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Join Local Theater Company’s CO-LAB DAILY. Every morning (March 30th-April 30) at 6am MST, we’ll publish a creative "prompt” intended to inspire thought and promote community. Take 5 minutes, or all day, to respond. Then, below, share with the Co-Lab community (anonymously, if you prefer) and let’s see what magic we make together! No over-thinking, no judgment, all forms of expression (prose, poetry, drawing, dance, music, photography, you show us...) welcome.

Three easy steps:

1. Read the prompt below, or follow us on social. Prefer to receive the prompt in your email inbox? Click below.

2. Respond to prompt.

3. Share your response in the box below (or use the link for attachments).

DAY 24
where do you feel like a local?

Created a response that can’t be entered into the text box above? Submit HERE.

Thursday, April 30, 2020
WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE A LOCAL?

1. Feeling like a local--- in my hometown. We live in the village where we walk to everything. Our property goes to the river. So, kayaking is a must. Tai Chi is in the park. The college provides the lectures, festivals, the gyms, the theatre. I've been lucky enough to have my plays produced there. A small grocery store, an Asian store and Food Coop are all next to each other. I walk to the movie theatre, restaurants, second hand shops. ( The only 'shopping' we have.) All denominations of Church support interfaith projects, concerts and food banks. This is my community. Thanks for letting me be part of your community, Local Theatre Co. —Elaine Kuracina

2. In the rehearsal room...! Or the cocktail lounge. Either works for me ;) —Andrew Volkoff

3. Starting at age 11, I got my first high on theatre, seeing my first stage play. On my own, I found the director later, and had the audacity to tell him I was an actress (because I’d been in plays at my elementary). This lovely man took me back stage and introduced me to the cast as “an actress”, bless him. A month later, he called me and put me in “The Waltz of the Toreadors” by Jean Anouilh. (I had to look up half the words I said in a dictionary —”Papa what’s emasculated?”) THE THRILL OF THE STAGE!!! I’ve never forgotten it nor have I tired of it. I have never been to a play where I came out not saying “I want to write one of those!” —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

4. Whenever I hike in and around Boulder, I feel like a local, but especially in Chautauqua. Also attending events at the Dairy because I can remember what it was like before all the renovations...Lots of fond memories!! —Elisabeth Bowman

5. At Racine's.
   Thanks for doing this LOCAL! I really looked forward to it every day! —Abby Apple Boes

6. Where do I feel like a Local
   Oh Dear Heart. Hmmm.
   Here.
   This Write is allowing me to realize and remember how often I had moved in my earlier life. I have lived in many extraordinary places. Some wonderful. One, in particular, not. Each stop along this path has been a learning journey.
   Early January 1976, we moved to Golden, Colorado. This was not one of my highlights (was not the worst, as I had thought (read, Hoped) at the time.
   But I found that I could drive to Boulder for an afternoon and immediately feel much more 'At Home'.
   But then I'd need to drive back to home.....
   And another several moves. another story.
   In 1984 we moved to Boulder. A small house on a hillside overlooking the plains of Colorado. We bought in the winter and I had no proof of what land we had just purchased. All was covered with snow, so no earth could I see. A leap of faith.
   We have lived here since February 1984. We are the 'Mitt and Irv' of the neighborhood, we now hold the history of lower PineBrook.
   And beyond.
   I feel very much a local of North Boulder and Downtown. And especially the Dairy Arts Center. I am normally at The Dairy 3-5 times a week, at least. I am a good patron of the arts! And, I would normally be at the dairy, small 'd,' at least 3-5 times a month, helping bottle feed the new babies kids, loving on the Mama's and respectfully respecting Madame Hawthorne Hazel, our steadfast guardian.
   And in many ways it continues, via 'virtual'. Much virtual time.
   That is actually a lot of actual time.
   That is certainly only a matter of perspective.
   I'll refrain from entering existentialism now.....
   And so,
   Goodnight Pesha. This has been nice.
   Goodnight Alison. Good to hang out.
   Goodnight Nick. Thanks for your helpful and calm tech guidance.
   Goodnight Steve. Fun to be with you again.
   Goodnight Alan, Elisabeth, Rita, Laurie, Miriam, Abby, Jeffrey, David, Misha, Emily, Luke, Elaine, Genevieve, George, Michael, Sophie, John, Doc, Cat, Robin, Meridith, Amy, Lari, Lynn, Shea, Mary, Jean-Marie, Sheila, Shea, Gail, Kathryn, Diane, Gabriella, Jennifer, Rick, Kevin, Jeff and ANONYMOUS.
   Goodnight Susan, the picture of you and Bruce makes me smile too
   Goodnight Nancy and Joel, visiting your home from away
   Goodnight (Nicky and) David, Waiting for a Hug! —Sally Powell-Ashby
   
   Addendum (I've had a few)
   Finished my write earlier this morning. Wrapped everything up. I left the house for a little fresh air.
   When, lo and behold, what do I see taped to my front door?
   
   As of yesterday I became an official, actually, The Official, Spurge Spotter for PineBrookHills. My official uniform (a hat) was dropped off at our home and I have been informed that my new moniker is
   
   Spurge Spotter Sally
   
   Nature abhors a vacuum. Out I go. Diligence and Vigilance required!
   See you in the hills.
   SSS —Sally Powell-Ashby

7. I feel like a local in a theater. —Pesha Rudnick

8. I feel like a local when I’m in NYC, riding over the Williamsburg Bridge on my bike, clear early-summer Saturday ahead of me. I see the city rising in front of me, my neighborhood in Brooklyn behind me. New York—the true spirit of New York—belongs to everyone. It’s there, at the top of the bridge, looking over that magnificent man-made creation and the East River rushing beneath me, that I feel like a local. —Nick Chase

9. A theater... Whether it's on stage or in the audience. It always feels like home. The people feel like family. There is comfort and peace there, as well as an energy that makes me feel more alive than anywhere else.
   
   There's something about walking into a place with the intention of human connection that keeps me coming back. I can't find it anywhere else. And I don't want to.
   
   I can't wait to be back in that place.
   With all of you.
   Home. —Hannah Vail

10. I feel like a Local in Fort Collins. I know all the secret places at the reservoir and at the river. I can tell you the best place to get any kind of food. I know all of the hidden gems and all of the best bars. I know what used to be in each building down town. I know all of the alleys and all of the murals. I know which places are haunted. I know all the short cuts and the best thing to do in town on any night of the week. I know which beer comes from each brewery and which breweries are truly local. I know all the festivals and all of the traditions. I know the people. —Misha Zimmerman

11. I feel like a local in a well-worn cafe near my home, where other locals gather with their friends or work from their second home on their laptops. I meet my friends there, one or two at a time, and we chat for a long time, sometimes nibbling, oft times just sipping coffee or tea. The floors could definitely benefit from a makeover, the tables wobble, and the refrigerator case is noisy, but it’s a cozy space with a friendly vibe, so that usually outweighs the frumpiness.

    I'm sure going to miss these daily prompts! Thank you for this CO-LAB experience. —Miriam Sproul

12. The moment I connect with a person, an energy, an environment, an animal, a song I feel like a local. Having moved every 2.5 - 3 years of my life until well into my 20's, where I lived in my heart was home. When my heart connected to a place, person or thing I was home at least for that moment, that day, that week. That probably explains much of my comfort in the arts. An existence that from day to day finds you on multiple sets, multiple stages, in multiple stories, living multiple characters or supporting others to do the same ~ finding truth in make believe worlds. I am at once a citizen in my own world, your world, our world ... as an activist for diversity and inclusion we learn to embrace all and even when the scenery is less than appealing and the rhetoric makes me wince, I have to find the place inside, in my heart where I can remember who I am so that anywhere I go in the world I am home and a local. Thank you for the this wonderful journey... while I wasn't able to participate in all the days, I looked forward to the ones I could. And very much enjoyed the anecdotes, revelations and humor of others. Thank you Local Lab and all who shared! Stay Safe, Stay Well and Stay Connected!!! —Sheila T.

13. Everywhere.
    Local is a theater.
    What Theater can do,
    Local does.
    Co-Lab is a part of it,
    developing material.
    In the pandemic we are the material.
    And we had a great time.
    🎉🌸🍾😘💕
    Thanks. —Alan Freeman

14. AT THE LITTLE PARK NEAR THE 20TH ST. EXIT OFF I-25

    The extent of our disconnection is
    Brought into stark relief
    When I’m struck dumb by
    The way the branches sway
    In the spring breeze
    As I walk the path beneath
    Them, like the archway of a cathedral
    Sun and shadows speckling the pavement
    And me, on a Tuesday afternoon,
    Standing stock still, rendered reverent,
    Gazing up and growing goosebumps,
    Slipping so fully into the stream
    That assimilation feels like
    Some blessed destruction
    And I, in an instant, become nothingness--
    A bicycle’s whizz brings me back, snaps
    The momentary serenity.
    Nearby, some squirrels
    Titter in a way that sounds like
    They’re laughing at me.
    (Thanks for doing this, Local!) —Luke Sorge

15. In downtown Brooklyn. Even after 4 years away, when I go back, I bump into friends randomly. I go to my old bar and the same bartenders are there as from 16 years ago; my aunt and uncle welcome me with open arms, and even the pigeons flock to me. It’s a special place. —Emily Tuckman

Wednesday, April 29, 2020
SHARE A PHOTO AND CAPTION OF YOURSELF AT HOME BEING CREATIVE DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS. 

Tuesday, April 28, 2020
CREATE A TIME CAPSULE FOR 2020. WHAT 10 THINGS DO YOU INCLUDE?

1. 1. A homemade face mask
   2. French roast coffee
   3. Leggings or a pair of yoga pants
   4. Home hair dye kit
   5. See's lollipops - chocolate or cafe latte flavor
   6. A copy of The Subway Poems by Mary Hilton-Reid
   7. A copy of the SBA Guidelines for small business loans
   8. A photo of Tank, the happiest golden retriever who ever lived
   9. A mason jar filled with hope, despair, rage and love
   10. My login and password to ZOOM —Alison Palmer

2. Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, homemade face mask, disinfecting wipes, a pamphlet on proper social distancing, some unused concert tickets (show was cancelled), a screen shot of a zoom meeting, sourdough starter, a box from Pandemic Donuts, anti-anxiety meds. —Cat Palmer

3. 1) Homemade mask
   2) Roll of toilet paper
   3) Disinfecting wipes
   4) Hand sanitizer
   5) Recordings of various thank-you to healthcare workers (howling in Boulder; singing in Italy; applause in NY)
   6) Images of good social distancing--people on porches, backyards, balconies
   7) Recording of Zoom SNL episode
   8) Images from around the world of clearer skies, empty roads, quiet cities
   9) Bio suit
   10) CO-Lab Daily "Best of" —Elisabeth Bowman

4. 1. A Picture of John, Fred and Ethel
   2. My Floral Print Mask
   3. Hand Sanitizer
   4. Paint by Numbers Painting
   5. A Zoom Recording of a Meeting with all my Beloveds
   6. My Script to Moon Over Buffalo
   7. Cauliflower Crust Pizza
   8. Yoga Pants and My HadesTown Hoodie
   9. Wine
   10. Fleetwood Mac Rumors Album. —Abby Apple Boes

5. A fashionable face mask
   A chloroquine pill
   A photo of an empty public park
   A photo of a long line at the grocery store of people patiently waiting 6 feet apart
   A role of toilet paper
   A test kit (antibody or serology)
   A hilarious viral video
   One of Mayor Garcetti's briefings
   The remains of a take-out meal from a popular restaurant
   A calendar with all the days of quarantine checked off. —Robin Lithgow

6. 1. A hand drawn heart on a white piece of paper, with scotch tape folded over on the sides, with the words, "Thank you."
   2. A digital recording device with 8 p.m. howling sounds
   3. A Happy New Year 2020 hat.
   4. A bumper sticker that reads, "Human First."
   5. A whoopee cushion
   6. Half of a hundred dollar bill
   7. A pine cone
   8. A framed 8 x 10 picture of fifteen friends at a zooming happy hour.
   9. A white handkerchief
   10. An unscratched lottery ticket. —David Jensen

7. 1. A ukulele. Music must always be remembered.
   2. A bag filled with a variety of fruit seeds. Who knows when this capsule will be opened and if fruit will still exist?
   3. A flash drive with all of my current plays, poetry, journals, songs, and other creative endeavors. To remind myself of the art I used to (try to) create. 4. A photo booth picture of me and my current boyfriend. To remind myself of the love I can give and receive.
   5. A pride flag.
   6. The suitcase I keep in my closet of all of my favorite memorabilia. Putting this in the time capsule will keep it safe from becoming lost or destroyed. 7. A notebook with passwords to social media accounts of photos. For memories and pictures of faces I may forget.
   8. A painting by my mom signed by my family.
   9. My cat, Beetlejuice. Preserved, of course, so he can be alive when the capsule is reopened.
   10. Hope. —Rita DiSibio

8. 1. Playbills or post cards from the shows I worked on (even the canceled ones)
   2. A photo of Bo, our guinea pig we adopted in January
   3. A homemade mask
   4. The cozy sweatpants that have been getting lots of extra wear
   5. One of the embroidery pieces I made during quarantine
   6. A seed packet from my garden
   7. A newspaper clipping
   9. The score card from our family's ongoing corona cup games
   10. The gym shoes I've worn on my daily quarantine walks —Misha Zimmerman

9. In my time capsule there will be: pictures of my daughter Lili; a collection of stories, plays, and poems, "Brunette with Blondes Dreams"; copies of my friend Mary's albums; copy of ORLANDO; collection of Shakespeare sweatshirts; Dr.Seuss's, "Cat in the Hat" hat; A YEAR IN Poetry; " Monty Python's, Spamalot"; a Mac book laptop circa 2002; and, a trophy won at Madison Square Gardens. Mementos of a "Boomer", who lived a curious life, "A Tale told in happy Sorrow". —Laurie Cushing

10. 1. Zoom — people in boxes.
    2. Photo of empty ball park on opening day of baseball season.
    3. Bandana with two rubber bands = mask.
    4. Graph of stock market.
    5. DVD resurrected from basement.
    6. “Unorthodox” Netflix series.
    7. Plastic grocery bag (resurgent).
    8. One roll of gift-wrapped toilet paper, the most precious commodity.
    9. Packet of bell pepper seeds for Victory Garden.
    10. Bread recipe, high altitude, gluten-free. —Miriam Sproul

11. 1. Masks, including mine from PyeongChang 2018 Paralympics, who knew this would become so valuable; Purell hand sanitizer; toilet paper. No brainers.
    
    2. A compilation of the best video parodies.
    Randy Rainbow, Just a Spoonful of Clorox https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/9366477/randy-rainbow-spoonful-of-clorox-parody
    Roy Zimmerman, The Liar Tweets Tonight https://www.youtube.com/watch?;v=TkU1ob_lHCw
    Ballet Opera de Paris https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_CRB0SHmqP/?igshid=15ixkazt5jjqg
    Adley with Important Information https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hElK61a1_4
    
    3. Photo of our living room after I emptied the coat closet to rid the myriad moths that have destroyed my favorite clothes and the marvel at all the stuff that has been living in a relatively small space. My whole house was taken over by coats, scarves, tablecloths, Silver silverware that was meaningful to a lost generation and just a pain now. (What do you do with it? Files of my parents bills and memorabilia and their parents files and memorabilia (my grandparents) A smallish box of love letters from High School and College. A large box of 'To be framed' posters and young family photos that were enlarged for keepsakes. Etc, Etc, Etc.
    
    4. Copy of the 'Old Time Recipe Exchange' email that I have received no less than 12 times! with instructions to send on to 20! close friends! Which equals, if I did, which I didn't, annoy 240 of my close friends, ( I, thankfully do not have 240 close friends). Who would then need to annoy 4,800 of their close friends, annoying 96,000 close friends. This is only the power of 3!!! Dear God! the power of the internet. Sorry God and Mother Earth. And human capacity.
    
    5. Which aborted (see#4) my rather genius idea of a recipe share that would have supported Arts organizations in a fun and creative way.
    
    6. Zoom Meetings, of course.
    
    7. A petition to Jeff Bezos to return at least half of Amazon profits to each and every community, town, city, country, continent that has been unable to sell products hence bankrupting aforesaid towns, cities, countries, continents. While Amazon has reaped/raped astronomical profits on top of astronomical profits. 3/19/2020 a single share of Amazon was $1860.00 Today, 4/28/2020 a single share of Amazon is $2,314.08. You can look up next weeks.
    
    8. The Onion's April 6th edition
    
    9. NYTimes Sunday Review April 5th, 2020
    
    10.To balance the parody videos (see #2) I'd include the entire 30 day packet of the writings and submissions of this Co-Lab project. They have been poignant, funny, relevant, heartbreaking, stimulating and grounding. **Bonus: NYTimes daily briefs v The Onion's daily briefs. In a blind study is it possible to tell which is which? —Sally Powell-Ashby

12. What is pertinent? What top ten things do I want people to know about today, four months into the year? ...The power of music?

    — To the members of our community who won’t see the end of this shutdown. I include your names. This is different because we can’t assemble to chorus our grief, to give our appreciation for their lives. As soon as we can, we will gather to remember them.
    
    — We acknowledge the commencement of Fiona Grace from college, virtually. Our granddaughter’s journey has been a constant adventure in sports, travel, scholarship, and friends. “I want friends all over the world,” she said four years ago. Knowing that she is supported by these close friends makes up in part for the deep sadness of not coming together as a family to celebrate her fine achievement.
    
    — Popular token, something irresistible and cheap.
    
    — iPhone, a relic of virtual.
    
    — Hopes for our children and their children’s children.
    
    — Pattern for 1918, what success was there?
    
    — Price of a single egg compared with 100 years fore and aft.
    
    — All disinformation on Covid-19. It was predictable.
    
    — More predictions of what we learned due to the virus.
    
    — A compendium of contemporary humor. Somebody write it. Something to read in the years to come. —Alan Freeman

Monday, April 27, 2020
SHARE YOUR RECURRING DREAM.

1. Electricity starts at my feet and then runs up through every strand of hair on my head. More of an energizing, tingling sensation than painful. Medusa with energy snakes! —Elisabeth Bowman

2. OCEAN
   
   OCEAN AND WAVES
   
   Massive, Tsunami waves.
   I/we are at the oceanside (sometimes a large city aquarium). Massive waves roil the ocean.
   
   Although not particularly wise, I/we stand and watch as the tsunami waves approach and gather strength and height. Within each wave, the instants of cresting, the moment of clear water in the height of the wave I/we see a mass of marine life, swimming and glorifying in the abundance of water and novelty.
   Sharks, turtles, swordfish, giant octopus, squid, whales, all sliding, gliding, twisting, swooshing, playing in the massive clear mountains of water. Playing.
   They are Playing! They are having the time of their lives.
   It is mesmerizing.
   
   I/we should NOT be here where ocean meets land.
   Yet it is not possible to leave, it is simply not a question.
   I/we watch, engrossed, captivated, riveted. Riveted to our spot. Our destiny?
   
   and I wake.
   
   I wake and remember the sight of these beautiful marine animals frolicking.
   I wake and I don't feel fear.
   I wake and feel Awe
   and wonder
   
   Can one frolic in such peril? Can one frolic in such perilous times?
   Perilous for who? You and me. I/we.
   Not for the marine life.
   Maybe they are joyful because they are hopeful that they have the chance to continue, survive and thrive
   if we leave.
   
