Six Degrees 2 [blogcarnelli]

1. Today I’m taking the last entry from my previous post (“Folsom Prison Blues”) and using the theme of feeling stuck (a word in FBP’s lyrics). One of my favorite songs, “Hotel California,” also has a trapped theme. It’s by the Eagles. Initially the narrator feels welcome at the HC, but eventually realizes there is no escape. The song includes the line this could be heaven or this could be hell.

2. The 2019 movie Vivarium (starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) also switches from the idea of something that seems great to the realization that it’s horrible. A young couple go to look at their possible dream home with an estate agent. He disappears and the couple is left stranded in a maze of horror. They are forced to raise a baby who may be some kind of demon from hell (or an alien).

3. Speaking of hellish homes, I present We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. What’s going on here? Is this creepy family dead or alive? I enjoyed this psychological horror story very much. I also love a story told by an unreliable narrator. The novel has two sisters as main characters.

4. One of my favorite romcoms, 27 Dresses, features two sisters dealing with their romances. They are first of all in love with the same man (for a while) and second must untangle themselves from various deceptions. It’s a funny and sweet film.

5. “Alice’s Restaurant” repeats the lyric 27 glossy photos with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one to be used as evidence against us. Those were pictures of the heap of trash that the narrator and a friend illegally added to on Thanksgiving. This is a war protest song by Arlo Guthrie about the Vietnam draft, among other things.

6. My Trashy Romance is a fun story about a trash collector who falls for a librarian. Initially, they hit it off, but she discovers something that upsets her, so she breaks up with him. But does he win her back? This witty novel is written by my real-life friend Terry Black.

Okay, that’s it for my second six degrees / blog Carnelli post and I will continue on at some future date…

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Photo credit ~ Kevin Bacon, the original six degrees dude, via Google

Double Trouble

I’m combining the prompts for Fandango’s Dog Days of August 7 and 8 today. Hope that is okay! Do not want to break any RULES.

Something I found was an in-person game group in 2012. Now, I’d been on Meetup and played Scrabble with a bunch of nice folks, plus there were some larger groups that played all the board games, but I never felt a strong connection (read: they were mostly young dudes). Besides connecting over game playing, I needed to be able to chat with peeps because I was lonely after my divorce and my breakup with TMWBMH. This new group consisted of many people closer to my age and a bunch of women too. Yay! Some of us became friends outside of the group and saw movies and had vegetarian restaurant nights, etc. Man, I miss seeing friends for real ~ Zoom just doesn’t cut it, ya know. It’s better than nothing, sure, but I hope it won’t be years before in-person events are safe again.

Going along with that theme is someone I admire: she’s a member of the above-mentioned game group. I really think she’s the coolest person. She’s super-smart first of all and funny too. Next, she’s athletic and musical ~ she has a gorgeous voice. Third, she works in science, which is what I wanted to do way back when but ended up not because too hard. Waaah. I like things to be easy. Well, except for puzzles; they can be difficult. Back to person I admire (let’s call her Pia)… Pia got divorced around the same time I did, but instead of having a series of disasters on dating sites, each one worse than the last, Pia dated for a bit and then found her soul mate on a site. It can happen! This inspired me to keep trying, but alas I am not Pia, so my disasters continued unabated. Anyway, I’ll be happy to see Pia and her hubby again (also a smart and funny person) when it’s okay to get together in person.

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Image credit ~ Pinterest

New Prompt ~ Six Degrees

I found the 6 Degrees idea at my friend Davida’s blog, but I’m going to tweak it a bit. She links to a prompt that asks us to describe 6 books, each connected to the previous one in some way (a word in the title, the same author, a theme, etc.). That reminded me of a super fun game I’ve played called Carnelli, which uses books and movies. Since I’m pretty flexible with rules, I’m going to allow songs and poems too ~ anything written, basically.

Blog Carnelli is what this is, my friends, and I hope you will join in. Take any one of my 6 items and start your own Six Degrees post (no time limit)… or take one from another player. Can you just begin your own from scratch? Sure, why not! We can use the tag #blogcarnelli to find each other.

If you’re wondering what is the deal with Kevin Bacon, click here. Okay? I’m gonna start! 🤩

1. Hollow Man. This is a 1980 movie starring Kevin Bacon as an arrogant creep of a scientist working on an invisibility serum for the military. There’s also a love triangle involved with Elisabeth Shue. The movie is violent and somewhat predictable, but hey Bacon.

2. Leaving Las Vegas. This is a 1995 movie starring Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue. The story centers on the relationship between an alcoholic man who has lost everything that mattered to him and a prostitute. Sad, but great.

