6 More Great Words

To read more about 6 word memoirs click here.  If you want to share a 6 word memoir with me please do so in the comments section or link back to your own 6 word memoir posts.  
I also want to tell you that I created this in Microsoft Word using the basic text box, formatting, auto shapes and snipping tools.  It was relatively simple and the most time consuming step was choosing the fonts that I liked!

Here's Hoping your Wednesday is Wonderful!

A Great Video- Apparently

Hello - Hagrid here.

M reckons that this is the greatest video ever.  I am not so sure myself.  It's a video of Shelly playing with a ping pong ball in a washing basket.  M has been doing a great job of boring everyone with it. You guys are no exception.  I have tried to hold her off as long as I could.

I don't get it either.
Have a great week and don't forget to hug your teddy bear!

May I say, that I was just hanging out in the laundry basket when M chucked the ping pong ball in with me. She is a bit of a nut, you know.  I was merely defending myself.  I might add that M did not ask for my permission to record my play time in the privacy of my own home.  Once it's on the internet it will never go away, therefore I must simply accept that you are humans and you lot will insist on invading the privacy of the adorable.  Hagrid might not understand why M finds me so entertaining, but at least there aren't any embarrassing videos of him on any blog sites.  I will take solace in the fact that AGT has a tiny following and this shouldn't hurt my chances of becoming famous for something dignified - like juggling.

Shelly - Meow!

A Great Whine

I like Puns.

I like blogging.  Actually, I love blogging.  Often, my love of blogging causes me to devote too much time to it - much to the detriment of my "homework".  Don't I sound grown up! 

This might seem quite contradictory, as you are expecting some whining.  Don't worry, it will come. You might be thinking that I often seem to go underground and my work couldn't possibly suffer at the mercy of my blogging schedule.  While that is probably true, I would often rather choose my love instead of my job.  Unfortunately, my job is not so much a love as it used to be (insert sad face here).

My school is a place of change.  A place where stability is spoken of highly, but not often experienced. A school should be a dynamic environment that quickly adapts to the circumstances and community within it.  I get that.  Sometimes, things move so much faster than I can handle.  My aversion to change aside, the speed with which our leaders make decisions and activate their plans often results in: errors of judgement, structural breakdown, communication breakdowns and at times, failed implementations.

Some might say that my mental and physical state slows and dulls my own thinking processes.  Some might say that I am the one who needs to adjust my pace.  Perhaps the seemingly breakneck speed at which my workplace operates is, in fact, the rate of normal.  But, I still worry.

My perception could be a bit whacked, but the facts don't change.  There are still decisions being made without appropriate consideration of all the factors and products involved.  There are still break downs in communication and great (as in, huge... not good) mistakes are made.  Even worse, the mistakes are not acknowledged, then future judgements don't take these errors and issues into account.

This might seem a bit more than cryptic to you, my dear readers.  I hope it doesn't stop you from continuing along the journey with me.  Let me try to explain.
I'm frustrated, angry, sad and disappointed.  I no longer have faith in the leadership of my workplace and this causes me to doubt if I have outlived my usefulness.  The fact that I struggle to keep up with the ever increasing speed of change not only causes me to question my superiors, it also makes me question myself.

I don't like politicians or decision makers right now.  It isn't personal.  Maybe it is.  But I urge you, dear readers, do not keep running to try and keep up.  Instead, work out what speed works for you and be prepared to watch the pack as they leave you behind.

Slow down!  Take your time!
Look at all the angles and consider all the options that are before you.  Don't be angry.  Don't be quick to judge or afraid to acknowledge the mistakes you have made.  It is far better learn from them.  Don't you agree?  Move forward slowly, especially if your decisions will have an impact on the quality of a service people depend on.  Move forward fairly and remember that the world is not always about you.
How difficult it is to accept that your world is not the only one.

I hope you are not as confused as I am right now.  Perhaps go look at something pretty to lift your mood now that you have seen what happens in my dusty cobwebbed mind if late.  Don't worry.  Mum is on a cleaning frenzy.. no doubt she will get around to vacuuming the inside of my head one day.

I've whined better before.  Perhaps next time.

A Great Story... about Cats

A cat lives at one of the houses on the main road.  She walks to the bus stop, near her house, so she can visit with the people waiting for the bus.  She lies beside the seat and watches the cars go by.  She knows when the bus is late.  She revels in the added minutes of company while waiting passengers sit mesmerized by her presence.   The fuzzy grey ball sighs, as the bus rolls to a stop.

********************************

This anecdote is based on a true story (sort of).  You see, there really is a cat in our local area that likes to spend his time at the nearby bus stop.  He or She (I couldn't get a proper look) enjoys the company of the locals as they await the arrival of their bus.  The passing traffic, although often quite loud, doesn't seem to disturb him/her in the slightest.  I know if Shelly were sitting at a bus stop she would be off like a shot the second a large vehicle zoomed past her position.  She would be difficult to find until dinner time too.  I'm sure you can understand my curiosity at the rather calm demeanor of the fluffy grey feline while I was waiting for my bus last week.  The most intriguing and perhaps the most amusing part of this series of events is yet to come. 

We all know that I like to add a picture or two to my blog posts.  Now is not the time to examine why I find it necessary to add images (usually borrowed from somewhere if not a photo of my furry friends). The usual method of choosing these images is quite simple: Google Image Search.  Nice! :D

The results of the search uncovered something that I simply had to share.  Not just the images that appeared (although some of them were certainly far from what I had expected to see), but a few news stories and blog posts.  It seems that the Old Grey Tom ain't the only one.  There are a couple of kitty's in the UKwho not only hang out at the bus stop, but like to hitch a ride as well. 

Check this out. 

 This kitty - nicknamed Macavity - apparently catches the bus to the local fish and chip shop.  Click here for details. 

This Ginger cat - nicknamed Dodger - has been reported to take round trips on various buses that leave from the bus station behind his owner's home.  Click here for more info. There is even a book that is rumored to have been based on Dodger's travels, titled The Little Cat and the Big Red Bus. 


Then there is Casper who rode the same bus everyday for 4 years.  Sadly, he died after a traffic accident, when he was hit by a car.  The hit and run driver was never found.  Casper has also had a picture book written about him and has his very own wikipedia page.  

You can't make this stuff up! 

A Great Word: Listicles

This is a great new word and while I might be a bit behind the times with it, I want to share it with you. When I read the definition I realised that I have been creating listicles for quite a while now and so have many other people.  You, my dear readers, have most likely read lots and lots of listicles without even knowing it.  You see, without even realising it, I was not only writing listicles, I was reading them often.  Are you sufficiently intrigued to learn what you have been reading (and perhaps even writing) all this time without even really knowing what it was called?  

This definition comes from Dictionary.com and if you click here you can read another definition from Netlingo.  I hope you realise that we were alive for that wonderful moment in time that is rarely observed... the birth of a new word.  The best thing about the last 20 years is the ever increasing speed with which language has evolved.  The English language (and many others) is more dynamic now than ever before and we were alive to witness the change.  That is somewhat magical in my mind.  

list·i·cle

 [lis-ti-kuhl]  Show IPA

noun

an article structured in the form of a list, typically having some additional content relating to each item:“The Best Cities for Singles” and other featured listicles.

Origin: 
list1  + (art)icle

We will put aside the fact that Nan would say that if it wasn't in the dictionary when she went to school it isn't really a word, or that she doesn't "believe" in the internet.  I am thinking she chose her words incorrectly and her intent is not as it appears.  

I hope you have learned something today.  I also hope you will use the word listicle in a conversation soon and pop back to tell me about it in the comments.  

TTT