   Oh yes,
   I/we did not 'leave'.
   and I was dreaming. —Sally Ashby

3. I keep having this reoccurring nightmare: A narcissistic Reality TV show star becomes Leader of a powerful nation.
   A world-wide plague spreads across the globe and he comes up with an answer: Drink as much disinfectant as you possibly can! This will cure you. -John Green

4. I've had recurring dreams my entire life, ever since I can remember. Last night, I had my recurring Leonardo DiCaprio dream. In the dream he is one of my dearest friends. We met through mutual friends and just really hit it off. He likes my no BS vibe and that I treat him like a normal person. He calls me all the time and tells me what parties he's going to, and if I'm available, we try to meet up in the evening to hang. LOL. —Alison Palmer

5. There are a few elements that have been recurring in my dreams. One is that for the last six weeks I’ve had multiple dreams taking place in my childhood bedroom, and in brooklyn. I spent 18 years in that bedroom, and 16 years in Brooklyn and they are the only locations in my dreams as of late. Secondly, a recurring theme is that I’m trying to spend time with friends who are either out of town or don’t have time to spend time with me so I’ve been very conscious throughout these dreams of feeling hurt and alone. A third recurring theme is flying. I keep getting stuck he really scary and dangerous situations and the only way to get out of them is by taking flight and flying over them. All three of these things have been very present in multiple dreams in the last six weeks. —Emily Tuckman

6. I’m married to Al Pacino. The dream itself is usually different but whatever’s happening I know that I am married to Al Pacino. —Hannelore Rolfing

7. I have a lot of them. But, the one that happens the most is a dream where I am back working in the Las Vegas show "Jubilee" and I can never find my costumes in time to get onstage. But, I never get reprimanded or fired for not making it onstage. I haven't worked at Jubilee since 1996. But, still I have this dream. Crazy! —Abby Apple Boes

8. I dream in vagueness. Rather pedestrian ramblings of misremembered stories and being late to class. These are classes I am suppose teach, of all things, calculus, which I barely know how to spell. Also, teaching an art class, which I also can't do. Perhaps these are things I wish I could accomplish. —Laurie Cushing

9. I dream often, vividly and seemingly with purpose. My dreams are varied and I can usually remember them pretty well, but there's one thing that is consistently present until I wake up:

   For a long time my dreams are the only place I have found you. There are always different settings, different color palettes, different stories, but we're usually together. I get to share my worries with you, I get to soothe your tears, I get to hold your hand. No matter what the dream is, if I find you in it, we always hold hands.
   
   In middle school I was a mermaid masquerading as a student, and you helped keep my secret from the teachers who were poaching for magic.
   In high school we strolled hand in hand through a moonlit park as the stars trailed behind us and the swan horses swam in the ponds.
   In college we were chased through the catacombs of ancient cathedrals that whispered their secret songs to us, and you kept hold of my hand despite the accusations of "witch" or "enchantress" thrown at me.
   In a busy time, I panicked at an impromptu performance where I couldn't read the script and you helped distract the audience as I snuk out the kitchen window.
   In a quiet time, I found you in a rain-drenched alley, heartbroken and lost, and I sat with you as you cried tears that had no words.
   In a brighter time, we met in a garden shed during a game of hide and seek, and couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of hiding when we've already found each other.
   
   But then, every time, my consciousness begins to pull towards the surface, and I squeeze your hand one more time. I wake up with an empty hand, and no memory of your face. I've found you, but we've yet to meet. —Sophie Hernando Kofman

10. In Between Dreams 
    Dreams that recur.  I have many variations of one.  The actor's dream in which I am the actor, or the teacher's dream in which I am the teacher, or the director's dream.  They occur in within a pattern.  It’s the ending that I recall.  In the actor's dream, I am going on for someone who can’t be there, and I didn’t realize that I don’t know what the play is until I enter the stage and the lights come up.  I look great.  Costume is perfect.  Make up is solid.  The only problem is the role and the play have vanished, or was never there in the first place.  The teacher's dream is my August dream.  Everything's ready for the first day, but I can't find the classroom.  I become desperate with looking.  I never find it.  The director's dream is the first rehearsal of a play I love.  I walk into the room, and I haven't got a script, and I don't know the title.  And so forth.  They beat me up, these dreams. 
    
    They come before my project begins.  I never have them when I'm actually acting, directing, or teaching.  They are in between projects.  They are my in between dreams.  …Wow.  I’ve never had a playwright’s dream.  (Okay, I gotta think on that one.) —Alan Freeman

11. It starts out innocently enough. I’m wandering through high-ceilinged hallways — maybe it’s a high school building, or, no — maybe a museum, oh, wait, now it’s a recreation center. I’m looking for a bathroom. I know there used to be one around that corner. No, nothing there. I guess it’s down one floor. I walk for a long time, casually seeking, then more urgently.

    I do eventually find a bathroom, but the walls of the stalls are missing, so no privacy. I pass that one up and find another. This time the toilets nearest the door have backed up and are a mess. I tiptoe around them toward the back of the room, only to find one toilet that sits up high on a pedestal. Hah! Maybe this is the one I can use. But when I get closer, I see it’s filled to the brim and there’s NO MORE TOILET PAPER. I wake up. What a surprise: I need to use the bathroom. I walk 12 feet. —Miriam Sproul

12. A large, seemingly never ending bathroom with pink walls. Toilets everywhere, but no stalls. Everything is open. Everyone is open. —Rita DiSibio

13. I'd share my recurring flying dreams, but they're far too complicated to express with any sort of brevity. Suffice it to say that they involve extreme, sort of conscious/unconscious effort, are very real, very taxing, yet very rewarding -- and rather logically only occur when I have some semblance of control in my life. To fly in one's dreams (mine at least) is the ultimate challenge, and the process has been an evolving one. i took it to personal extremes of height and distance (wondering in the mornings if I'd actually transported somehow), and eventually learned how to take others with me. They say when you fall in your dreams you will always wake up before landing; if you don't, you may die. One night I fell; didn't wake up; and stopped myself from landing. From there, it was an education in flying dreams. Oh, these are incredible dreams! —Rick Padden

14. I have to run. But I can't run like normal. So I use my hands and run on all fours... still haven't tried doing it in waking life yet. —Luke Sorge

Friday, April 24, 2020
DESCRIBE A DINNER PARTY YOU’D LIKE TO HOST WITH FOUR PEOPLE TONIGHT. WHAT ARE YOU SERVING?

1. My Dinner Party

   I will begin practical because having a Dinner Party generally stresses me. And, since people are in small doses these days, I want to ease back in.
   EZPZ for tonight!
   First of all, this will actually be a dinner for 6, assuming John and I don't count and I get to invite four people.
   Ben and Linda, our go-tos, and our next door neighbors, Jake and Dana, luv 'em.
   I will serve lasagna which I will now take out of the freezer, along with ground bison to add in, since the meat lasagna was meatless. While in the freezer, I will dive further for  French bread.
   I will suggest salad and app's for our guests to bring, if they have, since I've no more lettuce and the seeds I planted two days ago are many weeks away.
   This leaves wine and perhaps dessert. 
   As of last night, my box of red is empty! Horrors!
   However, I believe I likely have a nice red downstairs and I Know that I have a liter bottle of a good chianti, so, voilà, we are good to go.  
   Dessert is optional chez moi. 
   (I hear some of you panicking and never wanting to come to my house. Or perhaps remembering that You should volunteer to bring dessert).
   Ah, it will be a chia pudding with some beet powder mixed in because the color is divine and fun, which I will decorate with the tiny mint leaves that have popped up in the garden despite the snows last week and the coming snow tonight. Mint is hardy! 
   (don't stress over the beet powder. It is actually sweet and otherwise unnoticeable in foods except the beautiful color. 
   And, I will gather some dandelion leaves and flowers to put in the possible salad that may be brought. 
   Also, don't stress about the dandelions. I will, no doubt, give a lengthy lecture about the zillions of attributes of Dandelion.
   (we used to say, 'hundreds' or maybe 'thousands' to describe large masses. Now it is imperative to say zillions if we want to make an impression)
   Since I am writing all this down and have all this organizational skill, I will start off with my Fado music to get me in the right mood and I will light candles.
   I will keep this entry so that I can refer to it when the time does come.
   Oh yeah, the house. I'll sweep the floor (I love sweeping). I'll get John to vacuum (I hate vacuuming) and I'll pile papers somewhere else. It'll be evening so the dust won't show. And in my fantasy world I'll even have a clear desk. 
   And I'll rescue the perky daffodils to share the fun with us all.
   I like it.
   oooh. its tempting.......... —Sally Powell-Ashby

2. Tonight I'd love to host a dinner party with my husband, my sister, my brother, my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law.
   I'd serve king crab, Caesar salad, and crusty sourdough bread.
   We'd drink beer and talk politics.
   We'd argue and then laugh uncontrollably to the annoyance of the in-laws.
   We'd have a dance party at some point (to Prince and Jimmy Cliff) and take our choreography very seriously. We'd have a handstand competition. We'd finish off the night with a midnight swim in the ocean. —Pesha R.

3. If I were planing a dinner party for four people, I would go to a restaurant or hire a carter, or have a pot luck, I might supply; appetizers, non alcoholic beverages, and ice cream with hot fudge. Most likely, we would have Fondue, at least two types of cheese, with a variety including; breads, veggies, and fruits. Music would be randomly selected and played, and include favorites suggested by my guests, (with in reason), as I do control the sounds. I would include a movie, maybe, the 1933 classic, "Dinner at Eight" or an Agatha Christie mystery movie, so many and wonderful. After dinner, with would play a game such as; "Trivial Pursuit" or "Cards against Humanity", maybe," Pandemic", seems appropriate. During these times it would have to include a "social distancing" fare, though wearing masks might make it difficult to eat or drink but we would certainly be merry. —Laurie Cushing

4. The dinner would probably be pretty simple and straightforward but with cheese and meat fondues and all the goodies that go with that there would be lots of sharing and laughter and very (of course) insightful conversations. It would be an updated version of the kinds of dinner gatherings I had way back in the mid-late 70s in San Francisco - what fun those were! —Anonymous

5. Maybe not for tonight, but when I was younger, me and several of my celiac disease/gluten intolerant/allergic friends planned to create a dinner party full of all of the foods we have missed, but cannot eat. We would eat donuts, crepes, pancakes, waffles, cheez-its, red vines, maybe some crispy chicken wings, scones, cannolis, and more glutinous filled foods. Will a painful, gaseous, bowel-inflamed death be inevitable? Perhaps. But will it be tasty goodbye to the body and its senses? Absolutely. —Rita DiSibio

6. Dining room reservations for four. Choice of thick clam chowder or split pea soup. Or both. My sister Wendy and her husband Lenny willl join us for food and conversation. Steak Diane for the meat lovers, Catch-of-the-Day for moi. But Lenny has a certain predilection for habit. He’ll have an impossible burger with the fixin’s. As always. Wendy will order from the Tapas menu. Kathie? Avocado, tomato, and a quesadilla. Dinner would be simple, but the talk would be gourmet. Conversation with good people — that makes a good meal. —Alan Freeman

7. I'd invite Lee, who I underestimated.
   I'd invite Tyler, who I didn't fully appreciate.
   I'd invite Helen, who I treated unfairly.
   I'd invite Felicia, with whom I should've stayed in touch.
   
   And I'd serve a big old slice of homemade humble pie. With some apology wine on the side. —Luke Sorge

8. Assuming that this is a fantasy dinner party… I’d invite these four truth-tellers. I make a pretty good curry, so I think I’d serve that. —Anonymous

Thursday, April 23, 2020
SHARE A PHOTO THAT EXPLORES THE LIGHT IN YOUR LIVING SPACE. (THINK CHIAROSCURO/HIGH CONTRAST)

Wednesday, April 22, 2020
WRITE A HUMP DAY LIMERICK

1. FIRST LIMERICK
   Masks were only worn to a ball
   Mostly in the winter and fall
   But the times have changed
   The world's rearranged
   And life has slowed to a crawl.
   
   SECOND LIMERICK
   As we keep our hearts and hearths clean
   Sharing when times are lean
   Rising above fear
   One thing becomes clear:
   What we need is a Trump vaccine. —Elisabeth Bowman

2. There once was a bug from South Philly
   Whose birth name Spot was changed to Billy
   At school he was teased
   And in no way was pleased
   Responded with a fart which was silly. —David Jensen

3. Fill money-less days with these tasks:
   Social distance, hand washing, and masks.
   Who knows the total!
   (somewhat anecdotal)
   But sufficient if anyone asks. —Alan Freeman

4. There was a young lady named Nell
   Who laughed on Wednesday as well
   Her laugh was not funny
   She called me honey
   But in her bed I said Oh what the hell. —Michael O’Brien

5. The Divine Line
   There once was a comedy divine
   In the Inferno I spent much my time
   And when I emerged
   I didn't feel purged
   But I sure had a helluva time. —Diane Gilboa

6. There once was a lady from Boulder
   Who once expected to grow Older
   But along came a Bug
   So difficult to Shrug
   She may or may not become Moulder. —Sally Powell-Ashby

7. As the Coronavirus keeps spreading
   And we try to steer clear of those 'shedding,'
   It's important to note
   That we all have to vote!!
   Or to hell in a hand bag we're heading. —Robin Lithgow

8. There once was a woman from Boulder
   who thought she could get no older.
   Boy, was she wrong-o
   Her days got so long, oh
   while sheltering she did moulder. —Miriam Sproul

9. There is a place called Boulder,
   where many think we're bipolar.
   It's probably true, though most us
   usual defer to our weather. —Laurie Cushing

10. There once was a cat named Jeef
    Cheesy chicken chips got stuck his teeth
    His mama got mad
    Because he'd been bad
    And accused him of being a thief
    
    There was once a cat named Poots
    He liked neither mittens nor boots
    He shed all of his hair
    'Til his body was bare
    And changed is last name to McGoots
    
    There once was a cat named Max
    He loved, he loved his snacks
    He ate them all day
    And then he would play
    Just don't ask him to ever pay tax
    
    There once was a dog named Gip
    She would give your bare ankle a nip
    She was quite a bad doggo
    But she worked at Wells Fargo
    And occasionally she'd sneak out for a kip —Cat Palmer

11. There once was a leader named Trump
    His mission? Make the U.S. a dump
    His minions denied
    His followers lied
    And I just f*#^ing hate him —Alison Palmer

12. In all Wednesdays of my lifetime
    Never thought them as a whine time
    See a day that's new
    Breathe fresh morning dew
    Taste a new pie fresh squeezed key lime —Elaine Kuracina

13. I learned to say Photovoltaic
    30 years later I still say it
    I read my lines well
    Nobody could tell
    A scientist I wasn't quite rated —Sally Powell-Ashby

14. Wednesdays really are a drag
    Even my kids agree they're bad
    So we packed up our car
    And drove to a bar
    Just kidding. But wouldn't that be rad? —Pesha R

15. There once was a man named Homer
    Who, mid-week, invited Jane over
    He asked her to dance
    She said, “pull up your pants,”
    And told him: “hump day’s a misnomer.” —Luke Sorge

Tuesday, April 21, 2020
WHAT RESTAURANT DO YOU MISS THE MOST RIGHT NOW, WHY, AND HOW LONG WOULD YOU WAIT FOR A TABLE?

1. I miss the 1844 House Bistro. It is a French cuisine restaurant set in an old house that is charming and 'provencial.' With gentle hills surrounding it, the 1844 House grows its own herbs, displays a fountain and flower garden. It is quiet so that conversation can be shared along with the fragrant, flavorful food. On the property is an old barn. The owners have transformed it into a delightful private party space. I hope to produce theatre there someday. And, speaking of 'produce,' they use locally produced food. Wait? No. I would be so hungry. I would make a reservation. —Elaine Kuracina

2. There’s this farm to table Italian place in my town called Prato. Everything is so delicious there from the pizzas, to the pasta dishes to the cocktails. I’d pretty much wait all day for a table at this point. 😉 —Gail Chase

3. Bramble and Hare because the food is excellent and the atmosphere cozy. I would wait an hour for a table! —Elisabeth Bowman

4. GB Fish & Chips -- OMG their curry sauce is soooooooooooooooooooooooo spectacular with chips!!! As I hate waiting for anything - I'd be willing to wait maybe 15 min for a table. —Kathryn Gray

5. I miss sitting at a Mexican restaurant and munching on chips and salsa until I've eaten way too many. I miss ridiculous restaurants like Fogo de Chau where there food is overwhelming. I miss ice cream parlors and all-you-can-eat sushi. I miss picking out things from a menu that look exciting. Mostly I just miss going to a restaurant and having a good time around the table. I guess I'm already waiting months for that. —Jeffrey Wolf

6. Guess I haven't been 'sheltered at home' long enough. I really don't miss any restaurant, nor would I wait. Growing up, going out to eat was a big deal and a special occasion; like someone's birthday. We'd go to a restaurant maybe 6 times a year. Now, well, previously, we'd go to a restaurant at least 6 times a month. So it does surprise me to realize that I don't miss any restaurant. The last several years eating out has become a love/hate. I love not having to think about 'what to cook' and I hate the noise level in every establishment. I fantasize for Quiet Night at restaurants once a week, once a month? With no restaurants open, I have been forced to think in advance and stock up on good foods to eat and think ahead! and plan! what to make before I'm starving, which was usually the driving force to eating out. I don't cook every meal. Once every two weeks or so I order chicken enchiladas and/or pot pie from The BridgeHouse and this is my 'going out' fix. Or I splurge with a take-out from The Kitchen. I light candles and enjoy our great view and I can hear my partner and even birdsong. —Sally Powell-Ashby

7. Right now, Basta has a special sentimental spot since it was the last place we had dinner out before the shelter in place order. We were a group of six (remember those days!) and did not really have a true sense of what was coming next. We had just made the decision to cancel LAB and the rest of Local's season was soon to follow. Still, there was a sense of camaraderie, delicious food and wine and far ranging conversation. I would like that to be the first place I go when it is acceptable to do so. That said, we hope for the best for all of the local Boulder and Denver restaurants and their staff and families and hope they can continue to maintain enough business that they will be there for us to come back to again. —Amy Hartman

8. Assuming travel impediments have gone away, I’d choose Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton. It’s my pick for supper on a lazy Sunday afternoon after the beach— say, around 5:00-ish— no matter the season. Farmhouse setting, wood-burning oven, charming atmosphere, and fun people watching. Getting a reservation depends on the time of year, but it’s where I’d like to eat this weekend. Any weekend. —Lari Abraham

9. I’ve been craving a spicy margarita at Eastern standard and one of their brilliant fish meals. I’m definitely willing to wait as long as it takes To keep their restaurant worker safe, but once it is safe I can’t wait to go back! —Emily Tuckman

10. I long for a chicago hot dog with all the fixings.
    I would wait for twenty hours before entering
    Byrons on a hot summer night. I might -
    no I would - even add ketchup! —John S Green

11. I miss diners - just being able to stop by for a coffee or an omelette or a burger with my friends or family. —Alison Palmer
    Photo (below) by Brie Davies for Westword

12. I long for food as much as place. Min’s Kitchen serves pineapple fried rice in half a pineapple. Daisy Mint does a special chicken that promises sheer delight. El Patrón is small, but serves a whole fish fried crispy. The Papas de Oro or Carnitas de Pato at CaCao Mexicatessen make my mouth water, but so does good old Mijares, since 1920. These places are good, but places give way to people who work there. They are in my heart. May they be safe now, and when the enforced closure lifts, I will celebrate their service by returning. —Alan Freeman

13. I miss The Med. I love taking my grandchildren there for the happy hour. They order almost everything on the menu and I am grateful for the happy hour prices. I personally can't get enough go the bread. I would be willing to wait for half an hour. I bet the boys would be willing to wait even longer. —Susan Litt

14. Whenever I am back in Fort Collins, I tend to catch up with old friends at a quaint cafe called the Alley Cat, a slightly cliché local college coffee shop where all the idealized indie queens and queers seem to gather. Open 24/7, this eight wonder of the world is more often than not slightly too loud from a mix of flirtatious chatter and songs you've never heard personally curated by the barista you've definitely thought about kissing. There's something comfortingly nostalgic about walking up the old wooden stairs to the entrance in order to immerse myself in the shadows of the hand painted ceiling tiles, the smell of sweet coffee and chai, the green vines snaking in and out of the windows on the burgundy wall, and the ever so slightly humidity from the crowded capacity. Maybe I miss the connections made within the luring embrace of the aesthetic aura. Or maybe I just miss the time when it felt rebellious and wild and free to stay out until 2 am on a Saturday talking about our romanticized futures in this dimly lit oasis after spending the night dancing with strangers in a yoga studio in Old Town. —Rita DiSibio

Monday, April 20, 2020
SHARE A FAMILY RECIPE AND THE STORY BEHIND IT.

1. El Charrito Frozen TV Dinners - Every Friday night (okay not every single Friday) we would watch television and have these. I loved the soggy tacos the best. God only knows what is in them... —David Jensen

2. Great Auntie’s Family Prize Winning Chocolate Cake

   Ingredients:
   1 cup shortening (Doc uses butter)
   2 cups sugar
   2 tsp vanilla
   4 oz squares unsweetened baking chocolate (melted—I put small top pan with squares of chocolate in it into a larger pan with boiling water underneath)
   5 eggs
   2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour
   1 tsp soda
   1 tsp salt
   1 cup of buttermilk (Tescos sells it)
   
   Stir shortening (butter) to soften, gradually add sugar. Blend in vanilla and cooled chocolate. Add eggs, one at a time.
   
