Top Ten Things Not to Do When Texting

Texting

The inspiration for this list came to me when I inadvertently sent a text to the wrong person. Lucky there was nothing in the text that might be embarrassing but caused my fiction mind to go into overdrive. I hope you enjoy it.

Top Ten Things Not to Do When Texting

10 When texting, do not use acronyms that you don’t understand. If you do, at best you might be misunderstood.  At worst, you may shock the receiver with your lack of social grace. (You thought WTF meant “Why the Fuss,” didn’t you, Ferd? Too bad Nun Mary Teresa was the recipient of your misunderstanding.)

9 When texting, check to whom you are sending the message. If you don’t, at best your message will provide some laughs. At worst, that disparaging comment about Tiny the WWF champ’s mother will go right to him by mistake. (You could have sworn you were messaging your best friend only to discover you replied to Tiny’s last text to you where he threatened to break your leg. Don’t look but he’s heading toward you now, Buford.)

8 When texting, do not rely on auto-correct to cover your mistakes. If you do, at best you will need to explain that last text. At worst, you just sent a group text to the garden club where you explained that the male Pinto plant needed to be placed inside a moist verdant vessel. (Well, that sure didn’t come out the way you intended did it, Alice?)

7 When texting, do not rely on voice to text as a time saver. If you do, at best your numerous repeats will make it a longer process. At worst, your voice recognition program only understands Cambridge English and you are from New Jersey. (Good luck with that bit of technology, Bunky. BTW Homeland Security thinks you want to blow something up.)

6 When texting, do not include a duck-faced or tongue-out selfie with an obscene gesture thrown in. If you do, at best you’ll demonstrate your lack of originality and IQ. At worst, your selfie will be passed from phone to phone until it ends up with your boss. (That call from HR can’t be good huh, Bosco?)

5 When texting, do not send pictures of your food. If you do, at best folks will think you need a hobby. At worst, you will demonstrate a cry for help that needs intervention. (How is that good feelings camp treating you, Tex?)

4 When Texting, do not use the technology with wish someone a happy Valentine’s day as your only effort. If you do, at best you’ll never have a relationship with that person. At worst, the resultant storm will not be assuaged without some very expensive make-up gifts. (Seemed like an easy way out huh, Pard?)

3 When texting, do not use emojis to express what should be said in person or in words. If you do, at best you’ll be seen as an automaton. At worst, you will receive emojis back that have at the core a message telling you to place your phone in a very dark place. (You don’t know where those emojis came from do you, Buster?)

2 When texting, do not do it while in a social situation. If you do, at best you will look up and find yourself alone. At worst, the rest of the group will take your action as disinterest in the event or them and ignore you for the rest of the evening. (Let’s hope you even notice, Clod.)

1 When texting, do not drive a car or operate machinery. If you do, at best you’ll escape with no consequences. At worst, you’ll hurt someone with your negligence. (You’ll have to live with that the rest of your life, Dope.)

Views of the Neighborhood

 

This week saw the annual Animal Rehabilitation Keep sale and auction. This event is always well received since the items offered for sale are those that have washed up on the beach throughout the year. It is hard to believe that these items were at one time floating in the Gulf. Just looking at them brings up stories in the mind. (Well, at least to a fiction writer.) I have selected some photos of the more unusual items.

This first picture will give you an idea of the interest in the sale

ARC Sale

This is a shot of some of the buoys that have been found. There is also some electric lights that have fallen off oil rigs.

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No one should be surprised by a kayak getting free but a boat ladder? Also, notice the old dugout canoe remnant.

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Some more floats, buoys and an ice chest.

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Here is a photo of a beautiful piece of rope. Those colorful balls in the background are floats.

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I had to laugh at the shovel collection and imagined some guy somewhere pitching his shovel into the Gulf claiming accident.

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Here in Texas, we get a lot of dross from Louisiana. Looks like a fence got washed away for the bayou.

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Life preservers are a big item. One hopes they were not on someone at one time but just floated free.

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Of course, balls get away and make their way to land. Can you say, Wilson?

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The last is a photo of the chief scientist at the Animal Rehabilitation Keep, Tony Amos. He is a treasure and is decked out in red and a black hat.

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I hope you enjoyed the tour.

Saturday Stream of Consciousness – Prompt “So/Sow/Sew

SOCS

 

So that you understand the nature of what is going on here, I have to quote Linda Hill on this week’s prompt. “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “so/sow/sew.” Use one, use ’em all, use ’em any way you’d like. Bonus points if you start and end with any of them. Enjoy! So” I hope everyone noticed I began this post with “so.”

Now I ask you is this freedom or what? If you would like to join in the fun go to Linda’s post. Here is the link.

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 11/17

So/Sow/Sew by John W. Howell ©2017

“So what are you up to today?”

