Tag: habits

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.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Resolved

11 Comments

to do

how long have these been here?

Everyone knows that bad habits are hard to break but those that may masquerade as good ones are sometimes even more difficult. What once upon a time seemed like frivolity, a dalliance, a minor amusement, can become addiction, obsession, a time-sucking void upon whose edge we teeter precariously while all else falls away into the blackness of eternity.

So with that in mind, in an effort to fit as much creative productivity into 24 hours while still managing to get some sleep, attend to the quotidian demands of real life and retain some semblance of sanity without losing too many bits, Across the Bored resolves to:

  • Keep posting what the Muses hurl at us
  • Continue participating in the challenges to which we have become accustomed
  • Visit, like, reply to and thank our followers, readers and casual passers-by as much as humanly possible
  • Visit at least 5 “new” blogs a week

BUT

We also find ourselves having to:

So not bad in all, nothing all of us can’t live with and hopefully just as entertaining…

Find as many visual declarations as there are days in the New Year at the Weekly Photo Challenge: Resolved.

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Decoration

15 Comments

small waiting for santa

Small children are particularly adept at memorizing carols and seem to take particular glee in the act of singing them over and over again even if they don’t quite have all the words down.  One such tune we used to inflict upon anyone who would listen was “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and our wobbly chorus would begin the 1st of December – in this reality, 12 days doesn’t seem quite enough to do much of anything let alone count the hours as they dance and leap away towards the Big One.  Twenty-four seems a more reasonable number in which to get December tasks accomplished and also provides enough words to festoon and bedeck any of our holidays.

Saint Nick’s list comprises:

  1. Artefact – a man-made object taken as a whole; like the reindeer made out of a fossilized candy-cane and pipe cleaners from the Ghost’s kindergarten year
  2. Bow – a decorative interlacing of ribbons once fashioned by crafty hands and now bought by the dozen in a plastic bag
  3. Christmas tree – an ornamented evergreen used as a Christmas decoration now made out of plastic or recycled material because the real ones are considered a fire hazard
  4. Design – as in “the dog made a design near the neighbour’s inflatable manger”
  5. Embellishment – a superfluous ornament; pretty much everything hauled out of the 12 boxes marked “festive” in the garage
  6. Finial – an ornament at the top of a spire or gable; or that fancy thing that is always lost that holds the lampshade onto the arc
  7. Gimcrackery – ornamental objects of no great value; what’s inside those expensive crackers everyone insists must be placed on the holiday table and no, you cannot make them yourself
  8. Hood ornament – that metal bit on the front hood of a car emblematic of the manufacturer and usually broken off to be hung on a chain as a last minute gift
  9. Incrustation – a decorative coating of contrasting material that is applied to a surface as an overlay: see Happy– Part 1
  10. Jingle bells – those noisemakers that warn that carollers are coming
  11. Kringle – better than a kugel and sweeter than a knish
  12. Lunula – a crescent-shaped metal ornament of the Bronze Age hung by historians on their Christmas trees
  13. Marzipan – those cute little fruit, vegetables and animals that harden into sweet tree ornaments if not eaten immediately
  14. Necklet – a fur piece, precious metal or preferably gemstone necklace worn about the neck on Santa’s to-get list
  15. Oranges – laboriously stuck with cloves til fingers bleed
  16. Pattern – a decorative or artistic work; what happens to walls when felt pens are left out and small guests arrive
  17. Quills – better for writing letters and in baskets than in Rover’s inquisitive nose
  18. Rosemaling – a Scandinavian style of carved or painted decoration consisting of floral motifs best left to those who know how to do that type of thing
  19. Set decoration – part of the set of a theatrical or movie production that takes place in living rooms at this time of year
  20. Tinsel – a showy decoration that is basically valueless; those metal strands that took hours to place that the cat would eat like spaghetti
  21. Ugly – a matter of opinion but usually in reference to footed pyjamas with animal appendages
  22. Volute – a spiral or twisted formation more fun in food
  23. Wind chime – a decorative arrangement of pieces of metal that hang together loosely so the wind can cause them to tinkle and drive the squirrels crazy – enough said…
  24. X is for red lipstick kisses on cheeks, Y because….
  25. Z – is the sound of peace

Across the Bored would venture that this word is being used in some form this month as a noun or verb and so the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge is about – Decoration.

“What is decoration to you?” – minimal or elaborate, clutter or clean, eyesore or eye candy, holiday or everyday… and it doesn’t have to be seasonal….

We would love to see your vision.

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 on a random topic that pops into my head (such as the above) 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 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. Please, don’t just link to an old post… challenge yourself.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 6 days after it is posted upon which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

 SO – Create your Two Cents Tuesday 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 “Two Cents Tuesday 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 “Two Cents Tuesday” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge page
  5. Remember to Follow My Blog to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Morning

14 Comments

Start every day off with a smile and get it over with – W.C. Fields

Many of the habits that we acquire as young adults last far longer than we expect and some of them are hard to break.  We all have relatives, or know of someone, who rises before the crack of dawn and expounds on the joys of being up while even the birds are still asleep, gets so much accomplished before breakfast and wonders why we do not do the same with as much relish.  They have been doing it forever and cannot seem to break the cycle.  One tries to convince them that this can be changed, that there is much to be said for the pleasure of rolling over and pressing the snooze button, but to no avail.

In truth, many of us have dogs or small children, teenagers who need rousting from their comatose state, a daily commute, a shower that needs taking, bread that needs baking, a million reasons to get out of bed…  In another city, another time zone, on vacation or just away, it is easier – a pleasure – to get up and out and see what the world in the wee hours has to offer: the similarities can be remarkable and the differences incredibly alien.  Across the Bored has gotten accustomed to the sun rising each morning and so the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge casts first light upon – Morning.  

“How does morning appear to you?” – does it creep in or blast you out of bed, is it routine or haphazard, the last of the night or the dawn of a new day, do you fortify with granola or revive with hair of the dog that bit you…

We would love to see your vision.

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 on a random topic that pops into my head (such as the above) 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 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. Please, don’t just link to an old post… challenge yourself.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 6 days after it is posted upon which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

 SO – Create your Two Cents Tuesday 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 “Two Cents Tuesday 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 “Two Cents Tuesday” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge page
  5. Remember to Follow My Blog to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.