Friday Fictioneers
“You are so stodgy!” Courtney leaned over Aidan to pluck the tablet form his hands. “Can’t you imagine how romantic the place is? I mean, I know the rock work isn’t that old, but it give you the feeling the place has been around forever. But the sign is kind of modern. But just imagine! Going on a train ride! Don’t you want to give it a shot?”
“No.”
“At least come down to the station to see for yourself.”
Courtney had to drag Aidan to the station the next day, but he wasn’t impressed. All he said was, “Needs paint.”
The Hub: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Photo credit: Kent Bonham
13 Reasons I am Tired
1. Lack of sleep. Seems that’s a regular on my tired list.
2. Spending all day with my shoes on.
3. Sitting only when driving.
4. Running out to buy new supplies all the time because I can’t seem to get it all in one go. The guy at the lumber yard is starting to flirt. BTW, drywall doesn’t come in 1/4 inch. It comes in 3/8 inch.
5. Not listening to enough music.
6. Scaffolding is heavy.
7. And hard to climb.
8. Having to constantly argue with my helpers because they don’t get it.
9. Running out of oil in the Trucky engine. Talk about scary and tense.
10. Not being able to get up to the speed limit. Did I mention scaffolding is heavy?
11. Not getting enough of the right kind of exercise.
12. Not eating much.
13. 100 degree days. I like heat, but it saps me.
For more lists of thirteen, visit Thursday Thirteen
Suzie’s House 412 : Signing Your Life Away
Gene tried to act cool, but he had to swallow more than once to get the lump of nervous tension down. He sat at the dining room table with a stack of legal papers in front of him and the eyes on him. Mrs. H., her lawyer, and that social worker, Kathy Vargovich, all sat around the table and stared.
Modern Window
I’m installing a window in a place where there used to be a door. It’s a bit of a challenge both because I’ve never installed a window before and because it’s on the second above a bad surface. Yet I am approaching the task with some confidence.
I’m doing it because of the internet. Used to be when faced with something like this I would run to the library, dig out a bunch of books, struggle with the jargon, and with a sense of incipient disaster give it a whirl. Now I watch it done on Youtube, find schematics online, and look up any jargon I can’t easily figure out.
The difference shouldn’t be that great, yet I find it substantial.
So far we have removed the old door and doorway, replaced some sub-flooring, and put in the studs. We would have put up the exterior wall, but I forgot the plywood substrata.
I’ll let you know how it goes from here.
Making a Horse’s Blanket of Yourself Over Love
Jack: Jill? Where could she be? If I don’t find her in the next ten minutes, I give up.
Previously in Jack and Jill: Jack, Do You Really Expect to Find Jill There?
The theme for this week’s Jack and Jill is “horse blanket” as suggested by Jannie Funster
Want to see what I can do with a word or phrase? Make a suggestion.
Over Head
“This mansion predates The Civil War. If you look up you’ll notice the distinctive wainscoting.” The tour guide pointed up.
“Are there any ghosts here? I have a pamphlet that names this as one of the three most haunted houses in the county.” Clair waved the paper in question.
“That’s just a folk tale. The most you’ll find here is a stiff breeze. Now, moving on….” The tour continued up the hall.
While all the other tourists followed, Clair paused. There was something in this room. She knew it, but she couldn’t put her finger on what. Then she realized that the chandelier was moving even without a breeze.
The Hub: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Photo credit: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
13 Fads My Kids Dragged Me Into
Over the years my kids have demanded that I pay attention to all kinds of fads and interests. Here are thirteen of them.
1. Spongebob. (cartoon)
2. Rugrats (cartoon)
To be fair, I was watching both before the kids were born, but they kept it going.
3. Arthur (cartoon)
4. Pokemon (cartoon, and trading cards)
5. Princesses and pink everything.
6. Sailor Moon (Just cartoons. Short term)
7. Dragon Ball Z (Cartoon, card game, and video game)
8. Skateboarding
9. Final Fantasy (video games)
10 Star Wars (video games)
11. Dance Dance Revolution (video game)
12. Inuyasha (Cartoon. Again, I started it and they kept it going)
13. NCBI (anti-bully organization)
For more lists of Thirteen, visit Thursday Thirteen
Suzie’s House 411 : You Have Friends?
Sophie was dead on her feet when she got home. If she hadn’t had Emma to deal with, she’d have gone straight to bed. No doubt Emma would be hungry. Maybe it was time Sophie taught her to cook.
Graduation
The Girl has safely made it through high school. She is now looking for a job.
During the ceremony, I think I was feeling more free, happy, and excited than she was. She is my youngest child. In a way, I also graduated. I am looking forward to the “empty nest” stage of my life.
For the last couple of years I have been looking forward to this moment with mixed feelings. I thought I might be lonely once she’s moved out. It could well be that I am, even though I will still have Mr. Al around. I know I’ll be able to get more done without the constant distractions, though I might also goof off more.
Meanwhile she claims she isn’t worried in the least. And maybe she shouldn’t be. She managed to line up a summer job in less than two weeks. My son, on the other hand, has yet to land anything after two years. He has, however, become a drywaller’s apprentice. It’s not regular work, but could become a career.
We’re going to help her out with getting an apartment and a car. After she’s supported herself for a year, we’ll send her to college. By then she should have some idea what she wants to do with the rest of her life.
His Mother
His mother ran a ship-shape house. There was never a dust speck or dirty dish to be found. She ran the women’s league the same way, and even had time to volunteer at the election polls. Yet never did he feel that she neglected or hovered over him. When he asked about the solar system, she helped him measure it off in proportion, though the sun was a copper penny and Pluto had to be placed beyond the edge of town. When asked what inspired him to become an astrophysicist, he said, “Mother’s lamp shades. They looked like Jupiter.”
The Hub: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Photo credit: Raina Ng
13 Fandom Concepts/Acronyms.
The Girl hangs out on social media and fan sites. Here are some of the acronyms used there that popped into her head.
1. Cannon – Things that happens or is present in an original series/work of fiction.
2. Ship – Short for relationship, generally romantic. usually means the person saying wants to see a pair that is not in reality or cannon existent.
3. OTP – One True Pairing
4. SMH – Shake My Heat or sometimes mistaken for “So Much Hate”.
5. Fandom – A segment of fans who create a community based around a work of fiction.
6. NoTP – Anything but that couple.
7. Friend/ship – To wish for a friend relationship between two people or characters.
8. BroTP – not necessarily a sexual relationship, but close.
9. WIP – Work In Progress. (I’m pretty sure I taught her that)
10. OC – Original Character
11. OP – Original Poster – has to do with the way Tumblr works
12. TW aka T/W – Trigger Warning. Some difficult subject matter is included.
13. Meme – a content fad.
For more lists of thirteen check out Thursday Thirteen
Suzie’s House 410 : Living Room Encounter
“What is that on your head?”
“M-m-mom!” Emma’s mother’s voice came from right behind her, making Emma whirl around. When she saw the tight-lipped expression on her mother’s face, Emma’s hands flew to her mask. She whipped it off. It was already too late to make a difference, but she couldn’t resist hiding her mask behind her back.
Jack, Do You Really Expect to Find Jill There?
The theme for this week’s Jack and Jill is “Meremac Caverns” as suggested by TWM
Want to see what I can do with a word or phrase? Make a suggestion.
