“C” that’s just what I’m saying!

Posted on April 3, 2019 by hdh

Whiplash: An injury to the neck caused by an abrupt jerking motion of the head, either backward or forward; And in the case of writing or speaking, can be caused by a rapid change of topic without prior notice.

Whiplash! – “C” that’s just what I’m saying

Living in a computer age we’ve accustomed ourselves to expect things to happen fast. In the ’80s when personal computers were making their premiere, we were amazed at the speed that those 5-½ inch floppies could load a program and we could write and edit things with relative ease. When modems came on board those 300 bps speeds were amazing. Simple advances jumped them to 1200 and then 2400 bps and our amazement increased.

Of course, those of us that couldn’t afford those faster modems but occasionally got to use them became very frustrated at the slowness of our 300 bps ones.

As time went on, things were created to work at faster speeds. And those changes came fast with more sophisticated programs leaving us to forget those slow days of innovation. Thankfully there is still something that we have on our computers that has changed little over time. Picture yourself, working really hard on a project on your computer, 

the due date is today and you have minutes to spare. You just complete it and you are ready to close down your laptop and get to that presentation to share your work. You hit shutdown and then it happens, you get that screen that says, “There are 36 updates being downloaded, Do not turn off your computer!” So you wait, and you wait, and you wait…

Whiplash!

Here’s a conundrum for you. If all these companies have our best interest in mind as their advertising says, why is it that when a better plan becomes available they neglect to tell us about it? Cablevision is one of my prime examples. It seems that every October I get an email from my cable provider (I won’t divulge which company I subscribe to. Let’s just say they don’t give me Optimum performance). The email warns me that my automatic payment from my credit card has been rejected due to the bill being over the cap that I set. I check the bill and discover that the bill is indeed higher than any of the previous bills, due to their increased prices. I call up the company and complain about the price rise and lo and behold, they can figure out a better plan that will keep my price close to what I’m paying now and under my cap. Unfortunately, they won’t send me an updated bill; I have to pay this one and the next bill will be prorated to include the change of service from the time I called. We are not being served in our best interest, despite what they say. I now keep a reminder set on my phone that reminds me a month before my year is up to check in with them. Of course, that didn’t stop them from upping my prices, mid-contract, forcing another call and, in fact, another lower-priced package with everything in my plan staying the same.

Call us. We certainly won’t call you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AT&T does the same thing with my cell phone and data plan. They don’t raise my rates, but fail to mention to me of their own accord when there is a better deal…and I know for a fact that they monitor my usage! Somehow when I called up Newsday about my daily subscription rate, they were able to reduce my 5–week billing rate from $123.00 down to $65.00. Would have been nice to know before the bill came.

Whiplash!

So what kinds of things do you own that seem to be slowing do. rather than speed up? Have you checked your cell phone,  cable company, or newspaper delivery bill lately?

Till next time… You can “D”pend on more thoughts.

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2019, Personal Stories, Writing | Tagged | 4 Comments

Whiplash! – “B” careful what you do.

Posted on April 2, 2019 by hdh

Whiplash: An injury to the neck caused by an abrupt jerking motion of the head, either backward or forward; And in the case of writing or speaking, can be caused by a rapid change of topic without prior notice.

Whiplash! – “B” careful what you do.

Binge watching. It’s the new thing in watching TV. Not only can you watch a complete series of old TV shows, but you can also watch a complete series of new shows. Look at Netflix. They don’t make you wait week after week for the next episode of a series, they put up every episode of a season all at once. I can watch all 13 episodes of Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’ season 1 the day the first episode is released because they release all 13 episodes on the same day.

While I like the idea of having all these programs and episodes all in one place and time, the list becomes way too long.

On the plus side, I don’t have to wait a week for cliffhangers to resolve (unless it is the last episode of that season). Also with watching the same show one right after the other, I have less information that I can forget between episodes, which I tend to do a lot, especially if there are lots of simultaneous plots and a multitude of characters.

On the downside, as I said, this increases the amount of time needed to complete the task. There are times when there is at least one TV show every day, that each run for an hour, that I like watching. While I’m only watching those individual episodes, I can balance the time I spend doing real stuff, like doing things with my wife, going outside, writing, working on stories and even clean the house and bake stuff. Yes, I do have to wait a week for each of those shows to pick up where they left off, but I get a variety of shows throughout the week. Binge watching means I have to focus on one show. When you binge watch, you don’t mind watching 2 or 3 in a row. More time is used up on a daily basis as the number of shows you want to watch, that are now in the cue, grow larger. It’ a daunting task.

