Month: April 2018 | the Wakefield Doctrine - Part 2 Month: April 2018 | the Wakefield Doctrine - Part 2

Finish the Sentence Friday -the Wakefield Doctrine- “Now! (semi)Live Streaming! (sorta)”

April 20, 2018 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

(I’ll ask you to believe me when I say, “I have no idea why this photo jumped out at me.”)

This is where I spend my Fri(Satur)days. At the bloghop that started it all.* The Primae of Primae** the Finish the Sentence Friday ‘hop.

Hosted by Kristi and Kenya and their retinae of remarkably talented bloggorinae, each week we are invited to either: a) Finish the Sentence, 2) Create a 10 Item List, c) Post a(n) intriguing photo or, and hopefully this describes the current week, b) write a post in SOCish.  Five minutes of stream of consciousness. Just, you know, to see what shows up on our respective computer screens.

So, please join in. The more the merrier! (And the bigger the group, the less this post will stand out. Thank you. (Well, since you asked… the reason is because, here at the Doctrine theres the little matter of a certain Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules) and one of those Rules states, (in part): “…[w]hen an idea (for) a post is actualized into either typed (or other transferable media) in a draft form, t(hat) post needs to be the post, if, in fact, the intended outlet is accessed (ibid. op. cit. BoSR/SBoR ed. 2014)”

So, with further adieu:

*  perhaps more precise to say, ‘that started me on a road into the inhabited sections of a certain, virtual world, aka the blogosphere

** ‘real’ Latin… sorta

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Six Sentence Story -the Wakefield Doctrine-

April 19, 2018 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

Of late, the most difficult part of writing a Six Sentence Story is trying to settle on ‘an effect’ (of the story). (Wait…you gotta hear this! You know what I’ve actually had to do to come up with ideas? ‘Play’ the word in my head, like a repeating song fragment …all day. Then (hopefully) have a dream that involves the prompt word. Once that happens, the rest is typing. Weird, huh?)

In any event, each week our host, Denise, provides a ‘prompt word’ and invites each and all of us to write a story six sentences in length. Not five. Certainly not nine. Not even seven! Six sentences. (Gotta be that way, otherwise the name of the ‘hop would have to be changed.)

Thinking about a certain little canine with a jutting jaw and a rakish manner as one use of this week’s prompt word comes to mind. (“Hey! Joules!  ARR!!”)

This week, the word is:

HATCH

As he drew nearer the three people in front of the house, the feeling of loss and regret spread like floodwaters through his marginal self-awareness, leaving only rooftops and tall trees where once there was his normal life; it seemed that he was in a car, not that that mattered, as he didn’t recognize the house nor care how he came to be wherever he was, all the hallmarks of a half-lucid dream. Knowing, or at least being aware of knowing, why he should feel so bad had as little impact on his emotional response to the scene as a fly walking across the screen of a drive-in theater.

Standing together, the too-young child suddenly made the man and the woman’s altered appearance reasonable; inferential linchpin hammered home, brought acceptance of the fact that, in this reality, they, like him, were older too.

Like an exhausted swimmer feeling the first touch of a sandy-but-solid bottom, he reminded himself none of it was real, ‘…an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato‘, unfortunately neither the sense of being in a dream nor his own cleverness blunted the realization that crying was the law of gravity in this new/old world.

He grinned ruefully at the image he’d previously found to enhance his initial idea for a story, some of the never-to-be-written story whispered, ‘Once secured, the deck hatch keeps the boat from sinking in the storm, even as the ocean waves wash over the deck, seeking a way inside.’

‘Shit, maybe I’ll stick to just making up a story next time’, he thought, sipping the coffee, waiting with just a touch of desperation for it’s anti-stimulant effect on the continued sense of loss, as the rainy morning washed the night into day.

 

 

 

(oddly related, optional music)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqWqCuHR0Og

 

 

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Tuesday -the Wakefield Doctrine- “…man! the lengths to which I’ll go to avoid writing.”*

April 17, 2018 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

* What lengths? I will tell you ‘what lengths’. This post you’re reading? I wrote it to avoid having to write.

