Talking About the Weather

Two inches of snow with blizzard conditions. That’s our weather forecast for Wednesday. It’s almost calendar Spring, and we’re faced with a blizzard. Today, the high is going to be seventy-five. Tomorrow, blizzard conditions. You may wonder how we can have two inches of snow that’s a blizzard. Blizzards are all about the blowing, not the snowing. We’ve been getting some pretty fierce wind gusts lately, one of which took out a tree in our side yard.

We talk about weather here in Missouri, mostly because our weather is strange. Tornadoes in February? We’ve had them. Snowstorms in April? That too. Thundersnow? Of course. Seventy-five degrees followed by blizzard conditions? That’s the next couple of days. This is the only place I’ve seen that can simultaneously have floods and fire warnings.

I need to prep for the weather. How? Short sleeves? A snow shovel?

My Job with Technology: Then and Now

Daily writing prompt

How has technology changed your job?

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I started my research career in the realm of DOS PCs, card catalog library searches, and statistical computing on mainframes. Today I have a computer where I can see what I type in full color. I can search my library catalog from home and run statistical analyses. The change is enormous, because I can now work from anywhere I have wi-fi. I hardly even need to set foot in my library because I can download articles from the Internet. If I wanted to, I could compose articles and lectures on my phone. A pretty dramatic change in technology right there.

Technology also allows me to create graphics-filled slide shows for students that I can show on my computer with a projection unit. Before, I was using typed overhead sheets and an overhead projector. I can use a color copier for handouts, where once I was using a mimeograph. I produce clear and attractive documents with little effort. A couple of weeks ago, I produced a 3×4-foot poster with graphics and sections for a research conference I will soon go to.

Because of the technology, we do more ourselves. It doesn’t bother me to compose my work instead of sending it to the secretary; I have more input into the process and I can change things instantaneously. We also expect to have a level of sophistication in our products we weren’t able to achieve before. Research papers are more complex, document design more exacting, and with the expectation of quicker deadlines.

I am so much more productive, having the means of production in my hands. Despite the faster pace, I prefer this era of technology.

Trying for Another Book

So I’m writing a new book, or at least I think I am. I’ve gotten past the layout (which I will revise, I’m sure) and into the actual writing. I have gotten one chapter written and already I find myself out of ideas at the moment. It’s the part of the book where the writer sets up the premise and I already feel like I have that sewn up. And there are three more chapters to develop the premise. I hate when that happens.

I use a template when writing because I feel somewhat impaired by linear storytelling. There is an expectation of when things are supposed to happen in a book, and a template helps with that. For example, in the next part of the book, there’s supposed to be a debate over the future action in the plot: “You should not do the thing.” “Why should I not do the thing?” “Bad things will happen if you do the thing.” (And the protagonist does the thing, and everything goes wrong, and the protagonist’s hubris gets them killed. This is known as a tragedy. I don’t write tragedies. Yet.)

By the end of this book, the intrepid protagonists will gather together, fight against the Council of the Oldest who are trying to keep them from congregating, and start a commune in the desert of Nevada. I hope that’s enough plot to keep the book going. The problem with this story is that it’s writing out a historical event I know happens to my protagonists, but I don’t know if there’s enough there to write. Wish me luck; I need to get some writing in.

A Secret Skill

Daily writing prompt

What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

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What’s a secret skill or ability I wish I had? By secret, I am assuming there’s a reason I’m keeping it secret. That makes me think it’s a superpower or something, although the original question says “you have or wish you had”, which sounds more like a mundane activity. Why would I keep a mundane ability secret? If I could build cabinetry I would not be keeping it secret; I would go into business. So I will assume superpower for the sake of this question.

I wish I could teleport. I wish I could blink and end up somewhere else. Travel would be insanely easy with this talent. Ireland could be a weekend excursion. Going to work would be an instantaneous action. Around the world in eighty hops? I’m game.

It wouldn’t be that easy, though. If I wanted to be undiscovered, I would have to teleport into hidden places. I would have to know where I am going before I got there, which would necessitate having been there before. So, in reality, I would not be teleporting to Ireland unless I have visited before and I had a storage closet in mind.

Another downside would be energy expenditure. Dissolving into one’s component molecules and reforming would have to take a lot of calories. Not that I think eating whatever I want would be an onerous task. It could be, though. How much can one really eat in a day?

Teleporting would be a great talent. And a great burden, which is a given for any superpower. Maybe I’d rather try carpentry.

Thunderstorms

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite type of weather?

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I love the weather. I could lose myself in an early, sunny March day. A fresh snowstorm makes me happy. But my favorite weather is thunderstorms.

