Here Kitty Kitty

Born to be Filed

What is it about cats?

They seem to have some kind of hypnotic hold on people.

Case in point –

I am a Facebook user. And when I make an occasional post, I’ll get one of those thumbs up “likes” from my sister – not because I’ve actually posted anything brilliant, but because she’s my sister and sisters do that sort of thing.

However, one day my cat was being his wacky cat self, and so I snapped the photo above and posted it.

Within 11 seconds I had about 87 “likes.”

It was weird.

And just because I’m a bit wicked, on Friday the 13^th I posted this:

Again, my page was on FIRE with likes and comments. You would have thought I’d cured cancer or something.

Cats cast a spell, to be sure.

In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if cats had something to do with Facebook development. It’s quite possible that they implanted the entire social media concept into Zuckerberg’s brain just so they could spread their bad grammar messages more quickly.

And then cats being cats, they chuckled little mwa ha ha’s into their paws when they caused the FB IPO to tank.

It’s the way they roll.

Just witness how a cat pat, pat, pats at a new object and you’ll realize –

They come into this world fresh from a very hot place.

But we love them anyway.

PROMPT: Get catty today. Draw ‘em, sketch ‘em, paint ‘em, or write about ‘em. Better yet, pair ‘em with bad grammar and post them on the Web. “Like” button resistance is futile.



Peace, Love, and Albert

Back in 1931, Albert Einstein was invited to give a lecture at Oxford, and he happily obliged.

When he was through, they wrestled the chalk eraser from his hand and slapped a sheet of plexiglass on top of his furious scribbling. Now it hangs on the wall of their Museum of the History of Science so folks can ogle at it.

I have no idea what the lecture was about, although we can make an educated guess that the subject was Relativity. However, I like to imagine that Albert was really talking about his formula for a Delightful Life (hence the big D).

If this was indeed the case, I’m pretty sure the other variables would be as follows:

P = Peace

t = Thinking

C = Creativity

K = Kindness – or possibly kangaroos. Kangaroos are always delightful.

L = Love

a = aha!

That squiggly thing that sometimes looks like an “S” and other times looks like an “e” – I think that stands for maintaining a firm belief in magical possibilities.

And the y = “Why? Because I said so, and I’m Albert Einstein!”

I love Albert Einstein. He was AMAZING. And yet he was not the kind of scientist who spent his time laboring away in a lab. He was a theoretical physicist who spent most of his time in a chair… thinking.

Yeah, he did lots and LOTS of thinking.

And he said this about it:

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking

we used when we created them.

That quote has been my creative thinking mantra for a long time. Feel free to use it, too – whether your problem is a plot twist or global warming.

Creative thinking is the answer.

The question is relatively irrelevant.

PROMPT: Find a chair. Sit. Think. Bonus points if you play the violin – Albert loved the violin.

Calling All Lunatics

If we can put a man on the moon, we can make pantyhose comfortable.
~ Sara Blakely (Spanx Founder)

Happy Moon Day!

Yep, on this date back in 1969, Boilermaker Neil Armstrong took a small step and did NOT sink up to his knees in Gouda.

Purdue grads were over the moon about this. Trust me, it was WAY bigger than Woodstock. Yeah, we put the MOON in Moonshine, Baby – and we’re still proud. Of course, this might explain why our school mascot is a party drink.

Anyway, if you’re flexing your mind’s elbow today, go ahead and shoot for the moon. After all, when it comes to the writing universe, you could say that the moon is something of a good luck charm...

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown has been in print since 1947! And as we all know, it’s now a fabulous musical. Then there’s the 2011 Newbery medal winner Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, 2010 Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, and 1995 Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Of course, for those who like to walk on the dark side of werewolf and vampire lust, I must not fail to mention The Twilight Saga: New Moon by Stephanie Meyer.

So get moonstruck today and ask for the moon, promise the moon, howl at the moon, or moon over someone (but please do not confuse this last suggestion with actually mooning them).

And while I’m on the subject, does anyone know if Keith Moon and the Man in the Moon are related?

PROMPT: So many loony ways to begin your writing today –

Once in a blue moon…

Many moons ago…

Yeah, I once thought he hung the moon, but…

And this weekend you can even extend your moony fun by planning a different kind of plot. Plant every white flower you can find just because moon gardens rock – especially if you root for Team Jacob.

Sweet Revenge

If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?

~ William Shakespeare (Merchant of Venice)

Yesterday I mentioned detective novels, and you can’t mention detective novels without mentioning revenge. In fact, I believe it’s against the law.

Many a detective plot has “revolvered” around revenge.

But guess what! Revenge is not just for cop thrillers (or breakfast) anymore – thanks to a guy in a one-piece kilt.

Well, his name’s Maurice, and I’m here to say

If you wanna get revenge he’s got an easy way…

Yeah, I’m talking Revenge Rap.

I heard about Maurice on CBC’s WireTap. The story goes that a friend of his was really bummed out after being dumped by a girlfriend. So, “Rap Master Maurice” wrote a rhyme about the ways this girl had done the guy wrong, then called her up and rapped it to her. He recorded the whole thing, including her reaction, and gave it to his friend as a gift. His friend thought it was awesome! In fact, his friend started feeling a whole lot better and…

SHAZAM!

Maurice had himself one hip hoppin’ creative business.

Now for a fee, you can email Maurice your tale of woe along with the phone number of the person who has wronged you. He will do the dirty work.

Check him out here.  May I recommend “A Degree in Jerk.”

Now, that’s thinking outside the boom box.

PROMPT:

You can rap about your Gramma

Down in Selma, Alabama

Or mean ol’ cousin Steven

If you’re needin’ to get even…

I know there’s stuff inside you been wantin’ to say,

So bust it all out with a rap today.

Well, Look Who Just Showed Up

Is your writing a little lackluster? In a pinch, could it be used as an Ambien substitute?

Well, here’s a bit of advice from Raymond Chandler, American novelist and screenwriter –

When things get dull, bring in a guy with a gun.

Obviously, good old Mr. Chandler wrote A LOT of detective fiction. And if you write detective fiction, well then, there’s your tip for the day. Take it and run!

However, if you happen to write for children, the firearm is probably not a good idea. But, hey, you can still use the tip by adding a little unexpected cayenne to the milk toast.

So, if your story is not a fan of the NRA, you might want to try one of the following instead:

A ninja nun

A crop circle

A robot pirate

A punk unicorn

An accordion (always shocking, to be sure)

Alien treasure

A Greek god or two

Broccoli

A kazoo band

A miniature dragon

An off-key singing telegram

Hippy zombies (peace, love, and brains, Man!)

A hot air balloon

A crazy aunt or ant

A silver egg

A time traveler

Caffeinated lemurs

The Grim Reaper (always good for a laugh)

Mutant avocados

Piranha confetti

An underwear drawer

White horse – no knight

A black hole

Bagpipe rappers

An ex-con circus

A DOUGHNUT JAR!

PROMPT: You know what to do.