 

Whiplash!

 

There’s an app called “Goodreads” (https://www.goodreads.com/) that allows you to challenge yourself each year and predict how many books you think you will read that year. It also allows you to rate each book after you’ve read it and share your rating with others. This helps you when you are looking for recommendations. I’ve discovered that my prediction depends on the books I count as being read. My prediction for this year is 21 books of which I’ve completed 10 so far. One of those 10 I started last year and finished just as the new year began. A number of the other books were picture books that I read as I was learning stories. Some of them were actually long books of over 400 pages.

The problem I have is reading them. If it is an adventure/fantasy book, I read it a lot faster than a non-fiction book about science or the writing process. Then there is also the form of the book I am reading. It takes longer to read a physical book because it is not always with me. An e-book is always with me as it syncs to both my phone and iPad. E-books also allow me to switch to night mode (white letters on a black background) making it less distracting when my wife wants to sleep and I still want to finish that chapter. E-books also allow me to look up words by just tapping on them. With a physical book, I either have to ignore the word or get a dictionary.

And there are so many books on my list of books to read! I especially enjoy reading the same book, at the same time, my wife is reading it. It’s like our own private book group. It’s nice to share your reading with someone else who has read the same thing. I’d have to say that reading books and stories is one of my favorite relaxing activities.

Whiplash!

Anyone having a birthday coming up soon? Do you send that person a real card in the mail, or are you like me and resort to ecards. I have a whole collection of paper birthday cards that were sent to me over the last 30 years. I tend to keep the ones that are either funny or have meaning to me. You can’t really do that with ecards. You can save the link to the card, but at some point in time that company discontinues using that card and you can’t find it anymore. When I send an ecard to someone for their birthday, I always have the company send me a copy of it. Then when that person’s next birthday comes around, I go through all my ecards (which are stored in one file in my mail program) and look at every one of them to make sure that the new one I choose is not one that I’ve sent before. You can’t do that with paper cards since once it’s sent only the recipient has a copy of it. There have been times that I’ve sent the same card to someone on multiple years.

I wonder if people that get ecards feel that I’m not thinking of them in the same way as when they get a paper card from me? It is taking the easier way out.

Whiplash!

And what are your “B” thoughts? Do you binge watch? Are you addicted to it? How many books do you plan on reading this year? Paper books? Or E-Books?  And what kind of cards do you send to people to celebrate their birthdays and anniversaries?

Till next time… “C” you later

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2019, Personal Stories, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

“A” what’s up?

Posted on April 1, 2019 by hdh

Whiplash: An injury to the neck caused by an abrupt jerking motion of the head, either backward or forward; And in the case of writing or speaking, can be caused by a rapid change of topic without prior notice.

Whiplash! – “A” what’s up?

They say that you should never hold in your anger. You should find a way to vent it so that it doesn’t build up into something that you can’t control and then someone or something gets hurt. Of course, when you find a way to vent your anger, it is also advisable that you do it in such a way that you don’t do something that you regret.

In general, I rarely get really angry. I may get frustrated a lot but not so much truly angry. My way of venting when I am angry is to write. I don’t write to anyone in particular, more to let go of my frustration with whatever is making me angry. When I was 18 and getting very frustrated and angry at my father, I wrote a story of what would happen if my father became president. I picked on all the idiosyncrasies of my dad and fictionalized with him being elected president of the U.S. My family didn’t like what I had written (except my dad, who never saw it), but it released a lot of my anger. So this is what I do.

When I get into arguments with people, I tend to stay quiet and calm in my reactions. It helps me release some tension especially when I see the other person getting very frustrated that I’m not yelling back at them.

Whiplash!

How do you give advice so that someone else will actually listen to you? I know as a parent and a teacher, some kids have difficulty listening to what you have to suggest. They all know better. And there are times when people just complain to you about a problem they have, hoping that you just listen, letting them release some of their frustration, not wanting any advice from you at all. Sometimes there’s a fine line between wanting advice and just wanting a sounding board. Unfortunately, people don’t come with flashing lights that say, “Can you help me solve this?” or “Just keep nodding your head and listen.”

