Sunday Snapshots

With midterm grades due Friday and our Veterans’ Day program only days away, I didn’t have much time for taking pictures this week. However, I purposefully took a few hours out of my Saturday to spend some time walking and enjoying the fall weather.

Yesterday, Tryon Palace celebrated All Hallows’ Eve. Since the event is geared for children 12 and under, I simply bought a Gardens Pass – I could enjoy the grounds, see neat costumes, and interact with unique characters. I could not participate in any of the games, make any of the crafts, or partake of any of the “free” refreshments. Ostensibly they were free, but were included in the price of the All Hallows Ticket, so were – in actuality – paid for.

Krystal portrayed a witch:

click to embiggen and scroll through the gallery

Coworker Eliot styled himself “Lord Fall” but I called him Tom Bombadil:

I may have mentioned once or twice before that I simply love the fall. I took advantage of my time at the palace to wander the trails and vegetable gardens largely ignored this time of year. Why they are ignored I have no idea – there is sublime beauty in the temporary death fall brings with it.

click to embiggen and scroll through the gallery

What did you do this week?

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Sunday, 25 October, 2015

The Migraine (A Poem)

I didn’t feel well yesterday, so I played around with some online magnetic poetry. Unfortunately, the save process went awry and I was unable to save an image of my work. Thankfully, I kept a not-so-redundant copy on word.

            The Migraine
                 or
        Ground Exceeding Small

The black symphony beats 
    beneath a stormy sky;
  sordid music calls for blood
    in harsh and crushing language, 
      recalling a thousand deaths 
       lathered red with rusty shot.

I whisper shadowy chants but am not mad;
    I lie screaming in the forest rain
       watching frantic waters.

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Thursday, 22 October, 2015

Wicked Word Wednesday (1.11)

Greetings logophiles and other creative types!

It’s time for another

Quick Overview:

One entry per person.

42 words max.

Leave your entry in the comment box below.

IMPORTANT: Please include Twitter handle or pseudonym.

Entries must be posted by midnight Eastern Time (New York City time).

Feel free to post your entry on your own blog!

If you decide to promote Wicked Word Wednesday on your own site, please link back to the current event.

Make sure your followers know to come here to vote!

Only “likes” cast here will count towards the weekly winner.

New to Wicked Word Wednesday?

Please Read the Full Rules Here

Enough chit-chat – what’s the Wicked Word?

the Wicked Word is . . .

AUTUMNAL

The Game is Afoot!

You have 24 hours.

GO!

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If you like it enough to click the button, why not participate?

After all, we’re all friends here.

No pressure!

Wednesday, 21 October, 2015

Teaser Tuesday: The Shepherd’s Crown

Like a centuries-old Spanish church emerging from the depths of drought-ridden Mexico, the turning Wheel of Time has brought up

Just in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

Given my hectic schedule, I’ve fallen slightly behind pace on my Goodreads challenge; I am now only four books ahead of schedule.

In an attempt to salvage victory, I’ve decided to finally read The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett. I received it on release day, but haven’t had the heart to read it . . . yet.

This week, the Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 192:

They brought actual terror, and horror, and pain. 
. . . And they laughed, which was bad enough
because their laughter was actually musical, and
you could wonder why such wonderful music
could come from such unpleasant creatures.
They cared for nobody except themselves and 
possibly not even that.

In Retrospect

I’m slowly working my way through Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America by Eric Jay Dolan. The story is interesting, but the prose is lacking. I may abandon it . . . or not.

What have you been reading?

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Tuesday, 20 October, 2015

Monday Morning Grievance: Convention Edition

It’s Monday and I haven’t had my coffee.

You might recall I spent a few days last week at a teacher’s convention. I kept a list of grievances:

I forgot my toiletries bag at home; luckily, the front desk provided me with toothbrush, toothpaste, and comb.

Water pressure from the shower head left so much to be desired.

Vendors: thank you for the free stuff, but I have absolutely zero influence over the school’s budget and even less of my own money to spend. So, just give me your freebies and your handouts and let’s not waste our mutual time.

Conference Center: no free wifi unless we’re registered guests of the attached hotel? Seriously, I checked your website out before leaving town and you claimed to provide a group access account for conventions/conferences. So, who’s lying – the organizers or you? My money is on you.

Clickbait Workshops. At least two workshops I attended were nothing like the course description. One ostensibly covering the administrative side of our new standardized testing company could be summed up in one sentence: “Check the website and experiment for yourself.” Another touting an overview of “modern views” used information over ten years old. Modern my foot.

Bad coffee. Seriously, you’re serving lukewarm brownish water at a teacher’s convention? You do realize we live on coffee, right? This is tantamount to depriving us of oxygen.

Given the list, you might think I had an awful time at the convention, but the opposite is true: I actually had quite an enjoyable time – in fact, taken as a whole, this may have been one of the most enjoyable conventions I’ve ever attended. However, it’s hard to overlook terrible coffee and abysmal wifi.

What annoys you?

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Monday, 19 October, 2015

Wicked Word Wednesday Results Week 1.10

Thanks to everyone who participated in Wicked Word Wednesday.

Does anyone have any suggestions for increasing participation? Let me know in the comments!

I ask because this past week we had only one entry:

Kim881

In a parallel
Universe everything is
Straight, neat and tidy

@kim88110

Now, I love this short entry giving literal meaning to “parallel universe” – I’m sure others would like it, too. So please, spread the word!

Congratulations to this week’s winner (don’t forget your badge!) and tune in Wednesday for another Wicked Word!

Sunday, 18 October, 2015

Author: Jay the Ent-Larch

Sunday Snapshots

The Migraine (A Poem)

Wicked Word Wednesday (1.11)