OneWord - so little time [anticipation]

Strange, but I never can seem to pour ketchup without the old Heinz jingle running through my head. (with apologies to Carly Simon) "Anticipaaaaaation is making me wait..." Mmmmm french fries! Lets all go to the lobby...

* * * * * * *

Thanks for making me hungry, Law Girl!

Things To Do On Your Ninth Date...

Photo: Phipps Conservatory - September 3, 2006

1. Humor your budding romantic interest. When she asks you to "gaze at me through the palm fronds," smile and get behind a tree.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for the Faeries)

Photo: Phipps Conservatory - September 3, 2006

White butterfly wings

and red boots flutter past the

corner of my eye.

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

haiku (for Rob)

I spit and sputtered.

I'd walked into cascades of

hidden spider webs!

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

OneWord - so little time [cascade]

As she gazed at the tear blurred letter in her hand, the dreams that she had cherished began to cascade around her like a castle of children's blocks leveled by a tantrum. She couldn't believe what she was reading, so she chose not to. She lived on in blissful denial, pretending that she just hadn't happened to run into him for...a very long time.

* * * * * * *

Great word, Rob. Yeah, I was likely to choose the verb form anyway, though it makes a perfectly acceptable noun as well. I guess you meant that you didn't want any product placement. ;-p

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jay)

Photo: Phipps Conservatory - September 3, 2006

Medusa glares at

me because my heart is no

longer made of stone.

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

haiku

Sometimes life feels like

trying to preserve the truth

on an Etch-a-sketch.

haiku (for Captain Jean-Luc Picard)

Thoughts of autumn nag

even as nature reaches

summer crescendo.

OneWord - so little time [crescendo]

As the music approached crescendo, the assassin carefully took aim with his 6.5 mm Mannlicher-Carcano bolt-action rifle. He had memorized the score so that he would be able to time his shot perfectly. The final cymbal crash of the piece would be the last thing his rival would ever hear!

* * * * * * *

Thanks for another great word, Captain! This was a bit of a cliche, but it was wickedly fun to write!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

55 Fiction Friday

Iris could not believe her luck. The cottage was abandoned as evidenced by the dangling shutters and rotting, ivy covered wood. She need only break in. There was nothing for it but to force the door. Iris put her shoulder against it and heaved. Thank goodness they had used soft pine instead of English oak!

[FIRST] [PREVIOUS] (to be continued...)

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Ten

Appetizer
Name 3 things that you are wearing today.

1. Doc Marten sandals
2. glasses
3. an optimistic outlook

Soup
Who was the last person you hugged?

Mmmmmm - Jay!

Salad
What do you like to order from your favorite fast food place?

French fries and ranch dressing!

Until last night I would have said a six inch turkey and bacon sub toasted on hearty Italian with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mayo, salt, pepper and vinegar, but the person (and I use the term loosely!) that waited on me at Subway yesterday was the most miserable person ever to do so. Normally I just let a person like that go and am grateful to leave, but it was such a bad experience that I actually said at one point, "You know, I realize you hate your job, but..." and I just let the sentence trail off. I think she got the point, though, because she finally managed to get my order correct. As I was leaving she actually snarled at me, "Have a wonderful evening." I did have a wonderful evening (Steelers won!) but it certainly had nothing to do with her.

Whew! Thanks for letting me vent!

Main Course
What time of day do you usually feel most energized?

Hmmmmm. Trick question as I usually have more energy after the sun goes down…any time between late afternoon and the wee hours of the morning, I guess.

Dessert
Using the letters in your first name, write a sentence. (Example: Sweet unusual spaniels are nice.)

Obscure sci-fi quotes unearth enigmatic references.

haiku

Too soon the flowers

and I have to consider

the snows of winter.

haiku (for Jay)

I would bring your heart

into my bower, let it

put down roots and grow!

Phipps Conservatory - September 3, 2006 - Dragons!

Photo by: Osquer

Photo by: Jay

OneWord - so little time [bower]

Picture by: Jay

For so long I had sheltered in the bower of my melancholy, certain that was my lot in life. The green leaves of my heart were olive drab and the buds of my creativity refused to open. When I finally realized that it was only my own shadows that blocked the sunlight, a revelation of color and shape opened to me. Now I see chartreuse and emerald among the blossoms that wink at me from behind every stray thought.

* * * * * * *

Ah, I knew I could count on you for a romantic word, Jay m'love!

Photo by: Osquer - Phipps Conservatory Sept. 3, 2006

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

Phipps Conservatory - September 3, 2006 - Jay and Osquer

I'd like to give a big shout out to the complete stranger who took this fantastic photo of Jay and me! Thank you for your kindness and general fabulousness!

haiku

Rainy afternoon

morning glories smile where the

sun should be shining.

Phipps Conservatory - September 3, 2006 - Orchid

Photo by: Osquer

Photo by: Jay

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

haiku (for The Drew 102)

An economy

of syllables may harbor

a wealth of meaning.

OneWord - so little time [economy]

She used endearments with great economy. She rarely said those three little words no matter how often she thought of them. She preferred to let her eyes and touch do the talking for her. Little could he know that to her his very name had become the sweetest word of affection.

* * * * * * *

Thanks for playing, Drew! I'll post you a haiku as soon as I come up with one.

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku

Susan retains the

summer sun in her black eyes.

I would keep it too.

haiku (for Sara)

(Photo - Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh, PA - September 3, 2006)

Tiny faeries crowd

the garden with their laughter

winging 'round my thoughts.

