Six Sentence Story- Just Pass the Potatoes

On 11/02/202211/02/2022 By Susan St.PierreIn 6 Sentence Stories34 Comments

PROMPT WORD: ENERGY

Henry slid the door to the minivan closed realizing the day was just getting started and he already felt exhausted.

The struggle to get his six-year-old to put on something warm before he went off to school had somehow morphed into an argument over whether that layer was called a ‘coat’, ‘jacket’, ‘sweater’ or ‘sweatshirt’ ending in a shouting match.

Once behind the wheel, he relaxed and marveled over how easily an immature mind could manage the manipulation of the main topic of ‘staying warm’ into something so trivial with such skill.

When Henry got the text from his wife that their adult son, Josh, had surprised her and had come home from college for the weekend, he decided that the day that had had a rough beginning was going to end on a ‘high note’.

At dinner, all felt right until Josh leaned back in his chair and told his parents they had a duty to buy an EV and that all fossil fuel production worldwide should stop immediately or the planet-including mankind- was DOOMED!

Henry (once he picked his jaw up from the floor) calmly told Josh that he was being a little extreme with those conclusions and that current human beings could not, and should not, take that viewpoint seriously since not only transportation but most of all products and research, including our medicines, depend predominantly on hydrocarbons to which Josh covered his ears with his hands and screamed, “Killers!” then stormed out of the room as Henry just shook his head and said, “I just don’t have the energy for two immature arguments in one day… Please pass the potatoes, dear.”

https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2022/11/02/its-thursdays-six-sentence-story-link-up-10/

Six Sentence Story- Who Might Oppress?

On 10/05/202210/05/2022 By Susan St.PierreIn 6 Sentence Stories27 Comments

PROMPT WORD: CLUB

John and Benjamin were assigned to be college roommates, so they were given each other’s email addresses and phone numbers in order for them to become acquainted prior to moving in.

Each young man was pleased that they immediately ‘hit it off’ because they’d heard so many “roommate nightmare” stories from well-meaning friends and family as well as tales about something ugly called ‘wokeness’.

Having been the valedictorians of their smalltown high schools, ‘pounding the books’ had been their primary focus so they hadn’t really explored political topics and considered themselves boringly ordinary.

On ‘moving in’ day everything went smoothly with their parents meeting and making an immediate comfortable connection giving them all a chance to recognize their similar hopes and family values which drove away some of the ‘jitters’ the parents all had about their two ‘only children’ having a great Freshman experience.

After the first week of classes, Benjamin noticed John sitting outside of the campus student center with his head in his hands and papers scattered on the ground, but he was late for a meeting with his Biology lab partner, so he figured he’d get the details later on and rushed inside only to be confronted by a full-fledged assault of young women screaming at him “Oppressor!” and physically spinning him right back out of the door!

Benjamin staggered over to John, “I’ve NEVER oppressed anyone! Is this what our parents were warning us about? I’m SO confused!” to which John responded, “Welcome to the club.”.

https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2022/10/02/sundays-six-sentence-story-word-prompt-232/
https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2022/10/05/its-thursdays-six-sentence-story-link-up-6/

Weekend Writing Prompt # 246- No Substitute for Experience

On 01/29/202201/29/2022 By Susan St.PierreIn Writing Prompts28 Comments

The new substitute sauntered into the classroom.
Fresh from university, his hubris had yet to be challenged by the streetwise.
By day’s end, his posture became stooped, his gait a shuffle.
Who knew that tenth graders could destroy an accomplished college man unarmed for a battle of wits with manipulative teenagers?

51 words

John Wayne quote: Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid.

https://sammiscribbles.wordpress.com/2022/01/29/weekend-writing-prompt-246-saunter/

Six Sentence Story- Handle This

On 09/26/202109/29/2021 By Susan St.PierreIn 6 Sentence Stories30 Comments

PROMPT WORD: HANDLE

There once was a trucker named Lewis who adopted the CB radio handle ‘The Truth’.

He had dropped out of college to pursue the lucrative trucking profession, partly to annoy his bourgeoisie parents, and partly, to avoid the mounting overwhelming debt he perceived on the horizon.

Lewis had embraced the short collegiate tutoring he’d been exposed to, though, and believed that everyone who never attended university, was stupid, so he felt assured to be the ‘best’ because of his superior intellect.

