Way to go on getting it submitted 🙌 I felt the same way with my first rejection. It was for a short story comp 1500 words. I didn't feel very confident going into it but just wanted to write to a deadline and prompt. I was notified that I made it through the first round of judging but not the second, would I like to see the comments from the judges? Yes please. Here's about what they said:

Judge 1: Thoughtful and interesting story that had me captivated throughout.

Judge 2: Disjointed narrative that lacked emotion throughout.

Lol. It really showed me that judging writing can be so subjective. I found it both funny and motivating to keep working at it.

There's a kid on my nephews soccer team whose first name is "King David"

His mom asked the coach to use his full name when he was shortening it to David

Like how bears don't lose much muscle through hibernation despite not using their limbs for months at a time. Saw an article that a certain component found in their blood is thought to prevent muscle atrophy through hibernation, we still don't really understand it but it's seen as something that might make human space travel hibernation possible in the distant future.

https://interestingengineering.com/science/mystery-ingredient-bear-blood-muscle-growth

Key points for those who don't want to read the full article:

"For starters, the top map is not an exhaustive list of every missing person in the United States. If you notice, the map doesn't show any missing persons in large metropolitan areas, like Detroit, Michigan. That's because it was created with the focus on people who "mysteriously vanished" in remote areas, specifically near national parks. And because national parks are home to nearly 5,000 caves, these two maps not surprisingly have some similarities.

The original map of missing persons was created by David Paulides, a former detective and current Bigfoot hunter, for his "Missing 411" book series. The version of this map on his website shows a series of orange dots surrounded by various color markings, but it doesn't feature the hundreds of black dots shown on the viral map above. It appears that someone simply took the "cave dots" from the bottom map and overlaid them onto the "missing persons" map. This may just explain why the two maps look so similar."

Same broken vanishing cabinet that Fred and George stuff the Slytherin Montague into in book 5, before he could take points away from them as a member of the new Inquisitorial Squad.

Pretty sure I came across a funeral at an off leash park, a bunch of magpies were squawking at us and even swooping a bit as we walked down this one trail and then I saw a decapitated magpie lying beside the trail where their squawks were most intense. I found it interesting that it was the birds who were younger (smaller trailer feathers, bit smaller overall) who were diving at us. I actually felt like we were being disrespectful being there and shooed my dog out of the area pretty quick!

Totally agree - it's about building the habit of having exercise be part of your regular life. It takes a lot of discipline at first, but once you build up good habits and consistently plan to set the time aside for it things come much easier. I think too many people view working out and dieting and something they go hard at for a set period of time to reach a goal, but really we should see it more as a lifelong habit, as something to prioritize on a regular basis for the long term. Not just to prepare for a summer beach bod or vacation or to hit a weight loss goal, but as a forever habit.

What really helped me is having a home gym set up that has become a comfy me-time place, with a TV that I cast to to watch whatever I want while hanging out down there working through sets. And I keep a notebook down there where I record and track my workouts which I find motivating and cool to see how my reps/weight advance steadily overtime.

Maybe not the most unexpected, but they really seemed well meaning - a dad of another kid at my nephew's soccer game asked if I play soccer anymore, I said no I have some chronic back and neck issues, tried to downplay it because I didn't really want to talk about it but he kept prying. Then he asks if he can pray over me. I thought he meant that he would go home and pray, and I was like yeah of course I would appreciate that (I'm not religious myself but I know this is well meaning). Anyways he suddenly puts his hand on my shoulder, closes his eyes and starts loudly praying. I'm not sure what to do with my eyes, I want to keep watching the game (which is actively going on) but don't want to be disrespectful so I nod my head down slightly and just let it happen. Then he says amen and I say thank you thinking it's over. Nope, now he asks me "is there something you can do, to test it? Like what normally causes pain could you try it?"

I was just so flabbergasted. Does this guy actually believe he just healed me with his prayer?!?

