Blogophilia 16.17: Cyberspace

From the House of Marvin Martian: Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! This is Week 16 in Year 17 Blogophilia! Where would we be without CYBERSPACE? This alien certainly would not have met all of you wonderful Earthlings, if not for this amazing technology. Alas, cyberspace can be both a blessing and a curse. Let’s explore how cyberspace brought positivity – opening up opportunities, creating bonds and friendships across space, forging unity within humanity, the list is endless… Alternatively, you can choose to write about negative aspects – time constraints, withdrawing from real life, strain on relationships, deception, fraud, identity theft, feeling inadequate comparing selves to others… the list goes on. So think about it, and get typing! We hope this inspires you to join us and write with us this week!!

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE. On WordPress, blog topic parameters & how it works HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a song title by King Crimson

Easy Bonus: Mention a robot

Bionics Live

Cyberspace, a place to be or a place to do? Somewhere there’s a community; otherwise, it’s to be avoided. We can be In the Court of the Crimson King (1969 album, titled as the song) and hope that we aren’t falling Into the Frying Pan (2000 The Construkction of Light album). Maybe we could use the help of Rosie (The Jetsons’ housekeeper).

Coming up:

• Who: The Racine Concert Band with Walden III High School Bands
• What: RCB Educational Outreach Program in our public high schools
• Where: Washington Park High School theater
• When: Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 7pm
• Why: Quality music brought to you by our very own community!
• How: Just show up, it’s free! Donations accepted.

Blogophilia 15.17: Trip the Light Fantastic

Marvin Martian says Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! This is Week 15 in Year 17 Blogophilia!

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

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a Procol Harum lyric

Easy Bonus: Include a mineral color (copper, bronze, gold, etc)

Field of Sun

Wandering the field toward the pond, the sun is rising over the mountainous horizon. Fool’s gold cannot hold me in place. “There’s you, you’re sleeping over there, whilst me I’m sitting here, with so much sea between us” (Procol Harum, Too Much Between Us, A Salty Dog album 1969). Trip the Light Fantastic as I walk away.

Important information!

• Who: UW-Parkside Wind Ensemble & Community Band
• What: Hours’ worth of quality & variety of music
• Where: UW-Parkside Rita Tallent stage
• When: Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7pm
• How: Buy your tickets online or in person at the boxoffice
• Why: Live concerts in person is always best, in this relaxed environment

The groups are under the graceful direction of the Director of Music, Dr. Laura Rexroth, at Parkside. Professor James Ripley, the director of Instrumental Music Activities, comes to be a guest conductor Jessie’s Well. We have a variety from a fanfare to an Afro-Cuban tribute. You won’t want to miss this one.

Blogophilia 14.17: Deep in the Night

Blogophilia 14.17: Deep in the Night

Posted on September 28, 2025 by likamarie

Marvin Martian, our fearless organizer says “We just want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of our Blogophilian friends for joining in the challenges each week! WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH! And to former Blogo writers, we sincerely invite ALL of you to return to Blogophilia and write with us again – we miss reading your amazing writes. Remember that it’s never too late to start writing again!!” And I encourage those who haven’t participated yet to come write with us, too.

Blogophilia group on Facebook – blog topic parameters on WordPress and then How It Works

Hard Bonus: Use the word “Mendicant”

Easy Bonus: Incorporate a lyric or quote from Lady Gaga

Feed the Birds

Deep in the Night, artists dream, poets write, and neuroses often rise their ugly head. Creative streaks make it less lonely, in hopes that we don’t need to be a mendicant during the day to get through our troubles. Look What I Found, Under the foggy day, I’m looking for a light, And my only friend, Is working tonight (Lady Gaga, 2018 A Star Is Born soundtrack). It would be nice if we all could be mendi-can…

Blogophilia 13.17 – Indian Summer

I’m with Marvin Martian when he says “Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! This is Week 13 in Year 17 Blogophilia! And it is also the final week of Season 1 of Year 17 – and this week we welcome AUTUMN! Where has the time gone?”

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE. Blog topic parameters on WordPress HERE. You are able to post your entry as a comment in either place, or in Facebook group as a post.

Hard Bonus: Include the title of a song with a color in it

Easy Bonus: Incorporate the name of your favorite tree

Rainbow Trees

Time flies, but it didn’t help that spring was late… so it feels like we had a short summer, and autumn came early… It’s not quite Indian Summer, since we haven’t had our 1st frost yet, but it has gotten a little chill around here. With cooler weather, we have our sugar maples, which will start giving sap in several months, when nighttime temps are below freezing & daytime temps above freezing. That gets me thinking about fluffy pancakes with real maple syrup. This Brown Eyed Girl can get fuzzy inside with this & green tea to balance the sweetness out with savory bacon.

