Two for Tuesday ~ Teachers

Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

This was a Daily Prompt last week, and I’m just now getting ’round to it. The image is from Mamma Mia (2) ~ Here We Go Again when the three girls (Donna and the Dynamos) graduated university while singing “When I Kissed the Teacher.” I can’t decide if MM2 surpassed MM1 (simply called Mamma Mia!), so I keep watching them both repeatedly in order to try to make a decision. On the one hand, MM1 had the best songs and lots of Meryl Streep, but otoh MM2 had Lily James (I really love her) and all the characters as their younger selves, which was so well done. They both had Christine Baranski, one of my most favorite actors ~ she is absolutely hilarious. I’ll let you know if I ever decide which movie I prefer, and in the meantime I am forced to watch both yet again. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

So. Teachers. I have to say, without naming names because I’ve mostly forgotten them, that my early ed teachers were pretty meh. They clearly favored the cute, athletic kids, of which I was neither, so I not only felt like an outcast from my peers for being fat and klutzy, but I didn’t feel that the teachers wanted me there either.

That’s a heavy bag of negative emotion for a little kid to lug around every day, and I didn’t have a large, supportive family or neighborhood friend group to make up for it, just my parents who were not that sympathetic. It’s not their fault they weren’t; they just didn’t have the experience to deal with it, plus “bullying” hadn’t hit the media yet, so no one gave a sh!t if kids made up mean nicknames for me. The teachers certainly knew I was being picked on, and yet they did nothing. It wasn’t just me ~ some of the smaller boys were physically hurt by the bullies, and no one helped them either. I guess I was lucky that mine was “only” verbal. If you’re thinking that all the not-cute, not-athletic kids could have bonded and created their own awesome friend group… you’ve been watching too much fiction.

My college teachers at CSUN though were marvelous. I learned so much from them: philosophy, poetry, creative writing, etc. It was a fabulous experience. I wasn’t there to make friends and party, however; I was an “older” student at that point, married, and I did not live that close to campus, but commuted from the other side of the Valley (Glendale to Northridge). There are two notable moments that stand out in my mind regarding my college professors.

One was a philosophy professor, Dr. M. I took a logic class from him, and in my youthful arrogance I decided I did not have to bother learning the boring formulas because, early on, my own reasoning got me to the correct answer every time. I received 100% on the first quiz. So far so good, right? On the next quiz I received a D. I freaked out utterly and burst into tears the second I left the room. There was no way back from this, so I decided to drop the class and filled out all the forms. The last thing I had to do was get Dr. M to sign the form. He refused! What?!? How could he refuse? He made me explain why I wanted to drop, so I told him the truth. He said he’d help me speed-learn the stuff I’d glossed over and I would end up OK. I agreed. And he was right. (This was a completely different experience from when I dropped AP Chem in high school ~ the teacher never helped me when I asked him to and didn’t give a crap.)

You know, I still throw stuff out that displeases me (like the paintings I did this past Saturday ~ barf), but I do think about Dr. M when it comes to jettisoning anything meaningful, not to mention having the confidence to try, try again.

Another notable moment was when my poetry professor, Ms. B, asked me to read some of my work aloud in a bookstore. Of course, I was terrible at it and my throat was so dry my voice cracked. I know this sounds like “stage fright,” and maybe it was, but I didn’t feel afraid of reading to an audience. In fact, I was really looking forward to it. My voice cracks when I read Dr. Seuss to my grandkids, so maybe it’s just a thing I have. In any case, that’s not the point. The point is that Ms. B, a well-regarded poet in her own right, thought I was good enough to read in front of a real audience ~ she didn’t ask everyone in the class. That gave me a huge boost of writing confidence that carries me to this day.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

One Word

The Official WordPress Daily Prompt asks for one word that describes me. Per Jim’s advice, I’m no longer responding to the DP directly, in hopes that will cut down on the irrelevant and annoying linkbacks. Relevant linkbacks are not annoying.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is my word (from Mary Poppins, but I used Julie Andrews TSOM image instead because it was already in my media library). Before you think, ermehgawd she is arrogant, please allow me to explain.

I’m a super-blogger, as I believe everyone will agree, due to the fact that I post multiple times per day when most bloggers barely manage one ppd. This has nothing to do with the content of my posts, which may or may not be super at any given moment.

Cali is obviously correct as I live in the great state of California. I may or may not be using “great” facetiously.

Fragilistic? Well yeah! I am a fragile flower, as gentle and delicate as they come, with easily hurt little feelings, at which point I will instantly morph into a raging monster.

Ex, yep. I am definitely an ex-wife (x2) and very happily single and unencumbered with any pesky romantic relationships where I have to worry about what some grown-ass man wants to eat for dinner.

Pi, please yes pi and pie. I love math and I love pie, especially cherry, pumpkin, and key lime.

Ali (ally). I am a fabulous ally to have in your corner and will help you fight to the death in any situation, whether I believe you are right or wrong, especially if I gave birth to you… otherwise, not so much.

Do (doh). I do say doh a lot, particularly after I’ve done something dumb, which is often.

