Category Archives: blogging

What’s This All About?

So, here I am, trying to make my blog post for the day. And WordPress won’t let me get to my dashboard!  It keeps saying I can’t get there from here (or words to that effect).  It won’t even let me get to any of my posts, from where I can usually get to said dashboard  (I was going to use “whence,” but you can’t say “from whence,” the expression is “whence,” and that didn’t seem right to me).  Then it lets me get to the “new and improved” posting experience, which I have hitherto avoided.

At least, I think that is where I am.  I could be typing all these words in to no effect.  Oh the pain.  Yet, how appropriate for Lame Post Friday.

It has, in fact, been more like a Saturday for me, because I am off from work.   I had some Mohawk Valley adventures.   I was all set to to a Scattered Saturday post on a Friday.  Alas, I could not.

After being unable to make my blog post, I had a rather amusing exchange on Facebook with a cousin of mine who has a blog.  Hachland is the blog.  Check it out (now he’ll KNOW I wasn’t hating on him) (oh, it’s a long story; I’ll write a blog post about it on a non-lame day perhaps).

The question is, can I link to Hachland from this posting experience?  Can I actually post this blog?  Oh, dear, I hope so. It may be lame, but at least it’s a post.

 

Oh Yeah, Right; I’m Supposed to Write!

Oh crap, crap, crappety crap, this week is taking forever!  Yes, my Monday post was ridiculous and today is going to be Wuss-out Wednesday.   I’m only surprised I managed to avoid Bad Attituesday.

As I worked at my job today (lots of time for thinking at my job), I thought about the play I am directing and the murder mystery I am organizing.  I came up with a whole new plan for a scene in the play.  Well, perhaps not a whole new plan, but a change in the blocking that I think will really work.  I also spent some time thinking about how I used to think about my blog posts or my novel while I worked, and then I would spend my break time writing.  I spent my break time today solving cryptogram puzzles.  I love solving cryptogram puzzles.

So what’s this all about, I ask myself.  How is it that I have stopped writing?  Not entirely, of course, but I have slowed way down.  I suppose it is because I am busy with not one but two plays (yes, one is just a murder mystery dinner theatre; THANK GOD it’s not another full stage production!).   And I am on overtime.  And I need my sleep.  I am not a young woman any more (YES, it was a LONG time ago I was a young woman, what’s your point?).

Regarding those profitless questions I referred to on Monday, one might be Why do I do this?  I don’t know how profitless it is, but I think the answer is clear.  I cling to my daily blog, because it is one bit of writing that I do every day.  As long as I am writing SOMETHING, there is still a chance that I will write more.  Maybe even something good.  Hope to see you all on Non-Sequitur Thursday.

 

But Is It a Profitless Post?

I have two let-myself-off-the-hook features for Monday:  Middle-aged Musings Monday and Monday Mental Meanderings.  Well, today I feel that I have no mental facilities for musingn or yet meandering.  This often happens to me (you may have noticed).  And yet, I never let it stop me from making a post daily.  Sometimes I wonder if that is really the best thing to do, but in general I find such questions profitless.

Ooh, that might be something to ponder on a Monday:  profitless questions.  Why do we continue to ask them?  Because we want answers?  Because we want that frisson of superiority that comes from asking somebody a question they cannot answer?  That second motive is not very praise-worthy.  However, some people, it must be admitted, get their jollies by trying to make others look stupid.  Incidentally, anybody who is thinking to try that shit on me, be advised, it’s no great feat to make me look stupid; I do it all the time myself.

Here is a better query:  What makes a question profitless?  The fact that it cannot be answered? Philosophers everywhere would disagree.  They LOVE asking unanswerable questions.  They do not find them profitless (although I’m not sure there is a whole lot of profit in philosophy; I don’t really know about these things).

I think what makes a question profitless is that the answer, if there is one, doesn’t do you a whole lot of good. For example, in many cases the question “How did this happen?” is not nearly as useful as “What do I do now?”  The question, “Should I continue to make a daily blog post even if I have nothing in particular to say?” is quite profitless, because I intend to keep posting every day no matter how one answers.  So there.

