| Jazmee27
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Reply #601. Jun 10 12, 10:06 AM
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| Jazmee27
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I don’t like wearing the comfort sleeves as much as I used to, as I think It was overkill and I wound up doing myself a disservice. Plus, it does get hot under there, and in this heat even more so. I just washed both of them on Sunday, and would rather not for as long as I possibly can. So if I think I’m going to sweat, or I’m already hot, I take it off, and just slow down my movements even more so I limit opportunities to hit it. The last thing I’d need is another trip to the doctor because the infection either won’t go away or has come back.
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Reply #602. Jun 10 12, 10:07 AM
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| Jazmee27
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This morning, I was looking at the “Free Association” thread. The conversation was still on squirrels, and I thought, perhaps it’s time for a search. Is what I read or heard about them not remembering where their nuts are buried true? Or is that just one of those myths that’s circulating?
Not knowing exactly what I’d find, or if it would answer my questions, I Googled “Squirrels and nuts” and came up with the following:
 http://www.squirrels.org/faq.htmll.
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Reply #603. Jun 10 12, 10:08 AM
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| Jazmee27
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As Interesting and enlightening as that page was, I still had a question, so I plugged in another search—and was rewarded by being kicked off the Internet. When I again got to Google, I wrote in my search phrase again, and came up with the following:
http://www.boobooinc.com/sq/faq.html.
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Reply #604. Jun 10 12, 10:10 AM
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| Jazmee27
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Reply #605. Jun 10 12, 10:11 AM
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| Jazmee27
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It’s happened again, the strange phenomenon where a word pops into my head and I seem to know the definition, though I couldn’t define it in words to save my life. It happens frequently, though I can’t remember a lot of examples. But I can remember Mom being amazed whenever one of these gems pops out of my mouth, as if she’s astounded to hear such acdvanced vocabulary from my lips.
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Reply #606. Jun 10 12, 10:12 AM
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| Jazmee27
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It started with the newest story I’m writing, which I’ve called “The Letter” for now. At some point, maybe a more appropriate title will occur to me, but it beats calling it “Untitled”.
I’m also listening to a new book, a mystery/suspense called “The Spirit Lens.” All of a sudden, this vague notion occurs to me, and I start writing:
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Reply #607. Jun 10 12, 10:13 AM
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| Jazmee27
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- The story’s about a mysterious letter, addressed to Ontario, that shatters the facts he’s been brought up with—one of which is that his father died in a place called the “Criminal Cooler.” Turns out, his father was the intended victim, but another man lies dead instead. And here’s the clincher: the real victim is from his family, too!
- The idea came to me yesterday, though I suppose parts have been with me longer than that. But writing it’s not easy when half or more of the puzzle pieces are missing. But, as I keep reminding myself, keep at it and all these failed attempts at a good manuscript are bound to pay off.
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Reply #608. Jun 10 12, 10:14 AM
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| Jazmee27
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Anyhow, back to the word that sparked this narrative: aversion. I remember writing a sentence and thinking, “I’ve edone it again!” The last word I remember doing this with was “languished,” and I remember thinking immediately how similar yet different it was to “vanquished”.
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Reply #609. Jun 10 12, 10:15 AM
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| Jazmee27
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So, let’s get some definitions rolling:
- Merriam-Webster has this to say about “languish
“to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated;”
“to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality;”
“to become dispirited;” or
“to suffer neglect”
Does it fit the context in which I wrote it? Yes, although the character who was talking at the time sounded like an idiot, and I do believe he used both words: “I think it was, ‘I could have vanquished him years ago, yet he languished still.”’
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Reply #610. Jun 10 12, 10:17 AM
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| Jazmee27
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- So what does Merriam-Webster define “vanquish” as?
“to overcome in battle : subdue completely;”
“to defeat in a conflict or contest;” or
“to gain mastery over (an emotion, passion, or temptation)”
How it fits? “Idiot or no, it does.”
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Reply #611. Jun 10 12, 10:17 AM
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| Jazmee27
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- Now back to aversion’s definition and analysis:
“the act of turning away;”
“a feeling of
repugnance
toward something with a desire to avoid or turn from it;” or
“a feeling of
repugnance
toward something with a desire to avoid or turn from it.”
Sentence: “…apparent aversion to others”.
Fits in context? You be the judge.
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Reply #612. Jun 10 12, 10:18 AM
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| Jazmee27
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They arrived shortly after 11:30. I knew to expect them, as Georgette and I had made the plan last night and she’d called around ten this morning to make sure I was ready. And, of course, I knew it was them because Georgette’s in the habit of holding the buzzer in so that it sounds for a long time. But even so, I was late to the door, as I’m writing another revision of “Village Streets”. And by the time I answered the door, they were already on their way in.
