Category Archives: #ReaderFriday

Reader Friday-Dumbest Thing You Ever Did As A Kid

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I gotta say, I wasn’t the brightest bulb on the tree when I was a youngling. How about you?

Today’s assignment is to regale us with what, IYHO, was the grandest of dumb that you ever did as a kid.

The first (and definitely not the last on my list of dumb and dumbers…) happened in the drugstore situated next to my dad’s service station. I was 10 and my brother was 11. The school we attended was just across the street, and we often walked over after school to wheedle money out of Dad so we could go to the drugstore and get candy or soda.

That day, brainiac that I was, I tried to hide what I was buying from my brother…by sticking it in my pocket. Why? Who knows. The next thing I knew, I felt a large hand on my collar as I was hauled up to the counter. The drugstore owner called my Dad over at the station.

I’m sure you can imagine the rest of the story. Definitely not pretty.

So, TKZers, what’s the dumbest thing you remember doing when you were shorter and younger? And have you ever used it in your story-telling?

Go ahead, don’t be shy. We won’t laugh too hard at you…

 

 

Reader Friday-King of the Mountain

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Happy New Year, TKZLand!

Simple question today:  What book is King of the Mountain on your TBR pile?

 

 

 

Meaning, what is the first book you intend to read in 2025?

For me, it will be to finish Against All Enemies and start the next in the series, Friendly Fire, by our own John Gilstrap. Great stories!

So, how about you? Do tell . . .

 

 

Whew! We made it…

 

 

Reader Friday-Let’s Go To The Movies

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Hey TKZ gang! Let’s talk movie lines. We all have our favorites and I thought it’d be fun to share a few. Doesn’t have to be well-known, or spoken by a famous actor. Just one that grabbed your attention.

I have several favorites, like: We’re gonna need a bigger boat (Roy Scheider in Jaws); or, I have a very particular set of skills (Liam Neeson in Taken). And, …the future is coming and you’re not in it…” (Hammer to Mav, played by Ed Harris and Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Maverick).

But I have a new favorite, just realized the other evening when we were watching one of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible flicks. It slipped by me so quickly, I had to back up the movie to hear it again. Those movies (and we have all of them!) are more known for great action than stellar acting (sorry, Tom), but one of the bad guys had a moment. I can’t explain why the line resonated with me–maybe because it made me think about the world we live in.

Solomon Lane, played by Sean Harris

 

Here it is, spoken by bad guy Solomon Lane, played by actor Sean Harris: “Human nature, my weapon of choice . . .”

Dwell on that for a moment.

 

 

Okay, over to you, TKZers! What’s your favorite movie line?

Our TKZ holiday break is approaching, so I’ll see you again on the other side of 2024! Hope you all have a great and peaceful holiday season…

 

Reader Friday-The Weirdness of Words

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This is a post about weird.

I know, I know, there’s enough weird going around these days . . . but this weird is quite fun. Yeah, you guessed it–it’s about words, our favorite pastime here at TKZ. Specifically, about where words come from. (And I’m not talking cave walls…)

And with a nod to Garry’s fun post from yesterday, there are no Swedish words here. 🙂

I ran across this website that might just tickle your where-did-that-word-come-from fancy.

Weird Word Origins

I’m going to give you, voila!, three words whose origins are definitely over-the-top funny and unique. Here we go:

Just call me Wally…

WALRUS–The walrus is an undeniably funny-looking animal. It’s got a droopy, hangdog kind of face, grumpy-old-man whiskers, and two ludicrous-looking tusks. (No offense to any walruses who may be reading this.)

So, it seems fitting that walrus also has a funny origin story: it may literally mean “whale-horse.” Well, maybe.

Anyway, even if it’s not strictly true, the story goes that walrus comes from Dutch. Walvis means “whale” and ros means “horse.” Put it together and a walrus is a “whale-horse.” Which, if you look at this absurd animal, seems like a fitting name for it.

That wasn’t me!

 

FIZZLE–to make a hissing or sputtering sound, especially one that dies out weakly.” You know what the word originally meant? “To pass gas,” probably in that manner where you’re trying to stifle it. (Don’t pretend you don’t know what we mean.)

 

 

And, last but not least . . .

Look like anyone you know?

BONKERS—Bonkers is a funny-sounding word. It’s a humorous, softer, informal way to say “crazy” or “nuts.” Its origins aren’t clear, but bonkers is first recorded as British naval slang for “a bit drunk” in the 1940s—perhaps acting as if someone has bonked, or hit, them on the head.

So, TKZers, go ahead and find your own weird word origins, and maybe share them with us to make us snort in our cuppas!

