The exercise:
Today we deal with a word with several very different meanings: resigned.
The one that interests me at the moment is the one about removing yourself from a political position. Because the Premier of British Columbia did that today.
Party at my house!
Windows are mostly installed. And I'm sitting around 700 words for the day. Let's see what I can manage tonight.
Update: tonight went well. Here's day three. Also, I should probably mention that the premier's resignation might have had something to do with his 9% approval rating.
Yes, you read that right.
Update: tonight went well. Here's day three. Also, I should probably mention that the premier's resignation might have had something to do with his 9% approval rating.
Yes, you read that right.
Mine:
Hank, the manager of the only gas station in town, was widely considered the stupidest man to walk the planet. Okay, perhaps 'widely considered' is a slight exaggeration. Let me say instead that every person that ever met him considered him to be the stupidest man to walk the planet.
He couldn't give correct change to save his life, he lost the keys to the station three times a day, and if he was working the pumps there was a fifty-fifty chance that the gas nozzle would end up in the wrong hole.
If you know what I mean.
If you don't, that's okay - you're better off than the rest of us.
7 comments:
Marc- Great news about the Premier. After yesterday's election results, I may be moving to Canada. (Are you aware that it is a standing joke in the northern US states at least when politics are concerned?)
Anyway, fun story. I've seen this played out, usually with an eye roll.
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Ideas brimmed just behind my eyes as I pulled my computer out of my little red bag. Setting it up, my fingers practically trembled to touch the keys once again. It had been too long. Way too long since the last time I had been able to spill my thoughts without concern, without checking my work meticulously. A sigh of relief escaped as the little cursor blinked its readiness. My hands hovered over the keys.
Yep. The ideas had fled. They didn't exist any longer. Resigned to fate, I closed the computer again and went back to my homework with sadness.
Marc: that was a fun read :) Also enjoyed reading your day 3 - can't wait to see what'll happen next!
Heather: sounds familiar! :)
Zhongming: thanks for your comments yesterday! I haven't been brave enough to post my Nano chapters anywhere online. They are far too rough and elementary not to mention extremely embarrassing at this stage!! I'm plotting it as I go along :)
My posting today is a bit long - apologies. I just got carried away! :)
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Holding the piece of paper in her hand, she looked down at it again. There was only one word on it: Resigned. It was scribbled with a paintbrush on ribbed, white and heavy paper. It almost felt like a sophisticated piece of artwork and looked like a signature. The layers of soft paper that she could see beneath the surface gave way at the edges. She could tell that it was torn from a sketchbook, perhaps in a hurry. The black paint was fresh and intensely dark. Rounded and soft letters took away the impact of the exclamation mark at the end of the word. She turned the piece of paper over then back again but there was nothing else to give any other indication.
The phone rang, suddenly jerking her out of her thoughts. She dropped the paper on the coffee table and reached across from the armchair.
“Hello?”
“Oh good, you’re there! Did you get my note?” He sounded excited as he yelled through the receiver above the din that she could hear coming from the background.
“Note? Aah.. note..”
“Yeah I left it on the coffee table.”
She flicked a glance at the piece of paper that she had dropped. It all started to make sense now. She looked at the word again and got a different notion this time. She felt uneasy.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
“Yes yes, here. Where are you? What happened?” The music in the background was getting louder and she could hardly hear him.
“I did it!! I finally did it! I resigned and I’m down with the gang celebrating. Listen I’ll be home as soon as I can. We must celebrate!” There was a slight pause before he said, “Honey? I promise I’ll make it up to you this time. We’re free now,” he laughed, “free to do whatever we will, just trust me this time. Gotta go, will be home soon.”
“You resigned?” but her voice trailed off as she heard the click on the other side. He had hung up. Her legs gave way and she sank in the armchair. He had been talking about this for a while but she never thought he would have the courage to go through with it after all the threats they were receiving. A dark void started filling with a mixture of panic and fear inside of her. She dared not think of what would happen next. It was too late to persuade him to take it back and she knew that the threats were serious. They had to leave. There was no other way out.
Marc – day three turns out in a real intense and emotional episode! It’s amazing that you could sequence it with such great rhyme! And I simply love the expression that each of your character have shown in your writings. They somehow seem unique in one way or another. And I love King Owen for he is always thinking about its people and put them in his top priority. How noble!
I think I very much like the version of your re-signed today, great stuff! And I’m looking forward to day 4 of your amazing episode!
Heather – It’s great to see your writing once again! I missed them, like hell, to be honest! Your little piece today is about writer’s block isn’t it? I do have that feeling once in awhile too. Anyway I just write and post and there’s nothing to lose! We’re all here for practice :)
Watermark – ah, you’re welcome! I’m sure you’ll do fine! All the best to you! Great imagery and details in your piece today! I like the conversion between your character as well as the descriptions in your first stanza! Nicely done!
Resigned
The thoughts of being overwhelmed by the job had him thinking over and over about tendering the resignation letter that he had with him in his drawers since he joined the company.
He was pretty upset when he was being treated unfairly just because of the color of his skin. The blacks and whites have never got a real chance to prove that they were equal in any manner.
“What if I’m born with white skin, I could’ve joined gotten their respect easily, for all the hard work and effort that I’ve put in.” thoughts like that keep flowing into his mind like free access water. He simply had himself resigned to fate.
@all: sorry, no comments today, but everything calms down after 2pm tomorrow, so here's to then!
Resigned
Bone-weariness,
An intensity that can be felt,
picked up, pummeled,
but never put down.
Laughing while wearing the face of a clown.
Feet that won't pick up,
Don't want to stand up
Legs that ache just being there,
And a mind that's forever circling,
Ouroboros.
And I am resigned.
marc, your re-signed story rings out reality; witnessed that around here a lot, but i suppose who else would look after us except our own, right? i prefer to do things on my own, but that's because i'm a sucker for punishment.
i am eagerly anticipating to read what comes next in your jester novel.
and thanks for the kudos the other day from everyone for the haiku. today, it's my turn to tell you the stories above are excellent and greg, ouroboros, that's a word i haven't come across in a long, long while.
to the prompt at hand, i have this:
I am resigned to the fact that...there are a lot of things I would love to do and yet I shall never learn how to do them, like ice skate or rollerblade, ride a bicycle, knit a sweater, use a sewing machine, cut a wood using a saw, play the piano properly, how to play the drum, how to dance the tango.
Great 3rd day! Sorry I could not think of anything to do with resigned.
Heather - my sister has been in Boston the last several years, so yeah I've heard that before :)
Very relatable story, really liked the way you told it.
Watermark - no apologies for writing a lot, I'm always happy when a prompt of mine inspires lengthy takes.
Love the description of the note, and it was wonderful the way you conveyed her reactions throughout. Great stuff :)
Zhongming - thank you very much, again :)
Fantastic take on the prompt today. I think you really captured an experience that far too many people endure.
Greg - party tomorrow at your place then?
'Legs that ache just being there' is a wonderful line.
Summerfield - I think it's good to realize we can't have it all. Helps us enjoy and appreciate what we do have.
But I'd still recommend learning to do one or two of those - there's a lot of fun stuff in that list :)
Morganna - no worries, I very much appreciate you dropping by just to say that!
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