Tag: Big 5 Challenge

The Big 5 – When do you get annoyed?

3 Comments

i’ll be waiting

Our aging neighbour finally bit the bullet, sold her house for what is was actually worth and snuck off early on a Sunday morning for points West without really saying goodbye to any of us on the street that she had gossiped with for so many years. So it goes: people are funny that way. We get used to their little idiosyncrasies, make small talk, put up with their barking dogs and annoying gardeners and for the most part, just live and let live as long as they don’t get too intrusive.

The couple that took over the bungalow look much like any other twenty-something, newly married couple just starting out. On their first day of possession, all the lights were on for what must have been a closer inspection of the premises: the previous owner favoured a more ecologically conscious (or just plain cheap) habit of only illuminating the room she was in so it was odd to see the little house lit up and taking on a new life. Day 2 the contents of what had been left behind spilled out into the yard – couches, chairs, an old tv and stand, a perfectly good desk and almost new filing cabinets, a mattress, box spring, carpet and garbage bags filled with who knows what.  For some reason we expected the van that pulled up to take it all away, perhaps to charity, a resource centre, the Sally Ann, church, anywhere that it might do some good and make life a little easier at this particularly stressful holiday time of year. But the two healthy, fit young men milling around the trailer didn’t dispose of it in a civically responsible manner. They did go to a lot of effort to pile it in the driveways of other neighbours so that they could park their own two cars without any obstruction. They didn’t even ask. Not a great way to make friends and influence people.

Big fat snowflakes started to fall around 10 pm onto the sad pile of furniture left in the street. We had hoped the roving pickers would make it to our neighbourhood to collect their free booty but they must all have been tucked in their own houses avoiding the cold snap because this morning the piles were still there. Until the garbage trucks arrived and ate everything.

That is when the Big 5 Challenge lost it. Completely disgusted and peeved beyond belief that in this day and age when everyone blathers on about doing the right thing, being ecologically friendly, passing it forward and helping out the less fortunate, the new residents actions were proving that some people still didn’t get it. We don’t feel “right neighbourly”  today, rather we can empathize more with the Clampetts  and would love to greet them at the door with a shotgun filled with salt and pepper and a baying bloodhound….

“When do you get annoyed?” – on the bus or in the car, up close and personal, way too far, by too much noise or too much talk, by things that stick on shoes when out for a walk… We would love to know when you get your knickers in a twist.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – Where do you eat?

1 Comment

sushi

YUM

Now that the Ghost and Miss Z are out and about unsupervised and wander in when their days are done, the island in our kitchen has become the focal point for most food-related activities.  It sits plonked between the stove on one side of the room and the fridge on the other, a horrific example of how not to succeed in the concept of the “work triangle”. Get more than one person in the room trying to meal-prep or even just trying to grab a quick snack and the dance begins: the side-stepped, blocked path roundabout, the hot pan “watch out not to burn yourself” get that off there before we drop it tango of a too tight remodel not thought out long enough (our absolutely perfect kitchen has been in the concept stage for the last 20 years…). It looks great at first glance, it works marginally. Despite all that, we have become accustomed to such interaction. Like Pavlov’s dogs we know what to do when the timer on the microwave beeps and, depending on how many bodies are in play, we act accordingly.

Whoever did the redesign on our open-concept rental must have been contemplating a larger space. We do have a dining “area” with a table that seats eight comfortably but the chairs seem to attract stray coats and backpacks.  Whatever surface that could possibly be used for supper always seems to have an assortment of laptops, books and projects in progress strewn over it and only sees the light of day on special occasions. We hate it. It does not conform to our sense of orderliness.

The days of sitting down to a family meal every night seem long gone and the Big 5 Challenge suspects this is a trend.  “Where do you eat?” – in bed or on the sofa, in front of the tv or in a cafeteria, on the road or in the air, alone or in a crowd, way too fast or without a care …

We would love to know where you chow down.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – What do you do?

