30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 30 - 5 Years Into the Future

This post is the final writing challenge assignment: 5 Years into the Future!  Wow, I almost don't want to do this assignment, simply because in 5 years, I will be 51.  I'd rather not think about being in my 50s.  :-) 

Quite frankly, I don't see my life being all that different from right now.  I suspect that in 5 years time, I will still be working at a school somewhere on the north shore of Massachusetts, teaching English literature and drama; still living in Newburyport with my cat; enjoying my free time with friends and perhaps finishing up my Ph.D. I'm hoping by then to have ticked off a few things on my bucket list, but otherwise I don't really see any major changes. 

We have now come to the end of this 30 day writing assignment. Some of the assignments were really interesting, some not so much, but I am certainly glad that I accomplished this task. It's important to set goals and to work hard to accomplish them. I have succeeded.  Huzzah!

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 29 - Tests

Day 29 - Tests!  I suppose I feel the way most people feel about tests: I'm not a fan but I recognize that unfortunately they are a necessity.  We certainly cannot hand out driver's licenses until we test people's skills before getting behind the wheel of such a dangerous instrument. But what I despise mostly about tests is that more often than not standardized tests are solely used to measure students. The reality is that standardized tests are here to stay, but it doesn't mean that I like them. In Massachusetts where I will be teaching full time starting this Fall, the students take MCAS tests (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) and each time I applied for a teaching position, the interviewer would ask my opinion on standardized tests and I would give my best answer which is that yes, I will do everything in my power that my students pass their MCAS's but that I believe that students need to be measured by more than just what's on those tests.  Students should not be subjected a "one size fits all" test.  The truth is some people just naturally test better than others and we should not be educating students to pass these tests, we should be instilling them with knowledge and once they learn that knowledge, they can apply that knowledge toward the test. Unfortunately, I'll be spending 4 weeks this summer doing exactly the thing I hate: teaching for the test.  ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

Final assignment: Day 30 - Write about where you see yourself in five year.

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 28 - Honor Roll

Day 28 - Honor Roll??  Who wrote this list anyway??  Okay, the honor roll.  I remember being on the honor roll a few times in elementary and middle schools, which isn't saying much. In elementary school, as long as you colored between the lines you could be on the honor roll. But I will say that when I was in high school, I was a bit of a slacker. I didn't work to my full potential, therefore I never ended up on the honor roll. I didn't have terrible grades at all, but I didn't work my butt off either. I was mostly A-/B+ student. But when I got to college, then I hit my stride.  I never was on the honor roll in high school, but was on the Dean's list in my community college and graduated summa cum laude from university. This is not bragging, just stating a fact. Because neither one of those accomplishments mean much in the real world.

What a dumb assignment!  :-)

Next up: Day 29 - Write About Tests

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 27 - My Perfect Day

And now day 27 - My Perfect Day!  I'm going to end up sounding like a sappy, hopeless romantic, which I suppose I am.  Which is also why I am such a cynic when it comes to romantic relationships. One of the few things I would have liked to have in my life, hasn't happened and pretty much guaranteed it won't happen, but I can still dream of my perfect day. It's sort of a fairy tale, which is perhaps that is why I watch Disney animated movies as much as I do. Here's my perfect day:

Waking up on a sunny and warm Sunday morning in late spring with the person I love and who loves me equally.  Getting up to have a lazy breakfast and catch up on any little tidbits from the week that we hadn't discussed.  Maybe reading the Sunday New York Times and discussing the articles - maybe just enjoying each other's company.  After breakfast, we'd head over to the farmer's market to purchase some fresh produce and anything else that the market has to offer.  On our way back home, we'd stop by Starbucks for a beverage.  After dropping the produce back home, we'd head out for the day.  Depending on our mood, we'd either go for a long bike ride, or perhaps head out in the car to do some sightseeing, or even perhaps, we'd head into the city for an afternoon of theatre and dinner.  Any and all of these would make my day perfect.  After spending the day out and about, we'd return home, curl up on the couch with the cat and watch a movie.  

Now that's a perfect day. Yes, I'm a hopeless romantic.  Always have been, always will be.

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 26 - Archery

Day 30 - Archery??  What the...! Okay, okay. Archery!

