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To enjoy more blogs participating in the A to Z Challenge, click here.
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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday and Sandee at Comedy Plus.
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Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts to encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.
This month, the prompts are being provided by me and can be found right here.
Please do not feel obligated to use all the words or prompts, or even any of them. This is supposed to be fun, a way to get the creative juices flowing.
If you do write a story on your own blog, please leave us a link so we can come read it!
This week’s prompts are
steward
mechanical
trail
restrict
nun
scale
and/or the following “words in danger of lack of use”
oppugned (opposed or called into question)
autodidact (self-taught)
non-fungible (non-interchangeable, not easy to exchange)
widdershins (counterclockwise or going to the left, in an unlucky or contrary manner)
It was one of "those" meetings.
You know the kind. Interminable. Dense. As I listen to the MECHANICAL voice drone on I almost wish I'd been born Catholic and could go be a NUN. Except I never picked up that habit.
Yes, it's that bad, I am reduced to thinking of terrible puns to try to stay awake.
"We have to STEWARD our resources and RESTRICT access of unqualified personnel to our NON-FUNGIBLE assets." The one speaking now is one of the most pompous of the upper echelon. He believes he's an AUTODIDACT and totally self-made, acknowledging no ancestors, teachers or mentors. He will not allow himself to be OPPUGNED by anyone for any reason.
One a pretentiousness SCALE of one to ten, he's an eleven-plus, and he's about to be sending the company on the wrong TRAIL again, but I figure I'd better not be the one to tell him that until I hear back from the other companies I've been applying to work at, or get the gumption to start my own business.
Then it hits me, when the next suit comes up and talks about how to try to glaze over and recover from the losses the company has had: this meeting is going to end with layoffs. Somebody, or several of the lower somebodies, of which I am one, will be called into a second meeting and told about "fortunes of war and all that sort of rot," handed papers to sign, and escorted off the property with no time to even get your kid's pictures off your desk.
Since I'm likely to be one of them, what is there to lose if I send the meeting all WIDDERSHINS? Feigning attention, which I've been doing the whole time anyway, I quickly fold a paper airplane and send it whizzing across the room. Even I'm stunned by my accuracy as it hits one of those silly Powerpoint slides they're showing right in the middle of the pie chart.
As the room erupts into laughter, with the notable exceptions of the most pompous of the suits, I realize it's going to be a good day because I'm going to make it one, the day I strike out on my own.
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Today is:
Anniversary of Something That Happened So Long Ago Everyone Has Forgotten Day -- Fairy Calendar
Chinese Language Day -- UN
Go Around Humming "You Light Up My Life" Until Everybody Screams Day -- the person who thought this one up should be tied down and forced to listen to Barry Manilow songs for 12 hours straight!
Harvest Offering to Renenutet -- Ancient Egypitian Calendar (offering to the Lady of the Fertile Fields; date approximate)
Lima Bean Respect Day
National Look-Alike Day
National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
National Take a Break to Reset Your Mind Day -- because everyone needs a day like this
Ridvan begins -- Baha'i (begins at sunset)
St. Caedwalla of Wales' Day (Patron of converts, repentant murderers)
Birthdays Today:
Danny Granger, 1983
Joey Lawrence, 1976
Carmen Electra, 1972
Shemar Moore, 1970
Crispin Glover, 1964
Don Mattingly, 1961
Clint Howard, 1959
Luther Vandross, 1951
Jessica Lange, 1949
David Leland, 1947
Steve Spurrier, 1945
Ryan O'Neal, 1941
George Takei, 1937
Nina Foch, 1924
Ernesto Antonio "Tito" Puente, 1923
John Paul Stevens, 1920
Lionel Hampton, 1908
Harold Lloyd, 1893
Joan Miró i Ferrà, 1893
Holland McTyeire "Howlin' Mad" Smith, 1882
Daniel Chester French, 1850
Debuting/Premiering Today:
Annie Hall(Film), 1977
"Your Hit Parade"(Radio), 1935
Today in History:
The last naval battle in Byzantine history, 1453
Jews are expelled from Orange Burgundy, 1505
Jacques Cartier begins the voyage in which he will claim Canada and Labrador for France, 1534
Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam, 1657
Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1657
Captain Cook arrives in New South Wales, 1770
René Caillié becomes the first non-Muslim to enter Timbouctou, 1828
Edgar Allan Poe's Murder in the Rue Morgue becomes the first detective story ever published, 1841
Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete their first pasteurization tests, 1862
Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride, 1902
Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims marking his final victories before his death the next day, 1918
Western Electric and Warner Bros. announce Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film, 1926
Apollo 16, commanded by John Young, lands on the moon, 1972
Pianist Vladimir Horowitz performs in his native Russia for the first time in 61 years, 1986
Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race, 2008
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion kills 11 and causes rig to sink, initiating a massive oil discharge in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010
Tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Tahrir Square against continuing military rule in Egypt, 2012
The Pulitzer Prize is awarded to Anthony Doerr for his novel "All the Light We Cannot See" and to Elizabeth Kolbert for "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History", 2015
The Commonwealth countries decide that Prince Charles will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the next head of the Commonwealth, 2018
I hope that fellow realizes that this is not a great place to build a future.
