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Writing Prompts 2022
Feb. 13th, 2022 04:37 pm02/04: Who was your worst teacher/professor? Why?
A: I forget his name, and he's passed away since. But in my first year of college I had a chamber brass instructor who was supposed to be working with two student quintets, alternating days with us. For example on MWF he'd be with my quintet, and on T-TH-Sat he'd be with the other quintet. He literally never came to any of our rehearsals or gave us any instruction. We found out later that he'd tell each group that he was with the other group on the days when we rehearsed (for example if we were meeting on MWF he'd tell us those were the days he was rehearsing the other group, and vice versa) and then he'd go home or go out to eat or do anything except be a teacher.
02/05: Who was your best teacher/professor? Why?
A: Probably my band director, Miss R. She had been teaching at the local university, but some small-town tittering over some unrealized scandal had caused her to be discreetly "let go", and she wound up teaching at my high school. So not only was I getting a better music education than I deserved, I was also being instructed by a kind, passionate, dedicated, and strong woman who encouraged me to suceed regardless of what anyone else in my life was saying at the time. I think if she hadn't been my teacher, I would have had a much less awesome life.
02/06: Is there a movie or TV show that you can watch over and over without tiring of it?
A: Sort of. I still watch Land Before Time, Fantasia, and Muppet Christmas Carol once a year at least. Same with Wolf's Rain and Game of Thrones. Somehow I never seem to get tired of these.
02/07: What are your favorite things in general?
A: Eating new and exciting foods. Having time to myself in the morning. The rare and treasured moments where I get to be mentally in the present. When my boyfriend is happy, and happy with himself. Being valued at work. Being able to do what I want without others stomping all over my plans or activities. Those very rare times I can be myself without raised eyebrows or commentary from the Peanut Gallery. Being considered a human being in the eyes of others once in a while. Silence in nature, being able to use my senses in nature. Snow.
02/08: What do you think about hunting?
A: Being from a rural place where hunting is important, I think it's important. If you don't have to worry about getting killed by a deer or a bear or a moose, or if you won't lose your livelihood because of an overabundance of herbivores or predators in your area, well good for you for having the luxury of a moral opinion about something that has zero impact on your life. Where I'm from there is an overpopulation of deer, and it's an important part of the economy to hunt them and make use of the meat/pelt/parts. For some people with disabilities or low income, hunting is one of the only ways they are able to feed their families. As far as hunting for sport, I have a lower opinion of that because as far as I know it's pretty unnecessary. But I am ignorant of it overall, so I find it difficult to pass judgement when I've never even talked to a sport hunter to find out what's behind it.
02/09: How would a stranger that met you at a dinner party describe you?
A: "Who?"
02/10: What's the most recent show you've binge watched?
A: Currently doing Downton Abbey and Vox Machina. Always on the lookout for new scifi, fantasy, or historical stuff too.
02/11: Regardless of your age, what "old person" things do you do?
A: Oh my gosh, SO MANY. I am ready to go to sleep by midnight. I don't like to drink to the point where I'll feel it the next day. I usually prefer the company of older adults. Very impatient and grumpy around children and teens. Stick to a strict diet (most of the time). Stick to a schedule, not very impulsive or flexible with my time. I don't care to learn new technology or have the latest technology. Not a gamer whatsoever. Always wearing or bringing a sweater everywhere because I hate being cold. Love to be left alone. Love quiet activities.
02/12: Do you often get the hiccups? If so, do you have a go-to cure for them?
A: Not that often but when I do there's this thing I can do that cures them immediately. When we have hiccups the diaphragm is spasming, right? I can feel the trapped air under/around that muscle. It feels like I have air in my stomach kind of. So I do this weird thing where I breathe out slowly while tensing my diaphragm. Maybe this is TMI but it's kind of a similar "pushing" action like you'd do if you were pooping, only higher up and you're trying to push inward and up, toward your spine, by emptying your lungs completely. Like, imagine trying to make your lungs completely flat while you're doing it. When I am doing this I feel a sort of burning sensation in my chest, and that's how I know I'm squeezing the trapped air out of the diaphragm area. I keep exhaling slowly and pushing all the air from my lungs until I can't any more. Then I breathe back in. and 99% of the time the hiccups are gone.
02/13: Who would you like to trade lives with for a day, and why?
A: I would have liked to trade lives with my dad. I would have taken his ass straight to a clinic for a goddamned covid shot. Stupid dumbass. But also, it would have been nice for him to have a day in my life and maybe understand a tiny fraction of why I went into music, and why I don't have kids, and why I'm not married, and why I didn't do all of those things that were expected of me. I'm not sure that one day would convey all of this but it might help with some perspective on where I was coming from, to get where I was going.
I'd also like do do this with my boyfriend. I'd like to get perspective on his life, on his depression and the way he sees things, and see if I can't find SOME positive to lift up for him to latch onto when we switch back. Similarly I'd like for him to see that my life is not a bed of roses either, and some of the tensions and struggles that continue to hound me that I keep from him because I'm afraid to make his depression worse. Mostly I just think this would be a convenient fantasy-world way of understanding each other better without the work of communicating like we're supposed to, re: "Big", "Freaky Friday", "The Shaggy Dog", etc.