1 Comment

innovation-poster atb

please make our oscar chewable

It’s not often that we mix church and state but we have, in the recent past, alluded to real-world activities that have been gobbling up our time. When we haven’t got our mitre on, the hard hat is busy protecting us; in an ideal life we would presume and postulate to our heart’s content but when the sun rises each morning we are, sadly, reminded that the rent still needs to be paid.

Alot of what we experience on a daily basis is last minute, due yesterday, just got this great idea to add to those hundred other things you’re doing right now and must be bigger, better, more exciting in full-colour, glossy bus-sized incredibilitude. As much as we love pushing the envelope and repeat (often) that work is a good thing (sorry Martha), we’d give our eye teeth for another head and an extra set of hands. With our luck, we’d always be arguing…

As an aspiring optimist, we say that when we are given yet another task to check off on an already long to-do list that it make us think outside the box but sometimes we just come up empty. Nothing but biodegradable peanuts and shredded packing tape. It can take a stressful toll in one way or another and our biggest fear is just running out of time before we can get all those ideas swirling around in our head out. Concretized for someone else to take pleasure in, be inspired by, be educated about, get a laugh from and hopefully start some sort of dialogue over. That is, perhaps, why many of us blog.

Seems like this century everyone is busier than ever and the Big 5 Challenge is awfully curious to know the reason. “What do you do?” – enigma or electrician, caregiver or taker, just starting out or enjoying the fruit of your labours, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief …

We would love to know what takes up most of your time.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – Who do you resemble?

5 Comments

article-0-19AA650200000578-331_306x371

at least it’s not the postman’s….

Everyone knows the old joke about if you want to know how your significant other is going to age (say 30 or 40 years down the line) take a look at their parents. Scary. From both sides. We often pore over pictures of our ancestors and can see how certain traits carry over in the gene pool: skipping a generation once in a while, with siblings sometimes resembling each other more than their parents, Uncle Ed’s mouth popping up here, Ma Tante’s pale complexion there…. A little bit of something from everyone all mixed up in one package.

Even if it’s not readily apparent that we do have the same DNA as our family, we can rest assured that the truth will out in other ways. Mannerisms, voice, small annoying idiosyncrasies, even knee-jerk reactions to external triggers are all packed into the genetic baggage that so many of us try to lose along the way.  On our journey, we choose partners and animals for a variety of reasons (just google people who look like their pets) and sooner or later we start to have more in common with them than we might desire…

The Big 5 Challenge has concluded that jowls may possibly be in our future. Such is life and if we don’t like it, at least we live in a time when we can do something about it.   “Who do you resemble?” – mom or pop, lion or lemur, celebrity or saint…

We would love to know who is on your list.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – Challenger’s Choice

Leave a comment

I don’t want to work
I want to bang on the drum all day
✩✩✩

Yep, that’s exactly right

The Big 5 Challenge has been the victim of a last minute assignment due yesterday – please feel free to have a gander at the rules, choose any of the topics listed here and go for it in fine summer style!

We would love to see what you come up with.

The Big 5 – What do you crave?

3 Comments

crave

some days it’s bacon

Fellow blogger and roller derby queen Marie’s post about the unexpected repercussions of an alimentary lifestyle choice had Across the Bored snorting with sympathetic laughter. We also have been there, ate that and (groaningly) lived to tell some mortifying tales of caving to desire. To be honest they really did seem like good ideas at the time, ones that were not so far-fetched to be ridiculous but like the ingestion of just one wafer thin mint, ones that put us right over the top.

Everyone has had the experience of having a taste for something: everything from garlicky goodness and super spicy to divinely dessert-like. It’s our taste buds and indeed even some odd twist of metabolism that pipes up in a small voice and whispers “howzabout that raspberry sundae? You know you want it…” Sometimes it all ends in disaster with us saying that we will never succumb again and other days we pat ourselves on the back for having made a wise decision that takes us in a better, healthier direction.

