My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2025 the theme is a random assemblage of things that are on my mind--or that just pop into my mind. Whatever! Let's just say I'll be "Tossing It Out" for your entertainment or however it is you perceive these things.
Few of us enjoy waiting for things, but the real irony is that we spend our whole lives waiting even though it might not seem at times that we are waiting at all...
To be cynical one might say that we are born in order to spend a lifetime waiting to die. But that is also a realistic point of view. We all die eventually. Most of us would likely prefer to stay in life's waiting room for as long as we can.
A lot of kids might be asking their parents something like, "When is Halloween going to get here?" When you're a kid a few days can seem like an interminably long time to wait. A week might as well be an eternity. A parent's vision of hell might be spending forever with kids wheedling to know when such and such is going to happen. Fortunately I don't recall having that experience with my kids nor in my own childhood.
I've mostly been patient in my life. At least on the outside. There have certainly been those times when my insides were in turmoil from the waiting. No one could ever tell unless I made a point of letting them know that I was experiencing a problem, but this has been rare in context of my sixty plus years of living.
There are times when anticipation for something to come is about the same as being on the edge of a cliff with someone bigger behind me waiting to push me off. We wait. I wait for a fall while that bigger entity waits to shove me off into the depths. No thanks bud because in my life whenever I have been pushed something lifts me back up to start me off anew. I just have to wait for it all to happen. It will be okay.
In my previous post I suggested that knowing where I am is often my most important question to have answered. However knowing where I am in the span of time might be equally vital information to have and in some cases the main point of interest.
Knowing when is crucial when making a date or an appointment otherwise people would have a tough time making connections and lord knows that making connections can be difficult as it is. The "when" is what holidays and milestones are all about. Without the when there is no history, there is no time.
When pigs fly, when all is said and done, or when we reach the end or our rope are all things that might pop up to surprise us or we might see them coming. "Just you wait and see," comes the empty threat. "See what?" I ask. "You'll know when it happens," from a voice filled with emotion and some tinge of helplessness.
I wait...
I wait for the Battle of the Bands which will be coming on Wednesday November 1st right here on Tossing It Out. And on that same post I will neatly tie in my contribution to the November Insecure Writer's Support Groupwhen the question posed is: Win or not, do you usually finish your NaNo project? Have any of them gone on to be published?
Hope you'll be here for that as well as for my Monday special Halloween post--a true story that was part of my life. It's something that gives me a chill each time I ponder it. But you'll have to wait for that...
Today's post and my previous post both hold clues as to my next BOTB song, an old classic from a Broadway show--any ideas? How old were you when you began to grasp a workable knowledge of times and dates? If you were a random time traveler which would be most important for you to know initially--the time or the place?
If we removed all references to time from our language, we'd have a lot less to say. Books would certainly be shorter--and I probably couldn't use a term like "shorter" when referring to books.
Idioms of Time
Till the cows come home, in a coon's age, or as old as the hills are idioms that are as old as Methuselah (oh, that's another one). Humans have used colorful expressions to express long periods of time probably since the earliest development of language--probably before any precise measurements of time were developed. We can say "just a sec" or more descriptively use idioms such as blink of an eye or quick as a wink.
Time idioms were particularly put in the spotlight of my thoughts recently when Fox news commentary host Bill O'Reilly lamented Sean Spicer's frequent use of the idiom "at the end of the day" in his White House press briefings. I usually don't pay much attention to such details, but by golly, the next day I watched the briefing and he said it, not once, but a couple of times. Now my radar was on. Since the mention by O'Reilly I can't count the times I've heard Spicer and so many others using "at the end of the day" to lead into a point they were making.
Another such phrase is "Kick the can down the road." This was pointed out to me when I heard a couple of guys jokingly using the term in regard to something they were discussing. This was an idiom that I'd never noticed before until that overheard conversation, but ever since hearing those guys use the phrase, I've heard this said often in the media.
