The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: a finale.
Mine:
So here we are: the final curtain;
How we got here, I'm not quite certain.
While it's been a trip, I must admit,
It is well past time for me to quit.
Happy new year! I'll see you for one final post tomorrow.
The exercise:
Write about: infighting.
I don't know that there could be any stronger confirmation that it's past time to end the blog than the fact that I've got two prompts left after this one and have had zero inclination to do anything special to wrap things up.
Also... I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've mentioned it in a post. It's really just been a discussion in the comments, and not much of one at that.
So, uh, heads up, in case you somehow missed it: the blog will see it's final prompt on December 31st, and then one final post that may or may not feature a prompt on January 1st.
The exercise:
Write about: the winter prince.
Inspired by something Miles said while on top of a very large pile (mountain) of snow in a nearby parking lot.
The exercise:
Write about something that is: white.
We certainly had a white Christmas here. Spent the morning at home, then drove down to the farm to have brunch and (more) presents and dinner there. Had to leave home a little ahead of schedule as it started snowing heavily and we didn't want to risk the roads getting any worse.
Thankfully it cleared off by late afternoon and the return drive was reasonably smooth. Overall it was a pretty good day, despite the lack of sleep the night before.
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: outcasts.
Busy day of last minute shopping, wrapping presents, sneaking around in order to maintain the magic of Santa, and... it all actually went pretty well. Despite the cold and wind and overabundance of energy and excitement in the house.
Merry Christmas!
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: decorations.
Worked this morning, then took the afternoon off to begin Christmas holidays a touch early. Not due back at work until January 3rd and while I wouldn't say that I was in need of the break, I am looking forward to the time away from the office.
The exercise:
I'm going to interrupt Christmas Week to bring Out of The Woods to its conclusion, rather than wait for next week.
So. Let us see how things conclude.
The exercise:
With just one week left until Christmas, write about: the carolers.
The exercise:
I think the random book prompt should make one last appearance before I close up shop, so. Grab a random book off the shelf. Poke around Amazon and make use of the Look Inside feature.
However you get your random piece of literature, make use of its first line as your own (credit where it is due, bien sur), and then take things from there.
The exercise:
Write about: dancing the night away.
Kat and I had fun at the staff Christmas party tonight (though there was no dancing, despite what the prompt might have you believe). The boys had fun with their babysitter. That's a win and a win in my books.
The exercise:
Write about: trouble.
Can't believe we're less than two weeks away from Christmas already.
The exercise:
Write about: a holiday party.
Took the kids to their first official work Christmas party today. The RDOS puts on a holiday gathering for the children of staff, aimed at the 12 and under group, though obviously the last couple of years have had to look a little different.
There were lots of craft stations, an overabundance of food, a visit from Santa, and a goodie bag to take home. It was hurt a bit by illness-caused absences but the boys had fun and I'm glad I offered to help organize it in order to make sure it happened.
The adults get our turn Wednesday night.
The exercise:
Use the following words in your poetry or prose today: blue, desk, malicious, volatile, floral.
The exercise:
Write about: lights.
Got some Christmas decorations up today. Don't have a tree yet, but that should come next weekend.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about something that is: teetering.
The exercise:
Write about: it's been a while.
Miles returned to school this morning after missing the last 9 days. He asked if he could go last night, which we felt was a pretty good sign. But we figured he could just go for half a day to ease back in, and he wanted to go for the whole day.
So I brought him his lunch just before noon to see how he was doing and he had zero interest in coming home. He was certainly pretty tired this evening, but I am feeling grateful to have finally reached this stage of his recovery.
The exercise:
With November heading out the door, let's get to Out of the Woods for the penultimate time, shall we?
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: long days.
Max will be returning to school tomorrow. Fingers crossed Miles will be doing the same on Thursday.
The exercise:
Write a four line poem that has something to do with being: on the edge.
Miles' slow crawl towards recovery continues, as he's showed more signs of his usual self the last two days. Before snuggling up for a family movie night in our bed this evening he, quite out of nowhere, said he wanted hot chocolate.
So I made him hot chocolate, because him showing interest in any sort of food or drink is a win these days.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: once upon a time in Moscow.
The exercise:
Write about: a trade.
Managed to get in to the office for part of the day today but had to leave early to pick Max up from school, as Kat was stuck at home with Miles.
That won't be a problem tomorrow... seeing as we're pretty sure Max will also be too sick to go to school.
