In slightly over three hours, 2015 will reach its conclusion and, obviously, 2016 will emerge in its place. I'm not sure what to make of this year - it has contained many awesome moments but certain events...well, I wish they had never happened. The stark contrast in emotions has been unimaginable.
Here's hoping for an improved 2016. Happy New Year's Eve, everyone.
Showing posts with label Thinking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thinking. Show all posts
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Light in the dark
In the mid-evening, during the last minutes of my walk, I photographed this street light:
It's a light in the dark. Always keep close the people who are the metaphorical lights in the dark.
Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Case or no case?
I've written several posts about phones and their accessories, a recent example being this one from July about my phone's armour. I think it's now time for another, presented in the form of a question:
Opinion is divided on the issues of phone cases. Some people dislike them because they add "bulkiness" to their devices but other, such as myself, consider a moderately bulky case with extra grip and protection to be preferable to a damaged phone.
Do you have a case on your phone?
Opinion is divided on the issues of phone cases. Some people dislike them because they add "bulkiness" to their devices but other, such as myself, consider a moderately bulky case with extra grip and protection to be preferable to a damaged phone.
Friday, 16 October 2015
Bathroom shock
I experienced a sweat-inducing shock this afternoon. I required use of a bathroom at college to wash my hands; this doesn't sound exciting in itself - because it isn't. However, when I opened the bathroom door to exit, there was a woman waiting to enter.
The lady completely took me by surprise, as I was certain I had entered the men's facilities, but the sight of her caused me to think that perhaps I'd somehow entered the women's bathroom by mistake or that a prank had ensnared me. Fortunately, she turned out to be a cleaner and I relaxed.
Still, the experience was alarming, mainly because for that brief moment I thought I was in the wrong place and was scaring her. I am pleased that wasn't the case.
The lady completely took me by surprise, as I was certain I had entered the men's facilities, but the sight of her caused me to think that perhaps I'd somehow entered the women's bathroom by mistake or that a prank had ensnared me. Fortunately, she turned out to be a cleaner and I relaxed.
Still, the experience was alarming, mainly because for that brief moment I thought I was in the wrong place and was scaring her. I am pleased that wasn't the case.
Monday, 10 August 2015
A year since Wikimania
I posted this on Facebook earlier:
"Wow! It's hard to believe that it's been exactly one year since I attended the final day of Wikimania 2014. Met several amazing people that day, including some I'd known online for many years."
I covered Wikimania in this post and this one. I enjoyed the event and enjoyed meeting in person some people whom I have known online for years. While my life was rapidly changing back then, August 2014 is a completely different world from my current reality.
"Wow! It's hard to believe that it's been exactly one year since I attended the final day of Wikimania 2014. Met several amazing people that day, including some I'd known online for many years."
I covered Wikimania in this post and this one. I enjoyed the event and enjoyed meeting in person some people whom I have known online for years. While my life was rapidly changing back then, August 2014 is a completely different world from my current reality.
Saturday, 8 August 2015
August 6th, 2015, Republican debate
As of this writing, I have watched half of the Republican presidential candidate debate, which occurred two days ago. I'm debating whether or not to write up a brief review about it or rather, about one or two or so of the candidates. I'll wait until it's over and if I've written an opinion piece tomorrow, you'll know what I decided!
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Back at home April 2014
My nine-day visit to Nottingham ended this afternoon and I'm now back in Northamptonshire. My parents came in the morning to collect me but we remained at my grandparents' house for several hours before we left.
After the events of the past few days, I now have some important choices to make. I'll be sure to write about them when the time comes.
After the events of the past few days, I now have some important choices to make. I'll be sure to write about them when the time comes.
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Mind's a blank
Well, that's unfortunate. I've been struggling to come up with posts for the past seven days or so and tonight I am unable to come up with something beyond saying that I can't come up with anything! Still, today's lack of a decent post isn't due to a complete lack of thinking on my part: I have been doing other writing today...it's just that it hasn't been for my blog!
On the bright side, usually whenever I write a post like this I follow it up with some good ones, so I'm hoping that tomorrow's post will be much more exciting!
On the bright side, usually whenever I write a post like this I follow it up with some good ones, so I'm hoping that tomorrow's post will be much more exciting!
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Tall women
I have read personal stories from tall women about some of their dating troubles. A common* complaint by these women is how the men they wish to date are either intimidated by them or somehow "feel less manly" in their presence. I find the behaviour of such men bizarre and, more accurately, sexist.
Whenever I have been in the presence of a woman equal to me* in height or taller, I have never felt any hostility or fear towards her for being a tall woman. I've met plenty of people — men and women — taller than I am. Have they ever made me nervous? Certainly...back when I was I child, but even then I considered a tall person's gender irrelevant.
I think that many men who are freaked out by tall women are misogynists. The only reason a man could feel uncomfortable around a tall woman is because he perceives her to be a threat to his self-given "authority" or ability to bully her into conceding an argument to him by using his size advantage as a weapon. Any man who believes this or thinks that a tall woman would reduce his masculinity cannot be considered a man: he is a coward.
Even if he isn't a misogynist, a man of average or above average height bothered by tall women should put everything into perspective: how does a short woman feel when she has to interact with a man who is at least a foot higher than her? If the man intended to cause her harm it is unlikely she would be unable to stop him, but when it comes to a man and a woman of equal height, in most cases the man would still be physically stronger than the woman. Therefore, a man has no reason to feel insecure or threatened by tall women.
