dailyprompt

Dictionary, please

~ MaryG ~ 14 Comments

What are your favorite emojis?

GenX are not digital natives and I don’t think we use emojis correctly a lot of the time, but personally, I like them. So could we please have a dictionary of their intended meanings? (Nevermind the hidden meanings)

My son played lacrosse for years, so it was exciting when they finally came out with 🥍 (no dictionary required)

But like what the heck is this supposed to be 🧫 ?

And what does this mean 🫡 ?

And why is there still no real marijuana emoji?? (Broccoli 🥦 is stupid.)

Also, our aging eyes are getting bad so it’s hard to actually make them out without very strong readers.

But my main complaint is the lack of a dictionary that goes with them. I want to be able to hold my finger on one and have words or a voice tell me what I’m looking at and what it’s supposed to mean.

So yeah, I’m clearly old.

👵

Zeitgeist

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What topics do you like to discuss?
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I like talking about the zeitgeist—current events and popular culture (especially movies and TV). I also love talking about books with my book group and music with my choir peeps. I enjoy hearing about people’s travels (to a point). I’m not a big sports fan, but if a Boston team is in the playoffs, I like to know what’s happening with that. Go Celtics ☘️! (and Bruins, I guess)

And as anyone who follows my blog knows, I despise Trump with a deep, burning, crimson hatred I’ve never felt for any other public figure in my lifetime, so I’m always up for any conversation which involves trashing him.

Am I the only one with a sign like this on display in my kitchen for the past 8 years?

MAJOR News

~ MaryG ~ 27 Comments

When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?

I quit my job last November. So far, it’s working out well, but my husband is still working part-time, so we haven’t really hit the “fixed income” phase, which I think of as true retirement.

And people, I have extremely exciting news! My retirement is about to get a whole lot better. My beautiful daughter has informed me (via coffee mug) that I will be receiving THE BEST PROMOTION EVER in 2024!

She did an adorable gender reveal on Easter. There were yellow peeps in three Easter eggs. The fourth (mine!) had the big news.

The Pink Peep 🐥 😀
These two are going to be great parents.

💗

Risky business

~ MaryG ~ 12 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.
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I’ve had my moments, but as of today, I do not regret getting married nearly 31 years ago.

We’ve all heard the statistics that almost half of marriages in the United States end in divorce or separation. It’s a big risk to walk down the aisle and pledge your unending love and support to another person. Given that divorce is so expensive and emotionally taxing, it’s kind of amazing that so many people still give marriage a shot.

At my age, I know happy single people, happy married people, and one or two unhappy single people (they wish they were not alone and are still looking). I no longer know many unhappy married people, because they mostly already got their divorces and are happy again.

At this point, the widows and widowers seem to have it the hardest. When you’ve been with another person for decades and you lose them, the grief and loneliness is profound. It’s the other big risk of marriage—the one you don’t really worry about at the start.

Image from Pexels

The late comeback

~ MaryG ~ 17 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?
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I’m not typically someone to not say something. I will speak-up when needed. I trust my instincts.

For example, when an ambulance (with no siren or lights in use) nearly ran over a woman in a Boston crosswalk, I made a mental note of the name of the ambulance company (which was from a different part of the state), called the main office, and got the driver in trouble. Another time a FedEx driver (a complete stranger) beckoned my young son to his truck when he was walking by himself and asked him to carry a package up the driveway. I got that guy in trouble too.

Being a native-born Masshole who participated in the hellish Boston commute for decades, I’ve also been involved in my fair share of road rage flare-ups. I’m quick to flip the bird to the deserving. I’ve been involved in one or two shouting matches with other drivers while sitting at traffic lights.

One time two young men with a Harvard window sticker cut me off dramatically on a winding thoroughfare, only to end-up at the exact same ATM as me minutes later. I went up to them and said, “Did they teach you to drive like that at Harvard?”

The only times I remember regretting not saying something are when I couldn’t think of a comeback fast enough. I hate that.

Ponytail Harvard guy from “Good Will Hunting”

Click here to watch the best comeback in the film.

Nervous about November

~ MaryG ~ 16 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What makes you nervous?
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How on earth is a disgraced, twice-impeached, 4X-indicted, racist, gun culture-supporting, coup d’état-attempting grifter and rapist the GOP’s choice for President of the United States in the next election?

And worst of all, he’s directly responsible for this.

The defendant in criminal court last week

Ways to help from home:

Vote Forward

Reclaim our Vote

Activate America

Postcards to Swing States

Oh geez, pressure to jot…

~ MaryG ~ 9 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.
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Coffee is an antidepressant.

My friend Carla made this observation once in college. We were sitting across from each other in The Cave (an on-campus café and pub) and out of the blue she said, “Coffee. It makes you less depressed!”

It was cute how she said it—like a lightbulb went on. I guess we were somewhat new to coffee drinking back then, but I think she was right. I’m most optimistic about everything in the morning, when I’m having my coffee.

Image from Pexels

Related post:

Coffee is King

The JCC Pool

~ MaryG ~ 9 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.
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I gained a lot of weight both times I was pregnant. I was healthy—just large. I was especially huge with my son who was over nine pounds at birth.

Throughout the pregnancy, I swam laps at the local JCC (Jewish Community Center). Typically, there were a few senior citizens in the pool with me. One day, an old man flagged me down to tell me that I “swam like a fish” and was “svelte.” I was astonished and said something about being very pregnant. He said “you don’t look pregnant at all,” then added “from the back.” I was so flattered.

So an old man was looking at my ass while I was swimming and I was completely fine with it. In fact, he made my day. 🤷‍♀️

Image from Pexels

Billy Joel

~ MaryG ~ 9 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?
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I have nothing for this prompt. I mean, I’d never want to visit a war zone, or someplace similarly unsafe. I admire all the brave journalists, like Clarissa Ward, who are willing to bring us news from dangerous places around the world.

Totally unrelated, did anyone happen to see Billy Joel performing his 100th concert in Madison Square Garden on CBS Sunday night? He still sounds great—both voice & piano. After telling the audience he didn’t know what was going to happen on the high notes in “Innocent Man” (and giving them permission to grimace), he nailed it. He’s 74 years old. At one point, Sting (fit and ageless at 69) waltzed out in a perfectly tailored shiny suit and they did a jazz number, backed by the amazing band. It had the feeling of a GenX “rat pack” reunion. The audience (me included) sang along with all the songs, including the new one, but especially with the last one.

Sing us a song, you’re the Piano Man.

Related post:

I’d rather laugh with the sinners