In the rush of things to come….

(c) 2015 Google images 

Did I just come up with that title for today’s prompt?   OK, this is not how I wanted to start out, but I am waiting on my client to tell me what he wants me to next in setting up his payment accounts.  I will have to talk about that in the next post.

Ah, the next post.  Posting has been a little sporadic for me in the last month or so on all of my blogs.  That does not mean that I am ready to give up blogging.  Life took a change for the better, I hope.  It has to do with that client I just mentioned, plus, I am making some changes in my scrapbooking business, which I hope will help me in the long run.  But I will get back into my regular routine when things settle down.

OK, so I was going through my writing prompts for today, and I came across this one:  “Tell us about your morning routine”   I will have to admit that I used to have a morning routine.  I am finding out in the now 6 years since I stopped commuting to a work place, that I have the morning routine of a retired person, LOL.  Please, I do not mean to offend a person who is retired, but I do.  I cannot speak for the other entrepreneurs, but my routine is quite simple:  Get out of bed, think happy thoughts (pray), bop down to the computer, and read my email, Facebook, and other social media.   I skip breakfast, which is nothing new, since I did that when I was commuting.  By that time, it should be lunch, and I eat that.

What I SHOULD be doing:  Wake up, do devotions in bed, do a good washing of the face and teeth (I do a 5-minute thing, unless I have somewhere to go), bop down stairs, eat breakfast, then do everything else.  I do a workout twice a week (I am getting use it). 

Should life be so rushed that you skip half your routine?  I do not think so, especially for a single with no kids.  Besides that, what am I going to do when I do have a kid?   

What is the one skill you see in other bloggers that you wish you had?

From Lifehacker.com

Today, I am answering one of the prompts from BlogHer. It is the first one I have answered in a long time. The prompt for today is asking about a skill that I might see in other bloggers throughout their own blogs. In true Patricia style, I have to give more than one answer, because I’m like that.

The first skill, is consistency. I know, I know, I keep on saying that I am going to blog more than once a week, and I have an answer for that. The problem is I am a yes person. I constantly say yes to people who I should be saying no to, and that is bad. I am always trying to correct this problem, but I always have people, who when I say no to, they come up with a reason why I should say yes. This is especially true with my nephew, who is 18. He has no driver’s license, refuses to take the test, and get himself a car. More on that at another time. When that happens, I get behind in my work, then I find myself going weeks without submitting a blog post, creating product, or even picking up a piece of paper off the floor. That last part is an exaggeration, but that is how I feel, sometimes. Take today for instance, I am trying to finish my work and pick something to eat, before tonight’s episode of Scandal. Yes folks, I am a diehard Scandal fan, and I do comment on a Facebook group every Thursday. Okay, it could not kill me for once, to take this man child to the movies, but is cold outside, and I am now at the moment, warm and toasty. Who wants to go out in the polar vortex’s baby brother’s weather, when you have a heater? I am just saying.

Okay, I got a little sidetracked for the moment, but the problem is consistency. My next problem, is sponsorship. I can see some eyes rolling already. One of my dreams with this blog, as well as my other blog, is to have revenue comes from it. Again, I can see the eyes rolling. Not a lot, but just enough money to pay for things like web hosting fees, and other things that are associated with monitoring a website or blog.

I am going to throw in a bonus, and say that there are some bloggers who are great with words. And I know that comes with practice, because I can see a difference from my very first blog post so now. I have been blogging since 2009, I think that is around the time that most people start blogging, but there are some people’s blogs look like they have been blogging longer. In other words, they know how to pitch their blogs to others. Another name for marketing oneself, and letting others know why you should read my blog, or sponsor me. I guess I am going to have to hire myself a blog writer, which is the same as a speechwriter for people who need someone to give them the right words to say. But then again, I would feel like that these are not the words, and they are not from the heart.

So now you know my flaws, I am getting better every time I write a blog post. And in closing, I will give you a little tip: use a speech to text software to type a little faster. It is my little gift from me to you, and I love my speech to text software.

How do you remember blog posts you want to write until you're ready to sit down at the computer? Do you have a system in place, why or why not?

(c) Disney

As a line from the song, Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid), goes, “The boss is on a roll”, I would have to say, yes she is, and that I am. I am on my third blog post of the night, and I am smiling.  I may not be a believer of playing catch-up, but I am doing pretty well, to say that I did not blog hardly at all in July.  (Love my birthday month)   It is bittersweet when you are the owner of 5 blogs, and I get comments from amateurs to experts saying, that I only need one, to how do you keep up with them?   This leads to today’s question about remembering what posts I want to until I sit down at my computer.  

It is funny, because I am on this computer all the time.   If I am not answering a social media question, I am writing a post.  If I am not doing that, then I am watching a video, playing a game, making orders for customers, or making or listing products for customers to buy. 

As for creating posts, I have to it right now.  I create a post on MS Word, and I tweak it.  I tweak it by doing research if it calls for it, upload the research into the post document and check grammar.   Lastly, I cut and paste it into either Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, Hubpages, or BlogMutt, depending if it for myself or for others and the subject matter.  Once I am in the editing area, which is when I do photos and last minute spell and grammar check (because Google Chrome is like that)

I am now starting to keep track of blog post subjects on Outlook calendars, because I write so many, and for those who follow Google, knows how Google hates duplicate topics and posts.  Why?  Because I would be lost, and I do not want my blogs shut down by them. 

