SHARING MY WORLD, SUCH AS IT IS – Marilyn Armstrong

01/08/202001/08/2020 / Marilyn Armstrong / 19 Comments

Share Your World 1-8-2020

QUESTIONS:

Is ‘hello” enough for you these days? (credit to Rory – https://aguycalledbloke.blog/2019/12/29/is-hello-enough-for-you-these-days/ )

I’m not actually sure what this means. I think I’m missing something. Let me put it another way: why wouldn’t “hello” be enough? Is there some cooler way to greet someone that I don’t know about? Should I text them first?

Do you believe in Murphy? For those who aren’t familiar with Murphy, here’s a wee explanation: Murphy’s law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Murphy is everywhere. Every profession has its own set of Murphy’s Laws, too.

Does evil come from within? If so, why?

From Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman’s “Good Omens”

I believe in evil. Just look at our current government. See those hoof prints?

If that isn’t evil, what is?

I think we all have a basic sense of right and wrong from a very early age and that our sense of “wrongness” is part of our DNA. We had a huge fight about this when I was in college. They had decided to let the leader of the American Nazi Party speak at our school and as far as I was concerned, it was evil. Wrong. Bad. The guys on the radio thought the concept of evil was too silly to even consider. I think they had no moral center

Are intelligent people more or less happy than others? What defines intelligence?

My bottom line is the ability to grasp complex concepts quickly and easily. Pretty much all the people I know are intelligent, but some of them are absolute geniuses. But not at everything. Geniuses usually have a specific thing that they understand better than everything else. Like physics. Or astrophysics. Or medicine. Or computer development. I don’t think anyone is a genius at everything.

I’m very smart, but I still can’t change the ink cartridges in my printer. Or get my head behind how my smartphone works. I could probably figure it out, but first I’d have to want to figure it out, which apparently, I don’t. I suppose I could also change the ink on my printer, but I refuse. I don’t do printers or copy machines.

Are intelligent people happier? I can’t imagine NOT being intelligent, so I wouldn’t know. Happier than who? And under what circumstances?

Gratitude

This is not a good week for gratitude, so let’s leave it with being glad enough that we are alive and have a home in which to live. I’m personally terrified of the fires and the destruction of humans and wildlife in Australia — so it’s hard for me to feel particularly positive. I’m trying. Just not succeeding.

SHARING MY WORLD – Marilyn Armstrong

12/25/201912/25/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 14 Comments

Share Your World – 12-25-19

QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK 12-24-19

Do dogs ‘talk’ (communicate) with their own species? (credit to Marilyn of Serendipity) And not just on Christmas Eve, as the old legend says all animals do. I know that Ziggy ‘speaks’ husky (apparently) even though he’s not a husky, he’s a terrier/Chihuahua mix. The movie the other night proved it, as there were huskies in the show, and when they barked, Ziggy got excited and stared at the TV screen with his head cocked to one side, and barked at the screen.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/72843/how-talking-animals-became-christmas-legend

Today we vacuumed the living room and changed the sofa covers. We moved all the things out of the way, including the step stool Bonnie uses to get up on the sofa. Some hours later, I was doing something on the computer and Bonnie was barking and whining at me. She barks a lot anyway, but she never whines.

It was too early for dinner — even for her — so I finally asked her “What’s the matter? What do you want?”

She walked over to her step stool and walked back and BARKED at me.

I put the stool back where it belongs and she happily jumped up on the sofa. I could almost hear her saying, “Those dumb two legs. They never understand a word I say!”

Have you ever had to work on Christmas Day?

No, but Garry and my son have worked on many Christmases and Thanksgivings. A lot of people work on holidays. Reporters (newspaper, television, radio, et al), retail workers, nurses, doctors, firefighters, police, all first responders. And many others. Everyone in the health professions knows that the phone can ring any time, day or night on any day of the year. For that matter, so does every reporter.

I think the people who believe NO ONE should work on the holidays might re-think the concept should they or someone dear to them become ill on a holiday. If no one is working, then all the hospitals are closed. There are no ambulances. No drivers, no medics, no nurses, no doctors. I guess all the people who were already in the hospital just get to stay in the big, dark, empty building until the holiday is over? I hope they leave them some extra food and water.