When I think of archery, my thoughts automatically go toward Robin Hood. Robin Hood was known to be a highly skilled archer. I have always loved the story of Robin Hood and really, who doesn't love a story about a heroic outlaw? I have probably seen every movie made about Robin Hood from the 1938 film with Errol Flynn, to Walt Disney's Robin Hood, and Mel Brooks's Robin Hood: Men in Tights and on and on.  The worse of them being the Kevin Costner version. Whoever said that Kevin Costner could act was highly mistaken!  

Today, archery is mostly known as an Olympic sport. In a couple of weeks when the London Olympics are in full swing, I will most likely watch the archery contests. Not because I love archery per se, mostly because I generally enjoy watching all the various Olympic sports. I'm amazed what these talented athletes can accomplish and really enjoy watching the various competitions. I've even been known to watch a curling match during the winter Olympics. But I only watch those matches if I have insomnia. Talk about a snoozefest!

One more thing to note about archery. I remember archery being a part of  my physical education classes in middle school and I personally hated it. It was a fairly painful sport with the bowstring always rubbing against the inside of my forearm and the plucking of the bow on my fingers caused blisters. Even the protective gear didn't help my sensitive skin. Ergo I knew from an early age that I would never be a great archer. <weep>  ;-)

Day 27 - Design a Perfect Day

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 25 - Penguins

Today's assignment: Day 25 - Penguins.  Now this is a topic that I can write about!  I love, love, love penguins! When I lived in NYC, I used to visit the Central Park Zoo as often as I could and just hang out in the Penguins & Puffins house where I would sit and just watch them. They are just amazing creatures. When March of the Penguins was released in 2005, I went to see it 4 times within a month because I just couldn't get enough of these waddling, tuxedo-wearing, flightless birds. I do love seeing well-dressed men and women! 

One of my favorite comic strip characters is from Berkley Breathed's Bloom County and Opus comic strips - Opus the penguin. Yes, Opus has his own Wikipedia page! He is an "existentialist penguin," quite the dapper dresser and a definite ladies' penguin. 

Too bad I can't have one as a pet! If you aren't aware, owning a penguin as a pet is completely illegal (and I wouldn't be able to care for a penguin properly anyway). Although since I can't actually have one as a pet, I'm seriously thinking about donating to the World Wildlife Funds' Adopt an Emperor Penguin Program. That might be a good compromise. In the meantime, there is always the New England Aquarium in Boston who can supply me with my penguin fix!

 Next up! Day 26 - Archery

Not only is Opus styling a
fashionable tuxedo, but
what an awesome hat!

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 24 - Anniversary

The hanging of Lincoln's assassins.
Mary Surratt is on the far left

Today's task: Day 24 - Anniversary.  Again this is a somewhat vague topic. What type of anniversary are we talking about here?

I have no frame of reference for a marriage or relationship anniversary so that's out. I'm currently not employed, so employment anniversary is out. I could do a major event anniversary that is significant, but I can't think of one coming up (i.e., 9/11, the Kennedy assassination, etc.).  Ummm.  How about this?

Today, is the 147th anniversary of the first woman to be executed in the United States - Mary Surratt, for her role as conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Thank you, History Channel.  It's the best I can do!  

I suppose the only good thing about the horrendous assignments of the past few days is that I am able to bang them out pretty quickly because I either have nothing to say, nothing good to say and/or zero experience with the topic listed.  Good, because I'm really, really crazy busy right now!  :-)

The next topic is Day 25 - Penguins

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 23 - Valentine's Day

Day 23 - Valentine's Day.  7 posting left in this challenge!  Woo hoo!!

I've actually already covered this topic on day 3 - The Holidays.  I loathe this day with a red hot fiery passion. (See what I did there?) I couldn't decide which of the "I Hate Valentine's Day" photos to post because there are so many wonderfully funny and accurate photos out there, so I am posting two of my favorites. They pretty much sum up my feelings on the subject. A picture is after all worth a thousand words.  So here's two thousand words worth.

