10 Things: Penny

Make a list from 1-10 and write the first ten things that come to mind when I say Penny.  Go!

My own list, ignoring many rules of acceptable grammatical usage.

1.  Penny Lane by The Beatles (I do this exercise in a notebook with different words almost every day, and it amazes me how often The Beatles show up.)

2. Pennies from Heaven

3. Penny and Brain from Inspector Gadget

4. Penny bridges (you know, those crazy little balancing acts built from stacks of pennies? No?)

5. The Sonars counting money from their banks at the kitchen table. 

6. Abraham Lincoln

7. Mythical/Legendary (to me) Penny Candy.

8. Penny Arcades (continuing the nostalgia-ish track)

9. “Saving pennies.” Scrimping to get by.

10. Coins in the couch cushions.  Though we don’t have a couch with cushions anymore.  I have to actually cram my arm down into the guts of the couch or remove the bottom facing to get at the tiny universe of lost things in there.  In addition to pennies, I often find Legos, K’nex, marbles, and popcorn.  

10 Things: Fear

Ayelet Waldman, From Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace:

“I always tell my kids that as soon as you have a secret, something about you that you are ashamed to have others find out, you have given other people the power to hurt you by exposing you.”

Take a sheet of paper. Make a numbered list 1-10.  Write down ten things that Scare You.  Or, if you like, the first ten things you think of when you hear the word Fear.  Explain if you want.  Everyone can play.  Writers, non-writers, skateboarders, kids.  Fun for the whole family.

GO!

1.  My children getting hurt or being harmed

2.  Losing control

3.  Violation of myself or my home

4.  Hurricanes and massive natural destruction

5.  Civil unrest and hate crimes (*edit for political snarkiness* Ok, a hint of snarkiness.  I wrote this list right after I read an article about Rick Perry and Sarah Palin, and several articles about Arizona immigration law.)

6.  My mother (Full disclosure: this was actually the first thing I wrote down. I moved it. There’s that shame thing slurking up to bite me.)

7.  Being aware, but in pain or unable to communicate (I’ve done this one, don’t care to repeat it)

8.  High or oddly structured places, especially with fearless children

9.  Looking stupid or foolish (and knowing it)

10.  Disappointing the trust of people I love

10 Things: Shred

Take a sheet of paper. Make a numbered list, 1-10.  List ten things you associate with the word ‘shred.’ Explain only if you feel the need. 

GO!

1. skateboarding

2. cheese

3.  snowboarding (maybe, see #1)

4. cabbage or lettuce

5.  paper

6.  fabric

7.  carrots? (no, that seems more like ‘grate’)

8.  the skin on knees or palms (in a wipeout perhaps)

9.  a test? (figuratively)

10.  pork, for a barbecue sandwich

What was your list? 

2 x 2 x 3 x 3

Yep, I did it.  I went and had a birthday yesterday.  Apparently I’m six-years-old.  Or maybe that’s six squared?Don’t let the melty-looking cake fool you.  It was the best mocha-chocolate cake ever.  

Eglentyne X36 (sporting a brand-new Cibola High School t-shirt) and Sonar X9 (worried that the cake is going to slide off the table)

Welcome to Old Friends and New

The shift from Blogger to Squarespace has taken me longer than anticipated.  I’m trying to work through a few technical issues, including the domain and comments.  Those of you familiar with the blog over at Alert the Pizza will see that all of my old ramblings are here.  I’ve spread out a bit and added some new features as well.  I hope to be around here more often in the hopes that I can get my writing muscles back into shape.  

Coming soon: Our Summer Vacation, Updates on the Sonars, and a Running Rundown

Sonar X4, Sonar X9, and Sonar X6 in the Japanese Garden at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, NM, July 2009 (click to embiggen, it’s worth it)