Cious (shush): Silence is golden.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

High Anxiety

What makes you most anxious?

One of the things that is making me anxious lately are all these random new bloggers who are sharing my posts and linking back to me. Removing the reblog button used to eliminate this issue, but they seem to have figured out how to do it anyway. Unlike that past bad guy who was simply stealing our words, these new bloggers aren’t doing that. They are properly linking back with only a snippet (and the image) posted at their place. But why? Why are they doing this? My posts are always irrelevant to whatever theme they have, and the really weird thing is that often their main blog doesn’t even seem to exist when you click the icon. So, where, exactly are my posts posted when there is no main page? I guess I could stop answering these Daily Prompt questions and maybe this issue would go away, but I like the questions! Some of them anyway.

I do not allow their linkbacks to appear in my comment section because I don’t want to encourage this practice. I suspect that the only reason these bloggers are reposting stuff from us is to get more traffic, so I’m not going to help them with that. You might have noticed that I pretty much NEVER reblog anything from other bloggers ~ I am not necessarily opposed to it, if it’s done in context, but I prefer not to. Of course, I link to others when appropriate for credit, but except for quoting stuff on Wednesdays, I prefer to keep my blog exclusively for my own jibber-jabber, chitchat, and pointless meandering.

I am going to try not to worry about this, just like I have decided not to worry about all the randos who have begun to follow me since I started answering the Daily Prompts. I used to methodically delete anyone who wasn’t (in my opinion) a real blogger, but it became too onerous a task. So I leave them moldering away on my follower list, and my count is thus a lie like everyone else’s. Before this onslaught of randos, my ratio of views to followers made much more sense. Now it’s completely skewed because none of these marketing bloggers and no-blog followers are interested in actually reading our posts, commenting, interacting, etc.

Other than that, here are some things that make me anxious, in no particular order. Note that these are things I mostly imagine, since I generally avoid experiencing nerve-wracking stuff directly. Flying. Heights. The vastness of the ocean. The vastness of space. Bugs. Parasites. The ever-increasing threat of WW3/ nuclear war. The distinct possibility of the US being taken over by Christian extremists/ white power freaks. Not having enough money in retirement. Identity theft. Scammers. Dangerous drivers. Driving generally. Dealing with anything car-related. People appearing out of the blue to cause an argument or create drama. Being code master in Codenames. Eating too much salt. Gaining weight. The endless nothingness following death. Anything bad happening to my daughters. Gatsby’s eventual demise.

PS: High Anxiety is another one of those films I found hilarious when young and absolutely hated when I tried to rewatch it in my dotage.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Multiple Viewings

What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

I haven’t watched any TV series more than 5 times, but there are definitely movies in the 5x category, as follows:

Young Frankenstein, Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Hair, Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia (1&2), When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, 27 Dresses, Goodfellas, Cocktail, Risky Business, Alex & Emma, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Valley Girl, An Officer and a Gentleman, My Cousin Vinny, The Devil Wears Prada, The Graduate, Splash, My Fair Lady…

This list may be incomplete, but these are the movies that spring to mind instantly.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Superstitions

Are you superstitious?

I love black cats (along with all cats), and I will deliberately walk under a ladder or step on a crack. The best thing is when I step on a crack under a ladder as a black cat crosses my path. Trifecta!

I broke a mirror when I was little and my luck didn’t seem to change even though I lied about it to my mom. I’ve never thrown salt over my shoulder into the Devil’s eyes; that sounds like a very dumb idea. I don’t carry a lucky penny or a rabbit’s foot (ew) around with me, and I actually like number 13 ~ baker’s dozen!

I don’t open umbrellas indoors because then you can’t get through the doorway. Maybe I’ve knocked on wood just to emphasize a point. Sometimes I say “God bless you” when someone sneezes, but this is just a silly habit as I don’t believe souls fly out of noses. In fact, I don’t believe in souls at all, though in this age of Covid and other icky sickies it is nice to wish people well regardless.

But I wouldn’t say I’m completely free from all superstitions. For example, I keep a stock of cute birthday cards handy, but I don’t put a specific person’s name on a card until it’s time to give it to them. I like to keep a little night light on, just in case. Of what? I don’t know. I try not to make bragging statements like “bad thing X has never happened to me” because that’s just asking for it.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

You Live, You Learn

What is the last thing you learned?

I learned that WP sticks two (2!) tags on every one of these Daily Prompt posts you reply to, and since I’m insane, I go through and delete the extra ones. I don’t mind the “dailyprompt” tag, but I refuse to allow my tag list to be cluttered up with individually numbered ones. I’m sure this doesn’t bother most bloggers, but I’m OCD about tags.

I learned that the reason some roofs collapse under a pile of snow is because the bottom layer melts from the heat of the house and then your shingles are sitting in a pool of water, which weakens them. So either get a roof rake and skootch off the snow, or turn off your heat.

I learned that I was not wrong about pecan pie having more fat than other pies, except for coconut cream (which I would never have anyway). It’s easily googled. This is why pecan pie makes me nauseated, while other pies, such as cherry, pumpkin, and lemon meringue, do not. I can’t handle too much fat in one serving of food.

