A Cold December Day

Kamál (Perfection), 9 Masá’il (Questions), 173 BE - Monday, December 19, 2016 AD about 10:31 AM Pacific Standard Time 

It's a cold December day in Las Vegas. 

It's a day that reminds me of Oklahoma 

Without the snow. 

On days like this 

The cold seeps into my bones 

Chilling the marrow 

And sending shivers up my spine. 

It's a cold December day 

In Las Vegas 

Causing me to layer 

My sweatshirt and sweaters 

Like my Grandmother did 

On snowy days 

In Oklahoma. 

A Week Before Christmas

Jamál (Beauty), 8 Masá’il (Questions), 173 BE - Sunday, December 18, 2016 AD about 8.26 AM Pacific Standard Time 

It's a week before Christmas and all through the town 

People are madly driving around, 

Looking for presents to  place under the tree, 

While the memories of my childhood are returning to me. 

I don't celebrate Christmas anymore, but I do write stories, poems, and blog entries about the Christmases of my childhood and youth. Some of my poems are parodies of secular Christmas carols, while others contain Christmas memories that standout in my mind. At 69, soon to be 70, years old I have some wonderful, weird, and spectacular memories of Christmases past. 

Some of these memories are about my grandfather purchasing a live Christmas tree, while others center around the first artificial aluminum Christmas tree on the market. Yes, when I was a young person, Grandpa bought an aluminum tree. I'm not sure why he did, perhaps because Grandma wanted one or maybe because it was the newest one out. Grandpa always attempted to give Grandma everything she wanted. Grandpa also liked to have the latest technology and the aluminum trees were the newest Christmas technology at the time. 

I don't think I've written a poem or story around that aluminum tree. I'll have to do that this week. I usually write my Christmas memories the week before Christmas and the week after Christmas. However, I think I started earlier this year with some of my Christmas stories. Those didn't contain any of my memories and I have to write a couple that contain my memories of Christmas. 

Seven Days and Counting

Jalál (Glory) 7 Masá’il (Questions), 173 BE - Saturday, December 17, 2016 AD about 1:25 PM Pacific Standard Time 

Seven days and counting not to Christmas, but to my birthday. On Saturday, December 24, I will celebrate my 70th birthday. I have no plans to do anything except stay home and write or sing Happy Birthday to myself. I won't be alone because I have a roommate. I don't think we'll make a big deal of my birthday. I'm not sure I want to make a big deal of it. 

I'm not precisely sure how I feel about turning seventy years old. It isn't like I've been seventy years old before. I usually don't make a great event of any of my birthdays.  Perhaps I'll revise my bucket list, after all I don't know how many more years I have on this world. I would like to live to be at least one hundred years old; however, I know that the unexpected happens and a person never really knows how long they will be on this plane of existence. 

My mother wanted to live to be one hundred, but she died in 2012 at the age of 91. She lived a good life up until the last couple of years of her life. Mom died of Alzheimer's disease which stole all her joy of living and her memory. The last few months of her life was hard on her and the entire family.  I miss Mama so much. I would have liked to have celebrated my 70th birthday with her. I celebrated 65 birthdays with Mama, she died only a few weeks before my 66th birthday. I won't celebrate alone this year, but I won't celebrate it with Mama. 

Midweek Reflections: Sometimes I Just Want to Give Up

'Idál (Justice), 4 Masá’il (Questions), 173 BE - Wednesday, December 14, 2016 AD about 11:11 AM Pacific Standard Time 

Sometimes I just want to give up! Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel, but I know that I shouldn't do that. I know that I need to keep going and attempt to remain positive about the entire situation because eventually it will get better. This morning my car, whom I will call George, won't get out of park. This is not the best way to start a Wednesday. This isn't how I felt earlier today. 

When I woke up, I was in a positive mood. I felt good and then my friend went to take George for a drive. He (my car) wouldn't get out of park. I called Triple AAA to get the car towed to the alley which they couldn't do because the mechanic I use will come to the house and fix the car. Triple AAA couldn't tow George to the alley. I told them to forget it for now. 

When the mechanic came he got In the car and took it out of park. George (the car) works now. Which is good because I still need to go up for meds on Friday, if I have the money to pick up my prescription and pay the power bill at the same time. If I can't do both then the prescription will have to wait because I can't be late with the power bill this month. I may not be able to pick up my medication at all this month because I still have to get my driver's license renewed before December 24 and pay one more bill.  

