Category Archives: Lame Post Friday

This is Not a More Better Post

Today is just not working out for me.

That phrase popped into my head as I finally got changed into my sweats and realized I REALLY want to start my weekend now but have not yet written my blog post. I cheer myself up with the thought, It’s Lame Post Friday. Instead of my usual random observations and half-baked philosophy, I offer the Week in Weather.

Monday I did not drive straight home but had a minor adventure. I don’t know that it was particularly a Mohawk Valley adventure, but then again, maybe it was. Winter was still on. I had to clear a layer of heavy, wet snow off my windshield and hood. It had been snowing for most of the day, so I think the snow was previously on the roof and had worked its way down. That was good, because that meant there was less on the roof to slide down while I drove.

The uneven tire pressure light in my SUV was on, so I stopped at the gas station where they have that groovy tire filler where you just punch in the pressure and it figures it out for you. It is most convenient, but one still must crouch next to one’s tires, sometimes for a long time. I wanted to kneel, but not in an inch of snow and ice. Ugh.

From the tire adventure, I went to Aldi’s to get some canned goods. Their lot was full, so I approached with trepidation. Still, I wanted beans. Apparently all the snow had fallen after they had plowed. The space I found to park in had not even been driven over. Still, a space is a space. I took it. The only adventuresome part came later, when I tried to push a full cart through the snow to get back to my vehicle. Oh well, I comforted myself, it burns more calories.

Winter waned as the week progressed. I believe I wrote about a wet walk we took with Tabby yesterday. Today I took Tabby down the sidewalk in hopes of meeting Steven as he came home from work. This time I sensibly put on my flood boots. My feet stayed dry, if not exactly warm.

I mostly felt happy the rain had stopped. It had been raining like the proverbial sonofabitch earlier (pardon my french). I worried about my basement but since the streets didn’t seem too bad, I cravenly did not go down and check. When Steven came home he informed me that water was indeed coming up into the basement. We went down and sopped with towels and a mop. Once again, my flood boots came in handy.

At last we felt we had done all we could. I may head out somewhere tomorrow and get a more better mop and bucket (more better being the technical term). That will possibly make a more better blog post on Saturday. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

Another Stroll Down Memory Lame

Does anybody else remember this:

“TASTES GREAT!”

“LESS FILLING!”

“I still don’t know why they wanted me to be in this commercial.”

Yes, I am about to write a Friday Lame Post worthy of Non-Sequitur Thursday. The fact is, once again, I got nuthin'(the period doesn’t look right after the apostrophe). (Oh, but it looks fine after the parenthesis.)

I didn’t even try very hard to write anything while I was at work. I managed almost a page on my novel (it seems to be going well, but I’m sure that’s deceiving), and I conversed with a co-worker.

Oh, here’s… I don’t know if it’s a random observation or what, but the word is “converse.” Certain sergeants in the army said “conversate,” as in, “You don’t need to be off there conversating.” My elementary school teachers used to say “visiting,” as in, “Do your work and don’t be visiting with your neighbor!” Incidentally, I almost always visited with my neighbor, even when the teacher sat us boy/girl in hopes of curtailing such a thing.

And how about that, back when boy/girl was supposed to be a bad thing? Was it ever, really? I mean, I didn’t want them to be my boyfriends, but I would always talk to the boys (visit? conversate?).

Just as a final note (and here’s the real non-sequitur of the day): I think today is my 1,000th post. Isn’t that cool? Happy Friday, everyone.

Blame the Book

First, a confession. I took the day off.

Not from work, of course. I went to my place of employment and did what they pay me to do (remember: not a work blog). But I wrote nothing. No novel, no blog post, no letter, not even a grocery list. I read a book.

In my defense, it’s a library book that I have to finish and get back to the library. And it is a history book, so I am educating myself. Becoming more erudite and informed. Oh, who am I kidding? It’s easier to read than to write, so today I read.

The fact is, I love to read even more than I love to write. If I don’t have anything else to read, I’ll read the backs of cereal boxes. But I almost always have something else to read. Libraries, used book sales, garage sales, thrift stores and even Barnes and Noble supply me with my drug of choice (um, that’s reading) (I didn’t need to clarify that, did I?).

I actually read less now than I used to. I used to read to the exclusion of interacting with people. I have this problem of getting absorbed in a book. I used to read and watch TV at the same time. That would drive anybody else in the room nuts when I would constantly ask what I had missed on the TV show because I was reading.

“Get your nose out of that book!” was a phrase I often heard. When I bothered to listen.

In addition to interacting with people, I use free time at work to write. I didn’t used to do that so much with the result that I used to write a whole lot less than I write now. Read more, wrote less; read less, write more (in that sentence the first “read” is past tense, the second is present) (have you ever noticed it’s the SAME WORD?).

