I got nuthin…

Recently at work we’ve been working through the Seven Defects of Broken People book. Part of our studies is take home assignments. The most recent (and last) assignment is to ‘sharpen the saw’. Since I started this blog to practice writing I have decided to write in this space everyday for one week in order to sharpen my saw. Last night was entry number one for this task and this is entry number two. Here’s the trouble, I’m out of ideas.

I looked at the newspapers for ideas. I read the Seattle Times, the Columbus Dispatch and even the normally reliable Dayton Daily News had nothing that intrigued me. Usually the Dayton paper is rife with stories of hillbillies getting arrested or inner city thugs making poor decisions (“my baby was cold, so I put her in the microwave…”). But nothing caught my eye.

I had hoped after watching the TV news earlier today and they reported that “the police had shot a man with a cleaver” that there would be something. I mean who knew you could shoot a man with a cleaver? I wouldn’t even know how to tell if it were loaded. This has the makings of a seriously good story. Turns out the police shot a man wielding a cleaver. What a disappointment.

Finally I broke down and asked the house dragon. She suggested I write about our recent trip to Nashville and Memphis. She also suggested that I capture the abject fear we both share about possibility of the child moving back home. Neither topic is really bad, but I don’t have my thoughts organized about either, so maybe tomorrow.

Well would you look at that! I have a five paragraph essay about nothing. Paragraph one is the topic. Paragraphs two through four flesh out the idea introduced in paragraph one. Paragraph five is the conclusion. Here we are. I have written a five paragraph essay about not having a topic for a five paragraph essay. I freakin’ rock!