For the ultimate question, would I go out with a woman near my height or taller? My answer: Yes — why not? I'm not intimidated by tall women, I don't have a need or desire to control women or engage in one-upmanship over them (same goes for men) and I would not have any problem with being the shorter person in a relationship. I've observed taller woman/shorter man relationships before and I am happy for the people involved in them.
Men should not be insecure about tall women — or about women in general, for that matter — and nor should they only be romantically interested in shorter women purely to maintain a physical advantage in a relationship. All women, regardless of their stature, are entitled to basic respect.
[1] Some tall women prefer to date even taller men, and thus, limit their dating pool as a result. However, this post exclusively addresses male sexism.
[2] I am six feet tall and have met women taller than this.
Whenever I have been in the presence of a woman equal to me* in height or taller, I have never felt any hostility or fear towards her for being a tall woman. I've met plenty of people — men and women — taller than I am. Have they ever made me nervous? Certainly...back when I was I child, but even then I considered a tall person's gender irrelevant.
I think that many men who are freaked out by tall women are misogynists. The only reason a man could feel uncomfortable around a tall woman is because he perceives her to be a threat to his self-given "authority" or ability to bully her into conceding an argument to him by using his size advantage as a weapon. Any man who believes this or thinks that a tall woman would reduce his masculinity cannot be considered a man: he is a coward.
Even if he isn't a misogynist, a man of average or above average height bothered by tall women should put everything into perspective: how does a short woman feel when she has to interact with a man who is at least a foot higher than her? If the man intended to cause her harm it is unlikely she would be unable to stop him, but when it comes to a man and a woman of equal height, in most cases the man would still be physically stronger than the woman. Therefore, a man has no reason to feel insecure or threatened by tall women.
For the ultimate question, would I go out with a woman near my height or taller? My answer: Yes — why not? I'm not intimidated by tall women, I don't have a need or desire to control women or engage in one-upmanship over them (same goes for men) and I would not have any problem with being the shorter person in a relationship. I've observed taller woman/shorter man relationships before and I am happy for the people involved in them.
Men should not be insecure about tall women — or about women in general, for that matter — and nor should they only be romantically interested in shorter women purely to maintain a physical advantage in a relationship. All women, regardless of their stature, are entitled to basic respect.
[1] Some tall women prefer to date even taller men, and thus, limit their dating pool as a result. However, this post exclusively addresses male sexism.
[2] I am six feet tall and have met women taller than this.
Thursday, 21 February 2013
Candy coincidence
I had an interesting coincidence take place. A couple of nights ago, I dreamt about my brother taking a bus ride to one of the neighbouring towns; the sole concern of the "dream me" was that my brother buy me some chocolate when he was out (in real-life he has occasionally brought chocolates home after he's been out for an extended period). Unfortunately, I woke up before I could learn whether or not I received any chocolate.
This past evening, my brother took a walk and stopped off at one of our local stores. Prior to him leaving, I had given him some coins and asked if he could pick up a couple of candy bars for me (he'd said he would be going to the store). It was the first time in months that this particular situation had arisen.
I found it a coincidence to be dreaming about me wanting my brother to buy me some chocolate, and a couple of days later he announces he's going to a store, causing me to ask if he could pick something up for me! My decision to ask was not prompted by the dream, and I didn't think about the dream — or the coincidence — until long after I had eaten the chocolate.
This past evening, my brother took a walk and stopped off at one of our local stores. Prior to him leaving, I had given him some coins and asked if he could pick up a couple of candy bars for me (he'd said he would be going to the store). It was the first time in months that this particular situation had arisen.
I found it a coincidence to be dreaming about me wanting my brother to buy me some chocolate, and a couple of days later he announces he's going to a store, causing me to ask if he could pick something up for me! My decision to ask was not prompted by the dream, and I didn't think about the dream — or the coincidence — until long after I had eaten the chocolate.
Friday, 15 February 2013
Potential Android names
Following up on my my post about the creativity of Android version names, I decided to come up with a list of potential names for future versions, continuing the dessert-theme. Bolded names are existing versions, the italicised name is the expected successor to the current version of Android (Jelly Bean) and the remaining names are what I came up with for this post:
C: Cupcake
D: Donut
E: Eclair
F: Froyo
G: Gingerbread
H: Honeycomb
I: Ice Cream Sandwich
J: Jelly Bean
K: Key Lime Pie
L: Lemon Meringue
M: Marzipan / Mud Pie
N: Nougat
O: Oatmeal Cookie
P. Peach Cobbler / Peppermint / Petit Four / Profiterole
Q: Quince Tart
R: Rice Pudding
S: Strawberry Trifle
T: Toffee
U: Upside-down Cake
V: Vanilla Sundae
W: Walnut Brownie
X: ?
Y: Yam Flan
Z: Zucchini Bread (I've only known this food as a dessert.)
My brother thought of O, I had to cheat for U through to Y, and I couldn't come up with anything for X! I don't know if there are any desserts that begin with the letter X. P was remarkably easy, to the point where I chose four desserts with the best-sounding names.
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Short Stories: The Demotion - Part 2
With the past week having been one of the worst in his adult life, Todd was relieved that the weekend had arrived and felt that sleeping in until midday was the best way to recover from the last few days; he could be registering as unemployed next week, so why not relax? He'd have ample opportunity to start searching for a new job then.