3. The Glass Castle. This is a 2005 memoir by Jeannette Walls, where she chronicles her childhood with an alcoholic father. I found it utterly engrossing. There’s a movie version, but it’s not nearly as good as the book.

4. “Heart of Glass.” This is a 1978 new wave song by Blondie. It was written by group members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. Though the music is upbeat, the lyrics are focused on mistrust and heartbreak.

5. The Heart Goes Last. This is a 2015 novel by the wonderful Margaret Atwood. It’s a dystopian romp where you have to agree to be a part-time prisoner in order to have a modicum of security. Thought provoking!

6. “Folsom Prison Blues.” This is a 1955 song by Johnny Cash told from the point of view of a prisoner. The guy is lamenting his loss of freedom when he hears the train go rolling by. A classic! 🎶💖

So, there you have it. My first Six Degrees #blogcarnelli post. More will come along at random… looking forward to yours!

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Puzzle Time! [socs]

More procrastination tools for those who are “writing a novel.” 😂

Okay, so I have a new app called “Jigsaw Puzzle,” which admittedly is not a very creative name. But it’s super fun, and no they are not paying me to say so. I’ve been doing the free puzzles so far, but I may pay for some eventually. We’ll see. The free ones are great though! 🤩

I was skeptical at first… I mean, what? Who wants to do a puzzle on their phone? But it works well, surprisingly. Let me show you. First, we pick a puzzle and scatter it into 400 pieces (more on some devices).

Next, we change the background color to one that looks better with these particular pieces. And we tell it to show us edges only. See the bottom buttons? You change colors there, pull up the original for checking, etc.

We complete the frame and the rest of the pieces appear again like magic!

Now we sort our pieces. I start by sorting for color, usually a striking one that is in a small area. You can stick pieces in “trays” if you like. Sometimes that’s helpful to keep colors together and get them out of your way.

Progress! 😍

I want to illustrate what I do when the “easy” colors are gone and it’s time to hunt for shapes. I will say (left to right in the tray below)… normal green piece vertical, normal green piece horizontal, 4 outies, 4 innies, 2 right feet, 2 left feet, etc. Works for me!

And voila!

I’m getting really into these puzzles. Very relaxing and non-competitive. Plus, the cats can’t swipe the pieces onto the floor. 🐱🐱

And! The default setting is “grabby.” What I mean is that when you place a piece near its correct spot, the table grabs it. Coolest thing ever, especially when it happens randomly. But more importantly, it lets you know that a placement is right.

Yeah, yeah this wasn’t entirely stream of consciousness because I had the pics ready from the other day when I thought it might be fun to document my puzzling for a post. Like whatever… deal with it!

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Image credits ~ Jigsaw Puzzle

Girl Talk [flash 160]

Carol danced into the room and interrupted the conversation. “Girls, how do you like the new me?”

“Uh, we liked the old you,” Janet said. “Gosh, that’s a lot of purple you’re wearing.”

“People are swearing?” Rosemary yelled.

“No, dear,” Carol shouted back. “Adjust your hearing aid. We are talking about how I’m going to live life to the fullest now that I’ve turned eighty-five.”

Janet waved a hand. “Don’t make excuses for wanting more male attention, Carol. We know how you are. But the guys are gonna laugh at your crazy clothing.”

“Psssh, I just passed Leo in the hall and he called me a hottie.” Carol smiled.

“Leo is blind, honey,” Rosemary said. “This hearing aid has a poor design. It’s not my fault. Did anyone bring coconut cookies?”

Carol swirled around the table. “People can believe whatever they want! Feathers and sequins make me happy!”

“Fine,” Janet said. “Are you in for Go Fish or not?”

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

BINGO CARD DONE!

[Previous update here.]

Remember this? 😂 It’s been a while, huh? Welp, doing nothing takes up a lot of time!

For my final book of this challenge (a book of my choice), I picked our own Ashley Peterson’s Managing the Depression Puzzle. I wasn’t sure this book would have a lot of relevance to my life, since my episodes of depression haven’t been “that bad.”

I was wrong. I found tons of helpful info throughout Ashley’s book. That’s part of the reason it took me so long to finish ~ I didn’t rip through it like I do a romance novel. I wanted to stop and think about various sections. The other reason is because of games on my phone, which I’ve been playing a lot at night to destress from the news of the day.

But I learned from MTDP that I don’t have to feel guilty about these games. So what if I haven’t finished writing my novel? It’s better to practice self-care and keep myself out of the abyss. (I have made progress on Ghosted, don’t worry, just not as much as I meant to.)

