Blogophilia 40.16: Something Fishy

Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 40 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! Also, welcome to Season 4 of Year 16! from Marvin Martien.

Facebook blogophilia group HERE and WordPress blog topic parameters HERE

Hard Bonus: Feature a beach in North or South Carolina

Easy Bonus: Incorporate any type of fish

Eye Sea

I smell Something Fishy about Google not explaining that there is a river that empties into the Atlantic Ocean immediately south of the Carolinas boarder. I was hoping to find a beach that crossed it, but can’t because I learned that Calabash River, Intercoastal Waterway, and Mullet River come together & let out. I learned something new! 🙂 Maybe if I ever get to visit that area of the country, I will have to set myself to visit Sunset Beach Fishing Pier in North Carolina, then visit Bird Island, and go to Cherry Grove Pointe in South Carolina then Cherry Grove Beach. That would be a great day trip, don’t you think? Here’s another thing… We think of seafood being shellfish, which include lobster, shrimp, crab, mussels, and crawfish, which are crustaceans, mostly. Fish that come from the sea are tuna, bass, and there’s actually dogfish too! And if it’s freshwater fish, why is it seafood when the seas refer to oceans? I don’t know… so it’s confusing when people say they are allergic to seafood because it could mean shellfish, ocean fish or freshwater fish, each category has their pros & cons. I guess just go with what you like.

Blogophilia 39.16: Staying in Good Grace

Marvin Martian says: Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 39 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! Oh happy days – SPRING is finally here! And it’s the last week of Season 3 – next week, we start the final and 4th season of Year 16!

Blogophilia group on Facebook here and on WordPress – blog topic parameters right here & how blogophilia works over here.

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a quote or line by Rumi

Easy Bonus: Mention your favorite spring flower

Royal Rumble

I don’t know… Sometimes it’s weird with Staying in Good Grace – so, when at work, you should be professional & get along with your peers, but there are those who go to compete in a popularity contest and I’m not about that. Once in my mid 20s, I worked at a burger joint. The other people wanted to go to a bar to drink. I don’t drink a lot, but used to enjoy a little bit. As the pitchers went down, the more they ranked on the head manager, and I basically refused to participate in that conversation. So I stopped hanging out with them after work hours. Same head manager put me on for extra hours during mid-term exams then took me off the schedule for spring break. My attitude was yeah, I know they’re trying to make me quit, I hung in there to get as many hours as I could for as long as I could. So when it came to terminating me, the head manager says (after taking me on & off the schedule, rearranging, etc.) that I’m regressing instead of progressing, and how I don’t seem to “fit in with the rest of the team”. Um, my job was out on the floor, while everyone else was behind the counter… that supposedly wasn’t it, I just raised an eyebrow. Oh well.

I’ve had other similar instances where it seemed I didn’t fit with the rest of the people. My own mother even ranked on the fact that I ought to care about what other people think of me. Well, the boss liked me enough to hire me, and I go there to work to the best of my ability, not brown nose, not be the pet employee, etc. Eventually, feeling stuck in healthcare as an aide, I made the move to go into an office as a medical secretary, but that didn’t happen… Funny thing is, I’m a receptionist at a nursing home, so I’m still in health care to a point. It’s just my skills can transfer to any industry. Anyway, as life’s situation changes, it seems as if I’m finally now, reliable enough for my current boss to work with me. I am grateful. I just try to do my best with what I have & it’s actually good enough. While I don’t get to do music all of the time, maybe that’s good. “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do“. Rumi

But maybe, like wild strawberry & wild columbine, spread goodness to others, human & nonhuman, animals & plants, etc. Sometimes I will stumble & maybe act out, but… hey, perfection is overrated, right? Wishing you all well.

Blogophilia Week 38.16 – Good Fortune

From the house of Marvin Martian: Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 38 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! Make sure you wear green on St. Paddy’s Day, lest you may get pinched! 😉

Blogophilia Facebook group and on WordPress blog topic parameters & how it works

Hard Bonus: Mention a mysterious location or haunted place

Easy Bonus: Include a gold or silver coin

Leprechaun O’path

We could all use some Good Fortune. I am fortunate that my place of employment is being cool about my work there. With this major surgery, I was able to get this weekend off, and will have the opportunity to make it up to my co-worker later in the month. And because I will be able to pick up an extra silver coin or even some gold coins later!

Winslow School

I’d like to know more about Winslow School, originally Racine’s 3rd Ward school. At it’s former location, people, especially students have seen apparitions & more. When I was about 19, I was 1 of 6 college students to go there to “internationalize” the school. My college contacts from the International Student Organization included a guy from Saudi Arabia to go into 5th grade, a guy from the Philippines in 4th grade, a Cantonese guy in 3rd grade, a Pakistani gal in 2nd grade, Mandarin Chinese gal in 1st grade, and I took kindergarten (both AM & PM0. At the end of the school year, we came back for their open house when all the parents came, also. The artwork, projects, etc. were so fun to look at.

