Love-Hate Challenge, from my heart

/ June 3, 2015

Joey from the most excellent blog Joeyfully Stated tagged me last night in the Love-Hate Challenge.

I must have sent some sort of aura out into BloggyVille yesterday. First lilrant tagged me in the afternoon with Freestyle Writing, and then came this. Because I only carry great affection for Joey’s peculiar Indy language trotted out daily over her way, I accepted. If you’ve never witnessed her expressing herself about the Mister, the kids, the ILs, the garden, her life her way, I strongly urge you to click the link above.

The rules on this one are: 10 things I love, 10 things I hate, 10 nominees.

Off we go with my Love List.

My greeting today.

My greeting today.

I love to see the sun off the side porch of the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood in the morning.

On Cinco de Mayo.

On Cinco de Mayo.

The smile on my dear wife Karen’s face when we decide to unwind at Chadwick’s a couple of blocks down the road.

Meeting my wonderful daughter Elisabeth and her terrific boyfriend George Three anywhere.

When Karen’s great son and my fantastic stepson Daryl texts his mom back.

Our network of friends in Syracuse, and around the country, there for us.

My network of friends that I’ve met in BloggyVille, from around the world. You all are awesome, amazing me every day.

My sisters and my niece and nephew and my brothers-in-law on Long Island, where I grew up.

The opportunity to write.

The security of our Little Bitty and the beauty of our gardens.

Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle’s adventurous spirit and loving ways.

Hate is an awfully loaded word, but here’s my flip side of love.

Too much snow and cold in our Syracuse winter.

People who seem to live in a bubble and make your circumstances more challenging or even dangerous because they either don’t know or don’t care.

Too much rain and cold in our Syracuse spring and summer.

Not seeing Elisabeth and George Three and Daryl more often.

Not seeing my sisters and niece and nephew and brothers-in-law enough.

The big daily shrinking to three-days-a-week home delivery and laying me and 100 hard workers off in 2013.

Not getting a call saying “you’re it” after finalist interviews for interesting and rewarding jobs I’ve pursued since then.

Stress from freelance financial lifestyle.

Saying I have my great novel in my head but never taking any action about it.

And now my 10 blogging friends that I’m tagging to continue the challenge:

http://exileonpainstreet.com/about/

http://photobycateblog.com/about/

https://myblogismyboyfriend.wordpress.com/about/

http://ontheupcycle.com/about/

https://irishinvestigations.wordpress.com/about/

http://evilsquirrelsnest.com/about/

http://karentash.com/about-2/

https://mommacarranza.wordpress.com/about/

https://writerinsoul.wordpress.com/about/

http://assholeswatchingmovies.com/category/jay/

I hope you all choose to accept the tag and spill, spill, spill.

If I didn’t tag you and you are bursting at the seams to get your ya-ya’s out, feel free to either comment here or take on the challenge at your place. I only linked 10 because of the limits of the time and space continuum, but consider yourself welcomed, all.

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66 thoughts on “Love-Hate Challenge, from my heart”

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  7. I think you could take action about that last item in the hate list. All you have to do is write one word after another… you can do that.

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  12. I saw this first one another blog I follow, and was actually somewhat relieved to see I wasn’t one of their chosen ones. But, since you asked so nicely, I will come up with my own list… but probably wait until Sunday to post it since that day’s always open for me. Thanks for thinking of me!

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  17. This was such a sweet list of all you love, which means a lot to me. I like to know what my friend is thinking. So sorry about the hate list. Wish I could solve a few of the problems and change them to likes or loves. ha ha! Smiles to you, your wife, stepson, your sweet Elisabeth and George, too.

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  18. There’s always an underlying theme of kindness and generosity in your personal revelations, Mark, that’s why people like you so. A pox on those hiring managers! Well, that’s strong, but you know what I mean. Say hello to your silver sister bride who really does light up a room with her smile.

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    • Thank you, Barbara. It’s hard to be trying to get hired at our age. You’re fortunate that you made the choice to step away from the realtor business and do what you do as you do it. Yay. I’ll go to plans F through Z. 🙂

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  20. Great post bro. Mark Everything you love is summed up in almost one word — family. Well, maybe 2 words — home – family. And you really don’t hate much, which is so inspiring to me. I think that is why I have been drawn to you from the beginning. I doubt that I could come up with only 10 things that I love or hate, so mine could be condensed into Love — Life, Family, Home, Hate — RENOVATION. That pretty much covers it. The rest would come more under Like or Dislike, totally different from love and hate. Hate is such an extreme word and so misused. Sorta like the difference between NEED, and WANT.

