Tag: post a week 2013

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Special – Week 2

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special

no dinner for you

Once upon a time we could eat (almost) anything. Of late, there are certain food groups that we love that don’t quite love us back as much but given the right conditions, we will gladly suffer.  Relationships with family are much the same: we invest, act with good intentions, try to impart wisdom or motivate but sometimes our efforts go unnoticed, ignored, unheeded and we either grin and bear it or lose it completely. Such is life with the under-twenties. Imagine our delight when things took a pleasant turn during a rather ordinary outing with Miss Z: over an espresso and noisette gelato, we both realized that, despite the occasions we would like to throttle each other, we actually enjoy each other’s company. 

These times, the little breaths of calm in between the hurry of daily life, the few moments spent indulging in quiet talk, catching up or just plain silliness are the ones we will remember fondly and like the tasty treat that is gelato, this fortnight’s Two Cents Tuesday Challenge theme is – Special. 

Last week, Across the Bored wondered “What is special for you?” –  The photo of that sandy beach, the sweet faces of those you teach, an amulet or well-worn hat, silver spoon or ancient cat, the strains on a guitar or a night under the stars… We would love to see your vision.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, some great entries and the guidelines for this fortnight’s challenge can be found here. Need more info or want to browse past themes? Have a look at HOW DOES THIS WORK.

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Special

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special

each stitch a moment in time

If you swung a cat in our house chances are that we could tell you exactly when and where each object its talons grazed came from. Some might call it an obsession but at one point everything that came through the front door, relatives and Miss Z’s friends excluded, was carefully curated with a specific idea of how it would fit into the overall scheme of things.  Times change and the need for things material seems to become less important as our attention shifts to subjects more ethereal. That and the fact that we have become loaded down with the left-overs from our ancestors that are in dire need of a physical, if not emotional, house-cleaning and purging. Some people are able to part with their stuff with ease, have a garage sale, throw it in the bin and walk away with nary a thought otherwise. For us this is an impossibility for every thing carries with it a memory, is imbued with some sort of karmic energy that will float along to the next carefully chosen owner. Well, the good stuff at least – we’re not talking tupperware and mismatched socks here.  Some pieces can never be parted with, no matter how small and inconsequential, how valuable, how old or how silly, for they have that unique quality that brings back an occasion and place, a brief bubble where the air vibrates, our nostrils fill with scent and we remember….

The Two Cents Tuesday Challenge guarantees that everyone has one thing that is – Special.

“What is special for you?” –  The photo of that sandy beach, the sweet faces of those you teach, an amulet or well-worn hat, silver spoon or ancient cat, the strains on a guitar or a night under the stars…

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 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 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: Happy – Week 2

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happy

happiness is sitting in your pal’s favourite chair

Once a dog who would take every opportunity to bolt like some furry escapee, our neighbour’s foxhound has mellowed somewhat over the years and now makes a bee-line for our front door – one bark and it’s in the house to polish off any stray kibble and whatever our fuzzy moppet has left in his bowl.  He loves to come and stay when his owners go out of town to pup-free zones: we can tell because he doesn’t even wait to get off the leash and charges into the living room with tail wagging. A few night’s sojourn means that his usually strict diet is a little more flexible, he can go in and out at a glance to snoop and run circles in the garden with his doggy buddy and the big bed is nothing short of an invitation to crash at the end of a long day. It is plain that our guest feels right at home and very much like this fortnight’s Two Cents Tuesday Challenge theme – Happy. 

Last week, Across the Bored asked “How does happy look to you?” –  Your mum’s mug or hole the dog dug, friends gathered round, a night on the town, a yellow sunflower or a rainbow after a shower, a pair of shoes or a new tattoo… We would love to see your vision.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, some great entries and the guidelines for this fortnight’s challenge can be found here. Need more info or want to browse past themes? Have a look at HOW DOES THIS WORK.

F is also for Friday: Counting on the Rabbit

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From the cover of a 1922 ladies magazine - Image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

From the cover of a 1922 ladies magazine – Image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Across the Bored has been rousted from hibernation, caught off-guard by the sudden arrival of 2 sunny days in a row. A larder in need of replenishing and a largish holiday weekend entailing some unexpected guests over the next 72 hours means intellectual pursuits will have to be put on the back-burner.  Time to dig out the Easter baskets and pysanka….

Back to F is also for Friday next week.

Story Challenge: Tagged “M”

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mimeMabel was a Moonstruck Maid
a Mediocre Mime
She drank too much Madeira
and Mamboed all the time
Munched on Macaroni
Mucked a Mess of her Maltese
Met Mikhail with the Monocle
the Mystery Man who Made Movies
Mesmerized by Meteors
he Messaged her Mad News
Mumbled love over Mulligatawny
Now she is his Muse

 ♥

Make your Mark with an entry in Frizztext’s Story Challenge: Letter “M”.

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Happy

13 Comments

happy

any reason to be glad is a good one

The sun finally came out today and the heat seeping in through the windows promised a spring not long to follow.  Although the snow is still in great mounds throughout the city, people have that glint in their eyes that tells how relieved they are to have made it relatively intact through another long winter.  They smile and strike up conversations with strangers more easily than in the dull days of January when everyone would look away and force themselves to make only the required contact.  Urban nature is a little louder than yesterday, more vibrant – the cardinal calls to his mate and the squirrels chitter arrogantly at the dogs nosing around their territory. Even the postman has a bounce in his gait despite his heavy burden of bills, flyers and subscriptions.

There was something in the mail for Miss Z this afternoon – the thick envelope from one of the best colleges in our city.  Thanks to the wonders of technology her acceptance was already a fact but the very tangible proof she could hold in her hands, the evidence she could wave in the faces of all those teenage detractors, was the perfect way to end her day.  Lo, like a cheshire cat our court does grin at such good news and so the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge can’t be anything but – Happy.

“How does happy look to you?” –  Your mum’s mug or hole the dog dug, friends gathered round, a night on the town, a yellow sunflower or a rainbow after a shower, a pair of shoes or a new tattoo …

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 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 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.