Musings of a Mad Macedonian

Thoughts On My Mind This Mother's Day

The other day I went to Forest Lawn, in West Covina, to pay my respects to my parents (Mom in the upper left, Dad in the lower right), and I had a lot on my mind.

On a  clear day one can see Mt. Baldy, & the San Gabriel Mountain Range, in all their magnificent glory.

That day was not one of those days.

Partly cloudy, breezy, warm, & I'd just hauld ass, by foot, up 3 levels of the hillside, to where my Mom & Dad are laid to rest, a row apart.

Change is coming to my life, and I felt it important to stop by.

I should have been sad, and tearful, but I wasn't.

I feel a love for my parents, especially my long suffering Mom, who raised my sisters, & I, alone except for the assistance of some remarkable neighbors.

I feel a sense of pride in who I am, & what I've accomplished in my life, & believe that Mom, & Dad, are looking down upon me in pride as well.

My Father struggled to get to America, from wartorn Europe of the 1940's, Mom traveled by car from KY, as a young adult, with her brothers, & 1/2-sister & her husband, to Ca., and worked the seasonal packing plants circuit, in the late 40's & early 50's, before settling down in one place.

Now, here I am, having moved from Pomona, to The OC, & living here for over a decade...and change is coming yet again...

I think, and believe, my parents would understand, applaud, & encourage me, every step of the way, as I continue my life's journey.

So I was there, on that hillside, at their graves, to pay respects, say thank you, ask for their blessing, and for their spirits to watch over me, and guide me, until that day when I am called by God, and my fate, to at last join them in eternity forever.

 

PYTW 35: Write About a Used Cane

Prompting Yourself To Write 35

Write About a Used Cane...

( Set a Timer for 15 minutes, and write non-stop. )

***Written on 4/28, while at lunch at Phillippe's the Original, in LA, a couple  hours after having reluctantly bought a Cane, as suggested by my Orthopedist who thought I should consider getting one, and use it in my left side to take the stress off the right ankle which is always painful, in the aftermath of my breaking it, and healing, due to Early Onset Arthritis of the Joints....

My name is Watson...I'm a Cane, a Leopard Spotted Mapplewood Cane with a smooth brown, hardwood, Derby Handle.

I'm light brown, with dark brown spots and, after 50 years of service I can safely, proudly, say that I've just about seen it all, & been places no Cane has been before.

My employer is 102 yrs. old, now, and gets around only a little slower than when I first met him, but I remember that day like it was yesterday.

I'd been hanging around the Horton & Converse Pharmacy in W. LA for weeks, waiting to be "Discovered", just like dozens of my compatriots shipped out to LA, & Hollywood, the "Land of Opportunity", "The Big Chance", & "Dreams of Stardom Come True"...

Every one of my neighbors on the shelf had dreams of being the Cane of the next "Charlie Chaplin", or used as a prop in the lates Sherlock Holmes film, or TV Movie, or Mini-Series...

Yeah, right, silly dreamers.

Me? I was more realistic, & settled in to patiently bide my time.

I wasn't goint to rot, or accidentally get snapped in half, like my some of my wooden counterparts might, so settled in for the long haul, figuring that when the right person came along we would both know we wer right for each otehr, & I'd be set for life.

Finally, one day in late April 2012, a middle-aged White Man, in a snazzy black fedora, with American Flag, & Don't Tread on Me pins, & a cute winged, and & haloed, Cat one, too, walked hesitantly up to the display, and looked with askance at my companions, and I.

Oh no, I thought, a Newbie!

I'd heard stories, most of them horrific, about the fate of Canes in the hands of the inexperienced but, but there was something about this man that struck my fancy, & as I watched him fondle, & examine, the others, I just had a feeling, & so waited to see how things developed.

 

"Building a Platform" Challenge - Day 30: An Ending, & a Hoped For Beginning

Robert Lee Brewer, author, writer, editor at Writer's Digest, Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, and blogger extraordinaire, has set forth a challenge for budding, and experienced, writers alike, this month, and I began this journey, here.

Day 30 is about going forward, and taking what we did, and learned, in this Challenge, and finding ways to put it all to use to build a platform for ourselves as writers.

It is also about sharing our thoughts about the experience.

I began the month with hopes of learning some new things, making new friends, and connections, among people with similar interests, hopes, and dreams, and end the month with a lot to think about.

"Did you like it? Was it too much?"

Up until the last week, when events in my life took precidence for my time, I was having a fine time, even made some friends, as I tiptoed into the FB group, and began to use Twitter again.

"Do you feel like you're in a better place now than you were a month ago?"

Yes, and no, as I've not been able to get as involved, in activities, and discussions, and connecting with my fellows, as I might have wished, on FB, or the LinkedIn Group.

I've learned some new things, have some new websites, and presentations to check out.

The truth remains that I'm still as much a Newbie at the game of Platform Building as when I started, just a little less so.

As for daily/weekly tasks related to my writing, and platform building, in May...I am determined to do some new things, and re-ignite some old things, related to my blogging, especially the Cat blog, but my personal life will take up most of my focus....