A: I forget his name, and he's passed away since. But in my first year of college I had a chamber brass instructor who was supposed to be working with two student quintets, alternating days with us. For example on MWF he'd be with my quintet, and on T-TH-Sat he'd be with the other quintet. He literally never came to any of our rehearsals or gave us any instruction. We found out later that he'd tell each group that he was with the other group on the days when we rehearsed (for example if we were meeting on MWF he'd tell us those were the days he was rehearsing the other group, and vice versa) and then he'd go home or go out to eat or do anything except be a teacher.
02/05: Who was your best teacher/professor? Why?
A: Probably my band director, Miss R. She had been teaching at the local university, but some small-town tittering over some unrealized scandal had caused her to be discreetly "let go", and she wound up teaching at my high school. So not only was I getting a better music education than I deserved, I was also being instructed by a kind, passionate, dedicated, and strong woman who encouraged me to suceed regardless of what anyone else in my life was saying at the time. I think if she hadn't been my teacher, I would have had a much less awesome life.
02/06: Is there a movie or TV show that you can watch over and over without tiring of it?
A: Sort of. I still watch Land Before Time, Fantasia, and Muppet Christmas Carol once a year at least. Same with Wolf's Rain and Game of Thrones. Somehow I never seem to get tired of these.
02/07: What are your favorite things in general?
A: Eating new and exciting foods. Having time to myself in the morning. The rare and treasured moments where I get to be mentally in the present. When my boyfriend is happy, and happy with himself. Being valued at work. Being able to do what I want without others stomping all over my plans or activities. Those very rare times I can be myself without raised eyebrows or commentary from the Peanut Gallery. Being considered a human being in the eyes of others once in a while. Silence in nature, being able to use my senses in nature. Snow.
02/08: What do you think about hunting?
A: Being from a rural place where hunting is important, I think it's important. If you don't have to worry about getting killed by a deer or a bear or a moose, or if you won't lose your livelihood because of an overabundance of herbivores or predators in your area, well good for you for having the luxury of a moral opinion about something that has zero impact on your life. Where I'm from there is an overpopulation of deer, and it's an important part of the economy to hunt them and make use of the meat/pelt/parts. For some people with disabilities or low income, hunting is one of the only ways they are able to feed their families. As far as hunting for sport, I have a lower opinion of that because as far as I know it's pretty unnecessary. But I am ignorant of it overall, so I find it difficult to pass judgement when I've never even talked to a sport hunter to find out what's behind it.
02/09: How would a stranger that met you at a dinner party describe you?
A: "Who?"
02/10: What's the most recent show you've binge watched?
A: Currently doing Downton Abbey and Vox Machina. Always on the lookout for new scifi, fantasy, or historical stuff too.
02/11: Regardless of your age, what "old person" things do you do?
A: Oh my gosh, SO MANY. I am ready to go to sleep by midnight. I don't like to drink to the point where I'll feel it the next day. I usually prefer the company of older adults. Very impatient and grumpy around children and teens. Stick to a strict diet (most of the time). Stick to a schedule, not very impulsive or flexible with my time. I don't care to learn new technology or have the latest technology. Not a gamer whatsoever. Always wearing or bringing a sweater everywhere because I hate being cold. Love to be left alone. Love quiet activities.
02/12: Do you often get the hiccups? If so, do you have a go-to cure for them?
A: Not that often but when I do there's this thing I can do that cures them immediately. When we have hiccups the diaphragm is spasming, right? I can feel the trapped air under/around that muscle. It feels like I have air in my stomach kind of. So I do this weird thing where I breathe out slowly while tensing my diaphragm. Maybe this is TMI but it's kind of a similar "pushing" action like you'd do if you were pooping, only higher up and you're trying to push inward and up, toward your spine, by emptying your lungs completely. Like, imagine trying to make your lungs completely flat while you're doing it. When I am doing this I feel a sort of burning sensation in my chest, and that's how I know I'm squeezing the trapped air out of the diaphragm area. I keep exhaling slowly and pushing all the air from my lungs until I can't any more. Then I breathe back in. and 99% of the time the hiccups are gone.
02/13: Who would you like to trade lives with for a day, and why?
A: I would have liked to trade lives with my dad. I would have taken his ass straight to a clinic for a goddamned covid shot. Stupid dumbass. But also, it would have been nice for him to have a day in my life and maybe understand a tiny fraction of why I went into music, and why I don't have kids, and why I'm not married, and why I didn't do all of those things that were expected of me. I'm not sure that one day would convey all of this but it might help with some perspective on where I was coming from, to get where I was going.
I'd also like do do this with my boyfriend. I'd like to get perspective on his life, on his depression and the way he sees things, and see if I can't find SOME positive to lift up for him to latch onto when we switch back. Similarly I'd like for him to see that my life is not a bed of roses either, and some of the tensions and struggles that continue to hound me that I keep from him because I'm afraid to make his depression worse. Mostly I just think this would be a convenient fantasy-world way of understanding each other better without the work of communicating like we're supposed to, re: "Big", "Freaky Friday", "The Shaggy Dog", etc.