Getting back to the line from Unfortunate Souls, I find it funny that there are days when I do not want to write anything, and other days (like today), I am spitting them out like a fully automatic rifle.     Yes, the boss is on a roll, but this is my last one for the night, so, as character from “War Games” puts it….”Shall we play a game?”

So what do you think?  I would love to see your comments below.

August 20, 2014-What is the single best thing you do to keep your career goals on track….

Today, I am back to writing prompts with Blogher, because when it comes to this blog in the last couple of months, my mind draws a blank.  They say in order to get readers to tune into your blog, you have to be consistent.    Consistency is the least of my problems.   I have worst problems than that.  There are the “Nephew needs a ride to X place, because he does not have his learner’s permit, let alone a driver’s license and a car” problem.  There is the “Sister needs a ride to work and other places” problem.  She rides the bus, but barely keeps any money.   There is the sales problem, probably because I am hardly in the house to make a sale.   There are the “social media distractions, needs a new website, but not enough money to hire someone to create one for you, but how are you going to attract someone so you can build a new one, but have little knowledge of HTML” problem. (This run-on sentence was intentional for rant purposes).  Do not misquote me, for the complaint is very real and very bittersweet.  This is what happens when you are an Aunt Entrepreneur, which is the same as a Mom Entrepreneur.  The only difference is the children do not stay with you 24/7.  That is about the change come September (more bittersweet drama - cues violin) I am turning into a Mompreneur.

So where was I…Oh yes, the single best thing I do to keep my career goals on track?  As with any writing prompt, I do not know how to follow instructions. (Giggle, giggle).   Sooooo, I am going to give you two for the price of one.  You did not come here for my rants, and if you have gotten this far without going to someone else’s blog, good for you.  You get an A++ sticker (it is the first day of school in Central Ohio)

My first way to keeping track is to plan out my goals.   With Longaberger, as well as with my scrapbooking and writing, I have monthly goals, and I try to remember to write them down.  Next with those monthly goals, I check to see if they are part of my bigger goal for my career.

Next, I do an accountability check.   One day I do hope I can hit the one million dollar mark, but I am not thinking about that at all.  My ultimate goal is to see that I help someone to either become an Independent Longaberger Home consultant to start, or learn how to become a freelance scrapbook designer, card maker, or writer for either themselves or as a business.   Who knows what a person can learn.   Speaking of which, I am also constantly learning what I can do to better myself.  I want to be certified in certain subjects that has to do with organizing, crafting tools, writing, and the internet. It takes time, and if my family allows it, and I do not allow them to distract me, it can be done.  (So sorry, I gave you three, my bad, giggle)

I am 73 words over at this point, so I am going to leave you with this tip:  never stop learning something new.  You will never know if it is the pentacle of starting something great in your career. 

Friday’s Writing prompt: Working with or without others in my generation.

Photo by Google Imgines

Today, I am doing a double prompt.  I just wanted to warn you that it could get quite long, so if long posts are not your thing, I apologize ahead of time.  One of the things I have allotted myself to be part of, is two sites that have writing prompts, BlogHer and SITS Girls.  My reason is quite simply, “in case I do not feel the love from the other prompt for the day” .  Let me clarify that, because at the moment it is only making sense to me, the writer.  In other words, I go to my writing prompt book, where I have save the month’s prompts from both websites, and look at the prompt for the day.  If I do not like the prompt, I will not write about that topic, so I will write from the other one.  But what if I do not like the other one as well?   I will just simply write from the heart.   I will do a follow-up to what that truly means to me at another time.   For now, let’s get on with the topics.  (Yes, you read me right, topics.)

Do I work well with others or by myself?

That is a tough one.  I do both.  There are times where I absolutely love working with other people, while at times I just want to be by myself, and work that way.   You know, there was a time, where I worked in an office or a store with other people.  It is called working a traditional job.  In fact, I never really considered going self-employed, until it hit me in the face 5 years ago.  (More like 14 years ago.)  I love working with other people.

The reason why I love working with people is education.  You can really learn about the person you are working with when you are bored or have a little down time.  You can also learn from them as well.  That education comes from things such as shortcuts on how to do a job better and smarter, where are the best places are to eat at around your work place, and what the supervisor likes and they do not like, unless that person just hates the pants off of you the moment you hit the door day one.  

What I love about working by myself, even in a traditional work setting, is having one’s own thoughts, taking the time to be careful not to make mistakes, and not having a person breathing down your neck, making sure that you do the job you were giving.  If there is a deadline, you do not have people interrupting you, and asking you how close you are to making that deadline.  You can get into a zone and before you know it, you have plenty of time to relax, because you have made the deadline ahead of schedule.

This leads me to why I do not like working with people.  There are some people who, lol, can I say they just don’t get it?  You tell them a thousand times what to do, and they come back and ask the same question.  When they finally get the instructions right, they still do it wrong, and you end up doing the whole project by yourself anyway.  If you work with a supervisor, sometimes they refuse to hear your ideas, because they have it all figured out, and they remind you the reason why they are over the project and not you.   They will even tell you that if you do not like it, you can ask to leave the project, but then you can be fired.

What I hate about working alone is I do not have anyone to bounce ideas off to except the client.  I do not get to hear the “you can go about it this way” idea that could lead to the same conclusion.  True, I can always learn from my mistakes if I have to repeat the same project, or apply the same techniques with a different project, but it helps when there are things that I want to do, and have someone help me with that accountability check.  Which brings me to the ability to talk to someone every once in a while.  Not someone who runs their mouth every 2 minutes, but someone, again, to bounce ideas off to. (Question:  How do these people ever get any work done?  I’m just saying)

So there you have it…On to the next topic, what I love about my generation….