The Big 5 Challenge gets overwhelmed by a variety of desires –  “What do you crave?” – peace and quiet, a hearty party, a chocolate-covered donut, pastrami sandwich or kale smoothie, to be alone, to be away, a 48-hour long day…

We would love to know what has been poking you to go for it.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – How old do you feel?

10 Comments

how old

we can remember at least 30…

Pleasant weather has had Across the Bored seeking out old haunts and new neighbourhoods in some spontaneous outings these past few weeks. As much an opportunity to build up the photo library for some post-summer editing as they are  exercise in disguise, such sorties are also the perfect excuse for an ice-cold drink and a bit of people-watching from a shady terrace.  With time on our hands and no particular place to go, a few hours spent wandering around usually leaves us feeling invigorated.

Such was definitely not the case last Friday when my usual walking companion was otherwise occupied: itching to get out and get something done we headed off to a department store downtown with a focus on replacing some badly needed unmentionables. Now most men will just shake their heads and wonder how difficult could that be for it seems a simple matter of going to the underwear department, finding size and favourite brand, paying and going home (or just getting whoever puts them in the drawer to seek and replace) but certain ladies will more fully understand the torture that ranks on a par with the old pre-season swimsuit try-on debacles.

It’s not for lack of styles or sizes, stretch satin or spandex, balconette or push-up, may-I-help-yous or sorry, they don’t make those anymore. It’s not because of the awful lighting in the tired changing rooms with the fun-house mirrors that make one feel pastily like all the things we swore we’d never become. It may be that we don’t approach this kind of thing with the same zeal or excitement of youthful folly: it has come to the point where we want comfortable and reassuring, a little confidence-builder that doesn’t squeeze in the wrong place or cause unsightly bulges where they don’t belong. We don’t want to be reminded of the past, we want something for us now – if it comes in hot-pink lace then all the better. On our way out we met a lovely lady who looked just as bedraggled, put-upon and exasperated as we felt. “I hate doing this – it gets worse every year” she sighed as we flipped through the racks yet again for the one size we needed in the perfect style that was not there. She had been through the same ordeal: we were not alone, we are legion and as she pointed out, this type of battle deserved a rejuvenating reward – name your poison and swallow it with gusto!

The Big 5 Challenge puts forth that it definitely depends on the situation to make us 5 or 50. “How old do you feel?” – like a kid in a candy shoppe or drudge with a mop, like you could run a mile, need to rest a while, could change your style or rule the world…

We would love to know how you are reeling in the years.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – When was your last Duh moment?

12 Comments

duh_3

ok then…. now what?

Sometimes no matter how hard we try, the unexpectedly stupid occurs. The media has made a full-time job of presenting the vapid and vacuous in such a way that we all feel much better about our own fumbles going forward. Those hard to correct, knew it as soon as we had done it (or not) instants are, thankfully and for most of us, not recorded and broadcast for all to see to see but we all get that same head-shaking reaction. From the we’re sure we checked twice and everything looked fine and dandy, no that typo wasn’t there yesterday type of realization that comes after we were busy thinking about that thing that was not what we were actually doing at that moment to those little facepalms when your conscience sits on your shoulder like some moulting vulture reminding you that yes indeed, the old saying about measuring twice and cutting once was not just idle talk.

Perhaps we we tired, had iron-poor blood, didn’t pause to reflect or work that angle into our calculations, but sh*t inevitably happens. Therein lies the beauty of restating the obvious or pointing out the absolutely-cannot believe it-incredibly idiotic. Marbles do go missing from time to time. Some days our IQ is barely above room temperature, we know full well we shouldn’t operate heavy equipment and have no choice but to act like imbeciles deserving our own Youtube channel. From politicians to baby beauty queens, airheads to talk-show hosts, paste-eaters to ivory tower theorists, everyone has made a gaffe that resulted in a laugh. No one is perfect. Sue us….