The exercise:
Write about: nightmares.
Max has woken up three times already tonight from what he says is the same nightmare. Also today wasn't the greatest for any of us, as we brought Miles to the hospital to get checked out and he had the joy of having a cotton swab shoved up his nose so that they could test him for various things.
They did rule out pneumonia though, so that's something. Now if the whole house could just get a decent night's sleep we'd be on a roll.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: sick days.
Miles has been dealing with a nasty bug the last few days. But after two days of mostly sleeping and not doing much in the way of eating or drinking, he seemed to turn the corner a little bit at dinner tonight. Fingers crossed he wakes up feeling much, much better tomorrow morning.
The exercise:
Write about something that has been: crushed.
Presentation submitted with a good hour and a half to spare. It's impressive how in my head I can get even for a recorded presentation. Makes me super excited to see what happens when I have to actually do one before the Board...
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: a presentation.
My final assignment for the course is due Sunday night but I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow morning. I get to record myself giving a presentation to the Board of Directors, who will thankfully never see the recording - just my teacher and classmates.
Feeling quite glad that I get to do it at my desk as many times as needed to get it "right", rather than doing it in front of a live audience.
The exercise:
Write about: multitasking.
So many balls in the air right now and only two hands. And very poor depth perception.
Just a matter of which one hits the ground first at this point.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: podcasts.
Been listening to a lot of them lately. Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend is a current fav.
The exercise:
Not excited to bring back this one, but here it is anyway - write about: thieves in the night.
The office was broken into last night. Quite a lot was stolen but nothing from my desk, as far as I've been able to tell. They smashed in the door to the kitchen, which is on the other side of the building, and seemed to hit the desks nearest there the hardest.
The exercise:
Write something which takes place: at the pool.
Went for a family dip at the pool this morning. Max has been taking swimming lessons and has been eager to go with us. He finally convinced us, even if the boys were passing the time before we left by making a snowman in the yard.
At least the water was relatively warm.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about something which takes place: on the battlefield.
The exercise:
In honor of the inaugural meeting of our new board, write about: a first.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: uncertainty.
Ah, America, you big, dumb, beautiful bastard. Your politics never fail to confound.
The exercise:
Write something that takes place at: the bowling alley.
Went bowling with Max and family and friends this afternoon to celebrate his birthday a day early. Also the four of us are going out for dinner tomorrow night in order to celebrate on his actual birthday.
Trying to make things a little extra special this year, because a kid only turns 10 once, you know?
The exercise:
Write about: ghosts.
Happy Halloween! The boys got Minecraft costumes this year, but if you think they stood still long enough to get their pictures taken then I strongly suspect you are unaware of the direct link between sugar and children's inability to stop moving.
The exercise:
A whole day earlier than the last possible day of the month to do it, let us return to Out of the Woods.
Managed to get my course assignment completed and submitted this evening, after spending a couple hours on it yesterday morning and three more this afternoon. I went into the office to do it, for ease of concentration and lack of child-sized distractions.
Looking forward to not being in the middle of elections the next time I have a major assignment coming due.
The exercise:
Write about something that is: impending.
Course assignment due Sunday night. I am very much in the struggling to get my crap together stage.
The exercise:
Write about: a wish.
If I'd thought to make myself a wish for a happy birthday today then I could say that it came true. But I did not, so I will just say that it was a pretty danged good day, especially considering it fell on a Wednesday this year.
It was my first birthday working at the RDOS and folks were extremely kind and made me feel very special.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose which have something to do with: astronomy.
The exercise:
Following up on last week's Two Haiku Tuesday, this week I request that you write a couple of haiku about: angels.
The exercise:
Write about: a harvest.
Drove down to Osoyoos for a slightly delayed Thanksgiving get together on the farm. Before dinner I helped with the pumpkin harvest in the garden, along with the boys and their cousins and Kat's parents.
Though by the end it was down to me, our eldest niece, and Kat's mother. You'd think working in the garden in mid-October in twenty degree weather was somehow problematic to the kids (at least Kat's father was keeping busy in the kitchen preparing the evening's feast - which was also where Kat could be found for most of the afternoon).
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: results.
Penticton will have a new mayor, and council got significantly younger which, I strongly suspect, will be a good thing overall. The Regional District has two new area directors (one of which I'd say 100% of staff will be happy to hear about), though I'd expected a third. The margin of victory in that one strongly suggests I had no idea what I was talking about.