Japanese fluffy pancakes

Music info:

• WHO: UW-Parkside Wind Ensemble & Community Band under the direction of Laura Rexroth
• WHAT: 2 groups, one concert, with quality music
• WHERE: Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for the Arts & Humanities (aka The Rita)
• WHEN: Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7pm
• HOW: Get your tickets online early or at the box office
• WHY: It’s good to get out of the house for things other than work, appointments, and errands, especially to hear great live music without having to spend a lot of money or go out of town!

Blogophilia 12.17: When All Else Fails

Marvin Martian says Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! This is Week 12 in Year 17 Blogophilia!

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE – blog topic parameters on WordPress HERE & how it works, also on WordPress HERE – come join the fun!

Hard Bonus: Mention a foreign country

Easy Bonus: Include a rainbow

Catch the Rainbow

Often, I feel like I’m the mistress of When All Else Fails. Or maybe I’ve been chasing Waterfalls all these years, and need to reassess. I never really wanted to work in health care anyway. However, I never had the opportunity to enter the legal field, and I’m not in good enough health to consider returning to school. Maybe my problem is that I refuse to Go Away. No one seems to have any money to buy my stuff, so I’m hoping to do some music coaching (I don’t have the teaching credentials to be a teacher). That could work. Although it would be cool if I could go to Japan to do some sessions or clinics. I’m feeling like, at this point, it seems as if stable income is like chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A full-time position should allow someone to support their family and afford healthcare. When you’re more broke, gainfully working, that’s an issue… So far, my options are to hope that my doctor helps me go on disability or somehow find that perfect part-time position.

Blogophilia 11.17: I’ll Meet You There

Our Blogophilia organizer, Marvin Martian has a favor to ask: Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! This is Week 11 in Year 17 Blogophilia!

ATTENTION: We are still needing some new prompts from Blogophilia participants. We’re having to dig way back into the archives, and we are rapidly using up all the prompts (in some cases probably duplicating some – if you feel like you’ve seen it before, it’s very possible.) Please Direct Message the following to Martian Ecrits:

* Topics – get creative! 
* Bonus Prompts – lyrics, song titles, phrases, quotes, movie titles, using specific words, items, situations, names of specific things or places, etc. Use our past prompts as a guideline for what works best!
* Pictures – Only send photos that are NOT copyrighted and are Royalty Free. This would include your original photos, public domain images, or downloadable, royalty-free pics from sites like Pexels, Pixabay, Dreamstimes, Canva, etc. Please send only jpg or png format.

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE. WordPress – blog topic parameters HERE & how blogophilia works HERE. Join us, it’ll be fun. At least donate some prompt ideas to keep the fun reads coming.

Hard Bonus: Mention an old diner or restaurant

Easy Bonus: Incorporate jazz music

Picnic & Music In the Park

Dinner theaters are nice, where you get served dinner by the theater crew at tables outside of the stage, then go in to see a show, whether it’s a cabaret or Renaissance, or whatever. But I’ll take live music in a park any day of the week! Quaint burger shops, ice cream trucks, or something you get from Frank’s Diner (but you better be hungry & can comfortably eat), and free jazz music from the Racine Concert Band featuring fun songs like Them There Eyes, I’ll Meet You There, whether I’m playing or listening. For something closer to home, Kewpee’s is a great option.

Frank’s Diner is a dining car (think passenger train food car) built in Bayonne, NJ in 1926, transported via railroad to Kenosha. 6 horses pulled it to the current location in downtown Kenosha near the shore of Lake Michigan. Very few changes have happened, just some upgrades to ensure the longevity of the place. It’s lasted 100 years & still going strong.

Kewpee’s also opened in 1926 in downtown Racine, and is one of the very few restaurants left. It’s been through several owners, but still the same great burgers you just can’t get anywhere else. In 1957, a parking structure was built around it. In 1997, the city took the building by eminent domain and tore it down. With the lack of a better place to put it, the owner bought the empty lot & rebuilt on the old site. It still stands today, and is one of the most favorite burger joints in the city.

Blogophilia 10.17: Climb Any Mountain

From the House of Marvin Martian: Greetings, Dear Blogophilians! Welcome to Week 10 of Year 17! We want to thank you for joining in our weekly challenges! We greatly appreciate your participation, as we do want to continue – as long as we have enough writers contributing each week. So keep up the wonderful writing, all!!! As always, we at Marvin house look forward to reading your amazing writes this week. Join us at Blogophilia, the place for blogging, fun and friendship for 17 years!

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE. Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a favorite motivational quote or saying

Easy Bonus: Include tired eyes

On the rocks

Bad knees can make 3 stairs feel like a Climb Any Mountain. A good friend of mine had to be out of her house by the end of today. While she has a place to go, she’s technically homeless. As many pain issues as I have, and my husband’s & son’s issues, my family has helped out the best we can. I know I’m going to feel this tomorrow… I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done (Lucille Ball) – with tired eyes & a weary body, I bid you good night. Edelweiss (surprise bonus).