Writing Calendar Update

I feel really lousy today, so I’m just going to tell you guys about the subject calendar for my blog, since I can’t get up the energy to do much else.

Monday: Post music video, or talk about my musical career, or my opinions on music, or what I’m listening to at the time. (Everyone needs a little more music in their lives.)

Tuesday: I will write about something that is true. Whether it be an essay on an event in history, or my life, or someone else’s life it doesn’t matter. It’s going to be my “True Tuesday”.

Wednesday: Wednesday I will tell a fictional short story.

Thursday: Thursday is going to be all about therapy. I will write about something that calms me down so that I can write, or concentrate on whatever obstacle is in front of me so that I don’t go berserk. (Do you have one of those moments? I do, and more often the older I get.) Or maybe I’ll just rant about something that’s on my mind, that’s therapeutic too!

Friday: End of week report! I’ll report on what I’ve done writing wise, or in some other aspect in my life.

Saturday: Saturday is all about reading and writing (thank goodness no arithmetic.) Whether it is something I learned or experienced while I was writing, or a recommendation of a book for you to read (other than my own of course; although I might do that sometimes too!)

Sunday: I am going to attempt to write a poem every Sunday…we’ll see how ling that lasts.

A Writing Calendar

I have decided to organize a daily calendar for my blog so that if I’m having a dry day, I can have something to give me some kind of idea on what to write about. I’m not sure how loyal I will actually be to my calendar, but it sure beats what I went through today. Wondering, “what in the world am I going to blog on today?” Its kind of late, so I’m going to make the actual calendar tomorrow, so I’ll keep you posted, or maybe I’ll love my calendar so much, I’ll get started on it right away.

Lady Jane Grey

"Innocent Traitor; A Novel of Lady Jane Grey" by Alison Weir is the book I have been reading lately. Alison Weir is an excellent writer and historian who paints a very vivid setting of the mid 1500's in the political world of the time.

Lady Jane Grey lived a very short and all references agree - wretched life. As a young girl, she was no doubt kept in the dark about much of the plans that were made about her own life until deals were made and the contracts sealed. in order to paint the full picture of the intertwined religious and political structure and power struggles surrounding her life, we must look beyond what she knew and what others did concerning her. Alison Weir weaves and excellent story consisting of all the view points of the people who made the decisions that brought about Lady Jane's life course to a tragic end.

Catherine Griffith

Amentia: A-m-e-n-t-i-a. Catherine wrote out the final word on her spelling list which she would take home and study. It was an interesting looking word: she had no idea what it meant though.
Her teacher, Ms. Hoper’s, never taught them what the words meant; she just concentrated on getting her students to pass the test, nothing more. If they passed the test then forgot all the word the next week, it was okay with her. It didn’t reflect on her work at all.
Catherine finished writing the word, then slipping her hand into her desk and felt around for her thesaurus. Finding it she quietly pulled it out, she didn’t want to disturb the rest of the class, who had not finished their lists yet.
Thumbing through the worn book, she found amentia. It said the synonyms were mental defect, and mental retardation.
She couldn’t resist a smile. She could use the word amentia as an insult towards someone and they’d probably have no idea what it meant, and thereby prove her point.
An involuntary giggle escaped Catherine’s throat which did not go unnoticed by Ms. Hoper.
“Would you mind sharing with use what is so funny Miss Griffith?”
“Hmm,” the girl looked up.
Humpbacked Ms. Hoper limped towards the girl, her cane making a loud click on the tiled floor, followed by the soft shuffling sound of her tan leather shoes.
“What is it that is so amusing that you find it necessary to ignore your spelling in order to enjoy it?”
“But, I’m done with my spelling words, I was just-
“Then you should have sat still until the rest of the class was finished as well.”
“But-
“‘But’ nothing,” the teacher snatched away the Thesaurus without even looking to see what it was. “You will sit still, hands folded on your desk, facing straight ahead until the end of the lesson. Then you will remain in class for the next recess for your disrespectfulness.”
“Aren’t you behaving rather like someone with amentia?” Catherine ventured. “You don’t even know what I was doing.”
“For speaking in class, you will have lunch here as well.”
Catherine suppressed another giggle. That old troll clearly didn’t know what she had said: otherwise she would have been in a lot more trouble than staying in class for lunch.

L.A. Zoo

Okay, first off, I love zoos. I’ve learned a lot about animals and the people who care for them thanks to zoos. I’ve also had a lot of fun there. I just got back today from a visit to the zoo with some my cousins, and we had a blast. But there are just some flaws about that zoo right now that I feel bears repeating, so that maybe the right person will hear about it and get it fixed.  I’m not discouraging anyone from going to the zoo, or specifically the L.A. Zoo, I just want the zoo to reach its fullest potential, which it is sadly falling short.

  At the present time, the L.A. Zoo is undergoing some changes. They are adding a building for reptiles, which is fine, except they have been at it for many months now, without much visible progress. There are also several other things that are being built, or changed, (I’m not sure what they’re doing) but their doing it wrong. I’m a carpenter’s daughter, so trust me, when I say something wrong: it’s wrong. There were so many things wrong I don’t even know where to start. It’s not going to fall down or anything horrible like that, they’re just wasting a lot of wood, layer upon layer it looked like.

  Also, while all of these things are going on, the paths are in desperate need of repair and maintenance, my cousins are quite young and we needed to push the stroller around potholes, large cracks, and tree roots.

  My suggestion: prioritize.

  Fix paths so people can walk around with their children without as many hazards. This will also help builders bring in supplies and workers carrying equipment not have to worry about stepping around hazards.

  Also, hire carpenters who actually know what they’re doing. I know the economy is hard right now, and going for cheaper labor is tempting. Just remember, cheap labor, is cheap for a reason. It’s always worth it to hire the guy who has a license and costs a little bit more so the job right the first time: which means the project will get done sooner and there will be little to no materials wasted. In the end, hiring the experienced guy will actually save you money in the long run.

  If the zoo isn’t always in the middle of building something, then a whole lot more people will come to the zoo and the animals won’t be bothered by the noise of construction for as long. Everyone will be happy, and that’s what matters.