No, seriously. Of course, there is writing and there is writing.

(A little backstory.)

I’m beginning the ‘re-write/second draft’ phase of my book, ‘Almira’. Complete with a beginning and an end, it remains, however, a first draft. I have no real problem with the idea that one draft is mostly likely not all it will take. In fact, I’m following the advice, ‘Set it aside for a while, months, a year, even. Then go back and read it again.’

So I finished reading ‘Almira’ this weekend. Still a good story. However, this time I can see some areas that would benefit from a re-write. My sentences resemble my thought structure, (‘Ulysses’, but with commas). The most important thing for me is that I still like the characters. Maybe even more than the first time I read it. Actually, this is kinda the first time I’ve the story in it’s entirety. The first time through I was writing as I read.

So, whats this about avoiding writing? The feeling of avoidance I’m experiencing is sorta like ‘Writers block’ except it manifests as doubt as to ability rather than creativity. That voice that whispers so convincingly that I can’t write good. (lol)

Anyway, thats all for this post. I will be writing the second (and third and however many necessary) drafts until It is totally done. Talking it out like this is very helpful. As a clark, for whom the world is to a certain, but very real degree, imaginary, knowing someone is listening is quite beneficial. Thank you.

I don’t tend to publicize my writing jones, at least not to people in the ‘real’ world. But on the occasion that someone does learn of it, more often than not, they’ll say something like, ‘That sounds like a very interesting hobby. You must really love writing.’ I almost always reply, ‘I enjoy having written.’

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TToT -the Wakefield Doctrine- “…a tale of parts and the whole.”

April 14, 2018 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

‘Black dog on a milk chocolate couch with a nougat quilt’ (Jigsaw that, Phyllis)
(Landscape orientation)
Una is sitting in the middle of a leather upholstered loveseat that is in backed-up to the front picture window in our living room. The window itself is not in the photo. The effects (of the location) and the wear on the loveseat’s location are.
The top edge of the back of the couch are washed out by the light coming through the un-seen window. The cushions of backrest nearest the camera are indented and crushed out of shape, as if a weight had been placed on the top of cushions. Looks to be a weight of about fifty-four pounds, squeezing the top edge down to the middle of (the cushion).
Una is sitting facing the camera but looking to her left (the camera’s right). Given that the only thing to Una’s left is the crushed back cushion and the picture window, it would appear that she is thinking that there is something outside that requires barking at.
Una is sitting in the classic sphinx position (two front paws straight out in front of her, hind legs bent and folded in the back and her head aloft and alert. Her snout is point towards the camera and, as we mentioned, her eyes are looking to her side and we only just noticing, one of her ears is aimed in the direction of her eyes. No, seriously. Her right ear if a slightly-rounded black triangle, we can see just a hint of lighter colored hair in her inner ear. But her left ear is a wedge shape. The open part of her, at right angles to us appears a flat plane and the wedge is the concavity of her outer ear.
Her ears are independently aimable.
As implied in the title, the leather is a soft, milk chocolate and the comforter thats draped over the back is like, a light butterscotch. An anemic yellow, if there is such a color.

Given the subtitle that showed up this morning, experience has taught me to keep it moving. Hey! Josie, thanks for the invite and keepin the old clubhouse all ready and available. We all appreciate it.

Item (1) the Wakefield Doctrine. ’cause, well, sine qua, right?

Item (2) the virtual world. it’s not like the Doctrine wouldn’t exist without it. because there was a ‘theory of clarks, scotts and rogers‘ from, like 1984. it’s just that I get to meet so many more people ‘in here’ than I would ‘out there’1 And, with the numbers, the odds of meeting remarkably talented and caring people (not always qualities found in the same person) increases, exhibitiously.*

Item (3) grateful for the fact that those who come here more than once, on purpose, are those possessed of the kind of mind that enjoys the occasional ms from more far-flung realities.