   Sift together flour, soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition. Bake in three round pans (buttered and floured, or I use Bake Easy non-stick spray)
   
   Moderate oven 180 degrees (or 350 F) 20-25 minutes
   Press a finger lightly onto top of cake, if it doesn’t indent, it’s done.
   _____________________________________
   Great Auntie’s Chocolate Satin Frosting
   
   4 one ounce squares (the other half of the) unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
   4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar)
   4 ½ tbsps hot water (I used the boiling water from bottom pan which melted the chocolate)
   1 egg, beaten
   ¾ cup soft butter
   1 ½ tsps vanilla
   
   Blend ingredients (egg last) Frosting (icing) will be thin at this point. Cool to spreading consistency. ( put the bowl of icing into a bigger bowl with ice cubes and cold water about 10-20 minutes) Ice top and sides of cake. —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

3. Grandma's Kolachy. 4 cups flour, 1/2 lb butter,4 egg yolks, 2 small yeasts, 1/2 cup warm milk ,1/2 pint sour cream , 4 Tsps sugar, 1tsp salt. Dissolve yest in lukewarm milk. Mix all ingredients and put in refrigerator overnight. roll out on floured board and cut into small squares filling with your favorite filling - nut, levar, poppy seed. Roll up each square and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F until light brown - 10 min. Nut filling - ground nuts, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and milk to moisten ( keep thick)

   When we were growing up, my two sisters and I would make these cookies at Christmas time with grandma and my mom. Brings back memories of "family time." FAMILY TIME NEVER GETS OLD. —Elaine Kuracina

4. I would love to share a recipe but it seems to be missing. My grandmother made what we called pinwheel cookies that all my cousins and I used to eat in a circle. When they got hard we would dip them into our milk or tea. The recipe grandma gave us included a pinch of this and a pinch of that. Did anyone really know what grandma's pinch was? Of course not. So, as often as we tried, no one could duplicate those wonderful cookies filled with great memories. I have never been able to give my children or grandchildren the experience I had as a child and I can only think about them with a smile on my face. —Susan Litt

5. Torta de Chocolinas (No-Bake Chocolate Cookie Cake)

   Ingredients & Materials:
   - 1 or 2 boxes of Chocolate Graham Crackers (or any solidly square chocolate cookie)
   - Sour Cream*
   - Dulce de Leche*
   - Milk
   - Chocolate Chips (optional)
   - Plate or platter to build cake on (I like to use the lid of a large tupperware so it can be easily covered)
   - Shallow flat container to hold milk
   - Bowl
   - Spoon
   - Spatula
   
   Directions:
   1. In a bowl, mix together the sour cream and dulce de leche with a spoon until it's all a uniform color, creating your frosting. I usually use a 1:1 ratio, but if you prefer your frosting to be less sweet I recommend 1 part Dulce de Leche to 2 parts Sour Cream.
   2. Pour your milk into your shallow dish, enough to fully dunk your cookie. Then, taking one cookie at a time, submerge it into the milk so it gets all covered, then lay it on your cake platter. Repeat this until you have a single solid layer of soggy cookie as your base. (I know it sounds gross, but stick with me now)
   3. Take your frosting and spread a thin layer on top of your cookies so it's covered on top.
   4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your cake is as tall as you want it to be (I usually go for 4 or 5 layers, but live your best life and make that cake as tall as you want). Once you have your optimal height (or you run out of cookies, which is usually what stops me), frost the top AND sides. (I know, wild right?)
   5. If you want to add some extra-specialness to your creation, you can crush up any extra cookies and add that on top or around the edges. Or use chocolate chips. Or fruit or coconut, just run with it.
   6. Cover your masterpiece and put it into the fridge overnight (or at least 4 hours). Then it's ready to serve!
   
   This cake was one of my childhood home's favorite cakes growing up because it's so quick and easy to make, is delicious, and reminds us of our family in Argentina. We traditionally used Chocolina cookies and our favorite brands of dulce de leche (San Ignacio or La Serenisima) to help us feel like we had a slice of Argentina in Colorado with us. The tang from the sour cream cuts the sweetness of the dulce de leche, and the cookies get wonderfully soft with the milk. This was the first recipe I learned to make myself, and I was always so proud that I could "bake". —Sophie Hernando Kofman

6. Leprechaun:
   Step 1: Lure leprechaun into glass jar with graham cracker.
   Step 2: Swiftly capture aforementioned leprechaun in glass jar by simply closing the lid. *Note- You may notice at this point that the leprechaun has turned himself invisible. Don't worry, you may inform your grandson that this is both normal and supposed to happen.
   Step 3: Cover the jar with a large handkerchief, and wait a total of 24 hours before removing it. What's that? 24 whole hours is too many hours for your young grandson to wait see his new leprechaun? Unfortunately, that's too bad. Peeking under the handkerchief for even one tiny second could cause the leprechaun to vanish without a trace.
   Step 4: Congratulations! You have successfully waited a full 24 hours without peeking under the handkerchief. You may now enjoy your pot of gold. Spend it wisely.
   *Note- At this point, you may notice that the leprechaun has NOT left a pot of gold, and has instead, somehow, against all odds, escaped. If this occurs, all we can say is that we tried to warn you. Maybe you should have been more patient and not peeked under the handkerchief. —Steven San Luis

7. I do not cook, though I find great restaurants. My Mom loved to make pies and cakes. One day she was going to make a spice cake but somehow she mixed up the recipe with an applesauce cake recipe. (Sometimes my Mom did many thing at the same time.) It turned out well, however; we called it "Cushing mistake cake". I have no idea, except for the applesauce, what else was in the cake, it was delicious. My Mom was a terrific cook, as was my Dad, as are my brothers. I am not "gifted" with cooking skills. —Laurie Cushing

8. Our family makes rice crackers for our toddler to enjoy since she is allergic to corn, dairy, nuts, gluten and soy. The recipe is super simple! Rice flour, water, salt, and olive oil. We found it online. —Anonymous

9. My grandpa had a famous potato salad recipe. I won't share the actual recipe (its a secret).
   Whenever I make it it tastes like summer in Ohio. It takes me right back to spending hours in the pool surrounded by cousins and aunts and uncles. After watching the game my grandpa would head to the kitchen, cheap beer or cheap vodka in hand, to make his famous potato salad. My grandma would make a whole spread of wonderfully rich food in square dishes and they would drag us out of the pool for dinner. When my grandpa died last year we made his famous potato salad and brought it to the American Legion where everyone gathered after the funeral. Afterwards all of the cousins had a cheap beer and a shot of cheap vodka for grandpa. —Misha Zimmerman

10. There’s one recipe in our family that my wife makes once a year — Crazy Aunt Janes’s English Toffee. If you’re shopping for holiday goodies, you might buy yourself at treat, say, a Heath Bar, or better yet, Almond Roca. But this candy’s richer and something that you might have found at the old Blum's in San Francisco. One critic refers to it as “candy crack.” The color is a rich mahogany. It smells like a dark caramel. However, the recipe’s a secret. It isn’t complicated, but it was given to my wife on the proviso that the instructions remain “in the family.” (The family is not ours, just the secret.) All it takes, though, is sugar, butter, semi-sweet chocolate morsels, and slivered almonds. When combined with time, careful heating, and love and sweat, it becomes the treat that doesn’t get shared. Give it to someone, and they instantly hide it. Merry Christmas. —Alan Freeman

11. It would have to be French Pancakes, Crêpes.
    Grandmother, Madeleine Sargeant, was a war bride from WWI, married my grandfather, Lawrence Dill in 1918.
    EVERY Sunday my mother, Jacqueline Powell, made French Pancakes. And Every Sunday it was a race to savor as we gobbled as many crepes as possible before they disappeared from the giant stack. Tony Edwards usually finagled his way to spend Saturday nights at our house. One otherwise pleasant Sunday morning, he grabbed the last pancake out of my reach even as he was stuffing his current crêpe into his face.
    Everyone stopped and Tony was censored from Saturday night sleepovers henceforth.
    Eventually I did come to share this storied recipe with some friends while I was under the influence of having read Clockwork Orange. Here you are: 4 beaten eggiweggs
    3/4 cp moloko
    3/4 cp water
    1/4 cp sugar
    ½ cp flour
    ½ cp melted maslo
    1 tsp salt
    
    In large bowl mix dry ingredients, stir in liquids, then stir in melted maslo (melt maslo in large skillet that you will cook the crepes in. Do a good job of scraping out the melted, but leave some in to season the pan for the batter. If you've woken up early, let the batter stand 30 minutes to an hour. Or don't.
    
    Cook in hot skillet, about ½ cp batter per crepe. swirl in batter as it hits the pan. Flip once when the edges begin to brown.
    
    Classic is to serve with butter and sugar.
    Roll up and plunge in mouth.
    
    Go for it with yogurt, fresh fruits, jammiwan, syrup, Grand Marnier, etc. —Sally Powell-Ashby

12. Klassic Rice Krispie Treats

    This recipe calls for extra marshmallows, which is a personal preference. If you like a more even mix of rice krispies and marshmallows, just use 1 bag. Ingredients 3 tablespoons butter 2 packages (10 oz.) Marshmallows 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal Directions 1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add 1 bag of marshmallows plus about 1/3 of the 2nd bag, and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. 2. Add RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. 3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day. You can decorate them with sprinkles, mini marshmallows or some kind of colorful cereal. I prefer them the Klassic way, with just rice krispies and marshmallows, but the sky is truly the limit here. —Alison Palmer

Friday, April 17, 2020
SHARE A PHOTO FROM YOUR HOME THAT MAKES YOU SMILE.

click on a photo to enlarge and learn more

Thursday, April 16, 2020
DESCRIBE THE LAST LIVE MUSIC EVENT YOU ATTENDED.

1. The Catamounts' "Shockheaded Peter"... like the Gashlycrumb Tinies on steroids. Accordion music, falsetto singing and the retelling of German children's morality stories that depict what happens when children disobey or are truant in any way. Delightfully morbid and dark. —Elisabeth Bowman

2. Florence and the Machine with my daughter. The band's music and Florence's singing, enthralled and captivated the audience with her soaring voice and dancing. The band's; skill, energy, and music was truly amazing. People were laughing and singing in the auditorium and Florence was running up down from the stage. She would reach out and dance with folks, especially kids. One of the best concerts I've ever attended and I have been to great one's in my life. It's a great memory! —Laurie Cushing

3. the last music event I attended? my memory does not serve.
   this is the hardest prompt so far.
   who can think past 5 days ago
   'Attended' OK. this is a new world now, right? A new world order.
   The last music event I attended was 2 minutes ago looking at the Instagram of Ballet Opera de Paris from mon amie, Béatrice, (staying at home in Paris). Its quite wonderful. Check it out.
   2 feet of snow here 😱❄️I'm going to go snow shoe. Bye. —Sally Powell-Ashby

4. Death Cab for Cutie did an acoustic show at the Fox Theatre this summer and it was magic. You could hear a pin drop, which is so rare these days at live events and he really curated the perfect set list.
   Not the most recent, but probably one of the most memorable in recent times was David Byrne's American Utopia show at Red Rocks. It was before he decided to turn it into a Broadway show. Took the choreography of Stop Making Sense to another level. His joyful exuberance on stage along with each of the musicians is infectious and the crowd was on its feet the whole time. With the backdrop of being at Red Rocks on a perfect night, it just doesn't get much better than that.
   And of course, Discount Ghost Stories!! —Amy Hartman

5. I went to see the Jonas Brothers at the Pepsi Center. I am a 40-year-old man and still proudly admit that I really wanted to go and was really excited when we got tickets. Bebe Rexha opened for them and she was great. The Bros were also very good and I learned several things. First: When women/girls scream all at once, it is very, very loud. Second: Nick Jonas is obscenely talented. There was no surprise he went solo, he's got so much musical skill, it's crazy. Third: All three are ridiculously attractive. I thought it was maybe just because they're on TV, etc. But no, they really are that good looking. Fourth: My ears still hurt from the screaming. —Jeffrey Wolf

6. The most recent live event for me was the L.A. Phil playing Charles Ives’s The Unanswered Question and Symphony No. 3 “The Camp Meeting” along with Antonín Dvořák’s The New World Symphony.  It was spectacular.  Colors uninvented that dazzled me.  The Ives was lesser in popularity by a good deal, but wonderful nevertheless.  The first piece was only six minutes long and only the conductor, Dudamel, was on stage.  The piece was mysterious.  The strangeness was Brechtian, or better still, “Ives-ian”.  The absence of the usual was just thrilling.  The problem was that no one in the audience knew it was coming so it relied on shock value for half the piece, and consequently didn’t get a good hearing.  The next piece was The Camp Meeting,  More expected, it appealed to a rational exposition where two pieces in two tempi played simultaneously.  The dissonance was almost unpredictable, and hauntingly beautiful.  I loved it.  Then intermission.  Then The New World Symphony.  It was tuneful and monumental, making the Ives seem modern, while itself stood as an apogee of what eventually, and ironically, was called the American sound.       

   Listen to this program's playlist on Spotify  —Alan Freeman

7. I’ve seen some shows since this one, but John Prine’s show at Red Rocks last summer has been on my mind, for obvious reasons. —Nick Chase

8. The Gothic, in need of
   ventilation, enclosing
   too many, too tall kind of kids
   too thirsty
   for that instant happy;
   but bumper car dancing
   to iridescent music
   feels good, feels
   young. —Rita DiSibio

9. It was the Lyons folk festival-an incredibly magical day; playing by the creek, watching Will tinker with his first violin, and dancing into the night with great friends who love the same music as I. Ani Difranco. I wish I knew what this summer had in store. I would have attended a lot more concerts in the last 8 months! —Emily Tuckman

10. Boettcher Hall, March 1st, 2020 PHAMALy Theatre Company in collaboration with the Colorado Symphony DYAO put on a production of Peter Boyle’s ELLIS ISLAND: The Dream of America and touched the hearts of everyone in that hall. One week later the hall closed due to the pandemic. This is a stirring peace of music enhanced by the voices of PHAMALy actors who brought to life the stories of 7 immigrants coming to America. Find this piece on-line and take stock of the makings of a great country. A country our voices will win back and heal .. as we heal our own brokenness. —Sheila T.

11. Surprised her with a trip to Santa Fe
    To see the band The National play
    At the Opera, adored,
    Took a friend’s backstage tour
    And she had herself a damn fine birthday —Luke Sorge

Wednesday, April 15, 2020
WRITE LYRICS TO THE MOST PATHETIC COUNTRY SONG ABOUT ISOLATION.

1. My sweats are the only love I got
   
   I wake up every morning alone in my bed.
   Fearing that cough, and the terror in my head.
   My girlfriend insists she don't know how to Zoom,
   and that's hard cause she ain't comin' round any time soon.
   My dog don't want to go on any more walks,
   and he looks at me with despair, every time I talks.
   
   But there's still one thing that always makes me smile.
   I open up my drawer and delve into my style
   I pull out the soft cotton and slip them over my legs
   Tie the drawstring and I'm as whole as an egg.
   The only comfort I have, the only joy I know
   Are these stretch pants that let my waistline grow.
   These are the only thing that really hit the spot
   Because my sweats are the only love I got.
   
   I spend my days counting my dwindling rolls
   I've counted each sheet and all my moles
   The only time I go out is to drop the trash
   I don't even shower no more, just a bit of a splash
   I don't know when this loneliness will end
   Because if we stop too soon, we'll have to do it again.
   
   But there's still one thing that always makes me smile.
   I open up my drawer and delve into my style
   I pull out the soft cotton and slip them over my legs
   Tie the drawstring and I'm as whole as an egg.
   The only comfort I have, the only joy I know
   Are these stretch pants that let my waistline grow.
   These are the only thing that really hit the spot
   Because my sweats are the only love I got.
   
   These are the only thing that really hit the spot
   Because my sweats are the only love I got. —Jeffrey Wolf

2. Oh we are born in order to die/I'm alone and I know why/I'm a loser it ain't that odd/I must have pissed off my Father, God
   CHOIR: Hey, losers here we are/Alone beneath the naked stars/Even my horse is filled with shame and refuses to saymy name
   That's about all I have to say/I pray to meet at the bar again some day/But until then I'll hang my head/And drink alone till I am dead —John S. Green

3. Look'n out the window at the same ol' tree
   Is it wave'n it branches at me?
   Can't tell if it's saying hello or goodbye
   And I won't rhyme this line with the word die
   
   Solitariness is a two-way street
   connecting me and the bird, tweet tweet
   Cause I can't speak birdie, I'm gonna take a guess
   She's saying, we tried to tell you about this viral mess
   Corona, Corana, not my Sharona
   Leaves me down and droopy, my Corona
   Silver linings do exist,
   Say hello, and drop your fist
   My corona, my corona, my corona ... —Anonymous

4. I'm so lonely even my dog is tired of me.
   He used to come runnin' his tail a waggin'
   Now when he sees me in morning
   His paws start a draggin'
   Covid, oh covid, you done ruined my life
   Covid, oh covid, you cut like a knife
   I can't stop drinking, even though it's killing my heart
   My dog can't console me cuz he's six feet apart
   Covid, oh covid, you done ruined my life
   Covid, oh covid, you cut like a knife —Elisabeth Bowman

5. oh, oh oh
   oooh no
   'nother day without you
   ma heart
   is breakin
   an achin'
   
   ah cain't live without you
   one more day
   
   you said you'd go out for essentials
   but it was already dark
   
   you said, you'd go out for supplies
   but it was already nearly Midnight
   OH OH OH OH NOOO
   oh, oh oh
   
   Should ah worry
   Should ah fret
   Should ah call our old vet
   or should ah just
   change ma bet
   
   please call me
   please zoom me
   please do something to amuse me
   ahm Beggin' ya Pleaseee
   
   oooh oooh oooh
   'nother day without you
   ma achy breaky heart
   Cain't
   Do
   One
   More
   Daaaaaaaaaaay.
   
   repeat several times —Sally Powell-Ashby

6. I-SO-LA-TION
   A SAD, SAD DAY BUT A SADDER SEASON
   WHEN MEN REFUSE TO USE THEIR REASON.
   WHEN CLEAR-EYED MEN DON’T USE THEIR EYES.
   WHEN MINDFUL MEN RESORT TO LIES.
   
   DES-E-CRA-TION
   A SAD, SAD DAY AND SADDER STILL
   WHEN MEN IGNORE THEIR MORAL WILL
   WHEN SIMPLE FACTS ARE JUST DENIED
   WHEN SIMPLE FIXES ARE NOT TRIED
   
   I-SO-LA-TION
   WHEN CLEAR-EYED MEN DON’T USE THEIR EYES.
   WHEN MINDFUL MEN RESORT TO LIES.
   I-SO-LA-TION —Alan Freeman

Tuesday, April 14, 2020
WRITE AN ACROSTIC POEM USING THE WORD HOMEBOUND.

1. However long
   Over
   Many
   Eons
   Beauty
   Owns the
   Underworld
   Nesting below
   Death —Elisabeth Bowman

2. Held
   One
   More
   Exacerbated
   Breath
   Over
   Underrepresented
   Niceties and
   Determined aloneness —Meridith Grundei

3. Helping
   Orders
   Medical
   Emergency
   Bringing love
   On every occasion
   Unconditionally
   Never doubt
   Daily miracles —David Jensen

4. How to explain?
   Fingertips to glass to say hellO
   Miles and an ocean separate us
   I need you herE
   Beyond these walls, the world waits
   And once again, we will gO
   Unfettered, unmasked, unweighted
   Out into the suN
   Distances dissolved. Together again at last. —Amy Hartman

5. However,I appeal to
   One’s logical
   Mindset to decide
   Even under dire circumstances to
   Begin to eliminate the
   Overreaching and the
   Undermining that has conflicted our
   Nation and please
   Dump trump —Michael O’Brien

6. Homer
   Odysseus
   Men of
   Eternal powers
   Beyond
   Our
   Natural knowing
   Desperately cling to the sails, praying to make it home —John Green

7. Hopeful the roots deepen
   Or better yet,
   Mature and become unshakable
   Everything I am
   Begins
   On the foundation I build
   Unattached and insecure
   No longer works
   Deeper we grow, the greater the castle. —Genevieve Clough

8. Hope
   Opens
   My
   Eyes
   Between
   Opportunity
   Under
   Negativity
   Discern —Jennifer Cunningham

9. #1
   Home
   Offers
   Multitudes
   Everywhere
   Boundless
   Obsolescence
   Undertakes
   No
   Design
   
   #2 With great license to Acrostic and Apologies to Dr. Brewster M. Higley of Smith County Kansas; tune of 'Home, on the Range' 🎼 🎼 (start with refrain)
   Home, home
   On
   My messes,
   Every rod-cupboard-closet (sung run-on)
   Bulges dis-
   Orderly......
   Unleashing
   Nervy
   Despair...
   
