haiku wednesday - May 27, 2009

This week's words are
dreary
embrace
timid

Today's homework: Recruit one new person to 3WW. So, any of you out there who are searching for a weekly prompt, maybe to avoid the Koala Klaws of Doom, maybe just to get yourself unstuck, maybe to ease the monotony of the midweek doldrums... join in by writing something using the three words above and then going to http://threewordwednesday.wordpress.com and leaving a comment. There really are some good poets out there playing along each week, and some great fiction (especially from the 3WW head honcho, ThommyG).

(For those of you who may have followed Stephen's comment link to this site, he actually was referring to the next post down, the one about the California budget and Prop 8.)

Oh, and this week's words were so easy and inviting that I had to throw in a fourth one that came to me as I was about to click "publish post."

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your dreary embrace
makes me regret timid kiss
how can I escape?

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timid flowers wait
craving love's lusty embrace
dreary high school dance

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this dreary job sucks
too timid to say "shove it"
embrace the paycheck

---

lonely, dreary days
timid wife finds love online
virtual embrace

prop 8 decision to save California budget

The California Supreme Court, with tremendous wisdom, did not rule on the validity of Prop 8 until after last week's special election. In that special election, Californians smacked down several measures that would have levied temporary additional taxes to cover the current state budget shortfall. Because those measures failed, the state will likely lay off thousands of workers, cut social services to almost nothing, and reduce education funding.

Today, the California Supreme Court possibly saved the entire state by upholding the validity of Prop 8. You may recall that Prop 8 famously outlaws gay marriage by defining marriage, directly within the state constitution, as being between one man and one woman. Today's ruling simply answered the question, "Is the constitutional amendment passed by the voters a valid and legal constitutional amendment?" Their answer: Why, yes, it is a valid amendment.

The court's decision has paved the way for the next lawsuit, which of course will declare that marriage, by the constitution's definition, is by its very nature discriminatory. With marriage itself deemed unconstitutional, all the hundreds of thousands of married heterosexual couples (like me and my wife) will have to rush to register for a civil union. Imagine all the paperwork fees, the printing required! Many will take this opportunity to renew vows, possibly with Pagan ceremonies involving catering. The benefits to the California economy will be staggering.

So thank you, Supreme Court, for saving the California economy. And thank you, Justice Moreno, for supplying the dissenting opinion that so clearly articulates that even a "narrow exception" to equality is inequality and is not to be tolerated.

Sibley Volcanic Labyrinth

Memorial Day

In memory of those who have served, and in gratitude for those who serve today.

emotion and quality

This morning I stumbled upon some things I'd written four years ago--personal notes, journal entries written when I was going through a difficult emotional period. Suffice to say it was one of those times when one problem seeps over into every aspect of your life and distracts you in a constant and very uncomfortable way, not unlike sandpaper underwear.

What surprised me about these notes was how darned good the writing was. I was shocked at the raw emotion, the provocative descriptions, the rich yet tight prose. And I wished I could write like that now. Such freedom and power. I've never shown those notes to anyone, and I don't expect to.

Today, I have no serious issues in my life. Day Job, family, and yard work consume my time, and when I try to write I find my creative energy spent. No everpresent pain or angst drives me. Instead of bleeding onto a blank page, I find myself clearing my head with a crossword puzzle or some other mental bubblegum. Instead of thinking about my writing while at work, I'm thinking about work while trying to write.

How can I get back to that place of inspiration? I don't think recreating the circumstances of four years ago is a good idea. And I don't much care for the idea of sandpaper boxers. Is that deep emotion required for true art?

haiku wednesday - May 20, 2009

This week's words are
efficient
optimize
treacherous

A whole week has gone by? Holy shme. And May is half over and I've not yet done my 1,000 words for Aerin. (Though I did edit a section of about 2,500 words... does that count, Aerin?)

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optimize word use
treacherous syllable count
efficient haiku

---

must be efficient
optimize everything now!
a treacherous slope?

---

no treacherous words
an efficient kind of love
you optimize me

haiku wednesday - May 13, 2009

This week's words are
bicker
nervous
trajectory

thommyg revealed the solution to one of life's greatest mysteries today by explaining how he selects the three words each week. However it happens, I appreciate it. Thanks, Thom!

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vain judges bicker
nervous idols wait for votes
star trajectory

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sage and fool bicker
over orb trajectory
nervous mobs listen

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sage and fool bicker
over DOW trajectory
nervous mobs listen

The office in Las Vegas

Short walk from the cheap hotel. Glad we'll be indoors since it's supposed to be 97 degrees today. (That's 35 to you Europeans, I think.)

haiku wednesday - May 6, 2009

This week's words are
cryptic
flash
malign

Harsh, combative words this week. How invigorating! But they are slightly difficult words, I find. Easy to weave together, but difficult to structure in so small a space. (Mostly because I choose to use the words as presented and not use permutations such as maligned for malign, or flashing for flash.)

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they malign my name
candid flash, cryptic headline
to build their own fame

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malign the research
cryptic signs, flash of insight
now you understand

---

flash your cryptic smile
do you malign or praise me?
your words mean two things

bless his heart, or "lets just be friends"

One eyebrow raised in suspicious acceptance... mind whirring, analyzing the circuitous praise... half a thought thinking that "circuitous praise" is a cool phrase but probably too difficult to pronounce to be the name of a rock band, though it has good possibility for tee shirt design...

So, um... "Thanks, Aerin. I think."

The "Let's Just Be Friends" Award!

Blogs that received the Let's Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

So, here's how I read this:

"Blogs that received the Let's Just Be Friends Award offer pleasant conversation but are not someone you'd actually take home at the end of the party. These clingy bloggers have no real friends. They are sheepish and should stay indoors, out of the light. Oh God, we hope we make some new friends soon so we can stop hanging with these losers. Please, someone else come talk to them so we can can get the hell out of here. Two should be enough, but we'll hope for eight just to be sure."

Oh, hell, I'll take any award I can get. Gotta keep that positivity going somehow.

But I'm too lazy to tag eight others. Besides, I'm not sure this award sends exactly the message I would intend...

Positivity! Yay! or, "Where's my yellow blazer?"

Blue Sugar Poet, which I still think is one of the coolest names ever, has gone off the deep end. Which can only mean one thing: She has given me an award!

Awards! Yay! Here's the deal:
1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

And now, the tagged:
maria, tiffany, robin, paca, blogless, mckoala, and jane (Doe, though I also do love Jane V's blog).
(Yes, I know that blogless has an impenetrable mime shield. As such, Aerin gets the final tag.)
And I am breaking one of the rules. Specifically, I'm not doing #5 because I'm lazy.

And now...

My five top strengths!

Yes, I have just recently (as in an hour ago) suffered through the Strengths Finder 2.0. And my life is totally changed. Well, really, no, it's not. My life is exactly the same. I just understand it a little better. Here are my top strengths:

Strategic
Ideation
Connectedness
Positivity
Relator

The shocker, when I read the list, was the last one. My first thought was, "WTF? I don't think I'd be very good at selling houses." My second thought was, "Boy, it's really time to give in and get those reading glasses."

The next shocker was finding out, thanks to spell checkers and dictionary.com, that "ideation" is actually a real word.

Honestly, I was gobsmacked at how uncanny the descriptions were. Now, I've only read the five they picked for me; it's entirely possible that all 34 strengths (or, "themes of talent" as the book calls them) are written in a way that would have me going, "Hey, yeah, that's like so totally me!" But I guess that's the positivity emerging.