What these and so many other idioms have in common is that they refer to time in one way or another. If you're like me you likely just overlook the fact that these idioms are used because they are such an integral part of language. Add to that the words relating to time such as adverbs: Words like often, suddenly, quickly, slowly, or interminably. Like them or not, adverbs quite often relate to time.
Our world of speech, written word, and thought so often reflects some aspect of time whether in its passing, its having passed, or what is yet to come. The terminology of technology and the physical world is measured with respect to time. When we talk about motion, we consider speed in relation to what? To time--miles per hour, feet per second, or light years.
Even our current Blogging from A to Z April Challenge evokes concepts of time. An event in the month of April that consists of 26 days of blogging as well as hours put into the planning and composing of our own posts and the reading of innumerable other posts by other bloggers. Time consumed, time spent. Time passes and we find ways to talk about it.
When you think about how much of what we say, hear, and read has to do with time in one way or another, it can become somewhat overwhelming. If you think about it too long--like all day and all night long or even twenty four seven it can be mind boggling. Focusing on such things can become an obsession that you begin to notice forever and a day or until the end of time. Or at least until the cows come home.
Have you ever become fixated on certain language idiosyncrasies? What time idioms do you feel are grossly overused? Do you have a favorite idiom of time?
Measurement requires a certain degree of accuracy. Everything that is measurable has a beginning which in turn means it has an end. If there were no beginning or end then it could not be measured and certainly not with any degree of accuracy.
In the Beginning...
Time is an artificial construct that exists where there are constants. Without the rotation of the Earth and its revolutionary course around the Sun, how could we measure time, know our ages, or discern historical reference. Without an ability to gauge dimensional measurements such as distance or the existence of fixed points such as stars, time as we know it could not exist. Time is order and not chaos.
The ways we measure time are based on other factors outside of time. The measure of our life is dependent on the time that has been set into place at some distant point in the past. That point can be called "the beginning". What was there before a beginning? Chaos. Or perhaps we can say the non-existence of thinking reasoning minds. But then that becomes much like the proverbial tree falling in the forest where nobody is present. Does that tree make a sound? Does place without a reasoning being have time?
Day one. Year zero. In the beginning... That is when time begins.
What do you think? Does time exist if there is no one to measure it? Does time serve any benefit to anything beyond the reasoning mind that is desirous to organize its world?
Have you ever thought about how much time you spend thinking about time? When we're not planning what to do with our time in the future, we are often either pondering what we are doing with our time in the present or ruing about time lost in the past. The subject of time can be a time consuming paradox.
I doubt whether there is anyone who now lives or who has ever lived who has not at some point or another marveled about how quickly time has passed. That is, anyone who has grasped the concept of time. When we are small children, before we've learned to tell time for ourselves, we will continually pester our parents with inquiries like "Is it time yet?" Those special days like Christmas or birthdays will have what seems to be an interminable countdown until they are suddenly here and gone leaving us to look forward to our next big life event. And so goes our lives.
And once again for those of us doing the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge begins that final countdown until day one--April 1st, 2017. This will be the eighth year of the April A to Z event with thousands of bloggers having participated with tens of thousands of A to Z blog posts. This is rather impressive when you think about it and even more impressive when you consider the amount of time we have individually put into our A to Z posts over the years, not only in the writing of our own posts, but in the reading of many other posts by the bloggers who have participated in past events.
The first year that I did the A to Z Challenge--it was 2010 with less than 100 bloggers--I figured that I was putting in twelve to fifteen hours per day with blogging. But that was how I got other bloggers involved and kept still more engaged. My A to Z time investment that first year paid off big considering the huge numbers who signed up in succeeding years. Since that first year I've had to cut back on my blogging time, but still I continue to make a sizable investment of time with the Challenge. Maybe it's crazy, but it's a fun sort of crazy I guess.
