Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company! discussion

I wish I had a lava lamp! They're so cool. I just wish they weren't so expensive. :/

TPBM considers themselves to have a green thumb.

No, I do not. My parents have green thumbs, but I don't. I can't stand the feeling on my knees and spine whenever I bend over to plant something.

TPBM frequently gets stuck browsing Wikipedia because of all the links to other articles within one article.

Sometimes. Worse, I sometimes get into a loop of editing and supplementing the information there.

TPBM thinks the ability to have the Wikipedia editable by the public has more positive aspects to it than negative.

Provided the people doing the editing didn't vandalize the pages with vulgar jokes, yes, I could agree with that.

TPBM refers to defying authority as “raging against the machine”.

No. My defiance is more of the covert subversive kind, so more like whispering against the machine.

TPBM considers defiance to authority ok, but in a limited way on an off day.

If the authority figure in question throws his weight around, then defiance comes easily. But I'm like Guy in the sense that I "whisper against the machine".

TPBM believes creating Dungeons & Dragons characters is an art form.

I do, but I have very limited exposure to the art.

TPBM considers one man's art to be another's garbage heap.

If any part of this news story sounds off, then correct me, but I once heard about a guy who flooded the streets of England with fire hydrants and storm sewers and called his act of vandalism art. That's one extreme of example of what Guy was just talking about.

TPBM prefers to read stories where the hero is an average joe instead of an extraordinary super power (because average joes have to work harder to secure a happy ending).

I like either, I'm kind of a sucker for fantasy/supernatural stuff. That point about having to work harder is true, though.

TPBM wishes there were books where the villain stomps the hero into the ground and wins.

I'm alright with that so long as the series doesn't end like that. I read a book that was sort of like that, where the main character failed epically and the "savior" was lost. I hope that didn't spoil the ending too badly, but if you're interested, it was called The Young Elites by Marie Lu.

TPBM hates it when they're getting better and their illness makes a comeback.

For me, that illness is my schizophrenia. It's been my Achilles' Heel for a long time now and I agree with what Angie just said.

TPBM is baffled by the fact that selfies get more internet attention than actual pieces of art.

I don't find is surprising at all. Things that are more common get more exposure. At least art will get more attention long term as individual selfies are forgotten over time.

TPBM does not drink coffee.

No coffee for me, just one-liter bottles of Diet Mountain Dew for my caffiene fix. Mmmm-mmm-mmm!!

TPBM has at least one character in his or her stories named Owen.

Not yet, but I'll add that to my name list :)

TPBM knows the name(s) of their neighbor(s).

Bill and Chris, an elderly couple that lives next door to me. Nice people. :)

TPBM declares every month NaNoWriMo, not just November.

I write whenever I can. If not for school though, I would definitely participate in NaNoWriMo.

TPBM has started on their entry for this week's short story contest.

Sadly, I have not. I might pump out something later in the evening or even tomorrow, but for now, I just want to relax.

TPBM believes an ego too big can ruin a writer’s career.

I think a big ego can ruin anyone's career, regardless of their profession.

TPBM believes that it's better to die "poor" and loved than rich and alone.

Love is more powerful than money, so yes, I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment.

TPBM thinks Native American surnames are interesting (examples include Spirit Wolf, Two Hawks, and there’s even somebody in Washington named Everybody Talks About).

I have a lot of friends who are Navajo or Cherokee, so I know that firsthand.

TPBM sometimes watches shows from their childhood and wonders what they ever saw in it.

An example from my own past would be The Thundercats. As a kid, I loved it to pieces and even had a crush on Cheetarah. As an adult, the bad dialogue hurts my brain.

TPBM gets freaked out whenever an Emergency Alert System screen pops up on TV or an Amber Alert buzzes on their smart phone.

Not really. They rarely happen in Canada and when they do I accept that the fix to the alert is outside my purview. I would help when opportunity put me in position to, but so far that hasn't happened.

TPBM is watching football this afternoon instead of reading the TPBM thread.

I'm not interested in football, so no. Although, I can watch WWE NXT anytime I want today since it's saved on the WWE Network.

TPBM thinks “Avocado Dip” would make a good Wheel of Fortune bonus puzzle (because it doesn’t have an R, S, T, L, N, or E).

Lol! I guess so but have managed to live without actually having watched more than 15 minutes of WoF in my life. (Does that qualify as an lifetime accomplishment?)

TPBM is becoming increasingly bored by and disinterested in TV programming in general.

There are a couple gems out there but mostly yes.

TPBM would happily drop cable/satellite altogether in favor of something like Netflix.

If this new TV service would give me episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles that actually have sound and a strong signal, then yes, I'd opt for that.

TPBM has at least one character in his or her stories named Oliver.

No, I don't believe that I do.

TPBM is currently wrestling with whether or not procrastination is a priority re-organization or indecision.

Nah, I'm pretty sure procrastination isn't a priority. It's something I do, though, and I try to control it.

