Daily writing prompt

What do you enjoy most about writing?

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There seem to be two themes to these daily writing prompts. One is vague questions that don’t make sense and read as though they were written by ChatGPT. The other is simple questions that I probably should have thought about over the years but never really have… that read as though they were written by ChatGPT.

What do I enjoy most about writing? I have no idea. I just do. Maybe it’s that it allows me to pretend I am a functioning human being who is capable of communicating with other human beings despite 52 years worth of introversion and being mostly unable to speak directly to those other humans.

Put more simply, it’s a work around for near crippling shyness. I can communicate with people I know well and care about. I can communicate with other people when I need to for work or to get through daily activities. When it comes to just being social or nice or whatever? Nope. I don’t wanna. I just clam up and shut down and that’s all she wrote.

Here? I can act like someone who has social skills and can function and that’s kinda fun. If other folks read it and respond to it? That’s a happy bonus. If not? That’s okay too. I still know it works. It still gets the job done mentally and emotionally and all that fun stuff.

So, yeah… communication is cool, right?

Daily writing prompt

What do you love about where you live?

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I live in a small city which is really closer to a suburb. We’re about 30 minutes north of Boston, 30-40 minutes east to the Atlantic ocean, less than half a mile from the Massachusetts/New Hampshire state line, about an hour south of the White Mountains and the New Hampshire lakes region. We have multiple major urban areas, sprawling suburbs, and rural communities complete with farmland, all within an hour or two’s drive.

Really… what’s not to love? This is the perfect place.

We have picturesque Spring times, gorgeous Summers (usually, the last few have been more or less ruined by constant rain, but when the sun comes out it’s gorgeous at least), and easily the most beautiful Autumns on the continent. Winters suck, but if you are the kind of crazy person who loves winter then I guess it’s pretty wonderful.

We have historic franchises in all four major professional sports. Personally I am a Bruins (NHL) and Red Sox (MLB) fanatic. We also have minor league sports within a reasonable distance, and there are major universities all over the place. Literally. In Boston there is a huge university in pretty much every neighborhood. It’s insane when they all have their students move in at the same time. The end of August through Labor Day weekend can be a bit of a travel nightmare in Boston. Still, that means there are major college sports teams everywhere. NCAA hockey in New England is more or less the best in the country (though the Minnesota/South Dakota region would probably argue with that statement). So if you love sports at a high level, this is the place to be.

There is as much history here as you can get in the US. I imagine folks in Europe, Asia, and Africa laugh hysterically at folks in the New World when they talk about history, but for what you can get here in the Americas, Boston and the surrounding area is the place to be. We have connections dating back to the 1600’s here, where most of the US only clearly dates back to the 1800’s (yes I know I am focusing on white folks, but that’s mostly because pre-white folks invading the land there wasn’t much in the way of permanence as far as civilizations go). My sister once taught elementary school in southern California. They teach state history there as well as US history. She told her co-workers that in Massachusetts we don’t teach state history. When they asked her why she told them that US history is Massachusetts history. There is no US without us.

There are other things to love about our neck of the woods here in greater Boston, affectionately known as The Hub of the Universe. My family is here. My step kids have moved a few hours away but they are still close enough to get to them when we need to see them. On a few occasions I’ve thought about thinking about moving away from here. Southern California would be my first choice if I left. Manhattan, apart from the effing Yankees and Rangers (and Mets and Islanders too), would be another choice. Annapolis, MD won us over on our one visit there. That would probably be my third choice. There are a bunch of places in Europe I could see myself moving to as well, and let’s not discount Australia (even though having christmas in summer time is somehow offensive). When you come down to it though… I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I love it here.

Except for the friggin’ winters.

Daily writing prompt

What positive emotion do you feel most often?

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This one is super simple. The positive emotion I feel most often is love. Love for Jen, loved by Jen. It’s the same with my two step kids, of course. I just don’t get to see them every day the way I do my beloved bride.

I was alone for a very long time. All the way into my mid-30’s. I was convinced that I was never going to find anyone and I was never going to feel love the way other people did. Then I met Jen and everything changed for the better. Even after all these years together I still can’t quite get over how lucky I am to have met such a wonderful person who could let me into her family and share her life with me.

So there you go. No vague questions and no avoidance style answers. Just plain straight shooting today.

I love you, Jen.

Daily writing prompt

How do you plan your goals?

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Did ChatGPT write this question? It doesn’t really make sense. Do people plan to make goals? I don’t think so. It doesn’t feel that way to me. I don’t wake up and say to myself, “I am going to set a goal today.” No. The question should have been how do you plan to reach the goals you set for yourself. That’s a question worthy of some discussion.

Okay, let’s say there is a goal I want to reach. Run a 5k, or eat a couple of vegetarian meals each week. What do I do to help myself reach those goals? For me personally, I use the agile process.