   However
   Often aware......
   More lies
   Everywhere
   But
   Order (ALL this is RUN-ON)
   Undoubtably
   Near
   Deceptively! —Sally Powell-Ashby

10. Home with you and me, dear
    Only the two of us
    Mind and body and spirit
    Every moment precious
    Bonded and no regrets
    Our lives are intertwined now
    Under great duress
    Nothing will be the same,dear.
    Do I love you? Yes! —Abby Boes

11. How
    Open
    My
    Eyes
    Became
    On
    Understanding
    New
    Dawns —Elaine Kuracina

12. Pandemic-created loss
    And failure of leadership
    Yearn to continually spread
    Chaos and anger
    Using the people as pawns
    To boost their egos and wallets
    So we are left without help. —Jeffrey Wolf

13. togetHer
    Once
    More.
    diffErently,
    Better
    fOr
    oUr
    New
    Depth —Kevin Cuthbert

14. handprints reach towards the apricot horizon
    on the verge of meeting,
    molding back into
    each other,
    
    but we are not Atlas, the ghosts of
    our nails should not be expected to
    unearth sky like
    nectar from skin too
    dependent on its habits. —Rita DiSibio

15. How is it that the
    Only
    Man
    Enabled
    Beyond
    Our collective comfort zone does not
    Understand the
    Need for
    Distance & data? —Pesha Rudnick Wright

16. H humor broadens
    O our horizons with words & sounds & smiles so
    M merrily
    E everyone can & will
    B breathe fresh air again &
    O often utilize this important &
    U unique ability, until social
    D distancing is not required, we will; sing, dance, laugh without limitations. —Laurie Cushing

17. He’s always there,
    Only an arm’s length away from
    Me,
    Endlessly
    Begging to be held,
    Only a couch-length away from
    Us,
    Nosing his leash,
    Desperately needing a haircut. —Jeff Neuman

18. Here we are
    One household again
    Many years have passed since we have all lived under one roof
    Each time I visit home I am unsure what state I’ll find my father in.
    Bad day. Okay day.
    Or a pretty good one. I am never sure if he will be fully there.
    Under all that I know he is still my father. Sometimes his illness buries the things I love about him
    Now that I am home again I see all of his bad days. But I also see all his good moments.
    Dad has been homebound for years. Now we are homebound together and at least we're having more good moments. —Anonymous

19. High-faluntin
    Outlandish
    Moxiefied
    Egotism
    Brought
    Our
    Ulysses
    Near
    Death —Alan Freeman

20. Key letters are the fourth ones in

    My whiskers are a growin’
    My song is gettin’ old
    It’s moribund and showin’
    The earnest life on hold
    
    Yes, believe you me
    It’s oh so sad to see
    The undershirt worn long
    It’s, non-stop-TV-yawn
    And damn, damn, damn, now the chocolate’s gone —Rick Padden

21. Here is where I love to be
    Only me and my wildest dreams
    Mesmerized by endless thoughts
    Engulfing my brain around the clock
    Before I leave I check-in with self
    Overlooking minutes and things left on my shelves
    Unapologetically my sanctuary
    Nowhere else do I feel more free to explore
    Damn, I love my home. —Ilasiea Gray

22. HUGS forbidden. If I hug you, I hug everyone you’ve neared.
    OUTINGS constrained. Like Lone Ranger. “Who was that masked man?”
    MOTHERING urge smothered.
    ENNUI. Out my window, in the Linden
    
    A BLACK -capped chickadee calls, 2 notes descending, searching for a mate, “Sweetie!”,
    he cries OUT insistently. I ask, “And what about me?
    I have an URGE to dine with you, relax with you."
    “I know, but that’s NOT safe,” you sigh, “How about a walk, 6 feet apart?
    Please say ‘Yes’; DON'T make me shun you entirely.” —Miriam Sproul

23. Humor
    Over
    Moribundity;
    Every
    Bit
    Of
    Ugliness
    Needs
    Delight —Luke Sorge

24. Healing
    Of our overworked
    Mother
    Earth
    Balances
    Our now
    Upside-down
    New-discovery-time
    Dystopia —Gabriella C

Monday, April 13, 2020
SHARE YOUR PERFECT MIXED TAPE - 10 SONGS FOR TODAY.

1. 1. Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
   2. 500 Miles - The Proclaimers
   3. Every Day is Like Sunday- Morrissey
   4. I don’t like Mondays - Boomtown Rats
   5. Splendid Isolation -Warren Zevon
   6. What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding-Elvis Costello
   7. It’s A Beautiful Day -U2
   8. Free Money -Patti Smith
   9. Wake Me Up When September Comes - Green Day
   10. Promised Land - Bruce Springsteen —Amy Hartman

2. We're on the Road to Nowhere by the Talking Heads;
   The Crane Wife by the Decemberists;
   What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie;
   Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush;
   How Loud Your Gets by Lucius;
   The Barrel by Aldous Harding;
   Take Me Home by Ingrid Michaelson;
   Sisyphus by Andrew Bird;
   Whistling in the Dark by They Might Be Giants;
   Everyday is a Winding Road by Sheryl Crow —Elisabeth Bowman

3. lil peep - star shopping https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwzQPh7dW_4&list=PLLnG58WprHRsuk90djoqIOEAUxY878p_9
   lil peep - Belgium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yArjtdk_QuA&list=PLLnG58WprHRsuk90djoqIOEAUxY878p_9&index=25
   lil peep - Life is Beautiful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ORsrbQa94M&list=PLLnG58WprHRsuk90djoqIOEAUxY878p_9&index=9
   My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyYMzEplnfU
   My Bloody Valentine - Soon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft56il9bGMk
   The Weeknd - After Hours https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq9AgxHvGjw
   The Weeknd - Starboy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Na4j8AVgA
   Tame Impala - Let it Happen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFptt7Cargc
   Mac Miller - 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B3YwcjQ_bU
   Father John Memo - The Memo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzuzDTHs3Uo - Alison Palmer

4. A Snowy Monday in Quarantine:
   1. Homesick of Home by Guantanamo Bay Surf Club
   2. Yesterday by The Beatles
   3. I Think It's Going to Rain Today by Tom Odell
   4. White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes (or the Birdy cover)
   5 I Haven't Been Taking Care of Myself by Alex Lahey
   6. I'm Just Snacking by Gus Dapperton
   7 Can I Call You Tonight by Dayglow
   8. ur phone by Boy Pablo
   9 Too Much Time Together by San Cisco
   10. Actor Out of Work by St. Vincent —Rita DiSibio

5. Pesha's Playlist for running (away)
   Raspberry Beret by Prince
   Goodbye and Go by Imogene Heap
   Bad Guy by Billie Elish
   Straight Up by Paula Abdul
   Lungs by Townes Van Zandt
   Congratulations by Blue October
   Nothing Man by Pearl Jam
   Control by Janet Jackson
   Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac
   Murder Most Foul by Bob Dylan (it's a FIFTEEN minute cool down) —Pesha Rudnick

6. What?? It's so hard to pick only 10!! Nope, you get 13. :D
   1. Sing - Pentatonix
   2. Armarrame - Mon Laferte & Juanes
   3. Love on Top - Beyonce
   4. So Much Better - Laura Bell Bundy (from Legally Blond the Musical)
   5. What A Man Gotta Do - Jonas Brothers
   6. I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Fall Out Boy
   7. Tu Meri - Vishal-Shekhar & Vishal Dadlani (from Bang Bang)
   8. The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
   9. Maybe IDK - Jon Bellion
   10. Smile - Dami Im
   11. Brand New - Ben Rector
   12. The Lotto - Ingrid Michaelson & AJR
   13. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Tori Kelly (from Sing) —Sophie Hernando Kofman

7. 1. Stand on the Word - Larry Levan Mix, Joubert Singers
   2. Walls - Tom Petty
   3. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
   4. Tori Amos - Father Lucifer
   5. Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend
   6. Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
   7. Rosalía - A Palé
   8. Preservation Hall Jazz Band - That’s It!
   9. The Weeknd - After Hours
   10. James Blake - Tell Them (featuring Moses Sumney, Metro Boomin)

8. True Colors-Cindy Lauper
   You had time-Ani DiFranco
   Mysterious Ways-U2
   Both Hands-Ani DiFranco
   Precious Things-Tori Amos
   F*ck and Run-Liz Phair
   A Case of You-Joni Mitchell
   Close your Eyes-James Taylor
   Closer to Fine-Indigo Girls
   Keep Breathing-Ingrid Michaelson —Emily Tuckman

9. One More Time – Daft Punk
   Kyrie – Mr. Mister
   Peace & Love, Inc. – Information Society
   Wait For It – Hamilton soundtrack
   Shelter from the Storm – Bob Dylan
   Mr. Blue Sky – ELO
   One Day – Matisyahu Defying
   Gravity – Wicked soundtrack
   Homeward Bound – Simon & Garfunkel
   One Day More – Les Miserables soundtrack —Jeffrey Wolf

10. I'm with Sophie, so hard to pick! And...
    As - Stevie Wonder
    Before I let go - Beyoncé remix
    Golden - Jill Scott
    My Power - Beyoncé et. al
    Scenario - Tribe Called Quest
    Don't disturb this groove - The System
    Supa Dupa Fly - Missy Elliot
    Blue - Joni Mitchell
    Ladies First - Queen Latifah
    Black Panther - Kendrick Lamar
    and just cause... His eye is on the sparrow - Mahalia Jackson —Jada Dixon

11. 1. So Far Away - Dire Straits
    2. Blue Light - Mazzy Star
    3. Don't Stand So Close to Me - The Police
    4. Winter - Tori Amos
    5. Don't Come Around Here No More - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
    6. Stand Back - Fleetwood Mac
    7. Remedy - Black Crowes
    8. Sleep to Dream - Fiona Apple.
    9. Get it On Time - Black Lips
    10. Bull in The Heather -Sonic Youth —Kalene McCort

12. This is my current favorite mix tape from the sounds of my life:
    1. The sound of my husband's voice, anytime and always.
    2. Brewster, my boy fur baby, purring while he kneads and sniffs our fuzzy blanket.
    3. Luna, my girl fur baby, mewling like a kitten anytime I'm in a room separate from her.
    4. The wind rustling through the leaves of Henry, our old pear tree.
    5. Heavy sheets of rain falling against the bedroom windows.
    6. The soft roar of the ocean at Pismo Beach.
    7. The clatter of bocce balls in Le Jardin de Tuileries.
    8. The eerie silence just after it snows in Denver.
    9. The ring of the E minor chord on Barry, my baritone Ukulele.
    10. That youtube video of a baby boy laughing uncontrollably at his mama saying, "donkey." —Iona Leighton

13. 1. Way Down HadesTown - From HadesTown The Musical
    2. Move On - Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford - Sunday In The Park With George
    3. Can't Stop The Feeling - Justin Timberlake
    4. Rumor Has It - Adele
    5.Only The Lonely - The Motels
    6. Humble Me - Norah Jones
    7. Livin on The Edge - Aerosmith
    8. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
    9. My Life - Billy Joel
    10. Hallelujah - k.d. lang. —Abby Apple Boes

14. Songs in no particle order, just great songs and singers; "No Roots" Alice Merton, "I close my eyes and count to Ten" Dusty Springfield, "Somewhere over the Rainbow" Judy Garland, "Good Riddance", Green Day, "The Wait" Aretha Franklin, "Burning down the House" Talking Heads, "Bird on a Wire" Linda & Richard Thompson, "Desperado" Linda Ronstadt or The Eagles, "Put on your Sunday Clothes" from "Hello Dolly" sung by Carol Channing, and "Un Bel Di" from Madame Butterfly sung by Leontyne Price. I have enjoyed this musicians and songs when I need to hear joy or sorrow. —Laurie Cushing

15. Steve San Luis shares his list with commentary HERE.

16. Tunes can ignite your life.
    Here’s a list that’ll make you explode.
    Touch it and hang on!

17. 1. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
    2. It's Quiet Uptown - Hamilton Soundtrack
    3. Someone Saved My Life Tonight - Lena Hall cover of Elton John
    4. Breathe - In the Heights Soundtrack
    5. Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide - Martha and the Vandellas
    6. In My Life - The Beatles
    7. Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
    8. Chelsea Morning - Joni Mitchell
    9. The Joke - Brandi Carlile
    10. America - Simon and Garfunkel —Joel Silverman

18. Mariza. Minh 'alma
    Hildegard Von Bingen any of her chants
    Elephant Revival Break in the Clouds
    Léo Delibes Lakmé
    Rebecca Pidgeon Fhear A Bhata
    Joni Mitchell Both Sides
    Now Mollie O'Brien Saints and Sinners
    Paul McCartney Maybe I'm Amazed
    Rebecca Pidgeon Grandmother
    David Byrne. au fond du temple saint

19. Artist - Track (Personal Commentary):
    Courtney Barnett - Depreston (this is rock n' roll)
    Bacarra - Yes Sir, I Can Boogie (disco is still alive and well)
    The Yardbirds - Lost Woman (some favorite punk music origins)
    Run The Jewels - Yankee and The Brave (my boys, Killer Mike & LP!)
    Harry Nilsson - Jump Into The Fire (Harry, the original bad boi)
    Gary Clark Jr - Don't Owe You A Thang (long live the blues)
    Alex Cameron - Happy Ending (as heard on HBO's High Maintenance)
    The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - I Won't Hurt You ("Help, I'm a rock!")
    Vagabon - Water Me Down (the ultimate feel-good jam)
    clipping. - Blood of the Fang (Daveed Diggs' hip-hop group inspired by the horrorcore subgenre and John Carpenter films)
    -Romar Stack

20. Adventures in Solitude - The New Pornographers
    Waiting - Alice Boman
    Wrapped Up in Books - Belle & Sebastian
    Take a Walk - Spoon
    Afraid of Everyone - The National
    Don't Come Close - Yeasayer
    Livin' in a New World - The Roots
    Everything is Awful - The Decemberists
    The Cure - Non Prophets
    Let's Go Crazy - Prince
    
    (My adventures in solitude: waiting, wrapped up in books. So I take a walk, but I'm afraid of everyone. "Don't come close." We're living in a new world. Everything is awful. The cure? Let's go crazy.) —Luke Sorge

Friday, April 10, 2020
WRITE A FIVE-SENTENCE STORY.  NOW, REARRANGE THOSE SENTENCES (WITHOUT ALTERING THEM) TO CREATE A NEW STORY. Don't be afraid of absurdity.  SHARE BOTH STORIES!

1. As she stepped out onto the fire escape she could hear a sound off in the distance. She couldn't quite decipher what it was. It was faint and shallow. She noticed that her body started to feel tense as she became short of breath. Once she found the ground beneath her feet, her only choice was to run-staying was no longer an option.
   
   She couldn't quite decipher what it was. Once she found the ground beneath her feet, her only choice was to run--staying was no longer an option. She noticed that her body started to feel tense as she became short of breath. As she stepped out onto the fire escape she could hear a sound off in the distance. It was faint and shallow. —Meridith Grundei

2. ORIGINAL: Monique opened the blinds and was soothed by the soft, early morning sunlight. She took just one moment to look out her small apartment window into the half-kempt courtyard below. The familiarity of the scene was a bittersweet comfort. She had kept herself so safe in this little world she created for herself 6 years ago. But today was the day to let it all go, and jump into a completely unknown, and probably insane, new adventure.
   
   REARRANGED: She had kept herself so safe in this little world she created for herself 6 years ago. She took just one moment to look out her small apartment window into the half-kempt courtyard below. But today was the day to let it all go, and jump into a completely unknown, and probably insane, new adventure. Monique opened the blinds and was soothed by the soft, early morning sunlight. The familiarity of the scene was a bittersweet comfort. —Genevieve Clough

3. STORY UNO!
   Yes!
   Two.
   Maybe...
   Three?
   No!
   
   STORY DOS!
   Three?
   Two.
   No!
   Yes!
   Maybe... —Sheila T.

4. Yesterday was beautiful. Tomorrow it may snow, and only rain ahead. Waiting for brighter days, when we can all go outside and play. Waiting for everything to go back to normal. Hoping it someday will.
   
   Waiting for everything to go back to normal. Hoping it someday will. Tomorrow it may snow, and only rain ahead. Yesterday was beautiful. Waiting for brighter days, when we can all go outside and play. —Emily Tuckman

5. So, now, ah’m waitin’ for him . . . He ain’t home yet, but ah got the patience. We gonna ‘ave it out. Know what ah learned? Ah don’ hate her . . . ah hate him. You don’ do that ta ma mama.
   
   You don’ do that ta ma mama. We gonna ‘ave it out. He ain’t home yet, but ah got the patience. So, now, ah’m waitin’ for him . . . Know what ah learned? Ah don’ hate her . . . ah hate him. —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

6. I sit all day and stare at screens, blue light shining in my face. I cannot go outside because it is not safe. The sun shines through the window and makes me feel lonely. My daughter sits with her face lifted to the sky and my dog snarls around her. None of this is for me - I am trapped by my body's own frailties.
   
   The sun shines through the window and makes me feel lonely. My daughter sits with her face lifted to the sky and my dog snarls around her. I cannot go outside because it is not safe. None of this is for me - I am trapped by my body's own frailties. I sit all day and stare at screens, blue light shining in my face. —Jeffrey Wolf

7. Dick threw the dead gold fish at Jane's feet. She jumped back screaming, "What the hell?" Dick laughed at the rhetorical question. "Answer me,"Jane responded. Dick picked up the dead fish and stormed out of the kitchen.
   
   Dick picked up the dead fish and stormed out of the kitchen. She jumped back screaming, "What the hell?" Dick threw the dead gold fish at Jane's feet. Dick laughed at the rhetorical question."Answer me,"Jane responded. —David Jensen

8. THE AGING ACTOR by John S. Green
   The aging actor arrives at the theatre early, roaming the stage, reciting his lines, and praying to remember - or at least have the courage to stay on track. Past productions swirl about him – Hamlet, Barefoot in the Park, Mother Courage. So many characters, so many lives. so many fading butterflies fluttering towards the Sun.
   
   “Who is it,” he asks, “that played these roles, crawling inside the muscle and bone of these conflicted souls, aching to live, longing to take flight, lifted on the wings of language imagined and perfected by some wounded writer sitting alone in an empty room longing to be heard?”
   
   THE AGING ACTOR (Rearranged) by John S. Green
   “Who is it,” he asks, “that played these roles, crawling inside the muscle and bone of these conflicted souls, aching to live, longing to take flight, lifted on the wings of language imagined and perfected by some wounded writer sitting alone in an empty room longing to be heard?”
   
   So many characters, so many lives, so many fading butterflies fluttering towards the Sun. The aging actor arrives at the theatre early, roaming the stage, reciting his lines, and praying to remember - or at least have the courage to stay on track. —John S. Green

9. David moved in down the street. He became our great seventh grade, second baseman. Every week we watched Cheyenne together at his house. Years later Vietnam happened. David went, and David died.
   
   David went, and David died. Years later Vietnam happened. Every week we watched Cheyenne together at his house. He became our great seventh grade, second baseman. David moved in down the street.
   
   (This reversal of the sentences is an accident that seemed “right” after many options. I didn’t realize what I’d done. The first is true, by the way.) —Alan Freeman

10. She is alone on the stage, only a soft back lights the set. Her eyes, partially closed, as she focuses inward creating her other identity. She physical adjusts her world; creating music, words, memorizing her lines scrolling invsiably across footlight of memory, breathing in the moment. She turns to exit to her dressing room to complete HER; mascara, jewelry, wigs, glasses off, now ready. When the curtain opens, she is there listening to the silent breathing of her adoring audience. She lives on stage, again.
    
    She lives on stage, again. Her eyes, partially closed, as she focuses inward creating her other identity. She is alone on the stage, only a soft back lights the set. She physical adjusts her world; creating music, words, memorizing her lines scrolling invsiably across footlight of memory, breathing in the moment. She turns to exit to her dressing room to complete HER; mascara, jewelry, wigs, glasses off, now ready. When the curtain opens, she is there listening to the silent breathing of her adoring audience. —Laurie Cushing

11. A: As the two friends left the restaurant in silence, they thought about holding hands. "What should we do now then?" whispered Max, "go home?" "I don't think I can do this anymore," burst out Sam. She leaned in for a kiss. "Did you know I love you?"
    
    B for Backwards: "Did you know I love you?" She leaned in for a kiss. "I don't think I can do this anymore," burst out Sam. "What should we do now then?" whispered Max, "go home?" As the two friends left the restaurant in silence, they thought about holding hands. —Rita DiSibio

12. Once upon a time there lived an octopus named Freederick Von Jeff. One day, he went down to the coral reef, where he met a kind young turtle named Caboose da’Moose (his mom loved both trains and rap beats). Caboose da’Moose was looking for some jelly fish that stole his biking “shell-met”. Freederick Von Jeff said, “I know where they are, they live next door to me.” Then Caboose da’Moose went and ate them (turtles do eat jelly fish).
    