Monday will see the start of preparation for welcoming a new board of directors to the Regional District, but we've got some time to do that as the inaugural meeting doesn't arrive until November 10th.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: the start of something new.
There are several municipal elections happening tomorrow that I'm deeply interested in seeing the results of. In addition to the five within the RDOS, there's Penticton and Osoyoos for sure, as well as a handful of mayoral and council races around the province.
Looking forward to tomorrow, and not just because it signals the end of a whole pile of work for myself.
The exercise:
Write about: a vote.
Managed to get to the last advance poll to cast my vote for Penticton mayor and council this evening. Looking forward to seeing the results Saturday night.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: demons.
An episode of Loki opened with this song and it is still stuck in my head.
The exercise:
Write about: a giant.
Holiday Monday for me and the boys but Kat had a full work day, so this afternoon I took Max and Miles to check out Giant's Head Park in Summerland.
It's a spot we've been wanting to hike for a long time and we'll definitely be coming back with Kat. We didn't make it to the top, and the wind certainly made things interesting at points, but the views we did see were spectacular and there are multiple routes to explore.
The exercise:
Write about: gratitude.
Had a small Thanksgiving celebration here today. The main event will be next weekend in Osoyoos, as Kat's parents are still busy picking apples this weekend with the weather this year delaying the final harvest.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: being prepared.
Like, hopefully, we are prepared for advance voting day tomorrow. I'm reasonably certain we are.
The exercise:
Write about: therapy.
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen is one hell of a book.
The exercise:
With September drawing to a close as unexpectedly as it arrived on the scene, write four lines of prose about: a graceful exit.
The exercise:
Once again on the last possible day of the month, we return to getting Out of the Woods.
I mean, our heroes are literally out of the woods now, but I think it's safe to say they are nowhere near being idiomatically out of the woods.
The exercise:
Hey, it's been a little bit since the last Random CD prompt, so why don't you pick a song and make use of its first line as your own opening today? And then, as per the usual routine, take it wherever you're inspired to go from there.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: the print shop.
At work we got the ballots from the printers this afternoon, so now we can start giving people who want to vote by mail their packages. I'm part of the team coordinating that part of things, so I expect that will be keeping me quite busy in the lead up to election day, which is October 15th.
The exercise:
Write about something: extra.
Don't know that I've ever appreciated an unexpected three day weekend more than this one. When word came through early last week that the office would be closed today for Queen Elizabeth's memorial I gained a whole new appreciation for the monarchy.
The exercise:
Write about: a coma.
What did you do today? More than me, I can guarantee. For I? I did nothing at all...
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: ignition.
Done with being in the car for a few days. And sitting for long periods of time. And thinking.
(Honestly it was genuinely interesting and useful stuff but, like, brain done now)
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: a network.
Got into more "relevant to my job" type stuff today, so was definitely more interesting for me. Head is again very full. One more day and then... brain goes offline for a little bit.
The exercise:
Write something which takes place: in the classroom.
Head is very full. Was a good day though. The instructor is both knowledgeable and affable and it seems like a good group of fellow students to go through this with.
The exercise:
Write about: a law.
Driving back and forth to Kelowna the next three days for the in-person portion of my municipal law course that begins this week. After this it's all online, which is pretty convenient.
Feeling pretty weird to be a student again after all this time. I am excited to finally be getting going on earning my Local Government Administration Certificate and incredibly grateful that work is paying for me to do so.
The exercise:
Write about: a write-off.
Apt description for the day. Got off to a rough start and never improved. Might as well finish it off with a migraine.
The exercise:
Write about: the drive.
Too much time on the road the last couple of days, but we're back home and more or less ready for the week ahead.
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: a compromise. Or something that has been compromised. Or even a compromising situation, if that strikes your fancy.
We're in Kamloops for the night for one of Kat's cousin's wedding. It's been a big day.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: the candidates.
The deadline for local government nomination packages to be submitted was this afternoon for BC. Of the nine electoral areas in the regional district, we've got four returnees winning by acclimation and five elections to run (4 incumbents with challengers and 1 area with the incumbent choosing not to run again).
Should be an interesting next month. Election day is October 15th.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: going back to school.
Boys were back for a half day today. I'm starting a course through work next week. 'Tis the season.