OneWord - So Little Time [magick]

(Photo - Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh, PA - September 3, 2006)

Was it magick or a trick of the light that made the little purple flowers into a veritable flock of tiny pixies? It might just have been my imagination, but then imagination is the perfect venue for faerie folk! Whatever the case, when I looked at the photo later, they had all transformed back into flowers again leaving me with no proof of their existance, only my belief in their mysterious ways.

* * * * * * *

Thanks, Sara for a fabulous word! It went really well with this photo that I took on Sunday. Phipps Conservatory is always a magickal place!

(click on photo to enlarge)

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Pat Paulk)

My quixotic muse

seems to be out. Do you mind

if I borrow yours?

OneWord - so little time [quixotic]

The muse is by her nature quixotic. In those moments when a concept has gripped the mind all day until the author can sit down to write about it, she will suddenly become distant and refuse to speak in anything but riddles...and those indistinctly.

* * * * * * *

Thanks Pat Paulk, for another word that is not only inspiring but also fun to say!

haiku (for Samual Spade)

While driving through the

suburbs, I spotted an Ent

where least expected.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

Phipps Conservatory - September 3, 2006 Neptune

Photo by: Osquer

Photo by: Jay

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Phipps Conservatory - September 3, 2006 - Water Lily

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

haiku (for Rob)

Ships heave on raging

seas, but I am content for

no curse can touch me.

OneWord - so little time [mourning]

When I saw the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, I found myself mourning the loss of The Black Pearl more than the death of any character, even Captain Jack Sparrow. Perhaps it was because of what the ship symbolized to Jack, freedom. Perhaps it was because I knew Johnny Depp was already cast in another sequel; so Captain Jack had to return some how, and I knew he would mourn the Black Pearl.

* * * * * * *

So, Rob, can you tell I'm watching "The Curse of the Black Pearl" on DVD as I type this?

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku (for Jennifer)

I can only dip

myself in ocean realms…if

only I had gills!

haiku (for Max the Cat)

apple strudel while

the cat strokes the bottoms of

my feet with his tail

OneWord - so little time [phantasmagoria]

Immersing myself in the undersea world contained within the omnimax theatre filled my mind and body with a phantasmagoria of sensation. The sweeping currents seemed to carry me along with them and the fish to brush my face with their diaphanous fins. I almost forgot that I could breathe.

* * * * * * *

Thanks, Jennifer! Even though I did the word Phantasmagoria not that long ago, it's on my list of words that are fun to say, so I don't mind doing it again!

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

haiku

(Photo September 1, 2006)

Dojo loach trundles

among the gravel while I

search for an angle.

haiku (for EDW)

Can get out of town,

but how do I vacation

from all my baggage?

* * * * * * *

Happy Birthay Month, EDW!

OneWord - so little time [vacation]

While I was off work, I cleaned the gutters, weeded the garden, edged the flower beds, painted the house, cleaned the garage, re-organized my social calendar and acomplished nearly every other thing on my honey do list. I need a vacation from my vacation!

* * * * * * *

This isn't a true story, EDW. I haven't taken a vacation this year. I need to travel a bit, I think.

The Pick Osquer's OneWord Contest...

It's time for the daily OneWord contest to pick a word for me to write about. The first person to post a word in the comments wins. The prize is that I will use your word for my OneWord post. I will also write a haiku especially for you! I've got my sixty second timer set to go. Someone give me the word!

One of the best things about www.oneword.com for me was the fascination of being able to read other people's perspectives on the same word. So, if anyone out there would like to play along at home, I'd love it if you posted your own OneWord entry in the comments. Just set a sixty second timer (or guesstimate about a minute) and write whatever comes to your mind about the winning word for today. As they say on www.oneword.com (when it works) "Don't think. Just write." Then share your thoughts in the comments to my OneWord post. I'd love to see what you have to say!

55 Fiction Friday

Iris trudged across Salisbury Plain, eyes downcast with fatigue so that she’d not seen the wonder looming before her until she was nearly upon it. She’d heard of the Henge, even seen pictures of it, but was not prepared for the massive, solemn splendor among which she now found herself. She suddenly felt very small.

[FIRST] [PREVIOUS] (to be continued...)

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Nine

Appetizer
What are some lyrics you have misheard (such as, instead of "Gettin' Jiggy With It" you heard "Kick a chicken with it")?

“There’s a baboon on the right” was my take on “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Soup
What is the worst movie you have ever seen?

Hmmm. That’s a hard one to pin down, but the Marlon Brando version of “The Island Of Doctor Moreau” was really painful to watch. Marlon Brando wearing an ice bucket on his head and a muumuu? Yikes! What ever happened to the cap and the leather jacket?

Salad
Using the letters from your favorite number, write a sentence. Example: Tomorrow has really easy experiences.

42

Finally one remembrance turns your thoughts wonderingly onward.

Main Course
What was the most interesting news story you have heard this week?

I left this haiku as a comment on J. Andrew Lockhart’s site:

Been pouting about
Pluto since I heard the news.
Still a world to me!

Dessert
Which word(s) would you choose to describe your wardrobe?

Ummmm. eclectic? (certainly) flamboyant? (sometimes) comfy? (preferably) A friend of mine once suggested that the secret to my fashion is that I know what I can get away with. I live in hope that she was right about that.

Things To Do On A First Date:

(photo Pittsburgh, PA - August 25, 2006)

1. Humor your new romantic interest. When she asks you to "interact with the statues" just smile and play along.

tanka (for Jay)

Had no idea

how many layers there were

to my mind until

you began to open them

by matching each with your own.