Still Figurin' Out Who I Think I Am

This one's about habits, Oct. 20th, and more bad poetry.

"Annoying habits: yours, a loved ones or just one that drives you bonkers."

'Sup fine people? So, most of y'all know that I don't usually read other peoples' blog entries before I write mine, but lately on the off chance at school if I need to kill a few extra minutes after lunch or between classes or waiting for the bus, if someone pops up in my newsfeed I'll give their two cents the ol' looksee. That being said, I'm finding it hard to say something that wasn't already said by Charlie ~ in his entry today, "Invalid Entry" . I'm not surprised though; occasionally I think you could switch the names around and you might not know the difference between who wrote what if we just handed you the gist of each entry on an otherwise blank piece of paper.

I have the nail-biting tendency...I know it's gross but at least I know where my hands have been (that's not to say I'd bite your nails...c'mon man, I have some standards). It's one of those idle, nervous habits...if my hands aren't occupied and my mind's not focused on something, before I know it I've got no need to use clippers. Think doctor's offices, watching TV, and stressful moments spent waiting somewhere you'd rather not be. That's why I've resorted to bringing my own magazines to any kind of waiting room/area...gives me something to do with both my hands and my worrisome nature (and it's not likely I'll be enthralled by any of their options...when was the last some you saw ESPN, Wired, or Rolling Stone among the stacks of Better Homes And Gardens and Woman's World? Like guys don't get sick or have court dates or needs too.) besides wonder what's next and playing out all the scenarios on the big screen inside my skull.

Another nervous habit? Not being able to sit still. Can't do it. At all. I used to think it was caffeine, but even when I've gone through stretches where I've eliminated it from my diet, I still have a tendency to shift my weight, change positions, or otherwise adjust my legs. I could be watchin' a baseball game with my dad (this is going back a lotta years ago), and I wouldn't even realize I was doing it, but it was plenty of a distraction to him (I can still hear him say, "Jesus Christ, take a Valium or somethin'!"). Same with coughing or clearing my throat...I wouldn't have to look to know he'd be staring at me cockeyed. I'd do it and then he'd do it, almost in a passive/aggressive form of mockery. But that's his problem.

And like Charlie also said, I shouldn't be one to talk about other people's bad habits in public that piss me off. I've been better about it in the last year or so, because medication, but little stupid shit used to really irritate me. Like people talking loudly and obnoxiously enough that I could hear them through walls and over the music I'm listening to at a reasonable enough volume so as not to disturb anyone, or sometimes just people in general. Like, I take a public bus almost every day to school, and sometimes it's quiet, but often it's blathering, whiny conversation that I can't just tune out (I know, I know...I need to put some music on my tablet so I can hope to drown it out with headphones, but I fear sometimes even that won't be enough). And if we're on a crowded bus, I shouldn't have to hear the thudding bass or ridiculous hi-hats of a song I can't make out if we're sitting a couple seats away. That's just rude and distracting...so I'll stare. I'll shoot a dirty look. And if I'm really feeling feisty, I'll grumble some bullshit under my breath...which'll probably get my ass kicked someday. But ya know what? Have some consideration for others too. Life ain't all about you, and I've been working on correcting that for so long now that because I have to work on it, I think it's something most people are already aware of regarding themselves in public. And I'm learning the hard way that that's not always the case. Maybe I should start biting my fingernails in public just to keep myself from running my mouth and making a spectacle of things that should be simpler to let slide. Ahhh, the vicious circle of bad habits.

BCF PROMPT: "What's so special about October 20? Why is October 20 special? One reason is that it is National Brandied Fruit Day, but there must be at least 100+ more reasons why October 20 is special. Can you tell us one of those reasons? Be creative and have fun."

I'm gonna tie these up together because it's one of the first things I came across when Googling "October 20th days in history"...

Google wasn't very helpful, because a lot of things happened on this day and I don't know that any of them were special enough to register with me that way (and watch...I'll read like five other entries about this, and be like "Ohhh, shiiiiiit.... that's riiiiiight!! That did happen today!"). I don't even know what "brandied fruit" is, and I'm not interested enough to look it up. I'm assuming it has something to do with fruit soaked in brandy, or a corporate way of recognizing the canned fruit industry, or anything on the spectrum between the two...and I could've looked it up in the time it took to type those last few sentences, but right now writing this entry > internet facts, and you'll have that sometimes from me.

But what I did find was that on this day in 1976 Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same   officially premiered in London, a film culled from a series of concerts at Madison Square Garden a few years prior. I'm familiar with the songs as a Zep fan, so it almost pains me to admit I've never owned this (although I have seen it before).

So today, or any day for that matter, celebrate it in your own way (whether in silent admiration, or sharing a little nugget of weirdness with someone, or throw a freakin' parade if you want)...every day all throughout history something has happened that has given at least one person the opportunity to make this day worthwhile for others. May as well enjoy it.

"My, my, my, I'm so happy...
I'm going to join the band."
Lyrics.  

Is this true? Are my eyes deceiving me? There's been a brothernature sighting in the "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" ?! Welcome all the way back, Joel...it's always good when you're around.

I can't say that I've had more than a handful of migraines throughout my life, so I'm not complaining, but I don't know what's worse...getting hit with a full-blown migraine or having a headache that's getting progressively worse to deal with or ignore by the minute. And I say minute, because it feels like this has been going on for at least four hours. I never used to get headaches very often, but dammit in the last couple of years or so, I feel like I've been whining about a little literal numbskullery more than usual. I don't even want to speculate as to why it's happening...I know I didn't sleep well throughout the night but I did sleep in a bit today, so I don't know. Whatever. I'll worry more if it's there lingering tomorrow.

And finally, because nothing settles a headache more than some bad poetry, here's today's Round 4 attempt in "Invalid Item" ...the prompt is "MONSTER: Frankenstein; COCKTAIL: Broken Down Golf Cart; FORM: SWAP QUATRAIN ~ with a minimum of five stanzas! Within the Swap Quatrain each stanza in the poem must be a quatrain [four lines] where the first line is reversed in the fourth line. In addition, line 2 must rhyme with line 1, and line 3 must rhyme with line 4 and so on, BUT not repeat the same rhyming pattern on subsequent stanzas. Rhyming pattern: AABB, CCDD, and so on.)."

Frankenstein's got a broken-down golf cart,
but is it really not his fault?
You know it probably could've been mine,
'cuz a broken-down golf cart has a Frankenstein.

See, we were ridin' along the green
and by the last hole we were drunkenly obscene.
I don't remember too much, but he
was as green from the ride, I could see.

We had a cooler of cocktails
and our cart veered from the trails.
What had been a lotta fun
turned into cocktails having us.

He had passed on the last few holes,
and I wouldn't let him drive alone
once I figured out he was blasted...
on the last few holes I gave him a pass.

Now a broken-down golf cart has Frankenstein
and he'll be pissed when finds that I'm
responsible for slipping him Midori Melon
and leaving him in a golf cart that's broken down.

Well, that wasn't so bad (the writing part, at least ). I'm sure if I wanted it to be better (or worser...and don't front on me and tell me "worser" isn't a word, because I totally know it's not, but "worser" can exist if bad poetry can too) I could spend the required time to make it more structurally sound and with a better backstory. But my theory is that if you have to try, and actually work on bad poetry, you should turn it into good poetry, and hey, I'm not feelin' that much need to expound on the myth that I got Frankenstein drunk and left him passed out in a cart after crashing into a tree. See what I did there? Anyway, I'm gonna go off and see what the you others are up to, because I can be annoying like that sometimes. Peace, if you walk you're gonna get there, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!