When Todd finally extracted himself from his bed, he ate a late breakfast and then went on his routine Saturday walk, which would allow him to clear his head and contemplate how to proceed. A part of Todd was tempted to stroll to his workplace, crash open the doors and announce his resignation by bellowing at the company president; fortunately, the idea exited his mind as quickly as it had entered because such a course of action would undoubtedly harm his prospects of obtaining another job. He also cared too deeply about the company and the work he'd done for it to resort to such an overreaction.
After walking for half an hour, Todd sat down to rest on a bench by a fountain. He mulled over the pros and cons of leaving his job versus staying: if he left, he'd be free to work somewhere else — with an unblemished record — and develop a new circle of friends. However, job-seeking was often a long and arduous process...not at all something that warmed him to the idea of quitting; if he stayed, he wouldn't have to worry about that, but the problem of rejection by former colleagues and an unhealthy work environment would remain.
Todd was still thinking about his options when he moved his eyes away from the fountain towards a patch of dirt near the bench, where he noticed an ant nest. He gazed blankly at the ants as they marched in their usual ant style until one of them caught his eye: it was trying to carry an insect larger than itself...without success. All the other ants walked past it, too busy with their own work to lend a hand, but the ant refused to yield, continuing to try to lift the bigger insect over its own head. Several minutes passed, and the ant succeeded in raising the large load over itself, allowing it to return it to the colony — the persistence paid off.
Something in Todd's mind clicked and he sprang up from the bench in an instant. He thought to himself why the current troubles in his job were nothing he couldn't overcome: he did have a chance for redemption. He remembered how at the time of his demotion he had been labelled a "valuable member"; if his superiors had believed he could not contribute to the company any further he would have been terminated. As for the attitude of his former colleagues, the new project which Todd was now assigned to would allow him to develop a different circle of friends. His decision was made.
When Monday morning came, Todd walked into work with renewed energy and determination. A small yet defiant smile formed on his face as he entered the building. Could his situation deteriorate further? Possibly, but provided that he worked hard and persisted — just as the ant did — the only direction he could travel in the company was up.
-------------
I hope this was a satisfying conclusion to The Demotion. I'm not completely pleased with it myself because I don't think it quite has the momentum of the first part, and I'm worried that I ended up adding the clutter I wanted to keep out, but as I said before, this writing is experimental, and if my readers are satisfied I'll be happy. It was a challenge writing this without speech or written thoughts!
I also hope that the ant analogy worked; it might seem ludicrous, but in my experience, a small thing — even something as tiny as an ant — can influence a decision, and so I thought that it would be worthwhile using it to push Todd into making his choice. I needed something to act as a tiebreaker for Todd's decision that wasn't speech or thoughts. I think it makes an interesting twist.
Let me know what you think; constructive crticism will be appreciated if provided!
When Todd finally extracted himself from his bed, he ate a late breakfast and then went on his routine Saturday walk, which would allow him to clear his head and contemplate how to proceed. A part of Todd was tempted to stroll to his workplace, crash open the doors and announce his resignation by bellowing at the company president; fortunately, the idea exited his mind as quickly as it had entered because such a course of action would undoubtedly harm his prospects of obtaining another job. He also cared too deeply about the company and the work he'd done for it to resort to such an overreaction.
After walking for half an hour, Todd sat down to rest on a bench by a fountain. He mulled over the pros and cons of leaving his job versus staying: if he left, he'd be free to work somewhere else — with an unblemished record — and develop a new circle of friends. However, job-seeking was often a long and arduous process...not at all something that warmed him to the idea of quitting; if he stayed, he wouldn't have to worry about that, but the problem of rejection by former colleagues and an unhealthy work environment would remain.
Todd was still thinking about his options when he moved his eyes away from the fountain towards a patch of dirt near the bench, where he noticed an ant nest. He gazed blankly at the ants as they marched in their usual ant style until one of them caught his eye: it was trying to carry an insect larger than itself...without success. All the other ants walked past it, too busy with their own work to lend a hand, but the ant refused to yield, continuing to try to lift the bigger insect over its own head. Several minutes passed, and the ant succeeded in raising the large load over itself, allowing it to return it to the colony — the persistence paid off.
Something in Todd's mind clicked and he sprang up from the bench in an instant. He thought to himself why the current troubles in his job were nothing he couldn't overcome: he did have a chance for redemption. He remembered how at the time of his demotion he had been labelled a "valuable member"; if his superiors had believed he could not contribute to the company any further he would have been terminated. As for the attitude of his former colleagues, the new project which Todd was now assigned to would allow him to develop a different circle of friends. His decision was made.
When Monday morning came, Todd walked into work with renewed energy and determination. A small yet defiant smile formed on his face as he entered the building. Could his situation deteriorate further? Possibly, but provided that he worked hard and persisted — just as the ant did — the only direction he could travel in the company was up.
-------------
I hope this was a satisfying conclusion to The Demotion. I'm not completely pleased with it myself because I don't think it quite has the momentum of the first part, and I'm worried that I ended up adding the clutter I wanted to keep out, but as I said before, this writing is experimental, and if my readers are satisfied I'll be happy. It was a challenge writing this without speech or written thoughts!
I also hope that the ant analogy worked; it might seem ludicrous, but in my experience, a small thing — even something as tiny as an ant — can influence a decision, and so I thought that it would be worthwhile using it to push Todd into making his choice. I needed something to act as a tiebreaker for Todd's decision that wasn't speech or thoughts. I think it makes an interesting twist.
Let me know what you think; constructive crticism will be appreciated if provided!