So here we are with just a few more days to go before another A to Z Challenge kicks off. The time is fast upon us it seems, but then it's somewhat of an illusion. The pacing of time will be the same as always, but factors of our lives may cause us to feel like the time is going faster. If you've procrastinated in preparing your posts like I have then you are likely feeling the pressure to get this done. Where I am in my A to Z preparation is my own fault because I changed my theme with a matter of a few weeks to go. But then that's what makes A to Z a Challenge!
The time until April 1st is shorter today than it was yesterday or last week, but the time is not going any faster. The time might seem "fast" upon us, but that's only because there are fewer days. More properly we should say "The time is short upon us" but that sounds silly I suppose. The days and hours are closing in as we approach A to Z opening day, but time itself moves indifferently onward.
If you're participating in the April A to Z, do you have all of your posts finished? How much time do you normally devote to your blogging activity? Do you spend more time blogging while preparing for and during the month of April than you do at other times?
In addition to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, on the 1st and 15th I'll also be participating in the Battle of the Bands which I will combine with my "Time" theme. If you are interested in joining us in Battle of the Bands (we'd love to have more participants!) then please read about it at the blog of Stephen T McCarthy and let him or me know that you want to join us so we can add your link to the list. Also, my April contribution to the Insecure Writer's Support Group will incorporate a time related theme. The optional question for #IWSG during April will be related to the A to Z Challenge and reads as follows:
Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?
Since I don't have a personal answer for that question I'll be pursuing my own topic, but if this relates to any of you, I'm anxious to hear your answers.
This latest Battle was between Fleetwood Mac's "Sands of Time" and Alan Parson Project's "Time"--both excellent songs which I like very much. Of the two, I see "Time" by APP as the more linear song. It moves steadily, barely deviating, with a constant flowing theme that begins and ends without much in the way of surprises or invested thought for that matter. This is such a relaxing tune that it lends itself well to meditation or even preparation for sleep. It might even make for a lovely song to play at a funeral.
On the other hand, Mac's "Sands of Time" wanders and meanders in a good way. There is a sense of hope expressed in the lyrics, but also an ambiguity that invites anticipation of things to come. The thoughts expressed are not definitive, resigned to giving into death, but mystical and magical. The instrumental portions add an edgy sense with drifting guitar riffs that seem to simulate imagination and dreams. I love this song--which is not to say that I don't like the other song a great deal--but my preference definitely leans toward the Danny Kirwan penned "Sands of Time". This song has been playing in my mind all week which is another strong indicator of where my vote gets cast in the end.
Nevertheless, you the voters decided the outcome no matter what my favorite version is. And the outcome in this case was very decisive:
Final Vote Tally
Fleetwood Mac 11 Alan Parsons Project 22
Next Battle of the Bands Saturday April 1st
My next Battle of the Bands post will coincide with the opening day of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. My A to Z theme of "time" will not only encompass my posts for the upcoming month, but this theme will continue in my next few posts leading up to April. My Battle of the Bands posts during A to Z month will also be related to time. In fact, the next BOTB match that I'll be presenting is a movie theme that was also a top pop hit in 1969. The song is a great introductory tribute for those participating in the A to Z Challenge and one that will likely bring back a few memories for many of us. Anyone want to guess what song I'll be presenting?
Was my A to Z theme of "Time" any surprise? Did you find any A to Z themes in the recent Reveal day that particularly interested you? Are there any aspects of time that you'd like for me to cover during my A to Z Challenge?
God created everything except that man created the artificial construct we know as "time." And as though that weren't enough, government stepped in and created Daylight Savings Time. If it were up to government, they would meddle with all of God's creation and screw up everything. Hmm--come to think of it......--said by me after the time changed.
The Clocktower, West Parade, Bexhill, Sussex . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Linear versus Nonlinear Time
There are many variants concerning what time is and how it is comprised, but generally speaking I think most of us commonly think of time as being linear; that is a series of events or points in a line that presumably have a starting point somewhere in the past, continuing to where we are in the present, and heading to some point in a future. Then there is nonlinear time which is the impression of time cumulatively as viewed from a far vantage point.
