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Never Think About Yourself?

UPDATE: Here’s the bag:

I was walking out of the grocery store, Wegman’s (yes, I’m happy to name and shame), the other day when I noticed a display of company branded reusable bags. I glanced over and stopped in my tracks. Were they serious with this bullshit? The bag proudly proclaimed: “Never think about yourself. Always think of others.” That’s some potentially deadly thinking right there. Never think about yourself? How are you supposed to help others if you fail to think about yourself? Unfortunately I didn’t think to take a picture of the bag. I will next week if it’s still there.

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Hidden Flowers

This last week went by very quickly. Not sure if it was the travel we did for the Memorial Day weekend or what. At any rate, I spent three days away from the internet and that’s a very good thing. But now I’m back and I present here my prompt response for Week 21 of the More Odds Than Ends weekly challenge. My prompt came from AC Young: “Someone’s been practicing their spells in the woods again. The bluebells are all red.” I thought it would make a good addition to Utindri’s story after she managed to leave her homicidally inclined mother with the huckleberry-hemlock jam.

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Myrmidon Tears

Jonathon LaForce, poet, former Marine, father, and good man, sent me this and asked me to publish it on the blog. Thank you, sir, for your service, and for sharing this…  Myrmidon Tears “Para…

Source: Myrmidon Tears

From Jonathon to Cedar to my blog…This is wonderful. Thank you Jonathon for your service and this poem.

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A Democratic Mafia Family Dynasty

This morning as my husband and I were having our coffee and talking about the news (yes, we’re nerdy that way), I commented that what we are looking at in the U.S. is an attempt at dynastic rule by the Democratic party. The current heads of the Democratic Party are attempting to set things up so that there will always and forever be a Democrat in power in the White House, and Democrat control of both chambers of Congress. When you remember that Democrats are convinced that they hold the moral high ground over Republicans, you can see why they think this is a necessary thing (even if the rest of us strongly disagree). The Democratic party is a cross between a classic monarchical dynasty and a mafia “family.”

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Patterns

We are in Week 20 of More Odds Than Ends prompts. Just like last year, I am being pushed in new and different directions with these prompts. It’s fun and keeps my mind stretching and in a creative mode. This is important for me as I’ve never really considered myself to be all that creative. I have had spurts in the past, but figured that was just sheer dumb luck. But now, with two books (that appear to be well-received) under my belt, I’m thinking that I’m more creative than I’ve given myself credit for. We’ll see.

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The Meaning of Words

Words have meaning. That meaning can change either over time or by deliberate interference in the language by internal or external forces. Words that change meaning, or appear and disappear over time aren’t really a problem. That’s a fairly organic process. But when the change is introduced on purpose, that’s when we run into trouble. Does it matter when words change meaning? Does it matter if activists or the powers that be determine that certain words are no longer accepted for use in polite society? I’m not talking about derogatory words or slurs, but rather ordinary words. Words like riot or protest or insurrection…

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Invasion

Here we are at Week 19 at More Odds Than Ends. A story appears to be working its way into these prompts so I’m rolling with it. I am sort of at loose ends, but not really. I’ve discovered that the same feeling I had when I sent off an article to a journal – well, that’s done, now I can ignore the rest – is occurring when I finish a book or short story. I just sent in my submission for a YA anthology and mentally brushed my hands off and promptly went down rabbit holes of reading for fun, random research that may or may not prove useful later on, and general farting around. So then this prompt shows up and my brain went “Oh! A new story! That’s ever so much fun!” Whatever, brain. Just stop. We have other things to finish first.

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Dragon Fire

This week’s prompt took me in a rather odd direction, but I think it will fit in with a couple of others that appear to be gelling into a new, interesting, albeit slightly dark world. I don’t really want to take the time to follow up on this right now, but who knows…it may shove its way to the front of the line. I am learning that this so-called creative process is really an amalgam of random thoughts, spurred by random things, that evolves into a story. Others have talked about having evil muses, or flighty muses. I’m starting to think I have an ADD muse…look! Shiny squirrel! Ooh! New story!

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