East Meadows Cemetary

The next place is East Meadows Cemetery. There is a West Meadows way out in the county, but I don’t know about that one. East Meadows started off being kind of like a Potter’s Grave for unclaimed family members & still born babies before some compassion went into those babies’ families. Many got moved to West. I can’t be for sure, but some of the homeless people who have passed are rumored to be buried here, and especially if anyone has unresolved issues, who knows.

I’m not one to really believe in spooks, but, let’s face it. If our spirits live on past our bodies, where do they go? Not everyone goes to an afterlife, so are these haunts in purgatory? Don’t know they aren’t physical anymore? I have questions…

So, what are you going to do?

UW-Parkside Wind Ensemble & Community Band

The Wind Ensemble & Community Band

Under the direction of Laura Rexroth

Musician, Conductor, Educator.

w/guest conductor, Mike Madonia

Thursday, March 13 7:00pm

Bedford Concert Hall

Tickets HERE

March from “Symphonic Metamorphosis” – Hindemith

The Seal Lullaby – Whitacre

Three Stanzas of Plum Blossom – Chan

Women of the Podium March – Allen

Ash – Jolley

Cathedrals – Salfelde

If you don’t come, you’re missing a great concert & show. The people in the band do this for the love of playing music and are just as professional sounding as any paid classical group. Be there or be square!

Blogophilia Week 37.16 – Moonglow

Marvin Martian says Greetings Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 37 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! Beware the IDES OF MARCH this Saturday, and be on the lookout for the Worm Blood Moon!

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a song title or lyric by Pink Floyd

Easy Bonus: Use the word “serendipity”

Pepper Cheese Moon

Midnight walks under the Moonglow of the worm blood worm

Whether the sun will fall in the evening

All will be in the balance of night & day – it’s serendipity

Blogophilia 36.16: Curious Minds

Marvin Martian says Greetings and Salutations, Earthlings and fellow Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 36 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! Welcome March, as we countdown to spring. Today we explore the topic of curiosity!

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE & blog topic parameters on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a Jimi Hendrix lyric or quote

Easy Bonus: Include a state capital

Ze Hand

I guess it’s better to have Curious Minds than Criminal Minds. I’d rather bring you an episode of humor, useless factoid, or a lift of your spirits than an episode of investigation. Because if I was, I’d have to tell you “I didn’t mean to take up all your sweet time – I’ll give it right back to you one of these days, hahaha” (Voodoo Child – Electric Lady album 1968) from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Blogophilia 35.16: Until the Twelfth of Never

From Marvin Martian: Greetings and Salutations, Earthlings and fellow Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 35 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! We are finishing up February and heading into March this coming week. We are guessing many of you are ready for some spring weather soon! :)

Blogophilia on Facebook HERE and blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric from Soundgarden

Easy Bonus: Use the phrase “life is short”

City of Lights & Reflection

Soundgarden "Hunted Down" from Down on the Upside album 1996

You smile as you look in the mirror

Tears have left your eyes

Your face has a different exterior

Permanent disguise

Life is short, depending on how you define it... When we are young, time lasts forever, but moves faster as we get older. Some people don't make 50, others pass 100 - don't wait Until the Twelfth of Never or you'll lived too long or too short without experiencing life. Go get 'em.

Blogophilia 34.16: WRITER’S CHOICE!!! Peace Baby!

Marvin Martian‘s message: Hello dear Blogophilians!! It is WRITER’S CHOICE WEEK – YOU pick the topics, YOU pick the bonus prompts, and you have the freedom to use the picture provided, or choose your own! Happy Writing!

Blogophilia group on Facebook and blog topic parameters here on WordPress

Hard Bonus: WRITER’S CHOICE Incorporate a line from the movie Purgatory

Easy Bonus: WRITER’S CHOICE Use a line from U2’s song Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Peaces of Chalk

Remember when kids used to use chalk on the sidewalks to either do hopscotch or pictures? I wasn’t allowed, but had fun at those who did. It’s too bad the short chalk pieces didn’t get used to make a peace sign… back when we were relatively worry free. It was easy to tell people Peace, Baby!

