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I managed to do this every day in February. I wonder if I will in April? Today’s prompt is “play.”
This little garden ornament from Debby doesn’t say “play” to you? Maybe you should literally “play” a video I made. A minute with a little magic.
2022 ETA: Sorry, the video I created to go here was deleted by the hosting site, and the computer it was on died long ago.
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.
After checking today’s photo prompt, I planned to go outside to take photos of some roses so heavy on the branch that they’re hanging upside down. But it’s cold (for Houston), and after spending a night without heat and getting our furnace replaced today (Remember that thing about how I have art to sell???), I couldn’t seem to motivate myself to go back outside. That’s when I realized everything on my desk had been placed upside down from my perspective. And while reading is best done right side up, I have a bookmark that shows how reading is also hot from every angle.
Today, it’s all about heat. Thanks for the bookmark, ‘Nathan!
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.
I wonder if playing is part of every writer’s life. Playing satisfies the need to create story.
We anthropomorphize animals, objects, and gods, giving them the qualities we know about humans and weaving elaborate tales about them. Sometimes those stories make it to the page–or the screen. Whether it’s a tragedy about Dionysus, a story about a brave collie, a book about a self-sacrificing tree, or a tale of cars left to rust in an abandoned town, it all springs from the imagination, first nourished when we played with our Lego blocks, stuffed animals, Matchbox cars, or dolls.
I’ve been posting photos of my action figure Katnip (based on The Hunger Games’s Katniss Everdeen–and hey, shout-out to Best Actress Jennifer Lawrence) to weave a story for a creative friend of Tim’s who inspires me all the time with her photos, the toys she finds or creates, and photos and stories she once shared using one of her action figures. I don’t know how long my story lasts, or even all the details of how it will play out, but it’s teaching me to share a tale with photos and as few words as possible. It also sometimes gives me a chance to photograph books I’m reading or have read. (If you’re interested in following along, the pictures are in this Flickr set.)
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day. You can see a larger version with better map details by clicking here.
Sometimes we should create a still and silent environment, and stop the noise in our heads and hearts, to hear the universe whisper the message we need to hear.
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.
On my bedside table: a lamp, a coaster for water or coffee, and books, both electronic and old-school. I received the Neil Young memoir from Tim at Christmas, a great gift since I’m a longtime fan. That’s my Nook cover, and my current ebook is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables, which I’m loving (had never read it before). I wish I could go all fangirl and write him a letter of praise and gratitude, but I guess he didn’t leave a forwarding address.
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.
The Galveston sky was overcast, but I was able to get at least one shot with some discernible clouds today.
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.
“Birthday!” Because today is Debby’s. She’s five years older than me, which makes her forty. Again. Going to have cake now.
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.
Thanksgiving in February with family, friends, dogs, and a full table makes me smile. I think Lindsey’s threatening the hen and not Invisible Me.
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.
The Model Muse accessories case is full to overflowing. This is just one of several accessories containers. Whenever I open one, I hear the lyrics, “Eyes! Hair! Mouth! Figure! Dress! Voice! Style! Movement! Hands! Magic! Rings! Glamour! Face! Diamonds! Excitement! Image!” from Evita’s song “Rainbow High.” I’ve never seen the show, but I loved the movie when I went to see it with Amy. I can’t believe that was 1996–seventeen years ago?!?
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.
Today I got up very early so I could take my computer to the Apple store because I had some concerns about it. Usually if I have reason to go to the Apple store, I go to the one in the Galleria. But since they’ve opened a store more accessible and closer to The Compound, I decided to go there. I’ve shopped at that store, but this was my first time to use the Genius Bar, and I was able to turn something that should have been easy into a morning fraught with drama.
First, because I didn’t have an appointment, I arrived well before opening time, thinking, FIRST! The doors were already open (Good grief; what retailer does such a crazy thing? I never did.), so I went inside, lugging my computer in its box. The store was already rocking. I needed an appointment and there wasn’t an available slot until one, but since Tim needed the car in the afternoon, I didn’t want to push my luck on the time. So I lugged the computer back to the car with the intention of calling the Galleria to find out if the Mac could be seen sooner there. Only you can’t actually get through to the store; you have to make an appointment online. I went back inside the first store to see if I could just leave the computer, thinking maybe Tim could drop me off later for the 1 p.m. appointment, and the woman who’d talked to me before said, “You came back! We had a cancellation! They can see you at 10:30!”
YAY, right? I went back to the car to get the Mac so I could wait inside for thirty minutes. Except…I’d locked my keys in the car with the computer. I NEVER DO THIS. I called Tom in a panic; his workplace is almost a straight shot from where I was, and traffic was abnormally kind, so he arrived with a key to unlock my car before my appointment time.
I then proceeded to sit there for nearly three hours as my Genius did all kinds of tests and cleaned some stuff off the Mac, but she never found any problem connected to what I was worried about. It was kind of cool as my computer was running scans to watch her help other people and to share computer stories with them in which we, the users, are generally about ninety-five percent of the problem with our computers.
So that’s where I stood today–at the Apple store. As an aside, I’ve read a few bad reviews about both the Galleria and Highland Village stores. I’ve always had great customer service at those stores, both when purchasing something and when needing computer support. Thanks, Erika–you made those three hours fly by.
Prompt from FMS Photo A Day.