Simply put, you take your large goal and break it down into smaller goals and make each smaller goal a milestone toward the main goal, dig it? If the goal is to run a 5k, the smaller goals could be find a training app, find a place to train, set a schedule for trainings, work through the training app one step at a time. When all of the smaller goals have been reached, boom. You’ve achieved the larger goal. Google veggie recipes, choose a few recipes and add them to your dinner schedule, take the list of ingredients to the grocery store and get whatever you need, on the appropriate day prepare the meal, eat it. Boom, you’ve achieved your veggie meal goal.

Pretty groovy, eh? Kinda makes you want to set a goal for yourself so that you can try it out, doesn’t it? Go for it!

Daily writing prompt

Create an emergency preparedness plan.

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What kind of emergency?

For a house fire the plan is to get outside and meet on the street at the end of the driveway. Back in the dark days of the cold war in the 80’s the plan was to just go outside and hope that the Soviet warhead that destroys Boston, or Hanscomb Air Force Base, or Pease Air Force Base hit close enough that it rains radioactive debris on us enough to kill us quickly so that we don’t die slowly of radiation poisoning.

So, you know, the plan is pretty dependent on the emergency itself. Let’s ask Google Bard for some ideas, shall we? I asked, “what is a good emergency plan?”

A good emergency plan is one that is tailored to your specific needs and circumstances. It should include the following elements:

• A list of potential emergencies that could affect your area. This could include natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires, as well as man-made disasters such as fires, explosions, and terrorist attacks.
• A plan for what you will do in each type of emergency. This could include things like evacuating your home, sheltering in place, or taking shelter in a safe location.
• A list of important contact information, such as the phone numbers of emergency services, your insurance company, and your family members.
• A plan for how you will communicate with your family members during an emergency. This could include things like designating a meeting place, using a communication app, or creating a code word.
• A plan for how you will care for your pets during an emergency. This could include things like having a pet carrier, food, and water on hand, or designating a pet-friendly evacuation shelter.
• A list of supplies that you will need in case of an emergency. This could include things like food, water, first-aid supplies, and flashlights.

You should also practice your emergency plan regularly so that you know what to do if an emergency does occur.

Here are some additional tips for creating a good emergency plan:

• Get involved in your community’s emergency preparedness efforts. This could involve things like volunteering for a local emergency response team or attending disaster preparedness trainings.
• Stay informed about the latest emergency preparedness news and information. This could include things like following your local emergency management agency on social media or signing up for their e-mail list.
• Make sure your emergency plan is updated regularly. This is especially important if you move or if there are changes in your family’s circumstances.

By following these tips, you can create an emergency plan that will help you stay safe in the event of a disaster.

https://bard.google.com

Bard agrees that it needs to be specific to the emergency. Ain’t i smart? So hurricanes are tape up the windows and hide in the cellar, fires are get out through whatever means necessary and meet at the end of the driveway. Earthquakes don’t happen around here but if they do we get under a door frame and ride them out. For the pets the plan is to… grab the pets. For supplies it’s grab a water bottle from the Poland Springs dispenser, grab a few boxes of protein bars, grab the laptops (because, duh), grab a guitar (because, duh), and grab the car keys (the hybrid, preferably) and scoot the heck outa dodge.

How’s that for preparedness, eh? Quite a bit better than going outside and hoping for heavy fallout.

Daily writing prompt

What is a word you feel that too many people use?

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There are some words that people use that just bug me. More it’s words that people misuse. I’ll share a few and you all can get cheesed off at my insolence.

• Brand. People don’t misuse this one, they just use it in corporate speak mode and it makes me want to punch a puppy in the face. I need to promote my brand on twitter. Bite me. Call it your business like a normal friggin’ capitalist and stop being so damn pompous. I sort of blame Mashable for this one. Not because it’s their fault but because that was the first site that I read regularly that used that word in this way all the time and it sort of spun up this particular annoyance in my tiny little brain.
• Myself. There is nothing wrong with this word, but people use it incorrectly all the time and it makes my skin crawl. Joe and myself are going to the store. No, assmunch. Joe and I are going to the store. You would never say “myself is going to the store” would you? No. So stop using it wrong, you pricks. It’s English, do it correctly or shut the hell up.*
• Nuclear. I am looking at you, George W Bush, you effin’ moron. Nu-Clear. Not Nu-Cular. Asshole. There is only one “u” in “nuclear”. Stop pronouncing it as if there were two. It’s a tiny little two syllable, seven letter word. STOP FUCKING IT UP!
• Irregardless. That is not a word. If you use it you should be punched in the face. Simple.

Rant over. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

*In the interest of fair play, I did not proof read this post. Why? So all of the spelling and grammar errors will be posted and all you folks can have a good laugh at my hypocrisy. Enjoy!

Daily writing prompt

What brings you peace?

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So here we are again with another question that is new, but still sort of the same as a couple of prior questions. Oh well.

