Seven Sentences for Sunday: The I’m So Whooped I Can Barely Type Edition

  1. My blood sugar is so low and I am so exhausted that I am literally cramming creamed spinach from Boston Market into my mouth as I type one-handed.
  2. I spent about six hours today helping my friend Jeff paint his entire rental house from a tenant who left it trashed; how sad it was to see this adorable house that I first stepped into four years ago transformed into a complete dump.
  3. Following the above, who leaves condoms, dog feces, and dirty diapers on the floor—guh-ross.
  4. On a happier note, I scored some sweet Avon treats from my friend Tanya, including some makeup so I can look like a grownup at tomorrow’s meeting.
  5. Oh yeah—the meeting—the super secret, uber exciting meeting that I am going to in the morning. Shhhh…but keep your fingers crossed and maybe say a little prayer for me if you’re into that sort of thing.
  6. I heard from a friend this week whom I never thought I would hear from again…made my day.
  7. Why do they have security sensors in front of the bathrooms at Joseph-Beth Booksellers? Have people seriously been caught smuggling literary material into the john to read?? I echo my previous statement…guh-ross.

I love you all, some more than others.

Nerdy Girls Love Rubies, Too

A few months ago Sam urged me to sign me up for a class on Ruby on Rails that promised to help newbies like myself learn to program web apps. It’s a class offered through webschoolcincy.com, and I have to admit that while I was excited, I was also a bit hesitant. First of all, the course follows the curriculum of Stanford’s Computer Science 142 course, which requires a new book practically every week and forces us to sit through a series of, well, to be completely honest, very dry lectures. (Apologies to the professor.) Second of all, I learned in the first class that out of 25 students, only one other guy and I were the true newbies. Everyone else had a background in programming and was trying to pick up a new language. There was no way I could compete…. Or so I thought.  Continue reading →

Flash Fiction Friday–Inaugural Edition

In 2010 I entered the National Flash Fiction Challenge. There are four rounds in this particular contest, the first two guaranteed and the third and fourth are determined by how you place in your heat. I was fortunate enough to place in the top 25 in the nation at the end of three essays. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances that were out of my control, I was unable to finish the fourth round. However, I was proud to have placed high enough to make it to the fourth round. Here is the first essay that I entered. The genre I was assigned was fantasy, probably my least favorite genre to write, however I dove in with gusto and came out with something that I think is pretty cool. With that, I invite you to enjoy the first installment of Flash Fiction Friday… Continue reading →

Nowhere Man, Please Listen…

Image photo courtesy of J

A few months ago I bought the kids and I annual passes to the Newport Aquarium. They have been a godsend on those days when it’s too hot to go to the park or pop on our bathing suits for a dip in the Little Miami. The chill of the penguin exhibit is a refreshing welcome from the stank that is a humid Cincinnati day, so we headed down there today. Continue reading →

Ms. Just, You Are Now Dismissed

Those who are close to me know that lately I’ve been going through a bit of an identity crisis. I look at myself now and see how much I’ve changed since my divorce 3.5 years ago and I am amazed by how far I’ve come and also a bit dismayed at all that I have lost. I was talking to my friend Sara the other day and was lamenting the fact that the Destiny! who took her exclamation point just a few short years ago has become simply Destiny Just. That passion, that zest for life and work and love has gone dormant. And it’s not just because I broke up with my pretend boyfriend, Donnie Wahlberg. This has been the case long before he started kissing anything and anyone that came near him, no matter the cooties that they clearly carry. This is a bona fide acute case of “holy shit, what has happened to me?” I only hope it isn’t terminal.  Continue reading →

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Kotter Edition

  1. Whew—it’s been a year since I’ve posted my seven sentences; I wish I could say a lot has changed, but I’m still here plugging away at my editing and writing while learning a little web development on the side.
  2. One day I’m going to make a book from these Seven Sentences for Sunday idea—one because I think it’s actually a fun idea that could be passed on to others, and two because it seems like any gimmicky book is being published these days and I want my cut.
  3. R has been coming up with all sorts of philosophical questions lately that amuse me. My most recent favorite is when she asked, “How do you know when your heart loves someone? I mean, how does it all go down?”
  4. Our trip to Dallas was incredible and J hit her 33rd state crossing—to my Facebook friends, I miscounted and thought it was her 30th, but I was wrong.
  5. I found a couple of flash fiction pieces that I’ve submitted over the years and haven’t been released due to competition rules. I think I’m going to do a new segment called Flash Fiction Friday, so look for it in your inboxes soon.
  6. Along the same vein, wouldn’t it be cool if I could actually follow through with my Thursday Verse Day idea? I don’t want to push myself too hard that I get burnt out, but a little pressure would probably go a long way for me.
  7. I think this idea is super fun, so if you have a few moments, go check out my friend Hope’s blog where she takes a photo a day and then blogs about it. She started in May 2013, so you can scroll through the archives to follow her adventures in writing. http://hopemcallistermiller.com/2013/05/29/photo-a-day-starters-brains-and-babies/

I love you all, some more than others.

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Mansion Hill Edition

  1. I have been missing my words and opinions lately. There’s a critical thinking component that has gone dormant in my head over the past few months. I’d like to poke at it to see if I can get it to roar. Writing these seven sentences is an attempt to brand a stick to see what kind of response I get.
  2. I am sitting at Mansion Hill Tavern with Sam across from me as we both work on our respective laptops and listen to the blues jam that’s going on inside. It’s nice having company and not having to talk while we work. A deeper level? Or just really good friends?
  3. There is a part of me that feels like I’m missing something in my life. I am not sure if it can be related to the current upheaval of my job situation, my finances, or something else, but if I think too hard about it, a certain sadness befalls me and a genuine smile is tough to come by.
  4. Writing used to be my therapy until I got a really good therapist. Now I don’t have the will to write anymore. I’d rather be sane, though, so therapy wins.
  5. I desperately want to see Train in August. But not desperately enough to toss out the $77.50 per ticket. Sad face.
  6. Sometimes a text message icon can totally make your day and is better than the UPS man, even as much as I like to sign the little handheld machine. Warm fuzzy face.
  7. In spite of all the good things I’ve got going on in my life and in spite of the brave front that I put up, I still struggle. Every single day. But that’s the only way I can take it is day by day. Weird face that you use the slash icon for.

 

I love you all, some more than others.

Inspired Today

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” – Paulo Coelho

Thursday Verse-Day Part 1

I don’t deign to be a professional poet, but I like to dabble in verse on occasion to accommodate my muse, who inspires me to venture into the poetic world and stretch beyond my short fiction. This particular poem is noteworthy because it is the very first time in the history of Destiny’s ever that I have written something while someone close to me was in the same room. I am a solitary writer–the closest I get to having company when I write is the person sipping their latte next to me at the coffee shop while I zone out with my earbuds and my MacBook Pro. So for me to tell Sam that I was inspired to write and then to actually sit across the couch from him and hammer out a poem was a remarkable occasion. Granted it took me a long time, something that is belied by the final product, and I basically ignored him for a good two hours while I started three different poems with only one sticking, but it gives me hope that perhaps one day I might actually be able to have that Paul and Julia-type relationship, with he in his own world coding and I in mine creating.

Here’s to stretching. And to consistency. And to the real poets out there who let me trespass on their territory to satisfy my fancies. And so I officially kick off Thursday Verse-Day.

Continue reading →