The exercise:
Write about: an ending.
Took the boys for another visit to Kangaroo Creek Farm today as an end of summer celebration. Hard to believe they're back to school tomorrow.
The exercise:
Write about: a family dinner.
Had Kat's aunt and uncle who live in Penticton over for a BBQ this evening. Between the pandemic and moving, it was our first dinner guests in a long time.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: the system is down.
Technology issues at work today. Also this.
The exercise:
Write about something or someone that is: early.
Like, September this year, I'm pretty sure.
The exercise:
It is time for another last day of the month attempt to get: Out of the Woods.
The exercise:
Write about: creature comforts.
The first shower after coming back from camping remains one of the greatest things.
Had a good time. Got pretty cold overnight, especially the second night, but it was good to get away.
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: plotting. And/or scheming. Whatever floats your boat.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: gone camping.
Well, we have. Be back on Sunday.
The exercise:
Write about: the fisherman.
Max, who has wanted to catch a fish for most of his walking life, went on a two night trip with his Poppa, Uncle, and oldest Cousin this weekend to stay in a yurt and fish the days away.
He returned home this afternoon and informed us that he not only caught a fish, he caught eight. He even brought one of the rainbow trout home, which we cooked for dinner tonight.
It was delicious.
The exercise:
Oh, here's one we haven't done in a long while: write some fake business cards. As with the previous (and sadly, before today, only) time, the sillier the better.
If I don't join in today, I will when I reach this prompt in my catch up on comments.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: shelter from the storm.
Rain and lightning tonight, and plenty of both. Hopefully enough rain to limit the ability of all those bolts to start more fires.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: wolves.
Currently listening to I Am Not a Wolf by Dan Sheehan and it is legitimately one of the funniest things I've ever heard. Cannot recommend it enough. I'm sure reading it would also be enjoyable but Jay Aaseng does such an incredible job with the narration that it takes it to another level.
The exercise:
Write about: fanatics.
Brought home a couple of serious baseball fans from the Island. The boys got into watching the Blue Jays with my parents last visit, but that was for less than a week.
Tonight I spent half an hour chatting baseball with them before dinner, then after dinner took them out to the nearby school field for the second straight night to play ball.
Max can really hammer the ball, and Miles is surprisingly consistent with making good contact.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: smoke.
Drove past the nearby wildfire yesterday as we approached home - a route that has now been closed. The air smells like smoke tonight.
Welcome back home, I suppose.
The exercise:
Write about: returning.
Made it back home last this afternoon. More or less unpacked. It's going to take a little while to get reacquainted with our things.
And tomorrow I'm back to the office for the first time in a month.
The exercise:
Let us celebrate Kat's and my 12th wedding anniversary by finally getting to July's installment of Out of the Woods.
Had intended to get to the yearlong story on Thursday but then it slipped my mind until after I'd posted something else. So, here we are!
(I'm actually scheduling this on Friday night before we leave Comox because I'm quite convinced I'll forget again and then we'll be in August)
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: landings.
We've landed in a hotel in Vancouver (technically North Vancouver) without issue. It was a remarkably smooth drive and ferry ride, actually.
Tomorrow the aquarium awaits, then a night with Kat's aunt, then homeward bound on Monday.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: leaving no trace behind.
Well, that's the goal at any rate. We managed to get most of the packing done tonight, so tomorrow morning will consist of the remaining packing and then the tidy up.
Then the road and ferry ride to Vancouver. Wish us luck with the ferry part - it's a long weekend here.
The exercise:
Write about: the final approach.
Honestly hard to believe our time on the Island is ending on Saturday.
The exercise:
Write about: sleep.
Like, for example, the approximate one hour's worth I got last night because my swollen, itchy foot was bothering me.
The exercise:
Write two haiku that have something to do with: something swollen.
Like, for example, my right foot. Google tells me this is a normal amount of swelling. I still plan on finding that wasp tomorrow, bringing it back to life, and then murdering it again.
The exercise:
Write about: something that stings.
Like the wasp, for example, that stung the top of my right foot this evening. May it rest in pieces.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: the man with the plan.
One last weekend on the Island before we have to start heading for home next Saturday. Let's see what the next two days bring our way.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: blueberries.
My dad took the boys to a u-pick blueberry farm this morning while Kat and I were working. They managed to bring home more than they ate, so I consider that a momentous success.
The exercise:
Write about something or someone that is: isolated.