The darkening of the sky, the amassing of clouds, the torrents of rain, the boom of the thunder, and I want to stand out in it and scream into the wind. I don’t, because of the danger of being hit by lightning — I respect the power of the storm.

When I lived out east, in a town at the foot of the Catskills, the thunderstorms reverberated on the hills surrounding the base of the city. Now I live back in the Midwest, where thunderstorms feature gusts of rain washing the streets.

We might get thunderstorms today. I will stand on the porch and watch them.

I Could Use a Nap

Daily writing prompt

What do you wish you could do more every day?

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I wish I could sleep more.

I am capable of sleeping at any time in any position — in my chair, at my desk, while editing a book. I have napped during lectures (not while teaching them) and in the car. I’m pretty sure I could sleep through the end of the world.

Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush on Pexels.com

Left to my own devices, I could probably sleep 13 hours a day and enjoy it. I have this feeling of comfort and security if I can sleep all day. I have done recreational dreaming, honestly.

My doctor doesn’t want me to sleep over 9 hours a day. I sleep 9 hours a day easily, and although I don’t wake up tired, I could still sleep in. This will surprise my husband, because I wake up at 5:00 every morning totally refreshed. But I could sleep longer, given an excuse. Any excuse.

Is it naptime yet?

Exuberant

Daily writing prompt

What is one word that describes you?

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The word that describes me is ‘exuberant’, which is defined by Oxford Dictionary as ‘filled with or characterized by a lively energy and excitement.’ That’s me.

I used to think this was a matter of my bipolar disorder, that I had times of almost giddy happiness, but on medication, it’s still there. I am a naturally bouncy person. Except if depression breaks through, and we usually get a handle on the depression pretty quickly.

Someone once said about me, “Nobody can be that happy.” And in these times of a treacherous idiot as president, it surprises me I can be that happy. I don’t know if I am that happy. I’m just glad to see the weather outside, the surprises that life gives me, and things that make me laugh. This makes me exuberant.

No Tattoos

Daily writing prompt

What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

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I used to think I wanted a tattoo. I thought (and still think) they’re marvelous looking, and I love the idea of having a tattoo to commemorate something special in your life. But I’ve never gotten one, and I have several reasons.

First, I’m afraid of allergic reactions. I know that I have a nickel allergy, a copper sensitivity, and who knows what else? I don’t know what they use for color in tattoo ink, but I bet metals are used in the ink. The last thing I need is to become allergic to something that’s injected under my skin.

Second, I read somewhere that tattoos have been linked to depression. As I’m already prone to depression, and I’ve had reactions of depression to other things, I don’t think exposing myself to more depression is a good idea.

Finally, I don’t know how well it would age. I’m over 60, and I’ve seen tattoos age. Putting one on my old skin is an imminent disaster.

But if I were to get a tattoo, it would be a photorealistic dragonfly on my shoulder, with a slight bit of irridescence in its wings (if possible). The irony here is that I would never be able to see it, so where’s the enjoyment in that? It’s just not a good idea, is it?

Spring Break

I’ve been officially on Spring Break since Friday, so I don’t have to work this week. I have plans to spend the week doing absolutely nothing but editing a book and watering my seedlings. Maybe napping, since I feel like Daylight Savings Time has screwed up my sleep cycle. A bit of dreaming about Spring.

It doesn’t feel like Spring Break. I feel like I could go to work today and college would be in session and I would have office hours today. If I went into work today, I would find myself the only one, facing a locked building. So it’s really Spring Break.

I don’t do nothing well. I hope I can occupy myself with things to get through my Spring Break.

A Cross-Country Trip

Daily writing prompt

You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

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If I were to take a cross-country trip, I would definitely go by train. In that way, I would enjoy the trip without having to drive, and I would see changing terrain through the window or in the observation car. I first experienced this at age seven, when I took a train to Chicago with my family to see the Museum of Science and Industry. Ever since, I’ve been hooked on trains.

I live in the US, and our trains are not superb here, but they’re not bad. If I planned the trip right, I would have a sleeper car, so I didn’t have to sleep propped up in coach. I love sleeper cars because they fit so much in such a tiny space. I always take the top bunk when traveling with my husband so I have to strap myself in the catch net.

I have traveled halfway across the country by train, but not all the way across. I have taken the Lake Shore Limited, which skims the edges of Lake Erie between Albany, New York and Chicago. The best part of the trip is waking up early in the morning to see the sun rise over a (I forgot the name) nature preserve, where the track is surrounded by water on both sides.

I hear that the trains in Europe are better than those in the US, which I believe. My big dream would be to take the Oriental Express. I would also like to take the Trans-Canadian, which I think is also better than Amtrak in the states.

Sigh. I want to take that cross-country trip now.