What’s In A Name, Fiction Fragment

Books of the outside world. Project Gutenberg: A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN PROSE BEING A Ghost Story of Christmas BY CHARLES DICKENS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN LEECH.

🌲 🎵 🌲

Shea waved his hand at the lights and decorations on the walls of the restaurant, “It’s a Christmas, Carol.”

Carole returned his smile, a bit thinly, and bit into her sandwich to keep from speaking. She had never heard that joke before. Ever. Not once in her life. The only question was, were we going book or song?

He went on, “Should I be worried about being visited by three ghosts tonight?”

More thin smile. More sandwich. Okay, literary it was. Would December never end?

When Shea got up to use the restroom, a young woman slipped into his chair. “I couldn’t help overhearing. Your name is Carole, correct?”

Carole nodded.

“My name is Noelle. You need this.” She handed over a small printed slip of paper, rose, and left.

Carole read.

Is your name your nemesis?
We understand.
Join our Cacophony community.
What Were Our Parents Thinking?

At home, Carole logged on.

There were the seasonally appropriate names that she expected, several Noels and Noelles.

She found a namesake subthread with a good-natured argument discussion on the final E. The Carols maintained that typographic accuracy made their situations worse. The Caroles thought that it was an aural issue and the difference didn’t matter.

Then there were the months.

June: My favorite day of the entire year is July first.
May: Mine is June first. Sorry.
Summer: I know suffering is not a comparative sport, but I’ll trade.

Others weighed in.

Rudolph: it’s not the jokes. Its the unoriginality. I’ve always felt for Denise Richards’ character in The World Is Not Enough.

Dr. Christmas Jones: … and don’t tell me any jokes, I’ve heard ’em all.
James Bond: I don’t know any doctor jokes.
IMDB: Quotes

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Afterword

Last week I said I would be pontificating about the November Challenge project. [Extended November Writing Challenge Part 2]

Despite three pages of notes, I decided not to. Writing about fiction doesn’t entertain you, doesn’t advance me. Short version. As with the personal narrative class, the end result was more of the same. In this case, either fragments or two-character conversations floating in the void. Project verdict. Pro. Don’t hate the results. Con. Still no storylines. [Thoughts After A Class]

Instead, for today I decided to do a bonus 200 words with A Christmas Carol.

The plan was to not search on seasonal names until after this was written. Then I saw the Rudolph emoji and my brain wouldn’t let it go. Otherwise, all mine. When I did search for sentiments similar to the fictional group, I got bogged down in baby name sites.