First day back wasn't too bad. Plenty of work to keep me occupied for the next two weeks, that's for sure.
The exercise:
Write about: time.
Back in Comox after a lengthy return trip up Island. Having to wait almost an hour for lunch did not help matters, but at least the meal was enjoyed by all once it arrived.
Returning to (remote) work tomorrow. Not sure I'm ready for it.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: cats.
Both wanting to see as many friends as possible and not wanting to overstay our welcome anywhere, we're spending the next two nights with another friend and her family. The last house had two cats, this one has three.
I am not what one might describe as a "cat person".
And yet, here I am, typing this with a purring cat nestled against my leg...
The exercise:
Write about: a history.
Visited the Royal BC Museum this afternoon and spent most of the visit in the natural history wing. It was a beautiful day so we also spent some time on the grass in front of the Legislature Building, which is next door, and, of course, had some time at the beach.
The exercise:
Write about something that has been: extended.
Trip to Victoria took about double the time we'd figured, thanks to two lengthy beach breaks and... well, it was mostly the beach breaks. There were also a couple, much briefer, stops for food.
Kat's friend has two boys the same age as Max and Miles, who they have met a couple times before, and they took zero time to pair off and start playing together.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: capitals.
Heading to Victoria tomorrow morning to spend a few days with friends at that end of the Island. Looking forward to it, as I haven't been in the provincial capital in a long, long time.
The exercise:
Write about: slowing things down.
Realizing we were not operating at a sustainable pace, we took things a whole lot easier today. The boys hung out with my parents this morning and early afternoon, Kat and I had some quiet time, and then we took them to the beach for the afternoon.
An after dinner walk through some nearby woods capped off the day quite nicely.
The exercise:
Write about: a tree.
Cathedral Grove was very busy today, but still worth giving the boys an opportunity to see some big, big trees.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: a nymph.
Visited Nymph Falls with Kat and the boys this afternoon. What a gorgeous spot. Can't remember if I ever went there while I was living in Comox, but if I didn't I was obviously missing out.
The exercise:
Write about: air.
Took the boys to check out the planes at the Comox Air Force Museum's Heritage Air Park on the way to the beach this morning. They, needless to say, had an absolute blast at both locations.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: finding your way back home.
Got to Comox a little before dinner time. Had great weather for the ferry crossing from Vancouver. Looking forward to getting settled in here.
The exercise:
Write about: the scientist.
Took the boys to Science World today. A much-delayed visit, originally planned for last summer.
It was certainly worth the wait.
The exercise:
Write about being: lost.
Made the mistake of going to meet a friend on my own this afternoon. I should know better than to go anywhere new without my navigator.
Rest assured, Kat kindly reminded me of this fact after I (finally) returned.
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: finding the right fit.
Made it to Kat's aunt's house safe and sound, with minimal fuss from the boys. The last hour was, of course, the most challenging.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about being: ready for the road.
I think we're basically ready to pack up the SUV in the morning and then hit the road. Pretty productive day, at any rate. One of Kat's cousins is house sitting for us while we're gone, so there was some cleaning up to be done alongside the packing.
Worth it, though, to know that we have someone we trust watching over the place.
The exercise:
Write about: a vacation.
Last day of work for a while today. Last day of work in the office for a while longer.
I'm on vacation for the next two weeks, and following that I'll be working remotely for another two weeks. We're heading for Vancouver on Saturday, spending some time visiting and seeing the sights there, and then heading to Vancouver Island on Tuesday to visit my parents and some friends and more sightseeing.
I'll be working remotely from there for the last two weeks of July before we return home for the start of August. Feeling very grateful to be in a position that is allowing for such a long, summertime visit to the Island. Not to mention appreciating that Kat can work online from anywhere as well.
Spending most of Canada Day tomorrow packing and preparing for our departure.
The exercise:
Write about: technology.
The background image on the blog randomly decided to stop appearing correctly on my laptop, but the mobile version still works. Haven't been able to figure out how to fix it yet, so I've just gone with an abstract option that looks... fine.
Hopefully will get it sorted out shortly, or at least find an image that I'm happy with. It was probably time to update the look of things around here anyway.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: waterfalls.
Rained real, real hard three times today. The last was the final straw for the roof at work, as water started leaking from the ceiling about ten feet from my desk late afternoon.
Just glad it wasn't directly overhead.