Next topic:  Day 24 - Anniversary

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 22 - Worst Relationship

Today's task is to "write about your worst relationship." Soooooo, again as with a few of the other posts, this task is a bit vague. What type of relationships do they mean?  Romantic?  Friendship?  Family?  Any and all??  I'll try to cover all, I guess.  As my longest romantic "relationship" was only 3 weeks and 30 years ago, I feel I can't really comment about the worst romantic relationship.  Technically, I've never had a long term romantic relationship and short term dating cannot be considered relationships and are not worth the time or effort to comment about. Additionally, I've spent a good portion of the past couple of years dealing with some of my worst friendship and family relationship issues and don't really feel like I want to re-visit any of it again. Therefore, I'm choosing to not comment on them. So what does that leave?  Hmmmmmmm.  I guess that leaves me with not much to talk about.  So here's a picture of a cute baby polar bear. I'm posting it because it makes me smile no matter what kind of day I'm having.  If you want to see 24 more cute baby animal photos, check out this blog.

Awww, isn't this just the
sweetest photo!!

Next up:  Day 23 - Valentine's Day

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 21 - Pillow Talk

ARGH!  Pillow talk?  Really?? <sigh>  They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel with these past couple of topics. Again, I have nothing.  Although it did bring to mind the Doris Day-Rock Hudson movie from 1959. As opposed to yesterday's movie connection (Clueless), I have actually seen Pillow Talk, which is an enjoyable, if somewhat dated, romcom, about a man and woman who share a telephone line and despise each other, but then he has fun by romancing her with his voice disguised.  See... dated, but fun!

Beyond the 1959 movie, I cannot really comment on pillow talk as my pathetic love life can attest to. By the way, I know I've mentioned a bit about the sad state of affairs of my love life. Please, do not think that I'm in any way bitter about it. I'm a realist and this is just what the fates decided that it should be for me. I'm a little disappointed to be sure and even mildly amused about how pathetic it really is but not bitter. Que sera, sera! (Did you see what I did there??  Who was the original artist on that song?? Doris Day! It's come full circle.)

Next!  Day 22 - Write about your worst relationship

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 20 - Clueless

Today's topic is Clueless, which is kind of a weird topic to write about. The first thought that popped into my head was the Alicia Silverstone movie, which I, quite frankly, have never seen. But that's honestly the first connection I made to the topic at hand. Did anyone think of something other than that movie?? For giggles, I Googled the word and the first 7 search results were about the movie.

And the 8th search result was a comparison of the movie to Jane Austen's Emma, which I'm guessing the movie is loosely based on. Without even watching the movie, I am certain that it does NOT equal in quality to Emma. I would place a huge bet on that statement being accurate! But I am an Austen snob, so...

As I said, my first thought was the movie, but the second thought was about the 22 year old pishers who current surround me. They're pretty clueless. For instance, there are a number of female corps members who, when told to dress professionally, have decided that wearing skirts so short that if they bent over, you'd see everything they have to offer and/or wearing low plunging necklines in which their boobs are hanging out is professional. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, these are the recent college graduates who decided to go into teaching. They apparently do not realize that they are dressing completely inappropriately and as unprofessional as you can get (unless your profession is the oldest one). And that they are teaching teenage boys! Clueless! 

Next up:  Day 21 - Pillow Talk

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 19 - Love Letter

Day 19 topic is "love letter."  Oh great, yet another topic of which I have zero knowledge. Yes, it's true and it's rather tragic but I have never actually received a love letter in my life. So in theory I have a vague idea of what it might be like to receive a love letter, the reality is I have absolutely no idea. <shrugs> 

Beyond that I'm not sure what else I could comment about in regards to this subject except to say that one of my favorite A. R. Gurney plays is Love Letters, a brilliantly, funny and touching play, and I would love to someday perform that show... Soooooooooo... Ummmmmm....  Hmmmmmm... Yeah, I got nothing else.  

Day 20 - Clueless

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 18 - Writing

Day 18 - Writing!  I never thought I'd be someone who would enjoy writing on a regular basis, but I must admit that I am enjoying my blogging time.  Even though I'm incredibly swamped with transitioning to a new career and am barely sleeping, just knowing that I have this creative outlet is fantastic.  It's one of my forms of relaxation during these stressful days. And even though pushing myself this hard might be detrimental to my sleep, it's well worth it.

