Tag: dailyprompt

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Jot

Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.

First is how lousy these writing prompts are. I was looking forward to this one because the Pirates were off yesterday so there was no game to write about. I am working on a couple of golf articles, one on putting grips and the other on the dastardly golf ball that the USGA wants to change, but neither one is ready yet. Then the word jot caught my eye. The definition of jot is to write briefly or hurriedly. This makes the writing prompt seem even worse. Then I looked up the definition of prompt, which is to move to action. Today’s prompt by definition wants us to write something quickly and keep it short. I am out in California right now visiting grandkids, watching lots of grandkids sports and having a great time. It’s early in the morning and another beautiful day is about to begin. Even a lousy writing prompt can’t spoil that. I hope everyone else is lucky enough to have a wonderful day.

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Very Easy Answer

Daily writing prompt
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
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This will be short and sweet and to the point but oh so true.

Waking up. Just good to know that I did not die in my sleep.

Playing Golf. It is all I have ever wanted to do and now I do it almost every day.

Staying Healthy. Another day when I have dodged the bullet of disease.

Consuming delicious food: I do the cooking and I am glad when something really turns out well.

Going to Bed knowing everyone is safe and healthy. Something I cannot control but I am grateful for all my blessings and hope that they will continue. Thanking the higher power.

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To Go My Own Way

Daily writing prompt
Describe something you learned in high school.
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The most important thing I learned in high school was how to handle peer pressure. I am not going into specifics but there were many things my high school friends wanted me to do that I refused to do. It was interesting to see their reaction. Many of them took it personally. The reason I refused to some of the things was because they were illegal. Most of time the reason I did not do something was because I simply did not want to. The other reaction to refusing to do something is that you are afraid to do it. I call it pulling out the fear card. They think by calling you chicken or a coward or whatever, that this will goad you into doing it. What is really humorous about that thinking is that these people don’t realize how much courage it takes to say no. Some people never say no. Even though this did have a tendency to isolate me many times and did curb my social abilities, I have never regretted those decisions. They made me a much stronger person and gave me the ability to make my own decisions and do what I really wanted to with my life, no matter how scary it was. It has contributed heavily to the fact that I have not really kept in touch with any of the people I grew up with. It still does not change the fact that in their own warped way they made me into a stronger and much happier person. See, assholes are not all bad.

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Fictional Detective

Daily writing prompt
If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?
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I would want to be Phillip Marlowe, Lou Archer, Harry Callahan or Harry Bosch. I have always like police or detective stories. The only thing I would not like to happen is getting hit on the head so much. Don’t you get a big kick out of the hero always getting hit in the back of the head and knocked unconscious, only to be fine so many minutes or hours later. Never has to go the hospital, getting hit in the head with a blunt instrument just the right amount to be rendered unconscious but not killed or suffer some permanent brain damage. The other thing that is so stupid is that the detective winds up getting captured and is held at gunpoint but is never killed. There is always some excuse. The boss wants to see what he knows. Why? Just kill the poor bastard. We can’t do it here; we need to go someplace out of the way. Just kill him and take the body to that out of the way place. Somehow the detective talks the flunky out of killing him because he should not have to go to jail for something the boss wants done. You really don’t think this is the flunky’s first rodeo, do you? He has probably killed about 20 people already. Whatever crazy idea these Hollywood writers come up with, it is really just plain stupid. Yes, I do want to be a fictional detective, but I want to be one that is way smarter than any criminal type could be. I would never let these guys get the drop on me. I would be the one to shoot first and then ask questions later. I like the idea of being that loner, who cannot be bought. Just getting by in an old stuffy office waiting for the next case to keep me from going to the homeless shelter. There have been lots of great movies and series about police and private detectives. I would play any of them as long as I do not get hit the head. I am already loony enough.