The exercise:
Write about: a day at the beach.
Since it's finally starting to really heat up around here, we took the boys to the beach for part of the afternoon today. Once we were eventually able to find a parking spot.
The exercise:
Write about: learning.
Put on a brief training session for our Community Services department this afternoon on the program we use to put the Board agendas together. My replacement was there as well but she's not quite ready to be doing those on her own.
It went well and I felt pretty comfortable doing it. Certainly not something I could have pictured myself not completely freaking out about ahead of time back in high school or even university.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about something that has been: adapted.
About three quarters of the way to work this morning the Midnight Oil song Beds Are Burning came into my head, for no apparent reason. The chorus very, very, very quickly turned into "How can I bike while my legs are burning?"
Thankfully I could not remember any other lines from the entire song at that point, otherwise I'm quite sure more adaptations would have occurred before I arrived at the office.
The exercise:
Before I forget again, let us return to getting Out of the Woods.
The exercise:
Write about: a flashback.
Our receptionist had the day off today and I was covering for her. Was definitely having 'it's too busy to get any actual work done' flashbacks to my time in that position in Osoyoos.
Was a good reminder, I suppose, to fully appreciate my current position, which generally sees me at the front counter only very occasionally.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: team building.
We had a little social get together before the end of the day for my department at work this afternoon. It's the first time we've been able to do something like that since I started (and we've had two more new people join since then) so it was really nice to have the chance to just hang out.
It's definitely been a bonus that I really like everyone on my team at the RDOS and it hasn't just been about the shorter commute for me.
The exercise:
Write about: a celebration.
I certainly didn't have an eye for easily remembered dates for anniversaries when I started this blog on June 9th, way back in 2008. I'm quite certain I've forgotten many more years than I've remembered to mark the occasion.
Anyway, happy slightly belated 14th birthday, Daily Writing Practice.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: shifting gears.
Was mostly able to sit back and let my replacement finish up the compiling and publishing of the agendas today. Which also allowed me to focus a little more on my new duties.
It's going to be a mental adjustment leaving my old job behind. Gives me a new perspective on how things went when I was first training to do it.
The exercise:
Write about: lighting a fuse.
Helping prepare next week's agenda felt like lighting a fuse today. Should be an interesting meeting.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: security cameras.
The RDOS has been dealing with a lot of break-ins and vandalism recently, so I've been tasked with (inherited the task, really) figuring out how many security cameras we need and where they need to go, along with the necessary signage to go with them.
Which has already been less straightforward than I would have expected it to be.
The exercise:
Write about: a late arrival.
Finally had a genuinely nice day today. Feels like it has been a long time coming, as May was generally trash, weather-wise.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about something that is: abhorrent.
At bedtime tonight I had to stop myself from asking Max 'Why is it that the more tired you are, the more abhorrent the thought of sleep becomes?'.
Kids are the best, you guys.
The exercise:
Write about: moving on to the next step.
Finished the mail out this morning, then finished getting ready for tomorrow's Board meetings. Hoping for a relatively quiet day, but no matter what happens I'll be happy to have that pain in the butt done.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: man vs machine.
Folding machine at work decided it had folded and stuffed enough surveys this morning. Trying to get it serviced but we're probably within reach of the end to just let it do the folding for us and we'll do the envelope stuffing to finish things off.
The exercise:
Write about: going full tilt.
Trying to get a mail out done for one of the electoral districts. A survey, along with background information, for over two thousand residences.
We're getting there.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: sorting things out.
Helped sort bottles and cans for a fundraising drive at the boys' school this evening. If I had known how big a job it was going to be and how late it would go and how long a day work would be today, I would not have volunteered.
It ended up being pretty fun with a good group of parents, but I am now quite officially done doing things until I have to go back to work on Monday.
The exercise:
Write about: the protege.
Training is going well so far. She seems to be picking up on things pretty quickly and, more importantly, is asking the right questions.
The exercise:
Write about: the long and the short of it.
This weekend felt long at some points, and like it was flying past at others. So a typical long weekend.
The exercise:
Write about: the queen.
In honour of tomorrow being Victoria Day, or something. I'm sure she won't mind if you take your inspiration from elsewhere.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: late nights and early mornings.
Been a long week. Happy to have a long weekend to (hopefully) catch up on some rest.
The exercise:
Write about: counting down the days.
