02.27.16 – End of Day Notes

What I did today: Today started late again. I really need to get out of this pattern of going to bed between 2-3 am and getting up late. I write better at night, always have. I need to be on a night schedule again.Three am has always been a better time for me to wake up. So I think I will go to bed early tonight and hopefully wake up around that time. I got all of my writing projects completed and even a couple challenges done. I watched The Postman Always Rings Twice as my final movie for research tonight. For the next two days, I will be plotting out my WhoDunIt story. Two horror stories left to write. It hardly seems like February began and now it is ending. I plan on catching up some on emails and posts from challenges tomorrow.

What I learned today: I get so little done by sleeping in.

What I am most proud of today: My writing… I feel like I am improving tremendously as a storyteller. I am still not a great one, but a decent one nonetheless. I still have a lot to learn.

What did you do today? Learn any lessons? Have a reason to be proud? Share your thoughts with me in the comments!

Saturday 9 – The Times of Your Life (1976)

Saturday 9: The Times of Your Life (1976)

Unfamiliar with this week’s tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is all about memories. How far back can you remember? What’s your earliest memory? Memories are difficult for me. I had a childhood illness that screwed up my long-term memory. I do remember waking up on the operating table at around 6 years of age while having my tonsils removed. Unfortunately, my short-term memory is fading too.

2) The first line is “Good morning, yesterday.” What do you remember about yesterday morning? I remember getting up far too late. I generally try to get up between 6-8 am, but it was well after 10 am before I rolled out of bed. I made coffee and began writing.

3) This song was originally a 60-second jingle, featured in a commercial for Kodak film. Do you ever use film? Or are all your pictures digital? I used to use film, but in 2014, I bought my first digital camera. I rarely use it though.

4) Who took the most recent photo of you? I did, about 4 years ago. No, I do not like having my picture taken.

5) This week’s featured artist, Paul Anka, was born in Canada and enjoyed appearing in a made-for-TV Perry Mason movie with fellow Canadian, Raymond Burr. Do you enjoy courtroom dramas? I love them! I watched Perry Mason growing up and still enjoy Law & Order.

6) At 15, Anka won a supermarket contest by collecting the most Campbell soup can wrappers. The prize was a trip to New York. Do you enter contests and sweepstakes? Play the lottery? I rarely enter contests, unless they deal with writing. No to sweepstakes. And only occasionally play the lottery.

7) This year Paul Anka performed throughout Florida (Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Clearwater and Fort Myers). The Sunshine State is a popular vacation destination. Do you have a favorite spot in Florida? Afraid not. I’ve never visited the state. If I ever did go, I would probably go to Palm Beach.

8) In 1976, the year this song was on the charts, an earthquake hit China. Have you ever experienced an earthquake? Only once. It was a small quake when I lived in Oklahoma.

9) Random question: Do you know CPR? Yep, but I am rusty at it. Should probably get a refresher course.

#WeekendCoffeeShare – 02.27.16

If we were having coffee, I would serve you some delicious savory crackers and cheese with a cup of organic decaf coffee. It is late in the afternoon and I wouldn’t want you to stay up all night. We would sit by the fire in comfy, over-stuffed chairs as it is mighty chilly here in Virginia today.

If we were having coffee, I would lean in close and whisper to you.

“I almost decided not to share coffee and a conversation today. My life is a bore.”

But then I remembered that this is the last chance to share coffee with you before March. Wouldn’t want to end the month without sharing something.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you of the movies I have watched the past couple of weeks for research.

“You see,” I would say, “next month I am writing a WhoDunIt over at A Whispered Wind. It will be in a film noir style. So I needed all the research I could get.”

I would give you a list of the movies, because well, I like lists:

• He Walked by Night (1948)
• The Strange Woman (1946)
• The Red House (1947)
• Too Late for Tears (1949)
• Mike Hammer’s Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
• Beat the Devil (1953)
• Notorious (1946)
• Penny Serenade (1941)
• Jigsaw (1949)
• Citizen Kane (1941)
• The 39 Steps (1935)
• The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• D.O.A. (1950)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

I would tell you how fascinating all of those movies were and how much great research I derived from them.

“Film Noir has always fascinated me,” I would tell you. “The suspense, the darkness, the adventure!”

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about how sad I am to see February end as it marks the end of my Horror Tales. And then I would laugh and tell you, “There’s always June, though,” and wink.

If we were having coffee, I would have to apologize and tell you that although my life is boring, my muses aren’t and they are demanding that I get back to my writing. So I would have to cut our conversation short this week. I would thank you for stopping by and give you a tin of the savory crackers to take home with you.

“Bundle up! I will see you next week!” I would shout and wave as you wandered off into the late afternoon chill.

If we were having coffee, what would YOU tell me? Let me know in comments!

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This delightful coffee share is brought to you by Part-Time Monster and friends.