I may post more thoughts about some parts of MTDP that resonated with me deeply, probably in a Pointless Meander. Yeah, yeah, I know I haven’t posted more ideas on Mark Manson’s book as I said I would. But I need to keep up with my daily goals in Spider Solitaire.

Five stars to MTDP! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Image credit – Kriti & Ariel

FPQ74: The Reopening

Fandango provocatively asks…

Which pre-pandemic activities are you ready to resume (or have you already resumed)? Which, if any, pre-virus activities are you likely to continue to avoid?

I have been going into my office a couple times per week and am totally fine with resuming a full-time schedule. There are only a few of us in a large suite and we hardly get any visitors. I will likely bring my own lunch so as not to deal with the cafe.

I’ve already been to my dentist for a normal cleaning and X-rays. I felt perfectly safe. They took my temperature as I came in and everyone was masked. I would also be okay with going to a regular doctor, if necessary.

When I grocery shop or go into other crowded public places, I wear a mask, even if it’s not required. I plan to continue doing this indefinitely. It’s uncomfortable, but I think it’s worth it. 😷

As I mentioned, I’ve visited my family in LA and have had a socially distant BYO picnic with friends. I’d probably be okay with outdoor dining at a regular restaurant. But maybe not… can’t predict how crowded it might get.

I want to get my hair cut and colored, but my daughter talked me out of it. I guess I can wait or figure out some DIY alternative.

I want to visit my older daughter in NorCal, but I’m definitely not ready to deal with either airports or flying. I could drive, but that’s a huge PITA. We shall see… 😞

While I find it enjoyable to hear the sounds of people having fun at our community pool, I’m not ready to join them. Not that I was a pool person in the first place. We also have a great gym though, but I’m not eager to go back there either. I’ll be passing up all peopley events for the foreseeable future, such as fairs or festivals or concerts or movies or even (my favorite) game nights with a bunch of people touching stuff.

Not worth the risk.

~*~

Images from Fandango and Pexels.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

5 Things [I Miss During Lockdown]

1. I miss going to work in my office every day. I’m one of those rare souls who dislikes working from home. I don’t like to slob around in grungy clothes, graze at the fridge all day, and procrastinate until I end up doing my work late at night. So annoying! Not to mention all the noise from gardeners, cats, etc. I like to work at work.

2. I miss playing Ticket to Ride, my favorite board game. Other games are doable over Zoom (not that I like Zoom that much, different issue), but you really need to play TTR in person. I could go on indefinitely with remote games… except for the loss of TTR.

3. I miss being able to grab a coffee in a Starbucks (or wherever) and sit for a few minutes while zoning out with my phone… or even having lunch somewhere by myself at a little table and reading on my phone or gazing out the window. I guess we can start doing this again, but I’m not inclined to expose myself to germs for no reason. It just seems foolish.

4. I miss being able to fly up to Northern California to see my daughter and her hubby, and I don’t feel comfortable flying yet or going through an airport. Maybe I’ll drive up at some point, though that’s no fun at all. Seven hours on the road each way, gah.

5. I miss being able to hang out with my younger daughter in Los Angeles and her family, go to the park, or grab lunch, whatever. I can see them now, but it’s still pretty limited.

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

I don’t remember where I grabbed this TTR image. How are we supposed to keep track of all the images floating around in our library?

Written for Dr. Tanya’s #5Things Prompt.

20 Questions

These are from Melanie, who got them from Fandango, in two separate posts, but she reworded some, and then added more to make a better number, as you do, so are they her questions or his questions?

Let me know what you decide, okay? In the meantime, imma answer the questions…

1. Okay, you write a blog, so do you also play word games of any kind?

Yes, all of them. Not at the same time, of course, but if it’s a word game, I’ve likely tried it, or some variation. Right now, on my phone, I have Wordscapes, which has pretty backgrounds and relaxing sounds. It’s too easy though.

2. Do you have any other type of creative outlet besides writing? Art, sewing, photography, jewelry making, etc.?

I’ve done all of that. I used to love baking and cake decorating. I also did lots of needlework pictures and pillows. I tried to start a tee shirt painting biz but got a hurty wrist and had to stop. My hands are achy lately, so I haven’t been doing any crafts at all. 😢

3. Do you listen to anything while you write or does it need to be quiet?

I prefer quiet.

4. Are you an avid book reader?

I go in phases. This year I’ve only read 19 books so far.

5. Name a country you would love to visit if the world wasn’t shut down because of the virus.

England.

6. Have you ever written a poem about someone and gave it to them?

Yes, as jokes and seriously. I’ve also written loads of poems about people that I haven’t shown them. Here’s my favorite one.