Scientist/theologian Chuck Missler provides what I think is an excellent analogy of the two ways of viewing time. He says to think of a parade. If you are sitting curbside watching the parade pass by then that would be like experiencing linear time. The past is represented by the part of the parade that has already passed by your vantage point, while the present is that fleeting part of the parade that is immediately in front of you soon to enter into the past. The future is that part of the parade that is still to come.
To view the parade from the nonlinear aspect, you might think of yourself hovering high above in a helicopter from which vantage point you are able to see the entirety of the parade from the staging area, then winding through the streets below, and finally dispersing at the end of the parade route. Missler reasons that this nonlinear view is how God would view the time line while we humans are limited to merely experiencing the passage of linear time.
The linear view has immediacy and greater subjective meaning to a viewer while the nonlinear view is more impressionistic where the spectator has no direct connection to singular parade parts, but instead a feel for the entire parade all at the same time.
My Battle of the Bands offering this time around represents to me two distinct ways of assessing time: linear and nonlinear. See if you agree and more importantly, let us know which song you like best...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
This Time Battle
This Battle came upon me just a couple weeks ago as my wife and I were eating lunch at the Sizzler Steak Restaurant near our house. As we dined, the background music being piped in seemed to be primarily deep tracks from the seventies so that made for a pleasant dining experience for me since that is a musical era that I particularly enjoy. My attention perked when I heard a familiar old Fleetwood Mac song begin playing and it was not long before a Battle was born, pushing all of my other Battle songs in my line-up to some indefinable future time. Not only did hearing this song change my schedule for Battle of the Bands, it influenced the topic of my current series--"It's About Time".
Funny how things like that can happen when you're just sitting one afternoon eating a steak dinner while a life soundtrack provided courtesy of the dining establishment plays in the background. And to think my wife and I went there on a last minute whim. We hadn't been to that restaurant in many months. And that song was just waiting there to happen to me at that one particular moment in time...
"Sands of Time" is one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs from the 1971 album Future Games, which I would call my favorite album by the group and consider perhaps their best. Though the later addition of the team of Buckingham/Nicks certainly added a greater commercial appeal to the group, I tend to prefer the songs that came from the teaming of Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, and Christine McVie. Kirwan lasted about five tumultuous years with Fleetwood Mac until his mental disorders forced his removal from the group--another one of those sad troubled rock and roll genius stories.
The Kirwan penned "Sands of Time" is a wonderful piece of music with somewhat confusing disjointed lyrics that might be a reflection of his mental state of the time. There is no precise focus to the song which to me might represent a more non-linear way to view time. The message depicts a dichotomy between dark and light, apprehension and hope. The final destination is "the sea" without any precise indication of what will be waiting there, but there seems to be an expectation that something good might happen when that sea destination is reached. The music wafts and rolls fading smoothly in and out, almost with a jazzy feel...
Alan Parsons Project was certainly more of a project than any actual band. Consisting of the core members Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson and a parade of guest musicians and regular sidemen, the group cycled through a number of concept albums starting in 1976. Sometimes mistaken for a song by Pink Floyd, the beautiful "Time" sounds like it could have been pulled off of Dark Side of the Moon. This song is about as laid back as music can get. Truly wonderful stuff.
Though I can easily say that "Eye in the Sky" is my favorite song by The Project, "Time" is right up there among my favorite songs by the group. Dreamy and relaxing, "Time" expresses a more linear view of time with the narrator suggesting a sense of resignation as he drifts from the present to eventual death. As in the Mac song, the ultimate destination is the sea. In the Parsons song the "sea" of "Time" is an ambiguous eternity...
Time To Vote! I hope you have time to vote! And hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. Which version do you like the best? To me it's a somewhat tough choice, but how do you feel about it? Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.
