Update on Old School Project

My Hand Writing Sucks

While I was in the Navy it was my job to write down everything. So in theory my hand writing should be good. Trust me when I say write down everything they mean everything.  Depending on what kind of system the ship has it pretty much sails itself. So you have this guy armed with a compass divider a ruler and a ginormous pad of lined paper.


Give that guy some breast, brown skin, and a mouth full of snarky inappropriate comments and you have Ms. Townes, anytime between 2006 and 2012. So since the stuff I was tasked to write had to be legible and it was.


Sadly the first thing to go, aside from my desire to exercise, was my semi good hand writing.  Way of the dinosaur, outdated like mile high hair bangs, relegated to the past like 8-track tapes and exterior wood paneling on station wagons, heck station wagons.


So last week I was waxing poetic about how great it would be to start a project Old School with a pad an paper. Well this Sunday, being a new week I decided to check out what I'd written so far. Can't read a damn thing. I can guess at it and I can even dig up the glasses I'm supposed to be wearing. It won't do any good. I wrote some if it when I was sleepy. 

2011

I gotta start all over again. Luckily it's still fresh otherwise I'd be really really upset. 


What I miss about having to make sure my writing is legible is the fact that if isn't then I'd have to re-write the darn thing. Since I'm the only one that has to read it I guess I stopped caring.




I wonder if other folks not just writers have the same deal? I remember in school, there was entire lessons devoted to writing. My left hand already handicapped me on this subject but I swear at one time I was really good at it.


Then came the word processor. Life as we know it changed. Spell check was invented by some really angry teacher/English professor or who ever and life as we know began to take form. My mom had a Brother Word Processor. It was awesome. When every other family was getting their first affordable computer, we were stuck with that.  Eventually we upgraded. But the screw it I pretty much let my hand writing go sometime in high school.


I'm not complaining though, because I still to this day can't spell. Sadly now it appears I can't write either. The Nuns that taught me, may God bless them, must be rolling over in their graves or choking on pudding in a wheelchair somewhere, if they knew that all their hard work was going to waste. 

Today

 Anyway enough of this. I've got my writer face on see the funny picture. That's my writer face.  Actually it's just me acting a fool and killing time before I settle down and try to make heads of tails of the last week's worth of stuff.


Next time I say I'm going to take if back to Old School. It better be on the dance floor or I'm hitting a costume party. I do a pretty mean Robot.  

The Fixer Upper: Friday Flash Fiction

Here's my Flash Fiction for this week. I'm not sure where I stand on this. I found that I loved it on Wednesday. Today I'm not too sure.

"If you want a house to flip this is definitely it." The Realtor said to the couple behind her.

"What happened to the previous owners?" The young bride asked as she inspected an old wall. The wall paper was dry and cracked. It's print seemed decades out of style, and the exposed wall behind it revealed the home's decaying skeleton.

The Realtor never replied, she'd meandered close to brownish gray spot opposite the couple. She suddenly back pedaled toward the center of the room, as if spooked. The spot grew darker.

With a shaky wave of her hand, she feigned a weak smile. She wiped her suddenly wet palms over her Chanel skirt.

"They were murdered here." She said to the couple.

Follow me and the other Flash Fictioneers on Twitter @AtiyaWTownes and#FridayFictioneers or check out Flash Fiction on Facebook or on Madison Woods' blog.

Polish Dentist, Ashton Kutcher and Shia LaBeouf: The Bean Counter

Last Week's Tally 105






Polish Dentist extracts ALL her cheating ex-boyfriend's teeth. Once again proving that hell hath no fury like a dentist scorned.  -50


Getting called a class act for laughing at the victim's misfortune. +50


Seen the best celebrity parody of Shia LaBeouf ever click here +100


RFKAO now sells vacuums, personally I think the job already sucks. -10






Ashton Kutcher is looking to date again. Ask me how I know this? I saw the video of it on Girl's Got Shine (awesome Blog btw) see that on youtube, here  +13


 My home girl from High School, Michelle posted this wonderful (it's funny because it's true) statement on Facebook. +13

The bathroom in this awesomely awesome apartment is appearently haunted. Only because the toliet overflowed on Tuesday, then the sink started leaking. -75


That I can fix it with some teflon tape and a video from this old house. + 20


That I don't have permission to fix it. -35


Greatest example of not proof reading your work: The, The Impotence of proofreading your work. Thanks to @Ren_Thompson on Twitter +30


The Flash Fiction came out earlier and my story is all ready done for it. 126 words that's about my average. +12


RFKAO has decided to join the Flash Fiction fray this week. I fore see a challenge in the house over the weekend. +24


I submitted a pay stub late and now the rent will be late this month. That really sucks because this is the first month. Gotta pay a late fee. -75 (The Late Fee is that much)


PNNU seems to be moving on a bus that goes much faster than mine. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Kinda tempted to call my mother about it. Oprah and Reader's Digest is still fresh in my mind so I have to figure this one out myself. -21


Took Chewy on a 90 minute death march up and down all the hills of South Crest, he repaid me by pooping on the carpet an hour later. -20


Heard about a new series that I'd love to get into Magic City. Seems like a great show already. Can't wait until I get it on Itunes. Oh right it's not on Itunes yet. -19




This weeks tally: 62


62? what the heck???