    Caboose da’Moose was looking for some jelly fish that stole his biking “shell-met”. Then Caboose da’Moose went and ate them (turtles do eat jelly fish). One day, he went down to the coral reef, where he met a kind young turtle named Caboose da’Moose (his mom loved both trains and rap beats). Freederick Von Jeff said, “I know where they are, they live next door to me.” Once upon a time there lived an octopus named Freederick Von Jeff. —West Palmer-Gould

13. Sound asleep on her cushy bed, she jumps up, rushes the door with snarls and ferocious barking. Obviously, someone has invaded her property. I open the door, she tears out behind the house to be confronted by a huge buck, antlers the size of our house. Silence as Bella does an about face, returns inside, looks at me and relates, 'no, my mistake, nothing out there.' She's no dummy.
    
    I open the door, she tears out behind the house to be confronted by a huge buck, antlers the size of our house. She's no dummy. Sound asleep on her cushy bed, she jumps up, rushes the door with snarls and ferocious barking. Silence as Bella does an about face, returns inside and looks at me and relates, 'no, my mistake, nothing out there.' Obviously, someone has invaded her property. —Sally Powell-Ashby

14. J: But you remember that night when I was 8 and you were 10 and we slept in Grandma's attic the night of Gramp's funeral, right? D: I have no memory of that. J: Scared the shit out of me, so dark up there and that old clock ticking all night. So where were mom and dad anyway? D: Why are you talking to a ghost?
    
    D: Why are you talking to a ghost? J: I have no memory of that." D: So where were mom and dad anyway? J But you remember that night when I was 8 and you were 10 and we slept in Grandma's attic the night of Gramp's funeral, right? D:Scared the shit out of me, so dark up there and that old clock ticking all night. —Joel Silverman

15. He turned to me and said "I made a big mistake, I get it, I think he’s the worst now.” Enraged, I glared at him in silence. He told me this almost as a confessional at our niece's wedding where we were seated next to each other and he was drunk as usual. What on earth will you do now to repair the damage you’ve contributed to, I said out loud or maybe silently, but he got it. My brother voted for him.
    
    My brother voted for him. He told me this almost as a confessional at our niece's wedding where we were seated next to each other and he was really drunk as usual. He turned to me and said "I made a big mistake, I get it, I think he’s the worst now." Enraged, I glared at him in silence. What on earth will you do now to repair the damage you’ve contributed to, I said out loud or maybe silently, but he got it.
    
    He turned to me and said "I made a big mistake, I get it, I think he’s the worst now.” Enraged, I glared at him in silence. He told me this almost as a confessional at our niece's wedding where we were seated next to each other and he was drunk as usual. What on earth will you do now to repair the damage you’ve contributed to I said out loud or maybe silently, but he got it. My brother voted for him. —Nancy Portnoy

16. They didn't think Andy could fall in love. Andy had a plastic heart. Roxanne had very lovely eyes. Andy was an android. Love was something they didn't understand.
    -
    Andy had a plastic heart. Andy was an android. Roxanne had very lovely eyes. They didn't think Andy could fall in love. Love was something they didn't understand. —Steve San Luis

17. It’s nearly over; the wound is surely fatal, but I must keep going; keep moving. At my feet I see rivulets of red, mixed with the rain running ‘round my boots. It no longer matters who is leading or who is following. I can’t stop now, because I know that he won’t; he’s relentless. Blood stains the mud and death is near, yet we both trudge on.
    
    Blood stains the mud and death is near, yet we both trudge on. I can’t stop now, because I know that he won’t; he’s relentless. It no longer matters who is leading or who is following. At my feet I see rivulets of red, mixed with the rain running ‘round my boots. It’s nearly over; the wound is surely fatal, but I keep going; keep moving. —Rick Padden

18. Story #1
    A: The next day I was on my bike and there he was, hanging in the tree.
    B: “You never know when you’ll need a jolt, right?”
    A: “Of course, you’re always prepared, just like a Scout.”
    B: “Here’s to you, kid.”
    A: I gagged and sped away.
    
    Story #2
    A: “Of course, you’re always prepared, just like a Scout. You never know when you’ll need a jolt, right? Here’s to you, kid.”
    B: The next day I was on my bike and there he was, hanging in the tree. I gagged and sped away. —Miriam Sproul

19. 1. She was happy. Time was cruel. Suddenly, even her morning walk felt different. It reminded her of him. After her husband died, things changed for Greta.
    
    2. After her husband died, things changed for Greta. Suddenly, even her morning walk felt different. She was happy. Time was cruel. It reminded her of him. —Luke Sorge
    
    

Thursday, April 9, 2020
PROMPT: COMPLETE THE STATEMENT: “On Zoom, you can’t tell…”

1. What’s below the line. —Kevin Cuthbert

2. ...that I’m actually baking a cake during our meeting. I mute myself not to minimize background noise, but to keep you from hearing the sound of my KitchenAid. —Catherine Palmer

3. On Zoom, you can’t tell how humanly lonely these video chats are. You only realize that after the screen goes blank and the images are off into the ether. —Michael O’Brien

4. On Zoom, you can’t tell who is actually lip syncing —David Jensen

5. ...that I'm not looking at you, I'm looking at my hair. —Rita DiSibio

6. On zoom, you can’t:
   Tell if the other people are wearing pants
   See if the person is texting
   Roll your eyes like you do in a faculty meeting
   Fake an illness —Gail Chase

7. On Zoom, you can't tell where other creatures, such as cats or dogs or birds, are lurking, ready to pounce on unsuspecting homebound guardians. Or, if folks are sneaking snacks or drinks or other things, when the "leave a meeting" for a moment. Personally, I sneak out to watch a TV show during meeting time. —Laurie Cushing

8. "On Zoom, you can't tell..." Who’s listening. —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

9. ... whose feet stink!” —Sheila T.

10. That I am surrounded by chaos. Chaos in the form of a cat screaming, the other cat jumping on the table and the dog running around trying to get me to play. —Misha Zimmerman

11. That my partner is usually on the other side of the computer trying to distract me so that I look like a fool to my co-workers. Thanks, Love. —Anonymous

12. How hungry i am to hug you all. —Emily Tuckman

13. Gawd, don't tell your CC, SS, PW, PP, SL, BF, BI, FR, BC, SW, AP, PL,
    But here's the thing, You Will!
    because you will be talking along like you are, like you do in the car, like you do with a purchase, like you do with your bank PassWord, like you do to renew your PassPort, like you do revealing your Secret Love to your Best Friend, your Brilliant Idea that must be protected, your Favorite Recipe worth more privacy than you realized,
    Ha! OMG, I've already forgotten my Brilliant Code initials, but the Zoom knows..
    Voila.
    Out you've shared all this Super Secret Private Information Held Under Deep Lock & Key of Life, to the World at Large.
    And You cannot retrieve it or remember it or revise it.
    But Zoom can. T
    he Algorithms can
    The Can Can. —Sally Powell-Ashby

14. On Zoom, you can't tell a flipper wearer from a flapper or a flipper flapper. —Elaine Kuracina

15. You can't tell that I just rolled out of the bed behind me, rumpled sheets cleverly hidden with a tilt of my webcam.
    You can't tell how heavy my head is as I lean it nonchalantly on my hand.
    You can't hear how loud the silence is in my head, and how I long to fill it with the comfort of physical presences.
    You can't see how hard I work to angle my face to lessen the effect of the dreaded double-chin, or how I care about that less and less.
    You can't see how I'm squeezing my stuffed animal in my lap for a pale substitution of human contact.
    You can't tell how much I want this meeting to be over, but hate the blank screen once I hang up.
    You can't tell how all these remote calls are whipping up my anxiety, even as I am able to let my happiness shine through for any chance at social contact.
    You can't tell how grateful I am to still be able to see you, because without that, you wouldn't see me at all. —Sophie Hernando Kofman

16. On Zoom, you can't tell...
    If his mouth is too close or does he just have huge teeth?
    If the back of her head has a smiley face on it?
    If you’re wearing anything below the camera line?!?
    Are we far away from each other or next door... —Alan Freeman

17. ... that I'm mostly just looking at myself because you're mostly just looking at yourself. —Luke Sorge

Wednesday, April 8, 2020
PROMPT: RANT or RAVE. Write a soliloquy on something you’re intensely passionate about.

1. Reply to All Rant: You know who you are (or actually you don't). Reply = the single arrow at the top of the email.
   Reply to All = the double arrow at the top of the email. Look at your email right now. Go ahead. We'll wait. See the difference? That difference is everything!
   The rest of the 69 people on the invitation to Lila's birthday party/engagement party/bridal shower/virtual happy hour, do not care that:
   A. You might attend if your chakras align/you can get your car started/you can find something to wear since you lost/gained all that weight;
   B. Cannot attend because your chakras don't align on that particular day/you are visiting your new grandchild/sick relative/oldest friend (and now thank you very much for inviting a subset of reply to alls on the mazel tovs and the congratulations or the chicken soup remedies or the holistic homeopathic remedies etc. etc.); or
   C. You can attend and you are so happy to be invited/want to know what to bring/what time again/can you come a little late/ what is the dress code (again, now inviting a subset of reply to alls on subjects ranging from favorite cupcakes recipes -- gluten free, keto friendly, vegan, gift suggestions for a 5 year old -- gender neutral, locally sourced cloth books or clothes, attire -- wouldn't it be fun if we make it a theme party -- what would be a good theme -- animal prints, Marvel characters, favorite Hamilton character, a cook book shower, a date night suggestion book, lingerie, etc. etc.)
   
   Do you see what is happening here? I left my computer for five minutes to get the Ben and Jerry's from the fridge (already TMI) and came back to 83 emails from complete strangers that do not involve me at all.
   
   Please, for the love of God/Jehovah/the Moon/the Sun/Anything else you hold dear -- Do Not Reply to All. —Amy Hartman

2. Why is it that people never offer any solutions after all the whining they do? How can someone act out so badly - as if their entire world has been utterly stopped by whatever thing they disapprove of - and then be completely resistant to compromise their thinking towards finding a solution? I don’t like problem people. I don’t like complainers. These people who drop bombs on others at any trace of offense, and then run away sobbing for someone else to clean up their mess. I’m offended so much so that - LOOK - I’ve turned into ONE. OF. THEM. Look at me, sitting here, stewing over the bad behavior of others. This behavior that I can’t control and was never meant to... What would my situation look like if I took my own advice? How can I ... BUT I DON’T WANT TO COMPROMISE. I know better, I know BEST! *surrendered sigh* If I truly knew best, I’d most certainly take my own advice. I guess I have to be understanding with these people. They’re doing the best they can. And though their best is superbly inadequate, we all have to work with what we’ve got where we’re at. To expect more from someone would not only be stupid, but selfish. Maybe if I meet a complainer where they’re at, and truly SEE them in their sickness, I can coax them to solution without them even realizing they’re being coaxed. I guess whining has it’s place after all. And the answers to our problems come, more often than not, in messy, unintellectual forms. —Genevieve Clough

3. The Moron by John S. Green

   Is it wrong to hate this President?
   Would Gandhi give him hugs?
   Would the Dali Lama sit with him
   And all his right wing thugs?
   
   Is God up there in heaven
   Sitting on his golden seat
   Enjoying all the drama from
   The Moron's endless tweets?
   
   I said: “It could not happen.
   We will never vote him in.
   He’s a huckster and a narcissist.
   Who would vote for him?”
   
   From Korea to Las Vegas
   There’s danger everywhere.
   Congress is afraid to act.
   Does anybody care?
 I
   t's hard to be a seeker of
   Right action and of truth.
   Where is he when we need him?
   
   Where are you, John Wilkes Boooooooth?! —Anonymous

4. Ode to Will

   Oh if there were words to describe, your energy and the devilish look in your eye
   They move mountains. Keep me up at night; my love for you is beyond explanation.
   Protect you to the nth
   Hold you as you wake with fear, every night
   Hold you tight
   And quell your angst
   Your kisses are my life blood
   The one intimacy in a sea of deaths
   I eagerly await
   Your need
   Silencing mine
   Trying to stay the course
   To remind myself that this too shall pass
   You ask,
   And I assure you.
   But for now
   I’ll take your kisses
   Your rare smiles,
   Laughter unfettered
   And music to my ears
   My fears
   Put aside
   To hide
   And protect you. —Emily Tuckman

5. Impeach Trump
   Impeach Trump
   Impeach Trump
   Impeach Trump
   Impeach Trump
   Impeach Trump
   Impeach Trump
   Again and again and again and again
   Dereliction of duty
   Abuse of power
   Corruption
   Impeach Trump —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

6. “Intense “ and “passion “ are words that are much too vivid to apply to me. I have opinions, of course, and my career was guided by a strong feminist thread. However, even then I was the person who saw other people’s points of view. I was the peace maker, the negotiator of compromise, the vessel into which others could pour their sorrows or outrage without fear of judgment. A recent, and my first ever astrological reading confirmed that every aspect of my life is in Libra— the figure carrying scales, measuring, trying to be fair. My world was never stark black and white, but rather in shades of gray—until Trum came along. Now, my world is, at last, scarlet! —Anonymous

7. “I need to talk to him, Gail. So I still do, in my head.”

   “Dad, I miss our frequent calls, even though for your last 3 months they weren’t really conversations. They were more like one-way plus one-way futile gestures, as with young children on an old tin can and string telephone, shouting at each other because the string’s not taut enough to transmit sound. Not shouting in anger — shouting to be heard, trying desperately to be heard. We each caught a word or a phrase here and there, unpredictable, without context, without meaning: word salad, I’d say. Do you know that phrase?
   
   Unbelievable, almost, that you lived 101 years and kept your wits and tiny witticisms right up until the last little while. You were born when the Spanish flu was raging, and passed away just in time to miss out on the 2020 pandemic. Now the streets in my city of 100,000 are as quiet as our village of 500 where you raised us, and the nursing home can’t allow any visitors. You’d like the quiet, especially if you had your strength, sight and hearing again, and could be back in the village tilling your garden, happily sweating, and listening to the song birds.”
   
   “That’s what I would say, I think.” —Miriam Sproul

8. ODILE

   (To the Native Guard, in defense
   of the General’s verdict of her death)
   
   Belovéd citizens, remember me.
   Wake up. Pay attention to this man.
   Remember who condemns and who keeps faith.
   I am myself. My father’s first born child.
   The light of his union. For him I’d live.
   For such a life of joy and vivaciousness I’d live.
   For the simplicity of Maman,
   for the bright mind of Clémence,
   and the ring of their laughter I’d live.
   
   (to the General)
   
   And for your son who heard and soothed my pain,
   I’d live to bounce the children of our children’s children.
   You may kill me, but you cannot kill my soul.
   It soars on wings of God’s almighty love. —Alan Freeman

9. Cinema has romanticized youth for decades, and I am the love child of its spell. Birthdays have become something to dread because I am scared of growing older and missing these spectacularized moments in my childhood I never knew I wanted. Sure, I can maintain the spirit of young age in my heart (a la "we grow old, but don't have to grow up" mantra), but there are still memories I feel like I will never create because I didn't get the chance, or because they weren't what I imagined them to be through years of media influenced dream design. And an emptiness has been dug from an early age whose only completeness seems to be these idealized memories. Every day starts to feel like a missed chance of something I don't always have the words to describe. And like many things in my life, I don't know how to end this, but I don't want to end this in the deep waters. So, here's to our youth, and not being afraid to live despite what we are afraid of losing. —Rita DiSibio

10. (She stands before the empty seats, nervously pacing, preparing…)

    HER: To be, and just to be. That is the purpose.
    Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
    The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
    Or recognize that suffering is opposition itself.
    How can I convince thee that a mindfulness
    Practice, as part of the standard curriculum at
    All levels of education, would be as valuable
    An endeavor as history, science, geography;
    That knowledge of self is at least equal in import
    To knowledge of the tables of multiplication?
    Teaching our children meditation at a young age,
    And incorporating it into their daily lives, could
    Lead to greater peace, less anxiety, and a sense
    Of communal calm, as well as introduce
    The concept of “now” to a people too often
    Stuck in the past in a society constantly focused
    On the future; introducing them to this moment
    And the techniques of mindfulness is to
    Properly prepare their minds to be at rest.
    Act now, I implore you, time is of the essence
    The greatest gift for our children is the present.
    
    (The Judgers file in and take their seats. All eyes are on her…)
    
    (She sits. She smiles. She closes her eyes. She breathes in… breathes out…)
    
    (Breathes in… breathes out… in... out... and she doesn’t say a word.) —Luke Sorge

Tuesday, April 7, 2020
PROMPT: Where are you? What is the indigenous name of the land that you live on? Who are the Native people of the area? What is the Native language? What sacred sites are near you? Rivers? Mountains?Shellmounds? What are their names? What are their Indigenous names? What is the name of the closest natural water source to you? Is it above ground or below ground? Can you walk there? What is the name of your watershed? What are some Native plants or trees near you? Are they edible? 
Some resources:  https://native-land.ca and https://mashable.com/article/indigenous-map-america/

1. When I was in elementary school my parents bought a little cabin in the woods in the farmlands of southern New Jersey. We would go there almost every weekend throughout the summer months. There was a pond on the property called Lake Ponchatoula. We were told that this was the Native American word for "where hollies abound" and there were many holly trees so that made sense. I spent many Saturday afternoons wandering through that oak and pine forest pretending that I was one of the Lenape tribe that used to hunt there. I will always consider myself a privileged guest on their land. —Daniel Ziskin

2. I long for my Ireland. Walking so silently around the Cliff of Moher, hearing Gaelic whispering in my ear. Locale pub sounds, sweetly play on Celtic Harp and voices haunting words of mothers' tongue. We Irish wear our stories on our sleeves. Quick to tell a tale and stretch the telling till the wee hours. Whether "by Hook or by Crook", we travel over gypsy wheels to follow our heart's dreams, even in despair.

   I'm Irish. My feet trod rolling hills and dales, dotted with ruined castles and monasteries. This island, sitting like a jewel in the sea, is peopled with brave an accent souls, carrying ancestral DNA across the universe. We kiss the Blarney Stone from birth and follow trails of Fairies and the Book of Kells. Our marrow is filled with magic. We've weathered famines and invasions and rusted rules and we still stand proud by our land. Our land of forest and greenest of trees, sheep grazing, roaming at their will, guarded by lonely shepherds and the loyal dogs. This Ireland will last like the eternal sea which surrounds and protects us.
   
   Ireland, like all her native songs and verses and childish ways, is a beacon to all who live in imagination watching reality slip quietly into dreams. And remember this:
   
   Go n-éirí an bóthar leat
   Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl
   Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d'aghaidh
   Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna
   Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís
   
   May the road rise to meet you
   May the wind be always at your back
   May the sun shine warm upon your face,
   The rains fall soft upon your fields
   And until we meet again....
   
   And we will meet again. —Laurie Cushing

3. Though many say we live in the middle of nowhere, I say we live in the middle of everywhere. Called the North Country, this area is the northern frontier of New York State bounded by Canada, the Adirondacks, the St Lawrence River and Ft. Drum- the 10th Mountain Division. Though a rural area with bucolic and unchanging landscapes, Ottawa is only 88 miles away. Montreal is 104 miles away.

   The only ’expressway’ is the two lane Route 11 which is shared by 18 wheelers, Swartentruber Amish horse and buggies, pick up trucks of local handymen, UPS/USPS trucks, logging trucks, an occasional windmill transport, jalopies and vintage cars.
   
   Four colleges bring students from all over the world. Many lecturers and entertainers come here to feed the educational appetites of the students and the community. At lunch, would you like to converse with a Mongolian, a Somalian, an Iranian, the Irish or the Mohawks? The local food is organic –without giving it a second thought.
   
   Yes. There is an Indian reservation. Akwesasne. They are preserving their native language. Kanien’keha:ka.
   
   One large dairy farm can employ Amish, Mohawks and Migrant Workers , agricultural students while a Mennonite professional gives hoof pedicures.
   
   Our North Country Public Radio features national and local talk shows, bluegrass, folk shows, Latin music, opera and classical music. TAUNY –traditional arts of northern NY – displays the many craft artists which include Amish quilts, local pottery, paintings and sculptures. Frederic Remington bronzes live in his namesake museum. World famous Professor Leuthhold teaches future ceramists.
   