Winner Announced on Wednesday March 22nd On Monday March 20th I'll be revealing my theme for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge---yes, it's that time already. Funny how time slips away. Then on Wednesday I'll be back with the results of this current Battle. Who will win? Hope you help decide with your vote. Do you consider time to be a dimension? What is your favorite combination of artists who comprised Fleetwood Mac? Thinking of concept albums such as those recorded by Alan Parsons Project, do you have a favorite?
When time seems to pass slowly, later we often wonder how quick it was after that time has passed. No matter how hard we might try, we cannot cling to the moments other than in memory, which often is unreliable. Did things really happen the way we remember? If indeed we remember at all...
In some ways, looking back on it all, this year seems to have been an accumulation of many years. The illusion of the expanse of time is a deception in so many ways. When I look back at the plans I had I can only shake my head in a certain dismay for those things that didn't happen as I had hoped they would. And yet the miles and the minutes and hours and days came and passed, slipping elusively from my grasp.
Traveling will do that for me. Though it may seem like I was just sitting the daylong watching the miles pass by from behind the wheel or dozing in the passenger seat while my wife drove, in reality there were the myriad of sights, mini-dramas in passing cars, music on the car stereo, or often the news.
There was plenty of news in this past year. Big changes in the world as well as within many of us. Friendships were broken; perceptions were altered. Like having watched an often baffling magic show, I ponder how did this all happen the way it did.
Now I stand on a precipice of more change. New dreams. Unsure hopes. Waiting and wishing that time could stand still for a year, a week, or even a day. I can wait and wish as much as I like, but I cannot hold back time from its frantic procession toward tomorrow.
Holding Back the Years
This iconic song from 1985 is probably familiar to most of you. It's become a classic of 80's rock/pop music after reaching hit status for the band Simply Red. This is a great song in my opinion--and I'm not alone in that reckoning--and it might even be a favorite of some of you reading this. Below for the purpose of jarring memories for those who might not have heard it in a while or for those of you who might have never heard the song, here is the most known version of the song as performed by Mick Hucknall and Simply Red.
DON'T VOTE ON THIS VERSION--FOR REFERENCE ONLY!!!
Here are your considerations for voting
Frantic Elevators "Holding Back the Years" (1982)
Before Mick Hucknall became Simpy Red's front man, he was the force behind the punk rock band Frantic Elevators. "Holding Back the Years" was the last of four singles released by the band. Hucknall initially began writing this song when he was 17 years old in response to a somewhat tumultuous and painful childhood. Not exactly punk rock, but still that spare instrumental style can be heard in a mournful almost jazzy setting.
Gretchen Parlato "Holding Back the Years" (2011)
Singer/songwriter Gretchen Parlato descends from a family with a strong musical heritage. Her grandfather and father alike played with some music legends of their times and Gretchen has continued to carry the torch as she wins awards and sings with today's jazz giants. Here is her mellow take on the now classic "Holding Back the Years".
Time To Vote! The song versions in this Battle were recorded nearly 30 years apart providing different musical takes on the same song. Which version do you like the best? Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.
Winner Announced on Monday January 9th I'm going to give you plenty of time to vote on this one since the current contest falls on a Sunday during holiday season. I'll be offering my thoughts on the sexism charges regarding Donald Trump coming this Friday January 6th as I attempt to continue on with my (unpopular with some) President Trump Acclimation Series. I've been postponing my posts on this series due to the holidays and having company, but now I have no excuses. Hopefully, I won't come up with anymore excuses either unless it's something really really good. Did you meet all of your goals for this past year? What had you hoped to accomplish that you still did not? What are your goals in the upcoming year?
