Tag: dailyprompt

Looking for an affordable pastime? ðŸ’¡

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It’s finally fall y’all! Normally, this would fill me with delight. It’s pumpkin time, mixed with some hot chocolate, and caramel apples filling in any of the gaps. Fun, fun, fun! If, you can afford it all that is 😣. The economy right now sucks. So, what can you still do? Well. It’s time to see the light.

Actually, that should be several thousand lights.

Ready or not, the holiday season is officially upon us! However, we must not forget that along with all that hustling and bustling, there’s also the decorations. Several households have been getting set up since last weekend.

That means you can do what I did last night, and take a spin around the neighborhood to see what’s-what. Best of all…its all free!

The haunted houses, mickey arches, and fever dream recreations are all waiting for you to drive by and check them out. So far, only the die hard yard decorators have shown up, but there is always more that will join them in the coming weeks. To think, these areonly the Halloween decorations so far.

Good news for us, because it gives us an excuse to do it all again, and again this n the coming months.

A week in my ideal fantasy existence

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What would an ideal week look like? Well, let’s start off with it probably including enough money to feel comfortable.

Yeah, yeah. I know “money can’t buy buy happinesses.” To that I say, poverty can’t stave off depression either.

I’m not implying that you have to be rich, but being financially set, to the point that you don’t have to be constantly worrying matters. Once you’ve squared away the financial issues, you’re free to really relax and enjoy whatever you want. For example, spending the entire week avoiding your job. I know, the irony is not lost on me.

My itinerary? Let’s just say there’d be a lot of naps.

Failed to meet expectations

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The most expensive waste of time, for me, was a fish dinner at a work event. We were at a combination training/awards/staff appreciation event. It was supposed to be low key, but was held at a location that didn’t even offer parking under $20 (remember this was a some time ago, so $20 then would be like $40 parking today).

So there we were, all dressed up for this “Fancy’s party, and they serve us the worst piece of fish I’ve ever seen. From a friend I learned that the company had paid about $45 a plate for each of us. I still don’t know what for.

Making it worse, they never even tried to follow up to see how we all liked it. Spoiler alert, we didn’t! They never listen, so they booked the whole thing again for the next year.

Let’s just assume the air is bad

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Seriously, there are currently 5 fires going on within a two hour drive of my location right now. The fact that I can’t see the fires, nor actively smell the smoke is irrelevant. If you, or anyone in your household, has allergies, sinus issues, or asthma, then you know what that means…. you’re gonna have some breathing problems. If you’re new to this situation, well then allow me to help get you setup. Say it with me: “Let’s just assume the air is bad.”

Why? Well, you have to, because if your offense sucks, then your defense is going to struggle with the clean up. It may not be fair that I have to take an allergy pill everyday because other people can’t figure out the appropriate amount of cologne to wear, but hey I still have to do it.

It got so bad once that I nearly passed out at a conference because I got trapped behind this guy and his plume of Axe body spray. It’s something I can joke about now, but it wasn’t so funny while it was happening.

Having your airway compromised really sucks even when you’re safe at home, but it’s made astronomically worse when it happens while you’re away. The only real course of action is prevention. Take that allergy pill, or make sure your inhaler is full before you set out for that fireworks show later this week. Let’s face it, the air IS probably going to be bad. Even if your eyes can’t see it, your nose knows.

Where’s all the funnel cake?

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What are you passionate about? Well, how long do you have? It’s not an exaggeration to say that I’m interested in a whole lot of stuff, nor to add that more than a few of those things even garner “passionate about it” status. However, today I wanted to focus in on a particular, one might even say lighthearted, passion of mine, funnel cake.

Now, if you’re looking at those last words and scratching your head, just hang on a minute and I’ll explain. I like funnel cake, and no you didn’t read that wrong. I don’t love it, I like it. The real passion I guess, is more about what has recently become a hunt for said funnel cakes. For you see, where I live funnel cake has been rather hard to find, elusive even.

Please don’t start commenting on how easy it is to make one, nor how it’s super easy to find where you are. Neither of those things are particularly helpful in my quest.

It used to be easy to get here too, until a crepe craze seems to have wiped it off the map. True I could probably find it in a big theme park, but who has that kind of money to spend on funnel cake? If the ticket price didn’t get you, the $15 (if not higher) cost of the snack would.

I’m not even looking for anything super fancy, just the basic swirly shape, dusted with powdered sugar. Still, it’s no where to be found. True, some fast food places now offer funnel fries, but it’s not quite the same.

So, for now, the hunt goes on. Anyone have any helpful suggestions? Just where has all the funnel cake gone?

Has the Paris Olympics hurt the eco movement?