So this has been my Friday Lame Post. My miserable excuse for not writing a better post. I feel it will be understood by others who suffer from a similar addiction.

Two Lame Scares

It is Lame Post Friday and I confess, I am feeling beyond lame.

I worked on my novel on breaks at work today. I wrote some good stuff. When I got home I typed in some stuff I wrote on the novel last August. It’s some pretty good stuff, too.

OK, I admit it, I don’t really have a clear idea of whether or not it’s good stuff, but I like it. Just a minor problem, however, in that I seem to have two novels. Seriously, I see two main plot lines that I thought were related, but perhaps are not.

I would really love to expound upon this dilemma, but I am afraid that if I talk too much about the novel, I will no longer feel obligated to write it. I’ve mentioned that before. Also, the ever present threat of Advice from Others. Even (good God not that!) Well-Meaning Advice.

Now I’ve scared myself.

When I first got home today, I wrote a few postcards and walked to the post office with Tabby to mail them. Suddenly I’m flashing on a Writer’s Horror Story I heard once, about a writer who used up all his creativity writing witty cards to friends and never wrote that novel.

Actually, I thought that story sounded kind of lame at the time (hey! How appropriate for today!). And the more I’m in this writing game, the lamer I see that it is. Creativity is not a bucket that you empty. It is a spring or a river or a bottomless well. You take some out, and it flows even better. I wrote novel and postcards (and, dare I say, blog post) today, who knows what I will write tomorrow!

Yes, it’s another post where I just put some words here, hit publish and drive on. I am hoping for some Mohawk Valley adventures tomorrow. I hope at least some of you stay tuned.

Lovely Lame Friday

I started writing a real post earlier today, about an authentic Mohawk Valley adventure I had on Thursday. Then for some reason I got hung up and started working on my novel instead. On the brighter side, I enjoyed writing what I wrote. On the duller side, I am pressed for time and am now reduced to making an extra lame Friday Lame Post.

The reason I am pressed for time is that another Mohawk Valley adventure beckons. In the interests of Preview of Coming Attractions, I will just mention that yesterday’s adventure was a CD Release Party for The Rick Short Band and today’s is the Ilion Little Theatre production of Wait Until Dark. Local music and theatre! I am the most fortunate blogger on the internet!

I was about to say “the luckiest,” and to help pad out my post, I’ll tell you why. A long time ago this really cool old lady told me to not say “good luck,” because luck comes from the devil. Instead, we should wish each other “good fortune.” I have to say, “most fortunate” does not sound as… well as good as “luckiest.” But what are you going to do? In Mrs. Virgilito’s memory, I say “fortunate.”

I may have misspelled her name, but since I don’t have permission to use her name, and she is in heaven now anyways, I’ll let it stand.

I hope you’re all having as lovely a Friday as I’m having.

Hmmmm… Who Do I Kill?

It’s supposed to be easy to write a post on Lame Post Friday; that’s why I invented it. But we all know, sometimes, not so much. Oh, I know, as soon as I say “we all” or “everybody” or anything universal, SOMEBODY is sure to say, “I don’t know that” or “I don’t feel that way” or “Not necessarily.” Well, I don’t know exactly how to spell the raspberry sound, and truth be known, I almost never make that noise anyways, so, OK, if you want to say any of those things, I’ll let it slide. This time.

Where was I? Oh yes, nowhere. I did not write anything at work today. I don’t feel capable of writing anything now. It’s not Writer’s Blank, it’s not Writer’s Block, it’s not Writer’s Anything, because I don’t feel like I’m a writer any more.

Oh dear, I didn’t mean to say that. But since I did, I may as well share my current crisis, because, actually, I think it’s kind of funny. You see, I’m writing this murder mystery, and I don’t want to kill any of my characters. I like them all. And it’s not only that, I keep thinking how upset certain other characters will be if I kill off that one. Oh, or that one. I’ve even changed my mind about the murderer at least twice.

Writers who outline and stick to their outlines are now indulging in superior laughing, finger pointing and head shaking. Oh, like YOU never have problems! I’ve argued with these imaginary superior sorts before. Even when I win, I lose.

OK, I’m over 250 words. Lame, but done. I’m going to hit Publish and get on with my weekend. May your Friday be un-lame and your weekend be happy.

Ready for Adventure

So I sat at work (while working of course; it’s that sort of a job) pondering what all I had to get done in less than an hour and a half.

“I have to take my shower, figure out what to wear, walk my dog, make my blog post and walk down to the Belly Up Pub to meet my husband,” I said to my friend.

“You’ll get it all done.”

“Or I won’t.” Which is the sort of thing another co-worker might say to me. And in fact, I didn’t. Unless we’re going to count this nonsense as a blog post. And, you know, I might, in which case I did get it all done and more, because I figured out what to wear at least twice (figured it several times; actually got dressed twice).