I was born 7 months after President Kennedy was killed, 4 years old when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, witness the birth of Sesame Street at age 5, and the birth of the personal computer in the home at age 12(1977).   If you were born in 1964, that was me in a nutshell as far as major events go.  That is one of the things I love about being born in this generation.  We are not too old nor too young, we are just right.   I enjoy the old fashion way of communication, but at the same time, I love social media and the internet.   I do not like that a person sits across the table from the person you are texting to, when you just simply open your mouth to ask a question.  While these things are great, we, as people do not communicate like we should, and that is what I do not about the younger generation.   As each generation gets older, the more they do not communicate.  

It was nice to have the music that was music when I was in my 20’s.  Now, there are songs out there that I have no idea what they are singing about.   If I find a good song that I love, I am going to put it in my playlist.  I am careful to what that song is about.  It is getting harder and harder to do that.   I do not like the words, “Shorty” (girl), “Bitch” (a nasty, opinionated woman as oppose to being a female dog), “Ho” (an abbreviated version of “whore”), which I do not either version of the word, and “Skank” (no comment).  These are all demeaning words of a beautiful gender of people, a woman, and I do not think that anyone would want to be called that, but that is what these kids are listening to in this “so called” music.

We were the last generation to be taught how to respectful of others, especially our elders.  I never talked back to my parents and if I did, I knew what was coming to me.  My parents never hit me just to be hitting me, but I got a little tap on the butt as a reminder, and I only received one or two of them.   We were taught to respect God, learned how to worship Him and His Son.  I am not saying that these generations who came after mine doesn’t do that, but it seems to me that the majority are screaming, “What about my rights to do what I want?” Not, “what do I need to do to get by in this thing called life.”

I would have to say that it was not all great for our generation.  Our first disaster that we were all conscience of was the Savings and Loans problem, next was the Challenger explosion.  I was too little to remember when Dr. King and Robert Kennedy was killed.  I had to look up when the Savings and Loans crisis took place.  The first one I remember was Challenger, and I was in my early 20’s when that happened.  I remember I was watching Young and the Restless when that happened. (I was off from classes that day).   I was in my teens during the Disco era (I was in 7^th grade so really a pre-teen).

I could go on and on about my generation but I am up to 1368 words at this point so, I will shut it off now.   Have a blessed day, and comment below about ether one of these subjects.  

Who puts the most pressure on you -- yourself or others?

Photo by Planet Improv

Well today, I am back to doing my prompts, and it is very refreshing to know that I can come back to them.   That is the plan for 2014.  I have other ideas to write on this blog, plus I do not want you to say, “Not again.”  I love mixing it up a bit.

Who puts the pressure on more?

Good question.  I would have to say me.  Sometimes, I think I am my own worst enemy.   Everyone look at my work, and they say that it beautiful, while I say half the time, “what do they know, look I missed a spot.”  I know deep in my mind I did a good job.  I am the same way with my music (both instrumental and singing), my dance, and the way I carry myself.  I am not trying to be perfect, only God is perfect, and I could never measure up to Him.  When I mess up, I often cannot let it go, and that is the biggest problem I have with myself.  When I think I am getting better about it, it happens all over again.

A great example of that problem is now.  Last November (2013) I was in an accident with my sister.  I have the license, she was learning how to drive.  She had a learner’s permit, and we were running late getting to her job.  It started out innocent, I was invited to a shopping event through my women’s business group, so we went.   I had tried on some pants and I was getting a jacket and 2 pairs of socks (one for me and one for her).  My sister was due at work at 8 pm, and when we got to the register, it was almost that time. So while I was checking out, she got my keys, and drove my car up to the door.  Instead of me hopping to the driver’s side, I thought this would be a good time for her to practice driving, so I hopped in the seat on the passenger side, and we were on our way.   We got to the corner, and my sister asked me if I needed gas and I reminded her that she was running late, but thought better of it, and said OK.  The light was yellow, but she thought that she would pull in behind the car in front of us, who sped up to make the light.  I warned her not to do it, but before I said her name, SMACK, we ran right into the side of a red truck in another lane.  

My sister immediately got upset, and we sat there for a second while I got ready to look at the damage.  The ironic thing about it all, was a police car behind the red truck. They instructed both us and the other person to pull into the parking lot across the street.  My sister was so upset, until I had to drive the car to the lot.  While we were driving, I made the decision to tell our dad that I was the one driving the car, since he really did not want her to practice driving in my car.   What we found out later from the police was (1) in the State of Ohio, people with learner’s permits cannot drive at night (neither one of us knew that) and (2) her learner’s permit had expired (she told me and our mom that it expires in December).   We told mom the truth the next day, but our dad just found out through the other driver’s insurance company that my sister was the one driving last night.  I do not know why I made that decision, but I cried for two nights, even though my dad has said that he forgives us for not telling him that night.  I am the responsible adult, but I choose not to, because I wanted to protect my dad from this news.  I am not sure if he found out that my sister also went to court for the incident.  She was charged, I was not.   Just lack of poor judgment that could happen to anyone (a mistake), but I am still beating myself up for something that was not totally my fault.

So, I got to get better about things like that, and also enjoy the imperfections I see in my work that others do not see.  By the way, my hood was totaled, I had to get a new one, and the other driver’s damage was $800.  A fender.  He did not want to deal with it but his insurance company wanted to.  So I guess I will be out $800 that I do not have.