I learned that we have a ring around our irises called a limbal ring, and our genes have evolved so that we are attracted to people with more prominent ones, as that is often a clue to youth and good health (i.e., a better chance of reproduction). Yes, I am reading yet another philosophy book for an upcoming meetup.

In this same philosophy book (The Case Against Reality by Donald Hoffman), I learned that Australian jewel beetles almost went extinct because people were dumping their shiny brown beer bottles all over the place, and the male beetles got confused and tried to mate with the sexy bottles instead of female beetles. Ants caught onto these dumb beetles and began lying in wait to nom them up while they were distracted by the bottles. Thank goodness we humans are so much smarter than bugs and are able to discern truth from lies…

Ha ha ha ha.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Annoying Questions

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

Oh, where to begin! I hate when bank tellers and supermarket clerks badger me about my day. This is a relatively new thing. They used to just ask the standard “how are you,” but now it’s a full-fledged interrogation. I refuse to participate. It’s none of their business if I’m on my lunch hour or what I’m doing on the weekend. What idiot told them to annoy customers like this?

I also hate being asked if my writing is about real events, particularly when I’m writing romance. Tell me what you like or don’t like about my poem or story without pestering me if it really happened. Poetry is fiction too! At least mine mostly is. The quality of the writing stands alone, for better or worse, so what difference does it make if some or all of it actually happened? I have a vivid imagination, so be content knowing that.

I have mentioned that my novel Ghosted was initially inspired by being ghosted in real life, but that’s all I’ve said. The characters and plot were spun from my imagination, which is how it should be in fiction writing. My books are not autobiography or memoir. Trust me, my life is not interesting enough to document in that way.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Can’t Live Without…

What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

Perhaps I’m high maintenance, but there are a lot of things I can’t live without, besides the obvious stuff, like air, water, food, etc. While I enjoy flowers and sunsets as much as any poet, I don’t know how to “rough it” in the wilderness, nor do I want to learn. I am super appreciative of our advancements in hygiene, medicine, food safety, etc., and I don’t casually brush them aside, especially now that I deal with migraines and chronic pain. That said, I will limit my response to actual objects, as opposed to electricity, heat, running water, etc.

My first can’t-live-without object is my iPhone. It’s a way to communicate with my family, friends, and coworkers; it provides a means to write and blog when I’m away from my laptop; it helps me stay organized and make appointments; it gives me easy access to news and information; I can read books on it (though I prefer my Kindle); it generates music and entertainment ~ I could watch movies on my phone, if no larger screens were available; and omg the GPS and maps, which I absolutely cannot live without!

In Southern California, I can’t live without a car. Public transportation is inconvenient and unreliable, so to get to work on time, visit my family, and go to all the other places I need to be, I need to have my own car. I lived without one back in Chicago, and that was great. No worries about maintenance, insurance, parking, etc. I would love to be in that carless situation again, but out here, in coastal SoCal’s mild weather.

Finally, I can’t live without a comfy bed. My days of being able to sleep anywhere are long past ~ I used to be able to snooze on a chair, sofa, bus, plane, and even the floor! But I have so many issues with neck and back pain now that I have to be extremely careful of my sleeping position. What a drag it is getting old… but it beats the alternative (so far).

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Growth Experiences

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

Mistakes and poor judgment helped me grow the most. When life is purring along smoothly, there isn’t as much learning as when it bites and scratches you. That’s when you discover what to avoid. Humans are funny creatures, as we don’t like other people to tell us good from bad because we would rather find out for ourselves. Of course, there are some things I have avoided from the get-go, such as jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, playing with rattlesnakes, and wearing socks with sandals, but other things I had to learn via direct experience, such as not to open bottles with knives, drink Fireball, and date insane men. Live/learn.

I’m including a picture of my darling kitty, not because he has anything to do with this post, but because the last time I put a pic of him on a Daily Prompt, I got like 10 bazillion views.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Written in the Stars

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

This is an interesting question for me. You would think I’d say no, since usually fate/destiny is entangled with some sort of belief in the supernatural ~ and god/s count as supernatural. Spoiler: I do not believe in any god/s. Yet I find myself drawn to the idea of “fate” in the sense that we can’t escape our genetics + environmental influences. Or, at least, it is extremely difficult to escape these factors and forge your own path. I understand that many if not most people believe they are exceptional and have escaped, but I disagree. If someone asserted that no one escapes, I’d be more inclined to accept that statement. But, for now, I am slightly open to the idea that it’s possible for a rare individual.

Here’s the thing: if you have always been a person who supposedly thinks for him/herself, goes against the crowd, rebels with or without a cause, etc., then THAT is your fate/destiny. It’s rather circular. Whatever happens could not have happened any other way. Why not? Because it didn’t. It is no more possible for you to be a follower than it is for a cat to be a dog. You may feel that you are taking charge of your own life, but in fact you are programmed to do just that, just as others are programmed to go with the flow.

What about me? Am I that rare individual who has escaped my programming? Nah. I’ve ended up exactly where I was supposed to be.

~*~
©️2023 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.