I thank Mr. Brewer for the chance to go thru this experience.

It was something I felt was important for me to attempt and, despite everything, I'm glad I did. :-D

 

"Building a Platform" Challenge - Day 29

Robert Lee Brewer, author, writer, editor at Writer's Digest, Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, and blogger extraordinaire, has set forth a challenge for budding, and experienced, writers alike, this month, and I began this journey, here.

Day 29 is about making a "Task List of things you are going to do on each day of May". Brreak down 31 days with 31 tasks for each day....

Mr. Brewer encouraged us to "focus on blog posts, commenting on other sites, linking to articles, contacting experts, or whatever it is that you are going to do in May to keep momentum building toward an incredible author platform....Somewhere near the end of May, you should have a day set aside with one task: Make a task list of things to do on each day of June. And so on and so forth. Keep it going, keep it rolling, and your efforts will continue to gain momentum and speed. I promise."

My tasks for the month won't be all about my writing, and there are other things going on right now in my life that need to be taken care of as I begin to move forward, my bloging will be there to keep me focused on my hopes, and dreams.

"Building a Platform" Challenge - Day 28

Robert Lee Brewer, author, writer, editor at Writer's Digest, Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, and blogger extraordinaire, has set forth a challenge for budding, and experienced, writers alike, this month, and I began this journey, here.

Day 28 is about repeating the task from Day 6...read and comment on a blog post (MNINB does not count), making sure that your comment links back to your blog or website.

Nikita, or Elvira, will be hosting Carnival of the Cats, tomorrow evening, so will make a point of leaving comments on the posts submitted to Carnival. :-D

 

"Building a Platform" Challenge - Day 27

Robert Lee Brewer, author, writer, editor at Writer's Digest, Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, and blogger extraordinaire, has set forth a challenge for budding, and experienced, writers alike, this month, and I began this journey, here.

Day 27 was about joining at least one new social media site.

Mr. Brewer wrote about why Social Media Experimentation is important, and how he grew to like being on Facebook, & Twitter, and learned how to best use them to promote his various efforts.

I joined Pinterest, my profile is here, and may join at least one other site in coming days.

"Building a Platform" Challenge - Day 26

Robert Lee Brewer, author, writer, editor at Writer's Digest, Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, and blogger extraordinaire, has set forth a challenge for budding, and experienced, writers alike, this month, and I began this journey, here.

Day 26 is about encouraging your readers to sign up for your blog feed, or share their favorite post via the various share buttons, and about remembering to blog every day, or at least several times a week, because it "builds trust with your readers that you'll have something to share regularly and gives them a reason to visit regularly."

So, I'll spend a part of the weekend doing new posts along those lines for both blogs. :-D

"Building a Platform" Challenge - Day 24 and 25

Robert Lee Brewer, author, writer, editor at Writer's Digest, Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, and blogger extraordinaire, has set forth a challenge for budding, and experienced, writers alike, this month, and I began this journey, here.

Day 24 was about another Chat on Twitter, and I missed that one, too. :-D

Day 25 is about how "One way to improve your platform is to make connections with other folks in your field....And a great way to make connections while helping establish your expertise in a field is through the act of interviewing experts. Sooo..."

We are supposed to see if we can get someone to let us interview them for a Blog Post.

Mr. Brewer gives tips on asking for an interview, handling an e-mail interview, and what to do once the interview goes live.

Like with the Guest Post Task I don't think I'm ready for this one yet, a lot suddenly on my plate to worry about, right now.

A Day at the LA Times Festival of Books

On Saturday afternoon I spend 4 hours loitering about the campus of USC with several thousand complete strangers. :-D

I took the Metrolink Train from the station in Orange, to Union Station, in LA.

In Orange I spent a pleasant 1/2 hour chatting with a young lady from the Czech Republic, a teacher attending a conference at Chapman College, who was going to spend the day exploring downtown LA.

Once at Union Station things soon took a turn for the, um, Fishy. :-D

Yes, it's true!

Apparently my Sassy Lady, Elvira Mistress of Felinity, has her fans in the strangest of places. :-D

On the train, and all afternoon, at the Festival, my shirt kept attracting attention, allowing me to tell about our Cat Blog, and pass out a card about it, Nikita, & Elvira.

How many people will come by for a look, I do not know. :-D

"Building a Platform" Challenge - Day 23

Robert Lee Brewer, author, writer, editor at Writer's Digest, Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, and blogger extraordinaire, has set forth a challenge for budding, and experienced, writers alike, this month, and I began this journey, here.

Day 23 is about Time Management...

No not the management of Time Magazine, silly! :-D

This exercise is about "creating a time management plan that enables you to be "active" socially and connect with other writers and potential readers while also spending a majority of your time writing."

This is going to take a little thought as I've got a lot of concerns at the moment, and doing my 18 Ankle Exercises twice a day, and another bunch at the Gym, 3 days of the week, is just part of it.

Mr. Brewer discusses the subject in great detail.