Training my replacement begins Tuesday. Looking forward to meeting the new team member.
Very, very much looking forward to not having to listen to the Board meetings for much longer. Well, really just the one Director.
Today's meeting should have been much, much shorter.
The exercise:
Write something to do with things being: unseasonal.
Waiting, ever so patiently, for warmer spring weather to arrive. Not feeling the least bit impatient with all these cool, rainy days.
Nope, not at all.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: a lucky day.
Hope you all had a nice Friday the 13th today. I mostly hid at my desk and worked on getting next week's meeting agendas published. Oh and also preparing to train my replacement, who starts on the 24th.
The exercise:
Write about: the rain.
Legs felt okay today. Which probably means they're waiting until tomorrow to exact their revenge.
The exercise:
Write something to do with: cycling.
Biked to work and back home for the first time today. Survived. Going to need a few days to recover. Looking forward to doing it regularly enough that it will be significantly easier than it was today.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about being: lost in the rhythm.
Put my headphones on and turned the music up this afternoon and just focused on getting the minutes done. Wasn't as bad as I'd feared it would be, but the Directors certainly could have made my life easier than they did.
The exercise:
Write about something that is: interminable.
Man, that was a long day at work. Not looking forward to polishing up the meeting minutes tomorrow.
I did ask my boss if I could leave them for my replacement to do but she didn't seem too keen on the idea...
The exercise:
Write about: running around.
Busy day getting ready for the Board meetings tomorrow. They're mostly back to attending in-person, so I'm expecting 14 of the 19 Directors to be there.
Quite the change from the 3 that attended the first meeting after I started working there in January.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: two for one.
Now that I'm working in Penticton and the boys are a five minute walk from school, we don't really need two vehicles any more. The van has barely been used the last couple of months. I'm also going to start biking to work a few times a week now that the weather is more agreeable to such things.
So, after plenty of looking and waiting for the right deal, we went in to the local Nissan dealership on Saturday and traded in the Pontiac Montana and the Kia Rio for a 2016 Nissan Rogue:
So here we are, back down to one for the first time in five years, with all the savings that involves, and it is shiny and new and red and we're all quite happy with it.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: a promotion.
Went back to the office Wednesday afternoon to find that my computer had been moved to my new desk location. The area next to me is still under construction but I am very happy to be there instead of where I've been since I started.
Oh, also: I'm starting a new job on Monday. Well, technically. A colleague is leaving for a job with the City of Penticton and I was promoted into her position. As of Monday I shall be an Administrative Assistant, but I'll still be doing my Legislative Services Clerk position until my own replacement is hired and fully trained up. So, probably at least another three weeks.
But I'm all too happy to start getting paid more as of Monday!
The exercise:
Write about: remembering.
Eh, why not. Might as well commemorate my little mental slip-up (I will admit to considering several less kind descriptions of whatever happened last night) with a couple days of related prompts.
The exercise:
Write about: forgetting.
It seems I completely forgot to do a post last night. My apologies, I'm not at all sure how that happened. Didn't have a draft sitting unpublished.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: inch by inch.
Woke up feeling slightly better. Not well enough to go to work, or even work from home, but enough to give me some real hope that by Monday this garbage will be a distant memory.
The exercise:
Write about: getting back on track.
I would like to get over this illness now, please and thank you. It started with Max Saturday night, hit him hard on Sunday, hit myself and Kat on Monday, and finally took Miles down Tuesday night. Both the boys were back at school today but Kat and I are still competing for the Misery Championship.
The exercise:
Let's get the yearlong prompt into the middle section of the month, shall we?
It's time to get Out of the Woods.
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: a hunger.
Pictures still hiding out on my phone. Tomorrow, maybe.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: the other side of the mountain.
Took our visitors for a hike today. Went farther than I had gone before (Kat and the boys had done the full hike last summer with a home schooling group) and it was gorgeous. The view at the end was well worth the effort.
Pictures on my phone, will try to remember to share tomorrow.
The exercise:
Write about something that is: unfinished.
Looking forward to getting through work tomorrow and reaching the start of the four day weekend.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: the number six.
Happy, happy sixth birthday to Miles. We had pizza and cupcakes and are all looking forward to getting together with Kat's family and my sister and brother-in-law this Saturday to celebrate some more.
The exercise:
Write about something that has been: shutdown.
Power outage over the weekend messed with the servers at work, so we didn't have access to our email for most of the morning.
