Pamela Schloesser Canepa's Blog, page 57

#Weekend Coffee Share. A Poem for Every Emotion.

  An empty cup means we have filled our hearts with fellowship and companionship, no matter how briefly.

Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Allison at eclecticali.wordpress.com.  I am full of emotions today.  Full of love for my job where I can share my love for reading and writing with some cute, young, sometimes challenging, and at times, fun students.  Full of disappointment over my hurting arm and hand and the brief stop my writing has done for the time being, therefore this is a short post.  I’m also full of confusion and despair over the turn our country is taking for women.  Yet, I am full of hope that we have some control over the way things will turn.  The wheel keeps on turning.  I am simply going to draw a little picture here:

Freedom, (c) 2018

We are not considered the ones in charge

Yet, we are full of power

We are the thorny plant and not the flower.

We are the wild brush of the jungle.

No longer tame,

no need to be restrained.

When I hold my tongue to spare your feelings,

Or sit, thinking I can’t reach the ceiling

I have believed all that they said

Politics have ruled my heart and head.

When I am too diplomatic, my thoughts sour

Stuck in this headspace, a day or an hour,

so here, I’m going to spill it on the table

Let it form it’s lovely colors, if it’s able.

If you’ve listened, and really heard

You are my friend by deed, and not just word.

 

Thank you for hearing me out.  I think I needed this.  I hope you all have a lovely week.  Visit Alli’s blog to share your own post or to visit others! https://eclecticali.wordpress.com/category/series-of-sorts/if-we-were-having-coffee/

 

Avoiding Bottleneck. #WeekendCoffeeShare

 

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Photo by Bruno Cervera on Pexels.com

Welcome to the Weekend Coffe Share, hosted by Allison at Eclectic Alli.

This morning, I woke up with a song in my head by Alt-J, and that is a good thing!  It’s called Dissolve Me, one of their more relaxing, upbeat tunes.  I am now playing music by Lana Rey, one of my current musical obsessions, and my coffee is not done yet.  Hope you don’t mind.  I’ve gone light on the coffee this last week.  Perhaps I need that to stay calmer and mellow right now.  I certainly need a calmer stomach.

You see, this past week was a storm of esophagal proportions.  No, you wouldn’t normally put those words together, but… that’s how it felt.  So I took Monday off. Then, I went in to work Tuesday morning and….went home after noon, head spinning, stomach still hurting.  Yes, I brought work with me so it wouldn’t all get stacked up with more work at school.  After some grading, I slept much of Tuesday afternoon and night.  I missed yoga this week and did not see the chiropractor, two must-haves in my current search for calm and well-being.  I think we all need to seek calm and well-being.  Just look at the national news.  Gladly, I missed out on every little detail, but people are posting daily in reaction to this news of the Kavanough fiasco.  Some, several times a day.  It’s almost too much to fit into my head, but I want everyone to understand something.  Women used to get shocked by the reality of their gender and what they had to accept.  Then, they would just give up.  Now, all of that is changing.

Now, I suppose my politics will shine through here despite my being very general and vague on what my political stance is.  However, people are vilifying the woman for “coming forward now.”  Perhaps it’s because his face is plastered all over t.v. as the latest nominee for Supreme Court?  Makes it hard to forget past events.  Makes it hard to forget someone who wrecked your young life, if he is guilty, of course.  I am sick of this world making villains out of accusers, before all the facts are out.  I am sick of seeing young, white men let off the hook because of being ‘young and stupid’ or having ‘affluenza.’ Yeah, they can stick that word somewhere south and let it never see the light of day again.  These things are up front in the news much more lately.  Why?  Because women won’t just take it like we used to.  Maybe the tides are turning.  Maybe women will have enough support to stand up and speak for what has happened, because I sure feel it never used to be that way.

So, while people were posting all over social media their opinions of this latest news fiasco, I have been posting daily a photo of a once banned book that I have either read and loved or actually taught in school.  I am proudly in support of intellectual freedom, of people having the right to tell their stories for the purpose of either sharing truths or revealing universal truths wrapped in fictional whimsy.  As a young one, I learned of horrible realities in the pages of Stephen King’s fiction, but I also was presented with incredible heroes who fought evil and stood up to their fear.  I think my mother wanted that for me, and therefore, did not limit my reading material, and I am all the better for it.

Okay, my plan was to relax a little today, but I think I’d better let my coffee cool since I got a little warmed up with this post, unintentionally.   My friends, please do not obsess over the latest news, there is so much more to life.  There is so much more to you, and me.  Your side may win or lose.  There are only so many things you can change, and posting every 30 minutes on Facebook is not going to change it but will only add to the hyper-stress of this modern world.  I will speak my peace, but I will leave it there and concentrate on other things as well…my dog, my family, my spirituality, physical well-being, the busy work of my job and the inspiring moments of teaching, along with great books, and writing!  Writing, something I don’t do enought lately, but there’s this post.