“You noticed I’m deeply involved in this story.”

“I love stories. What is it?”

“It is about a young man who left his home to seek his fortune.”

“That sounds familiar what it the name.”

“Go West Young Man.”

“Hmmm. I’m familiar with the saying by Horatio Alger, but that title escapes me.”

“Cause I just put it on paper.”

“Oh. I get it. It is a story you are writing.”

“Man. Hard to put stuff past you.”

“Now don’t be contrary. Can I read it?”

“It’s not finished. Maybe when it’s done.”

“Read me a line.”

“Okay how about the opening line?”

“Super go.”

“It was a dark and stormy night.”

“Wait. You’re kidding right?”

“Okay. I’ll read the real first line. Ahem. ‘Jacob felt he could so no further. His bones ached from the fear and weight of what he had to do. All along his father told him not to go, and now that he ignored him, Jacob could feel the karma slide like a wet snake up his back and feel the heat on his neck. He could smell the stench of the payback that was about to be his.”‘

“Go on. This sounds great.”

“He decided to lay his burden down and face whatever was in store.”

“What burden?”

“It’s a metaphor for his guilt. Shall I continue?”

“Please.”

“The sow had to weigh hundreds of pounds, and the yoke of wagon pressed into his shoulders. He must find a place to rest, or surely he will fall to the ground and not be in a condition to escape. He stopped at a tree and there an old man called his name.”

“How did the old man know his name?”

“You sound like a reviewer. Just wait.

‘Jacob,’ he called.

Jacob stopped gazing at the man with his brow furrowed. ‘You know my name, old man.’

‘I do.’

‘How is that possible?’

‘I know your father. He sent me to find you.’

‘For what purpose?’

‘To see if you have finished your foolish task which you set out to do. “Sew your wild oats.” is how I believe you explained it to your father.”‘

“‘Wild oats.’ What the heck does that mean?”

“Experience what life has to offer. I think I’ve read enough.”

“No, I want to hear more.”

“Okay. Let me read one more line. ‘Your father has instructed me to warn you to return to the homestead so. . .'”

“So?”

 

 

 

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

 

TGIF

And here it is, that beautiful day of the week that we look forward to starting Monday morning. Yes, it is Friday. Only about eight hours until we hit the freedom trail. I hope you will have a restful and re-energizing weekend.

This week was pretty busy. I was able to get my paper version of My GRL up on CreateSpace and am waiting for the proof copy which is due to arrive Tuesday. (In time for Valentine’s day.) Once the proof is approved, it is off to the races. The Kindle version is ready to publish as well, so the paper and Kindle will go up at the same time. I’m not sure how much promo I’ll be doing, but there will certainly be a post with the announcement.

This week’s JohnKu talks about looking forward to spring. Although we had temps in the 80’s this week, we are not quite there yet. Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter. I hope you enjoy it. (The JohnKu not the winter)

Spring by John W. Howell © 2017

Snow, sleet, dead of night,

Not just for the postal folks. . .

Spring needs to hurry.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Versatile Blogger Award from Steve Boseley

Versatile Blogger

I was very pleased to receive a nomination from Steve Boseley for a Versatile Blogger Award. Although I don’t normally do awards, I was touched by the fact that Steve considered me for the award. You see, Steve is a very accomplished blogger and his place makes mine look like a cardboard box under a freeway overpass. He is worth a visit, and the link is right HERE.   I want to thank Steve for the nomination.

Here are the rules for the award:

Display Award – Done
Thank blogger(s) who nominated you & provide a link to their blog – Done
Write 7 things about yourself – See below
Nominate Bloggers – See below

Seven Things About Myself

1 I write every day of the week

2 I watch TV one hour every evening

3 My favorite show is The Blacklist

4 My taste in music runs from classical to rock

5 I have never jumped out of an airplane, out of a window, or off a bridge ( Not that circumstances didn’t warrant such action.)

6 My favorite city is San Francisco

7 May favorite food is pasta with wine. (Yes I consider wine a food group.)

Nominate Bloggers.

Here is the hard part and one of the reasons I don’t usually do awards. So what I normally do is choose all my followers.  I used to be able to list all five, but now since I don’t want to slight any of you I’ll just have to leave it with YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Thanks to you all.

 

Wednesday Story Day – AKA Humpday

Hump Day

 

Well, last week we left Lucas and Alice getting all worked up over going to Lucas’s house. Alice seemed to have changed her mind about going there. We ought to get back to see what is going on.
“So here we are.”
“You have a pretty nice place here, Lucas.”
“Oh, thanks. Can I make you a drink.”
“That would be swell. Gin on the rocks please.”
“Coming right up. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable. Look around if you want.”
“Thank you but i”m fine. maybe you’ll give me a tour.”
“That will be the shortest tour on record. Not long to go around one bedroom, a bath, kitchen and this room.”
“”I’ll wait for you right here.”
“Okay then. I won’t be long.”

