Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company! discussion

Joke in the Chasm?, maybe. Nope.

TPBM is eating ice cream for desert today.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Me? Bake a cake? Ha ha ha ha ha ha . . . Not unless it’s like a TV dinner.

TPBM is ready for warmer weather.

Hey, the sun is shining and it's a HOT +40 deg F. where I'm at! When it hits 50, I'll be sunbathing in the snow! (ha ha, just kidding). Am so envious of our friends in the southern hemisphere.


TPBM lives in the northern hemisphere & has gone sledding, skiing or snowshoeing at least once this winter! (the only way to deal with it as far as i'm concerned)

I can't say I've done any of those things this winter. Not only do I not own a sled, skis, or snowshoes, but the hills where I live aren't steep enough for those activities.

TPBM has a dark sense of humor.

No, merely a quirky one. I laugh at things hardly anybody else would think were funny.

TPBM has driven a car in which the steering wheel is on the right side.

All the snow in Port Orchard has melted, so the answer is no.

TPBM enjoys listening to Rammstein.

Sorry, never heard of him/them.

TPBM is planning a vacation / weekend get-away.

No. I wish I were!

TPBM sometimes wonders if he/she had a former life, possibly in the Victorian Age.

I have wondered about former lives, but wondered about ancient Greece and the middle ages, not Victorian.

TPBM puts random ideas on sticky notes and looks at them years later wondering why that was written down.

I wouldn't necessarily call mine crazy, just a psychological slog to get through. But I managed to pump out chapter 32 of Beautiful Monster and read 25 pages of my book today, so I'm feeling slightly better than I did before.

TPBM gets secondhand embarrassment from watching game show contestants come up with stupid answers.

I watched a game show one day back in 1974, but I can’t remember what the contestants said.

TPBM wishes it were possible to teleport to a diner for a breakfast of fried eggs, sausage links, hash browns, and buttered toast.

Haha! Damn it, M, you're making me hungry! Those all sound delicious! :)

TPBM doesn't have a preference between Coke and Pepsi and thinks they're equally good.

I don't have a preference between Coke & Pepsi & think they're equally horrid! (sorry)

TPBM has learned to enjoy carbonated flavored water.
(an acquired taste to be sure & probably just as horrid to coke/pepsi lovers) :)

No. The only carbonated water I drink is mineral water (usually San Pellegrino).

TPBM is familiar with “The House in Cypress Canyon.”

Sorry, M, I have no idea what that is.

Whenever they order pizza, TPBM likes to create strange combinations with the sauce and toppings (for example, I just had a pizza tonight that had BBQ sauce, Philly steak pieces, and green peppers).

That sounds great Garrison! I can't think of any combo in pizza that would be strange to me! Of course, I also mix different kinds of soups together and I recently combined mac & cheese with chili, so... :)

TPBM has enjoyed a meal in a restaurant at least once this past week.

You mean being physically inside the restaurant? If so, then I don't plan on doing that until the COVID pandemic is over. I haven't even been vaccinated yet.

TPBM isn't afraid to lay swear words down on the board when playing Scrabble.

Not afraid to, but never do it.

TPBM would like an enchilada dinner and a margarita.

I'm not a fan of alcoholic beverages, but those enchiladas sound like heaven! Mmm-mmm-mmm!

TPBM enjoys listening to videogame music.

Didn't know about it but now I am wondering! :D Did you get the dinner M?

The Person Below Me ("TPBM") has seen the new posts online about great movies coming out (or are finished production!)

All of my knowledge of recent movies comes from the hilarious negative reviews people do on You Tube. My favorite reviewers include Cynical Reviews, Amanda the Jedi, and Krimson Rogue to name a few.

TPBM has been down the Empress Theresa research rabbit hole.

I think I've seen the thumbnail but don't remember or barely watched the video.

I used to watch a lot of reviewers like that. Though I disagree with some of his views I used to watch Cinema Snob because I thought he was pretty darn funny. :D

TPBM has yet to see Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li.

I watched it back in 2009 when I was visiting Pennsylvania. My standards for good storytelling weren't the highest back then, but it did provide me with entertainment during a boring week and a half.

TPBM has seen the Twilight Zone episode "A Nice Place to Visit" and loved it.

Have not seen that Twilight Zone episode, but am intrigued.

TPBM has books read from before that are their favorites (books that come to mind)!

I'm confused by your question, CJ. Do you mean that we own books that we read before or do you mean that we have favorites in general?