What brings me peace. I don’t know of anything specific that brings me peace. Being with Jen. Being with Bellana and Harry. Being with my niece and nephews, though I am an atrociously bad uncle. I was doing a shit job being there for them prior to the pandemic. Since the pandemic? I don’t think I could suck at this more than I do. I am terrible. I am awful. I am unforgivably shitty. When I am around them though, it is pretty life affirming.

Other non-family type things? Music. Even when the music in question is aggressive and anything but peaceful, it just works for me.

What else… sleeping? Sure, that brings me peace. Am I being too literal?

Okay, here’s one that might be uncommon. When cats go out of their way to show you a little attention. The best best best example is when you are just standing there doing whatever and a cat comes over and rubs against your legs. That’s wonderful. Similar is when you’re sitting on the bed and they jump up and rub against your back. Similar again, when you’re on the couch or a chair and then just jump up and sit on your lap, or sit on the chair with you. I actually posted a picture of Lily doing that with me last night. That’s great too. Definitely a source of inner peace. How can you be a bad person when a cat gives you a little love for free?

Okay, I am sure there are 10000 other things, but these will do for now. In closing, this is where I took the post title from. Just in case you were wondering…

Daily writing prompt

What profession do you admire most and why?

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There are a lot of professions I admire but not a single one that I admire most. At least not that I am aware of.

Doctors, specifically surgeons. I have some recent personal experience in how the right surgery at the right time can change a person’s life for the better in practically unimaginable ways. It’s borderline magic. That has given me a new admiration for that particular field of human endeavor.

Teachers. This will feel a little like sucking up as my sister, my sister in law, and a bunch of my friends are teachers, but when it comes to brutally difficult, high stress, thankless jobs, teaching has got to be near the top of the list. It’s also critical. I have infinite admiration for teachers.

Software architects. I can write code. I am a programmer. Building a large system from the ground up though? Designing a full system? That’s so far over my head I can’t even fathom it. It’s beyond impressive to me.

This sounds like a suck up, but I’m going to mention it specifically for the twist I’ll put on it. Musicians, artists, photographers. Anything in any creative or artistic field. Not because of the skills required to do the job, which are definitely admirable and in my case often enviable, but for the 99% of the profession that goes along with it. If I had the self-promotional skills, the marketing abilities, the political savvy, whatever you want to call it, to function within the music industry I absolutely would have. Playing an instrument? Making music? I can do that and on good days I can do it well. What I can’t do is everything that is required to sustain yourself within that industry. I can’t sell myself in the necessary ways in order to juggle the 300 different jobs per day that a professional musician (or artist, or photography) needs to, and that put an end to my music career before it even started.

Probably the profession I most admire though is medical researcher. Somewhere out there some scientist in a white lab coat is studying the human body, looking for a way to beat diabetes (or cancer, or MS, or whatever illness or condition you can imagine) and will someday come up with something that makes my step son’s life healthier and better, if not cure his condition outright. When that colossal breakthrough comes, that particular scientist is never going to have to pay for a drink in my town again.

Daily writing prompt

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

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I have never really considered this question before. Most of the shops I would like to open are part of a dead industry now and would be guaranteed to fail within days of launching. Book stores? Dead. Record stores? Dead. Used record stores might be able to hang on for a while but new release stuff? No way, dead and dead. Musical instruments stores? Dead. Hell, even Guitar Center, the biggest of the big chains is dying on the vine as we speak. Maybe I could do a vintage guitar shop, but I would never have the zillions of dollars that would be needed as up front capital to stock a whole shop with vintage guitars. That’s sort of how the used instrument economy has played out in recent years. Even shitty old guitars are worth a ton of money, just for being old.

So if I were going to open a shop of my own, what would it be? I guess I could try to go with a Stephen King’s Needful Things kinda place. You know, a curiosity/antique shop where all of the items are cursed and pre-destined for each customer so that they can suffer their own specific trauma? Something like that.

No, that wouldn’t be it. I’ll tell you what I would open. Hey customer, have you had Gastric Bypass surgery? Do you have Type 2 Diabetes and are you struggling to keep your numbers under control? Well come to my shop where we sell nothing but Sugar Free Candy.

Boom. Million, dare I say billion, dollar business plan. Sign me up, babie!

Daily writing prompt

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

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Adam Sandler answered this question at some point in the past. It’s a three pronged answer: Phone, Wallet, Keys.

Since the start of the pandemic, when our household was sustained via multiple, nearly daily, Amazon package deliveries I added a pocket knife to my must-have-with-me-at-all-times list. I started with a cheap little thing I bought at a gift shop somewhere in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, but at Christmas 2021 I bought nice Swiss Army Knives for me, my wife, and my step step kids. My Swiss Army Knife is in my jeans pocket right now as I type this. It’s always either on my person or close by.

There is another answer to this question that is infinitely more important than phone/wallet/keys/pocket knife. It’s not a tool. It’s not a gadget. It’s a symbol and I am never, ever without it.

My wedding ring.