On the bright side, I'm feeling more positive which helps because I have a lot of work to do online. Being depressed doesn't help me work. In fact, being depressed causes me to procrastinate which causes my work to pile up and deepens my depression.  

Midweek Reflections about the End of the Year on Sunrise Avenue

‘Idál (Justice), 16 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Wednesday, December 7, 2016 AD about 9:45 AM Pacific Standard Time 

Until the past couple of week there's been very little excitement on Sunrise Avenue. That has changed and not for the better. At the end of November there was a murder in apartment number seven. Then last week the woman in apartment two died of a heart attack. This last Sunday there was a fire in the apartment house across the street. Today there was a fire in an apartment building at the east corner of Sunrise and Eastern. I could do with less stress causing excitement. 

I don't know what's going to happen the rest of the month. I hope things calm down for a while, at least long enough for me to find another place to live. I would like to find something a little cheaper, but I'm not sure there is any place cheaper in this town. I looked at several places online and all of the one or two bedroom apartments are more expensive. I'll have to add a prayer for assistance to the prayers for protection . I know if we're supposed to move something will come up. 

In Praise of Coffee

Fiḍál (Grace), 15 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Tuesday, December 6, 2016 AD about 13:36 PM Pacific Standard Time 

There is nothing like a strong black cup of coffee to get the day off to a good start. This morning, as usual, I brewed a fresh carafe of Folgers black silk coffee because this is my favorite brand and blend. I have coffee every morning, but I don't always have pre-ground coffee. Sometimes, on special occasions, I purchase coffee beans and grind my own coffee. It's been a long time since I purchased coffee beans, so I think I need to purchase a small bag. I love the smell of fresh ground coffee as much as I love the aroma of it brewing. 

I learned to drink coffee from Grandpa Frank, my mother's father. Every morning he would make a fresh pot of coffee before he went to work. He would drink a cup and then fill his thermos bottle before packing his lunch to go to work. On Saturday and Sunday, his days off, he would continue to brew coffee all day long. Grandpa used a percolator instead of a coffee maker. 

Motivational Monday: Today's Motivation

Kamál (Perfection), 14 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Monday, December 5, 2016 AD about 12:59 PM Pacific Standard Time 

The rear brakes are finally fixed. We can now drive the car without them squeaking or making other weird noises. It's amazing how much motivation I can get from a car working properly even when I'm not planning to drive it until next week. We purchased the parts for the breaks at Autozone on Saturday and it took the guy all weekend and half of this morning to fix them. 

Another thing that motivated me today are the surveys. I know I've complained numerous times that they don't pay enough, but I was able to request a little over $70.00 from three survey groups last week. One of them sent the money to my PayPal account and the other two are sending me checks. I'm still going to need at least another $100.00 or so before the end of the month because I still have to get my driver's license renewed and pay the power bill, which is up $2.00  from last month.  

The third thing that motivates me, which I should have listed first because it's the most important motivation of all is prayer.  The prayers of Baha'u'llah, The Bab, and 'Abdu'l-Baha are the best motivation I experience.  

Sunday Morning Wake Up Call

Jamál (Beauty), 13 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Sunday, December 4, 2016 AD about 1:40 PM Pacific Standard Time 

My wake up call came about 4:00 AM with three fire trucks in front of my apartment building. There was a fire in the building across the street. The bedroom in one of the first floor apartments caught on fire; however no one knows how it happened. We still don't know what happened and probably won't know until sometime next week. 

Anyway I woke up and was unable to get back to sleep. I should take a nap, but I'm not even going to attempt that until later this afternoon. I'm waiting to hear how the repair of my brakes are going.  I purchased the parts at Autozone yesterday morning and the mechanic started working on them about noon. He still hasn't got them finished, I hope they're finished today. I'm not going to worry about it because I had no plans for tomorrow anyway. 

I think my roommate has or rather had plans for tomorrow. I hope the brakes are finished by then because otherwise she won't be able to go anywhere. I still have to get my driver's license renewed this month and I'm going to have to see my doctor for a follow-up of my mammogram. I think it will be at the doctor's office sometime next week, so I'll have to see my doctor either this week or next week. I don't want to be stuck in this apartment any longer than I have to.  