TPBM eats Chef Boyardee products cold.

I'm not a big fan of them even when they're warm, so no. The only exception I'll make is for ravioli, but it has to be warm.

TPBM thinks women's pants should have real pockets instead of having decorative ones sewn in.

The more items those pockets are capable of holding, the happier those women will be. I can get onboard with that, Angie.

TPBM is afraid of medical needles.

Not really. I have never been intimidated by them as the ones I've seen have all been properly domesticated and well behaved.

TPBM is looking forward to their first acupuncture treatment.

Hmmm... I'm not scared of the thought of being poked by needles, but I'm incredibly ticklish. I'm more afraid that my squirming and thrashing would cause them to poke me in the wrong nerve.

TPBM considers themselves good at golf.

I've never swung a golf club a day in my life, so chances are good that I stink at it.

TPBM face palms at the idea of Superman being potentially defeated by a two-year-old with a kryptonite teddy bear.

Not instinctively. I have a good ability to suspend my disbelief when the writing is good. Besides, if I am willing to accept that a superman would fly around in skin tight pyjamas, a cape and a speedo, I am sure I can accept a kryptonited teddy wielded by a precocious two year old. (Of course, the chances of my knowingly watching that as a movie are pretty slim.)

TPBM used to read at least a dozen comic books a day during summer break from school.

I can't say I've ever done that before, Guy. I played videogames during summer break. I mastered the hell out of Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64.

When flying on an airplane, TPBM requests an aisle seat so he or she can have easy access to the bathroom.

Garrison wrote: "I can't say I've ever done that before, Guy. I played videogames during summer break. I mastered the hell out of Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64.

When flying on an airplane, TPBM requests an aisl..."

As of yet never have flown but I guess I'd do that. Oh and Garrison that teddy bear humbling Superman sounds like a funny thought! Makes me think of that Simpsons episode with Mr. Burns feeling defeated by Maggie.

Oh yeah sorry.

TPBM has read a fairly good amount of books this year (or at least are proud of new stuff read)!

I have but wish I read more



TPBM has a cat

Nope.

TPBM likes pizza better if it's cold and a day old.

Yes if it is North American style, but no if it is Neapolitan.

TPBM enjoys making their own pizza from scratch.

I've never made my own pizza before, but it would be another creative experience for me if I did. I'd put breakfast bacon, garlic, Italian sausage, and pesto sauce on it. This was the kind of pizza I used to order all the time in college.

TPBM prefers to be called “handsome” or “beautiful” instead of “hot”.

Meh, a complement's a complement. Handsome does sound better though.

TPBM has drawn on a sleeping friend or been drawn on while sleeping.

I can't say I've ever done that before. The closest I came to drawing/writing ridiculous things was when I wrote "Penis" with chalk on the sidewalk of my neighborhood. It was good for a few laughs before the rain washed it away.

TPBM actually knows what it means to be “chaotic neutral” (if you do, let me know, because I have no damn clue).

I do not, but given my having read about Chaos Theory, this sounds like it may refer to a mathematical state in which the chaos does not expand nor contract. Now to check google. [BRB.] LOL!

Chaotic Neutral is freedom from both society's restrictions and a do-gooder's zeal. ...
Chaotic Neutral is sometimes considered the "purest" form of chaos, without bias in favor of good or evil.

Here is the link to the urban dictionary definition: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define...

Now I think I know, and see how it links to Chaos Theory

TPBM thinks that chaotic neutrality is not that far from being a Taoist.

I would have to agree with that, Guy. And by the way, thanks for that thorough definition. I have a D&D character of chaotic neutral alignment and I think it should be changed just a little bit since I would have no idea how to RP a character of chaotic neutrality.

TPBM used to believe Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series was the only person in the world with that first name.

What? There's actually someone with that name?

TPBM color-codes their to do list.

Nope. Everything on my to-do list (or what I like to call the Writer's Buffet Table) is pitch black and in Times New Roman.

TPBM doesn’t get easily offended when asked for the location of a restaurant whose food is the same ethnicity (this was inspired by a scene from the Seinfeld episode about the cigar store Indian).

Not at all. Being Canadian I have not experienced being asked for food of my ethnicity. But if I did, Canadian back bacon and poutine would save my day.

TPBM watched a Hermione in the (excellent!) British series Cold Feet.

I haven't seen one episode of Cold Feet in my lifetime. But judging from the link you gave me, it sounds like a good dramedy. I enjoy the feeling of laughing my ass off while my heart is shattering, which is why Sherman Alexie is a favorite author of mine.

TPBM considers themselves fiscally responsible.

Yes and no. By accident I got a degree in economics,. But I didn't like what I learned there and after 15 years of subsequent critical economic self-study, have wrote and teach two 'anti-economic' courses, called Economics Debunked and Banks Skanks.


TPBM thinks economics fails as a science and as a fiscal agent.