Exploding Toads

Sometimes the headlines are so bizarre, you can't help but go there and read the articles. I guess that's what headlines are supposed to do.

Exploding Toads Puzzle German Scientists

My first thought was, who wouldn't be puzzled. The second one was, this can't be truly what they're talking about, there must be some play on words. So I clicked.

I was wrong.

Then it's hard to decide whether to laugh or cry. These poor frogs! It seems there's a pond in Hamburg where over 1,000 frogs have blown up like balloons and then popped. They can't figure out why. They've tested the water, they've tested frog body parts and so far have found no bacteria or virus that might cause the problem. All of this is happening in an upscale neighborhood, and no one thinks it's ever happened before.

Then they say they've warned people to stay away from the pond. Duh.

My writer mind wonders about the first person who saw a frog pop. Yuck. What did s/he do? Stick around for the next one just to be sure s/he saw what s/he saw? Or was it a group that happened upon the popcorn frogs? The mess--yuck. Over 1,000 squished frogs on a road would be terrible enough, but flying frog legs--

Okay. I think my mind has played there long enough today. Creepy.

And then look at the example Word-a-Day sent me along with "perpend":

"Gentle Reader, perpend (but finish your breakfast first)." Rehman Rashid; Bless the Beasts And Children, For They Speak Not; New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); Dec 12, 2002.

Okay. Life is strange.

I'm off to the OWFI conference tomorrow. Two days of writers and writing. I enjoy each and every year. I always come away energized and educated. I'm one of those "as needed" types. The workshops cover such a range--from structuring a book to understanding contracts and promotion. And each year I seem to be in a differnt place with the craft and in need of different information. So it's always fresh and exciting. Not to mention sitting around and listening to people talk like I think. Now that's something else. Scary. LOL!

This year they have one more conference room, and are offering one more workshop each hour. At one point on Friday afternoon there are four different places I'd like to be at once. Explode! (Just kidding) I wish I had four friends going with me so we could divide--explode? NO--and conquer. I need to get my schedule out and try to decide so I'm not jumping all over the place trying to decide there. Okay, my mind won't let go of the frogs.

Perpend, perpend, perpend.....There has to be something else to perpend!

Searching is for another time

I know which snippet I want to expand into a story next. Last night I sat here and wrote something eloquent and meaningful. Actually I didn't sit here. I was in my recliner with my son's laptop and for some reason on it I always get an error message when I try to post here. So after all that typing and feeling good about it, I released it into the void. Pitched it like a line drive, and the person who was supposed to catch it, didn't. It was gone. Such is life.

After watching Cereal Fiction sit for three months unattended, I honestly debate the wisdom of writing a first draft online. But I want the challenge, even if the end result isn't quite what I'd like it to be. When I re-read Smiley Tie, it is abundantly clear to me that I left the story too long and forgot some of the details as I finished it. So now with my Rise & Shine & Write! pattern developing, I'd like to see what I can do with another one of the freewrites here that is sticking in my head an begging to be finished.

I may not start that until after the writer's conference this weekend. I have a lot I need to prepare for that and have ready to go. I sure hope I'm feeling better in two days. Today I woke up aching like, well like never before. It sounds like a commercial! LOL! I have not been drinking my water like I want to, so it may be dehydration to a degree. Also we're fighting over the temperature of the waterbed. Dh had turned off the heater. Brrrrrrrr. He can do it--his body is always toasty. Me--I swear sometimes I must be cold-blooded. I got him to turn it up and does he put it up just a notch or two? No. He turns it up so high I'm sweating, which means he can't stand it. Malicious compliance? He was the king of it at 8 from what I understand. So I turned it back down again. Too low. When I get cold at night my muscles clench. Usually in my back, which is hurting today.

On the other hand the worst of my aches and pains are in joints. Right shoulder, left hip and knee. Honestly I understand now why people say, "It's screaming at me." How I continued to sleep is beyond me, but I woke up wishing someone would just transfuse the ibuprofen before I had to move.

The other reasons for this could be: I'm catching ds's cold. (Please no!!!) or the weather is changing (Pleas yes!!! We are desparate or rain!)

Got the green light from household management to pursue my portfolio today. :) Bless his heart. I'm worried about the company we're supposed to have on Sunday. He's taken that on. So today is writing day. I keep thinking it's Thursday. Hope I don't accidentally skip workshop. Oh, crumb! Workshop notes..... Well, I'll be working that portfolio after workshop notes.

So I ramble on again. This blog was more interesting when I was doing prompts here. Not to mention the fact that I planted seeds then. I need to get back to the practice. Ideally I'd do Cereal Fiction in the morning and come here to start my afternoon writing session. Ideally. Guess I should set the goal and work toward it, right?

Oh, the walking is going very, very nicely. I have dropped 6.5 inches in the last 3 weeks! Wish those were pounds. Somehow the pounds are the more exciting loss. Maybe they shouldn't be. Progress is progress, right?

You've suffered enough today. I'm going to stop. Now I've been a good girl and done my morning writing, I get to search for that snippet.