I wrote a blog post while at work today, which I found pretty amusing. I will probably use it in the future, but it seemed to difficult to type it in and edit it today. I wrote a pretty good Pedestrian Post in my head as I walked Tabby just now. Again, too much trouble to get it out of my brain right now. And my gyrations of deciding what to wear could also make for some good blogging.

Tomorrow, however, I hope to write about our fun at Happy Hour at the Belly Up Pub. I’ll be heading there shortly.

Just a further note: another co-worker suggested I make my blog post later. Well, I plan to be moderate, but it is often a bad idea to drink and type. I’m just saying.

Drat those Self-Satisfied Sorts

Well, once again it is Lame Post Friday, my day for random observations and half-baked philosophy, and, what a surprise, I got nuthin’. Today at work I told a friend I had not written anything yet, that I was going to sit at my computer and type, “I got nuthin’.”

“But then you think of other stuff to put,” she said.

“Yes.”

And usually I do. Today, it seems, not so much. Perhaps it is time to do the dreaded half-baked philosophy on New Year’s Resolutions. I haven’t started working on any of mine yet. All I’ve done is get a little defensive about those self-satisfied sorts who say THEY don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. I believe I have inveighed against those sorts recently.

But here is a half-baked philosophical question for me: why do I get so defensive against people who seem pretty happy with themselves? Could it be related to low self-esteem? Hmm… that sounds less like philosophy and more like therapy. I’m not qualified to do therapy, although I do indulge in table-top psychology on occasion.

Table-top psychology, in case I have not mentioned it before, is an expression I got from a friend, who was quoting her mother. She would use it when she was giving a lay person’s opinion (her own). She would qualify it with, “Table-top psychology,” and rap on the table. Of course, this lady was highly intelligent and insightful. Her opinions were probably based on experience and common sense. Me, I just talk.

So, I guess this was my random observation: I get defensive against self-satisfied sorts. And my half-baked philosophy was: why is that? Could be a job for a therapist.

I must, I positively must get back to having Mohawk Valley adventures and writing about them. We’ve been snowed and frozen in for the past two days, but there may be a break in the weather tomorrow. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

Post Christmas Lame

Did I already use that title? I can’t seem to find it, but I’m too lazy to really search my previously published posts. Or should I say I’m too lame?

So was anybody hoping I would NOT have Lame Post Friday this week? In my defense, I am completely in vacation mode. All I want to do is, you know, nothing.

One topic I still have waiting in the wings is local stores I hit for Christmas shopping. Unfortunately, there are still a few family members who have not yet received their Christmas gifts. They MIGHT read my blog and they MIGHT be clever enough to say, “Ah-HAH! She’s getting me …!” Or they may get their hopes up thinking I got them something totally other than what I got them. I can’t take the pressure! (That last sentence is said with wrist to forehead, of course.)

I can briefly mention that I went to Heidelberg Bakery in Herkimer, NY on Christmas Eve to purchase bread for Christmas dinner. Yum! I’ve given them a shout-out before.

Just two small problems: the actual visit was not particularly eventful. And, well, my sister had fixed such a magnificent feast that none of us remembered to eat the bread.

Oh dear, I can’t put that in my blog! The Heidelberg people will never forgive me! We ate some of the bread the next day. I ate some today and expect to eat more with supper. It is very yummy bread.

Well, this post just continues to degenerate. What can I say? It looks as if my post-Christmas letdown is kicking in. It may be all downhill till 2014. I hope at least somebody stays tuned.

Friday Night Lame

So I have NOT written my blog post yet at 6:16 on this Lame Post Friday evening.

6:16 by the clock on my stove. I am perched on a stool, watching sausage, pepper and onion cook in a cast iron frying pan. I dare not leave the room. I must be here to stir at need.

Steven is due home in a short time. At least, I’m sure it will be longer than I want it to be. Retail employees sometimes find difficulties in leaving on time. No matter, it seems dinner will not be ready precisely as planned.

It is fortunate that I only require a lame post of myself today. I tried, tried, tried to write something at work. Nothing doing. Blame it on the season? Cop to it as an occupational hazard? Demand credit for At Least Trying? In any case, I crave your indulgence (isn’t that an elegant phrase? I rather enjoyed it).

As usual, I hope for at least one Mohawk Valley adventure this weekend. Or I may sit on my butt watching Christmas movies and crocheting frantically. Whatever happens, I will report back. Happy Friday, everybody.

Full disclosure: As I typed in that it was 6:16 and I was perched on a stool, stirring, it was in fact, closer to 6:40 and I was slouched in an office chair, typing. I knew that would happen. It just felt weird. Me and my strange obsession with accuracy.