Which would have been less of a problem if I hadn't had like ten things I needed to take care of via email.
The exercise:
Write about: what comes next.
Big week ahead. Monday is my final day of probation at work, which means Tuesday will be my first day back on benefits. Tuesday also happens to be Miles' 6th birthday. Thursday night my sister and brother-in-law arrive for a visit from Calgary, and then we roll into the Easter long weekend - which also features a family birthday party for Miles.
Lots of excitement in the air around these parts.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: Dr. Doestoomuch.
Tweaked my shoulder/neck this afternoon by, I don't know, looking to my left the wrong way? I think what I probably need is a massage therapist, but whatever, this prompt made me smile so I went with it.
The exercise:
Write about: a renovation.
Work is underway on the office renovations that will allow me to move to my new space. Not sure when exactly I'll get to do that, but it was nice to see the contractor getting started on the major work this morning.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: an idiot abroad.
There is a TV show by the same name, but that's not what inspired this prompt. I'll just say it was a bit of a frustrating day at work today.
The exercise:
Write about: aches and pains.
We were working on the backyard this afternoon - preparing the garden box, planting seeds, doing some general tidy up - and I was working on organizing the storage shed. I'd pulled my bike out, as well as the boys', and they were the last to go back in.
Well, they were about to be when Max, and then Miles, decided the first bike ride of the year was at hand. So we did a few laps around the complex and I am feeling quite confident that my body will be reminding me of this outing for the rest of the week.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: Snow White.
Just finished reading Grump. I think you'd appreciate the author's depiction of the princess, Greg.
The exercise:
Another end of the month entry into the yearlong tale. Still nothing like a deadline to get me writing.
Time to get back to Out of the Woods.
And a happiest of birthdays to Kat. I made salmon and salad for dinner and we had a chocolate berry cashew cheesecake (which I most certainly did not make) for dessert and it was delicious.
The exercise:
Write about: going international.
It took 36 years, but Canada is finally back on its way to the men's World Cup.
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: feeling out of place.
Taking a night away in Vernon, just the four of us. Checking out the science centre tomorrow, which Max in particular is looking forward to.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: my last night in Paris.
Vaguely inspired by my parents' last night in Penticton, I suppose. They're heading home tomorrow morning. They'll be missed for sure, but we're making plans to see them this summer on the island.
The exercise:
Write about: passing.
Heard from HR that my manager let them know I was passing my probation period with "flying colours" yesterday, and to start filling out my benefit enrollment forms.
I wasn't worried or thinking about it at all, but it was still nice to hear.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: family traditions.
Boys are still wearing themselves and their grandparents out. Was quite pleased to come home to find Max playing Scrabble with my mom tonight.
He was even more pleased to inform me later that he won (with some help).
The exercise:
Write about: the recruits.
My parents arrived this evening. They'll be staying until Friday to help out with the boys while they're on spring break and Kat and I are working. I think all four of them were worn out and ready for bed at record times tonight.
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: the legend of Foul Winds Finnegan.
Sorry, just had an urge for a prompt along these lines. Feel free to ignore the four line limit if you're feeling inspired to write more.
The exercise:
Write about: a break.
Because the RDOS Board meets the first and third Thursday of each month, next week will be my first week since starting the job where there won't be either a meeting happening that week or the following week. Which means a break from doing the agenda and the minutes. I'm sure my time will still fill up regardless, but I'm curious to see how it goes.
Also prompt related, tomorrow is the boys' last day of school before spring break. I think they're both in need of it.
The exercise:
Write two haiku about: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Been listening to the audio book at bedtime with the boys recently. Rather embarrassed to admit it's the first time reading/hearing the book, and haven't watched either of the movies. It's been fun experiencing the story alongside the boys.
The exercise:
Write something to do with the phrase: cover me.
After various bits of training, combined with my previous experience in Osoyoos, today was my first day to help cover reception. So of course the person I'd normally cover for breaks and lunch was sick, so I spent much more time up front than I had planned on.
It went fine, thanks mostly I think to having done the job in Osoyoos for so long. Couple of bumps along the way, but probably learned more today because of the way it went than I would have over the course of several days of coverage otherwise.
The exercise:
Write about something that is: endless.
One of the Directors on the RDOS Board is prone to going on about things longer than... let's just say longer than I find strictly necessary.
Today's meeting was certainly no exception.