The Big 5 Challenge had their own OMG blurt about 5 minutes ago – “When was your last Duh moment?” – while reading a newspaper, watching TV, tripping over your own feet or someone else’s, silly or sad, complicated or bad, indescribably inane or just downright dense…

We would love to know when you last rolled your eyes to the heavens in exasperation.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – Where do you relax?

13 Comments

relaxing

do not disturb

Lack of a large enough conventional space dictated that our super-sized sectional was forced to live in the common area downstairs in front of the television: quickly commandeered by the younger generation, it feels idiotic to sit there all by our lonesome. So sadly, there is no couch for guests to park themselves on in our living room, no tufted settee for us to lounge away an idle morning or even a petite love-seat upon which to perch for afternoon tea. We are, however, the proud owners of two Alice-in-Wonderland chairs which were an unsupervised boy’s day out impulse buy of the Professor’s. Within arm’s reach of the bookcase, they are relatively comfortable but have suffered the insult of some doggy-proofing because white barbet hair and black velvet don’t mix.

Lazy Dog would tell you that they are ideal – for a snooze or a daydream, a longing look out the window or just so to keep an eye on things. They are his favourite place to chill out or curl up and when the temperature is not quite perfect in one, he hops off and hops on to the other. Yes, we did try the “no puppies on the upholstery” thing but somehow he has managed to show us that a little rest can be a good thing…

The Big 5 Challenge is curious to know – “Where do you relax?” – under a cozy duvet or at the beach, on skis or a motorcycle, in the garden or in the middle of the city, behind the wheel or in front of the pack…

We would love to know where you are the most at ease.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – Why did you start to blog?

28 Comments

ablution

ablution by keyboard

WordPress.com boasts many millions of users worldwide making it quite the community to splash around in. For every taste, hobby, interest, field of study or reflection, there is something to fit the bill. All one has to do is explore and an incredible number of tag-related blogs pop up in the reader. Across the Bored would love to have that many hours of free time to peruse the stacks as it were but real life prohibits any concerted effort at getting lost in the multiverse. We are lucky to have a wide variety of readers and usually find our way by following links and clicking on gravatars.

Blame it on Google. Our work relies on searches and it seems as though a vast number of results lead back to blogs. Although many consider this form of self-publication citation unworthy, the fact remains that there is a lot of interesting stuff floating around out there with as many attached images and opinions to fill a small community library a few times over. That was our hook, a digital dare from the ether that we had better get with it, to coin a dated phrase, or lose momentum. Our primary motivation for constructing Across the Bored was as virtual repository for all that stuff that would have just been jammed into a drawer, filed away on a CD or buried in a hard drive otherwise. We had no idea it would take on a life of its own. Many of you have probably answered this very simple yet complex question on your ABOUT page or under a nifty image widget in the sidebar but for the Big 5 Challenge this fortnight it seemed worth asking all the same:

“Why did you start to blog?” – forum or fancy, news or reviews, to find friend or battle foe, seek source of satisfaction or sound out discussion, to expound, extoll, expand, in song, full-colour, poetry or prose …

We would love to know why you decided to put it all out there.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – Who is your Underdog ?

6 Comments

UNDERDOG & POLLY FLYING COLOR

still waiting

One of our earliest memories is sitting in front of a small black and white set (yes, Virginia there was a time when there was no colour) watching classic cartoons. We could easily relate to ordinary, spectacle-wearing Shoeshine Boy magically transform into his canine alter-ego Underdog and knew every word of the opening theme song. It had kitschy graphics, iconic villains and simple plot lines that that never failed to amuse. The series was filled to the brim with stereotypes – helpless, arm-waving young ladies, Soviet mad scientists, Irish-accented cops and Italian gangster-styled robbers – everyone was fair-game for the cartoonists and they put their hands to everything that would be considered politically incorrect today. Our pre-school mind wondered why Underdog had such a big forehead (he was a beagle) and why his superhero outfit was a baggy, oversized t-shirt: we just couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t go to the store and get one that fit properly… In retrospect, that was all part of the charm and the whole genre, along with many of the other animated shows of the time, were a huge formative influence not only on our artistic sensibilities but on the way we deal with real life.

