ying_ko_4

http://picturespoetryprose.blogspot.com/2009/07/decay.html


I took the photo being used for the prompt on Pictures, Poetry and Prose.

I'd write more about how talented I am, but my arm is really hurting from patting myself on the back.  ;-)

This has Pop Up Video beat three ways to next Thursday...



This is almost as funny....but not quite.

She was hot

                   for haiku.

Expression in seventeen syllables
       (or thereabouts)
Iambic Pentameter
                 Left her cold
Sonnets made her snore
Limericks might make
her giggle
                 (but only the dirty ones)
But haiku?

Man.....

She was hot....for haiku.

Ok, so maybe I am...but not like these guys and gals....

There's this blog about nothing BUT bacon.  Bacon Unwrapped.  Greasy Goodness, none of the guilt.

Then, there's this guy.  Too much time on his hands, and help from his friend beer.  Oh, the possibilities....

Ok, so I like to write on this here space (which really isn't for rent).  But, I'll bet you wonder what I like to read when I'm not sharing my innermost thoughts and written spitballs and reading the musings of the Mighty Friends List, I do take a peek at blogs of people who are elsewhere on the Interwebs.

Here's a couple...

The Inkpot Files:  Inky has an amusing view of the world.  There be zombies galore, blood running in the street and a sense of humor.

The One-Minute Writer:  Provider of short writing prompts.  Most of the time they are more interesting than the Writer's Block glurge we've been subjected to here. 

moleskinerie:  Which, if you've been reading here for any length of time, you will know is a mild obsession of mine.

Stuff White People Like:  Because it's funny

Zugzwang:  I have no idea what a zug or a zwang is, but Chris covers things of interest to himself, hence they are interesting to me

Welcome to the Flamingo Cove Nightclub: My oldest friend in the entire Free World.  He updates erratically, but is always entertaining when he does...

And check out the great people on my Friend's List sometime.  Just click the 'Friends' button/link/whatever at the top of the page.

I got tagged.  I am now it.  I didn't even know we was playin' tag. Nobody tells me nuthin'....

This is ALL Clancy's fault (ghostofagypsy )  :-)

1. Post about something that made you happy today.
2. Repeat for eight days.  (ACK!!!)
3. Tag six people to do the same:  Hmmm. mardeen , reginaclarejane , joncwriter , k00kaburra , puckbunny87 , and last but certainly not least, themeindzeye 


I was happy I woke up and I hadn't soiled my sheets.  I managed to make through yet another night without messing the bed.  Been a regular occurrence since I was a wee (HA!), small lad.  Failure to do so would most likely mean I was pretty close to the grave, chronologically speaking.  A lack of incontinence is a wonderful thing.

Oh, and I was also happy that Rick Ankiel didn't break his face, neck or back after last nights face first collision with the Left-Center-Field wall last night.

I eat lots of bacon, so I figure I'm pretty well immune to the so-called "Swine Flu."

Seriously, if people take reasonable precautions, like washing hands, using Kleenex and such..I think we should be okay.  That there are still a high percentage of people who don't wash after going *ahem* "potty" means that we could be in for a whirl o' shit (pun intended).

I just hope it doesn't get to the point where I have to wear one of those masks.  Not because I am horribly selfish or anything...well, maybe so...but they are uncomfortable and hot.  Anyone got a line on an air-conditioned model?  

Sorrow upon sorrow
Grief multiplies
Washes in, through and under
Leaving me cleansed

======================


Random thoughts and dreams
Appear and suddenly vanish
Who knows where they go?


======

And for the ninja fan, moreamordani 



Silently they dart
Moving with stealth and grace
Ninja's on the prowl

The day dawned early, but I missed it because I was asleep.  I actually had a miserable night of sleep due to the weather.  It's not quite warm enough to turn on the A/C yet, but it is too warm not to do "something" to try and sleep.  Poorly circulating rooms make things worse and even the window being open doesn't help much.  Add in a ceiling fan that spins but does little and it's a stuffy night.

As it was, I woke up tired.  Yet, in a good mood.  Why?  Because last night when I got home, Elaine suggested that we go on a picnic today.  Which is exactly what we did.  And it was a grand time.  Even with the high winds.  They took poor Elaine's ball cap for a good little ride, but I got to play the hero and chase it down and save the day!  The fair Elaine gave her hero a peck on the cheek and some grapes.  Huzzah!