It’s part of living in the modern world. Also, when you take those types of jobs, you KNOW you will have to work during some holidays. It really IS part of the job.

If someone gifts you something that you immediately loathe, do you pretend to really like it anyway or are you brutally honest about your opinion?

There’s no need to be rude. Smile, say thank you, and re-gift whatever it is next Christmas. You may hate it, but someone will love it.

Which popular drink, found during the Christmas season most often, is called “milk punch?”

Eggnog? Milk and scotch?

How many ghosts show up during “A Christmas Carol?”

It depends on how you count. Three ghosts of Christmas plus Marley equals four. Do you count the dream where Tiny Tim is dead?

Are you all about the holly and jolly or more about remembering the alleged ‘true’ meaning of Christmas?

I’m not Christian. It’s your holiday. I’m glad to partake of it, but it has no deep meaning for me. By the way, Jesus Christ was JEWISH. He was a rabbi. He would be celebrating Chanukah.

Please share a memory or thought about the holiday season if you’d like, whatever kind of celebration you may observe.

Not buying expensive presents has really improved our holidays and made it possible to go into the New Year without months of debt from last Christmas. I buy small gifts for close family and Garry and I go shopping after the holidays if we need anything and have money to spend.

It works very well. I recommend it. The whole thing of going deeply into debt to buy a lot of gifts which, as often as not, no one needs or wants puts a huge strain on families. There’s no need for it. If it’s the thought that counts, maybe we should put more thought into the gifts and less money. That could work out for everyone.

CHRISTMAS EDITION – SHARE YOUR WORLD – Marilyn Armstrong

12/17/201912/17/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 7 Comments

Christmas Edition – Share Your World

QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK – 12-16-19:

Much better than the pictures with the slower lens.

Do you enjoy receiving Christmas cards through snail mail?

As long as they don’t include a fake picture of a gloriously happy family posed fakely in front of their (never used) fireplace along with a 4-page single-spaced letter about what a FANTASTIC year they had.

Do you like the taste and/or smell of peppermint?

Yes. A lot, actually.

What is your least favorite holiday side dish?

We don’t have standard holiday dinners, so I really can’t answer that.

What is the coolest (best) gift you ever gave someone?

We haven’t been giving gifts much in recent years. Retirement isn’t a time for giving richly. But I did — for Chanukah — give Garry the camera he wanted, my little Leica. I had to give myself a little camera too — but it’s not nearly as good as the Leica. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

Bonus question because I thought it was nifty: What is a Christmas song that makes you cringe? (Please insert the word “Holiday” for Christmas if Christmas isn’t your thing or bothers you or something)

Almost all of them. I can’t think of any of them you might hear on the air — in other words, one with words — that doesn’t make me cringe. With the exception of actual carols which can be beautiful.

Please share some of your favorite music around this time of year.

Leroy Anderson composed “Sleigh Ride” in 1948; he released his own version in 1950. Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops released three versions of “Sleigh Ride” – in 1949, 1959 and 1970. We used to go hear the pops every year, but it finally got so expensive, it was totally beyond our means. I got some great pictures while I was there, though.

SHARE YOUR WORLD FOR THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER — Marilyn Armstrong

11/22/201911/22/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 8 Comments

World Sharing – Mid November — almost holiday time!

Can we ever experience anything objectively? Why or why not? (Now for the people who may not understand that idea, this is what objective means (definition wise): Something that is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions).

I would like to think that mathematics, physics, and scientific inquiry are non-emotional. That’s true, but not entirely. Expecting a particular result tends to make it more likely that scientists will find that result. Also, a lot of scientific inquiry comes up with answers that are hypothetical and theoretical and not “hard” science. A scientific “theory” is not the same as pretending something that’s not true IS true. It’s not “fake.” It’s just something that can’t be absolutely proven.

Answers change as new technical solutions become available and also when the culture sees the world “differently.” When the rigid Catholic control of Europe began to slip, the way we looked at the universe changed too. In fact, that change of cultural control was critical to scientific inquiry.

So no, there’s no such thing as “entirely objective,” but there is certainly a big difference between fantasy — completely made up — and reality. Fact-seeking brings us a lot closer to objectivity than deciding the truth before you hear the facts and deciding anything else is not true. Climate change is one of those things.