Procrastination, par Franck Vervial (Photo credit: Franck Vervial)
I was scheduled to participate in a Deja Vu blogfest event today and then I discovered it was called off. The story of my life. That's kind of deja vu in itself. I don't know how many times I've been expecting something to happen because it was on my schedule, only to find that it wasn't going to happen after all. Since I don't want to be the only one putting up some forgotten post from my blog's past, I'm not going to do it. Instead I'll stall for time.
Stalling for time is something I frequently do on my blog and in my life. I can always find something to do instead of what I really should do. It's kind of the way I've always been I guess. When I was a kid in school I'd put off projects to the last minute and then stay up late slapping something together. Perhaps to my detriment I'd always seem to come up with A grade work which only reinforced my bad habits of putting things off.
When I learned the word "procrastinate" in my senior year of high school, it became one of my favorite words. The word procrastination made my habit sound more important. Now I could justify my behavior by proclaiming myself a procrastinator. With smug satisfaction I felt comfortable with my poorly justified excuses. Stuck in a rut I am. I still procrastinate much of the time. Eventually I might be able to use the excuse of senility or something like that, but I'll put that off for as long as I can.
It's probably better to dump the excuses and just say things as they are. But who does that when excuses are so easy.
For the next few weeks on my blog I guess I'll be stalling for time like I've done for the past holiday seasons. I'll be trying to slap up something on my sites. If I don't make it I guess I won't be the only one, the difference being that many of you have already scheduled blog vacations. Why would I want to do something like that when I have an opportunity to screw up?
So some of the things you will be seeing in the next three posts are my Battle of the Bands post on Sunday December 15 ( I have planted some clues in this post), announcements on Monday December 16 (a Roast winner and an event to come), and on Wednesday December 18th I will roast myself as requested by Sydney Aaliyah. After that anything goes, but I will try to bring you something as I travel to places afar.
For now I think I've stalled enough for time. Happy Friday the Thirteenth! I'm outta here.
Are you a procrastinator? Why do you think some people tend to put things off? Do you have any helpful hints to help us procrastinators? Any idea what Christmas song I'll be using in my Battle of the Bands post?
The Old Man awoke earlier than normal. He had to go into the living room to look at the only clock in his house. The clock was an inexpensive plastic clock that ran on two double A batteries and it hung on a wall next to a calendar. He saw that it was nearly nine a.m., which was about two hours earlier than he normally would have been out of bed. Usually it didn't matter what time the Old Man woke up. Time didn't really matter anymore.
Today, however, he needed to be ready. It was his 80th birthday. Family members were going to be coming over at noon to celebrate the Old Man's 80th birthday. He was happy. He was excited. There was going to be a party for him. He ate a simple breakfast of toast with butter, a cup of black instant coffee, and a banana. He then went to take a shower and get dressed.
His oldest daughter arrived before the others so she could get things ready for the party. She usually came at least once or twice a week to help clean the house, take her father to shop or run errands, and spend time with him talking. He would see his other children, grandchildren, and great-children at other times throughout the year, but not too often. Each visit was a happy occasion that came and went.
As noon approached, family members began to arrive. Hugs and warm greetings were passed among them. They brought folding chairs and tables, balloons and decorations, and an array of foods and drinks. Soon the living room was filled with tables and chairs and with people carrying plates piled high with food. The room was awash in busy chatter and happy laughter, people eating and children engaged in play. A whirl of sound and activity swirled about the delighted Old Man.
After everyone had finished eating, the assemblage broke into cells of conversation with individuals drifting from one group to another catching up on news. Some clustered attentively around the Old Man as he talked about days gone by and other memories. Much of his past life now seemed to him like stories he had read in a book long ago. Children scrambled about the room and into other rooms while a few adolescents sat by bored on the couch as though waiting to make an escape. Talk, serious and silly, was swapped as the passel shoshed about the room like a bowl of people soup carried on a tray.