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Republican presidents brain teaser
I discovered an interesting fact a few days ago; it's a small and most likely useless item of history (as well as not really a "brain teaser" as such), but one I feel worth sharing. To begin with, I'll list all Republican Presidents of the United States since 1948 who won election to the position:
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Richard Nixon
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
George W. Bush
So other than being president, what is distinct about these five men? Have a think for a moment, but if you'd like a clue, carefully look at these names:
Dwight D. Eisenhower/Richard Nixon - 1953-1961
Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew, later Gerald R. Ford - 1969-1974
Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush - 1981-1989
George H. W. Bush/Dan Quayle - 1989-1993
George W. Bush/Dick Cheney - 2001-2009
I excluded Ford (1974-1977) from the first list because he was never elected to president. Do you see any pattern now? I'll give you one more hint:
Herbert Hoover/Charles Curtis - 1929-1933
I shall reveal the answer in tomorrow's post. Until then, feel free to guess away!
Thursday, 23 August 2012
New ideas
Every writer, at one point or another, will go through a period where they temporarily run out of ideas for what to write next. This is called "writer's block", and it is normal. It doesn't usually last for long and can be easily cured by something as simple as reading a book, going on a walk, or even just taking a short break from writing (or if the block is localised to one to piece of writing, working another project sometimes helps as well).
I currently have this problem. The recent Nottingham trip provided me with a lot of content for almost two weeks, and I didn't have to think much about what to write. Now that I've said all I had to say about the trip I'm back to thinking about what topic to cover for each post. Not that I mind, of course, as thinking is a great way to exercise the brain.
This problem will be temporary! I just need to regain a little inspiration after cutting a load of work out for myself. I'll be back writing more interesting and compehensive posts than this one soon.
I currently have this problem. The recent Nottingham trip provided me with a lot of content for almost two weeks, and I didn't have to think much about what to write. Now that I've said all I had to say about the trip I'm back to thinking about what topic to cover for each post. Not that I mind, of course, as thinking is a great way to exercise the brain.
This problem will be temporary! I just need to regain a little inspiration after cutting a load of work out for myself. I'll be back writing more interesting and compehensive posts than this one soon.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
The 2005 me on phones
As I have written about previously, during the last Christmas season I received a mobile phone. When I was first given the phone I did not anticipate on using it much; however, for the last few months I have found my phone to be extremely useful, with texting and its stopwatch being the two features I use almost daily. In addition, I have my phone on me almost all the time, as people who have my number know that it is the quickest way to contact me.
This is a huge contrast to the 2005 me...a person who mocked mobile phones and declared that he "would never text because it was stupid". He saw little reason for people to need anything other than a landline, and he never wanted his own mobile phone. If you told him that one day he would not only be texting with other people but also be constantly carrying his mobile phone around with him, he would likely not have believed you; and if you had given him a phone he would have been highly offended.
It should also be noted that where he lived he was outside the range of the local cell phone towers, and thus, any such phones did not have service. It is possible that this factor had an effect on his opinion.
Okay, I will stop referring to myself in the third person now, but the Andrew of 2005-2006 was a vastly different person to who I am today. I am glad I moved on and grew beyond what I used to think about mobile phones and texting (as well my opinions on an array of other topics, but that is off-topic): after all, they are another form of communicating with people, and texting is a brilliant medium for sending a short message to somebody when you need to contact them quickly but would rather not disturb them with a phone call (not to mention that texting back and forth with someone is fun in itself).
Even eight months ago I still did not really have a use for a mobile phone (but I was not hostile to them or to owning one), but now that I have one it is hard to imagine not having one again!
This is a huge contrast to the 2005 me...a person who mocked mobile phones and declared that he "would never text because it was stupid". He saw little reason for people to need anything other than a landline, and he never wanted his own mobile phone. If you told him that one day he would not only be texting with other people but also be constantly carrying his mobile phone around with him, he would likely not have believed you; and if you had given him a phone he would have been highly offended.
It should also be noted that where he lived he was outside the range of the local cell phone towers, and thus, any such phones did not have service. It is possible that this factor had an effect on his opinion.
Okay, I will stop referring to myself in the third person now, but the Andrew of 2005-2006 was a vastly different person to who I am today. I am glad I moved on and grew beyond what I used to think about mobile phones and texting (as well my opinions on an array of other topics, but that is off-topic): after all, they are another form of communicating with people, and texting is a brilliant medium for sending a short message to somebody when you need to contact them quickly but would rather not disturb them with a phone call (not to mention that texting back and forth with someone is fun in itself).
Even eight months ago I still did not really have a use for a mobile phone (but I was not hostile to them or to owning one), but now that I have one it is hard to imagine not having one again!
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Naming US state nicknames
Inspired by this post of mine, I have decided to do a piece on how many official US state nicknames I can name off the top of my head (the order is done in which ones I think of first). I could come up with ten, plus some bonuses:
"Beaver State" - Oregon
"The Golden State" - California
"Sunshine State" - Florida
"The Empire State" - New York
"Evergreen State" - Washington
"Lone Star State" - Texas
"Show-Me State" - Missouri
"Keystone State" - Pennsylvania
"Silver State" - Nevada
"The Last Frontier" - Alaska
I named "Tar Heel State" for North Carolina, but the state appears to have two main nicknames ("Old North State") so I decided not to count it in the above list. I thought "The Peanut State" was Georgia's nickname (it is the "Peach State"); plus I thought of "Empire State of the South" for Georgia and "The Rocky Mountain State" for Colorado, though I did know that both are rarely used as nicknames for them nowadays. Finally, I named the "Bellwether State" for Ohio, but that is actually one of Missouri's lesser-known nicknames.