Massive amounts of science have been used to determine the reality of this event and objective events — storms, rising water, and melting ice — have shown us that this is real. This is probably as close to objective as anything gets … yet those who are likely to make money from further despoiling of our environment reject it.

It isn’t that is is not true or objective. It’s greed, pure and simple.

Do humans have a soul? Do animals have a soul?

I don’t know. Do you?

Why are people told to respect the dead? (example: “Don’t speak ill of the dead”)

That’s cultural. Some religious groups idolize their ancestors, others merely bury them. Most people would really like us to have a soul, but I reserve my judgment on this. I don’t know. I don’t think anyone “knows.”

We hope. We believe. We yearn. We may (or may not) pray — but we do NOT know because the dead have not come back to chat with us. Until they do, we can just wonder and hope.

Without using the names of specific people, discuss “the ideal” President or another world leader. Saying ‘anyone who is the exact opposite of a certain orange-skinned creature’ is cheating. While (to me) that’s a true statement, there’s more depth to the question than to reduce it to one sentence.

I don’t know if there is any such person. Politics does what it does. Even the most honest people and truthful people get bent in politics.

So you do the best you can, trying to find people who believe what you believe and you hope that they will do their best for you and this world.

SHARE YOUR WORLD – Marilyn Armstrong

11/06/201911/05/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 21 Comments

Share Your World 11-4-19

QUESTIONS:

What is the meaning of true love?

I don’t know, but I think you know it when you find it. I could not possibly provide a definition. It’s different for everyone and even for a bonded couple, they will both give different definitions of “true love.” The one thing that seems to be true is bonding and loyalty … and sticking with it.

If you’ve got “a good one,” you will also have to put up with bad habits as well as love and the good stuff. You’ll find yourself say you’re sorry even if you’re not while remembering that your mate is doing the same for you. We all have to put up with stuff. No one is “made” for someone else. Some of us are barely made to be ourselves, much less for someone else.

I suspect it’s why second marriages are often more successful than first ones. We’ve gotten old enough to learn that it is never perfect, but if you learn to let things go, it can get pretty close.

Do acts of kindness have a motive?

I suppose it depends on the individuals. Maybe some do, others probably don’t. I tend to be pretty generous when I can. But I may call in a favor because I need help and this is the person I think knows how to help.

If we live in a civilized world why do we see so many distinctions between rich and poor?

Because we have some really awful governments and far, far too many greedy corporations!

Do we love ourselves more in the virtual world than in the real world?

I don’t know what that means.

Our house on the square

Are you grateful?

For being alive and having a husband and friends I love. Dogs I love and a day and a comfortable place to sleep. There are many things about which I am a bit appalled, but on a personal level, we do okay.

Most of the time.

SHARING MY WORLD – RUNNING SHOES! – Marilyn Armstrong

10/23/201910/22/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 7 Comments

SHARE YOUR WORLD 10-23-19

Questions Of The Day

Had any good conversations with yourself lately? Did you listen to yourself? And how’d that work out for you?

It didn’t work out well. I was trying to find the chargers for two cameras I haven’t used in a while and I looked everyplace that ought to be and they weren’t there. I finally gave up which surely means I will find them. I beat myself up, but that didn’t help me find anything so I ordered them from Amazon. Sigh.

What is gravity and how does it work?

You get old. Your breasts sag. You get shorter. It’s because gravity is dragging you down. I no longer have a waist. My ribs sit directly ON my hips. I am solid, like an arthritic pipe. All my same-age friends have been dragged down by gravity too, so that makes me feel a little less traumatized. But only a little bit.

Trees in the front

Gravity. It ALWAYS wins the fight.

What is more real – Mind or Matter?

Neither. My mind is a whirling mess of things I should have done, have to do, need to do, but does it MATTER?

Nah.

Should a vegetarian (or vegan) eat animal crackers?

Should animals eat people crackers? Would they want to?

Name (describe) something you wouldn’t want to run into in dark and deserted woods or alley. Politicians are a given, so skip those, please.

I have to admit I have ALWAYS avoided dark and deserted alleys and as for the woods, I stay away from where the giant spiders live. Creatures live in the woods. Some of them are pretty big. I’ll just watch this here World Series Game if that’s okay with you!