We cleaned up our mess and headed down to Jefferson City, our State Capital.  We drove right past the building and stopped at the comic shop there.  They also sell books, so I bought some more Perry Mason books and other ribald trashy mystery books.  And a western.  We chatted with Lance (the store owner) and then hopped into the car and pointed it West on U.S. Highway 50 to Sedalia.  That's the home of the State Fair (Our State Fair is a great state fair...don't miss it, don't even be late...). 

Highway 50 used to be a 2 lane highway, but has been expanded to the 4 lane divided type in many places.  In some ways, I sort of regret that we've become so used to getting someplace in "a hurry" that we are replacing all of our roads with Freeway type roads.  They are by and large, boring and impersonal.  Just a means to an end/destination.  Kind of sad.

Because we stopped at the Dutch Store in Tipton along the way.  It's run by the Amish, a more stand offish bunch of people you'd be hard pressed to find.  At least at this store.  They aren't rude, but there IS a wall between us and Them.  They're happy to take our money, but they don't have to gush to us when they do it.

That said, I found some Liverwurst there.  I haven't had any of that since I was a boy.  My Dad used to buy it for us.  It was a real treat.  It's mostly fat, grease, goo and more goo.  I have no idea what's in it, I don't want to know, so nobody tell me.  All I know is that I like it.  We picked up a few other things, gave them our money and went on down the road.  By Tipton, it was back to a two lane wonderland.

Our reaon for going to Sedalia was to check out the rumors of The Wheel Inn reopening.  The Wheel Inn is a nationally known Hamburger Joint in the old tradition.  The old place used to offer curb service and the like.  It was an institution, not only in Sedalia, but around the area.  In fact, they were so well known, they made the list of places in Missouri to get a GREAT hamburger in the list in the back of the book, Hamburger Heaven.  I bought that book in the Gift Shop of the Henry Ford Museum because of that, and the other listing was for a hole in the wall pool hall here in Columbia called Booche's that serves the best burgers in town.

But, I digress...

We found that while the original owners had indeed closed up shop, sold out and retired, one of the day waitresses had reopened at a new location.  Which was the reason the original had closed in the first place.  It was situated at the corner of Highway's 50 and 65.  The intersection needed to be expanded due to truck traffic and this would seriously impede access to The Wheel Inn.  So, they closed.

The big deal at The Wheel Inn is the Gooberburger.  It's a hamburger with lettuce, tomato, salad dressing and peanut butter.  I got mine sans salad dressing.  Sounds gross, but DAMNATION are they good.  They are messy, so plenty of napkins are in order.  I also had a peanut butter milkshake which was also tremendous.

Elaine, not being at all a lover of peanut butter, opted not to partake of the culinary delight that is a Gooberburger, had one of their marvelous hamburgers with everything.  She had a banana shake which she quite enjoyed. 

On the way home, we listened to the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs on the radio.  Actually, the game was in St. Louis, but we listened to the game on the radio.  Albert Pujols hit a first pitch Grand Slam and it sounded to me like he'd been elected President with all the noise being made at Busch Stadium.  Not to be outdone, I scared some drivers around me by pounding on the car horn and shouting.  Elaine wasn't impressed.  I'm thinking she had the right idea on that one.

All in all, a nice day spent with my wife.  Tomorrow brings a chance of rain and a likelihood of laundry.  Dusting and vacumming also possible.

I wrote what I thought was an interesting Haiku earlier today. 

Lovers holding hands 
Optimists or Arrogant
A little of both

I shared it with a friend and his first question was, "Are they in public?  Or are they at home?"

I told him I felt it was obvious from the second line, but he felt I needed to be specific so as to avoid confusion.  My response was that in the Haiku framework, I didn't think I could convey that message, using those words "in public" and get the same sense.  He seemed to think it was a great writing exercise.

I've been thinking about this for hours since then, and frankly I'm stumped.  I am fairly pleased with the haiku the way I wrote it, but my friend is of above average intelligence and doesn't throw out many suggestions.  Any thoughts?

And have you ever stumbled across a sentence that you just fell in love with?  Something that almost haunts you, that you feel a strong urge to write down so you can carry it with you in your pocket, or close to your heart.  A sentence that is so extraordinary that it either sums up completely and perfectly what you were reading or so overshadows everything else that you recall nothing about the subject?

I did.  I wrote it down in my little notebook and have come back to it.  I've worked with in poetry and it just fell flat.  It's not the fault of the sentence, but maybe I'm just in awe of it yet.  Afraid to debase it or make it common by deigning to use it something as pedestrian as a mere poem or small essay.

I'd share it with you, but for now I'm guarding it like a jealous lover.  Caressing it in my mind, and rolling it over again and again in my writer's voice.   And trying to be worthy of it.  If for nobody else but myself.