May your 2023
Be good for thee!
Happy new year.

Hi, my friends.
I was in the hospital for ten days and got home on Friday. Today is the first day I could get online.
I hope everyone is well. I wrote about my time in the hospital, and then today, I read it while having a semi-normal mind. Gosh, it was awful! I could not understand half of it myself. Maybe I should post it entitled 'The Ravings of Madness.'
Tomorrow, I am going to NC for my father's funeral. He was cremated, and they were waiting for everyone to get well and be able to show up. I am lucky I got out of the hospital in time.
I hope you all are doing well and have a wonderful weekend.
Quote by PingPing, I do appreciate levity. It is always better to laugh than cry. I retired from the US Navy. I have very thick skin and have a bit of a dark gallows humor and regular punny humor.Quote by MendallaQuote by PingLBD?
Lewy Body Dementia, I think.
***
It’s called levity.
Anyone who’s dealt with dementia knows how challenging it is. I do. Currently dealing with it too. Moving someone in a supportive care home today. It’s brutal. I also know trying to make someone smile is better than trying to embarrass them or shut them down.
BTW, in high school, I was a thespian. I wore dresses on several occasions, including once in a black dress with a pair of gorgeous black six inches heels. With the prosthetics, I looked fabulous!
Hope you continue to mend, Sara. 😃
Everyone, have a great day. 🍺
Hi, everyone! 🍷
Sorry for my long absence. After the news of my father, My brain was pretty messed up. I had more than a week of bonkers and many bad days after that. I fell and broke a tooth which had to be pulled. I have an irrational fear of dentists, so that was a real struggle. My doctor found a suspicious mole on my neck that I will soon be excised. All of this may seem bad, but the real problem is the progress of my LBD. It has multiplied any real issues. I have had a hard time getting to SS.
My LBD has made the transition to the new site difficult. My whole life runs on a set schedule and routine. Dealing with change is difficult, yet I am trying to get used to the new format.
I have sorely missed your companionship in my daily life. I continue reading your stories, though slowly.
BTW, I have shaved off my rather large 'Santa Clause' like beard, and my youngest grandson took almost a week before he recognized me. It was pretty funny seeing everyone's reaction to the appearance of my face. I certainly hope it was not fear or disgust. 😀
I hope you all stay healthy and happy. ❤
Quote by verbal
Speaking of the Cubbies, you are right about that fire sale, Roland - but it also means you'll have fresh new talent and a smaller payroll to start fresh. Rosters get bloated after a World Series win. At least the Mets got a piece of that championship in Javy Baez.
Quote by Ping
Fittest players of any sport? Most physically strenuous sport to play?
Football (not US Stewie head-shaped throw ball) and hockey for the first question. Surprising to some, but not to those of us who played, squash was rated as the most physically taxing sport.
Quote by Mendalla
Later, alligators.
Quote by Ping
Buddy, scoring systems have been debated for many years, here and there. It is generally viewed as being flawed and imperfect. It must be noted that there is NO perfect system. There are many reasons as to why, and these can be discussed in more detail if desired. Bottom line: Nothing is gained by scoring anyone’s story or poem less than a fiver. But one risks unnecessarily pissing people off by scoring anything less. It’s just not worth it.
The best way one can show their support is by reading and commenting. Scoring the piece a five is good for optics but really means nothing. Scoring less means something. I strongly urge and advise you not to do the latter.
If you read something and truly feel it’s not five worthy, don’t score. In addition, don’t leave a negative comment. It too does not offer anything of value. If you want to relay your thoughts - negative or constructive - do so in a PM. Most writers, as fickle as most are, prefer that. Egos are a delicate thing. Which brings us back to the scoring. Being a flawed system that is easily manipulated, err on the side of caution. Fives or nothing. There is a valid reason admin here and there do not use scores to determine the success of competition stories. Some people, if you can believe their gall, low score fellow competitors’ stories and even elicit ‘friends’ with their nefarious albeit deluded scheme. It doesn’t work. Admin sees everything and adjusts accordingly.
Let the writers write. Let the readers read. Let the judges judge. Please don’t be that guy who scores stories any other way. Unless you can validate your reasoning with a detailed rubric, providing the author with particular scores on spelling, grammar, sentence structure, plot development, etc., stick to what you can justify - your opinion expressed in words, not numbers. I have several mathematics jokes, but I shall refrain.
I hope that helps.
Quote by Survivor
Black Panther.
Quote by etairay
Just finished catching up on Charmed ..finished Sweet Tooth ..struggling with Loki


Quote by verbal
Don't leave us hanging! What movie did you rate a 10?
Quote by MendallaQuote by rolandlytle
I suggest you use the one that will win the contest.![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Wiseguy. There's one in every crowd.![]()
You would think that after two good finishes in comps last year, I would have some sense of that, but no such luck.