Popular culture has been pounding us with the notion that we could have been heroes for awhile now and everyone from the government to the media has their agenda on how best to exploit it. The false importance attached to the arbitrary definition of success in all things personal and public has become overwhelming but at the same time there seems to be a shift in ulterior motives, personal responsibility, even our sense of how the smallest actions, or lack thereof, have far-reaching consequences. In a society that increasingly acts without any moral compass, it is getting harder to be fearless and noble, to distinguish who merits our adulation or respect and sadly, who deserves our investment of time and emotion. Depending on the day, we are both superhero and everyman but, as the comics have told us in all their four-colour glory, everyone has their soft spot and so this fortnight’s Big 5 Challenge asks:

“Who is your Underdog?” – young or old, timid or bold, flash in the pan or kicking the can, cartoon or larger than life …

We would love to know who flies above the crowd for you.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – What is your favourite Flower ?

26 Comments

wildflowers

a very tiny and rather unexpected gift

Across the Bored was going to go on a long-winded tirade against the evils of idiotic emails and how many people don’t actually read what we write in response but it seemed a tiresome and rather awful way to protract our annoyance: we’ll save that sort of thing for our Facebook page where we are sure to find a suitably snide cartoon to match our crankiness. Now that that is over with it is on to more pleasant pastures with this fortnight’s theme…

We were pleasantly surprised to find the two tiny blooms, smaller than a thumbnail, placed next to our keyboard the other day – in our own garden small green shoots are just beginning to poke out of the soil and it will be awhile before anything spectacular blossoms with any kind of gusto. In the “wilder” bits of our urban environment things seem to be progressing much quicker, it is as if without any gardener’s expectations they pop out at will, calling to us from the blasted brown grass and crackly hedgerows like miniature floral sirens. There is no way to domesticate these beauties, they are of the moment for once picked they quickly fade. Like much else that we seek to immortalize, we took a picture, or rather many pictures, and later placed the sadly shrivelling blooms between the pages of an agenda. One guesses that there is a single stem or bounteous bouquet for every, or no, occasion and this fortnight’s Big 5 Challenge would inquire:

“What is your favourite Flower” – Irises exotic, roses by the score, daffodils, sweet tendrils, petunias by the door, sweet peas, lilies or birds of paradise, grand or wild, fragrant or mild, a pot of something nice …

We would love to know what flora strikes your fancy.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – When is the last time you really laughed?

6 Comments

laugh

what goes on when no one is looking

Across the Bored can always rely on smelly dog to remind us what’s really important. He has it all worked out: a daily constitutional, good food, a few minutes of exercise and a bit of a snoop to see what’s going on in the neighbourhood, a nice lie down and then do it all over again. As much as he can be a pain in the posterior at 6 AM on a Sunday morning, he has an impeccable sense of comic timing.

Our particular pooch has been endowed with catlike tendencies that leave us wondering sometimes. He’ll do a pilates stretch then come up and rub himself round our legs, let himself be held in the most odd positions or be scritched against the grain. He’s not stiff like the foxhound next door but sort of rubbery in a twisty turny way that defies a doggy spine.  Every once in a while, we’ll lie down to stretch out a bit and just as we close our eyes to contemplate…. WHOMP…. fur and wet nose and kisses around the face, snurfles in the ears, paws holding us down and we just can’t help but laugh. The more we laugh and turn to hide the more he persists because he knows we need it.