SHARE MY WORLD AND SAVE ME FROM DROWNING IN ALIEN ELECTRONS – Marilyn Armstrong

10/08/201910/07/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 11 Comments

I am drowning in email. Between the politics, news, advertising, blog notifications, comments and an occasional note from someone I actually know — like in person? I’ve been getting THOUSANDS of emails. I’m just about ready to unplug the computer. Nah, I don’t mean that. But I need to make this Tsunami to away.

Compared to the actualities and realities and problems around this world, I know this is nothing. But it’s driving me nuts. I don’t read anything anymore. I read headlines because I know the same news story will show up in my pile of emails within a mere minute or two of deleting it.

Every day, I delete for hours, sometimes stopping t make a short comment. i don’t have time for more because while I write, the emails are piling up.

Traffic is slow right now anyway, so maybe this is a good time to take a few days off, see if I can unsubscribe to enough material to make it possible to find the message for which I’m looking? It’s going to rain all week anyhow, which will finish off the autumn leaves before we actually get to see them. Then there are three doctor and dentist appointments — and the bug guy who is coming to do his autumn mouse trapping, termite spraying — and did I mention my son is moving home? That’s the good part.

I’m drowning in electronic messages, but HOW CAN I DROWN IN SOMETHING THAT HAS NO PHYSICAL FORM? Don’t I need water or mud or sand or some physical thing for drowning?

Notes:

- - I’m feeling a LOT better. Fibromyalgia has finally moved on.
  - Garry will be better as soon as his tooth is fixed — the day after tomorrow.
  - The dogs are fine.

Since the middle of my week tends to be pretty unexciting, maybe this is a good time to take a couple of days off? By the weekend, I’ll be itching to write and I’ll have taken a few new pictures.

I still don’t know what I’m going to do about this massive wave of electronic junk mail. Garry is having the same problem, so I don’t think it’s personal.

And now …

Share Your World 10-7-19

These are the colors that our leaves are supposed to be. Bah! Humbug! It’s good there are birds to photograph or the world would indeed be terribly drab.

The Questions!

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat) a good thing, a bad thing or a mixture of both?

I don’t “do” social media except to publicize this site. Did I mention I’m buried in email? I think a new wave of social media would probably finish me off.

Are you camera shy or do you pose for the camera with confidence?

I look best when I’m pretending there IS no camera pointing at me. Even if I know Garry is taking my picture. He always seems to be taking my picture, probably because we have very brief short-term memories, so it’s possible if he doesn’t have pictures, he might not recognize me.

Is there anything you’ve kept from younger years for sentimental reasons alone?

Yes. Some of my dolls and a great love of “Oklahoma!”

Do you like to decorate for different holidays?

No. Those days have gone! I do appreciate the efforts other people make, though. I really love a beautifully decorated yard, especially for Halloween.

Do you feel you’re a strong person character-wise? Also, if you do have a gratitude thought or picture you’d like to share, please feel free! The world can always use more positive vibes!

I have no idea of whether I’m a strong person or just a desperate survivor. Either way, I’ve made it this far, so I’ll probably claw my way through another year or two. Or not. Anyone can be hit by a bus. Oh, wait. We don’t have any buses. How about a small truck?

SHARING THE WORLD AND AUGUST ENDS WITH A WHIMPER – Marilyn Armstrong

08/27/201908/26/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 10 Comments

Another person died of Eastern Equine Encephalitis today. And they did not spray last night because it was too cold. Swell. Maybe it’ll be warmer tonight. We can hope.

Not that the spraying is going to fully solve the problem. We are still advised to wear long everything and a lot of DEET. Doubly swell.

And now to the sharing.

Share Your World 8-26-19

If you had to sum up the whole human species in 3 words, what would those words be?

Always too late.

Where is the strangest place you’ve relieved yourself? Obviously in an emergency situation.

In the woods in Sinai. There weren’t any bathrooms.

1989 shot of earth’s arctic ice

What is the worst smelling place you’ve ever been?

Sitting next to Duke when he let one go. Lord almighty! He left the room and shortly thereafter, the other two left also.

I’m glad it’s not a nightly event!

How drunk is drunk enough?

For me, at all is too drunk. I don’t handle booze well and never did.

If you’d like, please list five things that are priceless to you.

I bet you could take bets on this and probably get it right. But I’m not sure priceless is really the word for it.

