Velvet Verbosity

Folks, our internet provider has been seriously on the fritz over the last few weeks.  I got back yesterday, and from 6 p.m. on the internet was on and off about every 30 seconds.  I’ve been through rounds of reboots, shut downs, counting to 30 seconds, phone calls with tech people and so on.  We just came back online about 30 seconds ago, but I don’t trust it.  If all goes well, I will post the 100 word round up tonight.  Keep your fingers crossed.

I’ve been a little weirdly hush hush about my whereabouts and why-for-abouts over the last week, even for me.  (I’ve been called out for being oddly private for a blogger.)   Anyway, many changes are a-brewing in my life and when I’m in that mode I need my own head-space.  I will tell you that I got a gnarly sunburn on one butt cheek today, followed by a frenetic search through an unstaffed CVS to find sun burn relief spray (preferably with aloe).  As I sit here typing this I can’t feel the one burned butt cheek except for the heat radiating off from it.

I will be in transit all day tomorrow and will get the 100 word round up posted by Thursday midnight.   Until then, love and light.

I’m not sure exactly what about this challenge made me giggle internally, but every time I thought of the word snapped I imagined comical entries with funny twists at the end.  I imagined fictional characters telling off the person who made the mistake that broke the camel’s back, I imagined funny dialogues, etc.  My imagination went wild with this word, and I probably should’ve written my own 100 words to give license to my mind that was giddily dancing around the word.

Snapped is a word that can conjure up many things.  A mind that snapped, a sound, a sharp bite…there were many possibilities.  Let’s see what y’all did with the word.

First, Rhoni Renee is my pick of the week with her take on Snapped.  I liked that she went with a different interpretation than what most of us gravitated toward, though everyone as always had their own interesting spin.

The sound flowed from her headphones, winding its way through her. She sighed as unseen colors swirled and pulsated, wrapping around her, cradling her from the stress and worries of the outside world. Nothing mattered at this moment. For now the inbox full of requests was closed; she wouldn’t hear the phone ringing persistently in the background. She relaxed as haunting melodies soothed her thoughts; she settled as her breathing and heart beat began to match the steady bass. And she smiled as her fingers snapped along with the rhythm. For now, all that existed was her and the music.

In other words…

• The clever Night Blogger. 
• Don’t mess with the lad mags.
• Don’t mess with Patsy either!  (Just kidding, it’s fiction folks.)
• The heart break of abuse.
• Throw the TV out the window.
• Secret Agent learning how to “just be”.

For those of you rejoining, YAY!  I’m so happy to see you again (I’m lookin at you Secret Agent Mama).  For those of you that are new, welcome!  And for those of you lurking, visiting, or serendipitously stumbling your way here, speak up, we’d love to hear what you have to say in 100 words.  (If you need a debriefing on the challenge, go here)  This week’s word is from a little gem of a book I found called, “A Short Guide to a Happy Life” (because it really doesn’t take a whole lot of words to lay the groundwork for good living):

Myself

Oh, and Alba picked the word this week.

With love,

Internet service and time has been much more spotty than I anticipated.  (I’m taking a little time off from work.)  I’ve got some time and internet so I will have the round up posted this evening around midnight.  Just to keep with a semi-schedule, you can either post tomorrow (Sunday) or you can submit up to next Thursday (I will definitely be out of contact next Wednesday).  Cheers!

When they put my term “geeky-sexy” in the dictionary some day, it will have a picture of Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable.  I’m just sayin….le-sigh.

What a comical ride life is sometimes.  It took Herculean efforts to work with the cable company to get our office back online.  I’m so far behind in work now, AGAIN.  Sigh.  I need a vacation.

Today I worked from a local cafe so that I could at least send and receive email.  As I was tip-tapping on the keyboard,  a random (but friendly) guy approached me to ask me how I like my MacBook Pro.  Poor guy.  Had no idea what he was getting into.  My first response when people ask me this question (it happens fairly frequently) is to look at them like they’re mad.  Are they kidding?  OF COURSE I like my MBP!  What kind of question is that?  It’s like seeing me drive up in a Porsche and asking me if I like my car when I step out.