Did you know Charles was the masculine form of Carole? Behind the Name: Carole.

~~~

photo close up of pink rose

Onwards!
Katherine

Changing Fashion and a Note on Word Usage, Wrist Update

Bones of the outside world. Location, Il Convento dei Cappiccini: The Capuchin Crypt. Article with photos, The Collector: The Secrets of Rome’s Capuchin Crypt: Interview with Pietro Costantini, by Marranca, Apr 30, 2025.

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Same fashion, more change.

Photo of a right forearm in a black brace with red straps, resting on a table

The solid brace from the last appointment. Now I need to take it off more often. [Wrist Wear, photo repost]

Doc appointment last week. Xray says bone healing well. Doc pleased. Less good report from hand therapist. I had LOST range of motion since the surgery. Not surprised. It was sore enough from activities of daily living that I had not been doing the wrist specific exercises.

On it now. Bending exercises several times a day. As much fun as you would imagine. Also scar massage which is even less fun. Also wearing the brace less often so my wrist has more of an opportunity to wave about.

I wear the big brace to the barn because too much can happen too fast.

I bought a small commercial brace for nightwear. Apparently, I flail about in my sleep more than I had realized. The big brace helps but is so clunky. Trying to figure out the best balance. [Split Progress]

Last item of apparel is a fingerless mitten to keep the area warm.

Le Mot Juste

A friend (waves hi!) was commiserating. She used the word irritated. Exactly! I had been thinking “annoyed” but that was not quite right. While there is overlap between the words, to me annoyed has an trace of the external. Something out there is poking you. Irritation can be wholely internal. Irritation also has more of an element of bodily pain, such as an irritating rash. See here for Venn diagram, Stack Exchange: English Language & Usage, irritated vs annoyed.

I am not in dread pain. I am not in despair. I am irritated.

I am irritated that it takes so little to wear me out.

My wrist is irritated when I do my rehab exercises. The tendons would prefer to heal frozen in place and not be asked to move, thank you very much.

If I combine the miracles of modern medicine and good healing and diligent rehab on my part the absolutely best case scenario is to be were I was on the morning of November 12th. All of which I could have avoided if I had watched my step.

I find that vastly irritating.

Onwards!
Katherine

Reading the Rules, Take Two, To Trot Or Not to Trot

Horses of the outside world. The Brothers Brick: Year of the Horse comes galloping along. Articulated LEGO horse.

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The plot thickens. Last week, I talked about the potential problem of being eliminated for trotting into the ring. [Reading The Rules]

Then I read, “Trotting into the ring with purpose shows the judges that you’re prepared and ready to perform.” Judging Hunters and Equitation by Booker & Winkel, caption, page 63 (2023). [Homework]

Huh?

Turns out trotting into the ring for a hunter FLAT class is okay, Judging, page 64. Upon reread, the rule I cited last week is from “Hunter Division …. Courses”, which means jumping. [USEF: HU109.6]

So, it’s not Hunter/Jumper vs ASB. It’s jump vs flat. If you are jumping, walk into & out of the ring. If you are in a flat class of either type, trot in. I find that even more confusing. I think it would be easier to tell myself hunter = no trot, rather than having to figure which type of class I was entering each time.

Jogging for conformation could go either way, trot into the ring or not trot, Judging, page 66. I am extremely unlikely to be hunter showing at a level that calls for jogs.

But wait, did we used to trot into the ring? Quote from Scott Hofstetter, “As an exhibitor, I always trotted into the ring, let my horse walk a few steps and then picked up the gallop and went to the first jump.” Judging, page 64, inset. That sounds vaguely familiar. Trot in, walk, pick up canter, proceed to jump.

Again I say, huh?

A commenter with excellent Google-fu found out that the rule went into effect in 2009. Using that info as a heads up, I found it on a CoH forum CH: Hunters entering ring at walk- new rule, “No course may have exhibitors trotting or cantering through the in-gate or out-gate; any exhibitor choosing to trot or canter through the in-gate or out-gate will be eliminated. EC 2/17/09 Effective immediately” Emphasis mine. [Reading The Rules, third comment, thank you.]

So trotting in was correct, or at least okay, and no longer is. For over fences classes. Should I ever get myself back to Hunterland, I’m going to be worse than ignorant, because I think I know the rules.

Onwards!
Katherine

Split Progress, Morning Walk Stories

Awareness of the outside world. (Opting for diversion today. News awful over weekend. You don’t need me to tell you that.) In the 2009 animated A Christmas Carol, Jim Carrey voices Scrooge AND all three ghosts. This raises the interesting philosophical point that the ghosts are not external but are aspects of Scrooge’s personality. We all have the answer within us. We just need to listen.

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Still doing three laps in the morning horse walks, with me leading Milton. [Slowly Moving Forward]

Because,

Three laps still tire me out.

Not at my best in the mornings right now. Not sleeping well. Can’t figure out where to put my injured wrist. Not painful. Mildly uncomfortable, which makes me restless at night and tired in the morning.

Rodney still being pushy, so other barn minion joining us. [Differing Distances]

Therefore,

In an effort to work back up to where I was, I have started taking a second walk by myself in the afternoons. No horses.

Onwards!
Katherine

Winter Woes

Horses of the outside cold world. Horse Nation: The Land of the Midnight Sun: Horse Ownership in Alaska, Sloan & Carlson 2021.

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Graphic of weather forecast from 12/13 to 12/17.

Screenshot ABC 33/40, Friday, 12 December 2025.

Is anyone else tired of winter already?

I mean yes, we have a few cold nights each year. In February!

This is early December! Not our first cold snap!

Plus, check out the drop from Saturday’s high to Sunday’s low. Forty-eight degrees!

Blankets, buckets of hot water, and many, many exclamation points!!!

Onwards!
Katherine