Everyone needs a minion to help them let go of all the seriousness that weighs us down so this fortnight’s Big 5 Challenge asks:

“When is the last time you really laughed?” – over coffee and the comics, at the movies, with a friend, in the car or under the stars, at silly signs or awkward times…

We would love to know when the giggles and guffaws last hit.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – How do you relax?

13 Comments

relax

a whole lot smaller than we remember

Sometimes we have to force ourselves to get off the treadmill of work, commitment and daily life and just do the un-ordinary.  Various sets of constraints found Across the Bored et al pretty much stranded and snowed under at the old homestead this last March break and by Day 3 in-house projects had us all chomping at the bit of boredom. Where hadn’t we been recently that would entertain us, provide a decent photo-op without freezing off fingertips and was accessible by public transportation?

Memories of by-gone field trips with pre-school age darlings prompted a visit to the local Biodome and with that said we should, in some respects, have known better. By the look of the six other cool and casual over 20-somethings not towing small people along after them, the thought that every other adult with charges under the age of twelve might be at our destination had never occurred to us. Traffic flowed surprisingly smoothly through the exhibits and it wasn’t the crowd that proved disconcerting in the end. It was the awful fact that most of the children were holding smartphones or pads and looking at those rather than the flora and fauna on display right in front of them. It was the terrible but true saying “Why live life when you can document it?” playing out at our feet and further proof that many have forgotten how to just enjoy the moment for what it’s worth without the intervention of a gadget. We lingered, wandered slowly and wide-eyed through subterranean bat-caves and icy tundra, managing to regain the wonder, although the depressed penguins left a sad note on a pleasant few hours. It didn’t turn out to be quite the photographic expedition anticipated but no matter, for our altogether restful little outing did result in this fortnight’s Big 5 Challenge:

“How do you relax?” – with a good book or crashed on the couch, watching a mindless movie or birds in the park, fixing the old or creating the new, hiking up that mountain, running a mile, window-watching or sight-seeing…

We would love to know how you recharge and restore.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – Who did you listen to?

14 Comments


when it all comes flooding back

Across the Bored was trying to recall the details of certain past events the other day and was surprised that, despite their importance, some had faded into near-nothingness. It’s not that they weren’t there, or had not been documented in many different ways, it was that they didn’t seem to rank particularly high without some sort of prompt to bring them back into focus. Recollection can be an odd lot, with some images and feelings so vivid that no matter how old they are they stay right in the front of the crammed filing cabinet of our memory – others, sadly, wind up jammed beneath the drawers and only surface when we do a good cleaning.

Conversations with three very different and unconnected people reminded us of this; that our memories, and in turn our perceptions of each day, are very much dependent on where we are on the curve. Our circles of influence rely much on what is floating in and out, which faces take on more significance, whose words drop into the bucket of our consciousness, even which melody informs our mood. As young adults, our lives were filled with an exotic newness and they played out against a changing soundtrack – we said sad goodbyes to the Woodstock era but still rebelled against the mainstream with a vengeance and were then hit in the face with an alternative 80s wake-up call that, yes indeed, the electricity needed to be paid and it was us holding the bill. A word, slogan or song had much impact on the direction we took, be it for that day or the coming years and so has prompted this fortnight’s Big 5 Challenge that asks:

“Who did you listen to?” – Parents or peers, punk or piano, the beat of your heart or steps in the street, politicians, revolutionaries, strangers that you’d meet…

We would love to know who influenced your youth.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – Where are you from?

21 Comments

where are you from

Across the Bored will readily admit that we are a mutt. Not the scruffy, scavenging flea-bitten kind but rather the chromosomal Heinz 57, United Nations gene pool type where all manner of ancestors got together in random, unexpected combinations to arrive at what we look at in the mirror every day. We can’t exactly complain as we have inherited some of the better qualities from each (although on some days we would argue the worst traits are all wrapped in one nasty package) and it makes playing those awkward cocktail party ice-breaker conversations of “you must be” deliciously satisfying when no one can guess our origins.

