Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Ready”

August 1, 2015July 31, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 27 Comments

Stream of Consciousness Saturday time. This week’s prompt is “Ready.” We minions are allowed to use it any way we want. Humm, I can think of a few ways. If you would like to join the madness fun, please go to Linda Hill’s blog and read up on what is needed. http://lindaghill.com/2015/07/31/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-august-115/

“So are you ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“Ready to go.”

“Ready to go where?”

“Ready to go home.”

“Am I ready to go home?”

“I think that is the question. Yes, are you ready to go home?”

“No. I’m not ready.”

“Why aren’t you ready?”

“I’m not drunk enough.”

“Oh, I think you are.”

“Are what?”

“Drunk enough.”

“I think I’ve drunk enough but am not drunk enough. Does that make sense?”

“I guess in a weird way it makes sense. So you ready?”

“Sure let me get my shoes.”

“While you’re at it I would get your pants as well.”

“Might come in handy.”

“Yup.”

Thursday – A Little Personal

June 11, 2015June 10, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 13 Comments

I shot the following photo on a bike ride Monday of this week. Typically I tell stories about the beach on Tuesday but I couldn’t resist taking a little detour here. In case you don’t recognize the object in the picture it is a life vest with the name Cubierta Skandinavian. Loosely translated the words mean Cover Skandiavian. I tried searching many boat name data bases, and this one doesn’t show up. I also searched drilling rigs off shore with no luck. So with nothing to go on I had to make up a story.

“So where you going?”

“I’m going for a swim.”

“You crazy? We are in the middle of the ocean.”

“Yeah I know. I thought I would tire this rope around my waist and let the ship tow me along. It will be like waterskiing.”

“This sounds dangerous. You know the water is thirty feet below right?”

“I used to be a high diver and went a lot higher than that distance.”

“You drunk?”

“No. Well, a little high why?”

“I wouldn’t do that without a life vest.”

“Great idea. Here is one. Look it has the name of the boat on it .”

“I still think you are nuts.”

“Okay, here I go.”

“See ya. Don’t forget to tie the knot.”

“The what?”

“The kn-. Aw, gee too late. Bon voyage.”

Steam of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Information”

June 6, 2015June 5, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 25 Comments

SOC Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions — SOC Badge by Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Stream of Consciousness Saturday brings another opportunity to go crazy be creative with a prompt from the High Priestess of Promptness Linda Hill. Today’s prompt is “Information.” If you would like to join in go to Linda’s site and learn more. http://lindaghill.com/2015/06/05/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-615/ Here is my interpretation.

“See that signpost up ahead?”

“Yeah what does it say?”

“I thought you said you could see it.”

“I can see it I just can’t read the words. They’re too small.”

“There is only one word.”

“Okay, what’s the word.”

“Really? You can’t see that one word. It’s huge.”

“No, I can’t see it. For the last time what does it say?”

“It starts with IN and ends in N.”

“Lots of help you are. How about injection?”

“Ha ha ha. No. I’ll give you another hint the third letter is an F The next to the last is an O.”

“This is ridiculous. We are getting closer, and I won’t have to play your stupid game in a few minutes.”

“So take a guess.”

“Okay INF and then ON. How about Infuriation?”

“Not even sure that’s a word but no. The next letter is an O and the third to last is an I.”

“Humm INFO and ION. Oh, I get it. Information.”

“Yay. You got it. Now let’s go in there and you can ask for directions since we have no idea where the hell we are and we have been wandering around for the last three hours.”

“Directions?”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Almost”

May 30, 2015May 29, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 32 Comments

Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again This week’s prompt is “Almost” and it can be given an interpretation any way the writer chooses. If you would like to get involved visit Linda Hill’s blog at http://lindaghill.com/2015/05/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-3015/. Here is my interpretation.

“Jupiter One this is Houston.”

“Go ahead Houston.”

“We have figured out the problem and are almost ready with a solution.”

“Almost sounds good. What is almost?”

“Well, we have everything worked out except how to get you back to earth.”