How many US state nicknames can you come up with off the top of your head? (Please state which of the above you already knew, too.)
"Beaver State" - Oregon
"The Golden State" - California
"Sunshine State" - Florida
"The Empire State" - New York
"Evergreen State" - Washington
"Lone Star State" - Texas
"Show-Me State" - Missouri
"Keystone State" - Pennsylvania
"Silver State" - Nevada
"The Last Frontier" - Alaska
I named "Tar Heel State" for North Carolina, but the state appears to have two main nicknames ("Old North State") so I decided not to count it in the above list. I thought "The Peanut State" was Georgia's nickname (it is the "Peach State"); plus I thought of "Empire State of the South" for Georgia and "The Rocky Mountain State" for Colorado, though I did know that both are rarely used as nicknames for them nowadays. Finally, I named the "Bellwether State" for Ohio, but that is actually one of Missouri's lesser-known nicknames.
How many US state nicknames can you come up with off the top of your head? (Please state which of the above you already knew, too.)
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Short Stories: The Garden Dance, Part III
"Hello?"
A feminine voice knocked me out of my thoughts. I turned to my left to see a young woman standing next to me; she had lengthy, wavy light blonde hair; was only slightly shorter than me, and had a yellow dress on. She was incredibly beautiful and I assumed her to be a little older than myself.
"Hi!" I replied a little too excitedly, mainly because I was surprised.
"Are you waiting for someone or something?" she asked. "For the last half an hour I've been watching you stand there."
"Half an hour? I've been standing here for a minute," it was true: when I glanced at my watch it was more than half an hour later from when I previously checked the time.
This bothered her slightly but she shrugged it off. "Will you dance with me?" she then asked. "I'm Heather." She had a posh accent, like a higher pitched Joanna Lumley; there was also an interesting combination of a "giggling" tone to her voice mixed with confidence.
Once again I forgot all about the mystery of my surroundings. "Yes, of course," I answered with a smile.
Heather smiled back, took my hands, and we began a slow dance in the courtyard; I had never danced before, yet somehow I knew exactly what I was doing and everything just felt "right". Despite Heather initiating the dance, I gradually found myself leading it as we talked. Our conversation mainly involved learning more about each other and talking about our town...we were really getting along together, and our discussion flowed perfectly...until we reached the topic of the garden dance.
"Have you noticed anything strange about this place?" I asked.
This created the first pause in the conversation, and I could see that Heather was thinking my question over. After a minute, she answered: "Yes, can we talk about this elsewhere?"
"Of course," was my reply. We exited the main dancing area and made our way to the back of the garden; most people were now in the courtyard but a few were still wandering around the garden.
"I have", Heather said when we reached our destination, and she took my hands to start dancing again, turning so that neither of us faced the view of the mountain range and the lake. "Nothing has been consistent since I arrived this morning: one moment I was here on my own, then suddenly I am surrounded! Sometimes time is fast, other times it is slow...and it's not my perception of it either! I found everything, no matter how extraordinary, making sense to me until I saw you!"
"I remember my brother and I arriving here first, and we were told by the doorman that we were early," I responded. "I then recall everyone suddenly showing up when they weren't supposed to be here for another twenty minutes. No one else is noticing, we seem to be the only ones..."
"Excuse me, cutting in here," an attractive, middle-aged woman with short, thick, and curly hair interrupted. She took me from Heather's hands and started to dance with me; I attempted to free myself from her grip, but she was too strong for me.
"Who are you and why have you cut in?" Heather asked angrily. "Let go at once!"
"Now now, as the host I'm entitled to dance with whomever I wish, and I can't have anyone spoil the festivities with questions!" the older woman smiled.
"You're The Landlady!" I gasped. "Can you explain what is going on?"
"Explain what?" she asked with a smile. "Why do you need an explanation? Why not just appreciate the moments for what they are?"
"I do appreciate moments," I replied, looking around for Heather but noticed that she had disappeared and that the hedges had changed to block the way back into the rest of the garden. "But when it looks as though time itself is acting out of character, I want an explanation."
"Tsk...well if comes to that..."
Suddenly, the place where I had just been standing, the hedges, and The Landlady had all vanished. Time once again behaved strange, as the fall from my previous position to the surface of the water felt like hours, even though it was only fifty feet up. Then, as soon as I did reach the lake...
"Hey, wake up!"
I was abruptly awakened by Jimmy hitting my face. I stood up and had a look around to see where I was: I found myself back at the chairs where Jimmy and I drank our iced hot chocolate. The dance was still in progress, but the only two people in my immediate vicinity were my brother and someone who I partially recognised.
"You fell asleep," the person said, and I noticed they were holding our empty cups of hot chocolate. "I've never seen anyone fall asleep to hot chocolate before!" It occurred to me that this individual was the faceless man, but they had a face now.
"Asleep?" I asked. "No I fell in the lake...how did I get out?"
"Lake?" asked Jimmy. "No, really, you've been asleep for the last few minutes. Come on, get up and go back to the dance! Heather's just arrived and she's waiting for you!"