Item (4) go back… three is/was a double

Item (5) the underlying theme today: self improving oneself and 15andmeowing. (Wait! This will make sen…. well, wait anyway). We all know that the Wakefield Doctrine is, among other things, a particularly useful tool for self-improvement. (Hint: while we all live in one and only one of the three characteristic worldviews, i.e. Outsider, Predator and Herd Member, we retain the potential of the other two. Thats not to say that I can pass for a roger just because I feel like it. That is to say that sometimes, under duress, I will look like a scott in how I react to a situation, or as if I were a roger. What all this means is that I already have within me the ‘improvements’ that I seek.)

(…ok, I’m getting to it.) So 15andmeowing, on one of her posts a while ago, had a link to one of those online jigsaw puzzle sites. Kinda fun. She mentioned her time (to complete the puzzle)  uh oh.… so, naturally2 I tried again. And, equally naturally, I found a site and started playing. I mentioned this to Phyllis (Item (7)) and she started to play as well. She immediately became better at the game than I was. I thought, not surprisingly, ‘What does the Doctrine say about this?’3

Anyway… the self-improvement part. I find that when I’m trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle, whenever I just move pieces together, without thinking, I am very much quicker. The lesson? Don’t think, trust the self. aka, ‘get out of your own way’.**

Item (6) Una. My role model. To live and act in the here and now.

Item (7) Phyllis. A roger with a significant secondary clarklike aspect.

Item (8) THIS SPACE AVAILABLE! (Now, this is usually meant as an option for anyone not yet ready to post a full-on TToT but would like to get their electronic toes wet…. (eww some how creepier than I would have thought).

In any event we have a Commentation situation developing with our hostinae, Josie. Who hasn’t felt that sinking feeling after writing one damn fine comment and seeing some lame-ass computer generated message about how ‘You can’t do that’. Josie emailed her comment, which we are proud to present, uncut, unedited, in its entirety, in the our little BLOCKQUOTE Theatre.  (Be sure to get over to and make sure she knows we got her back, commentistically-speaking.)

Thanks, it is my pleasure to be able to provide a place where we can meet up and exchange our thoughts on gratitude each week, it must be one of the most positive web addresses that there is!

I love stopping by your blog, it is always an experience in another reality that challenges my mind to keep up and makes me smile.  I suspect that at times you are smiling as you write and annotate too!

This is such a beautiful photo of Una, perfect blend of colors for us to see her well, and you are right about dogs (and cats) teaching us to live in the now, not stressing about yesterday or tomorrow, accepting life as it comes, and accepting us with all our faults and flaws… that’s a big one, something people find much harder to do!

The virtual world is my favorite place to hang out, all my friends live there, and what an eclectic bunch it is!  I think that’s the fascination and satisfaction of the experience… meeting people in far-flung places and discovering that we are more alike than different. 

The Doctrine is a very cool thing that is indeed useful in putting things in perspective. I loved the commentary on Clarks and puzzles… right on target.  We really can’t just take anything at face value and the boring order of routine, so it takes us longer as we toy with possibilities.  Finding new apps to try and to share is one of the things I love about the Internet. We get to try new things and improve skills on old ones.  Who would have thought we’d one day be doing jigsaw puzzles online or creating pottery late at night as Zoe and I sometimes do with the pottery app she found.  It’s all fun, and it’s all a step toward self-improvement, as is the efforts we put into our writing.   I also play “Scrabble” much better now than I did when I first started on Words with Friends, it’s great for exercising my fuzzy brain.

As always, I smile when you refer to the infamous BOSR or SBOR in your posts. It takes me back to a time when SSS was quite a social hangout and the drive to come up with that tenth item was strong enough to inspire creative ways to accomplish same.  I think all facets of life should have BOSR’s that we can add to and imiplement as needed.  If there must be rules, why must they be inflexible?  Hence my determination that “my blog… my rules” and I shall use an ex word for the X post in the A-Z Challenge.

Thank you for faithfully sharing here each week and giving us things to think about, you are an original and I like that a lot!

