Friday, January 30, 2009

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 48



This is week 48 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. I completely lost track of the fact that today is Friday. Completely. Until about 6:45. And I'm tired. So anyway, luckily someone wrote and asked me something about Wordzzles or I'd have simply forgotten and I wrote these at the very last minute, very tired under pressure and they are AWFUL! I mean the stink up the joint. And my imagination will simply not kick in to add any imagination to them, so all I can do is post them - late - and apologize that they are so bad. I didn't think this batch of words would be that tough, but they were for some reason. Not too happy with next week's words either. My brain seems to be vacationing in the Bahamas while the rest of me shivers and moans about cold and snow. But I'm writing all this because I just hate the idea of posting what I've written.... but eventually I have to, so... guess I will... Sorry....



The words for this week's ten word challenge were: snow and ice, vegetarian chili, pampered kitty, anthropology, do you own a home, coronation, you can change the world, hideous curtains, stammering, premonitions Mini Challenge: Is there a doctor in the house, blowing in the breeze, shadows, comedian, sleeping disorder




Here's my ten-word offering for this week:



Snow days are the best. Nothing beats a nice bowl of vegetarian chili and a pampered kitty purring on your lap on a cold winter day when snow and ice are making the outside world too miserable to venture into. Yesterday was a TV all the way day for me. A little Discovery Channel programming on anthropology followed by HDTV asking me, “Do you own your own home?” and telling me how to shop for one, then showing me seven easy ways to take my hideous curtains and make them into show pieces. Next I watched a PBS documentary on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. At one point I must have fallen asleep and I think kitty changed the channel because I woke up to some strange woman stammering premonitions and muttering something like You can change the world. I closed my wonderful snow day with a big bowl of popcorn and great Netflix movie – if you haven’t seen “Lars and the Real Girl,” you really should – and had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in ages.



And here's my mini challenge:


His long hair blowing in the breeze, the comedian Gary Giggles stood in the shadows thanking his lucky stars that he had already finished his act an hour earlier, before the man with the sleep disorder had arrived. He felt sorry for his colleague – alone on the huge outdoor stage - trying unsuccessfully to turn the problem of into comic gold. He had now resorted – only have joking - to the desperate cry of “Is there a doctor in the house?” Alas there as no reply,




And for the mega challenge:



As a result of her sleeping disorder, Marissa had been having terrible dreams and premonitions for several weeks. In one of the dreams, which she had almost nightly, she was in a strange, horribly decorated house with the most hideous curtains and furnishing she had ever seen and walls decorated with posters that said things like You Can Change the World and Anthropology is the Best Ology. There was also a collection of gaudy dishes each with a different cat and the world pampered kitty in gold, but as far as she could tell, no actual cat. On the stove was a can that said Coronation Vegetarian Chili. Outside everything was snow and ice so it was a shock when the door swung open and Frankenstein, who had long hair that was blowing in the breeze, stood there holding out a real estate card and alternately stammering, “Do you own your own home?” and “Is there a doctor in the house?”. Frankenstein was followed in short order by the comedian Groucho Marx singing Me and My Shadow. Something must be done, she muttered over and over. The curtains are bad enough, Frankenstein reminding me over and over that I don’t own my own home is painful in the extreme, but Groucho Marx singing is the absolutely the worst.



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This week’s vanity wordzzle: feathered dream-catcher, silence, sea wrack, total, absolute, dolphin, eerie, living room, magisterial, bird feeder, munitions dump, God-jar


“I know what the feathered dream-catcher is for, but what’s a God-jar, sir? I’ve never heard of that before.” The old man gave her an eerie smile and studied her quietly for a moment. “Hmm. I did not recognize you at first,” he muttered, as though by her question, he knew her now. “Not many ask about the God-jar, only the true seekers. The God-jar is something different to each person’s journey. It is not some quaint conversation piece with which to decorate your living room. It is a thing of great power.” Lucinda was strangely shaken, not just by his words but by the stern, magisterial tone of them. “Oh, I was just curious, really. . . I mean, I’m not . . .” He just nodded and smiled quietly. “Not many ask about the God-jar. Not many are ready for its wonders.” “Yes, I see. Oh, what a lovely bird feeder,” she exclaimed, trying desperately to change the subject. She felt like she had stumbled into a minefield or a munitions dump with one innocent question. He smiled at her again, this time with a twinkle in his eye. “Ah, dear child, you do not understand. You did not ask about the God-jar, it has asked about you. You see, it is the God-jar which seeks people out, not the other way around. It does not call many, but now it has called you and its call is absolute and must be answered. Although you do not realize it yet, you are a light seeker. I am a shaman to my people and I would be honored to act as your guide and teacher on this journey. Are you willing to listen?” Lucinda nodded quietly, not sure why she was saying yes, but knowing somehow that there was no other answer. “Good. Now, you must clear three weeks time on your calendar which you can spend and when you are ready, return to me here. I will be waiting. Before you return, however, you must spend one day in total silence. Go down to the shore, sit on the sand, among the sea wrack and listen to the whispers of the wind and the ocean, and especially watch for the dolphins. They will speak to you and you will tell me what they have said. We will go from there.



