Small Group Writing Assignment #4

Critic's Corner
Incorporate the answers to the following questions about your inner critic into a short story or a poem:
What does your inner critic smell like?
What does your inner critic look like?
What does your inner critic sound like?
What does your inner critic frown like?
What does your inner critic walk like?
What are some of your inner critic's favorite words?
What do you say or do to make your inner critic quiet down or go away?

So, for all of you who are writing-phobic, this is something that you can still do, because these are questions that we can all serious consider outside the arena of creative writing... Can't wait to hear from ya'll.

Two posts as one

Finding My Endurance:
So this whole running thing is starting to get a little bit better. I started out the first week and I didn't even make it halfway. I started out too fast because I wanted to keep up. It was that competetive streak getting the best of me. The second week I cried and wanted to give up because I still couldn't make it the whole way. I almost started to believe that the whole thing was a mistake and that I should just give up. I almost gave in to the lie. And the third week, everything fell into place--I made it the whole way, even if I was slower than everyone else. I did it, which is what is important. This week, week four, was better still. I made it the whole way AND I caught up at the end.
The point of this post is not to go tooting my own horn (because obviously 2.5 miles is not terribly impressive for most), but instead to give an analogy. This isn't just about running, but about our lives in general. When God directs us to something new, no matter what it is, we usually expect things to instantly be perfect. We think that because this is what GOD TOLD US TO DO that it should be easy, or at least comfortable from the beginning. That's not how it is. We all hear all the time that there will be suffering, and we say that we're ready. But how do we really react when suffering comes. I think I usually give up and go retreat into a corner. I say that I can't handle it and I put myself into auto pilot. But just like with running, we can't give up when things get hard. We can't fall into the trap of believing that because it isn't easy or comfortable that we must have been wrong. We have to press on, with endurance. We have to keep going, even when it's the last thing in the world we want to do. If we always give up when things get difficult, we will never find the joy that God has for us on the other side.

#2 Jumping on the Bandwagon
Please fill out my Johari and Nohari squares so that I might be able to find the areas where I need work:
Johari: fill it out view it
Nohari: fill it out view it

And that is all for today... I may not be able to RUN a marathon, but I'm certainly capable of making marathon blog posts! :)

Small Group Writing Assignment #3

So, as is becoming the usual pattern, anyone who wants to do this, PLEASE do!

Plucky- as a result of your selection of the number 46, here is the assignment:

FRESHMAN-ITIS
You're a high school freshman. Write from this low-man-on-the-totem-pole perspective. Be a teenager!
Use these initials for a name: N.A.K.
Incorporate the following details:
nickname, eye color, hair color, nicknames of best friends, how they treat you, how you treat them, favorite food, thoughts on sports.
Start with the line: It hasn't been the best day, but it certainly hasn't been the worst...

Alright! So have at it. Can't wait to see what we end up with...

Neon Pink Mood

When I am in a neon pink mood
I strap on my favorite high heels
and dance all night, finally stumbling home
sometime between dawn and dew.
When I am in a neon pink mood
I call up the girls for a night in--
we eat chocolate covered strawberries
and sip champagne from coffee mugs.
When I am in a neon pink mood
I turn on some country and I sing
and I two-step my way around the clothes
that litter my bedroom floor.
When I am in a neon pink mood
I do only the things that bring joy
and leave the sadness and tears
for a mood that is more like mauve

Small Group Writing Assignment #2

Plucky and BBoss--Since we didn't meet yesterday, here is the project for next week:

Start a piece of prose or poetry with the line When I am in a neon pink mood...

Anyone else who wants to try this out, please post your results in the comments! :)
HAVE FUN!!!