Times have changed and what I might have viewed as priceless 30 years ago — or even 20 or 10 — doesn’t carry the same weight it once did. I’m torn between the people I love who are priceless to me — and the world in which I live which is beyond price for the humans who live here.

If we change the wording to “things I couldn’t live without,” it would be easier. My friends and family are priceless to me, but our world is beyond any price.

THE WONT OF WIT, THE BATING PLACE OF WOE – Marilyn Armstrong

06/25/201906/24/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 22 Comments

Share Your World 6-24-19

Are you more a thinker or a doer?

Either I just do it and then have a lifetime to think about how I — if I’d thought about it more — could have done it better or preferably, not at all. As an alternative, I think about it, decide not to do it, then spend years wishing I had done it.

As a third choice, I think, rethink, change my mind, begin the process, stop — write something or take a few pictures — while completely forgetting what I was going to do. When finally I remember my original intention, it doesn’t seem all that important so I read a book.

Why is beauty associated with mortality?

Because dead people putrefy? Because rotting bodies aren’t as attractive as live ones? Even when that individual — when alive — wasn’t beautiful they look worse when dead.

As proof of this statement, I have yet to see a single advertisement for anything using rotting corpses. I mean — seriously — dead people don’t enjoy beer and don’t look good in snug jeans. I’m pretty sure if advertisers aren’t using corpses (who would probably not need to be paid, so it would definitely be to their advantage to work with the dead), it’s probably because corpses are not attractive.

But when I die, hey, if you think this is a good idea, by all means. I’m pretty sure I won’t care.

If everyone spoke their mind (told the literal truth), would this world be a better place?

No. It would be just like it is but worse. Life would be harder, colder, and even more full of blowhards who don’t bother to give a moment’s thought before running their mouths. It’s bad enough now. That would make it oh so much worse.

It would finally and completely eliminate manners (such as they are). It would dispose of any remaining civility, kindness, politeness, delicacy, and good taste.

Your mouth is not supposed to be where random crap just falls out. We are supposed to think. That is why we have brains — which are supposed to be in charge of our mouths. Ponder that.

In the toilet, things just “fall out.” When they stink, you flush them away.

Sadly, once said, you have put it into the world and can never make it go away. There’s no flushing your words. They sear permanently on the minds of whoever is unlucky enough to hear them.

Your mouth isn’t supposed to be the verbal end of your anus. What comes out of it is supposed to have polish. Class. Wit. Elegance. Kindness. Compassion. Love. Maybe even brilliance. Toddlers say whatever flows into their unkempt young minds and that’s okay. They were born to learn and we teach them to not grow up and continue to act like toddlers.

Remove the training in manners and civility and the world would be all adult toddlers. The idea is nauseating. We have one of those in the White House. Isn’t that guy our national huckleberry?

I am sick to death of people who think they are “special” because they don’t know when to shut up.

We went to a party (left early) where one (drunken) woman was blathering endlessly about how proud she was to have started smoking again now that she was done with chemo and cancer. She was proud of this. She has a daughter. What’s her message?

The first amendment protects free speech. It isn’t a license for everyone to say anything, anytime, anywhere, under any and all circumstances.

What happened to class? Grammar? Elegant phrasing? Facts before opinions? Where went wit and cleverness? Concepts based on research? Has intelligence gone completely out of style? If it has, we are doomed.

Can religious beliefs affect scientific thinking?

Amongst the stupid, yes. Brighter people don’t seem to have this problem.

An attitude of gratitude: If you’d like to, share some gratitude in a photo, written, or song.

The day is bright and sunny and for this small thing, praised be the rain gods for going somewhere else to do their thing.

Now, I’m going to put on a pair of sandals and go take a few pictures before the sky goes gray and the next rain comes.

SHARING THE WORLD AT THE END OF MARCH – Marilyn Armstrong

03/27/201903/26/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 9 Comments

Share Your World 3-27-19

Did this month go fast or what? I swear it just streaked by! I need things to slow down a little bit!

What is the best pick me up that you know of? To shake you out of the blues?

A great book, a good laugh, talking with a friend, writing something special. Any of these can work for me. But usually, finding the solution to whatever problem or other is stressing me is the only real solution!

What would be the title of your memoir?

“The 12-Foot Teepee.” It’s available in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon.