*
“See that didn’t take long. Here is your drink.”
“How nice a red Solo cup. Haven’t had one of these in years.”
“I-I don’t have much in the way of clean dishes.”
“Looking around this room there isn’t much in terms of clean anything. Well bottoms up. Cheers.”
“Ha ha ha. I like that.”
“What?”
“Bottoms up.”
“Of course you do my boy. Speaking of that let’s go look at your bedroom.’
“Uh, I have to warn you I haven’t made the bed today.”
“I’m sure I’ll scarcely notice. Lead on Mc Duff.”
“Huh? Who’s Mc Duff.”
“Never mind. Show me the bedroom.”
“Ta da. Here it is.”
“Goodness. That bed is huge. What is that a king size?”
“It is called a California King. Longer and wider.”
“Well, toss those clothes off there and let’s relax.”
“Um, you sure you want to relax on my bed.”
“Why not?”
“It could lead to something.”
“Gee I can’t imagine what you are talking about. Come here.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Now isn’t this nice?”
“I have to admit it feels cozy alright.”
“Give me your hand.”
“My hand?”
“For heaven’s sake Lucas you are acting like you never made love to a woman before.”
“To tell you the truth. I haven’t.”
“OMG. You’re kidding.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s not you, Lucas. I’m laughing at my fate is all. Hold on there’s my phone. Hello. Um hum. Yup. Okay, I’ll be right there. Bye.”
“Who was that?”
“Not important. I have to go is all. I’ll take you back to Mrs. Murphy’s. Let’s go.”
“Does this mean we aren’t going to make love?”
“Raincheck, Lucas. You have a rain check on that.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #109 by Keith Channing

Here is Keith Channing explaining this whole deal. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; and either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithkreates@channing.fr before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here – pingbacks don’t often work.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.” Here is the photo.

Kreative Kue #109

The Race by John W. Howell © 2017

“Would yo look at that.”

“What?”

“Those bike racers.”

“What about them?”

“They are on some kind of contraption. They’re not racing at all.”

“They are too. It is break time is all.”

“Break time? What is that all about?”

“You see these guys on the motorcycle thingy are giving the cyclists a ride while they have a drink and rest a little.”

“Is that in the rules?”

“Of course. The idea is not to delay the race but make sure the cyclists have enough water  and  are healthy enough to finish.”

“Takes the uncertainty out of it don’t you think?”

“Well, the best rider will finish not the one who can stand the torture the best.”

“Isn’t the torture part of separating the strong from the weak?”

“I suppose but this way it is a matter of riding skill, not stamina.”

“I don’t know. Would be like putting a football team on Segways for part of the game.”

“Might be fun.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Think of a guy on a Segway going out for a pass and the defender is on his Segway and then they both go after the ball.”

“A big crash right?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t it sound great.”

“You like hockey don’t you?”

“How’d you guess?”

“Oh just lucky.”

Top Ten Things Not to Do on a Spa Vacation

Top Ten things not to do

The inspiration for this list came from looking at possible spa vacations and then deciding to pass after reviewing all the material. I hope you enjoy the list and for those who love spa vacations, I am very envious since you obviously have a good feeling about yourself.

Ten Things Not to Do on a Spa Vacation.

10 On a spa vacation, do not sign up for anything you don’t understand. If you do, at best you will learn what you don’t like at a high cost. At worst, those funny words turn out to mean “tortured until you confess.” (Sad thing is you don’t know what to admit huh, Bunky?)

9 On a spa vacation, do not fall asleep in the sauna. If you do, at best you will wake up before dehydration sets in. At worst, your dreams of lost in the desert will, in fact, be reality and that oasis is a mirage. ( Being a conscript in the French Foreign Legion wasn’t on the itinerary was it, Buford?)

8 On a spa vacation, do not think the phrase “essential oils” really means not optional. If you do, at best you’ll experience a new meaning to the term, “greasy.” At worst, you cannot find a place to sit, lie, or stand where you don’t slide off and end up on the floor or ground. (So everyone thinks you are drunk huh, Bosco. You shouldn’t care until CNN shows up)

7 On a spa vacation, do not think the robes are gifts of the hotel. If you do, at best you’ll pay the $75.00 each charge without complaint. At worst, the head of security will be called over the loudspeaker to look through your bags at checkout since housekeeping reported the robes missing.(Right now Tiny the WWF champ is walking across the lobby, and the look on his face gives you the chills. You sense he has been looking forward to this all day don’t you, Buster? Can you say strip search?)

