Friday, March 14, 2014

March Words Challenge

This week’s post is a writing challenge that I heard about via Baking In a Tornado and seeing that I am trying to increase my personal writing, this seemed right up my alley.   This is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

Have you ever felt like you really understood a concept, only to find out that you were totally clueless?  Yep, this was me, totally sideswiped by my own ignorance.  Rather than beat myself up about my idiocy, I’ll share my idiocy and how it left me completely and totally spent - and not in the way they write about in those Fabio-like bodice ripper short stories.

Today’s prime time TV is littered with reality TV nonsense - a great way to make the ordinary seem special, right?  One of my least favorite types of reality TV, due to the graphic (non-sexual) nature, are the ones that have to do with addictions or weird habits.  Do I really care if you eat laundry detergent?  Nope, not really, unless of course it helps with grass stains.  Do I need to see your family attempt to intervene in your bizarre toenail chewing habit?  Hmm, only if I am feeling like my life is crap and therefore watching you would make me feel like the queen of the freaking universe.  I understand that the addiction is a manifestation of a deeper lying issue, but that doesn’t mean I feel sorry for you or that I could give two hoots about you and your bizarre rituals.  

So how does all of this connect to me being clueless?  Hmm, let’s just say that people who have issues with germs are probably dirty rotten hoarders.  Okay, that may be a little harsh but after yesterday’s experience, it is my story and I am sticking to it!

I have recently taken a position as our school’s media coordinator, replacing the gal who has held the position for the past 13 years.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to get into my new “office” and check it out.  Little did I know that three hours later I would come out with a fresh case of black lung disease.  And although I expected to do a little cleaning/straightening up, I didn’t expect a truly DIRTY environment.

Why would I be so sure that I’d  walk into a fairly clean situation?  Hmm, because my predecessor has an issue...with germs which has manifested itself into a severe handwashing issue.   Cleanest damn hands on the planet, working in the dirtiest library in the universe!  Here I am, because I’ve watched enough TLC and A& E to know that most people with OCD issues are neat freaks, clean freaks, however you may want to classify them.  But holy wow, not this chica...the friggin’ dust bunnies were the size of a half dollar and they were multiplying before my very eyes.  And the cupboards were a menagerie of complete and utter nonsense...never, since 1989, have I seen so many VHS tapes in one area.  All I could think was “be kind, rewind” and then had a great urge to go home and pop in my taped from television VHS tape of Weird Science!  But then, of course, it kind of makes sense: if you don’t touch anything, your hands can’t get dirty...and if you don’t touch ANYTHING, nothing gets cleaned, right?

The only way to get over this traumatic experience...a big ass tub of hot water and BUBBLES, lots of bubbles to wash away all of the yuck that I had just experienced.  Because not only did I want to get clean...I needed to wash away all of the weirdness that I had waded through in my soon to be new work environment.  And I was pretty successful...because there isn’t much that a relaxing tub and a couple of hits off of your inhaler can’t cure.  Just another day of Superior Nonsense my friends, just another day.
At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I’m using:       bubbles ~ grass ~ clean ~ special~ toes         
They were submitted by:   http://www.rocksnosaltmommy.com
Links to the other “Use Your Words” posts:
http://BakingInATornado.com                   Baking In A Tornado
http://followmehome.shellybean.com              Follow me home . . .
http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/              Confessions of a part-time working mom
http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com                       Spatulas on Parade
http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com                      Someone Else’s Genius
http://singlemumplusone.blogspot.com                Searching for Sanity
http://batteredhope.blogspot.com                      Battered Hope
http://www.healingtomato.com                       Healing Tomato
http://superiornonsense92.blogspot.com/                   Superior Nonsense
http://www.rocksnosaltmommy.com               Rocks, No Salt Mommy
http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com              Evil Joy Speaks
http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com             Stacy Sews and Schools

http://berghamchronicles.blogspot.com/               The Bergham's Life Chronicles

5 comments:

  1. You are a very brave woman. I would have taken one look at that office and quit my new job.

    Great use of your words.

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  2. Bubbles are the best!
    Good luck with that new job of yours :-)
    I liked the quote in your previous post about litter negativity. So true.

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  3. There is such a difference between cluttered and dirty. That nasty office should have been cleaned up by her. How can you touch a million books/computer keys a day and suffer from a germ phobia? I love how you said "bubbles and an inhaler" could help your situation!

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  4. That's what I thought Michelle - turns out she didn't touch the books unless absolutely necessary....the kids check them in AND shelve them! Thus the reason the books and shelves are literally falling apart. I understand it is an illness but the one should choose a new profession, right?

    Thanks all for the positive words - I am new to this but it was great fun and look forward to doing it again:-)

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