I could not explain it. I had a clear memory of arriving at Ketterland Mansion with Jimmy hours ago and could remember all the oddities of the place, yet judging from Jimmy's reaction and the faceless man now having a face, I was now unsure if it really all happened, or if it did but in different manner to how I could recall it. Did I really dream it all? Though if that was the case what about all the strange occurrences before I dozed off? Who really was The Landlady, and why was I sent into the water when I asked for an explanation? None of it mattered anymore...for the final time my thoughts on the matter faded, and I returned to the garden dance to join Heather.
-------------
That concludes The Garden Dance. The story is based on a dream I had in the last couple of weeks, and this piece has more of a clear ending than my actual dream did: the only parts of it I can remember were the pond area with my brother, Heather's appearance and me dancing with her, The Landlady cutting in, and then I was thrown into the lake.
Anything that appears to be a plot hole is intentional...the story is meant to be like a dream: inconsistent, a complete mystery, leaves the viewer wondering what happened, but is beautiful nonetheless. I had a great time writing The Garden Dance, let me know what you think!
A feminine voice knocked me out of my thoughts. I turned to my left to see a young woman standing next to me; she had lengthy, wavy light blonde hair; was only slightly shorter than me, and had a yellow dress on. She was incredibly beautiful and I assumed her to be a little older than myself.
"Hi!" I replied a little too excitedly, mainly because I was surprised.
"Are you waiting for someone or something?" she asked. "For the last half an hour I've been watching you stand there."
"Half an hour? I've been standing here for a minute," it was true: when I glanced at my watch it was more than half an hour later from when I previously checked the time.
This bothered her slightly but she shrugged it off. "Will you dance with me?" she then asked. "I'm Heather." She had a posh accent, like a higher pitched Joanna Lumley; there was also an interesting combination of a "giggling" tone to her voice mixed with confidence.
Once again I forgot all about the mystery of my surroundings. "Yes, of course," I answered with a smile.
Heather smiled back, took my hands, and we began a slow dance in the courtyard; I had never danced before, yet somehow I knew exactly what I was doing and everything just felt "right". Despite Heather initiating the dance, I gradually found myself leading it as we talked. Our conversation mainly involved learning more about each other and talking about our town...we were really getting along together, and our discussion flowed perfectly...until we reached the topic of the garden dance.
"Have you noticed anything strange about this place?" I asked.
This created the first pause in the conversation, and I could see that Heather was thinking my question over. After a minute, she answered: "Yes, can we talk about this elsewhere?"
"Of course," was my reply. We exited the main dancing area and made our way to the back of the garden; most people were now in the courtyard but a few were still wandering around the garden.
"I have", Heather said when we reached our destination, and she took my hands to start dancing again, turning so that neither of us faced the view of the mountain range and the lake. "Nothing has been consistent since I arrived this morning: one moment I was here on my own, then suddenly I am surrounded! Sometimes time is fast, other times it is slow...and it's not my perception of it either! I found everything, no matter how extraordinary, making sense to me until I saw you!"
"I remember my brother and I arriving here first, and we were told by the doorman that we were early," I responded. "I then recall everyone suddenly showing up when they weren't supposed to be here for another twenty minutes. No one else is noticing, we seem to be the only ones..."
"Excuse me, cutting in here," an attractive, middle-aged woman with short, thick, and curly hair interrupted. She took me from Heather's hands and started to dance with me; I attempted to free myself from her grip, but she was too strong for me.
"Who are you and why have you cut in?" Heather asked angrily. "Let go at once!"
"Now now, as the host I'm entitled to dance with whomever I wish, and I can't have anyone spoil the festivities with questions!" the older woman smiled.
"You're The Landlady!" I gasped. "Can you explain what is going on?"
"Explain what?" she asked with a smile. "Why do you need an explanation? Why not just appreciate the moments for what they are?"
"I do appreciate moments," I replied, looking around for Heather but noticed that she had disappeared and that the hedges had changed to block the way back into the rest of the garden. "But when it looks as though time itself is acting out of character, I want an explanation."
"Tsk...well if comes to that..."
Suddenly, the place where I had just been standing, the hedges, and The Landlady had all vanished. Time once again behaved strange, as the fall from my previous position to the surface of the water felt like hours, even though it was only fifty feet up. Then, as soon as I did reach the lake...
"Hey, wake up!"
I was abruptly awakened by Jimmy hitting my face. I stood up and had a look around to see where I was: I found myself back at the chairs where Jimmy and I drank our iced hot chocolate. The dance was still in progress, but the only two people in my immediate vicinity were my brother and someone who I partially recognised.
"You fell asleep," the person said, and I noticed they were holding our empty cups of hot chocolate. "I've never seen anyone fall asleep to hot chocolate before!" It occurred to me that this individual was the faceless man, but they had a face now.
"Asleep?" I asked. "No I fell in the lake...how did I get out?"
"Lake?" asked Jimmy. "No, really, you've been asleep for the last few minutes. Come on, get up and go back to the dance! Heather's just arrived and she's waiting for you!"
I could not explain it. I had a clear memory of arriving at Ketterland Mansion with Jimmy hours ago and could remember all the oddities of the place, yet judging from Jimmy's reaction and the faceless man now having a face, I was now unsure if it really all happened, or if it did but in different manner to how I could recall it. Did I really dream it all? Though if that was the case what about all the strange occurrences before I dozed off? Who really was The Landlady, and why was I sent into the water when I asked for an explanation? None of it mattered anymore...for the final time my thoughts on the matter faded, and I returned to the garden dance to join Heather.