Where do you like to go when you eat out?

Japanese or other Asian food. But especially sushi! Yum!

Do you believe in luck?

Well, yeah. Good luck, bad luck, no luck. Luck is just life!

Aside from necessities, what is one thing you couldn’t go a day without?

A laugh.

WORLD SHARING – A LITTLE CONFUSING BUT NOT TO WORRY … Marilyn Armstrong

01/27/201901/26/2019 / Marilyn Armstrong / 9 Comments

It’s from Melanie, but she forgot so now it’s from Rory. Got that? Good.

Here we go!

https://aguycalledbloke.blog/2019/01/26/the-friday-four-5/

QUESTIONS:

1] What are your strengths and of your strengths – how have they helped you throughout your life?

I write well and I have a good eye. They got me a profession and a hobby which have seen me through life and have kept me entertained too.

2] What are your weaknesses and how have they or have they hindered your successes in any way and what have you done to overcome them to rue your day?

I have a temper and it’s a lot of work to control it. But as I get older, it’s not as difficult as it was, at least in part because I am not forced to spend nearly as much time with morons.

3] What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories or alternatively are all conspiracy theories absurd? Use the answer which sits best with you.

I have no idea. I assume ignorance combined with stupidity. I don’t listen to these idiots and when they show up in my Facebook feed or comment on my blog, I bar them or ban them without half a second of thought.

The flat earth — according to Terry Pratchett

Anyone who believes the world is flat does not deserve a minute of my time. There’s enough crap going around without dealing with those idiots too.

4] How important are morals in a healthy society? What are the most important morals for citizens to have?

We don’t need morals. We need to understand the difference between right and wrong. I think most people are born knowing.

I think it’s part of our human DNA to know right and wrong, good and evil. We don’t need a god, religion, or dogma. We need to do the right thing.

SHARING MY WORLD – Marilyn Armstrong

11/06/201811/06/2018 / Marilyn Armstrong / 14 Comments

Share Your World – Election Day 2018

Is there one post on your site that is really special to you?

DON’T DRINK THE KOOL AID – THE JONESTOWN MASSACRE. You’ll see it again on the 18th which will be the 40th anniversary of the massacre. It’s a cautionary tale for our times.

MARILYN’S FAVORITE YEAR – 1969. Because it really was my favorite year for a lot of reasons.

They aren’t my “best-selling” posts, but they are favorite for entirely different reasons.

How do you deal with negative people?

Personally? My life is singularly free of negative people. Otherwise, patience and occasionally getting really mad. I have to admit, it depends on what I think will get the job (usually customer service) done. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter. No matter what you do, it won’t help.

What is the first thing you think of when you wake in the morning?

How quickly can I get to the bathroom!

Would you rather be able to talk to the animals or speak all foreign languages?

It would be really convenient to speak thousands of languages. On the other hand, there’s no point in talking “Dog.” They would still ignore me.

Bonnie and Gibbs

November is a month in which many people give thanks. America (and other countries) celebrate an actual Thanksgiving Day. For example, Canada celebrates this in October.

What small thing happened today (or in the past few days) that you were grateful for?

We put up the bird feeder yesterday and it’s more than half empty today. That’s like two pounds of seed gone in about three hours. Shocking how expensive bird seed is, by the way. For some reason, I figured it would be cheap. It isn’t cheap.

Nothing is cheap, not even birdseed.

I was surprised. I thought it would a few days for the birds to find the feeder, but there were easily a dozen Chickadees and they were flying by in groups looking for a place to land! There were some other small finches eating their hearts out. I didn’t have a camera and it was raining, which slowed down my shooting. It didn’t slow down the birds!

SHARE YOUR WORLD – Marilyn Armstrong

10/23/201810/22/2018 / Marilyn Armstrong / 13 Comments

Share Your World -10-22-18

QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK

Credit for this first question goes to Teresa of The Haunted Wordsmith. She asked for TEN books, in her challenge, so the SYW folks got off a bit easy..)

Name two books that have influenced you and share how.

O Jerusalem: Day by Day and Minute by Minute, the Historic Struggle for Jerusalem and the Birth of Israel by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

I first read the book when I lived in New York. It’s a great book for anyone who likes history. But later I read the same book when I was actually living in Jerusalem. When they wrote “… and then they charged up the hill …” and I looked out my living room window and realized — that WAS the hill. Suddenly, I realized there’s a no comparison between wars fought thousands of miles away and a war fought in your backyard.