Daily writing prompt
What are you curious about?
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Global warming, climate change, ocean pollution, and an ever increasing number of endangered species, just to name a few; we all know the problems our world faces. There are various ways that humanity can address these issues, but generally these solutions are applied only one or two at a time. When the Paris Olympic committee started planning for this year’s Summer Olympics, they decided to tackle several all at once. The goal was made clear, they wanted this to be the most eco-friendly Olympics ever held. Even before the games got started though, some problems were already being talked about.

One of the biggest was of course, the Seine river. Long considered to be too poluted with raw sewage for swimming, it was was now going to be the location of multiple swimming competitions. However, even as the games play on, those competitions are being pushed back due to higher than acceptable bacteria levels.

Then there’s the complaints about the hard cardboard beds, the too few bottle water refill stations, and the list goes on.

While no one can deny that France’s environmental goals were well intended, the way they were executed apparently leaves much to be desired.

So, this leaves me wondering, in a world that desperately needs to take action to save itself, did the good intentions of the Paris games actually do more harm to the cause, than good?

Is the future so bright anymore?

Daily writing prompt
What are you most worried about for the future?
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Most people would probably recognize the quote about “the only thing to fear is fear itself.” It’s been a favorite saying for decades now. In a way, it was also the mantra of the last half of the 20th century. Unfortunately for those of us now living in the first half of the 21st century, I worry that the old saying may no longer be true.

Right now, I think that the thing we have to fear is apathy, and that does worry me for the future.

Looking around the world today it’s easy to find the many problems we face. Sadly, it’s equally just as easy to find a whole lot of people who just don’t care that we do.

Yes, there are many vocal members of our species who are trying to change things (for good or bad), but considering we have about 8.5 billion people on the planet right now….where are the rest of those voices?

Should your top three items be green

Daily writing prompt
What are three objects you couldn’t live without?
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“What are the three objects you couldn’t live without?”

That’s the question of the day. The answers will undoubtedly vary, depending on who’s answering, but here’s not only my two cents on the topic, but also my take on whether or not they should be green as well.

So, to get started, let me just clarify that I am actually only including “objects.” Therefore, nothing such as family, pets, good health, etc. will be considered a valid answer for this list. Also, I don’t want to suggest that things like insulin, EPI pens, or oxygen machines aren’t absolutely necessary, but I don’t happen to need any of those things right now, so they’re not on my list. (If you do need those things, please make sure to remember them as you’re writing your own list of top three.). Finally, things like a job, a house, and money are all equally important, but alas, not really the angle I’m going for here.

Now, that I’ve eliminated the big guys, lets move into my TOP 3 THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT! (Dramatic enough for you?)

  1. Chocolate (what? I just eliminated most of the big serious ticket items, what did you think was left?) This has saved the day more than once for me. Should it be greener, well yes. Sadly, even when the larger companies have tried to do an organic version of their mainstream products ( ex: Hershey bar and Reece’s peanut butter cups) they always taste overly sugary, and waxy for some reason. Can the standard version become more eco friendly, and still taste the same. Yes, but that means the supply chain will need to be cleaned up. Doable, but facing an uphill battle across the industry.
  2. Vacation destinations to be clear, I don’t really get to travel hardly at all anymore. What I value about all these places is that they can inspire dreams/fantasies of what might be. This can spur on savings, planning, and eventually joy. How does that last one work? Well, if you enjoy the vacation that’s obvious, but I mean it can do it even before you book a ticket. Think of all the times you’ve watched a travel show, or checked out a website online. The very act of imagining yourself there, can make you happy just from the possibilities alone. Can it be green to travel, YES. It’s all in your choices. Even if the location isn’t taking steps to be eco friendly, that doesn’t mean you can’t be. Be that mindful traveler, and make sure you try to minimize your own impact as much as you can.
  3. Chocolate ice cream (or even chocolate coated ice cream) ok, maybe I was hungry when I wrote this, and dreaming about attending one if those chocolate festivals. Whatever…oh, and see point 1 for all the justifications. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the kitchen ASAP.

    Have we learned nothing from Jurassic Park?

    Daily writing prompt
    If you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be?
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    A question was posted for those of us publishing on WordPress to ponder; “If you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be?”

    Now, I love dinosaurs , always have, but the thought of bringing one back from extinction leaves me feeling rather cold. There’s a famous line in the first Jurassic Park movie, “Your scientist were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

    Dinos aside, this statement is perhaps one of the most profound to come out of Hollywood in decades. Its relevance today is even more striking, as we will definitely need science to help us through the current climate crisis, but the debate over science in our lives has never been more polarized. Science absolutely should be monitored, and controlled in order to safeguard us all, but that doesn’t mean science should be limited. This is especially true if it’s done because what has been found is unpopular and/or inconvenient. We’ve lost enough time in the climate fight to such nonsense as it is.

    Science is a tool, and it’s time to start using that tool to help where it can. As for the dino question, well… seriously people , have we learned nothing from Jurassic Park?”