I haven’t done every day’s assignments but I am still following along with the Writing 101 class.  Here’s today’s writing challenge /  assignment:

Write a post based on the contrast between two things — whether people, objects, emotions, places, or something else.

Today’s twist: write your post in the form of a dialogue.

This is another kind of writing I haven’t done since I was a kid, but it lends itself perfectly to me expanding on my last post about trying to feed my kids healthy food, or get them to do anything else healthy…

“So, Mad, you want to help me make dinner?” I asked my daughter through her closed door.  I had to ask loudly as she was blasting screamo (we used to call it punk and I like it but won’t admit that to her) AND watching Supernatural on her tablet)

“I’m good”

“I didn’t ask if you were good or not, I asked if you were going to help me make dinner” I helpfully reminded her.

“What are you making?”

“I’m trying out this new vegan recipe I found” I told her.

“Ewww, I’m good.”

OK, seriously?  I opened her door. “I was just pretending to give you a choice, come out and chop a tomato.”

Much eye rolling, dragging of feet, and asking if everyone could make their own dinners tonight ensues.

Finally we were both in the kitchen and she watched me pull the ingredients out of the fridge. Cue predictable teen enthusiasm.

“I hate mushrooms.”

“I hate dill”

“I don’t like soy sauce”

“What is that even?”
I told her “rice noodles, it’s something different.”

“I don’t like rice.”

In a voice I was pretty sure (but not totally sure) the neighbors couldn’t hear “It’s NOT RICE, it’s rice noodles.  You can’t hate it, you’ve never even tried it!”

“I hate rice.”

Seriously?

Me, “Oh good god I’ll make it myself. I should have just made a frozen pizza.”

The worst part of all?  None of us liked it.  It was a cool recipe but we all found out we only like dill when it’s part of a pickle.  Even worst?  I made myself eat everything on my plate to prove a point.

Even knowing that I don’t care too much for dill I think it looked dang good halfway through making the sauce.

On the plus side I think with some modifications (no dill, maybe some hot peppers) this could be pretty good.

Do you have your kids help cook?  If so do they enjoy it or not so much?  My kids can actually all 3 cook better than I did at their ages, but they prefer to cook when it isn’t considered helping.  Especially if I foolishly say the V word!

Today’s Writing 101 writing assignment:

We’re all drawn to certain places. If you had the power to get somewhere — anywhere — where would you go right now? For your twist, focus on building a setting description.

Two of my favorite places are the start and the finish of a run.  These two places can be very, very close to each other in space but they are really very, very far apart in every way that matters.

The starting line of my first mud run (which was also my first race of any kind) was a pretty terrifying and exhilarating place.  There was a group of perfect, could have been model girls off to the right all in matching running outfits all doing pushups and lunges and other warm up type stuff in unison that seemed pretty official and intimidating to someone who had never even run a 5K before.  Was I supposed to be warming up or something?

There were big, muscly guys also warming up and yelling encouragement to each other.  Um, I’m barely over 5 foot and way too little and un-muscled to be doing this.  What was I thinking?

The starting line was like a holding pen, lots of people standing close together, all of them kind of bouncing and moving in place somehow while waiting for the cannon to signal them to start running.  Looking past the starting line all I could see was dirt and mud.  No obstacles in sight, how far was I going to have to run before I could stop and climb something?

There was a couple standing next to me in t-shirts and work out pants like me.  I asked them how many of these they had done, none.   Yay, I wasn’t the only one!

Just like anywhere else I found that the more I talked to people the more people talked to me and come to find out there were a lot of first timers there.  I think you could literally feel the nervousness in the air.  But as we talked we started to feel like old friends pretty quick and to relax.

And the people who had done a mud run before all had the same thing to say.  You’re going to love it!  Just wait, you’ll want to sign up for another one as soon as you’re done, don’t worry people will help you if you need it, on and on not a negative word from anyone.

You could smell dirt, sweat, and tension in the air.  Don’t ask me what that smells like, but you’ll know it when you smell it.

Then the count down began.

10

Why did I sign up for this?

9

What was I thinking?

8

Didn’t they say there would be barb wire and electricity?

7

How cold is water with ice in it anyways?

6

I better move up to the front so I at least don’t start off last

5

Should I have worn shorts?

4

Should I have worn longer pants?

3

I can actually feel the excitement in the air like the electricity after a lightning strike

2

This is going to be awesome

1

Run!!