writing prompts – Enchilada Sunrise

Q is for Q&A

I haven’t done any of the NaBloPoMo prompts for a while, so I think I’ll have a bit of a catch-up:

Do you owe an apology to anyone? Why?

Hmmm… not as far as I can think of. I hope not!

You’ve just been given a million dollars. You are not allowed to keep it or give it to anyone you know personally. What do you do with it and why?

Well, first of all I’ll convert it into pounds ;-) Or assume that it’s the correct equivalent amount already. I’ll then donate half of it to charity – preferably a Bipolar disorder one like the MDF. The other half I think I’ll do something fun with. Like going to the local supermarket and paying for everyone’s shopping, or at least picking people at random to do that for until I run out of money. Which could take a while, actually, so maybe I could buy some big purchases for places or people that need them. I guess the ‘rules’ leave me room to do something like buy a minibus for an old people’s home or something, as long as there’s no-one there I know.

If you could go back in time and meet your 16-year-old self, what three things would you tell yourself?

1) Break up with your boyfriend asap – really, you’re better off single. 2) When things start to go really weird in your head, yes, you should go to the doctor and no, the doctors are not part of a conspiracy. You’re not well, it’s not your fault that you need help. 3) A Levels. Do some work for them. You’ll get better grades.

F is for Friends, Family, and Food

Which three things sum up my day fairly well, really. My whole weekend, in fact. Like I said, we went to see Ally and family yesterday and out into the park where I saw several people I’d been at school with and their kids. I think I must be the only one who has no offspring! It was a lovely sunny day for it, and today was lovely as well although there was lots of rain and thunder last night.

Charlotte has gone now, but we went over to my brother and sister-in-law’s place for Sunday dinner today. Mmm, Sunday roast! I’m feeling pretty wiped out (but full!) so I can’t think of much else to blog about, so I’ll go and check out the prompts for some inspiration:

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think of your father?

His smile; a feeling of safety; and woolly bobble hats! Dad liked to keep his head warm, and embarrassed me horribly (as parents will!) when I was in my mid-teens by taking my into town still wearing his slippers (moccasins, so I’m sure no-one knew but me) and a woolly hat. Later on, of course, it became a lovable eccentricity, and when I learned to knit, one of the very first things I made was a hat for Dad:

C is for (The) Crazy

Or to be a little more politically correct, (my) mental health. I don’t have all that much to say about it, really, but I suppose it has been the reason for my sporadic posting over the ten months or so. I started the long slow slide into a depressive phase probably in last August, but because it was gradual (and not constant), I didn’t notice for a while. It wasn’t much fun towards the end of last year, but this year I’ve been gradually picking up again, and I’ve been feeling properly myself again – it’s funny how you don’t notice that you weren’t until you suddenly are again – since some time in April. Hoorah! I have a really nice new psychiatrist (the previous one moved on to a neighbouring area) too, and I’ve been getting other support from the community mental health team which has been an enormous help in getting back on my metaphorical feet. In summary, I feel better, and I’m looking forward to the Bipolar Group course that’s starting next week, which is a self-management and education … thing. It’s going to be useful.

Today’s NaBloPoMo prompt is: Define “freedom”.

Hmmm. Freedom is… standing near the sea on a stormy day, salt on your lips from the wind whipping off it strongly enough to almost blow you off you feet; just jumping in the car (or on the bus, or on a plane) and going; living how you want to live; most importantly, freedom is being able to make your own choices – whether by yourself or in conjunction with others, as long as you choose the method – voice them, act on them, without persecution or oppression.

So yeah. I guess C is also for Choice.

B is for Books

Books… I love books. I’m sure I’ve mentioned that before. I love reading books (obviously), and owning books – this last is becoming more of a problem since I have less than no shelf space left. However, my reading does tend to be within a fairly narrow group of genres: sci-fi, space opera, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, and historical (romance). Or any combination thereof. I did try the seasonal reading challenges on Goodreads with the intention of broadening my reading somewhat, but I just ended up fitting the books I already wanted to read to the challenges for the most part. Now, I’m doing the 144 Books in a Year challenge, but that has no restrictions whatsoever apart from a minimum length.

So, recommend me some books? Anyone? Also, one of the girls at KnitJam tonight invited me to come along and join a book group that they’re starting up through the library where she works. She said they want some people to come along who aren’t staff so they don’t end up talking shop all night. So yay, that should be fun!

Today’s prompt is: What’s your favourite poem? (And if you don’t have one, why?)

Actually… I don’t really have one. Mainly because I don’t actually read much poetry. Whenever I do, I like just about everything I do read, so why I don’t read more I don’t know. I do really like a lot of the Shakespeare sonnets, and I’m rather fond of “Kubla Khan” by Coleridge; partly for it’s lyricism and partly because it’s nuts!

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

Marvellous!

A is for Ambition

I’ve decided that a good way to keep myself going with the daily posting is to do the meme / exercise that I’ve seen on some other blogs, and do a letter of the alphabet each day. Obviously that leaves four days, so I’ll do a week of alphabet then a day of either something random, or doubling up on a letter. I’ll decide that part when I get there!

So, A is for “Ambition”. Which can be broken down into both short and long term goals:

Maintaining the daily blogging through this month, and also doing IComLeavWe at the end of the month.
Possibly do 750words.com (depending on time).
Sort out the photo album on this thing!
New site design (also for here).
Finish at least one knitting project – try sewing up the Menace jumper, for example. And keep working on the Clapotis.
Make some blog posts updating my knitting progress – what I’ve been doing over the last few months as well as what I’m doing now, since I haven’t posted for so long.
Write up the patterns I’ve designed. Finally!

“Ambition” also works pretty well for the NaBloPoMo prompt for today – I may or may not do these every day, it depends what appeals to me. But the one for today is:

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a teacher. Boring, I know! Specifically, I think I wanted to be an English teacher, because I loved reading and writing. On slightly more mature reflection, I decided that the idea of dealing with a classroom full of teenagers was an appalling one, so I changed my mind to librarian. Needless to say, I’m in neither profession now, although I have done some one-to-one music tuition and enjoyed that.