-------------
That concludes The Garden Dance. The story is based on a dream I had in the last couple of weeks, and this piece has more of a clear ending than my actual dream did: the only parts of it I can remember were the pond area with my brother, Heather's appearance and me dancing with her, The Landlady cutting in, and then I was thrown into the lake.
Anything that appears to be a plot hole is intentional...the story is meant to be like a dream: inconsistent, a complete mystery, leaves the viewer wondering what happened, but is beautiful nonetheless. I had a great time writing The Garden Dance, let me know what you think!
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Short Stories: The Garden Dance, Part II
It took less than a minute for Jimmy and I to drink our ice cube-filled hot chocolates, though strangely I found myself dozing off for a moment after swallowing my chocolate, but I was able to quickly remove myself from the brief bout of sleepiness. Not wanting to be lazy, we then carried our empty cups with us when we got up from our chairs and made our way over to what appeared to be a small gap in part of the tall hedges surrounding the entire garden. The gap seemed to get bigger the closer we walked towards it, until we were standing at a large gate wooden gate. Curious at its sudden appearance, I unbolted it and we both stepped through.
On the other side of the gate lay seemingly endless grass fields, but about twenty yards in front of us was a path surrounding a pond. We went left on the path and walked to the other side of the body of water before we heard voices; Jimmy and I spun around to see several other people entering through the gate.
"It looks like everyone else has arrived," I remarked. "Perhaps we should return to the garden."
We continued on our previous direction around the path and made it back to the gate. At that point, everyone else in the pond area had decided to leave as well, meaning I had to hold the gate open for them all until only I remained. I shut the gate and re-bolted it once I was back in the garden.
There were now a hundred other people in the garden, but they all appeared as though they had been here for hours: they were talking, singing, eating, dancing, laughing...glancing at my watch, they could barely have been here for more than ten minutes, but no one would know that from the activity now taking place. Still, everything was just making sense to me somehow, and I stopped my brief bit of thinking on the matter to go to the centre of the garden as I had just noticed something hidden there within the middle hedges. I looked around for Jimmy on my way, but I quickly assumed he had wandered off.
Situated within the central hedges was a courtyard, and although people were dancing all over the vast garden, the flat flooring of the courtyard was the "main" dance floor. There were tables filled with food and drinks located to the sides of the interior of the courtyard, as well as slow jazz music playing although I could not see or hear exactly where the music was originating from. I put my empty cup from earlier down and began to think.
Just a few minutes ago, everything made sense and only briefly did I think about the mysteries of Ketterland Mansion: now I found myself realising what an enigma it was all turning out to be. There were several aspects of the place that were completely out of the ordinary or outright contradictory; but as I looked around I could not see a single frown or any indication that anyone other than myself found anything suspicious. One other thing came to mind: where was The Landlady herself in all of this?
As I was thinking, something else then ended up drawing my attention away from trying to figure out what was going on.
-------------
This was supposed to be a one-part story, but I have had a really pleasant time in writing it; I hope you are looking forward to the third part as much as I am!
On the other side of the gate lay seemingly endless grass fields, but about twenty yards in front of us was a path surrounding a pond. We went left on the path and walked to the other side of the body of water before we heard voices; Jimmy and I spun around to see several other people entering through the gate.
"It looks like everyone else has arrived," I remarked. "Perhaps we should return to the garden."
We continued on our previous direction around the path and made it back to the gate. At that point, everyone else in the pond area had decided to leave as well, meaning I had to hold the gate open for them all until only I remained. I shut the gate and re-bolted it once I was back in the garden.
There were now a hundred other people in the garden, but they all appeared as though they had been here for hours: they were talking, singing, eating, dancing, laughing...glancing at my watch, they could barely have been here for more than ten minutes, but no one would know that from the activity now taking place. Still, everything was just making sense to me somehow, and I stopped my brief bit of thinking on the matter to go to the centre of the garden as I had just noticed something hidden there within the middle hedges. I looked around for Jimmy on my way, but I quickly assumed he had wandered off.
Situated within the central hedges was a courtyard, and although people were dancing all over the vast garden, the flat flooring of the courtyard was the "main" dance floor. There were tables filled with food and drinks located to the sides of the interior of the courtyard, as well as slow jazz music playing although I could not see or hear exactly where the music was originating from. I put my empty cup from earlier down and began to think.
Just a few minutes ago, everything made sense and only briefly did I think about the mysteries of Ketterland Mansion: now I found myself realising what an enigma it was all turning out to be. There were several aspects of the place that were completely out of the ordinary or outright contradictory; but as I looked around I could not see a single frown or any indication that anyone other than myself found anything suspicious. One other thing came to mind: where was The Landlady herself in all of this?
As I was thinking, something else then ended up drawing my attention away from trying to figure out what was going on.
-------------
This was supposed to be a one-part story, but I have had a really pleasant time in writing it; I hope you are looking forward to the third part as much as I am!
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Half dollar dreaming
This is going to sound strange, but there is a type of coin I have always been fascinated with: it is the United States half dollar coin. These coins can be identified from their having John F. Kennedy on the obverse side and the Seal of the President of the United States on the reverse; and from being larger than quarters. I was introduced to them when Dad once showed me a half dollar coin that belongs to him. The reason this becomes strange is because I have actually dreamt about owning or finding half dollar coins on several occasions.
