Category: This and That

Ten FAQ I get as a Flight Attendant

adventure, Commentary, Other Bloggers' Work (re-posted here), re-blogged posts, Sometimes re-runs, This and That, travel, Writing and Blogging

I posted this interesting post last year, and enjoyed it again just now. We read so much about flight attendants being mean or combative with passengers….so its refreshing to read this thoughtful and fascinating article written by a flight attendant who is also a blogger.

Ellie's Blog

FAQ: Some of the Questions I get asked the most as a Fight Attendant

Passenger: “Do you get to sleep on these long flights?” and “Where do you sleep?”

YES! In fact for most flight attendants a shift onboard revolves around the times we get off. A lot of the time crew will say “Let’s finish this service so we can start breaks!”. Our breaks are formulated around time to eat and time to sleep, usually ranging from 20 minutes (an eating break however I have seen crew take power naps on this break) all the way to the longest break I’ve ever had onboard 3 hours and 45 minutes (when you can really have a good snooze!). I’m sure all crew experience this, because it often gets spoken about, having to limit our water intake before our long breaks, because the most annoying thing is having to leave…

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Farewell the Muse

Poetry, Sometimes re-runs, This and That

… and yet again with an oldie from “back in the day.”

SOMETIMES

I’ll never write another word
–ever– I think, maybe a bit longer.

The Muse has left me, alone and mute
singing quietly inside…but it isn’t writing
not bringing forth words of rhyme
or golden thoughts or phrases that soar
with the uplifting quality that speaks of fulfillment
of the annunciation of the soul
(if that is even the right word.)

What does that mean?   My Muse does not respond.
Silence echoes across the lines, across the fields,
rich and full, and absence of sensation…or character.
There is no solution, no evolution…no rhythmic flow
of syllables, or stanzas, flights of fancy…
clever ways to express a notion
…or just to form  a simple phrase–
no silver tinged sunsets,
no tales from the depths of despair…
no soaring ecstasy of the bliss of a kiss.
Words which once were at the edges of my
repertoire –within easy reach of the empty…

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will o’ the whisper

inspiration, Sometimes re-runs, This and That, Writing and Blogging

More about me and my Muse…

SOMETIMES

OH!     Where do the great ideas go…
those flashes of brilliance
that should have better resilience
and remain in the Brain Cabinet
long enough for establishment
to take hold in the Eureka! compartment.

How many times in the course of the day
does  the lightbulb flash in the idea flow
and tug at coat-tails for attention;
hoping and praying that no intervention
takes precedence over the outstanding thought
that begs to be recorded–NOT discarded!

That’s it!   Hurry–get to the tablet or pad
and hope there’s a pencil or pen nearby
Scribble or print in quick succession
the words piling together inside…
One after another the poignant confession
or ground-breaking thought to abide
ensconced forever in handwriting or symbol,
keywords or brilliant asides.

The Muse is waiting and prompting the prose
or rhymes that are aching to flow ever forth,
to leap from the pen to the pristine page–

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when the Muse keeps quiet

Sometimes re-runs, This and That, WORD PRESS, Writing and Blogging

Here’s a re-run of a blogging commentary I published here on Sometimes a while back….

SOMETIMES

One of the things I love about blogging is the great bloggers…all kinds of people, all over the world, young and old (is that politically correct?) and all political and religious persuasions.   I like that.   How boring life would be if we never got out of our particular little niche.     I DO care about all my … uh…blogging acquaintances…and their opinions and points of view…even the ones that don’t think like I do.   That’s OK, feel free to say what ya want and I’ll deal with it.    My best friends usually don’t agree with me on everything…some don’t agree on anything…

Blogging is fun because there aren’t many rules, and when it isn’t fun there is always the unfollow button.

This post is supposed to be about My Muse.    She stays out of the way, mostly, and pops out with a brainstorm of an idea, or nags me to comment…

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If I Ruled the World– truth in nonsense

This and That

…remembered this silly poem I posted here a few years ago.

SOMETIMES

TRUTH IN NONSENSE

If I ruled the world
it would be illegal
to ignore your Beagle.

If I ruled the world
we would all be called out
for shouting or being discordant.

If I ruled the world
any good and worthy cause
would require a donation.

If I ruled the world
whenever an unkind word was spoken
the Speaker would forfeit a token.

If  I ruled the world–and I was the Queen
on St. Patrick’s Day each year
all of my subjects would have to wear green.

Rules would be made to be broken
no penalties would ever ensue.
Nothing illegal–except ignoring your Beagle!

If I ruled the world.

©Sometimes,2015

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The Tryin’ of Speaker Ryan…revisited (re-posted)

Commentary, History, In the News, politics, re-blogged posts, Sometimes re-runs, This and That, Writing and Blogging

The Tryin’ of Speaker Ryan

I have to hand it to Paul Ryan
the man just doesn’t quit trying!
Caught in a den of experts at lying,
and vying for votes by begging or buying.
Speaking loudly above all the jeering and swearing,
off this way or that…slipping and veering.
Poor Speaker Ryan, his smile running thin
against all the prying and querying…
wearying, not crying, he’s plying his wiles
and biding his time…working at herding his cats…
while trying to stay INSIDE the frying pan!
© Sometimes, 2016

Some True Facts and Confessions About Blogging

This and That

First published on SOMETIMES abut three years ago.

SOMETIMES

Today I managed to spend the entire day blogging, with exceptions for hauling the son around and feeding the cats.   By “blogging” I mean visiting lots of other bloggers online, trying to get my photos to cooperate, and writing in my blog.