Additionally, I'm lucky that as of late writing has been coming fairly easily for me and I rarely have to struggle with what I'm writing.  Although, I will admit that I do agonize over every word and analyze my writing over and over and am never quite happy with the end product.  But I believe all that is a normal reaction to the written word.  But much as I would love to one day write the Great American Novel, my creative skills are non-existent, which I've mentioned before. So blogging will have to suffice for me. I will never be the next Jane Austen. 

Next up:  Day 19 -  Love Letter

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 17 - My Crush

Today's task is to "write about your crush." For subjects such as these, song lyrics generally provide the best commentary. In my case, this posting can be summed up with "Not a Day Goes By" from Stephen Sondheim's musical, Merrily We Roll Along.

Not a day goes by,
Not a single day
But you're somewhere a part of my life
And it looks like you'll stay.
As the days go by,
I keep thinking, "When does it end?
Where's the day I'll have started forgetting?"
But I just go on
Thinking and sweating
And cursing and crying
And turning and reaching
And waking and dying

And no,
Not a day goes by,
Not a blessed day.
But you're still somewhere part of my life
And you won't go away.
So there's hell to pay.
And until I die
I'll die day after day
After day after day
After day after day
After day
Till the days go by
Till the days go by
Till the days go by.

'Nuff said. If you want to hear this amazing song, check out this video of the incomparable Bernadette Peters.  I can't get through this video without crying no matter how many times I watch it.  Perhaps I need to not watch it.

Next up:  Day 18 - Writing

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 16 - 3 Best Friends

Day 16 - write about your three best friends.  This topic will be an enjoyable walk down memory lane because the three friends I will write about were people from my distant past, and while I don't physically spend time with these best friends anymore and am only in virtual contact with one, they will always remain three women whom I adore.

My very first best friend (when I was actually old enough to appreciate what it is to have a best friend) is Terri.  I actually have mentioned her before in my Music Doesn't Lie (Blinded by the Light) blog, but I didn't go into much depth.  Terri was my best friend from the ages of 10 to 13, while my family resided in Honey Brook, PA. I met Terri the first day I moved to my new neighborhood.  I happened to just be walking down the street, checking out my new 'hood and she came right over and started talking with me. Terri was worldly in my eyes because she was a whole 2 years older than I was.  2 years is a lot when you're talking 10 and 12.  We had similar families: her family was Irish Catholic with 6 kids (she is the eldest), mine was Italian-German Catholic with 5 kids (I am the youngest), so we had a lot of bonding over these similarities. Unfortunately, our families each moved away after 3 years of living in Honey Brook.  My family went to Florida (near Ft. Lauderdale) and her family moved to just north of Chicago.  Alas, long distance friendships can be hard to keep, especially through the teenage years, but we were great pen pals for a long time.

My best friend all throughout high school was Paige. She is one of the smartest people I know and it was only through her friendship and brains that I managed to get through Advanced Econ my senior year.  Although, it WAS her fault that I took that ruddy class to begin with, so she better have come through for me. I can't remember exactly which class Paige and I met in but I know we definitely bonded over our insane Chemistry class.  I'm not entirely sure how anyone passed that class, but it was a ton of fun.  I still chuckle over it today. I definitely am grateful that I had my friend Paige to lean on through high school.  As these things often happen, Paige and I lost touch for a bit after leaving high school and going our separate ways to college.  I moved 2 days after graduation to New Jersey and she went off to the University of Miami (the lucky dog). But I am happy to report that we are still friends (even though it's mostly through Facebook) and though I can't comprehend her weird passion for marathon running, I am proud of her achievements!

My next best friend was during my first couple of years of college and then a few years after that.  I met Lisa after moving to New Jersey and getting a part time job as a Sears sales representative (ugh!) and we became fast friends.  Although I spent most of my late teens and early 20s in a drunken haze and spent a ungodly amount of time and money at nightclubs, Lisa was always right there by my side.  We saw each other through disappointing relationships, broken down cars, and family losses. We celebrated our lives through music, dance, and alcohol.  (Are you sensing a theme here?)  Disappointingly we had a falling out after a few years (over what else -- a man!) and I'm saddened by the fact that I lost that friendship.  I often wonder how she is.

I truly believe that people come into your life for a reason, whether it be for a brief time or a lifetime and I treasure those relationships no matter how long they last. I raise a glass to toast all my friends throughout the years!!

