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 |   Thoughts destined to be washed away by the tides of life. |
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I've been studying my cover photo for a while now, and it seems to me that it is more than just a photo of what is there that can be seen, more than just three white rocks stacked on a beach. It contains an important question about the future, about what happens long after the photographer has gone. What will happen to our pile of stones when the tide comes in? Will it topple or has the architect built this structure at a safe distance? I don't know what will happen to these words that I stack here on the sand. They may prove safely distant, or they may be swallowed up by a rush of self-doubt. They may be here for a season. They may lose their balance and be scattered by the shoreline, or be hidden away under shifting sands. Perhaps someday, the tides of life will reclaim them. Or maybe that's just a bunch of poetic, romantic nonsense. After all, this is just a blog. |
| It's still too hot to type. I am going to spend the mornimg sitting in front of the AC and crocheting a zebra for my daughter's baby who will arrive at the end of September - if he's on time. I have thoughts of crocheted or knitted pumpkins and fall leaves to decorate a wreath for the door. I probably won't get things done in time. I should concentrate on Christmas, because I never get things done before the season is over. Anyway, no writing for a while. I need to restore my strength before the Birthday Week begins. |
| Well, I have signed up for the Birthday Blog Bash Relay. I think I had better check on the official name and learn it before it starts. Anyway, I have joined a team - The Pedantic Poets Platoon. Members: ~Brian K Compton~   Beholden   Ned And I set up a new blog here: "PPC 4"  For this contest: "The WDC Birthday Bash Blog Relay" |
| Trying to concentrate this morning, distracted by the noisy fish. I never realized how much noise a goldfish actually makes. We bought a new filter for the fish tank. It's called a "Whisper". It doesn't even do that. The thing is virtually silent. Which means that I can now hear all the noises the fish makes. Fish are not quiet. They don't glide silently through the depths with muted grace. It is not a calm and soundless world. At least not with this goldfish in it. All I can hear in the background is the constant "clink clink" as the inhabitant of the tank (sometimes called "Fred", sometimes called "Finn", but mostly called "Fish") searches for food he's overlooked amongst the gravel. "Clink, clink" goes each pebble as he picks it up in his mouth to glean the food from it and then spits it out, slamming it against the tank wall. How am I supposed to write under these conditions? |
| Recently, there was some dispute about swearing and the use of cuss words in writing and other forms of communication. I was rather unceremoniously implicated in some plot to outlaw swearing, I am not sure why, as this post is the first time I have written on the subject. That is not to say that I am pro-swearing. I don’t believe I am, though I do swear sometimes. I am not for locking up all people who swear, either. It’s a matter of personal choice. But like all personal choices, it affects the image we present to the world and the world will think as it likes, despite how we want them to think. If I decide to dye my hair purple, some people will think I am edgy or fun, other people will think I am senile. So, it would depend on whether or not I like purple hair and whether I can withstand the odd looks from those who disapprove. If I were to write a story with a hard-bitten character, it would seem silly to have him utter phrases such as “Oh, my!” or “golly”. Those are lines of dialogue best suited to Dorothy in Oz. But in expressing my own personal views, I think the more authentic voice is somewhere in between those two extremes. Even though I am extremely unlikely to include profanity in a blog post, it isn’t simply because I don't use it much in speech. It’s partly because it gets repetitive if not saved for moments of high dudgeon. It’s as if I used the adjective “very” in every sentence. It was a very hot day. I was very tired and very thirsty. I had been walking a very long time under a very bright sun in this very dry desert. I can’t believe anyone would review that paragraph and not beg me to use some more descriptive adjectives. Now, replace "very" with a common swear word. It’s still repetitive isn’t it? I grew up in a household where there was no swearing. None. No one swore on television, either. For me, swearing was an indication of an out-of-control, angry person. Once, at a friend’s house, I was terribly frightened by my friend’s father who was swearing at a toy he could not get to work. My friend was unfazed. This was the usual at that house, for that family. For someone unused to cussing, it can seem threatening or angry. It’s funny that in a world where so many claim that “words are violence” and feel injured when someone expresses a differing opinion to their own, the effect that a raised tone of voice and a torrent of profanity has on a person unused to that is not considered. Swearing has its place for just about everyone, I think. There are those who feel empowered by it, but there are also those who are offended by it. No one has to stop swearing because it offends people, especially if they don’t particularly care about offending people. No one should start swearing because of pressure to conform, nor should they give up using the adjectives or interjections of their choosing. Personally, I like to save my cuss words for when I am good and angry. Or when I do something stupid and feel frustrated. I want you to know that I am more upset than usual. Besides, cuss is a permutation of curse, and I don’t want to be speaking curses over people. |
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