 

Reader Friday-Let The Games Begin!

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There’s a day on the calendar I’d just as soon forget.

No, not talking about 9/11, Pearl Harbor, various mass shootings and the like. Although we should remember those events because as we well know, if we forget, we’re condemned to repeat them.

Get me outta here!

No, what I’m referencing is TODAY. Yeah, today. Don’t they call it Black Friday or some such? And why would I just as soon forget it? Skip it? Beam me over to the other side of it?

Because I hate shopping!

Not just today, but any day and twice on Sundays. Does that disqualify me to be a girl? I’ve always hated it. (Cue Deb shrugging like she doesn’t care, because she doesn’t…)      🙂

So, tell us, TKZers.

Do you shop on the day after Thanksgiving? Or do you hide, like me?

 

Reader Eater Friday-What’s On YOUR Plate?

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Thanksgiving approacheth…or so says Shakespeare.

When we think of the Thanksgiving holiday, it’d be nice if the first thing that came to mind was how grateful we should be for the blessings bestowed upon us. And how to bless others with what we have.

But often it’s all about the food, isn’t it?

Only one simple question today–let’s get it out of the way so we can go back to counting our blessings and giving some away.

TKZers, what is your favorite Thanksgiving meal? Okay, two questions. Will you gather with friends and family this year?

For us, we’ll be trekking across town to my son and daughter-in-law’s house . . . and their nine kiddos. Always a blast!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

 

 

Reader Friday-The Sound of Silence

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Ever wonder if there’s a link between creating and music? Wonder no more!

The word ‘music’ finds its roots in the Greek word ‘mousike,’ derived from the noun ‘mousa,’ meaning ‘Muse.’

Ding, ding, ding!

And, interestingly enough, the antonym of music is silence. I found those tidbits here.

 

Questions for today are: What is your favorite kind of music?

And, do you read/create in silence, or do you commune with your muse while you’re “in the zone”?

Me? Silence every time and twice on Sunday. But, for pure listening pleasure, give me that old time rock and roll, with maybe a little Debussy thrown in!

 

Reader Friday-Feeling A Bit Contrary?

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Maybe I’m just an information-stunted writer, but here’s a new word for me. Maybe for you, too?

Contronym.

(BTW, it was new to the dictionary here at TKZ, too . . . I had to add it.) But I digress.

Fun, huh?

What’s a contronym, you ask. It’s those words common to the English language that “can have opposite or contradictory meanings”. I found a website with a list of 75 contronyms. And there’s a slew of other websites you can check out if you’re feeling a bit contradictory this beautiful Friday.

I took the liberty of downloading this quick list for you, just to give you an idea of how these words “work”. (I hope you can read it.)

One of the cautions noted on this website is that, as an author, if we use one of these special words in our writing we must be clear in the context which meaning should be applied. It could get a bit confusing, right?

For instance, consider the word “aught”. If your character slams his fist down on the desk and yells, “Aught was paid!” the reader will deduce nothing was paid. Without the slamming and yelling or other contextual details, your reader won’t know if all was paid or nothing was paid.

TKZers, have you ever heard of contronyms? And can you come up with your own? (Maybe after your second or third cuppa joe?)

 

Reader Friday-Happy Author’s Day!

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I want this room in my house…

Who knew?

Apparently lots of folks! Here’s the link I found to Author’s Day when I did a search on “weird holidays”.

Straight from the website:

“November 1 is Author’s Day, a day to honor all your favorite authors and to encourage any writers in your life to keep working on their magnum opus.

Who will you encourage?

Writing is hard and writing a short story or a book is even harder. So thank your favorite authors for writing your favorite books and help budding writers and authors around you in any way you can so that they can achieve their dreams.”

Okay, TKZers, how will you celebrate today?

I’ll start by thanking each and every one of you who have taught, encouraged, and entertained me in my author/reader journey.

Over to y’all!

 

 

 

 

Reader Friday-All Hallows’ Eve

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I think I may have gone to school with him…

Halloween is one of those traditions that it seems anything goes. Some celebrate it, some don’t. Some see it as a religious holiday, and others think of it as just a time to have fun and eat lots of candy.

For Hollywood and retailers alike, it’s become a barn-burner of raking in the dough.

The one thing we can all agree on, though, is that it has some scary overtones.

So–let’s share some scary with each other.

What, in your opinion, is the scariest story ever? Can be movie, novel, short story, or maybe even a poem.

For me, it’s this one:

Never have liked clowns since watching IT, written by Stephen King…

 

Okay, TKZers, scare us with your scariest story ever…