A Proposal. #FlashFictionforAspiringWriters

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Michelle DeAngelis. 

It was the perfect vacation spot with a lovely, romantic backdrop.

He asked her to be there with him, and she regretted not a moment of it.

“The sun awakens us, and the sound of island music seranades us to sleep.  What could be more perfect, my beauty?” he asked.

He was shirtless most days, and she revealed her back at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Not one proprietor minded.  Flip flops were the norm, even in fancy restaurants.  After a month, they frequented less of the fancy restaurants, and were more likely to grab a sandwich for dinner and sit on the beach.

“That used to be us,” she remarked, looking at a couple carrying a cooler and towels.

He kissed her softly and pleaded, “Can we stay?”  He reached for her hand and led her to a shack off of the tourist strip.

“Yes,” she beamed, eyes glistening.

**A 149 word story.  My story is a response to this week’s photo prompt at Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

#WeekendCoffeeShare. Full Cup, Please!

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Welcome to my 9/15 entry for the #WeekendCoffeeShare, hosted by Allison at Eclectic Ali.  Please  bring the beverage of your choice, or enjoy a Gevalia Keureg coffee like I am having.  I know I am not the best hostess, but you’re here for the conversation, right? 

Side Character Sunday. Malachi.

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Photo credit, Pixabay.

On this Side Character Sunday, meet Malachi of Undercurrents in Time.  The nineteen year-old Malachi is a sort of actor hired on by an agency that is contracted by Professor Milt Braddock in his attempt to thwart a future disaster.  This post is a never before published background that I plan to develop into a novel of its own, followed by an excerpt from Undercurrents in Time.

Malachi’s Point of View:

I looked down at the notice in my hands.  It read: “Academic Probation.  Please report to your career counselor’s office to clear yourself of probation and enroll for this semester’s classes.”

Then there was the other notice:  “Notice of financial aid suspension.”  I didn’t even read that one.  I knew what it meant.  I’d been missing assignments left and right and failing most of my recent tests.  I knew I was failing out.  This meant I would have to prove myself or go through a lot of red tape to ever get financial aid again.  My pizza delivery job was not really paying for even my necessities.  I sat on the couch and chewed on a toothpick nervously.

Maybe I could ask them to increase my hours, just until I figured out exactly what I would do next.  I thought about picking up the phone to call my brother, Timothy, but thought better of it.  We hadn’t talked since I left for college, and here I was a year later, picking up the phone to talk?  He’d know something was up right away, and he’d certainly give me hell for it if I asked for money because of failing out of college.

A better idea came to mind.  I got up and opened the door to my apartment, peering a cross the hall.  Mr. Ackmen’s paper was still on the doormat.  Looking both ways, I stepped from the apartment and stooped to pick it up without making a sound.  Stealthily, I retreated back to my apartment and closed the door ever so quietly.  Classifieds.  There they were.  So many ads for sales that probably involed going door to door.  I did not own a suit.  Though I wouldn’t mind finding a decent paying job, buying a suit, then getting a better job.  Then, I found a headline that spoke to me.  “Put Those Acting Skills to Use.”  It read: Acting job.  Get your foot in the door. Tryouts Thurs., 11/04 at 10 a.m. at LLJF,  2033 Spindle St.

There was no phone number, so I figured I’d just show up.  I circled the ad, tore it out, and used a magnet to hold it in place on the refrigerator door.  At least now I had a plan, and with my social skills, I should blow away the competition for this entry level job.  Little did I know just exactly what this job would require of me.

Suffice it to say, there was no Shakespearean play, and Jack Fontaine certainly wasn’t scrreing candidates for commercials or daytime TV.  Still, it became clear I would be putting my acting skills to work, and the job actually did seem right for me.  I walked out of that office hoping I’d played my cards right and receive that return call ASAP.  I was ready to be just about whomever Jack Fontaine needed me to be, and I knew I was just the right candidate for the job.

*********************

Excerpt from Undercurrents in Time (Malachi meets Dr. Milt Braddock):

Malachi made small talk; he definitely must have been an actor, Milt thought, briefly wondering what his real name was.

Jack headed off on his own, coat obscuring his camera, and Milt and Malachi continued their walk.  Without thinking, Milt tried the door to the Science labs.  Locked.  Of course.  Anyone working in there would have a key.  What would he do if Mahoney happened to walk out and bump into him?