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I Think That Is Called Volunteering

Daily writing prompt
What job would you do for free?
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I know what the gist of this prompt is. A job that you love so much you would do it for free. That is not the way the world works. Second how would you know what job you would do for free. Think about that. How many jobs have you had. If you really never did a particular job, how would you know you would do it for free. Has everybody been lucky enough to find the job that they love so much that they would do it for free. I think not. Until you actually do a job, you never really know if you are going to like it, let alone love it. Many people when they retire do volunteer work. Some people that have jobs do volunteer work in other areas other than their job. Even if they are retired, they usually only volunteer for a few hours a week. Does that mean that if they would decide to do that as their job, they would do it for free. Doesn’t the word job imply that you are going to be compensated. The word volunteer means that you are doing it for free because you want to not because you have to. People have to work. I loved my career as a veterinarian, but I would have never done it for free. Why? Because it was too damn tough. There have been Presidents of the United States that did not take their salaries. They did that job for free. How does that seem to be working out. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately that is not the way the human psyche works. When you do something that is considered a job you want to get paid for it and many times damn well. Where you here about loving your job the most, is in the world of sports. You will hear an athlete say how much he or she loves the game they are playing. Because these are considered games and the word play is used often when talking about sports, they are not looked at as jobs. In reality they are jobs and the people that are doing these jobs are most of the time paid extremely well. What would be nice, is that we would all do our jobs for free and get equal shares of all the revenues that is created by our economy. Wow, I would have worked for free then. Gross national product divided by 350 million people. That is way too simple to work.

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Post Covid

Daily writing prompt
How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?
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During the pandemic there were many changes that happened. Staying home more, traveling being basically banned, trying to keep from getting sick and trying not to make anyone else sick. I tested positive for Covid on December 28th, 2021, and fortunately it was nothing more than having a cold, although not as severe as some colds I have had, persisted longer than most. I would say I did not feel fully recovered until day 25 or 26. I coughed and sneezed mostly and did not even get a sore throat. The biggest symptom I had was being very tired throughout the whole experience. Now that it is no longer a pandemic, life for us is pretty much back to normal. The one thing that we do not do anymore which we use to a lot, is go to the movies. Even before Covid, most movie theaters were pig sties. carrying all kinds of bugs and diseases. It does not take near as long for a movie to either hit a streaming service or a cable outlet as it did before Covid. We both feel it is not worth the risk to see a movie and come down with a second case of Covid. I have been vaccinated and have had 4 boosters and will be getting another one in the summer. Compared to the way things were during the pandemic and how things are now, I think we have adapted very well. I think overall I would say our main theme has been to err on the side of caution. We still grocery shop during low volume times when before Covid we would always go on Sunday, when it was much busier. I used to walk the Mall in the winter on cold days but now I just walk outdoors no matter how cold it is. Compared to some, I feel blessed and fortunate that Covid has had virtually no effect on me or my family. Hopefully our medical scientists will continue to produce vaccines that will be effective to help control and someday end this horrible disease. Quite frankly I have no desire to inject disinfectant in my ass.

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What Makes Me Laugh?

Daily writing prompt
What makes you laugh?
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You mean besides these writing prompts. One of the shows that makes me laugh a lot right now is Two and a Half Men. Certainly, there have been other comedies in Television and Movies that have made me really laugh, but that is what they are supposed to do. What I find that I laugh the most at, are shows that are supposed to be serious or even tearjerkers but have hilarious moments in them. One of the best examples I know of this is the lunch date that Jack Nicholson and Shirley McClaine have in the movie Terms of Endearment. If you have never seen this movie, it is a must see, but it is a tearjerker. It was a major Oscar winner. There are many things that can make me laugh in real life. Watching mine and other people’s golf shots can be a scream. As I get older looking for things like glasses, car keys, cell phones, and other necessities of life even though frustrating will put a smile on my face when I find them. Fortunately, I have always found them which is good since the space I am looking for them is usually pretty small. There are many things that do make me laugh. Big things in the world and sports. Everyday things that just seem funny. There is no question that laughing is therapeutic. Now that I think about it, the thing that I laugh the most at are my own jokes. Although I must admit the writing prompts come in a close second. Keep up the good work, people do need a good laugh to start the day.