And now for your reading pleasure

RFKAO: The Roomy Formerly Know As Occupy has notified me that our local Karaoke bar has added all the songs from the Wiz tho the play list. So with trembling heart and shaky voice I immediately  googled the lyrics to You Can't Win. Play along and down load the lyric so you can belt it with the best and worse of them.

You can't winYou can't break even
And you can't get out of the game
People keep sayin'
Things are gonna change
But they look just like
You're stayin' the same

You get in
way over your head
And you only got yourself to blame
You can't win Child
(You can't win Child)
You can't break even
And you can't get out of the game    

You can't win
The world keeps movin'
And you're standin' far behind
People keep sayin'
Things'll get better
(Just to ease your state of mind)
(So you lean back, and you smoke that smoke)
(And you drink your glass of wine)
Say you can't win, Child
You can't break even
And you can't get out of the game

You can't win, you can't win no way
If your story stays the same
(You ain't winnin'),
No, no,
(But it's nice to see you)
(I'm awfully glad you came)
(Better cool it 'cause
It ain't about losin')
And the world has got no shame
You can't win, Child
You can't break even
You can't get out of the game

You can't win
You can't break even
Ain't the way it's supposed to be
(You'll be spendin'),
No, no
(Your little bit of money)
While someone else rides for free
(Learn your lesson), ooh,
(Refuel your mind)
(Before some turkey blows out your flame)

You can't win, Child. No!
You can't win
You can't win, Child. No!
You can't win
You can't win, Child. No!
You can't win
You can't win, Child. No!
You can't win

You can't win, Child
You can't break even
And you can't get out of the game
You can't get out of the game
You can't get out (wooh!) of the game
No, no... 




I wonder if I didn't spend so much time trying to memorize lyrics to old show tunes would I be  able to write more? Don't judge me.


Speaking of Writing: Here's this week's Prompt for the Flash Fiction. RFKAO has decided to play this week. I can't wait to read it.

Follow me, @AtiyaWTownes, @Madison_Woods, #FridayFictioneers on Twitter 

for more Flash Fiction

Tomorrow the Bean Counter. OMG it freakin rocks this week.

Kickin it back to Old Skool

I'm in love with "Clearing the Wire", so much so that I'd decided to make it a new project. The New God's chapter seven is being as troublesome as chapter six. But I must keep writing or else I'll never have anything to show.

If you read the Flash Fiction entry for Friday you'd have noticed it's not 100 words at all. Only because I found a rich story waiting to be told, from that one well taken picture. The comments on that entry were astounding. Even the negative feed back was good. And like I said in the comments, it screams project in flashing neon lights.


That cinched it in my mind. So yesterday I went old school and found a notebook. I began writing about "Boy",  her real name is Casey Marjorie Bennet. I can tell you now that I like her and I hope to do the whole thing in first person.


So far my "Boy" is an adult living in Boston, she's got a very rich life in Boston. All that changes with one pre-dawn phone call from home. The story is of the trip back and all that happens there where she doesn't have to hide what she is.


"Clearing the Wire" will be featured there as a flash back to her youth and I'm really hoping that it becomes a great story.


So if I forget the Bean Counter this Thursday, please forgive me. I'm lo-tech on this story and it feels right to be that way. 


Speaking on Flash Fiction, Madison Woods has kindly started putting the photo prompt out on Tuesday's instead of Wednesday's I'm thinking of featuring the picture here. Just in case any of you decided to join in the fun. The rules are over here in her page and it's pretty much the same as what I've been doing. I only ask that if you DO post a shortie that your post the link to her blog, then post it to mine so that I can see it on Friday, like every one else. Plus I'm just really nosey and a little on the lazy side I don't want to chase down your stories if you got the idea from me. I might never see it if you don't.


So I'll be pages deep into my notebook  for a few days/weeks making "Boy" come to life.  Grand Pa's got a name already and "Boy" even has a supporting character: Officer Pleasant, Officer Jericho D. Pleasant. I wonder if giving him a name like that is going to help him or hurt him...