   See. I live in the middle of everywhere. —Elaine Kurcina

4. My house stands on land that was once occupied by the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes. I live close to Ruby Hill which was a favorite camping ground of the Arapahoes in particular as it sat right along the South Platte River. Walking along the river is quite lovely. I live along the Sanderson Gulch which then dumps into the Platte - the source of water into Sanderson Gulch is a small creek west, in Lakewood, that has been damned up by a private entity in the early 20th Century. Two native plants in particular that are popular on my property are larkspur flowers and bind weed. The bind weed is most prolific and during the depression/dust bowel days it was one of the few things that would grow during the drought and cattle were able to eat it and survive. The Indians also used bind weed as an herb for medicinal purposes. The Indians of New Mexico used it for spider bites. The root, and also a resin made from the root, is cholagogue, diuretic, laxative and strongly purgative. The juice of the root is used in the treatment of fevers. A tea made from the flowers is laxative and is also used in the treatment of fevers and wounds. —Kathryn Gray

5. I was born by a river
   But the mountains raised me
   I am made from blood red stone,
   Cactus spines and aspen eyes
   
   I have always known that if you put your ear to the ground
   You can hear the earth speaking her true name
   But I was never taught the language to understand what she was saying
   
   I grew up on dusty streets called Moccasin and Tatanka
   Where I collected arrow heads
   You just barely had to scratch the surface to find them
   But Tatanka is a Lakota word and the Lakota live 500 miles from the Tatanka I knew
   
   I was born by a river
   The Cache La Poudre river
   A French name meaning hide the powder
   I don’t know its true name
   
   But the mountains raised me Pikes Peak.
   Tava to the Ute.
   Longs Peak.
   Neníisótoyóú’u in Arapaho.
   Mount Evans.
   I don’t know it’s true name
   Only that it was named for a man involved in the Massacre at Sand Creek
   
   I am made from blood red stone
   From hidden violence
   I am made from cactus spines
   And forgotten lives
   I am made from Aspen eyes
   And I am made from stolen earth. —Misha Zimmerman

6. I did some research on a town called Loomis in California, where I spent the first 8 years of my life. I found that the land belongs to the Nisenan tribe, a smaller group of the Southern Maidu. Nisenan means "from among us," and is the name of their land, people, and language. I couldn't find any information on local sacred sites, but I did find that the Nisenan land roughly spans from east to west between the Sacramento River and the Sierra Mountains, and north to south between the Yuba River and the Consumnes River. Through some google searching, it seems that the closes natural water source was Antelope Creek, above ground and about a 40 minute walk from where I lived. Loomis is near the north fork of the American River watershed. Two shrubs that are native to this land are California Wild Rose and Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry. I'm not sure whether these plants are edible, but they both attract birds. —Rita DiSibio

7. Our family is sheltering in place with my parents in Central California. We are on Chumash land. The language of the Chumash is Barbareno. The name Chumash means “bead maker” or “seashell people” being that they originated near the Santa Barbara coast. We are northeast of Shalawa Meadow, a seaside meadow used in ancient times as a burial site by the Chumash people. Archaeological evidence of Native American presence in what were later the Chumash lands date to at least 11,000 years before present. —Pesha R

8. Our nearest water source is an old well in the meadow below our house. I don't visit it often, but I had time yesterday to take a walk down there and check it out. The water is so clear and it always overflows just a little. Even on the coldest winter day that well runs over the edge. —Valerie Wheeler

9. oh dear. just did a response and lost it all.
   I was crying any way, so maybe for the best.
   Arapaho Cheyenne
   Ute Nuu-agho
   Quaking Aspen
   Boxelder
   Cottonwood
   good night sweet land
   good night sweet super moon
   good night dear Local Labanites —Sally Powell-Ashby

10. One set of grandparents comes from San Fransisco, and one splits from Buffalo, NY, and from Scotland, When they moved here, they lived on land originally occupied by first nation peoples. Tongva where I live, and possibly Pomos, Wappo, Nomlaki up north. One great-great was nourished back from a fever by members of one of those tribes. They spoke their native languages and later Spanish, but today over 50 languages in the local schools. …The Arroyo Seco is the name of an open water source coming out of a canyon of the San Gabriel Mountains. The jet propulsion laboratory (JPL) is there. Also a park by the name Hahamonga. Hahamog-na Tongva people had a burial ground in the that area, …We are a part of the Los Angeles River watershed which flows to the Pacific Ocean, near the town of Seal Beach. Native trees include sycamores, evergreen oaks, some which are called liveaoks. Sumac, monkey flower, sage, and other chaparral cover the coastal mountains and plain. You can eat from some. Berries, pine nuts, beans, grasses, cactus, make a small list. But you can grow almost any kind of fruit in the surrounding area. I can drive an hour in any direction and reach the desert, mountains, agricultural land, city, or ocean.
    
    I live in Pasadena, California. —Alan Freeman

11. On the east end of Long Island, New York, where my family has lived for generations, our time there was preceded by both English and Dutch settlers beginning in the 1600’s as well as several Native American tribes where much of the earliest history about them dates back to the late-1400’s. Our hometown, Amagansett, translates to mean “place of good water.” The Montauketts, who lived primarily in neighboring Montauk, at the tip of Long Island, gave it that name because of the large aquifer that provides the area with pristine groundwater. People drink well water in Amagansett today— and it’s fiercely protected against contaminants. It’s rumored that the spring flowed out of the hollow stump of a pepperidge tree near the Atlantic Ocean which is where Amagansett is positioned on the south shore of Long Island. The Montauketts were proud fisherman, hunters, and fighters living high in the hills of Montauk, but journeyed west regularly to Amagansett, a plentiful hunting ground, where they sometimes scored prized whale parts (not the entire carcass), after finding them washed ashore on beautiful, pristine beaches. Historical records show that the Native American tribes living in this coastal region had a spiritual relationship with the whale, sacrificing tails and fins in elaborate ceremonies to gain favor with powerful deities.

    Native American communities along the south shore of Long Island were closely attuned to maritime life and, like the residents of this land today, have a strong relationship with the sea. The coastal wetlands provided them with a healthy diet of shellfish, sea animals, and migratory fowl. According to a Shinnecock Indian Nation tribal member and researcher, “the inhabitants of Long Island shared a desire for peace. They became expert whalers and deep sea fishermen. They worshiped the same gods and placated the same evil spirits. They talked the same language and followed the same customs in dress and decorations. Among them, wampum retained common values. They erected their dwellings and shaped their dugout canoes alike, using similar methods of construction. Their thirteen so-called tribes were united in an island-wide confederation. Each tribe had its own territory whose unmarked bounds were recognized and respected by the others. Each had its own chief but all acknowledged the authority of one inter-tribal grand sachem.

12. I am an American, living in the Cotswolds, a designated “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” (including Stratford Upon Avon), for the last 34 years. I taught drama both sides of the pond.
I live in Bledington, with its "rows of unspoilt limestone cottages and open village greens ... a community you’d expect to find in a story book".
Famous for quintessentially English market towns and villages built from honey-coloured stone, the Cotswolds are a range of gently rolling hills and the largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales making them a perfect base for keen walkers and cyclists.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about the Cotswolds and its origins: “The Cotswolds are an area in south central and south west England comprising the Cotswold Hills, a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment, known as the Cotswold Edge, above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale, stretching south-west from just south of Stratford-upon-Avon to just south of Bath. It lies across the boundaries of several English counties; mainly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire”.

“There is evidence of Neolithic settlement from burial chambers on Cotswold Edge, and there are remains of Bronze and Iron Age forts.[13] Later the Romans built villas, such as at Chedworth,[14] settlements such as Gloucester, and paved the Celtic path later known as Fosse Way.[15] During the Middle Ages, thanks to the breed of sheep known as the Cotswold Lion, the Cotswolds became prosperous from the wool trade with the continent, with much of the money made from wool directed towards the building of churches. The most successful era for the wool trade was 1250–1350; much of the wool at that time was sold to Italian merchants. The area still preserves numerous large, handsome Cotswold Stone "wool churches"(with astounding medieval artwork on their walls). The affluent area in the 21st century has attracted wealthy Londoners and others who own second homes there or have chosen to retire to the Cotswolds.[11] The nearly 800 square miles (2,100 km2) of the Cotswolds, roughly 80% farmlands,[26] contains over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of footpaths and bridleways. There are also 4,000 miles (6,400 km) of historic stone walls.”

Earliest Signs Of Man
The Cotswolds area was never a political entity. Its history, therefore, is diffuse. The first Neolithic visitors came to the Cotswolds in about 3500BC, and have left some seventy long barrows, or burial tombs, some of which, in excellent condition, can still be seen. The Bronze Age was notable for the construction of grand religious places of worship (most notable, in England, Stonehenge – not within the Cotswolds but not far either), such as the Rollright Stones (below), just inside the Cotswolds not far from Chipping Norton, near the village I live in, Bledington. —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

Monday, April 6, 2020
PROMPT: Write a six-word story.
examples
”For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.”
or
”’Wrong number,’ said a familiar voice.”

1. Two marriages, 4 kids, no retirement. —Kevin Cuthbert

2. I'll have another cupcake, why not? —Alison Palmer

3. Another dawn, and I try again. —Genevieve Clough

4. She anxiously disappeared as they cheered. —Meridith Grundei

5. There's no more toilet paper, ANYWHERE. —Gail Chase

6. The bite affected Leopold's final speech. —David Jensen

7. “So we lose a few pensioners . . .” —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

8. Surely dead. Awakened by the sun. —Jan W

9. What day is today? Any day. —Amy Hartman

10. “Sun came up. And went down.” —Lisa Henderson

11. Darling, I feel raffish today. —Michael O’Brien

12. “Bang, problem solved,” he said lightly. —Andrew Volkoff

13. Out on ledge. Saved by opera. —Anonymous

14. “I was strong. Now, I’m fluid.” —Sheila T.

15. Trader Joe’s, masked folks. Outdoor queue. —Chelley Canales

16. What do you mean I'm pregnant? —Betty Hart

17. Here's a frozen thought, just melted. —Laurie Cushing

18. Dance party tonight in our cul-de-sac! —Honey Bee

19. Knock knock, who’s there? It’s me. —Emily Tuckman

20. Her life was in one box. —Karen Wibrew

21. Empty chairs at a birthday party. —Rita DiSibio

22. Sighing, she donned the hospital gown. —Kathryn Gray

23. Two kids
    Two schools
    Zoom drowning —Pesha R

24. "Up yours," said the Proctologist. —John Green

25. Given enough time, she'd escape Dubuque. —Gabrielle Netzer

26. I miss you Poppy and Axel. —Ada J.

27. Close the door, she whispered desperately. —Anya R

28. Deaf parents rejoice. Baby born singing. —Alan Freeman

29. The undertow: pulling, pushing. No breath. —Jada Dixon

30. “'Comfort care?' Morphine? Yes, I authorize.” —Miriam Sproul

31. Lysol poisoning. Is that a thing? —Abby Boes

32. Sapphire heart:grandma's inheritance:love wearing —Susan Litt

33. Please don't wear that thong again. —John Ashton

34. She kissed him - he said yes!
    Cat and mouse became fast friends!
    Flying off a cliff - didn't land... —Wes Ehrecke

35. Hold up. This is mad crazy. —Ilasiea Gray

36. Covid-19, atheists began to pray universally —Sally Powell-Ashby

37. They died for freedom. Praise Jesus. —Iona Leighton

38. Help wanted. Stay away from here. —Anonymous

39. Eyes dart panicking. Three wipes left. —Nancy Portnoy

40. For sale: baby shoes. Also: baby. —Luke Sorge

41. "Don't touch that!" Screamed the slumlord. —Ryan Stack

42. She left. Her perfume did not. —Jeff Neuman

43. He opened the door and ran. —Anonymous

44. It was the last first time. —Anonymous

45. Age had come, and I succumed. —Rick Padden

46. Hope is creating a fabulous vaccine. —Dominique Flores

47. “You promised you would stay. Liar.” —Anonymous

48. Strange waves rippled. He wandered away. —Lari Abraham

49. Introduced myself to my mom. Again.
    Broke up with the wrong person.
    I received a Valentine from myself.
    The dog that wasn't a dog.
    She dreamed a dream about dreaming.
    I'm all yours. But pay first. —James Still

Friday, April 3, 2020
PROMPT: Share your GO-TO JOKE.* ** *extra credit for video submissions  **extra extra credit if you’re in costume

1. I didn't get the job at the sunscreen company. They said you can always reapply.
   
   What do you call a sunburned librarian? Well red.
   
   Why did the scientist buy some sunscreen? Because he was a pale-ontologist.
   
   Why did the pig need sunscreen? Because he was bacon.
   
   :) Wear your sunscreen when you're outside! ~ Dermatology Center of the Rockies

2. What do you get when you throw a bomb into a French kitchen?
   Linoleum Blownapart —Luciann Lajoie

3. The Definition of a Diplomat
   So these three guys are in a bar talking about the worst city in America. First guy says, “The worst city in America is definitely Omaha. It’s in the middle of nowhere. There’s nothing to do. The stockyards smell bad. The people are fat. Omaha.” Second guy says, “Wait a minute! The worst city in America is Boise, Idaho. The people are racists. They have no decent restaurants. The weather totally sucks. Gotta be Boise. The third guy says, “No, you’re both wrong. The worst city in America is Green Bay, Wisconsin. All they have there are the Green Bay Packers and a bunch of dirty old whores.” The first guy says, “Hey, my wife’s from Green Bay!” And the diplomat responds, “What position does she play?” —Anonymous

4. What did zero say to eight?
   Nice belt. —David Jensen

5. A nun, a rabbi, a penguin, a horse, and a leprechaun all walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What is this? A joke?” —Anonymous

6. A string walks into a bar. The bartender says, Sorry, we don’t serve strings here. So the string goes outside, ties a knot in himself and unbraids his top a bit. He walks back into the bar. The bartender says, Weren’t you just in here? And the string says, No, I’m afraid not. (A frayed knot! Get it?!) —Cat Palmer

7. And the Lord said unto John “Come forth and you will receive eternal life.”
   But John came fifth, and received a toaster. —Genevieve Clough

8. Q: How do you find Ronald McDonald on a nude beach?
   A: Sesame seed buns —Pesha R

9. What did the 0 say to the number 8?
   Nice belt! —Kathryn Gray
   (always nice to hear it twice!)

10. Family Friendly:
    Grandma looks at her 4 yr old Granddaughter and says, “Dear sweet Janice, are you going to come visit me in Miami?” Janice responds confidently, “No Grandma, I’m going to come see you in ‘Your Ami’!“
    
    “This actually happened between my sister Janice when she was 4 and my Grandmother Estelle. We lived in Homestead Florida while my father was in Vietnam so we could be close to my grandparents who lived in Miami, excuse me ... Your Ami. It makes me smile whenever I think of it. April 8th will be the one year anniversary of my sister’s passing from ovarian cancer. She loved a good laugh, her life and her family. And she would love that I’m sharing this moment with you!
    
    A joke she loved to tell at 4 years of age is one you can share with your wee ones! “What did the octopus do when he went to parties? “
    Wait for it .......... 🐙 hold hands, hold hands , hold hands, hold hands, hold hands, hold hands, hold hands hold hands! 🐙—Sheila T.

11. Here’s a cutting from my latest play, "Where Mama Left Off", a play set on the Texas border. Adult brother and sister are sparring on the porch (written in the vernacular). He thinks he’s going to inherit the ranch: Sounds of Harleys gunning their way in. Jack stands suddenly, handing the bottle back to Tinda Mae. He starts to leave but turns back.
    
    Okay, you keep yor opinyuns to yourse’f, Baby Girl, ‘n’ you kin stay.
    TINDA MAE: (dryly) Kine, ah’m sure. (getting up) Ah’ll be puttin’ the grub away ‘fore ah go ta bed.
    JACK: At least you kin cook ‘n’ clean.
    TINDA MAE: (turning back) Yeah, that’s wha ah gotta vagina and two breasts for! Them’s the requirements for cookin’ an’ cleanin’, ain’t they!?! (Jack shakes his head and exits off the porch; Tinda Mae shouting after him) An’ puttin’ up with a racist, misogynist basterd ya call brother! (sounds of motor cycles leaving) Ya know, ah always wondered how that word motherfucker ever ‘riginated. (drinks) Now ah know. —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

12. “My body has adsorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.” —Alan Freeman

13. Q: How many Surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
    A: Fish. —Megan Mathews

14. What's Irish and sits on the back deck all summer?
    Patty O'Furniture. *rim shot* —Jean Patton

15. Q: What do you call a nosey pepper?
    A: Jalapeño business —Misha Zimmerman

16. What do you call a fake noodle?
    An imPASTA! —Olivia Savidge

17. I am not good at jokes. Here are 3.
    
    How do you make a tissue dance? You put a little boogie in it.
    
    What do you call a cow in an earthquake? Milkshake.
    
    Why did the banana go to the doctor? It wasn't PEELING well.
    
    I have shared these with my students to get a groan. —Laurie Cushing

18. A: What do we want?!
    B: LOW FLYING AIRPLANE NOISES!!
    A: When do we want them?!
    B: NEEEEOOOOOWWWW!!!! —Hannah Haller

19. “If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins most? I'd say Flippy, wouldn't you? You'd be wrong though. It's Hambone.” - Jack Handy

20. Two Octopuses walked down the aisle arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm —Sally Powell-Ashby

21. Two cows are hanging out in a pasture (6 feet apart of course). One cow turns to the other and says “mooooooooo”. The other cow replied “I was just about to say that” —E W

22. Q: What does a fish say when it swims into a concrete wall?
    A: Dam —Meg Chamberlain

23. Knock knock!
    Who's there?
    Panther!
    Panther who?
    Panther no panth, I'm going thwimmin'! —Sophie Hernando Kofman

24. What do you call cheese that isn't yours? NACH-- Stolen. >:( —Sophie Hernando Kofman

25. Rene Descartes walks into a bar.
    The bartender asks “ Do you want a beer?”
    Descartes says “ I think not.”
    And abruptly disappears. —Michael O’Brien

Thursday, April 2, 2020
PROMPT: Write a scene with the following dialogue. Add at least six lines before or after. 

Character A: It’s time.
Character B: I’m not ready. 
A: But we had a deal.
B: 
A: ...

1. Character A: It’s time.
   Character B: I’m not ready.
   A: But we had a deal.
   B: Panda said the deal is fucked, that WE'RE fucked.
   A: Dude, you know he didn't, couldn't actually SAY that. You have to stop anthropomorphizing. He's your fucking cat. —Alison Palmer

2. A: It's time.
   B: I'm not ready.
   A: But we had a deal.
   B: We also talked about being flexible.
   A: You've been late ever since we first met.
   B: "For better or worse."
   A: You're lucky I love you so much.
   B: Okay, I'm ready. —David Jensen

3. A: It’s time.
   B: I’m not ready.
   A: But we had a deal.
   B: We didn’t have a deal; we had a discussion, and I don’t know if you can even call it that; we were, what, eight years old—
   A: —nine.
   B: Fine! Nine. And, nine year olds don’t have discussions; they don’t mean what they say.
   A: Are you kidding me? Nine year olds mean what they say more than any other creature in the goddamned world.
   B: Still …
   A: No. Don’t do that. Don’t “still…” me. I hate when you “still…” me. We made a promise to one another and I need you to stick to it.
   B: Find someone else.
   A: It needs to be you.
   B: Why?!
   A: It just does. C’mon—think about it! It can be exactly the way we pictured it. Us. You and me.
   B: But, what you’re asking, what you’re suggesting, it’s … … it’s tantamount to murder.
   A: Not, murder, no. (A long beat) Mercy. —Jeff Neuman

4. A: It’s time.
   B: I’m not ready.
   A: We had a deal.
   B: It's slick as snot out there.
   A: Too bad for you, I guess. —Sally Powell-Ashby

5. A: it’s time.
   B: I’m not ready.
   A: But we had a deal.
   B: Well, deals are meant to be broken, I suppose.
   A. If you back out now, I may never be able to trust you again.
   B: Good, you shouldn’t trust anyone.
   A: How can you say that? We...we’re partners.
   B: People will always disappoint you in the end. Better to learn that now.
   A: This isn’t you. You’re just freaking out because of all of this.
   B: Don’t try and analyze me. I’m not going and that’s final.
   A: Fine. I’m going alone. (Starts to exit)
   B: Wait, what??? —Gail Chase

6. B: We did, but it's happened too fast.
   A: I don't understand.
   B: I thought I had another week>
   A: You don't.
   B: I'm not ready to do it.
   A: You have no choice. This is the army and you're just getting a haircut. —Anonymous

7. A. Great day, today!
   B. Hmmm.
   A: It’s time.
   B: I’m not ready.
   A: But we had a deal.
   B: Yes, we did. I made a promise, but I find that right now, right this very moment, I'm just not ready to commit.
   A: For heaven's sake. It's not hard.
   B. Easy for you to say, you've ALWAYS know what you want. You've always known who you are. You just...always....KNOW.
   A. For heaven's sake, what kind of ice cream do you want at your party.
   B. silence
   A. The party is TODAY!
   End of scene. —Anonymous

8. A: It’s time.
   B: I’m not ready. 
   A: But we had a deal.
   B: Well maybe I’ve changed my mind. Take your money back for all I care.
   A: Oh really? You think it’s just that easy? Listen, if we don’t do this thing nothing will ever change. The money means nothing compared to the severe consequences that will happen for all of us if we don’t get this done.
   B: Don’t talk to me like I’m the same as you! I’m didn’t start any of this, YOU pulled me into it. I don’t have the same fate as you - I’m better.
   A: Wow. The girl who’d let anyone take her for a ride if they had enough cash thinks she’s better than me. Better than her whole family-
   B: That’s the thing, I don’t want to be that girl anymore!
   A: Then do what’s right! It’s time to do your part and help us expose the people who’ve degraded us for so long. You’re not better than any of us, B. And those so-called friends of yours don’t see you as their equal. They see you just the same as they see me. Someone they can use like a prop for their own gain. And it doesn’t matter how much make-up you wear or how expensive your clothes are, you will never hide the fact that you’re not one of them. So if you really want to show the world who you are, you’ll do what’s right for your people.
   B: ... Give me the speech. I’ll swap it with the Senator’s during his next meeting. —Genevieve Clough

9. Character A: Middle-aged woman. Looks like she shops at Anthropology.
   Character B: Middle-aged woman. Looks like she shops at Banana Republic and Kate Spade.
   