And this is today’s post.  Happy Monday, everyone.

 

Wrist to Run

I was undecided whether to do a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post or another Running Commentary, so I thought I’d just start typing and see what comes out.

I kind of impressed myself by running two days in a row, because I really did not intend to.  I had a number of chores to attend to and no desire to attend to any of them.  Just to bring up my mental woes as a slight change from my physical ones, I am fighting another bout of depression.  My biggest symptom this time seems to be a huge case of Don’t Wanna Do Nothin’ (the double negative does not make a positive in this case).  Actually, I’ve been wondering lately if my physical problems don’t stem from that.  My body is obliging me with a nice bout of psychosomatics, giving me a marvelous excuse to, in fact, do nothing.

Be that as it may, I knew I must get some things done.  I went to the grocery store.  I did the dishes.  I began to make my prompt book for Leading Ladies (we begin blocking rehearsals on Tuesday).  I looked at the clock and realized I had time enough for a two hour nap before my husband would return home from work.  Yes!  Nap!  Just what I needed.  I forgot to mention that we have a murder mystery rehearsal at three.  I had forgotten it myself until Steven reminded me.

Naturally I could not sleep.  I’ve been having dreadful insomnia lately.  It is not the least bit unusual for me to have insomnia, so I did not let it bother me unduly.  As I gave up on the nap I remembered that I was also supposed to do laundry today. I gathered a load and threw it in the washer.  Ah, the joy of having a washer and drier on the premises.  While it washed I indulged in a check of Facebook and in reading several other blogs.

When Facebook got old and I got tired of reading blogs, I began to think about running.  It was just after noon.  I had plenty of time for the length of run I am currently up to.  I decided to do it.

Then remembered the laundry.  It was done by now, so I went down and put stuff in the drier, carefully pulling out stuff to hang on the bars upstairs.  As I brought them upstairs, I decided I really wasn’t feeling all that well.  I would not go running.  I hung up the non-drier items.  What would I do instead?  Contemplating the other chores awaiting me, running started to sound a lot more pleasant.

So  I went. It would be nice to report that I got a good dose of endorphins and felt terrific afterwards.  That does happen sometimes.  It did not happen this time.  However, no run is without its rewards.  If nothing else, one can feel satisfied that one ran at all.  I worked on my ability to persevere and keep going despite it being not all that much fun.  Of course, it’s never all Plod and Persevere.  I had several moments of feeling Not Bad At All.  And I hope I don’t have a reason to feel bad about this blog post.  Happy Sunday, everyone.

 

Definitely an LP, not a 45

What does one do when one is striving NOT to indulge in a Non-Sequitur Thursday post but cannot think of anything  worth writing a blog post about?

I actually have a delightful local business I have been writing about today, but that was for an article to submit to Mohawk Valley Living.  Don’t tell anybody, but it is not going as well as I had hoped.  One problem is that I cannot find the notebook I had with me the day we visited the place.  I remember some of the things I took notes about but cannot remember the notes themselves.  It is most distressing. I think I will be able to finish the article anyways, but I’m afraid it will not be as good.

As any writer can tell you, Fear of Not Being Good Enough can be paralyzing.  What is it called?  Inadequaphobia?  Probably nothing that explanatory.  It’s probably something derived from the Latin meaning “doesn’t have her act together.”  I should have taken a course in Latin.

It does not help that my spring allergies have kicked in big time.  I suppose it could also be a cold or the flu or some undefined virus.  Who ever knows what’s wrong with me anyways?  At any rate, I feel like crap and I am trying to get my work done while reminding myself that nobody want to hear AGAIN how lousy I feel.  What a broken-record kvetch I am!

For younger readers (if any)  that does not mean I broke a record for being the biggest kvetch (although that could be true as well).  It has to do with vinyl records on a turntable.  Get your grandparents to explain.

Now I’m thinking, “Oh, hell, my blog readers probably don’t want to hear about it either.” That is a problem.  Perhaps I can come up with another idea by the end of the day.

