Challenge - Letter J.

Enough said.

Insidous (A/Z)

For the A to Z Challenge - Letter I.

Everyone knows I love a great horror movie. Everyone also knows that I don't think there's been a decent horror film out in years and years (unless you count the SAW movies ... which I LOVE but consider them more to be psychological thrillers than true "horror" movies). Horror films have been so stale for so long that every time I waste two hours of my life on one I swear it's THE. LAST. TIME.

Needless to say, I saw Insidious on opening day.

This movie is the one I've been waiting for. Part Poltergeist, part Shyamalan-style, and with the exception of a scant few cheesy cliches and a possible Darth Maul makeup ripoff, it was exceptional.

What's been done that hasn't already been done? Well ... not much. But I jumped out of my skin several times, and a chill trickled down my spine way more than once. And that's what I paid for.

Great flick.

Hats (A/Z)

For the A to Z Challege - Letter H.

A few generations back, everyone wore hats. Take a look at old films and photos. Women and men alike seemed to never leave the house without some sort of hat. Most were typical, even identical flat straw boaters or felt derbys - but many were so ... awesome looking. Ridiculously large. Overburdened with feathers and thick satin bands.

I'm really not a fashion addict. But I wish hats were still a wardrobe staple above and beyond bitter winters, bad hair days and casual sun protection.

Do you have a favorite hat? I don't mean your old lucky Dodgers cap with the mustard stain on the bill. I mean a cool style of hat.

I always thought cloches (most popular in the 20's and 30's) were really cute, not to mention having a high potential for sexiness. You could do some bigtime mysterious seduction peeking out from under that snug brim.



But my all-time favorite hat is the top hat. I mean that's some serious badness right there. If you're wearing a top hat, you have self-confidence to spare... You know it and so does everyone else. I love 'em. In fact, I think I'll wear a top hat to my next business meeting. Talk about making a statement. Who's going to doubt someone wearing a ultra-cool hat like that?

Bragas

For Velvet Verbosity's 100 Words. Just for fun, I'm going a little silly this time. This week's inspiration is BROKEN.

Meandering blearily through the tight maze of shops bursting with cheap trinkets (made, ironically, in China) and bilious tropical wear, she struggled to collect her thoughts. She couldn't recall where she was exactly, but knew it had to be deep in town, far away from tourism areas. She tried not to think about the tender new tattoo of a tequila worm in a sombrero and ridiculous mustache nagging at her bikini line. A tawny flower showed her a collection of beads. She ignored the sales pitch and dug deep into her broken rusty spanish. "Vender bragas?" Do you sell panties?

Guts (A/Z)

For the A to Z Challenge - Letter G.


Most writers and artists will tell you there is a palpable vulnerability to sharing your work, particularly within a large arena of viewers. Summoning the guts to do so can be good. Constructive criticism is every bit as helpful in helping the artist grow as appreciation, if not moreso. But there is also the fear that people will scoff or insult the nudity of your soul.

I joined a poetry writers' circle on Facebook, thinking it might be good for feedback as well as inspiration. I was thinking of sharing my haiku cluster I wrote last weekend, and then as I started reading through the page.

Many comments left by other members are helpful. But some of the members are bluntly nasty. A few of my 'favorites' are as follows:

"Trivial piece. I don't care for the topic or the way you presented it."

"I ahbor end line rhymes."

"Terrible metaphor." (That's helpful.)

"If I didn't leave a comment it was because I didn't care for the poem at all and had nothing to say that could make it better." (Really? Was it necessary to say this?)


I'm not so sensitive that I can't take constructive criticism on my writing. But, I don't know. To me these sorts of comments are not helpful. At all. But should one expose one's self to those as well? Does brutality fortify your guts?

Fan (A/Z)

For the A to Z Challenge - Letter F.

Music is the way our memories sing to us across time. - Lance Morrow

I would take music over every other form of entertainment without a moment of hesitation.

I was raised in a wildflower field of musical styles. My mom loved The Everly Brothers, The Sandpipers and Peter Paul & Mary. My dad loved Johnny Cash, The Who and Grand Funk Railroad. My brother, 6 years my senior, was into The Beatles, The Ohio Players and AC/DC. He brought home KISS ALIVE! when I was in first grade. He only listened to it a few times, but I was changed forever. But all three saturated my little soul with this bouquet of styles, and I love it all.

Fan is such a tiny word. Music is more to me than music. It is memory and identity, blade and bandage, joy and breath. It is as much a part of my life force as my blood and my thoughts.

Extreme Couponing (A/Z)

For rhe A to Z Challenge - Letter E.

Have you heard of this? It's not new, but there's a big boon in its popularity of late. People collect coupons from papers, magazines, websites, swap groups, and anyone not fast enough to run away from them. Then they scour store ads for all the sales, and strategically orchestrate a battle plan to swoop into all markets and marts within their area and cherrypick the best deals. Some extreme couponers save 90% or better on their grocery bills and get many items for free.

Ya know, I think that's great. I mean, I cut coupons, sure. And I usually save between $20 and $50 a trip by using them. But it takes some planning, and a lot of comparison shopping. And to be honest, I just can't make my shopping trips a full-time job, I don't care what the bill adds up (or down) to. I go to one store - the one I think has the best prices overall - that's it. Besides money, my time is valuable to me as well, and I've got other crap to do.

Hey, Godspeed to all you extreme couponers out there, though. Can a borrow some money? I spent all mine at the store today.