Then I remember myself and the fact that, no, the whole world has not yet converted to Macs.  I looked at him and smiled, my eyes filling with stars, and I enthusiastically told him just how much I love my MBP and why.  He asked if there were any problems and I said, “sure, there’s always going to be some amount of problems when you’ve got an advanced piece of technology in your hands, but in comparison?  Well, there is no comparison.”  Now, let’s just hope that the technology Gods don’t decide that I was a little too enthusiastic and confident and feel the need to take me down a couple of notches with a computer crash, eh? Now that would be tragic.  (Tech Gods, I meant well, I really did.)

Speaking of tragic, that was the challenge.  Some of you used the word, some of you changed it to tragedy, and some of you implied it in your writing.  This week my pick is the newcomer Jennifer, who doesn’t appear to have a blog, but left this powerful, heart-breaking, gem in the comments.

Tragic
I am carrying his child. I go about my day gently, to protect our peanut. Today we relocate to a home bigger and better, but I do not carry, paint, lift, or climb. Zealously, and carefully, I do all I can to indulge Daddy-to-be.
With every piece of my being I shower love upon my husband. Joy enshrouds me when I serve him and baby. I love, worship, and adore him. He is my God. His affection is my sustenance.
Still, I know he despises me. He will leave after baby arrives.
I will then have only one to love.

In other words…

• My second choice (a heart squeezer)
• Vivid imagery from Night Blogger.
• Surprise ending from newcomer Aurora.
• A bride’s nightmare tranforms to humor.
• Oh how we hold on- ninja style.
• Nothing more tragic than the true story.

Just a heads up, I won’t be able to post next Wednesday as I’ll be on the road.  The roundup should be up by Thursday though.  This week’s word is from “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole. (If you’re new, go here)  The word is:

Snapped

With love,

Internet, about three hours after I posted yesterday, Charter communications went out in several states, including half of mine, and guess what?  I was in the half that was offline.   So I couldn’t get to the 100 Word roundup, and I couldn’t even post to tell you there was a problem.  Now I’m catching up on work stuff and hopefully, HOPEFULLY, all will go well this evening so that I can get the post up.

See you soon.

100 Word roundup will be up later this evening (after work).  For now, a public service announcement.

I don’t know how many of you are in New England and got hit by this recent snow-storm, but if you are and did, HIGH FIVE!  Nothing like a foot of fluffy snow followed up with below freezing temperatures.  You’ve never seen it, but my driveway is a doozy too.  Thankfully, I drive a tank of a Subaru that drives up out of the steep pitch of my driveway in a foot of snow (un-plowed) just as though I was driving on dry, flat pavement.  People who are foolish enough to visit Alba or I are not so lucky though.  Last night, I had to help a teenage girl drive her little tin can of an automatic out of the bermuda triangle of my driveway.  That was fun.  Me driving, them pushing, tires spinning, rubber burning, wondering if there would be a car when I got to the top (meaning I would have to back all the way down to the bottom and start all over again).

If you’re not in New England, and don’t know what snow looks like, you’re not allowed to read my blog anymore.

Last week, the challenge was Pleased.  My pick out of the few entries is Patsy with her take on pleased.  I chose Patsy’s this week because I resonated with that vulnerability when we meet someone new.

“Pleased to meet you.” I take your hand in mine just like I’ve been taught and say, “Pleased to meet you.”

I wonder, “Am I going to remain pleased with meeting you?” We’ll have small talk that comes before a friendship can be formed. All the usual questions will be asked and answered.

Meaningful small talk, but not what I really want to know. What I’m really wanting to ask is, “Are you going to judge me or will you accept me as I am, faults and all?”

I want to be “Pleased to meet you.” I want to be your friend, no strings attached.

In other words…

• Who could resist this face? 
• LCeel is disqualified…100 word haikus just show me up!
• Deliciously heartbreaking.

That’s it for this week!  It’s going to take a while for the momentum to get going over here.  It’s not helping that I’ve spent more time at the ER, and at appointments this week than the last year combined.  No worries, all the visits turned out well, it just seems the universe is trying to keep me from blogging!  Still no internet at home doesn’t help matters.  If you want to help spread the word, go to the 100 words page and give the page a StumbleUpon thumbs up!  This week, the challenge comes from The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell.

Tragic

Stay tuned for book mailings…we’re getting close!

With love,