As an adult, I feel like often peace obligates protest. And it’s not just for the young people who are college aged. While teenage angst is what movies depict most, I think there’s a lot more going on when we grow up, especially if we struggle to make ends meet, and it’s greater when we have children. Even when we go ask for help, we don’t necessarily get it, because there are limited resources with growing population who need the help… So, sometimes, when we are told to go here or there & we’ve already been, I want to say, “I don’t want his help! He didn’t help Melanie and he didn’t help me. Look at me! I wanted to be a lawyer, because I believed in justice. Ha! That’s a laugh. Does this look like justice to you? Oh!” – Purgatory 1988 film

I get it that we will never agree fully with political stances… there are a wide range of beliefs. yet I feel like the right keeps moving to insane measures, and the left has been also… There seems to me no middle ground anymore where the opposite sides can agree, even if it’s limited… Though seriously, I don’t get it as to why free (healthy) lunches for students, Medicare for all, and affordable higher education are so whacky to some people… Which is why it baffles me that conservatives, who always want to be “fiscally responsible” voted for a clown… I’d like to quote U2’s Sunday, Bloody Sunday

I can’t believe the news today
Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away

And the battle’s just begun
There’s many lost, but tell me who has won?
The trenches dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart

No, I will not compromise equity for people of color, LGBT, women, disabled, etc. just for saving pennies in the store and gas pumps, except that look, the grocery prices have gone up more than gas prices have come down. The clown was voted in to discriminate without helping the economy…

Blogophilia Week 33.16 – The Red Queen Effect

Martien Ecrits (aka Marvin Martian) says Hello dear Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 33 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! This week it’s all hearts and flowers – Happy Valentine’s Day to all! ❤

We have our Blogophilia group on Facebook. Blog topic parameters & how it works here on WordPress.

Hard Bonus: Include a line from the movie “Pretty in Pink”

Easy Bonus: Mention your favorite candy

Tree of Hearts

In high school, one of my science teachers mentioned that “change is the only constant”. At face value, it doesn’t make much sense, but it’s true… As we age, our bodies & minds go through changes. The economy, social norms, life’s happenstances, etc… Nothing stays the same. So, the concept that organisms (humans included, maybe even business practices, too) must constantly adapt and evolve their current position in an environment where their competitors are evolving is The Red Queen Effect. As living beings, we want to be relevant somehow. Even when we look in nature, with schools of fish, flock of birds, even like trees growing near each other, we want to belong & count somehow. Yet, long gone are the days of generational farmers, or starting a job at 18 and staying until retirement… And when our income doesn’t meet up with our bills, it seems as if working a full-time & part-time job is no longer feasible, especially since once upon a time, 1 income supported a family, so if a part-time job was had, that was for extras, not just to survive. I’m trying to reinvent myself to have gig work as a musician to keep up with everything.

And talking about changes… “Principal (to Andie): “If you put out signals that you don’t want to belong, people are going to see that you don’t.” I was always one that liked to people watch, and didn’t like to be the center of attention. Being in a larger concert band, I could blend in with the other musicians. Yet I’ve been good at public speaking, and in college, kept getting asked to take leadership positions… So I’m not sure if the principle is correct – I didn’t really belong when I was in Japan, being the only American kid in school, but then didn’t fit in here, being the only Japanese kid… it was strange. Yet, there I was, with multiple officer positions with the International Student Organization, Multi-cultural co-chair & chair of Women’s Issues committees with student government…

Now I need some candy… but I can’t choose right now between Snickers, KitKat, peanut M&Ms, Twix, Reese’s peanut butter cups, ugh, so many choices!

Blogophilia 32.16: Hike in the Woods

Marvin Martian says Hello dear Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 32 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! Time to get on those hiking boots and get moving!

Want to write? You can either join the Blogophilia group on Facebook or you can check out the blog topic parameters here on WordPress. If you don’t want your own blog account, it’s ok to leave your post as a comment below the posts or if on Facebook as it’s own post in the group.

Hard Bonus: Have a character “walk on fire” or include the phrase in your blog

Easy Bonus: Incorporate lightning

On the path to adventure

I miss the days of going to a cabin, lodge, campsite, etc. when I could Hike in the Woods! I’d always take the side turns, twists, etc. and find these spots to find frogs, wild berries, or something… I’m just glad that so far, I’ve never had to walk on fire, although I do love a good, natural light & sound show, and still have yet been able to capture lightening in a picture. I love a thunder & lightening storm with the rain coming down… I miss my covered porches so I can sit outside.

Blogophilia 31.16: Deliberately Lost

Martien Ecrits says: “Most of us have been lost or felt lost at one time or another in our life. Or maybe you have gotten DELIBERATELY lost, to escape from the world or your problems. (As for me, I have found myself lost in space a few times, HA!) Being lost can be a physical, mental or emotional thing. Do you ask for directions, or keep moving forward on a meandering path? Do you use GPS or other tools to find your way? Let’s hear your thoughts and experiences on being lost. We look forward to reading your amazing writes this week. Join us at Blogophilia, the place for blogging, fun and friendship for over 16 years!”

We have Blogophilia Facebook Group, as well as blog topic parameters here on WordPress, and how it works, also on WordPress. Please join us, the more the merrier. It’s ok if you don’t want to open your own blog or have facebook. Just comment under the blog topic parameters for your entry, if you’d like.

