Interpreting “everyday things” as inanimate… a laptop computer, a Daily writing prompt to chew on, cold brew coffee, a diamond art project to work on, and a lawn to mow.
Tag: dailyprompt
A Few Things
The first thing to come to mind was Paul Simon’s Kodachrome, but I can’t really say that I learned a lot of crap in high school. I learned some Spanish, I learned how to use a Bunsen burner and make esters in Chemistry class, I dissected a frog and learned a bit about anatomy in Biology class. I read To Kill a Mockingbird and A Separate Peace for the first time in high school.
I tried to learn something more than basic arithmetic in Algebra and Trigonometry classes, though that didn’t take very well. I learned that trying out for the high school baseball team was a lot different than trying out for Little League. I learned that the baseball coach–who was also one of my history teachers– actually played minor league ball for the St. Louis Cardinals.
I learned about the value of reading the editorial page of the newspaper in high school, took Driver Ed. and got my license with Mr. Ford, and even started talking to girls, which was a big thing for wallflower me.
Movement
There’s lots of movement with the grandkids. They keep us hopping. Bike riding is enjoyable, as is a walk around the neighborhood. Golf is still a decent walk, even when using a cart, and I’ve been using the stationary bike at home quite a bit lately. It’s a mindless way to exercise, but I’ve noticed improvement in leg strength and duration of rides.
Same Same
It hasn’t changed since last year– To Kill a Mockingbird, maybe A Separate Peace.
I hear Project Hail Mary is pretty good, though I doubt I’d read it more than once.
Canine Supremacy
Dogs are best. Cats are a distant second. Everything else is a stretch– snakes, lizards, turtles, ferrets, etc. And wild animals make for feel-good stories, but they’re wild animals.
There Might Be a few Things
I might consider keeping animals company at a shelter, or visiting with folks at a nursing facility.
It could involve food, or maybe test driving new vehicles as they come off the assembly line, or testing out the user interface on a new piece of technology, maybe trying out new telephoto lenses and cameras from Nikon or other manufacturers.
Since I’m retired, maybe I’ll keep my eyes open for opportunities. Taste tester for Starbucks still sounds pretty good, too.
Cold-weather fan
I’m more of a Winter Olympics fan than Summer– Nordic combined, curling, some of the snowboarding events, ski jumping, hockey, some of the intermediate length speed skating races, luge, and bobsled.
I can do without the figure skating, mostly because the commentary and play-by-play are sometimes insufferable and difficult to listen to.
Involvement and Support
I would do more thorough research into candidates for local office; familiarize myself with local social services, walk through neighborhoods, frequent local businesses more often than I do, participate in local community events, know the history, and support the budding arts district.
Behavior Mods
Daily writing prompt
How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?
Covid-19 arrived about a year and a half before I retired, so we did have remote worship for a while– a pre-recorded service uploaded to YouTube. Committee meetings were held via Zoom, and we eventually gathered outside for worship when the weather cooperated. YouTube services are still a thing, but most are live now. And my siblings and I– mostly my brother and our spouses– still Zoom regularly, something that we started during Covid.
I’m more aware that wearing a mask isn’t as taboo or weird as I once thought. I see folks anymore wearing a mask as a routine when they have a cold or want to protect themselves in a crowd. Maybe there is a heightened awareness and greater acceptance of the benefits of and wisdom in social distancing, or just taking sensible precautions.
I know that there were changes to supply chain planning, that remote work has taken hold in a big way, that some brick and mortar businesses really suffered, to the point of not coming back.
The practices put in place to minimize the spread were unpopular but needed, and maybe will help protect us from future microbial assaults– especially in light of ill-advised vaccine protocols pushed by RFK, Jr. and others.
Realistically, many were in such a hurry to return to “normal” and were chafing so badly over being told they had to modify their behavior for a time that they may have not learned a thing. You know– because true-blue Americans don’t really value the advice of scientists and medical experts, nor do they bend the knee to any microscopic spike protein that kills people when they’re gathering in close proximity to one another.
Habit
Daily writing prompt
What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
Hitting the snooze button, usually once, struggling a bit more to get out of bed, then bathroom, coffee, journaling, and writing in here. Sometimes I look at YouTube clips, if I’m not in the mood to write something.
It’s been the routine since 2017, but it’s getting harder to answer the call. I’m thinking about moving the alarm back to 6, instead of 5, though maybe I’ll wait until the end of summer to do that– it’s gonna start getting light pretty early, and I’ll probably be awake anyway.