One technique I’ve found that works more often than not, suggested by the Love and Logic Institute, (https://goo.gl/hHoZkB) is to say, “Would you like to know how other people/kids/parents solve this problem?” Then if they answer yes, you can give them a series of possible suggestions, both good and bad with your own advice thrown in, and let them decide themselves. Since it comes in the guise of someone else’s solution, they tend to listen, because it’s not their teacher/parent that is suggesting it.

 

Whiplash!

Aging is not all that it is cracked up to be. When you’re young all you want to do is to be older and a grownup. You get a chance to vote. You can drive. You can drink if you’re so inclined to, and you don’t have to go to school (unless you become a teacher). Freedom to choose what you want to do, when you want to do it and with whom you want to do it with.

The section they neglect to put on the list is that at some point you are not as fit as you used to be and can’t do all the activities you used to have fun with. Getting and holding a job can somewhat restrict when and where you can do things. Of course, there’s paying taxes. Having a family also changes some of the things that you used to do in your older youth. And then there are all the medical issues you have to deal with: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sore muscles, invasive exams that you must have on a regular basis (can you say the word, colonoscopy or mammogram).

Now I’m not saying that I would give up my adulthood. I like where I am and especially who I’m with and my family. I really like doing things with them and having them as part of my life.  I’m glad my son is doing well and we have a great relationship with his wife’s family. I enjoy storytelling and writing and even teaching some of the time.  But I could use a little less of the aging piece.

Whiplash!

So what about you? How do you deal with anger? How do you feel about giving and getting advice? And if you had a choice to get older but not age, would you take it?

Till next time… “B” prepared”

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2019, Personal Stories | 3 Comments

A pictured story

Posted on March 21, 2019 by hdh

In my “Writer as Observer” workshop I was asked to choose from a set of pictures and write about what I saw.  Here are the pictures I chose:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Adventure of Little One

My father was born and raised in Kassel, Germany. I’m sure if I went there I could write a very descriptive piece about its beautiful scenery and their inhabitants. If my father were a storyteller, I might have been able to tell you all about Kassel just from his descriptions. Alas, he was not a talebearer and never shared much about Kassel. So I will have to rely upon another of Kassel’s famous inhabitants, the Brothers Grimm. I am well versed in their stories. The pictures that I chose this week inspired me to relate a tale, like the Brothers Grimm, that just might have happened.

— Continue reading →

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A to Z Blog Challenge 2019 Reveal

Posted on March 18, 2019 by hdh

A to Z Challenge 2019 Reveal

Whiplash!

When my mind wanders it is amazing the thoughts and nonsense that it comes up with. When I was teaching I was known for bringing up topics that had nothing to do with the conversation that was taking place. One teacher complained that I was giving her whiplash every time I did that. It became a process in any conversations I was involved in that I could preempt these kinds of reactions by just announcing the word “Whiplash”, meaning what I’m about to say has nothing to do with the conversation at hand.

This will be the theme that I’m going to base my 2019 A to Z Challenge Blog on. For each letter of the alphabet I will start writing about something that connects to a topic that starts with that letter. As my mind starts to wander and another idea for that letter pops into my head, I will signal, “Whiplash” and continue by writing on that new topic.

“Whiplash”

Don’t forget when you are writing down ideas that you are going to publish, you don’t have to get things perfect. Writing with mistakes only shows that you are human and mistakes will be made. It does help to plan ahead and re-read before publishing but even great writers have typos and errors in their writing.

“Whiplash”

I once had a parent have their son transferred out of my class, because I had spelling errors on his report card. This was before computers and spell checkers. Their thoughts were anyone who can’t write without making mistakes and sending that writing home, shouldn’t be teaching their child. Also, I actually put up on a bulletin board, student work that had errors. I only know this was the reason for the transfer because my principal shared that information with me. Every time I run into that parent, she always apologetically tells me, “It wasn’t because of you, that we had our son transferred.”  Yeah, right! That’s not what I heard.

“Whiplash”

So sit back and be prepared for whatever topics, issues, anecdotes, and wild ideas pop into my head each day as I tackle each letter of the alphabet. Get ready for…

“Whiplash”

5 calvin fall asleep in class whiplash.jpg

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2019, Writing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Rinny

Posted on March 16, 2019 by hdh

Rinny

Rinny

“Home… I need a home, someplace to shelter myself and my future offspring.”

