A funny thing happened on the way to my blog...

A funny thing happened on the way to my blog....

I’m not a particularly nice person. In fact, I’m often rude and abrasive, judgmental, opinionated. And that’s when I’m at the grocery store. When I get into my car...that’s when my inner badass takes control.

The other night I am driving home down a major thoroughfare not too far from my house. The car in front of me is driving too slow for words (except the bad words).

It’s a sporty vehicle with dark window tint...through the darkened glass I can make out a bobbing ponytail.

I’m convinced it’s a young woman texting as she drives.

I pull to the left of the lane so she can see me in her side mirror. Nothing changes. She signals right...the same turn I need to make to go to my house. As I round the corner the silver car veers to the side of road, the window opens, and the driver gives me the finger.

It’s not a young stranger. It’s a woman I know (and really like). Her children go to my daughter’s school. I stop my car and we both have a good laugh and quick chat. Apologies are made and bad behaviors are forgiven.

But really, I totally deserved that finger, I was following too close. I was, in the words of my "zenner" friends, sending out messages of anger to the universe. Damn straight. However, it turns out my friend wasn’t texting at all, she was simply engrossed in a conversation with her passenger (another friend of mine).

I’ve always believed that the veneer of civilization is thin. I know that every conscious act sees me either sanding down that thin protective shell, or applying coat or varnish.

I’m generally pretty abrasive. Whether I mean to or not, I do a lot of sanding. Writing gives me a chance to be varnish.

Today I drove from one end of the city to the other, down Deerfoot Trail...twice - during road repair season. That’s right - twice in the same day.

I better put down some serious pages soon. I’ve got a lot of varnishing to do.

Write like there's nobody watching. Chances are...

Kari

An Ode to Oscar

by Paula Ohreen

My godson Oscar’s a lively lad,
And seeing him blue made us all sad.
Not wanting to go out with his friends & play,
Looking like he was wasting away.

Now his mother being a clever lass,
Tested his sugars and let out a gasp.
When the monitor showed 33.3,
She said to herself, “that can’t possibly be.
I know I’m no doctor, but Lord God in heaven,
I’m sure that number should be between 4 and 7.”

She called the health link, but to no avail,
The nurse was disbelieving of her tale.
She made her feel she was mad as a hatter,
For testing sugars to see what was the matter.
Take him to his doctor within 3 days hence.
Thank God his mother isn’t that dense.

So off to the doctor the very next morning,
You’ve no appointment, came the receptionist’s warning.
But a mother’s instinct is not to be messed with,
And mother bear syndrome is not just a myth.
So before poor Oscar even knew what was up,
He was in the bathroom, peeing into a cup.

And away they were sent not 10 minutes later,
The doctor had become her vindicator.
Your instinct was right, if you’d waited 3 days,
I shudder to think what might have taken place.

So off to the children’s with letter in hand,
And instructions to accept no delays, but demand
He be seen by a doctor with knowledge of type 1 diabetes,
This wasn’t the time for negotiating long treaties.
Time’s of the essence with this type of disorder.
He needs treatment now, and in good order.

No food was permitted for the rest of the day.
How can a body go so astray?
Just a few hours later the diagnosis came in,
For the rest of his life he’d be dependant on insulin.

‘Twas no boat loads of biscuits or truck loads of treats,
That made Oscar’s pancreas start missing some beats.
They don’t know why it happens. Just that it does,
And back in the 20’s the name Banting was the big buzz.
For he discovered a way to keep our Oscar alive,
And not only that – to even thrive.

In front of Banting’s house the flame of hope still burns,
And other researchers have taken their turns,
But they need your help to extinguish that flame,
And here’s where I tell you the aim of the game.
When the flame is put out it means they’ve found a cure.
No more finger pricks and injections for Oscar to endure.

If this tale’s touched a cord, and you’d like to donate,
Please follow this link, and take the bait.
Let’s put out that flame for once and for all.
Let’s get all the kids back to having a ball.
Playing rugby, or hockey, or just watching the telly.
Roll on, no more injections in the belly.

Free Fall Writing

What is freefall writing and why should you do it?

Free fall writing is the act of writing, uninhibited, without editing as you do. The words just flow from your fingertips in a barrage of short choppy sentences that sometimes make no sense but subconsciously they do mean something to you.

Some writers free fall write in the morning if for no other reason than to clear their minds. Others might free fall write because they have committed to writing at least a page a day, or to free the mind of writer's block and find some new ideas for a short story or poem. And still others do it to get over an obstacle they may have encountered in the novel they are working on.

Many will free fall an entire chapter or more, letting the characters guide the story. Maybe you can't figure out why some of your secondary characters behave the way they do. Try free fall writing their back story, you might be amazed at what you discover.

No matter what your reason for doing it, free fall writing is an effective writing tool. If you've never done it, you really should try it.

Even try free fall writing as a group. AWCS offers two free fall group writing sessions every other Friday. Visit our website for more details. http://www.alexandrawriters.org/

More on Free Fall Writing
Free Fall Method of Creative Writing
http://www.freefallwriting.com/
www.peace.ca/writingforchange.htm

Calling All Writers

Do you have some great writing tips that you would like to share with other writers? Or maybe you have a short story or poem you would like to share.

Writer's Corner is looking for guest bloggers to blog about all topics writing related. Make it fun, witty or serious, the sky is the limit. Send us your stuff and we will post what we can.

Submission Guidelines:
There really aren't any. Just send us your stuff.

Open to all writers from all over the world.

If your piece is selected for publication, we will also add a link on our site to your blog or website. All we ask is that you do the same. Follow us, and we will follow you. Tell all your friends and followers, tweet and announce it on Facebook.

Please send your submissions by email to: awcs@telusplanet.net

Would you like to do a weekly column? Send us a proposal to the above mentioned email address.

We can't pay you, but we can help spread your name.

So let's get writing. Looking forward to your submissions.