On the First Thankful Thursday of December 2016

Istijlál (Majesty), 10 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Thursday, December 1, 2016 AD about 12:32 PM Pacific Standard Time 

The year is drawing to a very cold end and expensive end. I have to get my driver's license renewed on or before December 24. In addition to the driver's license I need to get the breaks worked on in the car which will cost about $150.00 with parts and labor. I also have other bills to pay and this means I'm probably way over budget for the month of December. 

This situation caused me some trepidation and tears this morning. It made me wonder what I have to be thankful for. I said some prayers and requested two small checks from some survey groups I participate in. I am still bothered about raising the rest of the money, but at least I have a bit over $50.00 coming in. I do not know where the rest of the money is going to come from; however, I am putting that situation in God's hands and will continue to pray about it. 

Today I am thankful... 

...that my bank account is not overdrawn; 

...that I still have an active internet connection to my apartment; 

...for fresh brewed Folgers black silk coffee; 

...for the prayers revealed by The Bab and Baha'u'llah; 

...that I have a paid up membership on writing.com until June 30, 2017; 

...that despite all the difficulties I am facing I can still find something to be thankful for; 

...that I received a beautiful Christmas card through the mail a couple of days ago. 

...that I have a flannel nightgown to keep me warm at night. 

...that I have a picture of 'Abu'l-Baha sitting on the T.V. stand next to my computer desk. 

...for Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches. 

Thanksgiving Memories

Istijlál (Majesty), 3 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Thursday, November 24, 2016 AD about 9:19 AM Pacific Standard Time

I'm grateful for the memories that come on Thanksgiving. One of those memories was Thanksgiving 2012, which was Mama's last Thanksgiving on this material plain. We didn't have a big Thanksgiving because I had to cook for just the two of us. I fixed Stove Top with turkey gravy from a and a Marie Calender's pumpkin pie with Cool Whip. Mom always liked to put Cool Whip on her pumpkin pie so that's what we ate. I also think we had some sort of meat, probably fowl of some type. Maybe sliced turkey or a turkey burger. Mom wasn't up to eating much. 

We ate our Thanksgiving lunch while we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, one of Mom's favorite activities on Thanksgiving. Mom ate some of the dressing with gravy and then she ate her pumpkin pie with a cup of coffee. Mama always drink black coffee when she at pie, in fact Mom normally drink her coffee black. One week after Thanksgiving, on November 29, she died. 

Daylight Saving Time Comes to an End

Jamál (Beauty), 4 Qudrat (Power), 173 BE - Sunday, November 6, 2016 AD about 10:16 AM Pacific Standard Time 

Daylight Saving Time came to an end this morning at 2:00 AM. I woke up at, what I thought was, 2:00 AM; however, when I looked at my cellphone it read 1:00 AM. I sighed and went back to sleep. This is the first time I've awakened at 2:00 AM on Time Change Sunday (my name for the day when Daylight Saving Time either begins or ends). Normally, I sleep through the event and go on to wake up rested and refreshed. 

This morning I feel neither rested or refreshed. I feel depressed. I'm not sure why I'm depressed because just the changing of time shouldn't cause me to feel sad. Maybe it's everything that's going on in my life. I know there is a change coming, but I'm not sure what it is. I hope it's a new and cheaper apartment or an increase in income. It would be even nicer if it were both. It would also be nice if the time didn't fall either back or leap forward, but remained the same all year round. 

NaNoWriMo Day 1: 2,025 Words Written

Fiḍál (Grace), 18 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 173 BE - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 AD about 6:02 PM Pacific Daylight Time 

I exceeded my Day 1 NaNoWriMo word count goal. This means that I have some time to do other things besides working on my NoNo book. This year I'm a NaNo Rebel which means that I'm doing some personal writing instead of working on a novel. This year I decided to take some personal time when it comes to writing. 

I chose to do this in blog style with the date and time at the top of each entry. The heading will look similar to the heading I use in this blog. I will attempt either a daily or every-other-day update of my November writing effort. I don't know precisely what each entry will contain because the only planning I did was to write a few ideas for each day's entry and plan the format of the date at the top of the first page of the entry.