“Oh, that’s a pretty big almost.”

“Not to worry though. You can still complete the mission you are almost there.”

“Ok, and how does that help?”

“Well, you know the old give one for the Gipper kind of thing.”

“Give one what?”

“Life Colonel.”

“Life Houston? I think you guys need to work a little harder down there.”

“Okay, Colonel. We’ll get back to you. As I said, we almost have a solution.”

“Roger Houston. I heard the almost the first time. Next time I hope the almost turns into we got it. Standing by Jupiter One out.”

“Houston out.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “KE”

May 23, 2015May 22, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

Stream of Consciousness Saturday and time for another prompt from the evil genius Linda Hill. Here prompt this week is ke. Yeah, you got that right ke, and it can be part of a word. What kind of monster person would have a prompt like that? If you want to know go here http://lindaghill.com/2015/05/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-2315/ and see for yourself. Here is my interpretation of ke.

“So I called the guy at KE and you know what he said?”

“You take me for a mind reader? No, I don’t know and what is KE anyway?”

“KE is Kendall Energy. I put in for a job there and thought it would be a piece of cake.”

“So what did he say for heaven’s sake?”

“Mr. Kendall himself told me to take a hike.”

“No kidding. I thought you were on the fast track. Why’d he put on the brake?”

“He said my resume was a fake.”

“How’d he come to that decision? Sounds like a muck rake.”

“I thought so too. Then he asked me what kind of metal used in a transformer bake.”

“What the hell is that? What does the bake make?”

“That’s the problem. I had no way to avoid the fact that I had no idea. It was like being in a wake.”

“Why didn’t you know? You are an electrical engineer? You even know the source of a lightning quake.”

“I guess my nerves made me shake, and I forgot.”

“Here take this sake and relax. We need to do something else.”

“I think that’s key. Thanks.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Stick”

May 16, 2015May 15, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 18 Comments

Saturday Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again. This week’s prompt is “Stick.” The word can be used in any form or maybe all. Who knows? If you want to have this kind of frustration fun go to Linda Hill’s site and read all about it http://lindaghill.com/2015/05/15/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-1615/ here is my interpretation. I hope you like it.

“I have to ask you why you are bent over like that?”

“I am looking for water.”

“For water? What is that you are holding/”

“It’s a divining rod.”

“Ha. It looks like a stick to me.”

“That’s because you stick to your usual practical comfort zone.”

“Comfort zone? At least I stick to the normal practices.”

“I don’t call your practices normal.”

“And you pointing a stick at the ground is normal?”

“Stand back. I hear something.”

“What do you hear?”

“The sound of money rumbling underground.”

“Money?”

“Yeah, water is money. Stick with me my friend and we will be rich.”

“Stick with you and get locked up.”

“You are like a stick in the eye.”

“Well, you can stick your stick if you get my drift.”

“Nice. Look out here comes the geyser.”

“Still waiting. Better stick to normal practice.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible

May 12, 2015May 11, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 37 Comments

On May Ninth, Audrey Dawn posted a beautiful poem along with a great picture that she titled Wild West. Here is the picture and you can go to her blog and read the lovely poem. I could not help but be drawn to both the picture and her words. They served as a prompt for a short story that follows. I hope you take a moment and visit Audrey and enjoy her work as well as this story.

“Hey, Maud wha cha doin?”

“A bit o’ sewing Jacob. Wha’s it look like?”

“Well. Ta tell the truth, it looks like yor loafin’ on tha there stump.”

“Loafing? Why you old goat. If’n anyones loafin’ it’s you.”

“Aw, Maud you know I be roundin’up strays all damn day.”

“No need ta swear Jacob. Th’ Lord don’t take kindly ta no swearin’.”

“Well the’ Lord don’t take kindly to no lies either.”

“What lies Jacob?”

“That I be loafin’.”

“You started it.”

“Yes, I guess yor right. What cha makin’?”

“Not makin’ anythin’ Jacob. I’m a fixin’ your shirt.”

“The one I was wearn’when I stopped that arrie?”