So who put the most pressure on you?  I would love to hear your answers, so please comment below.   Be blessed, my friend, and be careful out there when driving.  NO TEXTING OR TALKING ON THE PHONE.

Do you have a tendency to procrastinate, or do you like checking things off your to-do list?

Photo by Google Images  

Hello, today’s post is a combination of a week’s worth

of delays, “I am too cold to type,” no lights for a few hours, and did I mentioned that I was too cold to type.   So, if you are wondering what my answer is to Monday’s (yes, Monday’s) post question, stay tuned to your screens.   But, first a PSA:

My heater has been working overtime.  I repeat, my heater has been working overtime.   I hate to complain, Lord, but, “WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE FREEZER DOOR OPEN?” LOL.   (End of the PSA)

Now, this week came with a bunch of polar vortex jokes, and many of them I read on Facebook, and the cutest one I read with Captain Picard trying to explain the polar vortex.  If you are a fan of Star Trek the Next Generation or any of the Star Trek movies and television shows, you will get the joke.   I am a closet Trekkie who holds no collections nor attends Star Trek conventions (although I might be persuaded if there was one in Central Ohio).

I thought that I would be able to escape the “No Electric Movement,” and the electric grid to my place was overtaxed yesterday, when the lights when out.  I lost an Excel spreadsheet over it.   No problem, I got an IHOP breakfast for it.  (Thus ending my 6-week craving for crepes).  So, being without lights has its rewards.

What are you currently feeling pressure to do that you don't particularly enjoy?

photo by Google Images

Today’s prompt is a little difficult for me.  I guess if I took it for what it means, rather than what it actually means, I would feel a little bit better about it, but I do not. So I am doing something a little different with this prompt.  It was supposed to be yesterday’s prompt (I will get to today’s prompt over the weekend, so I have homework to do).

I am turning it into a “word of the day” prompt, while still tackling the question.  If you are scratching your head right now, well, you are thinking, and that is a good thing.

So my “co-prompt” (If there any such meaning as one) is EXPECTATION.

There are all types of expectations.  You expect a paycheck when you work for someone, you expect a good grade when you perform well at school, and you expect a trial when you commit a crime and get caught.  To expect is to “look forward to.” Or “in the normal scheme of things to come,” this is the next step to something that always happens, no matter what.  If you are born, you expect to die at some point of your life.  If you work, you expect to pay taxes at some point in your life.  OK, enough with the definitions.  

My expectation is from my family, people expect for me to work for someone all of my life.  After all, that is the American way, right?  Not necessary, and I discovered that when I became an entrepreneur.  When that happened, all of a sudden, relatives, especially my father, wanted to know how I was going to live.  I left my job of 4 years at a scrapbooking store on the pretense that while I was establishing my business, I would be working temporary jobs in the clerical field.  It did not happen.  I did not get one job.  My business was, and still is 3-fold: direct selling, homemade products, and writing and document building.  All of it both online and off.  I do not know if by now they expected me to make 6 figures right away, but I guess they do not want me out in the streets either. 

Today, every once in a while, someone will ask me how is my job, and if I am still at the scrapbooking store (which is going out of business next month as of last Thursday).  I kindly tell them what I am doing in my life, and they look at me as though I just committed a crime.  That was the look I got from a cousin back in November.   I thought she knew, since the total amount of time I have been at this stage of my life is 12 years (with 4 of those years owning a business AND working at the scrapbooking store).  That is what I do not enjoy. I do not mind telling people what I do, it is just I do not like it when people have this sour look on their face, and all of a sudden, the advice starts coming.  “You know, I heard that X is hiring.” Or “what are you doing for insurance?”  How about this one, “You can always file for X until you get back on your feet.”  What feet?  I am not homeless and I am struggling just like you are, but I am not in that way.  I do explain that this is normal for any new business, and I have two more years.   I know when it is time to change paths to do what everyone else is doing, which is to go back to working for someone.  In the meantime, I am enjoying being a business owner, which is not an easy life, but then again, neither is working for someone else. It is rewarding, and you never know when you have touched someone’s life to do what you do, or to get them motivated to live out their dream.  Now that is what I do enjoy, the satisfaction of an end result.

COMMENT below on either my prompt of the day or the word of the day.  Be a blessing everyday my friends because you already one.

Do you work well under pressure?

From Google Images

Happy New Year, 2014!!! I know late in my celebration.  I celebrated in church and prayed in 2014 with some church members.  Shout outs to the members of Clair United Methodist Church, my home church since the age of 12 or 13.  I love ya, and keep strong for the Lord in 2014.  This includes former members, wherever you are.   2013 was a year of ups and downs for me.  I am not going into it, because some of it was painful, and some of it was a release on my mind, as what I thought was going to be a trying health problem, turned out that I never had it in the first place.  It was basically stress, and I am happy with the outcome.

Anyway, I am blessed and highly favored, and if you know what I mean with that saying, then you get what it.   I am not saying that the rest of you are not, it is just that you have not been taught on what that meaning TRULY says. Well on with the topic at hand:  do you work well under pressure?

I have decided that I am going to continue with the NABLOPOMO prompts, I also found some other prompts that I am going to incorporate with these prompts, and occasionally will add a few of my own.   That is where My Ambiance Life is going this year.   I have decided that talking about the occasional Honey Boo-Boo’s, Abby Lee’s and venting was not right for the blog, and people loved it when I write “prompt style.”  I have seen higher numbers of traffic with it, and I love it myself.  So going forward that is what’s happening with the blog.  My challenge for you this year is to follow along with the prompts, and see what you answers are to these prompts.   I would love to see your answers in the comment box.  I just ask that you stick to the topic.