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    • Thanks, sis Angie. You read me well. And I had to put the qualifier about the hate thing, too. I hate to use hate. Strongly dislike is more like it. Have a great night in your renovated cooled off Kentucky apartment.

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      • It’s just cooled off so far bro Mark. I’ll be one of the last to move into a renovated one. I might be evicted before that happens though. I’ve reported our lack of working elevators to HUD, KY State Gov., reporter, and right now I can’t remember all the rest. Of course I’ve just been given the run around from all of them, but at least I tried. I prefer “strongly dislike” also, but I’m quickly changing that to “almost hate” in this situation. Another “almost hate” are the lies from the office about what is actually happening, and the fact that so many people still believe what they hear. The fact that I am totally held prisoner at the moment, because there is no way out for me, unless I have an emergency, and then they “might” take me down on the lift that was built for moving the construction people up and down the building. Even they don’t want to ride on that, because one person has already been killed doing that. Big sigh. Go eat a pizza for me, okay?

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      • Yes, strongly dislike is a good description for those who continue to make you all live without an elevator, sis Angie. I agree. Sorry you suffer that disservice as well as being the last to get a renovated space. 😦

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      • None of that matters any more, since everything has been put in the proper Perspective. Logan is dead, and if I had been paying more attention to family and less to this aggravation, I might have been able to talk to him, and possibly kept him feeling that he had something to live for.

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      • Thanks bro Mark. I’ve been neglecting WP since it happened, but just posted again. I’m learning how to breathe again now.

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  21. Whoa, your wife’s a hottie!
    So here I am, hanging out, and wondering where to start without turning anything into a rant.

    10 things I love:
    1. My sweet little trouble making puppies – Herbie, Gertie, Fudgie, and Bronx. Nothing beats the tail-wagging greeting I get EVERY TIME I LEAVE THE ROOM. Plus puppy kisses. And twirls every time I come within 5 feet of the patio door.
    2. Diet Pepsi. Couldn’t get through a day like today without it. Okay, I can, and I have, but it’s my treat, and I’m indulging right now.
    3. Good walking weather. More sun, less rain. Not so humid that I faint on a stranger’s lawn.
    4. Movies at the drive-in. Making out at the drive-in.
    5. When a good song comes on the radio. When I’m smart enough to slip in my own mix tape, I am genuinely happy and surprised that EVERY song is a good song!
    6. Convertible weather. I mean, top down weather. Convertible tans!
    7. Reading in the bath. Bonus points for wine!
    8. New nieces and nephews. News of new nieces and nephews. Old nieces and nephews. News of them too, especially if delivered by them, in weird little toddler bursts.
    9. Sending mail to grandmas. So darned appreciative!
    10. The one in ten chance that the macarons I’m baking turn out!

    10 things I hate:
    1. Walking the skin right off your heels. Walking the bandages off the next day.
    2. Soggy bread.
    3. People who drive with their turn signals on.
    4.Chronic pain. Having a particularly bad day of it. People illegally using handicapped spaced when I am having a particulary bad day.
    5. People who use cellphones in public restrooms.
    6. How only racist people leave comments to online newspaper articles, and how I can’t help reading them, and how I can’t help getting riled up over them.
    7. How quickly you have to touch up your roots when they’re purple.
    8. Weird meat things. Meat loaf. Meat pie. Loose meat.
    9. That one time I dropped a very good cigar in the hot tub.
    10. The nine in ten chance that the macarons I’m baking don’t turn out ;(

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    • Great lists, Jay. You are forever interesting, my friend. Hey, gang, if you’ve never, click on Jay’s name and check out her movie reviewing blog. Interesting collective over there.

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  22. The main thing I took away from all of this is your love and appreciation for family. Too often these days that seems like a lost trait. Also, I’m sorry to hear about the layoff from the company. Goes to show that we never know what tomorrow will bring, but it seems as though you’re trying to make the best of things.

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