He steered Malachi back down the path to the Health Sciences complex, watching the lab building the whole time.  There were lights on; he could tell. Exactly who was there and what they were doing, he couldn’t know.  He made a mental note to see if Jack could finesse his way into getting a building key.  Jack was able to do a lot of things Milt hadn’t foreseen, so maybe it wasn’t too much.  “So, Malachi, are you thinking of college yourself?  Or have you been in college?”  He forced a smile.

“Look,” Malachi retorted, “I didn’t ask you a thing about yourself, why you’re here, or what you’re doing in these hand-picked areas of the campus.”  He waved his hand toward the Science labs.

Milt was taken aback, not so much by Malachi’s response, but at his own carelessness.  He had let his guard down with a stranger.  Albeit, a stranger who was paid to be discreet, but still a stranger who might tell things for the right price.  Things such as, a man hanging around the Science department at MIT when the campus was all but shut down.  They were snooping around; that had to be obvious to Malachi.  Milt was usually good at compartmentalizing parts of his life, particularly scientific secrets; he knew there were some times you had to fib to avoid revealing them, but he was not used to this sort of stealth.  Still, it could be a matter of utmost importance in his attempt to stop Mahoney.

“Touché,” he responded.  “You know your job well.  I apologize.”  He added with a whisper, “I’m not accustomed to being so duplicitous.  But, you know, I must keep an eye on the competition.”  He then wondered if even that was saying too much.  Louder now, he added, “I’m just here because my nephew can’t decide between Chemistry or Health Sciences. “

“Well done,” Malachi answered, lightening up.  “I’m leaning toward Chemistry.”

“Okay, but we’ll view the Health Sciences area and buildings, just for good measure.”

“Of course, Dad.”  Malachi looked down, walking with his hands in his pockets.

“Uncle,” Milt corrected, looking straight ahead.

“Yeah, well, you’ve spent a lot more time with me than he ever did,” Malachi said, winking.

Learn about the Detours in Time series at Detours in Time on Amazon and read about the character, Malachi in its sequel, Undercurrents in Time.

Roam. Flash Fiction For Aspiring Writers.

This week’s photo credit goes to Jodi McKinney.

At dawn, she felt freer than ever.  The dew would dampen her hair, and her spirit could soar.  It had been this way since her youth.

This place was always her home, the one she hoped to return to again and again.  Now, she had done her time and run her race.  Given the world all that she could.

Her babies had grown and didn’t need her anymore.  Though she couldn’t run through the fields as she used to, she’d sit and imagine the blades of grass crunching beneath her as she ran.

Here she would retire, an old gray mare, but here, she felt the most beautiful of all, because here, her spirit could soar.

**Find out more about this weekly photo prompt challenge at Flash Fiction For Aspiring Writers

 

Weekend Coffee Share. BE YOU!

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Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Allison at eclecticali.wordpress.com.  It has been a good week, but I am going to be somber for a moment.  I want to share my sorrow and respect for those killed and/or wounded in Jacksonville, Florida at the shooting last weekend.  A place I have frequented for art shows, music concerts, or just river gazing was shot up and turned into a danger zone.  It is a sad day and age when a sick individual can ruin a fun day over a video game tournament.  That others had to lose their lives or run in fear to safety saddens and maddens me.  It also fuels me as an educator.  Trainers and Admin. have been reinforcing that we need to establish relationship with students, and it has never been more important than in this day and age.  Just asking if they are okay when you sense something is off could make a difference.  I truly believe this, and I am trying to infuse it into my daily practice.  It starts young.  I can understand a child’s belief that society sucks, especially when hearing of such news events, but I never want a kid to think that there is no one at all who cares. It is a scary world we live in, and that means, even more, that we need to be a light in this dark world for others.

[image error] You are beautiful.  Be you.

I do not intend for this focus of this week’s coffee share to be a shooting, or the village’s responsibility for an individual child, including our lone wolves.   I’ve previously written on this subject due to my experience with the lone wolf in my family whom I am still trying to encourage to be an active member of society and to develop bonds with those other than myself.  I am seeing hope there, though. 

Of Mitz and Mayhem. #FFfAW #flashfiction

Photo credit (c) Yarnspinnerr

Mitz was feeling fresh with newly dyed-electric-blue spiked hair.  Her friends knew better than to call her Michelle.  She was a new person.  Off to cause mayhem in all four corners of the world, oblivious to the chill in the air.

“What’s this place, do ya’ know, Johnnie?”

Johnnie spit on the ground.  “Must be a home for royals,” he answered in his cockney accent.

“No entry?  Ha!” Mitz exclaimed.  “Let’s go get a lemonade over there and come back when it gets darker.”

“I’m ready!” Johnnie replied.

She tugged his arm.  Thirty minutes later, she was refreshed and Johnnie had espresso fuel rocketing through his veins.