ReplyDeleteIndeed he did, the car had been parked since i'd come home from work and by the time i left for work the next morning, he was nowhere to be seen.
DeleteLove your use of the words - included those in danger of disappearing.
ReplyDeleteDespite knowing them all except opuggned I left them out.
My story is below.
In the scale of things there can be few harder trails to go down than surrendering free will, and replacing a life lived for self with one devoted to a higher power. And yet nuns did it and still do it. Their numbers have diminished but there are still women who are prepared to restrict their lives this way, and instead devote themselves to God, to kindness and to charity. From the outside their lives look almost mechanical, following rules, regulations and rhythms that are alien to many. I suspect that they would not consider it a restriction. I hope they do not. Across the world they have acted as stewards for those that many in the wider community shun. Despite being a non believer I applaud them and their dedication – and the undeniable good that they do.
Well said! Excellent use of the words, and a wonderful point made.
DeleteVery well done EC!
DeleteAmazing photo of the lizard. I hope he is safe.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Lizards can be found on everything in the right climate. Mom can't stand them so it is another reason she would not want to live in a warm climate. They used to fall in the pool in Florida and she would scream and run into the house.
ReplyDeleteGood for the lizard the car was not moving. Once I was about to start my car, I saw a lizard on the outside of the car front screen. I quickly made sure all the windows were closed tight.
ReplyDeleteLove the lizards and we befriend them here. Zane has one he feeds bugs to. Such a fun thing.
ReplyDeleteLove your use of the prompts. I've had more than on boss like that over the years. I never got axed though. Funny how their bad business ideas are our faults.
Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.
Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. Big hug. ♥
Oh what great photos of Mr. Lizard ~ Xo
ReplyDeleteWishing you laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Good use of the words. Would never want to be a nun, they get treated poorly, or at least the ones our church had did. The 2 we had got sent away so the convent could be rented to a drug rehab program. Cute little lizard. XO
ReplyDeleteMy wife makes an awesome pineapple upside-down cake, and yes today would be a great day for a mental reset. Yesterday was a disaster.
ReplyDeletenice capture on spotting the lizard. hoping he moved before the tire did !! :) ♥♥
ReplyDeleteExcellent words! I also enjoyed the little lizard. Much better than the lizards I was talking about today! ;)
ReplyDelete--
Tim Brannan
The Other Side | The A to Z of Conspiracy Theories
I just love love reptiles! Darling little guy! Doing his job! Speaking of jobs- your story was clever! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteWOW, you found the mini godzilla! Good story too!
ReplyDeleteLove your story. I have sat through several such meetings, knowing all along the final one would hold more truth than the earlier ones and within six months the factory closed and we were unemployed.
ReplyDeleteMy story will be on my blog tomorrow, Friday 22nd. I used only the first set of words.
ReplyDeleteThat lizard photo was perfect! Hope he is safe somewhere. Your stories are always so good. I enjoy reading them. Have a great evening.
ReplyDeleteI posted my Words For Wednesday on my page but on Saturday. You gave some fun prompts!
ReplyDelete