Pressure?

For me, working under pressure means two things:  1) do I have the time to do what you ask me to do, and 2) what are you are asking me to do.   My sister is good at asking me to do things at the last minute.  She does not drive yet, so she has this thing of calling me to take her somewhere in about an hour.   I am usually in middle of something important when she ask me.  I am not good at that type of pressure, because now I am thinking these thoughts.  Those thoughts are usually, “Who could not or would not take you?” and “Have you forgotten about the wonderful public transportation that our blessed city has provided you?” she now live a block from the nearest bus stop, so for 2014, I want her to use it to her hearts content, if she has not asked me at least 4 days in advance.  The exception is an emergency.  I, on the other hand need to prep more, because she will forget that I have a business to run.

For my stuff, I do work well, because if I have something due (like this prompt that was due yesterday, LOL), I am calm, cool, and sometimes collected, because it is something that I imposed on myself, and this year, I am going to make it a point to write more things down.  After all, I have calendars on my computer, my phone, and my Ipad.   I am on them once a day, so I need to make it a habit to check them daily.   I have a sleek new desk and my bulletin board is attached to it (well semi attached), so I need to use it more. 

I create more when I am not pressured, but that does not mean that I don’t create when I am.  Overall I do not like it, but I perform seeming well when I am.

Be bless, my friends, and enjoy 2014.  Make it your year, and go out and be a blessing for someone, even if it just a stranger. 

December NABLOPMO were a bust, but I still had fun.

A short note:   Due to the holidays and other things in my life, I was not able to do every single prompt for December 2013.  To me that was a loss, but I will live.  However, the time that I was able to spend writing them, I had a blast.   
I urge everyone who is a writer (or aspire to be one) to take on January 2014's prompts.  No PRESSURE! (Which also happens to be the theme of the next set of prompts).
Here are the Prompts, in case you want to do them on your own, register at Blogher and submit your posts (you do have to be a member of Blogher), or as inspiration in case you want to try something similar on your own writing blog (just give Blogher the credit for your little inspirational challenge)

Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Do you work well under pressure?

Thursday, January 2, 2014
What are you currently feeling pressure to do that you don't particularly enjoy?

Friday, January 3, 2014
Do you have a tendency to procrastinate, or do you like checking things off your to-do list?

Monday, January 6, 2014
Tell us about a time you bent to peer pressure.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Tell us about a time when you didn't bend to peer pressure, and you swam against the stream.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Can peer pressure be positive? Why or why not?

Thursday, January 9, 2014
A pressure point translates in Japanese to "tender spot." What are your pressure points?

Friday, January 10, 2014
Have you ever tried acupressure to treat a problem? What was your experience with it?

Monday, January 13, 2014
Eleanor Roosevelt said: "A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." Tell us about a time you felt your strength.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Marge Piercy said: "A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not be done." Tell us about a time when you did what couldn't be done.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014
"Courage is grace under pressure" is a famous quotation by Ernest Hemingway. Tell us about a personal moment of your grace under pressure.

Thursday, January 16, 2014
Who puts the most pressure on you -- yourself or others?

Friday, January 17, 2014
Do you think you handle pressure well, or do you usually fall apart?

Monday, January 20, 2014
Do you still feel pressure of conform? If no, what age did it stop?

Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Do you feel pressure to be perfect? How much of it is tied to what you see online?

Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Do you have a bad temper? How often do you lose your temper?

Thursday, January 23, 2014
Do you think it's possible to control your temper when facing enormous pressure?

Friday, January 24, 2014
Does pressure ever make you want to rebel and do the exact opposite of what is being asked of you?

Monday, January 27, 2014
What puts more pressure on you: time constraints or achieving perfection?

Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Which of your responsibilities stress you out the most?

Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Are you good at influencing other people?

Thursday, January 30, 2014
If you could persuade people to do one thing right now, what would it be?

Friday, January 31, 2014
Did you feel a lot of pressure with January's NaBloPoMo?

Again, these are not my ideas, but Melissa Ford's.  She is over the challenge for the month,

  (sorry about the different fonts, after 4 years of writing on Blogger, I would have learned better.  Thinking about switching this blog to Tumblr)

Good night.

Curse you, IPad and the Blogger ap

Image by Google Images

Today, I decided to step away from this desktop computer, and take to writing via Ipad and the blogger app.   These days, sometimes I feel like all I ever do is wake up, come downstairs from my perch (LOL), and write on this computer, in hopes to gain viewers.  Aww, a writer’s life for me.  So, I decided to try my hand at Ipad writing.  

As I put finger tips to virtual keyboard, I eloquently compose the words on the app, and carefully making sure I write to help my potential readers understand what I am trying to get across.  I accidently added an extra line of nothing to a paragraph.  No problem, I will correct it.   So, as I went to correct it, I erase the whole thing.   I tried to get it back, but nothing.  I did not save it.  Well, it does not automatically save on the Ipad like the website automatically saves.  What a bummer.  Blogger, you need to change that.  

I have always said that the way I write is, writing the post first in a MS Word document, then cut and paste it on the blog.  I have not found a app on the Ipad that allows me to have the same feel as the combo of Word and cut/paste to the blogger software.  The reason could be the constant fight between Apple and Microsoft of who has the better device/software.  Enough already.  Microsoft will not do us Ipad users a favor by providing a complete Office app for the Ipad or Apple will not allow a complete Office app for the Ipad.   At least one that is free.  