“That’s th one.”

“I’as damn lucky that day.”

“Jacob? Th’Lord don’t want to hear you swearin’ specially after savin’ you an all.”

“Yeah, Maud yor right. Mind if I take this here chair?”

“No. Jacob you sit. You’ve had a rough week and ta rest is good for ya. That lasso needs some lookin’at while yor restin’.”

“Yeah been meanin’ to get ta it afore now. Looks like a quick fix. Hey Maud?”

“Yes, Jacob.”

“What’s fer supper?”

“Same as yesteday. Critter stew.”

“I think I’ll go fix this here lasso afore supper. Not shore what shape I’ll be in after critter stew.”

“An we’s runnin’ low on critters.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Name”

May 9, 2015May 8, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 24 Comments

Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again. This week’s prompt is “Name” and we minions can use it any way we want. If you would like to join, the fun go to Linda Hill’s site and read all about it and jump in. http://lindaghill.com/2015/05/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-915/ my interpretation follows. Hope you like it.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

“What’s that you’re saying?”

“Oh, nothing just a quote.”

“A quote? From where or what?”

“It’s from Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet.”

“Who are they?”

“Shakespeare?”

“No, the other two. I know Shakespeare. They make fishing equipment.”

“For heaven’s sake. It is the sonnet writer William Shakespeare.”

“He on YouTube?”

“No, he lived in the sixteen hundreds and wrote beautiful poetry.”

“So he lived uptown?”

“What do you mean uptown?”

“Well, the sixteen hundreds are way uptown.”

“Man alive. Why do I even try?”

“So the other two what’s their name. What’s the story on them?”

“They were lovers who were from families that hated each other.”

“So they couldn’t be seen together and they died under tragic circumstances.”

“Wow. I’m impressed. How did you know?”

“I saw Westside Story. That’s what happened in that movie.”

“Yeah, it happened in the movie as well I guess although I think Romeo and Juliet inspired the movie.”

“Well, I didn’t know that was true.”

Does it change your mind about Shakespeare?”

No, should it?”

“It should make you think about stuff more.”

“I guess you’re right. I have something to say but should think it through.”

Now you’re talking. When you’re ready say it.”

“Want to get a beer that by any other name would still taste good?”

“Well, it’s a start. Sure, Why not?”

Thursday – A Little Personal

April 30, 2015April 27, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 35 Comments

Here is another photo from a bike ride. It is a perfect shoe sitting just above the high tide line. Also, the picture has captured some footprints showing someone walked by the shoe, and it is clear the shoe has not been disturbed. I could not resist another story prompted by this picture. I hope you like it.

“What are we going to do?”

“The first thing is not panic.”

“Easy for you to say. You are the survivalist I’m just along for the ride.”

“Okay, I never thought the boat would sink.”

“With everything we need to survive I might add.”

“Yes, that is true. Don’t forget I’m a trained survivalist. I will keep us safe.”

“Safe? You’ve got to kidding. Look around. There is nothing on this little island. One palm tree and that’s it.”

“The tree will give us shade that we will need until we can get some water.”

“Too bad I left my Perrier on the desk in the galley.”

“You are alive, so that is something.”

“For how long with no food or water.”

“Oh, that’s easy. No food thirty days. No, water? Well, that’s a little less. Like seven.”

“Seven days? You gonna dig a well or what?”

“No, I will collect the dew in this plastic bag. Also, I have a pen and some paper. I’m going to write a note and stuff it in my shoe. These shoes float. It will be like a message in a bottle. I know we are less than seven days from the mainland the way the current flows. There the shoe is drifting see?”

“Yeah I see. Somehow I can’t imagine anyone looking in a shoe for a message.”

“Have faith.”

“Yeah sure.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Naught/Knot/Not

March 28, 2015March 27, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 29 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday again. Linda Hill has come up with a prompt that should be fun. The prompt is Naught/Knot/Not and can individually used or all three together. If you would like to join in the pain fun go here to learn more. http://lindaghill.com/2015/03/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-2815/