Then after a rousing version of "Happy Birthday" and the eating of cake and ice cream, family members scurried about cleaning the kitchen and straightening the house. Men left with tables and chairs and empty casserole dishes. Gradually the attendees began leaving with sad good-byes, hugs, kisses, and handshakes. The oldest daughter kissed her father good-bye and told him that she would stop by the following day. The Old Man watched through the window as the last family members climbed into their cars and left. And then they were all gone and the Old Man was alone.
It was not yet 7 PM, but the Old Man felt tired, yet not sleepy. He would probably not go to bed for several hours. It didn't really matter what time he went to bed. He didn't have to wake up at any particular time. He didn't have to go to work or be anywhere special. Time didn't mean anything to him now. Time wasn't that important.
The sun sat sullenly on the horizon as it waited to make its departure. As the stark shadows enveloped the room, the Old Man turned on a lamp. He walked over to the calendar on the wall and carefully marked an X on this day that was about to end-- his birthday. There were 365 days until his 81st birthday.
This is a short story I wrote for the letter T. Perhaps I'll go back eventually and polish it up since I wrote it pretty quickly. Any thoughts about this story?
Time for the A to Z Challenge is winding down--only one more week to go. And most of you have hung in there. There are a few more difficult letters coming up but I have no doubt that you can finish with a flourish. Savor and enjoy these last few days as you make them your very best. Be thinking about what you want to say in your May 3rd post. Perhaps there was a certain special post that another blogger did that you want to recognize. Or maybe you want to feature some of your own work that you were proud of. You might even have quotes of comments you received from other bloggers.
The May 3rd Mega Post is your time to tell about your experience with the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge on your own blog site. I know that this student of blog science, as well as many other bloggers, want to know what you learned from this experience. Try to be creative and as informative as you can. What you do is up to you and I for one am anxious to see it.
I didn't line up any interviews for the holiday time, so thought I'd pay a last visit to a guy who will soon be leaving. I'll keep it short because I know he's got a lot of loose ends to tie up before he goes. We each have our own Father Time and I'd like you to meet my Father Time:
Arlee: How do you think our 2009 went?
Father Time: It started kind of slow. You were kind of sick as I recall and your job was ending so things seemed kind of bleak in January and February. But we just plodded along packing up an entire warehouse, just you and me. And really you did all the real labor.
Well, you were good and made my time last just right to finish. It was a somewhat bittersweet parting, leaving my job and all.
And you dove right into the unemployment with a lot of enthusiasm. I was impressed how you went to the trade show in Las Vegas for your company and worked your tail off just like you were going to keep working for that company.
I believe in friendly departures because you never know what can happen in the future. And it's kind of funny, I always kind of disliked those trade shows, but this year I really savored it. So can you remember much after that?
I had it easy. This year was leisurely --almost like a vacation much of the time. Let's see you had a wedding for one daughter in June, a road trip to Vegas in July, and another road trip to Houston in early August. That was the life I'd say.
There was a lot to enjoy, but keep in mind that I've been working pretty steadily for the past 18 years and wasn't able to have those advantages that often. And Father Time, you don't stop for anyone.
But sometimes this year I felt like I was napping. I'm just happy you discovered the blog world and got fired up about your writing once again. When that happened you got me really stirred up as you started filling your days with more of a focused schedule and started developing clear goals.
Yeah, I don't know if it would have worked as well if I had started my blog before September. As it was, I was going thru Halloween busy season withdrawal and the blogging gave me that Halloween topic to start on. I don't think many people saw those old Halloween posts, but it really started shaping my style and it brought you and me closer.
Yes after you got on the blog schedule we were certainly a tight team. That's how we managed to get through November with blogging and doing the NaNo novel at the same time. And we even managed to keep the comments coming on the blogs of your new friends in blogland. Yes sir, we became a pretty tight team. And now here we are at the end. It's been a good ride.
I agree. I hope that 2010 will be as good to me as you were.
Just remember--stay focused on your goals and let 2010 know who's the boss. You control time and don't let it control you. Time is your friend, and like any good friend we grow older and wiser together.
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