So, my advice to you is to have more than one way of typing your post.  Once you have typed and proofread your work, save it.  I am slowly running out of room, so I need a new external drive.  I have one, but the computer hated the configuration of the drive once Windows 7 came into the picture. (It was configured in Windows Vista).  Be your best advocate when protecting your hard earned work from the very beginning.  This includes when vultures start stealing your well-written work. (Another topic for another day).  

I will tackle the topic of imagination and knowledge at another time.  I am 5 hours late with a topic.   Be blessed, my friend, be blessed.

George Bernard Shaw said, "Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." Do you agree or disagree?

Photo by Google image

Today’s (or I should say) Friday’s topic has me thinking about false knowledge.  I am not going to dive into it too close, after all, this is a writing prompt assignment. I wanted to know which is worst, so I looked the quote up by Mr. Shaw.  When I first think about false knowledge, I think about the word, “Lie” or “Lying.”  It makes me wonder how many lies we are told by people, such as family members, friends, and professional people.   For instance, when a child gets a shot at the doctor’s office, how many times are they told that the shot does not hurt?  Of course it is going to hurt, even for a tiny little second.  It is the longest second that anyone has ever experienced, because up to that point, that child have never experience that pain.

When I think of false knowledge, I also think about false advertisement.  As a business person, I always have to watch how and what I advertise.  The product has to be able to represent the company the way it is supposed to be.  For instance, how many of you watch the infomercials on television? For that company, you have to be able to prove that all of those exercise, business model manuals, and appliances work the way that they are advertised.  Anything less, and it is false advertising.  You have lied or scammed your way into the public eye.  So let us look at another word in the quote, “ignorance.”

Ignorance is the lack of knowledge.  For instance, to say that a person is unaware about a group of people, it means that person is ignorant.   There are all kinds of ignorance, but the most common of all ignorance is ignorance against a race, a lifestyle, a culture, religion, or a gender.  I can tell you from experience that one ignorant statement I hear all the time is “all African American males (AAM) are either unemployed, on drugs, cheating on their spouses, in jail, or dead.”   That is a statement that is false and here is why.  First of all, the word “ALL” is used.  Second, a person who makes that statement, has predestined all AAMs from birth to age 99 to particular way of life.  People often do not take into account on how a child is raised, the educational background, and other environmental surroundings.  Lastly, the person who makes that statement does not look at males of ALL races, they only look at the history of AAM and current stats on a concentrated few.   It also goes back to the false knowledge about the AAM.  Perhaps the person who made the statement about AAMs were taught that false knowledge through a parent or a teacher.  Who knows unless you start asking questions to that person?

Is it possible that “false knowledge” and “Ignorance” could be one in the same?  I just used the “African American Males” example, where it is possible for someone to be fed “false knowledge” about a group of people, by a person who is “ignorant” or “shows ignorance.”  If that is the case, to me, that quote is false and both false knowledge and ignorance can be dangerous at the same time.

People will always put their own spin into things that are a bunch of lies or “half-truths.”  It’s worse now than it has ever been.  There are lies against everyone, because people do not take the time to get to know that race, religion, or lifestyle.  They also do not take the time to get to know that individual, because people are always in a hurry.  For instance, today, I had a conversation with a cousin of mine, who is “tired of all the digital communication.”  He wanted to physically talk to people in front of him, instead of always to them through social media, texting, and through email.  We used to do that.  I expressed to him that I wish that I could get all of my cousin’s addresses phone numbers, and such so we could all get together to meet with one another.  I wish that we were all like my cousin.   In an age where teens could sit across from each other, only to say something in text, we need a little less false knowledge about one another, and so we can stop the ignorance that goes on throughout this planet.

So my quest I want from you is to comment below on what you think about that quote about “false knowledge” and “ignorance.”  Do you agree or disagree?

Until then, be blessed, my friend, and do not let a little thing happen to you.  Educate yourself about someone else outside your circle of friends.

Would you rather have one more hour with someone you like, or one fewer hour with someone you can't stand?

photo courtesy of Google Imagins

This is another Blogher post prompt that I am writing.  I find it rather unusual, and kind of annoying.  The reason being, is I do not like to discriminate against anyone.  I hope you find it very strange for me to say that.  But if I have to choose between either one, I would have to choose one more hour with someone I like.

The reason why I choose to spend one more hour with the person I like, is I have gotten along with this person from the very beginning.  We have something in common, a good start two what may be a bad ending, such as an accident, or that person moving away.  I will want to know what that person’s future would be like, or how they have enjoyed life.  I would then say how much I enjoyed their company, their friendship, and their life.  It would be hard for me if I had to witness the end of a beautiful life, or beautiful friendship.  What if it was not the end, but a beginning of something new?  Would I be selfish?  I mean, what if I am preventing something that can benefit either one of us?  Just because I’d do not want something to end, that does not mean that I am selfish.  What see if it is a new job?  It could provide a way for that person to maybe visit after they get settled.  Maybe that job is just temporary, and they will be back in a few months, or a couple years.  Finally, they could come back to teach others what they have learned.  The possibilities are endless.

Let’s look at it in a different light.  What if they were sick?  What if they could not get well?  How would to spend that time with them?  Would you to spend that time crying?  Would you spend that time holding that person?  These are questions that we have to ask ourselves when the time comes.  It is hard to talk about something that has not happen yet.  I do know this.  If I had to spend one more hour with someone who I liked, only to find out that they had something like terminal cancer, or some other terminal disease, I would spend that time thanking them for the time that they were in my life.  I would not cry, because I do not want that person to see how sad I am.  I hope that the person who I am talking to, has all of their affairs in order, and that everything will be all right.

