Tag: TGIF

Friday JohnKu – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 19 Comments

 

Friday is here again and it is definitely time to lift a margarita. Well, we might have to wait until the day is over. I had an occasion to get a comment on another blog to the effect that I had not offered a margarita to this person when they visited. I need to correct that. Just leave a message and I will give you a top shelf tequila, orange liqueur, key lime juice, agave nectar, margarita on the rocks served in a pint mason jar with or without salt. Also, I have available peach salsa, with white and blue corn chips. There is a little cheese dip well. So if any of this interests you step up and place your order. Today’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) is all about the margarita. It is titled Soothin’ Syrup

Soothin’ Syrup by John W, Howell Copyright 2014

Green sour citrus,

Orange and agave nectar. . .

Kissed by tequila.

Friday TGIF and JohnKu Day

~ John W. Howell ~ 14 Comments

Such a good feeling when you have put your best effort into something. It is really rewarding when the result of the effort is something you are proud to call your own.

One great thing about being a writer is there are times when no matter how grim things may seem, there is a breakthrough which makes you want to dance around the room. Of course, no one else could possibly appreciate your moment of absolute joy. (unless they have similar moments)

When I worked in organized commerce, I never had as many of the breakthrough feelings as I have as a writer. I have to admit, I never had as many moments of self-doubt then either. I think a writer’s life is a matter of trying to savor the high moments knowing the low ones will be there as well. In organized commerce, I don’t believe I ever knew when to savor what. Just when you thought it was time to savor, there was some boss asking questions about your happiness. Today’s John Ku (a term coined by Words4jp)  is titled High and Low. Hope you like it.

 

High and Low by John W, Howell © 2014

Rising to the top,

Savoring the latest joy . . .

Until the plummet.

 

Friday JohnKu – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 28 Comments

Friday is here and with it the joy of the impending weekend. Thank goodness it’s Friday. Woo Woo. This has been a long hard week. My fingers are almost blistered from sitting her pounding this keyboard for a week. I need to unwind and give them a soak. I think I’ll wrap them around a nice cold margarita and see if the swelling goes down. I’ll tell Ya. Some workers think they have it tough, out in the sun digging ditches. Ha. Try pounding out a few thousand words sometimes. It would make those shovelfuls of dirt look like child’s play in comparison. Try thumbing through a thesaurus to find a word just as good as the word you just used only different. Ha. Makes the sun feel like a long-lost friend. Try writing a sentence without the word “that’ in it. Ha. Makes physical work look like rest time. Okay you can see I’m getting carried away. I’m just glad it’s Friday. Today’s JohnKu (as coined by Words4jp) is titled My work. Hope you like it and have a great weekend.

 

My Work by John W. Howell

My job looks easy,

Sitting at a desk all day. . .

No off switch at night.

JohnKu Friday – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 19 Comments

Friday is always a good day it seems. After a long week, it seems like a little reward for at least showing up. I know I always feel good on Friday and maybe one does not really have to punch a clock to have a sense of celebration because the week is over. I hope your weekend goes well and your Friday is the best. This week’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) celebrates the little things we do which we should congratulate ourselves. It is titled  Congratulations.

 

Congratulations by John W. Howell © 2014

Not necessary,

A great big accomplishment.. .

Maybe one small step.

 

Friday TGIF JohnKu

~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

 

Friday for the most of us means the week is coming to a close. I guess I can’t help but feel good about that. I was pretty much knocked out by the conference I attended all last weekend and am looking forward to a nice cold margarita and a chance to take it easy on the veranda. I need to write another 1000 words today before I rest, but am still looking forward to it. The nice thing about hard work is an opportunity to kick back and relax after you have done it. This is the subject of my JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp). It is titled Work and Rest and I hope you find it pleasant.

Work and Rest by John W. Howell © 2014

Work must be finished,

And recorded as complete. . .

Then rest has value.

TGIF Friday – JohnKu

~ John W. Howell ~ 29 Comments

 

 

Another week of hard labor has been put to bed (after the next eight or so hours) and it is time to celebrate. As you read this I am in the San Francisco area attending the Passages Book Store Mystery Writers conference. This year’s faculty is pretty impressive. There is John Lescroart, Anne Perry, Valerie Plame Isabel Allende to name a few. Of course, through the miracle of WP scheduling this Friday JohnKu (a term coined by Words4JP) is still being published as it should on Friday. This week’s JohnKu deals with the subject of learning (which I hope I will be doing).

To Learn by John W. Howell copyright 2014

Knowledge does not thrive,

Cultivating is required . . .

Otherwise, it dies.

 

Friday JohnKu – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 23 Comments

 

Friday finally. Hope your week was a good one. I was sorry to see both daughter and granddaughter leave and as usual the visit was way too short. All is back to normal and the house is quiet again. Can’t say this is a good thing, but it is what normal sounds like. I suppose if the two lived here full-time I would be happy to see them take a trip. All I can do is watch the airplane lift off and look forward to the next time. Daughter did leave the grand dog with us as she takes care of some travels where dogs aren’t welcome. I know she will be back soon. Granddaughter is going off to Mexico for a year. I know she won’t have the opportunity to return for at least that length of time. This week’s JohnKu (term coined by Words4jp) reflects a bit of lonely.

Time to Go…. By John W. Howell

Leaving time creeps in,

While laughter rings throughout home…

Switches smile with frown.

Friday JohnKu day

~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

 

Friday at last. I was talking to one of our fellow bloggers and she was saying how long some weeks seem and how short others are. I think there must be a law covering the relative length of the week. I can’t seem to find one so as a fiction writer I certainly am qualified to make one up. I think I will call it Frank’s Law of Work Week Time Relativity. Franks Law states: “The length of the work week is directly proportional to the difficulty and unpleasantness of the work being done.” So if the job is easy and fun the week will be short. If the job is difficult and nasty the week will be long. That half explains why weekends go by so fast. Weekends are covered by Julie’s corollary to Frank’s Law which in essence says, “all playtime ends too soon.” Today’s JohnKu (term coined by words4jp) takes another looks at relativity and is appropriately titled Time.

 

Time by John W. Howell ©2014

Time began alone,

No one there to help debut . . .

More witness the end.

Friday Johnku

~ John W. Howell ~ 41 Comments

Friday glorious Friday. Yes it’s true another eight hours to freedom. As we all know, freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. So how did the week go? Was it as productive as you wanted it to be? Was it as hectic? Here sit down and lean back and tell me all about it.

Wouldn’t it be great to have someone who would provide that service? Our loved ones do provide support, but there comes a point where our complaints, no matter how legitimate they may seem to us, sound like whining. It is why I think a service could be very beneficial. You go in. You talk about what bothers you and the service listens and provides you with sympathetic support. Of course the service might be expensive. I’m thinking how much it cost to visit a therapist only to be asked, “how does that make you feel?” Then after tons of money spent there is that divining moment where the therapist says, “that’s where it is at. Isn’t it John?”

To avoid the expense maybe the same effect can be reached at the corner bar. Of course at the bar you will be forced to hear other stories and provide the same sympatric support as you received. In some cases given the troubles you will hear you will be giving an inordinate amount of support relative to what you get back. Maybe a dog is the answer. Our Johnku today explores the concept of sympathy. Hope you like it. Oh and the term Johnku was coined by the wonderful blogger Words4jp.

 

Sympathy by John W. Howell ©2014

Trials are faced alone,

Then one too heavy weighs in . . .

Beg for sympathy.