Angelique, by Ann Golan.

I was 13 when I first read the book and in my fifties when I read the last one that had been translated into English.

With all the power of Crown and Church arrayed against her, Angélique finds a way through every imaginable personal tragedy and emerges victorious. Bowed, but never beaten, her defeats are temporary setbacks. Her triumphs change the world.

She is deathlessly beautiful, but Angélique doesn’t win the day using sex.

When she leads, she carries a gun and a sword. She will kill in defense of her own and does. She fights for her family, her home, her beliefs, her rights.

She became much more than a fictional character to me. At a time when female role models were few and far between, Angélique was fearless. Unstoppable. No simpering lady of fashion, she was tough. Smart. She suffered the worst life could dish out. She faced down unspeakable challenges. And there were casualties. She became a kind of mystical image of perfection for me. A dream woman whose feet were firmly planted on the earth.

In your opinion, where is the line between art and not art?

I don’t think there is a line. Each person has their own version of “the line” between what is and isn’t art, but it’s not a real thing. It’s just where each individual puts it.

This doesn’t mean that I like everything. I don’t. There are many things deemed artistic that I find repulsive, even ugly … but I don’t define art.

Two Acoma seed pots

But on the other hand, if someone gives me a museum, I know what I wouldn’t put in it!

Trivia for Halloween: What item is banned only during Halloween from 12am October 31st to 12pm November 1st in Hollywood California?

Silly String. And I don’t know why either.

What is something that really annoys you but doesn’t bother most people?

Stupid people. But that bothers a lot of people. People who use bad grammar — but that hardly makes me unique. Actually, I don’t think I have an answer for this one. I think I get annoyed by the same stuff that annoys most people. The only difference is that I write about it.

Instead of our usual gratitude question, I’m posing this one for this week: What or who in your life brings you the most joy?

Garry. Maybe it has always been Garry. He aggravates me, annoys me, frustrates me. He’s the soul of my soul and heart of my heart.

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Is ‘hello” enough for you these days? (credit to Rory – https://aguycalledbloke.blog/2019/12/29/is-hello-enough-for-you-these-days/ )

Do you believe in Murphy? For those who aren’t familiar with Murphy, here’s a wee explanation: Murphy’s law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Does evil come from within? If so, why?

Are intelligent people more or less happy than others? What defines intelligence?

Gratitude

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QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK 12-24-19

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QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK – 12-16-19:

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What did you have for dinner last night?

Would you rather go out on a Saturday night or stay in?

How are you, truthfully?

What’s the best topping/ice cream combination? If you don’t eat ice cream, what’s your favorite combination dessert?

Share Your Gratitude with a thought (quote), a picture or a short paragraph.

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QUESTIONS:

What is the meaning of true love?

Do acts of kindness have a motive?

If we live in a civilized world why do we see so many distinctions between rich and poor?

Do we love ourselves more in the virtual world than in the real world?

Are you grateful?

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Questions Of The Day

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The Questions!

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What is the best pick me up that you know of? To shake you out of the blues?

What would be the title of your memoir?

Where do you like to go when you eat out?

Do you believe in luck?

Aside from necessities, what is one thing you couldn’t go a day without?

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QUESTIONS:

1] What are your strengths and of your strengths – how have they helped you throughout your life?

2] What are your weaknesses and how have they or have they hindered your successes in any way and what have you done to overcome them to rue your day?

3] What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories or alternatively are all conspiracy theories absurd? Use the answer which sits best with you.

4] How important are morals in a healthy society? What are the most important morals for citizens to have?

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Share Your World – Election Day 2018

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QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK

Name two books that have influenced you and share how.

O Jerusalem: Day by Day and Minute by Minute, the Historic Struggle for Jerusalem and the Birth of Israel by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

Angelique, by Ann Golan.

In your opinion, where is the line between art and not art?

Trivia for Halloween: What item is banned only during Halloween from 12am October 31st to 12pm November 1st in Hollywood California?

What is something that really annoys you but doesn’t bother most people?

Instead of our usual gratitude question, I’m posing this one for this week: What or who in your life brings you the most joy?

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