Well, obviously I did not.  However, I did get my article written and submitted.  Also, I’m feeling worse than ever and I don’t care who’s sick of hearing me complain.  Yes, I’m indulging in Non-Sequitur Thursday.  Now I’m going to indulge in Going Straight to Bed.

 

I’m Not Stressed

It is another lovely warm day in the Mohawk Valley, and I am not in any position to enjoy it.  Much. OK, I’m loving it.  Only I would love to go running again and I cannot.

Today is the read-through for Leading Ladies, (all together now:) the play I am directing at Ilion Little Theatre.  We haven’t even started yet and I am stressed, Stressed, STRESSED!  Oh dear, mustn’t admit that.  I hope none of my cast members read this.  They might get worried and quit.  I’m thinking as soon as we get started I will be fine.  There may be one bad moment at the beginning, where everybody is looking at me expectantly and my mind will go completely blank. I’ll tell you what, the Actor’s Nightmare is nothing compared to the Director’s HeebieJeebies.

However, it will not last long, if it even occurs.  I’ll start talking, and then we’ll rehearse.  I don’t know why I’m even worried, but there it is.  And here I am in the middle of a Wuss-out Wednesday post, trying to remember what-all I thought I absolutely had to get done before heading over to the theatre.

Here’s the funny thing:  it did not even occur to me to write a blog post on a break at work today.  I had planned to work on next month’s article for Mohawk Valley Living, the deadline for which is looming.  Unfortunately, I brought the wrong notebook to work with me.  You might think that once I realized that, my thoughts would turn to what other useful writing I could do. Instead I started looking at the script, because I am still struggling with working out a rehearsal schedule.

That was arguably another useful thing to do, but it doesn’t help you much, does it?  Here you tuned into a blog, hoping to read something good, and what did you find?  Me.  Then again, regular readers are probably not surprised.  I guess I’m not either.  Tune in again tomorrow, and we’ll see if I resort to Non-Sequitur Thursday.

 

What Would Virginia Woolf Do?

Yes, I am having a bad blogging week.  Other things aren’t going so well either, but that’s neither here nor there (here’s a question to ponder:  when something is neither here nor there, where is it?  Discuss amongst yourselves) (my computer seems to think “amongst” is not a word, but it is, isn’t it?)

People who read yesterday’s post may be pleased to hear that I did get a clue.  Two clues, in fact, maybe even three if you count pointing up a character trait of the victim.  I think it counts.  As for what the clues are… nice try!  I’m not giving anything away!  Come and see the show!

So I spent my time at work pondering these clues and writing them down as soon as I got on break.  And then I found that I had no clue (see what I did there?) about what to write a blog post about.  Could I dare do a Non-Sequitur Thursday after a Tired Tuesday and a Wuss-out Wednesday?  We all know the answer to that is yes.

I actually did have some Mohawk Valley adventures last Saturday, with my sister Cheryl and our friend Penny.  We went to Little Falls, NY.  Highlights included Paca Gardens, Fall Hill Bead and Gems and, on our return to Herkimer, Gems Along the Mohawk.  Why in the world should I not write about these delightful places?  Well perhaps I will.  For one reason, I work Saturday so Lame Post Friday is rendered… inappropriate.

Therefore, I shall try for a real post tomorrow.  In the meantime, thank you for participating, and Happy Thursday.

 

My Computer Thinks “Profferer” Is Not a Word

There are a few things in life you can pretty much count on.  Not invariably, of course, but most of the time.  If you open and close scissors near a person’s hair, they will probably get nervous.  If you say, “Sometimes you feel like a nut,” the other person will probably say, “Sometimes you don’t.”  If I have to be somewhere in the evening and want to get my blog post done first, I will probably not write anything ahead of time while on break at work.

Welcome to Non-Sequitur Thursday.

So yesterday I wrote a post about writing and today I write a post about not writing.  Is that so bad?  I suppose some people will think it is while others cut me a break.  File that under another one of those things in life you can count on.