Hard Bonus: Include a Colorado ski town

Easy Bonus: Incorporate the word “fandango”

Winter Web

There have been several times in life that I’ve been mentally lost. What do I do next? Where do I go? How do I get to the next step? Survival mode can be nuts, and sometimes I’ve figured it out, other times just waited through it. Then there are the times that people said I’m getting them Deliberately Lost. Maybe, but not really. I like to explore, and don’t mind finding new things in a new environment. I’m just good at remembering certain markers when I make a turn, and find my way back. So, even part way through, when I get asked, “Do you know where you are” or “do you know where you’re going”? No, but we will find something – whether it’s the charming odds & ends store, or wild berries, whatever it is will be found. the point is the journey, not necessarily the destination, yet we will find it anyway. Even Purgatory Resort in the dead of snowy winter has hidden gems to find off the beaten path. Maybe there will be a dance hall where I’ll find a partner to dance the fandango with me while playing castanets while I dance with a tambourine.

February starts the music season again! I will be playing with the UW-Parkside Community Band, after a hiatus from rotator cuff surgery. I will continue to play with the Racine Concert Band as well as the Kenosha Pops Concert Band. I have a current birthday fundraiser for the Racine Concert Band on Facebook that ends on Valentine’s day. I have yet to donate to it, but will be closer to it’s end.

Blogophilia 30.16: When Crossing Time

Marvin Martian says: Hello dear Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 30 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – celebrating the accomplishments of one of the USA’s great civil rights leader!

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE

Blog topic parameters Right Here and how it works Over Here on WordPress

You can write a post in a comment on the blog topic post or in the Facebook group, or start your own blog. Anyway you slice it, it’s all good!

Hard Bonus: Include the phrase “two wrongs don’t make a right”

Easy Bonus: Say a prayer

Crank Calling

When Crossing Time, do we pause aging in that moment, or do we get younger or older? I don’t know… Maybe it’s irrelevant when we break the space/time continuum. It would be nice if we could call the future to see what we can do now to get the best possible outcome possible, because I’d like to have a better future for our younger generations, and we can’t do that if we keep screwing up… We know two wrongs don’t make a right! Or maybe we need to say a prayer that the future can come back in time to fix the wrongs…

Like in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, where Captain Kirk, Spock, and others came back to save the humpback whales, which was extinct in the future. The natural balance is important. Life depends on this, here on earth.

Or how about Star Trek: First Contact with the Next Generation crew, who battles the Borg to ensure that Zefram Cochrane actually builds his warp drive to make contact with Vulcans, so the future Federation of Planets can be. Except we still need to figure out how to stop being bigoted based on religion & stop with the xenophobia…

It’s too bad we’re not ready for this yet… Even if 2063 is 38 years from now… I think MLK Jr. and his dream for equality is needed right now, and if we can make that happen, we can move forward. Yet that seems impossible with a new president here in the USA who seems to be the opposite of what he stood for. I believe when we improve the bottom line for the lowliest of us, we improve for all – we all deserve that dream.

Blogophilia 29.16: Wine or Whine

From Marvin Martian: Hello dear Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 29 of Year 16 in Blogophilia! For those of you in California, we send our prayers for containment of the wildfires and hope that everyone is safe!

We also are very saddened to hear the news of our beloved Craig Fallon’s death last week. Craig aka “The Falcon” was with Blogophilia from the very beginning, over 16 years ago. His kindness, his talented writing, his sense of humor and his friendship will be forever treasured and missed by The Martian House, Blogophilia, and the entire writing community from Myspace to Facebook and beyond. We send our love and condolences to his beautiful wife and fellow Blogophilian Melissa Fallon. And now our dear Craig has become an Honored Blogophilian…. rest in peace, dear friend!

Facebook Blogophilia group Over Here

Blog topic parameters & how it works HERE

Hard Bonus: Recant or decant something

Easy Bonus: Mention a pet peeve

I hate when that happens…

I would like to whine about the loss of another Blogophilian. Craig was quite a good writer, and I’d like to send my condolences to Melissa, another talented writer. But whining won’t do us any good, so instead, I’d like to raise a glass of wine in memory of Craig & in honor of Melissa. Of course, we can’t decant from this bottle, so I’d like to use a better corkscrew to open it. So, when the choice is Wine or Whine, let’s pick the wine. I don’t like when the corkscrew is too short for the cork. How are we supposed to raise a nice, bold, 4 grape blend Merlot, if we can’t pour?

Sending love to the Fallon family as well as to our bloggers (past & present) in California and hope that all are as safe & sound as possible. I recant complaining about the cold weather… I can stay inside, and the worst we get is snow.