Next up:  Day 16 - My Crush

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 15 - High School

Today's posting: High School.  I fully admit that I have many, many fond memories of high school. It's been nearly 30 years since I graduated from my high school, St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and I still keep in touch with almost all of my bestest friends from those 4 wonderful years. While I'm sure there were many days of teenage angst, I don't remember those nearly as well as I remember all the good times at STA. Such happy memories of football games, pep rallies, homecomings, fantastic and inspiring teachers, incredible learning experiences, and all the rest of it. Was I the popular cheerleader?  No.  Was I the outcast?  No.  I was more of the middle of the road kind of gal, which is pretty much the way my life has always been. But I think the top reason I enjoyed high school so much is that it was a time of innocence, learning, great friendships, and laughter. Really, is there anything better than that??  Well, maybe, there is but those 4 years will always hold a special place in my heart.

But I will say the following:  I don't have a desire to go back and repeat high school.  While I loved my time there, that was then and this is now.


What's next?  Day 16 - 3 Best Friends

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 14 - Prom Mishaps

Today's posting (Prom Mishaps) will be short but sweet.  I never went to prom, never got invited to prom, didn't care that I didn't get to go to prom, and know nothing about prom - except what I saw in the movie Carrie, which if that's the standard for prom, then I'm glad I missed it!

If you've never seen Carrie, check out this link to watch the trailer. Other notable prom movies I've seen are: Prom Night, Pretty in Pink, and Never Been Kissed.  That's the sad limit to my prom references.

Tomorrow's topic:  Day 15- High School

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 13 - Panic

Today's topic is panic. All I keep thinking about when I see the word panic is Queen's Under Pressure.  Besides I'm so crazy swamped with TFA teaching stuff, I don't have time to come up with something more creative than this!  :-)

Enjoy!

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 12 - Favorite Day of the Week

Today's topic: What's your favorite day of the week?  Today's topic is not as easy as it seems.  At first I thought that this was a no-brainer, but the more I gave it serious thought, the more difficult it was to answer the query. My comments here are based on when I have employment.  Over the past several months when I've had no employment, every day was a favorite day!  :-) 

There are certain days that are definitely not my favorites, such as Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but the rest of the days have equally good points about them. Thursdays start the slide into the weekend and are actually not too bad to get through. Plus, if you end up going out on a Thursday night, you only have to push through Friday. Fridays, generally speaking, are fairly easy to get through because people are moving a little slower and by early afternoon are starting to wind down to get ready for the weekend. Then you have Saturdays and Sundays which are pretty much all playtime for me with a few necessities thrown in, like grocery shopping or cleaning the apartment, both of which do not take much time and I find to be semi-enjoyable. Therefore you can see my dilemma on picking a "favorite" amongst those four days.  I suppose if I am hard-pressed to pick just one, it would probably be Saturday. Sunday I suppose would run a close second, although if you're not prepared for the week to come, Sunday nights can be as brutal as Monday mornings. 

Next: Day 13 - Panic

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 11 - Foreign

I am certain that everyone has their own definition of "foreign." The dictionary's definition reads: "of, pertaining to, or derived from another country or nation; not native; external to one's own country or nation," which technically is correct, but it's not exactly how I define foreign. I find Webster's definition pretty limiting.

Sadly, I grew up in fairly homogenous neighborhoods - generally, middle class, Judeo-Christian and mostly caucasion. Thank goodness that changed as I grew older.  Then I was fortunate enough in having been a part of a huge melting pot (aka NYC) and my exposure to a greater number of ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, sexual identities, etc. blossomed. As a result, I no longer consider people who have a different background from mine as being 'foreign.' They had different experiences growing up to be sure, but I find that fascinating not foreign, because I can appreciate our differences. My friendships run the gamut of nationalities and I just love that I can be introduced to a whole host of thoughts and beliefs and ideas that are from a country outside the US.

What is 'foreign' to me are the people whom I cannot comprehend. People who hate others due to race, sex, sexual orientation, nationality, political views, religious views, etc. are foreign. The intolerant, the ignorant, the haters! Don't be a hater!!

Next: Day 12 - What is your favorite day of the week?