   Scene: A nondescript hallway/waiting area. A & B are sitting on a padded bench between two doorways, both closed. A & B can hear the muffled sounds of conversation through the closed doors. The lights come up as A is continuing a conversation. CONTINUE READING
   —Karen Wibrew

10. Character A: It’s time.
    Character B: I’m not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: I know. I’m just not ready.
    A: But it’s time.
    B: Just give me 5 more minutes
    A: Everyone is waiting.
    B: I know.
    A: I know you can do this.
    B: I don’t want to.
    A: You promised me that you would.
    B: Okay. How do I look?
    A: Fantastic.
    B: What if I cry?
    A: Everyone will understand.
    B: Yeah. I guess you’re right.
    A: Let’s do this.
    B: Yeah. Let’s do this. —Meg Chamberlain

11. B: Do we have to do this?
    A: It’s time.
    B: I’m not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: Yea, but that was before The Rona hit.
    A: Look…time is literally of the essence.
    B: That’s ridiculous. And insensitive.
    A: Insens- okay so what do you want to do instead?!
    B: I got some thoughts…Watch this… —Anonymous

12. A: It's time.
    B: I'm not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: I know, I'm sorry. I'm just... scared.
    A: But I did it. It's your turn/
    B: I know I/
    A: This is something you can't undo. I can't take it back
    B: Just give me a minute
    A: It will link us forever. We're supposed to do it together
    B: You're right. I want to do it....I love you.
    A: I love you too. It's alright. It won't hurt that bad.
    B: Okay. I'm ready.... Get the tattoo gun —Misha Zimmerman

13. (Actual conversation between college student and parent who is trying to set up online teaching.)

    A: But we had a deal.
    B: I know we did., I tried everything you said! I still can't get my Zoom to listen to my instructions, even using my teacher voice.
    A: How many times do I have to tell, you have to use the keyboard, and link not just your voice. You're such a "Boomer". Ok, let's try again, deal? —Laurie Cushing

14. A mother and son sit at the breakfast table.
    Mom: It’s time.
    Boy: I’m not ready.
    Mom: But we had a deal.
    Boy: But I hate Zoom.
    Mom: I do too, hon.
    Boy: You do?
    Mom: I do.
    Boy: I have an idea.
    Mom: Intrigued. Tell me more.
    Boy: What if we just call it?
    Mom: Whadda mean, "just call it?"
    Boy: Like in Baseball. Just call the year.
    Mom: The year? You mean fourth grade?
    Boy: Yup.
    Mom: --
    Boy: Mom?
    Mom: Ask Dad. —Pesha R

15. B: I don't recall any deal
    A: Oh, I see how it's gonna be.
    B: Fine! Left or right?
    A: Do you really want to know?
    B: Yeah. So I can get ready for it.
    A: Guess... —Abby Apple Boes

16. A: Bring your shovel?
    B: Of course I did. Whose grave?
    A: Looks like a Rennie.
    B: Rennie Hall?
    A: Yeah. Know her?
    B: How did she die?
    A: Looks like heart failure.
    B: Been a lot of those recently.
    A: Don't read into it. You gonna dig or what?
    B: I don't know if I can do this one, Doc.
    A: It's almost midnight.
    B: Relax, we haven't been caught before.
    A: It's time.
    B: I'm not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: You can do it on your own and get full profit. I'm out.
    A: Look, sorry you had eyes on her, Plum. But I did warn you not to catch feelings in this business.
    B: You know Doc, this is easily a one person job. Why do you need me?
    A: I don't, I just like having you around.
    B: So you won't mind me leaving then?
    A: For Christ's sake Plum, start digging and stop thinking about the laundry girl.
    B: Laundry?
    A: Just a figure of speech.
    B: Right. Been a lot of heart failures recently, Doc. Why do you need me here? (Police sirens start to wail)
    A: You're right, Plum. This is a one person job. —Rita DiSibio

17. Character A: It’s time.
    Character B: I’m not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: Huh. That’s not what I recall.
    A: The orbits are aligned. The time is now. Now is the time.
    B: What I recall…what I…here it’s…look the earth continues to spin and although we are surrounded by the chaos, the unknown…it isn’t something to play with. To tease or tempt. We could get swallowed up. Swallowed as a whole. Is that what you want?
    A: Yes. That’s right. That is what we dream of. Dreamed of. To release the fear and relax into that. The unknown. We agreed to do it together. We agreed.
    B: No. You agreed. (pause) I…consented because…(beat)
    A: I know. Me too. (beat) You ready? —Jada Dixon

18. A: Get up!!
    B: Get out of my room!
    A: It's time.
    B: I'm not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: That was before I only got two hours of sleep from watching Tik Toks all night.
    A: Oh no...you've gone over to the dark side.
    B: Oh no, indeed. Now, get out of my room so I can watch this morning's Tik Tok selection. The deal is OFF.
    A: Fine. More French toast for me! —Jordan Lichtenheld

19. A: It’s time.
    B: I’m not ready.
    A: Nevertheless. We had a deal.
    B: Yes. But it was unbearably difficult for me — no — — for us — to accept — but — I do.
    A: So, therefore. I am listening. (Agonizingly long pause)
    B: It’s time. —alan freeman

20. Dan: It’s time.
    Bart: I’m not ready.
    Dan: But we had a deal.
    Bart: That was before.
    Dan: What? Nothing’s changed! I’m ready to go through with it.
    Bart: Yeah, but I’m not.
    Dan: You’re not going to let this ruin things are you?
    Bart: Hey now, don’t be blaming me. I had no control over what happened.
    Dan: I don’t believe this. You’re backing out? CONTINUE READING —Rick Padden

21. Character A: It’s time.
    Character B: I’m not ready.
    Character A: But, we had a deal.
    Character B: Listen, this was not my idea. I mean, who thinks it’s a good idea to go hiking in the snow without shoes?
    Character A: I told you already. My parents will kill me if I don’t get this girl back by midnight. Besides that raccoon took our shoes, and we don’t have time to go back.
    Character B: I hate raccoons. Okay, if we are doing this, lets take turns pulling her harness. She gives new meaning to the phrase stubborn as a mule. How did she get out of her pen anyway? Give me your sweater to wrap around my feet so I don’t freeze out here.
    Character A: oh my gosh. Not the donkey we are riding on, the girl in the forbidden attic. Do you even know who my family really is?
    Character B: I thought we were returning the donkey? Why did you bring me out here? What do you want from me?
    Character A: Well let’s just say we have reached our destination… SURPRISE!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!(but you are lucky you don’t know my REAL family)… To be continued…. —(Character A: Ada J, Character B: Anya R.)

22. B:. Yeah, I know. I promised you some milk in exchange for a pedicure.
    A: So?
    B: I went grazing in a place where there was some old, rotted wood and I got a hoof fungus.
    A Oh, no!
    B: It's disgusting.
    A: Don't worry. I've seen it all. I can help you.
    B You can?
    A Sure. We still have a deal?
    B Deal. —Elaine Kuracina

23. A LIVING ROOM.
    CHARLES It’s time.
    REX I’m not ready.
    CHARLES But we had a deal.
    REX Did we?
    CHARLES Yes. Remember?
    REX Not the specifics, no.
    CHARLES We said at eight thirty we would take a walk.
    REX That doesn’t sound like something I would agree to. CONTINUE READING —Steve San Luis

24. Character A: It’s time.
    Character B: I’m not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: But I missed two out of four this week!
    A: ...That doesn't matter! We still had a deal!!
    B: But I'm not consistent enough!
    A: That's not the point!
    B: I shouldn't have even committed to....
    A: Again, we had a deal! AND, that's not the point!!
    B: Well...I don't think I can! I don't know what to say!!
    A: You already said it! Thanks!! Now press the submit button! —Dwayne Carrington

25. MAUDE'S BODY: You mustn't fret.
    MAUDE: I'm trying not to.
    MAUDE'S BODY: It's time.
    MAUDE: Wait. I'm not ready.
    MAUDE'S BODY: But we had a deal.
    MAUDE: I . . . I don't know. I'm not sure.
    MAUDE'S BODY: 48 years, Maude. We've taken it for 48 years. How much time do you think we have left?
    MAUDE: (softly) But I loved him. —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

26. A: It’s time.
    B: I’m not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: …
    A: …did you hear what I said? We had—
    B: Yeah, I heard what you said. And we had a deal. You were going to pull out. Remember?
    A: …
    B: And if it’s a deal, what would be your end of that deal, huh?
    A: I drove.
    B: Fuck you. (Beat.)
    A: I’m sorry… It’s just that… I don’t know if I’m ready.
    B: I don’t know if I’m ready, but you know what else I’m not ready for?! I’m not ready to know if my future-self will forgive me for what I’m about to do. (Beat.)
    A: At least I’m being honest with you.
    B: Amazing! I don’t know how you keep making this about you! Is this your thing? Are you some kind of narcissist? Actually, you know what… (Begins packing up her belongings.) …you know what I’m NOT READY for?? I’m not ready to be tied to your sorry ass, for the rest of my life! That much I know. It was nice to have met you. I’ll get my own Uber home. I’ll just save you the trouble of having to close this interaction out. We’ll just chalk it up to a “whoopsie-daisy,” alright? No need to text, or call; no awkward coffees, no hard feelings. GOODBYE. (She gets out of the car, and heads into the clinic. A thinks. After a long while, he gets out of the car and goes after her.) —Peter Trinh

27. AMY It’s time.
    BAILEY I’m not ready.
    AMY But we had a deal.
    BAILEY We didn’t have a deal.
    AMY We definitely had a deal. (…) 

B
    AILEY What was our deal?
    AMYYou know. Our deal.
    BAILEY No, I don’t, I don’t know, I don’t remember anything about a deal.
    AMY But you said you weren’t ready.
    BAILEY Ready for what?
    AMY That’s what I’m asking. If you didn’t remember the deal then how could you be “not ready”.
    BAILEY You’re trying to confuse me.
    AMY No, seriously — I said to you: “It’s time.” And you said, “I’m not ready.” — and I’m saying how did you know you needed to be ready if you didn’t remember the deal. It doesn’t connect. See?
    BAILEY So what if I remembered the deal?
    AMY So you do remember!
    BAILEY No. But if I did, what would I have to do?
    AMY The thing.
    BAILEY What thing?
    AMY The thing! The thing we agreed to. —James Still

28. A: Hey, let’s take a break. This show’s really boring.
    B: I fell asleep anyway.
    A: You were snoring.
    B: I’m gonna go get a snack. Want anything?
    A: Nah, I’m good.
    B: OH MY G-D!
    A: It’s time!
    B: I’m not ready!
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: I know we said we’d call the midwife, but I’m not ready to have this baby here. I want to go to the hospital!
    A: You’ve got to be kidding me! We’ve rehearsed this over and over again. What the hell do you mean, you’re not ready? And what the hell do you mean you want to go to the hospital? We’re losing time! Ain’t much of a choice now! I can’t believe this! You agreed! No hospitals!
    B: Changed my mind. I get that prerogative. It’s my body!
    A: But it’s OUR baby! We had a deal! No bright lights! No cold instruments! Less risk of infection! What about all that crap?
    B: Sorry. Could be riskier at home! I was always a lot less sure about the home thing than you were. Screw the deal. Come on! I really need to go! A: Damn it. Fine. Let’s just go! NOW! —Lari Abraham

29. (CHARACTER B is dressed in a tuxedo, solemnly overlooking a river. Suddenly, CHARACTER A materializes behind him. A looks identical to B, only about 30 years older. B sighs.)
    A: It’s time.
    B: I’m not ready.
    A: But we had a deal.
    B: YOU had a deal. I never agreed to it..
    A: Yes you did, thirty years from now.
    B: All I got was that weird letter you sent. I was hoping it was a hoax and you wouldn’t show.
    A: You know the plan, and you know what has to be done. As soon as “we” figured out time travel, it was understood that we would return to this moment, right now, and stop us from making the biggest mistake of our lives. And most importantly, learn to swim.
    B: But I’m in love.
    A: I know you think that, but--
    (B springs on A, quickly wrestles him into a headlock.)
    A: Hey, what are you doing?!
    B: I’m sorry, I just…
    (B drags A toward the river…)
    A: No, don’t… Please-- NO!
    (B throws A into the river. A drowns… or floats all the way to the ocean and drowns later.)
    B: I really want to see how it ends.
    (B exits.) —Luke Sorge

Wednesday, April 1, 2020
PROMPT: Complete this statement: Once in a blue moon I…

1. Clean behind the refrigerator. —Anonymous

2. Think is a very overused cliche. —Anonymous

3. Eat fire and birth a Phoenix. —Rita DiSibio

4. think about my ex boyfriend, who forgot to tell me he was married. For nearly a year. —Anonymous

5. I think of you. What an improvement over EVERY moon, every phase. And then, the blue moons are blue - so cool. —Nina Alice Mille

6. enjoy a cigarette. I know, I know. It’s foolish, especially these days, but when that blue moon rises… —Anonymous

7. ..lose weight. Which includes my ring finger. Once in a VERY blue moon, my ring slips off and is now lost. My cousin who used to be in the jewelry business had a set of ring sizing hoops to try on. A very prominent and loving Boulder jeweler offered to reproduce what I had in exchange for a picture. My wife said that losing my ring does not represent anything more than just that. I can still see the mark on my finger. I miss my ring. —George Lange

8. ...eat a Banquet Pot Pie with a Twinkie chaser. —David Jensen

9. wonder how my life would be different if I hadn’t gone into the theatre as a career… You know, an “If/Then” or - for the Gwyneth Paltrow fans out there - a Sliding Doors scenario… —Anonymous

10. I just burst into song when I hear a familiar phrase that comes from that song. If I'm at home I dance along as I sing. —Anonymous

11. find the confidence to be the person I truly am and not someone else. —Anonymous

12. Once in a blue moon; dance and sing on your stage, quote Shakespeare with a British accent, suspend disbelief, don't act your age just act, and smile cause it makes us better. —Laurie Cushing

13. Once in a blue moon I...if I find myself feeling a bit down, I take out my old file of letters, notes, cartoons from my ex-students addressed to me. Saved them over 40 years of teaching/directing drama.(now, I read them on FB) Makes the Ole Playwright (ex-teacher) realise what ought to have been . . . was . . . and is. —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

14. I think about what would've happened if I had stayed. —Anonymous

15. (Rarely) I wake before my wife.
    Refreshed. Excited.
    Oh for a second moonrise!
    Or (dare I say it) t
    he newest chapter of my life. —Alan Freeman

16. ...retrieve a sweater plagued with tiny lint balls that has been quarantined from use until it has been de-linted and I plug in my lint shaver device and have at it. It is a tedious process removing the tenacious lint balls--one that I dread, but the feeling of being able to release that one sweater out of captivity to hang with the rest of the active wardrobe fills me with a smug satisfaction that abides with me for day's entirety. —Simone St. John

17. Close my eyes, and tune out the world.
    Chaos abounds and I listen to my breath.
    In and out, in and out
    A heartbeat of silence
    Too attune to the world around me,
    I forget this silence
    Amidst the rush of need
    
    But once in a blue moon I double back
    To the solitude of my breath
    In and out
    In and out
    Silencing the surroundings and circumstance —Emily Tuckman

18. Pray. —Abby Apple Boes

19. Once in a blue moon I
    Sit in my room and cry.
    I know that we all have to die
    But darn it, I wish they’d try
    In my case to make an exception. —John Ashton

20. See a winged creature fly across the blanketed night sky. It soars with wings outstretched. I stare up at the amazing creature shining so bright. Then with a flash, a beam of light hits me. It blinds me. I look up. She’s gone. I will see the Pegasus next blue moon. —Ada J.

21. put on a favorite dress, sip a glass of fine wine, and dance barefoot in the moonlight. The dress makes me feel beautiful, the wine settles my body, and the dance frees my troubled mind and transports me to a time when I am young, free, and have no cares in the world. There is no illness, no fear, and no panic. The next blue moon is on October 31, 2020, so I will look forward to that day. For now, I will wear my yoga pants, drink wine from the co-op where I shop with gloves, mask and a 6' radius, and dance with my daughter in the living room. —Anya R.

22. close my eyes, exhale, and let the tears flow. Unleashing what isn't serving me. —Jada Dixon

23. Once in a blue moon I see her. Getting her mail; picking up an Amazon box from her front porch; coming home from work. Today, for instance, I saw her as we pulled into our driveways at the exact same moment. And, as our garage doors opened in tandem, a perfect pas de deux of suburban life, I looked over at her and readied myself to smile. Or perhaps wave. Or perhaps just ... give her a slight nod of the head. An offer. An offering. She didn’t look back, though. She never does. So, once in a blue moon I do see her; but, she never sees me back. —Jeff Neuman

24. ...wake in time to see the sunrise. And then enjoy a steamy, creamy cup of coffee. —Jordan Lichtenheld

25. Once in a blue moon I finish an entire New Yorker article. —Pesha R.

26. realize how out of my control my reality is, breathe a sigh of relief, and fall from an agitated and futile clutching at control into a state of grateful witness to a beautifully chaotic and interconnected world —Adam Hise

27. Once in a blue moon I dance.
    I mean DANCE-- DANCE like there's no tomorrow bad metaphor
    Dance till the cow's come home stupid metaphor
    Dance like my life depended on it. no comment
    I simply let go and move. Allow every cell, every molecule every atom within me and without me to join the music and the beat.
    
    I've always be a good dancer. I looked forward to becoming a teenager someday because my brother and I would go on the Lloyd Thaxton show and win the dance contest, no sweat. Off metaphor because there'd be a lot of sweat. But not from anxiety of losing, but sweat of movin' an groovin' and playing off each that no one could come close to. Most everyone knew Dick Clark's American Bandstand, but that show was pretty square. We were into Lloyd Thaxton. I guess a west coast thing. All that to say, yeah, I've been dancing a long time.
    But I'm talking a deeper dance. Deep deep body dance. Digging deep body brilliance taking over every inch no self consciousness total body heart soul god universal Earth dance.
    Its beyond euphoric. complete exhaustive freedom release. No questions after. Questions do not exist, have no relevance. I can barely breathe. The space is exquisite.
    And ephemeral
    But I've tapped it. Tapped it well
    Once in a blue moon I DANCE. —Sally Powell-Ashby

28. ponder what a simple life on an island or a beach might actually be like. —Anonymous

29. I pine. The rest of the time, I oak. —Miriam Sproul

30. Once in a blue moon, I'm in the zone. —Rick Padden

31. actually use some of those art supplies I spent a whole bunch of money on nine years ago. —Jennifer Swallow

32. Once in a blue moon the flowers all danced together but just for the dogs, no one else. And humans felt compelled to arbitrarily change their underwear every hour or so. —Kathryn Gray

33. Let myself cry about the death of my son. —Anonymous

34. completely stop to gaze at the sky. —Matt M.