A recurring type of dream of mine are the ones where I find a half dollar coin or two (or sometimes even a huge stash of them), and I experience a significant amount of happiness within that dream: in the context of the dream, I have achieved a major goal and am happy for it. Sometimes finding the coins is the purpose of the dream, other times it is merely a side story, but there are occasions where it has nothing to do with the rest of the dream whatsoever. The only downside to these dreams is that no matter how elated I feel at finally owning a half dollar coin, I soon wake up and think "that was just a dream!".
In reality, the coins are difficult to attain, hence why I do not own any for the time being: while they are still in production, they are more for collectors and are rarely used in circulation itself. I am not actually even sure how Dad was able to collect his half dollar coin: I do not know if he found it or managed to come across the occasional one found in circulation. Either way, it is an achievement in itself!
I do own a substantial number of American coins, and I have had most of them in my collection long before we left the United States. This collection includes pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters (it also includes an old American penny, plus a few quarters from the 50 State Quarters program); I still hope to have a United States half dollar coin in there someday, but for now I will keep on dreaming!
Here is an image of a few designs of the half dollars. I am most familiar with the second type shown in the picture, and it is the design I have written about:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/50cent_designs.jpg
A recurring type of dream of mine are the ones where I find a half dollar coin or two (or sometimes even a huge stash of them), and I experience a significant amount of happiness within that dream: in the context of the dream, I have achieved a major goal and am happy for it. Sometimes finding the coins is the purpose of the dream, other times it is merely a side story, but there are occasions where it has nothing to do with the rest of the dream whatsoever. The only downside to these dreams is that no matter how elated I feel at finally owning a half dollar coin, I soon wake up and think "that was just a dream!".
In reality, the coins are difficult to attain, hence why I do not own any for the time being: while they are still in production, they are more for collectors and are rarely used in circulation itself. I am not actually even sure how Dad was able to collect his half dollar coin: I do not know if he found it or managed to come across the occasional one found in circulation. Either way, it is an achievement in itself!
I do own a substantial number of American coins, and I have had most of them in my collection long before we left the United States. This collection includes pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters (it also includes an old American penny, plus a few quarters from the 50 State Quarters program); I still hope to have a United States half dollar coin in there someday, but for now I will keep on dreaming!
Here is an image of a few designs of the half dollars. I am most familiar with the second type shown in the picture, and it is the design I have written about:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/50cent_designs.jpg
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
On profanity
The use of profanity is widespread nowadays: it is prevalent in music, television/movies, and everyday conversation (although it is often censored in the first two mediums). On average, I hear at least one instance of uncensored profanity per day, but if I include filtered uses (bleeps and "silenced out" segments of speech), it probably increases to four or five; it is higher still if I add minced oaths to the mix. However, for the purposes of this post, the definition of "profanity" will only include the word used to describe excrement, and any word considered more vulgar.
How does the use of profanity affect me? Not very much, as I do not get offended when someone does use "rude" words; it used to years ago, but not anymore. Without wanting to sound smug or superior, I rarely-to-never use these words in conversation myself (it is not a matter of wanting to be "better" than others...I simply have no need to swear), but it is not up to me to decide whether other people use them; and unless I am in a place where such language would be completely unacceptable and/or unnecessary, I would not scold anyone for their use of them either. As an example, if someone posted a comment to my blog that contained profanity, I would not reject it on that basis alone: it would be other factors that would decide whether I choose to accept it or not (such as if it was a comment intended purely to troll my readers and/or I, or just outright attacks another commenter).
This being said, I do consider it annoying when someone constantly swears every few words. I can understand the "frequently occasional" use of profanity as a description, an action, or a mark of frustration, but hearing it every few seconds does rapidly become boring: I am not offended, just bored from too much it. In all fairness, it does depend on the context and delivery of the language: there are a couple of comedians I can immediately think of who do use a lot of profanity in their routines, but their accurate delivery of the words combined with the fact that they are using them in comedy makes them funny rather than tedious. I should note, however, that comedy or "I was only joking" should not be used as a cover for blatantly insulting/attacking language.
I mentioned recently that Auto-Tune is something that should be used in moderation. I think that same principle can be applied to profanity, although I would also add that both context and "knowing your audience" are something else to keep in mind when using such language.
How does the use of profanity affect me? Not very much, as I do not get offended when someone does use "rude" words; it used to years ago, but not anymore. Without wanting to sound smug or superior, I rarely-to-never use these words in conversation myself (it is not a matter of wanting to be "better" than others...I simply have no need to swear), but it is not up to me to decide whether other people use them; and unless I am in a place where such language would be completely unacceptable and/or unnecessary, I would not scold anyone for their use of them either. As an example, if someone posted a comment to my blog that contained profanity, I would not reject it on that basis alone: it would be other factors that would decide whether I choose to accept it or not (such as if it was a comment intended purely to troll my readers and/or I, or just outright attacks another commenter).
This being said, I do consider it annoying when someone constantly swears every few words. I can understand the "frequently occasional" use of profanity as a description, an action, or a mark of frustration, but hearing it every few seconds does rapidly become boring: I am not offended, just bored from too much it. In all fairness, it does depend on the context and delivery of the language: there are a couple of comedians I can immediately think of who do use a lot of profanity in their routines, but their accurate delivery of the words combined with the fact that they are using them in comedy makes them funny rather than tedious. I should note, however, that comedy or "I was only joking" should not be used as a cover for blatantly insulting/attacking language.
I mentioned recently that Auto-Tune is something that should be used in moderation. I think that same principle can be applied to profanity, although I would also add that both context and "knowing your audience" are something else to keep in mind when using such language.
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