SoCS: Readers Digest

Is the Readers Digest still around? That’s what came to mind. My parents subscribed to the Readers’ Digest so it came by mail every month. It was reading-lite for the masses. Very short stories, condensed informative articles, personal anecdotes, jokes: one little magazine could hold 25- 30 articles.

I would go through it reading all the jokes, then the anecdotes and maybe some one page stories or articles.

We also had the Readers Digest Classics.  Brown leather-like hard-cover books with gold embossed letters. One book could hold 3 or 4 condensed classic novels! Are those Dickens, Bronte sisters and Henry James novels too lengthy with boring descriptions? Have a novel-lite and get the gist of it….. you can say you read it!

But the funniest ever I discovered at my in-laws when I first went to visit them many, many years ago. They played their vinyl collection of Readers Digest musical classics….. The best in Classical music reduced to 3 minutes.  Battle of 1812 (I still sing ,”this is the cereal that’s shot from guns”) Beethoven’s Fifth,  each album had 12 pieces on each side. The best parts of 24 classical works! All the boring parts cast aside. I say funny because I laughed then realized I had better stifle that laugh.

SoC; I gotta go look for some pictures.

Oh gosh its still going strong. Here’s the format I remember;

 

 

https://lindaghill.com/2018/11/23/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-24-18/

RDP: no shopping today

I’ll tell you what I am NOT doing today and that’s SHOP. Yes, even in Canada we have the Black Friday Frenzy. Worse where I live because it’s close to the border so some people drive over to Port Huron to get even better deals with even more crowds even though our dollar is only worth 75 cents in the U.S.

Shopping is destroying our earth. We have tons of stuff and we keep buying more stuff. People who’s closets are packed full go out and look for something they don’t need at all just to get a temporary rush from buying a thing. Even better if you buy a thing and get a good deal. But the feeling is soon lost and they’re back off to the Mall for another fix.

Last year I went to The Mall near Christmas time and it sickened me. So many people spending so much money on crap, nothing.  Buying stuff for people they don’t need or want. Money, money, money. So many go into serious debt. What a marketing scheme; buy a gift for everyone you know! All those people buying all those presents; its insanity, mass hysteria. And builds as if the world ended Dec. 26.  Then you go out for Boxing Days Deals. What? You didn’t get enough stuff?!

“Have you got all your Christmas shopping done?” Is the mindless question everyone will be asking soon. I just say yes and try not to look disgusted.

Yesterday the prompt was gratitude. I am so grateful for my present lifestyle; retired.  I practiced my own exercise routine in the morning, in the afternoon I went to yoga which is free with my Opening Doors group.

Today I’m continuing to be grateful because I don’t have to go anywhere and it’s sunny!  It’s been a dark and dreary month; yesterday was really cold. But today its nice and I’m going to put up Christmas lights. It’s dark so early; I need cheery lights in the evening. But I’m just turning on the white ones until closer to Christmas. It’s too early for the festive coloured lights; I’ll put them up but leave them unplugged for a couple weeks….. when I get my tree….oh boy!

And I’ll replace the autumn leaves decor with pine boughs.

I’m happy! This is way better than shopping!

https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/11/23/rdp-friday-shop/

SoCS: roll/ role

“Roll out the barrel! We’ll have a barrel of fun!”   Sorry, it stream of consciousness and that’s what came to mind. My Dad used to play the piano for a bunch of guys and I remember them practicing this song at our house.

Maybe it was easier to have fun in those days….. standing around a piano singing “…. we’ll have a barrel of fun!” 

I roll with the punches. Not one to plan or scheme how to make things go my way…. I wait until things come up and deal with them as best I can. It’s not the best way to live but its my way. That’s the way I play chess…… just defensively because I can’t strategize a plan of attack. Can’t or don’t want to. Definitely didn’t plan for a career when I was young.

I didn’t have good role models for that. “get married to someone with money” was the advice from my mom. Don’t remember any advice from my Dad. They fought a lot.  ‘Nuff said about that. I still loved them; they were cool and not your typical parents. They promoted music and a sense humour, great things to have in life.

Well….. I guess that’s it for roll/ role. I’m going to extend my birthday for another day and just hang out with myself. Let the day just roll by…..

 

https://lindaghill.com/2018/11/16/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-17-18/

RDP: Snooze Day

What a funny word; snooze. It sounds like what it is; slip into unconsciousness for a short amount of time. You have to catch it at just the right time, that moment in the afternoon where torpor sets in, that lull when your eyes try to close involuntarily.

If you are at (or going into work) you must have a coffee or sugar fix to make it through the next stretch. I would try to have a snooze before I went in for the afternoon/ night shift but it was too early.

This post is already a snooze. That’s mainly why I haven’t posted lately. Not in a chatty state of mind; I got nuttin’ to say. Sometimes I start a post then think it’s so boring I wouldn’t read it, so I delete it.

Today is my birthday! I’m 66. Snoozing is certainly on my agenda for today. Still reveling in the fact that I’m retired and can do this. I made the mistake of saying I was going to watch a lot of TV today.  Woke up to sticky snow, the kind that sticks to your satellite dish. Yes, the red light is on and its going to snow all day.

Hooray for the internet and Netflix. (oh, oh, knock on wood….. the electricity better stay on.)

My ex visited me again. He cleaned my chimney and my rain gutters, bought me 3 beautiful throw rugs and this⇓ which I love more than all the rugs put together!

Yep, it sure is nice. Don’t think I would have got a damn thing if we were still married! I was reminded of how great it is to have my own life and not be with him. He would get so mad if he caught me having a snooze: “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?!”

Yeah, Baby, having a snooze.

Marijuana is legal here now. I still can hardly believe it, it’s so wonderful. I got a special treat for my birthday and it doesn’t even matter if I get caught! It’s my birthday, I’m retired, it’s a snow day……. I may even have two snoozes!

https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/11/16/rdp-friday-snooze/

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “point.” Open a book on your lap, close your eyes, and put your finger on the page. Whatever you land on, whether it be a word, a phrase, or a sentence, write about it.

Darn it; “I was….”  The worst part about stream of consciousness is that a I can’t go back and edit out all the ‘I’s.

“I was too hungry to care…” it goes on. Can’t really relate to that either. The closest I’ve felt to that would be eating a granola bar: not something I would choose to eat unless it was the only thing available and I was very, very hungry.

The previous phrase was “…… been in the pot for two days. (I was too hungry to care….)”.  Now we’re getting into my territory. It’s getting dark early, I’m on my second bag of Rockets. I knew I had eaten too many but I had…..

“…… been in the pot for two days. I was too hungry to care….”. 

https://lindaghill.com/2018/11/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-3-18/