His blue collar instructors found him an infuriating challenge, during training, primarily because of his arrogant attitude and condescension, so his chosen handle was just an extension of Lewis’ know-it-all persona.

Well, Lewis made many costly mistakes and was considered a liability at his first two jobs where he was ‘let go’ swiftly due to his pigheadedness!

Presenting himself as an ‘expert driver’, on his third job application, made the skeptical employer research his references and the responses were identical, “The Truth? You can’t handle The Truth!”.

https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2021/09/29/its-six-sentence-story-thursday-link-up-179/

https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2021/09/26/sundays-six-sentence-story-word-prompt-179/

MLMM Photo Challenge #376- Choosing

On 08/04/202108/04/2021 By Susan St.PierreIn Writing Prompts11 Comments

When Michael was a high school senior, he was barraged by advice, especially, the kind that promoted going to college. He felt dizzy the whole year!

Guidance counsellors, teachers, neighbors, and his parents brought up the subject nearly on a daily basis telling him not to waste his excellent academic record on anything else. He dutifully applied to ten different universities and was accepted by three of them.

He was ranked 3rd in his graduating class of 422 so his gang of ‘college cheerleaders’ were a bit baffled that he wasn’t accepted by them all until they found out that many of those colleges were aggressively chasing minority and female candidates before white males.
Yet, Michael wasn’t discouraged in the least by those biased preferences because he secretly hadn’t even decided he wanted to go.

A journeyman electrician had spoken to his class recently and the idea of being a lineman was exciting to him. Except for being an emergency surgeon, there was no more honorable occupation than that. Many counted on electricity for their very life!

One evening, he handed his parents a brochure for a ten month trade school for electricians and appealed to their pocketbook. The training would cost about one third of one year at college and, should he decide to go to college, he’d be leaving in deep debt . He won the argument.
Some of his classmates called him an ignorant rube for making the trade school decision but Michael never looked back.

Eight years later:
He’s twenty-six and has a well paying, exciting job, has bought his own land and built a house, AND he’s debt free. He knew not one of his university classmates who could make the same claim. Who’s the ignorant rube now?

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2021/08/03/photo-challenge-376/

Random Word Story 5- It’s Final

On 03/23/201206/08/2012 By Susan St.PierreIn Random Word Stories, Sideshows2 Comments

Words generated at http://www.creativitygames.net/.

park…bank…fairy tale…microbe…aerial

Here is my story:

Today, my fate would be decided. The arduous micro-biology class would be over by noon. The only , well first, time I’d found myself overwhelmed and I wasn’t liking that feeling. Schooling had always been easy for me. My mind not only contained endless questions but quite a collection of, now useless, answers too.

Dr. Grimm had been a surprisingly entertaining professor but his class was no fairy tale. His name was comically deceiving for sure. Collecting samples on the river bank had been a breeze but identifying every microbe was going to be my nightmare.

I rubbed my hands together briskly and whispered, “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

The scene through the microscope was oddly like an aerial photo of a traffic jam. Lifting my face, I decide to treat it, just as I viewed it. Each tiny element of life would be a vehicle. YES! I can do this. I’ll organize a parking lot of sorts and be able to identify each make and model as I go.

As the clock clicked twelve, I was no longer a life-sized being and was frantically twirling in a scene only Isaac Asimov could describe. My tiny car lot had only one “SUV” left to park safely in my ordered “garage”. It was not at all familiar and my eyes strained to get a better look.

Then the door to the SUV sprang open and out popped a little man who looked just like Dr. Grimm. He waved to me and spoke.

“Well, are you going to turn this in or is this where you’re spending Spring Break?”

“What?”

I must have shouted out loud because Dr. Grimm was standing beside me repeating the phrase when I lifted my head.

“Oh, yes professor, I’m finished.”

I cringed at that word finished as I said it. In a few days, I’d learn whether I was finished or not.

The Movie That Moved Me

On 08/02/201008/02/2010 By Susan St.PierreIn SideshowsLeave a comment

It’s about stones…

If you still have vivid memories of college?

If you believe rules need to be broken, now and then?

If you believe there is a value in every life?

…you will enjoy With Honors (1994).

This movie reinforced my belief that there is value in us all and it is not from our titles and accomplishments that we grow. Who we are and the values we treasure influence how we treat each other.

The character played by Joe Pesci was an endearing fellow.

His wacky view of this world mimicked my own when it came to stones.

I enthusiastically recommend this film!

You’ll laugh and cry and feel good all over!