It was a warm spring day. The cat was wandering through the neighborhood looking for a place to rest. Being a stray it was easy to find food in such a well-stocked development, abutting an untouched forest. But time was running short. The pregnancy had gone on for too long. It was time to find a place to nest.

And there it was – a ranch style house with a closed in porch. If only I can get the attention of the owner. As luck would have it they saw me first. They were nice and provided food that day. Timing was perfect. So that night, I found a corner in the shade and gave birth to 4 kittens.

The owner was surprised the next day to find me searching for food and looking less pregnant. I could tell I was being followed and soon my temporary nest was found. I watched cautiously as each of my offspring were carefully carried from my hiding place to the enclosed porch. I crept with some trepidation after the owners, waited until they were gone and crawled into the enclosure that they had provided for my children. As I became more comfortable in my surroundings I noticed that the porch door had closed. I was trapped. But even in being trapped I felt safe. There was food supplied for me and the enclosed area provided a defensive structure to protect us.

The people were nice. They called us strange names. Rinny? That’s the name of a dog on TV. The male keeps yelling “Yo Rinny” and expects me to chase some crumpled up paper, which of course I do. And my kids? Who calls cats Number 1, Worf, Data and Wesley? Must be after some sort of cult he follows.

the Trek kittens

We’re eventually invited into the house. We stay in the basement for a while, until a special door is put at the top of the basement stairs, to allow us to go up and down. Time passes quickly and my children are fostered off to other places. I heard that Data was sent off to Africa and is now called Rocky. But I decide to stay. I’m glad I made the choice I did.

Author’s postscript: Rinny stayed with us for 19 years before she passed on. There now is another feral cat that hangs around our house, “Thunder Snow”, he’s never come in or said a word to us over the past 2+ years, but he continues to frequent our porch, receive food, and provides comfort to us as the days go on.

Thunder Snow

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Lost in the Woods

Posted on March 7, 2019 by hdh

Lost in the Woods

The wind blows cold through my ragged clothes as I stand there beneath the leafless trees; the bright sun blazing through the branches providing me little warmth.

Though the sky overhead is crystal clear, I can see in the distance wisps of clouds moving rapidly in search of something unseen. Clouds desperately trying to find one another, hoping to merge into a billowy shape strong enough to stand up to that wind; trying to contain any moisture that the sky can provide, so that they can darken and fight back with rain or snow.

Somewhere there are chimneys spewing forth dark smoke from crackling fireplaces blanketing the air with their acrid scent, wishing to fulfill their need to escape the confines of their brick enclosures and be heard. The odor is quite real, but its origins nowhere to be seen.

The wind strives on. The cacophony of its force, denying all those that stand in its way from working together, leaving nothing to stop its movement and power.

Yet there I stand, an immovable statue, cold, deafened by the sound of the forceful wind, and ever hopeful that I will be found or at least find a place of refuge to shelter me from the ever present conditions that have been thrust upon me.

I glance skyward and silently plead to whatever god can hear me, “Keep me safe. Let me be who I was meant to be.”

Then tree after tree, begin to fall. Each one closer to where I stand until I am surrounded by a wall of debris. A wall not so high that I can’t climb over it should I want to, but close enough to me that I am protected from the elements …  at least for now.

“Thanks,” is my reply.

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Hands

Posted on February 21, 2019 by hdh

Hands

Hands – So many lines to follow. It is said that a palm reader can predict your future by searching out the different lines in your hand and where they lead to and where they come from.

As you get older the lines increase. Are those new stories or just the memories of past stories.

Hands – Looking at my hands they must be telling a number of tales.  I certainly have a lot more stories evident when the weather gets cold and my hands dry out. There are lines everywhere, all intersecting and branching all over.

Hands – Then there are the marks on the hands and fingers. The scar from when the doctor removed that wart. I never got to put that on my draft card as an identifying, distinguishing feature that is unique to me.

That black dot in the middle of my palm from the pencil that I accidentally jabbed into it when I was a kid. A memory of the piece left behind that remained.

That was so long ago. The hands tell it all

Hands – that when laid down on paper and traced, made the image of a perfect turkey on Thanksgiving. I must have done it, though I don’t remember. Every classroom teacher and art teacher made you do it.