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Blizzard Conditions With Lots Of Deaths.

Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite type of weather?
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Blizzard conditions is my favorite weather where people are stranded for days, and power outages lasts for weeks. WHAT THE HELL TYPE OF WRITING PROMPT IS THAT? Let’s look at the possible answers. Now there are some people out there, that actually like snow. They say it looks beautiful coming down and is so pretty. Meanwhile it causes all kinds of havoc, and when it does warm up you cannot play golf, because the damn course is covered in snow. Bottom line, I hate snow. Next is rain. We need rain, so even though it is not my favorite weather by a long shot, I know it is necessary to continue life on the planet. Then there is hot and humid and miserable. I do not mind this, because the golf courses are usually pretty empty, and as long as you take your time, drink plenty of fluids, it still is a good experience. Then there is cold weather. I will play golf anytime it is over 36 degrees, with little or no wind. Next to snow, windy is my least favorite condition. It is very tough to play golf and it is the least enjoyable experience. Most people I assume would answer the question with the answer, sunny, around 75 to 80 degrees, low humidity and gentle winds. The problem with that answer is, if that is all the weather we ever had, we would all be dead within a year. Hoping to have great weather is like hoping you can pick your favorite way to die. Both things are totally out of your control. My best answer to this prompt would be having weather that is 100% predictable. I am still amazed at how wrong they sometimes can be. I will say this, weather forecasting does seem to have improved over the last 10 years, especially the 3-to-7-day forecasts. The greatest lesson you can take from the weather is accepting something that you cannot change. Whatever the weather is, just make the best of it and enjoy the day as much as you can, except when it snows.

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Idiot

What is one word that describes you?

Why is idiot the one word that describes me? Because only an idiot would hope that these prompts might get better. Who ever heard of a writing prompt that can be answered in one word. If they would have added and why, then maybe that would have had some merit. After much thought I thought that it might be interesting to write down how other people have described me over the years in one word. In no particular order people have described me as conscientious, weird, bad, good, cute, asshole, terrible, bastard, prick, wonderful, chickenshit, sarcastic, terrific, funny, hateful, kind, crazy, sick, thief, honest, liar, lucky, sad, snake, shithead, best, sweet, ruthless, boring, different, awful, crazy, dumbass, immature, gutsy, and stubborn, just to name a few. Probably one of the most prophetic things ever written was by Robert Burns in the poem, To a Louse. He concluded the poem with these words, “ O wad some Power the giftie gie us/ To see oursels as ithers see us! Such a power or ability would save us a lot of bother and foolish notions; but we cannot see ourselves as others see us. The one thing we cannot do is take the view of that louse”. That first line made spellcheck go crazy, yea! If I did have this power, then the prompt would not be necessary and I would not feel like an idiot.

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Cross-Country Trip

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

Again, like most prompts, we need a little definition here. I live in Western Pennsylvania so if the question is to be taken literally going across the United States, then there is only one answer, airplane. Since my daughter’s family lives in San Diego, I do this all the time. Am I going to bike to San Diego? Let me get my ass pads while I think about it. The other 3 modes would take days to get there and back. The other modes not only would take a lot longer they would not be significantly cheaper. Maybe the prompt is using the word country as implying the countryside. We are considering taking a trip along the countryside, some finite distance away. Maybe something that would take about a 5 hour drive to get to. For me, I would drive my car. I can think of no circumstances where I would take a train or bus, if I was going on my own. I would not rule out a bus if it was tied into a group tour. I would never take a train. The train vacations that I have looked into are pretty damn expensive. As far as a bike is concerned I usually drive somewhere, to a trail and ride a bike. I would never think of leaving my house and using my bike to get to a destination. I would be concerned about being run over by a car. Quite frankly I will be glad when baseball season starts and I will be writing about the Pirates almost everyday. By the way did I mention that I will be biking to Italy in September.