I was saying at first books that are owned but it could also be books that have become favorites in general. Any books that have become favorites!

I usually put my books up for sale online whenever I'm finished with them. I don't have it in me to read a book more than once since I already know what happened and reading takes a lot out of me mentally.

TPBM enjoyed watching "A History of Violence", especially the part where Jack beats up his high school bullies.

I haven’t seen “A History of Violence.” And I did get enchiladas! Not the margarita, though. I had to drive.

TPBM remembers Rupert Giles and the interesting library at Sunnydale High School.

I watched the first half of the pilot episode just the other night. I hadn’t seen it in years!

TPBM thinks it might be fun to be a screenwriter.

Yes. It started back in high school. It's challenging but it is kind of fun if you are observant to how the screenplay is written (though I feel there are no specific rules just pointing out scenes and when they start and end basically) and it is great.

The Person Below Me "TPBM" has no shoes on right now.

Yes, but I was actually looking for some Just a minute ago.

TPBM knows or is learning how to play piano.

I never developed the skill of playing from sheet music. I could read the music, but to play it other than in a slow, halting way, I had to memorize it. Having several songs memorized came in handy at unexpected times, however!

TPBM enjoys plinking on old, out-of-tune pianos.

No but I was once during middle school thought to be the possible bass guitar player in the band with my bros. I'm the drummer instead, lol!

TPBM has been to college and thinks it was a waste of money over everything else in the experience.

No. I spent four years in college and six in graduate school and can trace just about all my conceptions of critical approaches to literature, the nature of bibliography, and countless open doors to the exploration of art and architecture, to the time I spent in school.

TPBM likes buttered toast for breakfast.

I don't wake up early enough for breakfast, but if I did, yes, I'd love some buttered toast, especially if it was salted butter. I'm especially fond of buttered English muffins.

TPBM enjoys watching negative book/movie reviews more than watching positive ones.

Umm.... kind of? My room is a mess so maybe not, haha! I am working on it though.

Buttered toast.... that got me thinking of the tea biscuit I hope to eat tomorrow morning when I get up on my day off from work! It's a personal little goal, hehe.

TPBM likes to listen to music while they work.

Since most of my chores involve hauling garbage/recycling up the hill, cleaning the bathroom, doing laundry, and feeding Piper, I don't have many opportunities to listen to music while I work. Theoretically, though, I could use some Starset right now, particularly their "Divisions" album.

TPBM has read the lyrics to Starset's monologue "A Brief History of the Future" and knows of a situation in real life where that would apply.

Is Starset a musical group?

TPBM has never played a washboard in an Appalachian folk band.

Yes that is pretty true (lol M!)

TPBM video chats with a close friend or family member.

I can't do video chats on my computer, because my internet cuts out at random times for no reason. Not exactly conducive to an important Zoom call.

To answer your question, M, yes, Starset is a musical group. They're a 2010's electronic rock band with a sci-fi gimmick.

TPBM enjoys reading graphic novels as well as standard print books.

Yes and no. I have a book I am reading apart from a reading group in my church. I think it's an amazing book but am now getting close to finishing reading it soon.

TPBM has a few qualms about stuff in life.

Not unless it’s escape fiction and very short. It usually takes me weeks to get through a book--on the rare occasion that I actually finish one.

TPBM likes Blue Bell ice cream.

(Dutch Chocolate is my favorite! I’m about to finish off another half gallon.) I checked the mail. Bills.

TPBM sometimes remembers dreams and tries to analyze them.

I have a lot of dreams about school despite not wanting to go back for any reason. I've often heard school dreams represent missed opportunities. Sounds about right.

TPBM uses iTunes as their main music library.

No. Years ago I copied my cocktail-hour tapes to compact disc, then from there to the music library on my computer’s hard drive, but it’s been a while since I listened to music other than occasionally.

TPBM is drained by time spent alone, and has to go to wild parties to recharge.

Kind of. I have a bunch of future book projects. They will happen.... in some time. I have no idea when, lol!

TPBM likes colorful socks.

Yes, as long as they’re dark brown.

TPBM is trying to lose weight, but what TPBM craves for breakfast is probably very fattening.

Yes. I’ve been drawing conclusions.

TPBM prefers complex characters.

Of course. (How did you know?)

TPBM has an idea for a story for this week’s prompt.

No not even when I wrote a letter yesterday. But pens usually don't like me either (the ink wouldn't run lol).

TPBM finds making TPBM's difficult sometimes.