My local writers society has a monthly 500 word contest with a prompt. The winners each month are posted online, so if you want some ideas of 500 words stories check it out: https://www.alexandrawriters.org/many-voices-winners

(Some winners have been non fiction essays and poems but most are fiction stories)

Also flash fiction magazine has a bunch of short fiction published online: https://flashfictionmagazine.com/

What I find I like in flash fiction pieces is when there is a much greater story implied that is not told. 500 words is very limiting, you can't really tell a proper three act structure in it easily, rather it's about implying a much greater story and focusing on a small, impactful snippet, while using the words to create then divert expectations to create a micro twist where the story or larger world is not as it seems from the start.

Good luck! Flash fiction is difficult but a really good writers challenge on how to focus down on a short impactful scene!

Credit card is a debt and can carry all those expenses through the month

TXF has done decently for me over the past few years and has a decent dividend, but the MER is higher than many other ETFs at something like 0.7% (many others have 0.2% or even as low as 0.04% that I'm aware of). I'm still holding it but I haven't bought any in a while, preferring the low-MER ETFs in my portfolio.

It was a poor choice, I was listening to the Panic! At the Disco song (I Write Sins not Tragedies) when I made my account... But it makes me seem pretty pompous doesn't it lol

The awareness-raising of this problem overall has been terrible by the city. People who pay attention to local news know about it, but I've come across several people who literally had no idea we are in water restrictions. They should say so on the electronic boards on the highways, advertise it on the radio, make it the front page of newspapers etc. if they really want people to know and reduce consumption. I've seen the electronic highway boards saying we are in a fire ban, why can't they also say "stage 4 water restrictions" "reduce water consumption" etc.

And where the Coventry Hills neighborhood brick wall sign was driven through last year.

All storefronts from Panorama to Country Hills should immediately invest in bollards at this point, something's up in my neighbourhood lol.

Thanks, appreciate your response!

Follow up question a couple months later - how often do you need to go? I want to start doing my upper lip as the hair there has become much more noticeable ever since I started doing red light therapy. My wedding is in 1 month, and I'm trying to figure out timing so it's as good as can be for that day. Like should I go for threading now and then a few days ahead of the wedding (so about once a month apart?), or should I just hold off for now and do it a few days before the wedding?

That's ridiculous, we can go a few days without car washes. Not even a little bit necessary especially in this clear weather.

Water for community gardens has been shut off by the city which makes sense, car washes can shut down for a week too.

I'm lucky that we're going out of town to BC this weekend so we're taking our dirty clothes and bodies to wash out there lol. Planning to come back with some 5 gal water jugs in case the shortage lasts a while longer.

The large refillable 5-gal water jugs last a long time don't they, we have 4 in a cool dark storage area in our basement for situations like this. Google says they should be good for at least 2 years and might develop a stale taste.

Wear the stink with pride today, Calgary.

Wow thank you for sharing this. I've been struggling with what to plant in our shaded front garden bed that's just been dry dirt since we moved in, and this is exactly what I need.

Isn't that frustrating, like it's your card, why is Amazon protecting the scammer.

To give you the conclusion of my story, I disputed the charges with my bank online and over the phone to be sure. Credit card was cancelled and a new one was issued, and I was refunded for the Amazon charges that were not mine from Visa. Amazon was completely unhelpful through the whole process.

Hope it turns out okay for you

Short story collections that your local library should have:

Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life and Others" - "Story of your life" prompted the movie Arrival and he has other great stories in there that show different futuristic technologies.

Also by Ted Chiang, "Exhalation" is another great collection of his imaginative sci-fi short stories.

"Convergence Problems" by Wole Talabi, he's an excellent science fiction author from Nigeria and interlaces African culture into his futuristic / technology stories which provides a unique lens. Lots of good stories in this collection on future technologies like AI, brain-control microchips, mining on Mars, and more.

Isaac Asimov's "Nightfall and Other Stories" is another collection of some cool sci-fi stories.

And by Nnedi Okorafor, some novellas that are pretty short and focused on some unique sci-fi technologies and futures: "Binti", set on a futuristic space ship, and "Noor" about biotechnology and integration of human and machines.

Yeah.. Many of us have been trying to fight against climate change for decades. My attempts at working in clean energy, debating voraciously with family and friends in my youth, voting and writing letters, doing what we can to minimize our carbon footprint, none of it matters. With political leaders and companies not on board with real action, and driven mainly by short term financials, we never stood a chance.