Theme Reveal

 


  

    Well, after many years, I've decided to re-enter the A-Z Challenge.  I've missed the fun and so have already put a few posts on delay.  That way, I won't be so hard-pressed to churn something out on a daily basis.  Far be it for me to skimp on quality writing. 

"Quality?"

    March, on the other hand, will consist primarily of repeats.  Usually posts from a long time ago, though.  So they may seem new or even be new to you. 

Or not.

    Where have I been, you might ask.  And why have I decided to jump back in, you might also ask.  And, is cottage cheese really cheese, you might also also ask.

    The last time I did the challenge was 2013.  I think.  Anyway, a long, long time ago.  Basically, I stopped because I, uh, got lazy.  I figured I would concentrate solely on my books, which were sure to bring me riches beyond compare.

    Well, I haven't stopped writing my books.  In fact, I'm up to eight and hope to finish my ninth, Adventures of a Monetary Exchange Specialist, near the end of the year.  My plan is to have it ready for the Christmas shopping season.  Or Kwanzaa.  Come to think of it, is gift-giving even a thing with Kwanzaa?

Apparently yes.  Good to know.

    But, the riches never materialized.  Mostly because my books suck I haven't done a whole lot of marketing for them.  So, the excuse of having something else to do really isn't there.  After all, it doesn't put a huge stress on me to write a blog post or two.  Mind you, apart from the challenge, I'm content with a post every week or so.  It's not a huge strain.

    Unlike a diet totally devoid of fiber.

    IYKYK.

    Also, there was a period of time when I stopped writing altogether.  I was going through a rough patch and just didn't want to write at all.  So, I closed down my blog completely.

I had issues.

    However, I yearned to connect and so started up again.  While I didn't write nearly as much as I once did, I still wanted to return to writing.  Titled "Stuff and Nonsense," the intention of my new blog was to balance things with the serious and the silly.  Now, while I like being serious, I enjoy being silly more often.  I fact, even when I was being serious, I couldn't help throwing in a bit of snark here and there.

Which is why I thought this was appropriate
when talking about the Democratic National Convention
   The main problem with dumping the old blog was that I lost most of my followers (over 300).  Of course, a few of you (the old-timers) migrated over to "Stuff and Nonsense" at its inception.  Robyn, over at "Life By Chocolate," is very familiar with the bad times eight years ago.  Her blog even was infected by my personal crazy for a time.  For those who stuck with me, I thank you.  I hope you don't regret it.  You know who you are.


    In any case, I've resurrected the old "Penwasser Place."  Of course, it will be mostly silly.

  

    With a bit of serious commentary now and then.


    Now, I know you're wondering (if you haven't fallen asleep by now), what is my theme for the challenge?

    Since I like history, my theme will be history.  The "wrinkle" to this is that I will concentrate on those events in history which aren't as well-known.  You know, things which aren't covered in great detail.  Some, of course, will be common knowledge.  For example, 'P' will be 'Passover,' because I deem that be an important topic.  And 'X' will be about 'Xerxes,' because I think it's funny (of course, some of you have already read my Xerxes post and think it is not).

    I'll also try to keep things short, especially since a lot of people are posting.  Nobody can devote too much attention to long posts.


Clearly, I have failed the brevity test here

      Finally, I hope that, by doing the challenge, I'll once more ramp up my list of followers and discover even more sites to visit (Blogger is kind of a bust when it comes to exploring). 

   Oh, by the way, cottage cheese is cheese.       

24 comments:

  1. I have never heard of Xerxes, should be interesting to see what it is. and i disagree with any and all scientific evidence that seeks to prove cottage cheese is cheese.
    https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-z-challenge-theme-reveal.html

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    1. Xerxes was a Persian empe...well, you'll see...lol.
      "Cottage Cheese: Cheese or No?" has been a running joke between me and my friends since I was a teenager. HA!

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  2. The 300 followers from before? Yeah, at least half of them aren't posting anymore, so you didn't really lose anything in the migration. So many bloggers have just kind of vanished over the years, not to return. Those of us who remain are more committed (or should be committed, I'm not sure which).

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    1. THAT is very true. I'm so glad you're one of the faithful from years past.

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  3. I always like your unique twist on history! Sounds fun.
    Noticing in your sidebar how many posts you average a month, the Challenge will blow that out of the water.

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    1. It certainly will. Apart from April, I try to go to one every six or seven days. During the first iteration of "Penwasser Place," it was twice that. I'm getting older-my fingers gets arthritis.

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  4. Yeah that lady was cuckoo for cocoa puffs. I told her that Life by Chocolate was not the place for such stuff and nonsense. Speaking of, so glad you came back with Stuff and Nonsense. We love ya.

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    1. Yeah, that was a bad time. One of the last things I told her, “How dare you involve my friends in your crazy?.” Oy.

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  5. Your history will be entertaining and I'm looking forward to it.

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    1. I hope it will be. I've given myself chuckles (laughs, not the candy) as I was writing them.

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  6. Sounds fun. I'll be interested in what you come up with.

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  7. I'm pretty bad at history so hopefully I'll learn something here lol
    Debbie

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    1. I hope you do! No doubt there will be facts in every one of my posts. However, I'll sprinkle some wiseguy bits here and there (because I have fun doing so). For instance (and this is only one example), I'm pretty sure that another name for Pharaoh Djoser wasn't "Hoser."

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  8. Replies
    1. Thanks for the visit. Not all will be relatively unknown for everyone, but there will be a few.

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  9. You want lazy? Have you seen my A to Z annual mash-us? Two posts, half the letters in each. Hmm... there's an idea- one story, half the letters in each post! See how close the reader can get to the whole thing on the first post... eh, maybe not.

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    Replies
    1. That sounds pretty cool. Although it is fun to flex twenty-six posts and maybe dig up some new followers.

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  10. It’s great to see you diving back into the A-Z Challenge after all these years! I love the mix of humor and honesty in your post—your reflections on the challenge, your books, and life in general make it feel like we’re getting a glimpse into a real, relatable journey. Your decision to incorporate older posts with fresh twists sounds like a fun way to bring a bit of nostalgia into the new challenge. As for your books, keep pushing! It’s all about the process, and who knows—this next one might be the one to bring in those riches. 😊 I just shared a new post you are invited to read: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2025/03/devils-pulpit-finnich-glen-liars-spring-outlander.html. Have a lovely Thursday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! You, too. Even though I'm using older posts for March (and for 'P' and 'X'), I do update them a bit. I also include newer pictures with newer captions. So, hopefully, that will keep things fresh. I've got several posts for the challenge already written and on delay (including the aforementioned X and P posts). So, things are on schedule for me.

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  11. Sounds like we'll be in for a bit fun - and what's better than that?

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    1. I hope so. Although, I truly hope that my posts won't be used to study for a History Advanced Placement Examination. There will be many facts, to be sure. However, there will also be some facts which aren't, in fact, facts. For example, I don't think Pharaoh Djoser was also known as "Pharaoh Hoser."

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