No mean combination of at least 8 European, 3 North American and 2 Eastern nations (and that is only the last 2 centuries) our lineage seems to be constantly refreshed and reformed by new cultural persuasions.  As we have mentioned previously, our very own Ghost has fallen under the spell of one in particular. This slice of heritage was always equal with all the others for we live in the now rather than the then, but lately it has come to the forefront to claim a place of interest. When roots become a field of study the deeper we delve the more we become attuned to its nuances, understand why the humour is compelling or find the music heart-achingly beautiful.

It is really more about the place we feel our psyche, our very selves most connected to than anything else, so this fortnight the Big 5 Challenge wonders:

“Where are you from?” – City or farm, present or past, pedigrees and bloodlines, in the future or lost in time, adopted country or birthplace, Venus or Mars…

We would love to know where you feel connected to.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

The Big 5 – “What” are you reading? – Week 2

13 Comments

bisquick

Surfing around the other day (and no, we stupidly didn’t bookmark it for future reference), we came across the following phrase: “Dialogue is the civilized form of Monologue”. Succinct and quite brilliant, it epitomizes what this still new challenge is really about: sharing with others, creating a discussion, venting, exploring and creating something out of “nothing” – putting out there what was previously ours alone, concretizing and verbalizing through our posts so that we may get something back or get something off our backs.

In retrospect, and from the variety of entries, we may not have completely thought this through but as with most things Across the Bored, chaos theory prevails and gives that bonus of the delightfully unpredictable and unforeseen – there are as many ways to respond as there are answers and who are we to quibble. We discovered new bloggers, received posts that answer each one of the Big 5 categories in relation to the question itself, unravelled acrostics, bantered fun replies in the comment box and even got reviews on books we suspect we may own but haven’t read! The least we can say is thank you… And that brings us round to this fortnight’s Big 5 Challenge where we hope that something more interesting than the back of the waffle mix box is occupying your time.

“What are you reading?” – A trashy romance, a book about dance, on a smartphone or tablet, as homework or habit, magazine, query, a newspaper, even the dictionary… We would love to know what you are poring over this week.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, some great entries and the guidelines for this challenge can be found here: Need more info, want to browse past themes or get the badge for your blog? See HOW DOES THIS WORK.

The Big 5 – a New Challenge

21 Comments

books

It is odd how when we are the busiest is the time when we seem to have the most ideas: probably because we are engaged in some sort of dialogue, whether internal, actual or even virtual. Across the Bored has hit the ground running once again in 2014: we’re not even a full week into February and work is piling up, blog posts seem to have gone missing from the reader and need to be caught up on, and a million little things (some within our control and many not) are conspiring to make the Year of the Horse a real kicker!

We have been known to cut corners and at times this can be more constructive than we originally anticipated. It was a comment from Leya (who writes a lovely blog filled with pictures, quotes and observations on life) on one of our one-for-two challenge responses that got us thinking (always a dangerous thing); another comment from a fellow blogger sealed the deal and the idea for a new challenge began to take shape…

Most of us remember being taught what has come to be known as the Five Ws or the “Kipling Method” in primary school. Who, what, where, when and why (and sometimes how) chanted in sing-song voices until it was indelibly imprinted upon our receptive little brains, it has become our method of first resort for gathering information. The added bonus is that it can yield some really interesting and rather unexpected answers.  Behold, the Big 5 Challenge – this fortnight we ask:

“What are you reading?” – A trashy romance, a book about dance, on a smartphone or tablet, as homework or habit, magazine, query, a newspaper, even the dictionary…

We would love to know what you are poring over.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary such as the above on one of the five Ws (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN or WHY and sometimes HOW) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a reply in the comment box, in a new post with a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Challenge yourself to dig deep for an answer.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

SO – Create your Big 5 Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “The Big 5 Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Big 5” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on The Big 5 Challenge page.
  5. Remember to Follow to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.