6 On a spa vacation, do not sign up for the mud baths if you are unsure of the source of the dirt. If you do, at best you will imagine all kinds of things in that mud with you. At worst, once you realize that Bayou Baths is a combination of river mud, crawfish droppings, and decayed vegetation you’ll never feel clean again regardless of the number of showers you take. (The brochure said “all natural” so what’s the complaint, Furd? Sure you got a little in your mouth, but you’ve had worse.”)

5 On a spa vacation, do not think massage words are the same as outside life words. If you do, at best you were careful in describing the service you were expecting. At worst, the light-hearted comments about deep massage will have you begging to be saved.(Let’s not even mention how you mumbled aloud something about the ending, Tex.)

4 On a spa vacation, do not try to influence the music choice of the staff. If you do, at best you will be ignored. At worst, the esoteric music that you thought was annoying has now been replaced by heavy metal favorites played on a flute, harp, and oboe. (Makes the nails on the chalkboard analogy seem inadequate huh, Rube?)

3 On a spa vacation, do not ignore the hot stone warnings. If you do at best aloe vera will ease the pain. At worst, you will now be mistaken for an Olympic athlete who had undergone suction treatments. ( Of course, you could also be mistaken for an idiot who doesn’t pay attention to warnings, Stu. I Love that line of circles down your back.)

2 On a spa vacation, do not think a seaweed wrap is a luncheon menu item. If you do, at best your cries for rescue will be ignored. At worst, as you struggle to free yourself from the grip of the slimy seaweed you inadvertently roll into the hot tub. ( Now maybe the stuff will cook off huh, Buddy? Can you say Miso soup?)

1 On a spa vacation, do not think you can request your favorite food. If you do, at best you will get zucchini prepared like your favorite food. At worst, the staff will believe you need a “cleanse interdiction,” and you will spend the rest of your holiday fearing to be more than ten steps from a ceramic chair.(Man, that juice tasted so good going down didn’t it, Bubba? Do you think they put jalapeno peppers in there?)

Views of the Neighborhood

My producer was scouring the local news and came upon the annual Library book sale. She suggested it would make a good item for Views of the Neighborhood. Off we went. This first photo shows the civic center entrance, and sure enough, there was a line waiting for the sale to begin.

Library Book Sale

Got to the sign and sure enough. The sale opens at 9:00 am. It is now 8:45 am.

Book sale

A little closer will give you a view of the folks in line. I have to explain that most of these people are from the upper midwest. They are waiting in line. Most Texans do not wait in line for anything except barbeque. (Also, Texans in this part of the country don’t wear sneakers)

Book Sale

The doors opened and in we went. I know what your thinking. We did not wait in line we went to the store and then came back.

Here is an overview of the interior. You can see a lot of tables and books. There were so many it would be impossible to show you all.

Book Sale

Here is an example of animal books.

Book Sale

And a selection (among many ) of paperbacks.

Book Sale

The pricing system was pretty straight forward.

Book Sale

Each table had a particular sign giving the reader an idea of what was there. I picked one of the more interesting.

Book Sale

The Civic Center is an interesting place unto itself. It has a small museum at the entrance with some exhibits. Here one showing the birds in the area.

Book Sale

The last photo is a display of a few of the fish around the Gulf. If you look closely, you can see the idiot photographer reflected in the display glass. This will also give you a good idea what Texans wear around here.

Book Sale

I hope you enjoyed the view this week.

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Hair”

 

SOCS

It is Steam of Consciousness Saturday time again and this week’s prompt is “Hair.” Linda Hill, the master torturer at the Hill Dungeon of Prompts, says we can use the word any way we want and to have fun. This caused me to pause and wonder how many ways can I use the word “hair?” If you would like to also have these kinds of conundrums visit Linda’s post and read how. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2017/02/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-417/

Hair By John W. Howell © 2017

“Gimmie long lengths of hair. Shining, flaxen, waxen hair. Shoulder length or longer.”

“What are you singing?”

“The song from Hair.”

“Hair?”

“Yeah, the musical.”

“Oh. please. That old thing.”

“It’s a classic. Was a major Broadway production with nudity.”

“Nudity? You call weird flashlights nudity?”

“What do you mean?”

“The place was dark except for a few flashlights.”

“So what. The cast was necked.”

“You mean naked.”

“When a bunch of folks are without clothes and there is no swimmin’ hole, and it includes boys as well as girls that’s necked.”

“I see. Did you see the show?”

“Well no.”

“How come?”

“I was only ten when it came out.”

“How do you know about the nude scene then?”

“I read about it.”

“And the song?”

“Partridge Family sang it.”

“But you were little then,”

“I know. I had the record, though.”

“Could you understand what they were saying.”

“No, I just like the music.”

“Ever want to see the show?”

“I would now.”

“Why now?”

“You gotta ask?”

“Man you kill me sometimes. You can see more nudity at the park.”

“What park?”

“Let it go. I was just making a point.”

“Which is?”

“You are an idiot.”