If you’ve read my blogs, you’ll understand the title of this one and why I chose to write it. Let’s begin by breaking down how a traditional cautionary tale is supposed to be structured and its purpose. As the two words—cautionary tale, imply, it is an ask for you to stop, and proceed with caution. There may be danger ahead. There are three parts of … Continue reading Writing Prompts. A Good Thing or a Cautionary Tale?
Write about: A taste that excites you and the moment you first encountered it. I came across this writing prompt in 642 Things to Write About and stopped on it because I do have a recollection. That surprised me. I hadn’t ever considered my experience as something profound, but when the prompt came, the memory flooded back. I was at a friend’s house, sitting on … Continue reading Favorite Food Memory
George and I are arguing. It’s tax preparation season. It’s a similar experience to when you sit down with a shrink. You cannot lie. Actually, that’s a guideline, but only for the shrink. If you lie to your therapist, then what’s the point? Unfortunately, I can think of a whole list of reasons why you would do that. Embarrassment, awkwardness, guilt, shame, nerves, fear of … Continue reading Taxes are Hard
Every time I go to my local pet store and shove my card into the credit card reader, I get this prompt. Every time I gnash my teeth in frustration. It is a terrible question. Let’s break it down. That question is a trap, and I resent it. It forces you to reply either yes or no to the question before you can move on … Continue reading Will You Help Save a Homeless Pet?
I get a lot of e-mail from a childcare site where I worked in the past. It pops up periodically with messages from parents, searching for babysitters or to fill nanny positions. I usually open them without thought, curious what the request is and why after so many years, the cookies on this site still have me listed as a sticky candidate. So I open … Continue reading Hey Dan, Call me.
Don’t worry, it’s a short test, but it’s graded on a pass/fail. Did you know this test has a scientific origin from the 14th century? Back then, I doubt people had the time to use it for the purpose we typically wield it with today. It all started from a compound called lichen which is like a fungus that grows on rocks or trees. A … Continue reading My Litmus Test. Can we be Friends?
Exhibit A—the title of my blog. Annabelle Blogs. Is blogs a verb? I suppose it has to be here, right? A sentence must contain at least one noun – pronoun in this case, (Ha!) and a verb. Is that right? Could blogs it be a noun? Blogs—like newspapers, magazines—those are nouns. How am I going to get past this so I can write the actual … Continue reading Punctuation
Beyond jazzed that this happened! I’m looking forward to the learning experience, the people watching, the conversations with unsuspecting strangers, and the thrilling possibility that I may be seated on a jury. I’ve been called for jury duty only once before. It did not go well. Back then I was bopping around in high heels, the classic Louis Vuitton bag dangling from my arm, any … Continue reading Yay! They Called me for Jury Duty!
I just spent an hour and fifteen minutes of my life trying to get the right vertical scroll on a folder in my computer to re-appear. I will never get that time back. What else could I have done in that amount of time? Made a kick-ass lasagna and side salad for dinner. Worked out. Taken the dog for a walk. Cleaned the bathrooms. Watched … Continue reading Down the Rabbit Hole
It sits in my drawer. Someone won. I just completed my morning toilette – that’s French, folks, for washing and dressing, look it up. Marie Antoinette had lots of help with this, but I have no time for frilleries. (If that’s not a word, I don’t care). The point is, I used my toilette time not to focus necessarily on my appearance, but to fantasize … Continue reading I Want to Check My Lotto Numbers but Am Afraid to Lose the Dream