So my question to you is, who do you want to spend your 1 hour with?  I hope it is with someone who you love, rather than someone you despise.  I hope it is with someone who you respect, love to listen to, and who can give you good wisdom for your future.  I want to give you one final thought about who I would have love to meet.  That person is a person who died last week, and that person is Nelson Mandela.  It would have been an honor to have just sit and listen to what he had to say about his country, his thoughts on the United States, and people in general.  Madiba, as he was called by many, was memorialized two days ago, with the private ceremony for his family on Saturday, will always be remembered as a gentle giant who changed a nation, and hopefully a world.  At least I would like to think so.

So comment on your thoughts below in the comments section below.   What do you think of this topic?  Feel free to use this as a jumping off point in your writing prompt for today.  If you have any topic you want to see covered in this blog, let me know that too.  Have a blessed evening, my friend.

C.S. Lewis said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." How good are you of placing others before yourself?

I am not sure how I would answer this question, and to be honest, I am not sure what that means.  When I first saw the subjects for this month’s NABLOPOMO, I thought that I do this all the time, but that is not what it means, so let me show you what it means to me.

At this time, we live in a world, where beauty is judge from the outside in.  Children (and adults) are shown what it is like when certain standards take president over the norm.  In a tall, skinny, male, Caucasian world, it is hard to tell anyone else that they are beautiful as well.  This is what the thinking less of yourself comes into play.  In order to compete, you need the right people.  That is what society says.  So yes, it was very easy for me, a short (5”), slightly overweight, slightly disabled, African American woman, with slightly above average grades to think less of myself.   I wanted to do it all; act, sing, play an instrument, model, dance, and have Wall Street in the palm of my little hand.  As a teen, I had low self-esteem, because I could do all of these things, despite what doctors told my parents, but I did not feel it.   It was because at the time, all I saw in the 70s and 80s were the white, tall, skinny models, who I did not know had to starve themselves in order to stay so thin.  I did not become overweight (the word is obese today), until my early teens, then dancing took the weight off.  (Do you know how many calories a shuffle-ball-change-tap-step burn?  It was enough to make me skinny again.)

Then when I wanted to be a dancer, and according to industry standards, you had to be between the height of 5’ 7” to 6” (I wanted to be a Rockette for starters, because I lived near New York City), or at least 5’7” in pointe shoes if you wanted to partner with someone.  Sorry but in both industries, I could not have the long arms, if people wanted to show off long-sleeve blouses and tops, or to show how graceful I was when doing a pirouette.  I fared a little better in the music department, but practicing was not my forte.  Education was also the highlight of the Logan Household.

Courtesy of  Google Images 

OK, I got off the subject, let me reel it back in.   I am very humbled to God to allow me to have these talents and more, but there are others who take their talents for granted, and do not feel the same way I feel about mine.   So I guess the real question is “what do you do for others with your talent?”  Are you doing it to boost yourself up, and to tell the world, “look what I am doing to make the world a better place,” or are you just quietly helping others?  If that is the case, I am quietly helping others.

For instance, I have to laugh at the holiday season.  Here is the reason why I laugh.   For 11 months out of the year, people think of self.  They self-promote and everything is me, myself, and I.  “I make X dollars,” “I live in this house,” and “I drive this car.” Well, it is great that you self-promote, 10 points if you are a celebrity.  I am not say that everyone does it or that it is wrong, but sometimes, there are some people who can overdo it just a little bit too much, Kanye?   I did a little self-promotion at the beginning of this post.  Did you notice it?  I thought so. 

Anyway, on that 12^th month, everyone all of a sudden remembers that there are others in the world who do not have as much as they do, and out comes the checkbook. You start hearing phrases such as “I need to help someone out, what about the starving children of Ethiopia, I want to help them.” Well, what about them?  They were there the other 11 months out of the year, why have you not notice them until now?  Writing a check is good, actually helping is great.  Put yourself out in the trenches. I do not mean that you have to go to a foreign country to do it.  Help someone in your own back yard.  Volunteer by helping someone.  Show someone how to do your job.  Talk to that person and give them resources, do not just talk.  You can learn a lot. Ask them what they what they hope to gain from learning something new.  You never know.  A person may be just temporary displaced, and they need to know how to find shelter or to get started with something in order to find a decent place to sleep.   OK, I am going to say it, “GIVE BACK!”  Do not make it just one month out of the year to say that you did something good, but do it for all 12 months.  Show someone how to organize who doesn’t know how.   Work in a food pantry and see how the other half lives.  If a person forgot their lunch at work and they do not have any money, offer to pay it for them.  Better yet, do it anonymously (R.A.K-Random acts of kindness or Pay It Forward).  Pay for the person’s dinner behind you.  It is the little things you do that count.

So the original question is “How good am I at putting others before myself?”  It is a work in progress, I am getting better at it.   God is not finished with me yet in that department.

Be blessed and show others you are blessed, my friend, by doing things for others, and give back all 12 months of the year.  This is something that may not cost a thing but your time.

Set a timer for 10 minutes and try to write your whole daily post. Now go back and give yourself 5 more minutes to write about how you felt working under such a tight deadline.

10-minutes

Ok, I have 10 mins to write this.   (Well less if you consider the time it takes to walk from the microwave timer to the computer table and get settled, LOL)

OK, enough of that….today is sort of a fun post.  Let’s see….Monday, I did nothing, because as it goes, my sister wanted me to pick up her kid, bring her to a relative’s house.   After delivering said niece to the house and my sister was hugging me in all creation, I went back home to eat, and play on Facebook most of the night.  Not very productive.