Condiments to the Chef

Here is my little blurb for the writing assignment that I posted for my small group:

His taste in women was always cause for concern. He was a hot dog sort of man searching for a filet mignon woman. During his life, he'd met many women who would have been more than happy to date him, but he turned his nose up at them all. He would settle for no less than perfection--how could he, being perfect himself? He regularly turned his nose up at the women he'd met at his favorite hot dog stand, the women who pumped ketchup and relish onto their dinner or lunch right beside him. He constantly spurned the women who ordered their sandwiches with mayonnaise and hot peppers at the deli he frequented. He always ordered his sandwich without pickles and quickly exited the establishment without a second glance at any of the occupants. He was looking for a filet mignon woman, not realizing that she'd be quite unlikely to overlook the mustard stains on his wrinkled t-shirt, leaving him to drown his sorrows in soy sauce at the local Chinese restaurant.

A Little Poll

So today I watched the Superbowl, even though I wasn't going to... Well, okay--I didn't really watch most of it terribly closely--I was too busy talking to my roommate and laughing at my neighbors. You see, my neighbors are a group of college guys, possibly frat boys, who like to party and play beer pong. Well, they decided that they would have a Superbowl party ON THEIR FRONT LAWN. Yes, the TV was also on the front lawn. But, wait! That's not all. They drove somewhere with their truck and loaded the bed with snow, which they shovelled into piles in their front yard. Based on the amount of snow in the yard, and the amount of time that my roommate told me that they were working on this project, I'm guessing they took several trips to get the snow. Just a little weird, but whatever. It was probably among the most entertaining parts of the Superbowl! There were also some disturbing moments. And this is where the poll comes in.

What was the most disturbing moment of Superbowl XL?

1. The touchdown that shouldn't have been.

2. The commercial for Burger King with the women dressed up as different burger components all diving onto a giant bun in a stack.

3. The halftime performance by the Rolling Stones.

What was your favorite commercial during Superbowl XL?

1. The Diet Pepsi commercial where "Diet Coke" stood in as a stunt double.

2. The FedEx commercial with the pteradactyl that didn't make the delivery.

3. The Sprint commercial with the cell phone with "crime deterrent" as a special feature.

Feel free to add your own nominees for the most disturbing moment of the Superbowl or favorite commercials.


As for my own votes, I found all three of those disturbing moments EQUALLY disturbing, and my favorite commercial was the Sprint commercial.

Embracing my Geekiness: Poetry Lesson #1

After a comment I made on plucky's blog, I felt it necessary to expound on my geekiness and perhap elaborate on the different types of form poetry. In a way, it is also a challenge for me to try each of these again, since it's been a while since I've written a poem in form.
Tonight's lesson will cover the Petrarchan sonnet, also known as the Italian sonnet. This is the first of three different types of sonnets. All sonnets are fourteen lines. In a Petrarchan sonnet, the lines are divided into an octet (or eight line stanza) and a sestet (or six line stanza) with a rhyme pattern of a-b-b-a-a-b-b-a then c-d-e-c-d-e. Traditionally, all sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, or 10 syllable lines broken down into five pairs of stressed/unstressed syllables. However, contemporary sonnets stray from the iambic pentameter, and also tend not to be as strict about the number of syllables per line. Below is my quickly written example of/attempt at a Petrarchan sonnet. It's a bit rough, but the basics are there...

Forgetting You

I have been released from the burden of
your half-hearted attempts to keep me near.
My heart no longer trembles with the fear
that I will never find my one true love--
for now I know My Only lives above
and He alone knows what my soul holds dear,
because he's the One who can always hear
my prayers. He'll push me on (or sometimes shove!)

He knows me better than you ever could
and shows me more love in a single hour
than you could give if you spent all your days
pouring out your life to someone who would
do the same for you. And He gives me power
to move on, and when I break down, He prays.

Small Group Writing Assignment

This is mostly for plucky and bboss, but anyone else who is interested is more than welcome to try it and post their results in my comments.

My Condiments to the Chef
Write a poem or short story using the following words:
Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Pickle, Mustard, Hot Peppers, Relish, Soy Sauce
Start your piece with the line:
His taste in women was...