7. Is there an author (living or dead) that you would love to sit down and talk to for an hour?

Margaret Atwood.

8. Have you ever met a fellow blogger or interacted off WordPress?

I’ve met a few.

9. Cake or pie?

Yes, please… coconut cake / cherry pie.

10. Coffee or tea?

Coffee in the morning / tea the rest of the day.

11. What is the strangest movie you have ever seen?

When I was 11, my parents took me to see Greaser’s Palace in NYC, which traumatized me. I still think about it occasionally.

12.  What lessons have you learnt from C-19?

Nothing, except to double down on what I was already inclined to do.

13. What values do you live by?

Family first. Prioritize work and my peace of mind. Try to tune out the negativity and craziness of other people.

14. What is your favorite movie?

Doctor Zhivago.

15. Whom have you loved unconditionally?

Only my children.

16. Your dreams in life?

Happy, healthy children. Being financially secure. Writing a lot!

17.   Do you like citrus flavoring?

Yes to lemon and lime. Not a fan of orange usually. Pineapple is good with coconut.

18.   What is your remedy for the hiccups?

Holding my breath.

19.   Are you lucky?

I think “luck” happens when I’m careful to avoid doing stupid things. So, it depends on the day… 🤣🍀

20.   Barefoot or wearing something on your feet?

I like socks!

~*~

Images from Bitmoji.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Midweek Q’s

Still not feeling bloggily creative, though I have been working on my novel, yay. Got through some tricky sections and can move on to a fun one now. Meanwhile, Dr. Tanya tagged me for some questions as part of an award thingie ~ thank you, Dr. Tanya! I no longer do awards/tagging here, but I enjoy the Q’s as time allows. 🙂

1. What’s the last movie that you watched?

Last Saturday I watched the first 3 episodes of Season 2 of Dead to Me. I loved S1, and S2 is starting out great as well. It’s basically about coming to terms with grief and loss, and the unlikely friendship that forms between two women as they navigate this process. It’s also very funny.

Usually I prefer movies to series however…

2. What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

Same thing as every other day ~ read and write!

3. What are you doing to beat the lockdown blues?

I have not been beating the lockdown blues. I accept that I will be sad during this time and am not in denial about it. Unlike many who keep saying that we “shouldn’t” feel this way or that, I am all alone here, not isolating with a husband or any family members. It helps to chat with my girls over FaceTime. Reconnecting with friends over Facebook has helped. Playing games over Zoom doesn’t help much. Mostly, I miss seeing my family a whole lot and that weighs on my heart daily.

That said, I am thankful to be working.

4. How long can you go without using your phone?

Only while I’m asleep. 💤

5. What do you most value in your friends?

Kindness.

6. Do you have a favourite fictional character? What makes her/him your favourite?

My favorite character is Archy McNally from Lawrence Sanders’ detective novels. He’s a smart guy with somewhat slippery ethics who got tossed from Yale law and now works for his father’s law firm (but he’s not a lawyer). He gets the icky cases and they’re fun. He overeats fancy food and drinks too much and cheats on his girlfriend… but he always feels bad about these things and vows to reform, soonish. He wears colorful silly clothing and uses ridiculous vocabulary. Love him!

7. Winter or Summer?

Summer! Love warm weather and long days of light. I used to like fall best, but it’s too dark now.

8. What is love, in your point of view?

Sexual attraction plus friendship plus commitment to stay together. If all three elements aren’t there, it’s not love. I’m not sure I’ve ever had real, sustained romantic love, which is sad, but it is what it is. I’ve had two out of the three combos at various times, which is better than nothing, I guess.

I’m talking about romantic love here, not any other kind. ❤️

9. What is your favorite movie or TV show?

Of shows, start to finish, I would have to say The Sopranos. There were a couple seasons that weren’t my favorite, notably the one with “the other Tony,” but overall it was stellar throughout and the ending didn’t let me down like Game of Thrones (which might have been my fave but for the ending, which I didn’t hate as much as some people did, but still it was rushed and meh). Breaking Bad is also up there with greatness as is Six Feet Under. As far as comedies, I love Seinfeld and Curb.

Regarding movies, my favorites are Dr. Zhivago, Young Frankenstein, Goodfellas, When Harry Met Sally, and Saturday Night Fever. I also love Chicago, Walk the Line, and You’ve Got Mail. Risky Business gets an honorable mention. I would watch any of them again at any time.

10. If you could time travel, where (when?) would you go?

Definitely the future! I would like to see what a horrible mess the world is in 300 years from now or if by some miracle things are better. Probably we’ll just be doing all the same dumb things… 🙄

~*~

Image from Bitmoji.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.