Hands – they are also your welcome to each other. When I was young, an older man, Simon, once told me “you have grip people with a firm handshake. It shows them that you are confident in yourself and a good person”. He taught me by squeezing my hand as hard whenever he shook my hand. If I wasn’t prepared, it hurt. If I was, I would squeeze his hand as hard as I could. I thought to myself,I” know what you’re going to do and I will get there before you can.” I never forgot that. My handshakes are firm; no dead fish from me.

Hands – they show appreciation. I feel much better after performing when I get applause.

As hands go, they are a window into your character. They show who you are, what you think and how you feel.

They’re a handy thing to have. – Pun intended.

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The Wedding Spider

Posted on February 15, 2019 by hdh

Writer’s Prompt 2/5/19

You’d never believe me if I told you that I ______________, but it’s true, and I can prove it.

The Wedding Spider

Spiders: Any of numerous arachnids of the order Araneae, having a body divided into a cephalothorax and an abdomen, eight legs, two chelicerae that bear venom glands, and two or more spinnerets that produce the silk used to make nests, cocoons, or webs for trapping insects.

You either love them or hate them. Yes, they have their uses. They do keep the fly population down. Their web silk is useful in many industries. Spiders even have their benefit to storytellers; there are lots of stories about them, including the most famous one Anansi, who is an African legendary spider (man). Stories I can deal with, but I’m not fond of them in real life. If anything they always show up in the wrong place and at the wrong time like the infamous spider that crashed our wedding.

—————————-

It was a cold day at the end of March 1990. Christina and I were to be married at a friend’s house. A number of our friends and members of our families were in attendance. We had limited the number of people attending since this wasn’t held in a large banquet hall or religious institution but in our friend’s living room. We had rehearsed the parts of the ceremony and were confident that all would go smoothly.  All was set. Christina was to come down the stairs from the second floor with her father and meet me in the corner of the living room in front of the secretary* where the ceremony was to take place.

As we got close to the part of the ceremony where I was to pledge my love to Christina an uninvited guest caught her eye. A spider was crawling across the desktop of the secretary towards where she was standing. As much as I’m not fond of spiders, Christina is less so. The expression on her face went from one of joy to one of worry. I was oblivious to what was happening. She began to wave me away and point back at the desk. Though I looked in the direction she was pointing, I saw nothing and was convinced that I had either forgot something or had done something wrong. Even as I got ready to pledge myself to her, she kept glancing to the side. It was my voice and that I was holding her hands that brought her back to me. Hoping that I didn’t screw up more than I had already, I shared my words of love, and she shared hers back to me and we were married.

I didn’t find out until after the ceremony when I asked her what I forgot or had done wrong that she informed me of the spider, which at that point was nowhere to be seen.

Was it real? No one else saw it.

It turned out that not only was it real, but we had proof. A friend of ours was video recording the entire event. As we looked at the video, sometime later, there it was for all to see. The spider didn’t start out on the desktop. He started out on the top of the secretary’s bookshelf and repelled down the side of it before it got to the desk part where it was spotted by Christina. If you don’t believe me check out the video. Pay attention to the 13-second mark where the spider first appears.

At the 1:13 mark after everyone there promised to support us she first sees it.

At the 1:17 mark she tries to warn me.

The rest as you say is history. To watch the video go to The wedding spider video:  https://youtu.be/jjAWqgWlqSw

* secretary: A desk with a small cabinet on top that had belonged to my friend’s grandmother)

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Ode to Winter

Posted on February 9, 2019 by hdh

Ode to Winter

The blustery winds cast a chill upon the air.

The outdoor chimes ring as our house shakes with each push and pull.

It’s cold outside;

Too cold to explore, to be present without some protection

We’re stuck inside, safe from the elements, yet trapped by Mother Nature’s fervor.

The fireplace stays empty.

Flames of warmth not allowed to go up the chimney

Allowing the cold air to creep in through crevices in the foundation.

The sights through windows, though lovely with their crystalline structures

And glistening reflections remain aloof and distant.

The only comforts are the warmth of each other,

The fleece lined clothing, the closeness of the flannel blankets pressed against our bodies,

And the thoughts of better days ahead.

It is wintertime.

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