Item (9) The Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules) which states, in part, ‘…a participant, cognizant of and amendable to the imposition of the rules pertaining to presenting a List of Ten Things of Thankful, may [p]rovided the words ‘Thankful’ (substitutions of grat, gratitude or ‘landscape orientation’ permitted) in said list, can use pretty much anything that wanders into their awareness, like a child into their parent’s bedroom at midnight…op cit, ibis. (ed. 2018)’

Item (10) Secret Rule 1.3

 

1) hey! think you might be a clark but not sure? (and really crossin your fingers…please come out scott or…roger) try this: you wake up in the morning and the world takes shape around you and you think, ‘ok we can do this thing… lets get out there and deal with the world’ good morning, clark!

2)  not to say that only those of us from Y Chromia see the mention of a completion time as red a flag. it’s just that part of my genetic code (‘AGCTGGCAT’, to be precise) lol says ‘You better do better than that!’

3) rogers will always be better at jigsaw puzzles than clarks (and scotts) because the reality that they (rogers) exist in is a reality in which everything is related. If everything is already related then all they need to do (playing a jigsaw) is remember how the pieces go today. A clark, on the other hand, sees that parts all spread out on the screen and tries to use the parts to create a picture.

*  my modest attempt at a rogerian expression

** kinda advice for clarks, as opposed to rogers and scotts, ya know?


Music Vid

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Finish the Sentence Friday -the Wakefield Doctrine- ‘I’ll finish it, if and when I decide’

April 13, 2018 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

“You’re all still here…*”

Lets get to the instructions from our two favorite ladies-in-waiting, Kristi and Kenya.

Hey all! This week, we’re doing a listicle of “10 things I hate more than anything.” Feel free to make your list about things you don’t like, things you wish you could change… once I saw it again, I texted Kenya saying “uhhh, what were we thinking?” Her advice “You have to be kind of cranky.”
The linkup will go live Thursday night at 10pm eastern time and will stay open through late Sunday night.
Link up with Kenya here: https://www.kenyagjohnson.com
or me (Kristi) here: http://www.findingninee.com/

So hope to see you there!

Ayiiee.

I have long been of the opinion that Finish the Sentence Friday is the most subversive of the bloghops. (As a clark) I am, of course, genetically-predisposed to play my cards close to the vest. Not that there is anything invasive or prying in Finish the Sentence Friday prompts. They’re just words (or list topics or incomplete sentences) that, like a certain candy-and-cake encrusted house in the forest, wait for those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time in the virtual forest at the end of each week.

Ten Things I hate more than anything….   ten things….   hate….

Wait, no, I’m good. Just need to organize my thoughts (no, I don’t think consolation in the form of the percentage of writers who find themselves unable to write is really overly helpful) I. Am. Not. Embarrassed. Just give me a second.  One…. right here. Ok 1) … (They say going in the opposite direction is the best way to proceed when self-blocking)….

-1 the Wakefield Doctrine (’cause not only does it allow you to know more about the people in your life than they know about themselves, it will actually allow you to predict future behavior)

-2 the blogosphere (because thats where the friends who enjoy the contemporary me hang out)

-3   …. no, this reverse shtick is never gonna last through Ten

Wait, stop with the clever, reverse/negative numbering ‘list’ thats so like pretending-to-almost-dance-while-standing-behind-your-friends-at-your-first-high-school-sock-hop, clark.

I hate to admit it, but either I don’t have anything that I really hate or I have succeeded in putting the negatives far-enough-under-the-bed as to no longer be distinguishable from the old sneakers and box of memorabilia or… I’ve broken my outrage. (I suspect that last thing. Not so much that I no longer feel outrage, god knows there’s no shortage of things to feel outrage at, it’s just that I’ve made a conscious effort to put the real me (if there is such a thing) out of reach of the general world so that I have as much energy for the real things in my life.)

…or I’ve gotten too old and jaded to work up a decent outrage.

Now that would piss me off.

 

 

 

 

 

* borrowed from one of my favorite songs, ‘Hollow Moon’**

**reproduced below for your listening pleasure, provided (and this is the all-too-considerate-warning) that you’re good with adult language and/or swear words. Only one, but it’s a good one.

 

 

 

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