Category Archives: 100 Words A Day

King Harald I Would Be Proud

By lytspeed Posted in 100 Words A Day, Signs o' the Times, Writing Leave a reply

I’m sitting in a bathroom stall and some guy comes in, talking on his Bluetooth headset.  Not a care in the world, he keeps talking while he does his business.

Is he going to flush? I wonder.  That would totally clue in the person on the other end.

He flushes and continues his conversation, bypassing the sink on his way out.

Ick, I think.  He must really know the person on the other end.  Either that, or neither of them have a sense of propriety.

Oh … pardon me, but I have to set the smartphone down.  Time to flush.

My Amazing Wife

By lytspeed Posted in 100 Words A Day, Family, Writing Leave a reply

My wife is amazing.  She was forced out of work due to fibromyalgia.  She spent most of a year in bed, dealing with the fallout of missed commitments, eroding friendships, and guilt about not contributing to the household income.

Then she submitted an essay to the National Fibromyalgia Association and won a scholarship to their International Leaders Against Pain conference.  Empowered, she founded the Colorado Fibromyalgia Network, a grass-roots support group, which has now been chosen to host an educational event for several hundred people, one of only ten such events nationwide.

She’s found her calling, and she’s loving it.

Blood is Thicker than Water Under the Bridge

By lytspeed Posted in 100 Words A Day, Family, Writing Leave a reply

The story about the stabbing came in my RSS feed, with no picture.  They described the the attacker as being tall and heavyset, unshaven, with brown hair.  The description matches my first stepson (or at least it did the last time I saw him.)  I read further and find that the name is the same, too.

No, it wasn’t him, but it does set me to wondering.  This year, he turns the same age I was when I first met his mother.

There’s bad blood; I don’t really want to know how he his.  Yet, I can’t help but wonder.

Perseids

By lytspeed Posted in 100 Words A Day, Science, Space, Writing Leave a reply

We went out to watch the Perseids last night, an activity I’ve long done with my kids.  Last night was the first time my wife joined us, though.  We leaned back and watched the sky, holding each other, overwhelmed.

There’s something about being out under the summer sky, with a breeze blowing and earthgrazers leaving streaks between the stars, that draws people together.  Maybe it’s the feeling of comfort we get from connecting with another against the vastness of the universe.  Maybe it calls up ancestral memories of pristine skies, kicking in primal instincts.

Whatever it is, it’s downright erotic.

The UPS and Downs

By lytspeed Posted in 100 Words A Day, Writing Leave a reply

I think I’m generally a pretty tolerant person, but there are a few things that just stick in my craw, especially when it comes to spelling and grammar.  Here is one.

UPS — It’s an acronym, not a word.  It stands for United Parcel Service, and it’s pronounced “U P S”, not “ups”.  Does one say “us-puss” for the United States Postal Service?  Or “ibim” for IBM?

I can understand pronouncing acronyms intended to evoke words: CARS, NORML, AIDS.  But as far as I know, that was not the intention with UPS.

One more thing.  There’s no apostrophe in UPS.