I must soon head out to pick up my husband Steven (I specify the relationship for the benefit of new readers, if any) and head to the monthly dinner meeting of Ilion Little Theatre.  Of course I’m hungry NOW, so I just ate a few pretzels and drank a glass of milk.  I find it difficult to write on an empty stomach.  I know, I know, I’m not doing so hot after the snack either.

When I got home from work about an hour and a half ago, I walked down to Steven’s place of employment and got his vehicle, which I then drove home.  It was not too cold until a bitter wind began to blow.  Also, the sidewalks were rather treacherous with uneven ice,  some of it deceptively covered with snow.  Some profferers of advice to writers insist that adverbs are horrid words and must be avoided assiduously (see what I did there?).  I disagree.

As I approach 300 words, I think it is clear that I am not going to come up with anything particularly noteworthy to say.  However, I just thought of a headline.  Tune in tomorrow, when Mohawk Valley Girl will once again explain that she did not write anything while on break at work.

 

But It Was a Truly Excellent Sandwich

It is Tired Tuesday, folks.  I went to work with the firm intention of writing my blog post on break, in order to avoid such a thing, and instead, well, I read a play.  In my defense, it was Leading Ladies by Ken Ludwig, the play I am soon to direct for Ilion Little Theatre.  I MUST be prepared!

After work I thought to put together a creative dinner utilizing leftovers.  Then I could do a cooking post.  Oh, that seemed like so much trouble.  Instead I asked Steven if there was enough cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches.  I knew he had purchased tomato soup the last time he shopped.  Not only was there enough cheese, my wonderful husband agreed to cook.

Oh, that was the best grilled cheese sandwich I ever ate in my life.  The cheddar was extra sharp, the bread was perfectly toasted.  I dipped it into the soup.  I don’t think anything ever made me quite as happy as eating that sandwich.  Yes, I am indulging in hyperbole.

It would have been nice if the soup and sandwich had revivified me (I know, “revived” is probably the more proper word to use, but I wanted to use the other) so that I could have written a more better blog post (YES, “more better” is bad grammar; it amuses me).  As I often observe, one can’t have everything.  Hope to see you all on Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

Anything New on Wrist to Forehead Sunday?

Welcome to another edition of Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I’m your host, Mohawk Valley Girl.

Some feminists find it unbecoming for a female in her 50s to refer to herself as a “girl” and not a “woman.”  I fear I use the terms interchangeably.  To even things out, I do not hesitate to refer to males of any age as “boys.”  I usually do not use more derogatory terms than that for either gender.  That is just an aside, to up the word count a little.  I don’t like to publish too short a post.

Yesterday I bragged about how many blog topics I have as a result of our adventurous Saturday.  I even meant to start using them today.  Then I got my usual hesitation over starting:  I’m afraid the posts will not be good enough.  For example, my logical first post was going to be our first stop: Westmoreland Winter Farmers Market.  Well, I can’t do that off the top of my head.  At the very least I have to dig through some of the business cards I picked up along the way.  I won’t  be able to include all the vendors or even all the vendors I talked to, but I would like to mention at least a few of them by name.

Part of my problem is that I am oh, so tired.  Steven and I stayed up later than usual last night watching my beloved World’s Dumbest.  Then we were up by six, because he had to work at nine.  Of course that is sleeping in for us, so I did expect to be a little more peppy by now.  Perhaps it was the delicious Chinese New Year dinner I had at my niece’s house.  Full disclosure:  I had dessert too.  For anybody keeping track, that is three days when I violated the terms of my diet.  However, this is not a nutrition blog nor even a cooking post.  So there.

I had thought to write a few words about the Super Bowl.  One might think nothing new could be said about that, especially from someone who does not follow football, but I have hutzpah enough to try.  Valentine’s Day is also approaching.  I could definitely say a few things about that.  Before that is Ash Wednesday.  That is a more solemn day, of course, but I’ve shared enough laughs with priests to not fear writing about the church.

However, it seems the best I can do is another post about How I Can’t Write a Post Today (previously Why I Can’t, but I don’t really have any good reasons, I admit it).  Have I thought of new things to say about that?  In fact I think I have, but, for heavens’ sake, what is this obsession with novelty?