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Next Week's 10 Word Challenge: author, Wall Street, rage, lemons, channel changer, cookies and milk, candelabra, Pine Cone Motel, illusory, fluffer-doodle.


And the mini challenge: war, wooden shoes, flabbergast, chimera, vodka martini






Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.

Enjoy! See you next week.




DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!


17 comments:

Alice (in BC Canada) said...

Ahhhh, I have my very first Wordzzle post up now, and now that I've posted that news here, I am going to go read your post, Raven.

Alice (in BC Canada) said...

Well, I totally enjoyed reading your post, Raven. It's amazing how totally different these two are. I look forward to reading other posts as they come in. I see that you've in some cases slightly changed the words used (sleeping/sleep disorder, singular/plural, that kind of thing). Good to know one can do this, will keep it in mind for future challenges.

I had a lot of fun doing this writing. Thanks for the inspiration.

Richard said...

Best line - Anthropology is the best Ology. Great stories Raven

Akelamalu said...

Talk about 'great minds think alike'! My mini involved a comedian and my mega involved a dream too! LOL

bettygram said...

I liked the bad dreams but I liked the vanity story the best.

Melli said...

I have got to remember the ol' brand name trick! That was great! AND the "best ology" - oh my! I LOL'd! My story this week is ... different.

Dr.John said...

Your dream stories were good but the last story was excellent.
I wonder what the dolphins will tell her.

Dianne said...

I too loved the best ology line!!

the snow day sounded very comfy :)

Finding Pam said...

Raven, all of your stories were great, but I especially loved the vanity word challenge. I loved the God-jar and the shaman. What a wonderful journey.

Anonymous said...

Your dream story made me laugh. I read it right AFTER I finished telling OC about the dream I had last night -- wherein I painted our walls (inside) dark blue with vertical green stripes. I was busy painting the trim baby-poop yellow when OC came hom enad -- for some really weird reason -- threw a fit over the colors!

But your last story is wonderful! What is even more amazing, I have a scene from a novel synopsis that is very similar, but certainly could have used the improvement of dolphins!

Anonymous said...

I did the 10 word one. Yours is good.

Anonymous said...

My favorite is Coronation Vegetarian Chili! That was wonderful!

I loved your stories. I will go check out that movie... been trying to find movies to see.

I wanted to invite you to join me in my One Click A Day Challenge. I'll be posting the details in the next few days!

Have a great weekend.

MommyWizdom

holly said...

i imagine groucho marx singing IS absolutely the worst.

ooooh! i absolutely now want to clear three weeks on *my* calendar. one day in total silence sounds heavenly. right now i'd settle for half an hour.

and another vote for best line : the ology one.

Travis Cody said...

That first one sounds like a pretty relaxing day. I swear sometimes my kitty changes the channel when I nod off for a nap.

Carletta said...

As soon as I read the ten word I knew you were off and running no matter what you had said about them not being good.... :)
The vanity - excellent - I wanted more.

gabrielle said...

I have to cast my vote for "anthropology is the best ology!!!" Brilliant. I’d love to see a follow up to Lucinda’s quest. Lars and the Real Girl was a wonderful sleeper. Being part feral myself, I strongly identified with the protagonist.

This week I broke through my writer’s block. LOL, we both conjured up Groucho!

San said...

Raven, your 10-word wordzzle makes me long for another snow day. Kind of. I've actually been enjoying the warm weather we've been having lately; it's the cozying up indoors I'm longing for, the down time. Lars and the Real Girl--that's pure magic. I was expecting slapstick, maybe crude, comedy. And it was just so beautiful.

I love your comedian's audience--a man with a sleep disorder. I am envisioning a guy with narcolepsy who falls asleep inappropriately, snoring loudly. At the punchlines of course.

And Coronation Vegetarian Chili. That is so perfectly icky. It conjures tastes and smells of store brands past the expiration date.

Please, pretty please--provide a sequel to the god-jar episode.