35. Once in a blue moon I step out of my suburban house, which is snugged in among trees under a small patch of sky rimmed by rooflines. I walk to a nearby soccer open field. From there, I can see a huge expanse of night sky isn’t about finding constellations. It isn’t about the phases of the moon. It is about immensity, eternity, and seeking perspective, my place in the grand design. —Anonymous

36. play Craps on my at-home Craps table setup. It is magic!

37. …give someone directions even though I have no idea where they’re trying to go. “Yeah, just take a left when you get to the Starbucks. You’ll see it!” —Steve San Luis

38. Once in a blue moon, I get a little homesick, so I drive to a rest stop and sleep in my car. —Anonymous

39. eat a thick, juicy steak with yummy roasted potatoes and creamed spinach. Sheer food decadence! —Anonymous

40. actually remember to meditate. AND floss my teeth. AND call my mom. All in the same day. —Anonymous

41. Once in a blue moon I pretend that I’m fluent in Norwegian. —James Still

42. ... am caught red-handed stealing the silver spoons from yellow-bellied brown-nosers, because I'm either green with envy or black-hearted. —Luke Sorge

43. I stop. Just stop and allow myself
    to be still. Still..
    not go anywhere.
    No planning, no schedule,.
    be still. No driving, no solving,
    no caring for everyone except
    me. I gently whisper to
    the running madwoman
    I have become to breathe,
    to remember the medicine
    woman inside who
    needs nothing more than
    the sound of a river roaring
    and the hush of a breeze
    under any generous tree
    reminding me to be s
    till. still. Huuush. It’s fine.
    To be still and quiet
    maybe even shaking a little
    under a blanket
    weighted with a churning
    world. Huuush now.
    It’s fine to do. nothing.
    And be still. —Gabriella Cavallero

Tuesday, March 31, 2020
PROMPT: Complete this statement: One thing you can’t tell just by looking at me is…

1. …I am wounded just like you. It doesn't matter what it is because we all share the beating heart. —David Jensen

2. …that I always wanted to be an alto opera singer or a piano playing comedian and own a Willy’s Jeep. —Jan W

3. …that I have a full head of hair — a full head of long, feathered, Aqua-Netted hair, that is as long as it is wild as it is tamed; a mane worthy of both an 80’ Bon Jovi and an 80’ Rum Tum Tugger; one that runs down the center of my back and forms parentheses around my eyes. But, shhhhhhhhhhhh! It’s secret hair, and it only comes out when I’m walking in the wind or dancing to a great song. —Jeff Neuman

4. …I can sing Adelaide's Lament from Guys and Dolls, and performed before an audience. Once. —Anonymous

5. …that I lost my heart about 3 years ago. She swept into my life like a hawk finding a nesting tree and stayed there. —Michael O’Brien

6. …I am terrified of heights. —Alison Palmer

7. …is how far I've walked and where I could be going. —Anonymous

8. …I taught myself how to play the piano. —Ilasiea Gray

9. …that my best friend died when I was nine. It was a six-hundred-year-old oak tree in my front yard! —Robin Lithgow

10. …how worried I am about Harry . . . he just might kill her. —Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

11. ...love the sound of students giggles in the morning, have serve dyslexia, use to train horses , played the violin and Lacrosse, kissed, a lot, by a 60's pop star (she thought I was quite adorable), poetry read out loud even in the rain, and went to debutant school, ( no you don't have to raise your pinky finger to drink tea). —Laurie Cushing

12. What CAN you tell by looking at someone?
    You can obviously tell their hair length, maybe even take a good guess as to whether it’s their “natural” color or not. You can tell their age range maybe. If you look long enough you might even be able to tell the number of fine, precious smile lines that appear around their lips and eyes. There might be some bits of information in those details.
    You can study their whole physicality for as long as it’s comfortable to watch them, but even if you’re allowed minute after minute to stare unabashedly and take them in, all you’ll ever get out of them is whatever their outer casing allows you to see.
    We humans carry vast, seemingly endless mysteries inside of us. And like tortoises with thick scoffed shells surrounding our precious insides, we can only “tell” so much about each other as is expected. All of us have these forms that look predictable, even comforting for each other to see for how truly similar we are on the outside. We often take for granted how misleading our looks really are. How they really don’t tell us much at all about the true experience of a person. And even those of us who try to distinguish our look or boldly stand out with a shinier, more unique casing around us - we are still only offering a tiny fraction of our true mystery to whoever catches us in their glance.
    But there are little keyholes into the vast universe that lives inside each person. Just like the tortoise that must extend outside itself from time to time in order to stay alive, we humans have places that can never be kept fully hidden from the world. At least not all the time. Our survival is contingent on a balance between self preservation and opening our protective shells just enough to REACH and let the light of the world in.
    Our eyes are one such entryway. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed as artists, philosophers and poets have been musing for centuries about the depth of these small but immense portals.
    When you look into someone’s eyes you might be lucky enough to see beyond the color, patterns and physical characteristics of their surface. It might come in a long moment. Or maybe in a quick flash. But you’ll see that person’s unique mystery appear before you. And I promise you won’t understand it. You will certainly exit this moment with more questions than you have answers about the individual you just peered into. But like looking through a powerful telescope to study a nebula or faraway star, you’ll see what you could never tell just by looking at them. —Genevieve Clough

13. that I'm no good at haikus. —Meg Chamberlain

14. that I love to dance. Going to create a cul-de-sac 6 ft. apart dance party with my neighbors and see who else will come out to play. — Honey Bee

15. A career in medicine once was enthralling.
    But when I discovered the stage
    and what it could do — it bit.
    And wouldn’t let go. —Alan Freeman

16. that I have been battling a “mild” case of COVID-19 for at least three weeks now. —Anonymous

17. I used to have multicolored hair and tons of piercings. I don't know who that person was...though I suspect she's still in there, deep, deep down. I might bring that look back when I'm 80. —Jennifer Swallow

18. that I’m very strong both physically and emotionally. I have been abused, I have survived, and I have overcome. —Anonymous

19. That I struggle with ADHD (inattentive type). I'm a sophomore in high school and was recently diagnosed and started taking medication. It changed my life completely. The reason I was diagnosed so late is because all of my symptoms were so internal that I thought they were normal. I kept good grades for the whole time, but I could never just sit down do something, even the things I love. For example, I would have an extremely hard time working on lines or monologues for auditions. I thought I just couldn't a driven, hard working person because I physically couldn't focus or sit down and do things. I wanted so badly to be able to work on my passions and towards my goals, but I just couldn't. In reality, I am an incredibly ambitious, hard working, and driven person, with or without my medication. Because of my warped self perception, frustration, and anger at myself, I ended up becoming extremely depressed. I felt like I was stuck and going no where because I was unable to work on anything, whether I liked it or not. I felt like I was a disappointment to everyone, but mostly to myself. I hated myself for not knowing how to study or do my homework without getting distracted and ultimately doing a subpar job. Acting has always been the one thing I feel good at, and as I got older and my ADHD got worse, that part of my life all but dropped out of my life. This was devastating, because at the time, this was one of the only things I truly loved. Because my school work took up so much of my time, I my passions ended up on the back burner. I felt completely unfulfilled and dissatisfied with my life. There were many times when I thought about ending my life because I felt like I was completely incapable of anything significant, important, or at least personally fulfilling. Honestly, I was too scared to act on those thoughts, but there was more than one time where I got extremely close.

    I had been going to therapy for a few months for anxiety and depression when my therapist assessed me for ADHD inattentive type. I had all of the symptoms listed in the questionnaire she gave me, so she suggested I get tested for ADHD. I ended up getting diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type by a psychiatrist. I was prescribed medication, and as soon as I started taking it, my life changed completely. The first day I sat down at the piano for the first time in 3 years and learned a song for three hours. The second day I wrote an entire short film, which I just finished shooting and am now in post. I often look back on my life before and get a little teary because I just can't believe that I experienced the world so differently than everyone else for 16 years. I have ability to balance my life in a healthy way as well as work on my passions and discover new ones.
    
    Many people think that ADHD is a harmless disorder that causes 3rd graders to jump off the walls and have too much energy, but this disorder is far more complex and debilitating. ADHD inattentive type is found mostly in women, and often is misdiagnosed as depression or goes undiagnosed because it seems, just by looking at us, that we are lazy and have no ambitions or goals. I am one of the lucky ones. Many people live with disorder and misperceived and misunderstood by the world and themselves, unable to accomplish their dreams and goals, and end up having to deal with extreme depression and anxiety. I am still on my journey with mental health, but it has gotten better. Even though I still struggle with anxiety and depression, I have more light days than dark ones.I have new, more supportive friends who I can share my passions, struggles, and stories with. The people in my life; my family, my friends, give me the drive and support I need to continue on. And on a more positive note, I'm working on my short film with them! One of my closest friends (who was also recently diagnosed with ADHD, though she has hyper type) is editing and one of my best friends is composing original music for it.
    
    Don't be afraid to ask for help, because, as I have discovered, people do want to help you. —Anonymous

20. One thing you can't tell by looking at me is that I'm an irate hummingbird. —Pesha Rudnick

21. I feel an overwhelming guilt most of the time - that I'm not trying hard enough, that I'm not loving my community enough, that I'm not gentle enough. How to overcome it, I know not, but admitting it is a step in the right direction. —Anonymous

22. I can make anywhere feel like home, and yet feel displaced anywhere that I am because to me home is simultaneously everywhere and nowhere. —Hannelore Rolfing

23. I snort hard and often when I laugh. —Anonymous

24. I save lots of money by being my own barber...what was the question again? —Daniel Ziskin

25. ...secretly I wish I could play Bach's six cello suites. —James Still

26. That I was created when a vodka Red Bull was struck by a bolt of lightning. —Steve San Luis

27. One thing you can't tell just by looking at me is that I have three lungs.
    How and why do I have three lungs.
    Curiously, everything works fine. From birth on (and 'on' is sizable) I have endured no problems or complications.
    No extra breathing capacity either, not even close. You might expect that I'd be ringer at running or singing or maybe playing the flute, but not.
    Of course the medical profession was quite curious. Originally alarmed, but since nothing was noted developmentally throughout the first 12 years of follow-up, the curiosity of my extra lung waned and eventually disappeared. I forgot myself, to be honest.
    
    But currently, I find myself thinking about my unique aberration frequently. The Covid-19 virus has consumed the world. Everything is changing. Quite literally, everything. Changing by retuning to Thoreau's simplicity.
    Isolation and simpler means.
    We are in the midst of a massive worldwide shift. A worldwide shutdown of every aspect of 'normal' life. A shutdown which has, ironically, opened up our over-reaching craziness of civilization, explicitly Western Civilization, to a slowing down. A slowing down of pace. Doing business as usual has come to a halt.
    I think we all thought that slowing down our pace of racing about that we would naturally have more time on our hands. I for one have not found this to be the case. There is no extra time, yet time is much sweeter. Families are together. Sharing time together. Finding special things to do together, like going for walks. Learning an instrument, visiting with a few special neighbors. Cooking real meals is having a renaissance as all restaurants are closed. We're staying home and staying close, well staying close at six feet apart. Covid-19, a micro microscopic virus is rampant throughout the globe. Millions of people are currently infected, hundreds of thousands have died. I write today during the unknown. The massive impact of this Pandemic is ahead of us.
    
    Covid-19 does its stunning damage by infecting and shutting down lungs. Lungs.
    And I have 3 within this body. If I contract Covid-19 will I fare well since I have an extra lung?
    
    Or will I fare far worse because it has the potential to infect my 3 lungs instead of just 2, crushing me with pain beyond possible.
    
    I don't know. And I can't share these fears with anyone. My children don't know. My husband doesn't even know. There never was any point., a non-issue.
    I don't want to broach this question into the medical world. I would be subject to intense examination and experimentation. I am not interested in becoming a guinea pig or a hero. Besides the fact that no one wants to enter a hospital of medical facility of any kind now. No one wants to risk unnecessary exposure.
    But.
    What if
    What if someone I know, I cherish, I have birthed, contracts this virus. Am I able to sacrifice a lung and save a life?
    Of course for my child I would. I would give two of my lungs, if that is what is needed. I would give my three.
    
    Its strange. Ive never heard of a lung transplant. Every other kind of transplant, but not lung.
    
    Something is holding me back as I contemplate this idea. I don't want to conclude this story because there is no conclusion.
    We are in the midst of waiting for the future. To know if we will survive this Pandemic. To know that our children will survive this Pandemic. To know that all our friends will survive this Pandemic.
    I write this confident that I will and we will. I write this confident that I will be writing to a prompt for the next 29 days. I write this confident that I will read this next year, March 2021, and truly know that we have survived well.
    Yet writing and tapping out 2021 I feel a clutch in my heart.
    I write this with a sense that I have no idea of the likely devastation ahead.
    I write this aware that at this moment I am living in a state of Grace, this March 31st, 2020. —Sally Powell-Ashby

28. One thing you can't tell just by looking at me is ... that I'm shy and awkward and trying to make the most of it. —John Ashton

29. One Thing You Can't Tell Just By Looking At Me Is... I was electrocuted as a child and lived to talk about it! —Dwayne Carrington

30. I can rip a phone book in half. —Matt Meier

31. One thing you can't tell by looking at me is my blood pressure. —Axel W

32. One thing you can't tell by looking at me is that I have an amazing mom. —Poppy W

33. You can tell just from lookin’ that I’m up there in age
    But you can’t see I’m eager to turn the page
    You can tell that I’m white, maybe privileged you’d say?
    But I’ve worked all my life, and have earned my pay
    You can see my scars, maybe seek their stories
    Tell me yours, you’ll get mine, and we're done with worries
    Just listen to me and I’ll listen to you
    Ain’t no tellin’ what we might do —Rick Padden

34. This Thirsty Ego
    One thing you can’t tell
    just by looking at me is:
    I notice you looking.
    And the only thing I fear
    more than your judgment
    is that you’ll stop. —Anonymous

Monday, March 30, 2020
PROMPT: Create a Covid-19 haiku.

1. Pang so pangolin
   A mystical sickness cure
   Ouch! Poached for its scales —Elaine Kuracina

2. A breath taken out...
   Pandemic is a big word
   Appreciate life —David Jensen

3. old tree, bygone, fell —
   ignored by deaf, willful kings,
   but the forest knew. —Amber Irish

4. Fresh air on my face
   Crisp kisses of chill abound
   Early morning walk —Jeff Neuman

5. There is more light here
   Regardless of how it feels
   Kinder days are ahead. —Gabrielle Netzer

6. rain falls on the sill
   the seeds we planted last week
   must be happy now —Anya Rudnick

7. Breathe now is easy
   My love sleeping quietly
   Day 15 starts now. —Anonymous

8. Comfort food abounds;
   Must get back to working out -
   Living room as gym? —Anonymous

9. Wake, Zoom, Lunch, Zoom, Zoom
   Zoom cocktails with friends,
   Netflix Shower? rinse, repeat —Amy Hartman

10. Solitude, age old
    Possibilities untold
    Window to the soul —Michael Bellmont

11. We fight submission
    Pretending we’re not the same
    Release into Spring —Jan Wanner

12. Sunday runs with you,
    once fun, now essential to
    my humanity. —Jennifer Swallow

13. So much time alone
    Ephemeral reflection
    Hope for the future —Anonymous

14. There is more light here
    Regardless of how it feels
    Kind days are ahead —Gabrielle Netzer

15. Outside my window
    empty streets hum with fear yet
    plum trees make blossoms —Lojo Simon

16. Just us two alone
    Hiding from the virus storm
    waiting for the dawn —Anonymous

17. Self-quarantining
    With fifteen other people
    Sounded fun at first —Carmie D

18. In isolation
    Some may dread the loneliness
    I love solitude —Daniel Ziskin

19. sitting in a crowd
    watching a story unfold
    that's my religion —Robin Lithgow

20. First Responders
    Stay at home and wash your hands
    We are here for you —Melissa Williams

21. Social distancing
    2020 act of love
    Stay six feet away —Ali K

22. Corona can't stop
    The flowers from blossoming
    Only sharing them —Ali K

23. Coronavirus
    The ultimate immigrant
    No wall can stop it —Ali K

24. I've worn the same clothes
    since mid March, but at least I've
    changed my underwear. —Anya Rudnick

25. Covid 19 Drama
    Act 1 Scene 1 beginning-
    Social distancing…. —Laurie Kushing

26. I'm shut inside now
    But my heart is open wide
    Together we win —Abby Apple Boes

27. It's not safe to hug.
    We stand apart, yet our hearts
    Keep getting closer —John Ashton

28. I am missing you
    Then we dine at safe distance
    And I am replete. —Miriam Sproul

29. Willow sways sweetly
    Sharing my indifference
    To what day it is —Rick Padden

30. suspended in air
    three hour hang time, then — caught ya!
    what's yours is now mine —Anonymous

31. Hello? You know I
    can’t hear you when you’re texting.
    Social Distancing —Alan Freeman

32. Stay at home, they say.
    Eyes, scrolling through endless news.
    Uh, what day is it? —Jordan Lichtenheld

33. Sleeping like a dog
    Our time is truly precious
    Today I'll get up —Ryan Stack

34. The scale may CHANGE size
    THE PATTERN REMAINS CONSTANT
    Cell Family World —Sally Powell-Ashby

35. Hello Corona
    Your visit is not wanted
    Say goodbye tonight —Susan Litt

36. Stay at a distance
    Throw a kiss through mask and gloves
    Love turned upside down —Margaret Strumpf

37. Sit in front of screen,
    Day dream of far off worlds
    smell salt, breathe in air —Eve W

38. this isolation
    makes me feel lonely and lost
    and yet so restored. —HVH

39. Fear of the foreign
    In the face of spit and hate
    We band together —Anonymous

40. Dad jokes are still bad…
    “Corona hold the virus,”
    ...in times of crisis. —Jenna Moll Reyes

41. Let not the light dim
    Curtains will soon rise again
    Illuminating —Lari Abraham

42. through the window she
    mouths to put it on the ground.
    delivering soup —Steve San Luis

43. COVID rolling in
    quiet moments in between
    contemplating death —Anonymous

44. quiet, no rush time
    we all needed a reset
    fear, breathe, and repeat —Anonymous

45. looking at flowers
    greeting the other walkers
    from six feet away —Thomas Christopher

46. Eye to the keyhole,
    I wait as days are passing,
    Separate from my friends —Melissa Danciger

47. Clean, cook, entertain, sleep
    Where is the reality
    Now do it again —Dominique Flores

48. It's garbage night, wow
    Venus, Moon, Orion glow
    Hey, it's not nothing —Joel Silverman

49. My toddler watches
    Too much TV now, says
    Dragons will eat us —Erin Edens

50. How to say hello,
    Invisible like a ghost —
    And not as friendly. —James Still

51. Blood over a doorway.
    Sacred sign of Passover…
    COVID: not welcomed. —James Still

52. If I’m a story,
    then I can rewrite this one.
    Drafts and drafts and drafts. —James Still

53. Wanted: miracle
    Obstacle: an enemy
    Wanted: miracle —James Still

54. Apply peace, love, light
    The mind must stay sharp and sane
    It’s how you’ll survive. —Ilasiea Gray

55. i’m able to sleep
    because: Nancy Pelosi.
    badass for the win —Pesha Rudnick

56. From this malady
    We can choose termination
    Or germination —John Moore

Thursday, March 26, 2020
PROMPT: Write a six-word story.

1. Get rid of the gun, Max. -Alison Palmer

2. This morning’s news. Covid. Fuck Trump! (my yin)

3. Morning cuddles. Mama breathing again. (my yang) ~ Meridith Grundei

4. Breakfast was their lunch and dinner. -Pesha

5. Seeking perfection, I never finished it. -Nick 

6. Connected through and in love. Us. ~Jada

7. Despite storms, my ship continues to sail.

8. Chicken Surprise: prep 10 minutes, feeds 50.

9. I didn’t mean light fireworks NOW Frankie! ~Sophie

10. Please Listen.  Just listen. Hear that?  (RF)

11. Old people huddled at home. ZOOMING! - Linda Hansen

12. Today sucks. Tomorrow the journey begins. -David Jensen

13. Rising above the fray; never easier. -Daniel Ziskin

14. “Hand me that… Oh, Christ, Beatrice!” -Christopher Kendall

15. Woke Sneezed Cried Sighed Reached Kissed -Anonymous

16. Today begins a New World order. -Devon James

17. My best response? Isolate; join online. -Alan Freeman

18. Found a noose hanging in . . . Charlie? -Doc Andersen-Bloomfield

19. Hush, niggling toothache. Not right now! -Lari Abraham

20. "Nah, you'll be fine," I lied. -Steve San Luis

21. I sat and scratched. Ah, relief!! -Sheila Traister