All my writing life I have felt guilty and self-indulgent when I spent time writing for pleasure.   Sure, I got paid for it in various venues, and wrote lots as a student, and even sneaked in some time writing short stories or novels that I never finished.  I still have four novels floating around aimlessly, with characters and everything.  That kind of writing has always been, to me, more of a treat…a sort of stolen pleasure, so to speak.

Not so much that the Writer’s Life is considered glamorous and exciting and adventurous.   When I was a girl I had aspirations to be, in no particular order: an…

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New Title…update on post about assonance poems…examples from poets like Edgar Allen Poe (re-blogged from yourdictionary.com )

Books and Reading, inspiration, Poetry, This and That, When I was a kid, WORD PRESS

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-assonance-poems.html

 

Yesterday’s post reminded me of how much I enjoyed the poetry classes I and about a thousand other bloggers participated in last year.   The classes were so popular they had to shut enrollment down…I think.    The moderators presented us with some really obscure, to me anyway, terms and forms of poetry.    I dimly remember poetry classes in school back in the dark ages, the days of my lightheadedness and depth of my soul combined to write really bad poems about lust and love and despair at ever experiencing either.

Having re-read my favorite nonsense poem about the anteater and the eel, my contribution to the assignment for the day, which was Assonance.    Reading the poem again I realized that I had no clue as to exactly what assonance was, so I googled it.  The link that came up is just marvelous…and made me SO jealous of the famous zealots that wrote and wrote their hearts out back in their day.

One word of guidance…poetry that rhymes and/or possesses a metric cadence just cries out to be read out loud, line by line, not mumbled silently and skimmed for meaning.

I belabor the obvious here, again, and state that I am not a poet.    I respect poetry, I do, and although I understand the agony of who are dead serious about writing and rhyming.   For me the main rule is that any piece of writing, poetry or novel, song or joke…needs to have meaning.

A bit of toe-tapping helps get in the mood.    Jumping rope always sets the pace too…   “Dan and Susie sittin’ in a tree, k.i.s.s.i.n.g….”    sorry, I wasn’t well enough coordinated to jump rope effectively.

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-assonance-poems.html

[This is a good article, and fun to read…even for those who don’t give a fig about what assonance means.]

The Neighborhood Dance, or Taming the Wild Assonants

This and That

While chatting with one of my regular regulars we got on the subject of writing for self enjoyment. So I went looking for this poem from Poetry 201 about three years ago.

SOMETIMES

Writing 201, Poetry–Day 7: Neighborhood, Ballad, Assonance

(This rhythym sort of works to the tune of “Sweet Betsy from Pike.”
or even “Beverly Hillbilly song.”)

Neighborhood Dance

A natty Anteater’s Aunt wanted a chance to meet an
Easy-going Eel sufficient in charms, the
Idea she had was to learn how to dance, but
Only one catch–the Eel had no arms.  So
Unity of moves was hard to enhance
until the Risqué Raccoon suggested:
“Why not freelance?”

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Soundtrack of my Life…

This and That

Play it again, Sam…

SOMETIMES

If there were a movie about my life, there would be a certain song or instrumental for each segment.
Childhood: Itty Bitty Fishie in the Itty Bitty Pool
Mares Eat Oats and Does Eat Oats, and Little Lambs Eat Ivy

Teen: Vaughan Monroe, Ghost Riders in the Sky
Mabelline
Bill Haley and the Comets, Thirteen Women…on the flip side of Rock Around the Clock.
Third Man Theme
Peg O’My Heart

Work Era: Bizet, Carmen
Mario Lanza, Song Angels Sing
Be My Love
David Carroll’s band, In a Persian Market
Scherezade
I Love Paris
Song of India

CCR, Heard it on the Grapevine
CCR, Bad Moon Rising
CCR, Green River

Stevie Nicks, Edge of 17
Knights in White Satin long version

Roberta Flack, Sometimes…all I need is the air that I breathe and to love you

I Think I love you

Juke Box Hero

Nal Diamond, Holly Holy

Im Saving my…

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Direct Line…reblogging myself again

History, inspiration, Nature, Poetry, re-blogged posts, Sometimes re-runs, This and That, Writing and Blogging

Here is another of my early poems from back in the day (Oct. 2015 in this case…
Redundancy intended.)

Direct Line

The Moon, far away as it is bright
dims the brighter light of the stars
My eye sight follows the path of that light
passing the light-years between

Knowing full well the facts of the Moonlight
reflecting the light of the Sun,
it nevertheless leads me to imagine
that the Moon makes its own light from within.

Even if Galileo himself, who charted the Sun,
were to explain with patience and tact
I still would ignore him and blissfully say:
“Please don’t confuse me with facts.”

©Sometimes, 2015

New Rules for Interpersonal Conduct in (the) Office

This and That, Writing and Blogging

1. There will be NO joking around in emails or elsewhere.

2. Even if “Everybody Does It” and or “Everybody Says It” there will be NO kidding, teasing, or snide/snarky remarks.

3. There will no winking, sneering, snickering or looking askance.

4. NO wiggling of eyebrows or fluttering of eyelashes.  In exceptions such as itching, or a foreign body in the eye…see your supervisor.  

5. ALL comments, remarks, notices, memos or whatever will be taken at FACE VALUE.

6. There will be ZERO TOLERANCE  for any innuendos that could be construed as sexist or sexually suggestive…such as “looks like rain.”

includes FLIRTING and COME HITHER LOOKS

7.In the event that an attraction of any kind develops: FORGET IT.   

8. Any formerly accepted rules of interaction which could or might result in a) Dating; b) mutual admiration; or c) a flirtatious interchange…are forbidden.

9. In the event that any questions or clarification of any of the aforesaid rules may be taken up with your supervisor….BUT BE CAREFUL!