They crouched near the first lampost. Mitz stifled a giggle.  She grasped Johnnie’s arm, but fell back on the slippery ground.

“Right on your bum, there you go,” a deep voice bellowed.

“Oh, sh–” Mitz spat, then noticed Johnnie running away.  “Traitor, you are!”

“Come on, up with you,” the constable grasped her arm, pushing her into the car.  Mitz realized the door wouldn’t unlock.

**174 words**

To join in the fun, visit Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers where a new photo prompt and writing challenge is presented weekly.  I love these things!  I think I have just introduced myself to a new character….

 

 

Character Background: Tabitha and the Professor. #pointsofview

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“Tabitha, Tabitha? Have you heard anything I’ve been saying?” Candace raised her voice to be heard, frustrated at her friend who was gazing out the window vacantly.

“Yes, yes. Of course I heard you,” Tabitha replied, a little too insistent.

“Okay, so what’s his name?”

“Um, Walter?” Tabitha offered.

“No. His name is Matt, and you are not listening! If you’re not really interested, just tell me. I don’t want to set up a meeting and have you disappoint him.”

“I guess I’m not really interested,” Tabitha answered.

“It’s been years, Tabitha! You’re thirty and you’re going to turn to dust!”

Tabitha snorted in laughter. “No, I’ve got some time left. Seriously, you exaggerate a bit much.”

“What’s going on with you and the doctor?” Candace asked slyly.

“Dr. Braddock? No, um, nothing. I mean, I have been working with Milt more lately.  Instead of just cleaning I’m also helping him organized his office, but nothing has come of it; it’s just work.”

Nothing had come of it, except learning that he was researching quantum physics and how to travel in time. Not that she’d ever tell anyone. When she came clean and told him what she had seen, he begged her to promise not to reveal what she knew. In fact, he confessed that he already discovered the secret to time travel. Tabitha couldn’t deny that they were growing closer. She’d proven herself indispensable when she created a filing system for keeping his lab notes in order. It was obvious he appreciated her. Despite the age difference, she found him intensely interesting. Still, they’d probably always just remain friends.

“We’re just friends, Candace. We work together well, that’s all. I’m really organized; he’s not. He’s totally brilliant; I’m not.” Even in her denial, she couldn’t forget the dream she’d had about kissing him. She shook her head to dispel the thought. “Just friends.”

“You don’t even seem convinced of that.  And–I noticed how you call him by his first name!”  Candace smiled deviously.

“That doesn’t mean anything, Candace. Stop trying to read my mind. I’m just not, I just don’t need a man right now. Is that all right with you?”

“Okay Tabitha, that’s all you had to say. And don’t knock yourself; you are pretty bright.” She glanced at her watch. “Oops, gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow!” Candace blew a kiss on the air and grabbed her jacket as she jogged out of the cafe.

“Okay, later Candace!” Tabitha had someplace to be as well. Dr. Milt Braddock needed help that evening organizing his tax papers. I could use the extra money, Tabitha reasoned. That’s all this is about.

She strolled out of the cafe slowly, picturing the smile lines around Milt’s eyes.  Smiling, she walked into a young couple.

“Sorry!” she called as they laughed and walked on.

“Daydream much?”  one of them replied.

I have got to get a grip, she thought.

**Read Detours in Time and learn what Milt and Tabitha discover together in the future. Available in Kindle, K.U., or paperback. Universal link:   Detours in Time Amazon link

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Goodbyes and New Beginnings. #Flash FictionforAspiringWriters

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Ted Strutz. 

Upon arriving in Maine on a solo voyage, Kirstie rented a car.  It was beautiful and relatively mild here in the summertime.  She loved the local seafood and sights.

In two weeks Kirstie would marry a Wall Street stockbroker.  Of course, Richmond thought she was traveling with friends.  He’d intervene if he knew otherwise.  The longer she stayed in Maine, the more she loved the people, their accent, their attitude. Particularly that of Steven, the owner at Manford’s Clam Shack.  It was he who suggested she take a short jaunt to Nova Scotia, as she sat at the bar one night chatting.

“Only if you accompany me,” she answered. Then blushed.

He didn’t know she was set to be married.  When asked, Kirstie only said she was here to make a life change.  Steve pondered, realizing it was rare for him to take even a weekend off in the summertime.  This wasn’t the kind of thing he did.

“Deal,” he said, eyes smiling.

Days later, Kirstie sent a letter of goodbye to Richmond.

*A story 174 words long

 

Can you write a story with a beginning, middle, and end in 100-175 words or less based on a photo prompt?  It is challenging but quite a lot of fun.  Let your imagination fly!   Visit Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers 

View other flash fiction entries and/or submit your own based on this week’s photo prompt!