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Reply #613. Jun 10 12, 10:20 AM
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| Jazmee27
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When they got here, Dorothy announced she had some lotion and body spray for me. And then I remembered: Georgette’s card was still on my desk.
After passing it over, we began maiking plans for lunch. Georgette got the phone book down from the refrigerator, and Dorothy looked for the menu for Marco’s Pizza. And she explained that deciding what to order is difficult as she’s vegetarian. So I decided to let hermake the phone call,figuring that would make it easier.
I got a grilled chicken tenderloin sub, Georgette got a fish fillet sub, and Dorothy got the vegetarian stromboli. At first, Georgette wanted to get a salad in addition to a sub, but Dorothy and I dissuaded her. “One or the other,” I said. Georgette then talked about when Mom and she and I had dinner together, and we had a salad and pizza. “This is lunch,” I pointed out. “There’s a difference.
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Reply #614. Jun 10 12, 10:21 AM
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| Jazmee27
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It is with profound relief that I report my favorite walker isn’t broken after all, though I gave myself quite a scare earlier.
It was sometime after Georgette and her sister left, and I had just stood up from the table to start walking, when I fell backwards into the kitchen chair. Unfortunately, I was holding the walker with the right hand, so it crashed down with me. I wasn’t hurt, but the walker hit the chair, and from that moment on I noticed it wasn’t even. So I called Mom, telling her something was wrong with the walker.
When she called, I was walking into the bathroom and so didn’t answer. But when I called her back, I explained how it was uneven. “Did you fall?” Well… It shames me to admit that I was uncomfortable to admit that fact, but Mom wouldn’t help me unless I did.
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Reply #615. Jun 10 12, 10:22 AM
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| Jazmee27
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Turns out, the legs are adjustable, and all I did was knock it out of alignment. But I’ve got to do something lest my next fall result in injury to myself. And I’m not about to put Ethan through what I put him through last year: I may not want to do all my exercises daily, but if that’s what it takes to ensure I stay strong so I don’t “abandon” Ethan for a month or more, then that’s what I’ll do—another classic case in which Ethan has helped me and will continue to help me, and an idea I got after listening to “Paws and Effect”. And maybe, just maybe, this picking Ethan’s started doing, this “bad bird behavior,” is partly boredom and partly a concern that he may be left on his own again for an extended time—he’s so used to me being here in the apartment all day, or most of the day… and last July, he spent the first few days I was in hospital by himself, then the remaining time at Mom’s place.
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Reply #616. Jun 10 12, 10:23 AM
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| Jazmee27
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I’m listening to a book that lists the healing effects that dogs have on their owners’ lives. Cats are also mentioned as pets that provide healing attributes, but what about birds?
I’ve always said that Ethan’s saved me. He’s taught me lessons about forgiveness and redemption, and keeps me entertained. And of the three parakeets I’ve had since I was 14Mom bought Ellie, A.K.A. Elliot, A.K.A. Eleanor, in 1997 and Benjamin in 2005; Mom and I went to the pet store to buy Ethan on the second to last day in October 2009—Ethan’s the most special to me, perhaps because I was at the pet store when Mom picked him out, perhaps because his temperament’s so sweet… who can tell? Maybe it’s the same thing that connects dog and cat owners to their pets, and one so more than the rest. Maybe it’s like the bond Rocky and I shared before his life was cut short by that car.
I can’t but fail to smile when Ethan plays with his toys, and the sound of his distress—whether real or feigned—makes me nervous and anxious. And I often find myself beside the cage at varying intervals of the day with my finger in between the bars, inside the cage, waiting for him to come up and kiss my finger, or rub his head against it, or perhaps allow me to stroke his feathers…
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Reply #617. Jun 10 12, 10:24 AM
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| Jazmee27
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So, what about studies of healing qualities and birds? Do bird owners reap any benefits to their choices of pet? To find out, I went to a Google search, as aI often do, and read the following at about.com, which doesn’t really address my question, but is something which could tie in to some of my stories:
- “Birds in general are survivalists. They will first choose flight over fight. They instinctively know that fighting is a dangerous endeavor. Whereas flight
is avoiding trouble: possible injury or death. Birds have superb reflexes. They teach us awareness and adaptability. Birds represent the air element and
are also teachers of proper breathing. Song birds teach us about the healing properties of sound.” |
Reply #618. Jun 10 12, 10:25 AM
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| Jazmee27
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Reply #619. Jun 10 12, 10:29 AM
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| Jazmee27
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In one of my many back issues of ‘Ladies’ Home Journal,’ I came across an article entitled, “Go for it!” The topic was “cognitive dissonance,” and that got me thinking: isn’t that the same thing I go through each day, the thing that holds me back, maybe part of the reason I avoid a lot of situations?
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Reply #620. Jun 10 12, 3:30 PM
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