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brangled boondogglers!

As you know, I recently brought the new word, brangle, into the world.

Then in a recent Early to Rise, which I just read, the feature word was Boondoggle, which I think is a great word, and is explained as 'an unnecessary or wasteful project or activity.'

Then I thought back to passing the local canal yesterday, and taking photos of booze containers left by passers by over the weekend, and thought that they must have been brangled boondogglers! What do you think?

Word to the Wise: Boondoggle

Word to the Wise: Boondoggle
A "boondoggle" (BOON-dah-gul) is an unnecessary or wasteful project or activity. The word was coined by a scoutmaster, Robert H. Link. Link’s boondoggle was a braided leather cord - a simple item still made by young Boy Scouts and campers. The word was later contemptuously applied to any "make-work" project.
Example (as used by Susann Cokal in a New York Times review of Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon): "In Michael Chabon’s gleeful new novel, a pair of 10th-century soldiers of fortune scramble up and down the trails and gorges of the Caucasus, engaging in a brawl or a boondoggle as regularly as they pause for a meal."

from www.earlytorise.com

December beauty

With the green leaves of summer turned orange, brown and departed, nature does not usually provide as much consistent beauty in the UK over the winter.

But every now and again we get a bit of snow, or a beautiful sunset, which excites everybody, and gets them appreciating nature again.

There's been no snow to speak of so far, but a few gorgeous sunsets, one of which occurred this week, and a photo of which appears above.

How I won the Writelink blogging comp

January 08:

How I won the Writelink (www.writelink.co.uk) blogging comp

How did I do it?

Starting late, I had little choice but to incorporate tortoise tactics rather than hare. Keeping a low profile, and using self-fulfilling prophecy strategy, I submitted a blog declaring how I won the comp.

This entered the unconscious of the other bloggers, and they found themselves subscribing to my blog without realising it.

I therefore sneaked past the early front-runners, and by Christmas had zillions of subscribers without anybody realising.

I spent Christmas skiing in Whistler on my winnings, but after breaking my leg I have now returned to face the music.

Do you have to be mad to write full-time, or does it make you mad?

As I try and write full-time I find myself having to go into myself more, shut myself off from normality and retreat into my own world. Although I kind of want to do that, I also worry about it, and wonder if its 'normal'. Should I be wanting to do this, or do I just know I need to, I have to, if I'm going to be able to write, because its hard enough to sit down and write even as it is, with loads of time to do it.

But then other people fit it into their daily routines, with families and jobs and everything.

Would I be able to do that, fit in some time for writing within a busy schedule?

Don't think so.

Guess I'll just have to risk madness!

Remember when the unconscious helps you?

Do you get those moments when you do things without thinking, and then wish you hadn't?

Yes, I think we all have them don't we!

But do you also get those times when you do things without thinking, and they work out great?

Hmm, can't remember those, I thought not.

Yeh, I used to put them down to genius or something, being ahead of myself, while blaming the dotty stuff on God or someone, but now I thank my unconscious as much when it does good, as I scold it for doing bad.

This was a message from my conscious...I think!!