Standing Into Danger: March 2022

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Janet Alcorn, Pat Garcia, Natalie Aguirre, and, Shannon Lawrence!

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.

I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.

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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is:

Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

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Okay, yesterday, Tuesday, I thought I could run around all day doing things,

go to happy hour at my favorite Waikiki bar and restaurant, the Hideout at the Laylow,

have two excellent mai tais and an appetizer for dinner,

and return to our apartment at the Royal Kuhio to pound out my IWSG post in short order.

And this after an exhausting Monday night with little sleep.

Yeah, right ~ I had fallen victim to self-delusion yet again.

Mai Tai for Me (left) and Longboard beer for Terry (right)

The Hideout at the Laylow

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 24, 2022

I went to bed early on Monday night, planning on a good sleep to power through Tuesday.

All of a sudden I was awakened by white strobe lights outside my open window

and a loud garbled announcement.

I looked out the window and heard echoing off the nearby high-rises,

"Attention! May I have your attention?

There is a fire emergency in the building!

Please evacuate the building!"

I couldn't tell which building it was coming from,

because the announcement filled the space between the buildings.

And I couldn't see or hear any police cars or fire engines.

"Do not use the elevator!

Go to the nearest exit and walk down the stairs!

Attention, May I have ...!"

I ran into our little living room area and told Terry to mute the tv.

"Are you hearing this?"

"Attention, May I have ...!"

We looked out in the hall, saw the strobe lights,

heard the very loud, repeating message, and realized it was our building.

"Is this real?" we asked each other,

only because we knew that the Royal Kuhio was in the middle

of a month-long renovation of its fire alarm and smoke detector system.

We ran to our balcony and looked down.

Twenty-eight stories is a long way down!

Looking Down Twenty-eight Stories at Royal Hawaiian Avenue

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 24, 2022

We looked out in the hall again and saw people going to the stairway.

"Okay, maybe it is real," we said to each other.

I jumped into my clothes,

and we grabbed our money, passports and other identification,

vaccination cards, iPhones, and my computer.

We started down the stairwell, smelling smoke.

It was impossible not to think of the twin towers in New York

or of the brave Ukrainians under fire for the Russians.

Down, down. Around and around.

Finally, we walked out onto the sidewalk by Kuhio Avenue,

where dozens and dozens of residents were milling around and one fire truck stood.

The Lone Fire Truck and Milling Residents

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

No one knew what was going on,

except that there was bad smoke somewhere above the 32nd or 33rd floor.

After ten or fifteen minutes the fire truck drove away, and we were given the all clear.

It took a while for well over one hundred residents

to take the elevators back to their floors.

I fell into bed and sleep quickly.

Suddenly, a loud, raspy, discordant voice jarred me awake.

3:37 am.

That !@#$%^ rooster!

I want to wring his scrawny neck!

Yes, we are renting an apartment among many apartment/condo/hotel high-rises

in an urban area which has feral chickens.

Feral chickens roam the Hawaiian islands and are becoming more and more numerous.

"Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!" ricocheted over Royal Hawaiian Avenue.

Not a melodious crowing, but a strained, ugly, squawking of a crowing.

This rooster sounded old and battle-worn,

like the scarred surviver of too many cock fights.

He wants everyone to know he is still here

and sounds off repeatedly every morning around 3:30 am

and continues until dawn arrives and the Honolulu traffic starts up.

He hangs out with his harem in a green space by our building,

but ranges and struts throughout a wide territory,

venturing into other areas and challenging any other rooster to stop him.

I call him Putin.

A Feral Rooster and Hen Outside the Honolulu Zoo

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

I think he may have an inferiority complex.

Kamaʻāina, or locals, tell me that there was a beautiful, golden-breasted rooster

who lived along Kuhio Avenue near our building for years.

Everyone loved him and remembers him fondly.

Then he vanished one day, presumably eaten by something.

A few months ago this rooster showed up.

No one likes him.

No one likes his raucous crowing after blissful silence and peace for months.

I think he senses that people are hoping something eats him.

So he struts around for hours in the predawn taunting,

"I'm still here! I'm still here!"

He wakes me up, and I want to wring his neck.

But if he goes silent, I listen and worry that he has met a similar fate

to the legendary, golden-breasted Cock of the Walk on Kuhio Avenue.

I really don't want something to eat this cranky, defiant rooster,

but I'd be totally okay with something slowly devouring the Russian Putin.

The Living Area of Our Tiny Apartment

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

The Sleeping Area of Our Tiny Apartment

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

So after a crazy Monday night, a busy Tuesday, and

two excellent mai tais, and a skimpy dinner late Tuesday afternoon,

I realized I had succumbed to self-delusion, again.

There was no way I could tackle a post on Tuesday evening.

So here I am. It's almost noon on IWSG Day, and I'm still writing my post.

And I have to FaceTime with my trainer Julie shortly,

because I have to workout to offset those delicious sweet mai tais.

And the workers are set to arrive to work on on the fire alarm

and smoke detector system in our apartment at any moment.

Another Glorious Sunset

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

Oh, this month's question.

I'm like a third grader who can't get to this morning's writing prompt

until I tell my teacher about loosing my tooth last night.

Yes, I have been conflicted about writing a scene in my memoir.

It was an event that had a profound effect on my young life

and has haunted me ever since.

It took me a long time to be able to write about being molested

by a train conductor in a crowded passenger car when I was eleven.

I shared it on my blog here: The Pervert and the Sandwich Man.

I decided to share it, because I had to share it.

My memoir wouldn't be honest if I omitted it.

I have more difficult issues to address,

and I will pry the truth out of myself eventually.

Me at the Vue Bar in Vegas

Lemon Drop Martinis in Vegas, Mai Tais in Honolulu

Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

February 23, 2022

My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine

and to all the people in bordering countries helping the Ukrainian refugees.

I can't believe this is happening. I don't recognize our world.

I'm praying for peace.

Wishing you love and happiness this month!

I hope each of you has fun visiting around today.

Happy writing to each of you in March!

Note: I'm going to post this now.

There may be edit errors, but I'll fix them after my workout.

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be on Friday, March 11.

Terry and I with Friends Jon and Catherine

The Vue Bar

Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

February 23, 2022

Standing Into Danger

Pages

Friday, March 18, 2022

Computer Woes

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

IWSG: Wednesday, March 2, 2022 ~ Self-Delusion