Tuesday, I worked at Longaberger Homestead.  Something that if you want extra sales, you get commission on all the unattached customers who buy something.   Who are unattached customers?   They are people who do not have a consultant.   You do not get their names unless they sign up on your mailing list.   The store does not provide that for privacy reasons.  I will find out in a few days how many customers actually shopped and were not attached to a consultant.

Wednesday, my father decides to clean my garage floor, which looks nice, but with the man being 74 years old, I worry that he is still doing too much.  He should ne relaxing, but I guess when you are that age, you feel like you are no longer needed, so I let him.  I went grocery shopping after he and my mom left.  Came back home to put away groceries and went to bible study.   (Time has ended)

Aftermath….

I like taking my time to write.  It relaxes me, and I can get my thoughts together rather I plan it or not.  My English is not good so if you do not mind, I am going to copy the above and give you the correct version…..

Corrected version of the above

Ok, I have 10 mins to write this.   (Well less if you consider the time it takes to walk from the microwave’s timer to the computer table and get settled, LOL)

OK, enough of that….today is sort of a fun post.  Let’s see, my week so far….Monday, I didn’t do anything, because, my sister called and wanted me to pick up her kid, and bring her to a relative’s house.   After dealing with the sounds of a 5-year old and delivering said niece to the house, my sister was hugging me in all creation, I went back home to eat, and play on Facebook most of the night.  Not very productive, because I was supposed to start the next set of NABLOPO for this month, and I could not concentrate.

Tuesday, I went to work at Longaberger Homestead.  Since I am an Independent Longaberger Home Consultant, this is one thing you can do if you want extra sales. You will get commission pay on all the unattached customers who buy products in the store.   Who are unattached customers?   They are people who do not have a consultant they regular by current products from.   The products they can by at the store are retired products that are no longer available in the catalogue.  You cannot get their names unless they sign up on your mailing list and you ask them if they mind receiving monthly flyers from you.   The store does not provide that for privacy reasons.  I will find out in a few days how much I made in commission pay.

Wednesday, my father decides to clean my garage floor, which looks nice, but the man is 74 years old, and I do worry that he is still doing too much.  He should be relaxing, but I guess when you are that age, you may feel like you are no longer needed, so I let him.  I went grocery shopping after he and my mom left.  I came home to put away groceries and went to bible study.   (Time has ended)

I did that to show you what it takes for me to create a blog post.  If you are interested, I want you take time out to see if you are cut out to be a blogger.   As I have said in previous posts, it does not take much to blog, if you blog in general (such as telling people about your day).   If you are an expert at something, it may take a little longer to type out a blog post, because if you are not sure of a certain area of expertise, you will need to research that area.   In fact I recommend you research it anyway.  The first two rules of blogging in my opinion is 1) stay up on your current information on the subject and 2) keep them interested.   You want to keep them coming back for more.  

This was my week so far.  I am not looking forward to tomorrow, because this winter storm is supposed to hit.   I need to run, Scandal is about ready to come on, and I want to see how Olivia reacts to seeing her mom in few years.

Be Blessed, my Friend.

Tell us how you feel about endings

Google Images

Hello, I took a little break for Thanksgiving. I went to my relatives in Indiana, and I had a ball. Well, today was the last day of the series and I am not sure what I am going to do next. I have not looked at Blogher to see if there is a December one yet. If I do it, it will not be everyday, I will have my own prompts on some days.
My feelings about endings. I do not adapt much to change. I do not think most people do. We,as humans, always deal with an ending of something, and it is a change. It may be a change in your routine, a change in in the family, your situation, anything that is something different. What's worse is I do not like doing the same thing over and over again, unless I start it.
When I first started blogging in 2009, I was not sure if I liked the idea of tying myself to something that the world will be looking at. There is judgement when someone reads something you wrote, be it personal or something informative.  It has to be something that will get a person to come back again and again. Sure, I had a journal which I wrote in the MS Word, but it was just me and the computer at the time, and I was not sure how anyone would perceive me. and as this blogging atmosphere grew, I started liking it, and in some ways I never want it to end. I guess that is what I hate about endings.
I have revealed that I love the blog like a half of a zillion times over the course of the series, but I have other things to do. I just figured out that my phone can be the perfect place to just talk into the microphone and just talk. So that is a change for me. So it is the ending of an old way of being tied to my desktop as I blog, and attach myself to the phone. Just what I need something else to attach myself to,LOL.  In this case, an ending can be a new beginning. I am also learning how to Vlog which is video blogging and will be starting that in 2014. I just need to find a way to mount my camera on things such as my car's dashboard in my head over my desk. So stay tuned. I also need a new stand alone, flash video, and a tripod. At this time I'm not sure if my dads tripod will work. Oh, I need so many things for that. Okay I am rambling.
So my conclusion, I need a lot of things in order to make this work to increase my blogging. In things are not my enemy, but a new beginning. I hate change, but welcome it as a new beginning. I think I will sign up for December thingy Ford block her. I love it so much, & I think I will register too. To block this time. Please comment below.

What R U Thankful 4?

Photo by http://www.squawkfox.com

You are not see a typo in the title.  I intentionally typed it that way.  The reason? None, except I am tired of see all the typos in Facebook posts, tweets, you name it.   People, especially people of color should happy and proud that there is an education system that is free to all, at least in America.   I understand the occasional missteps of the "I" before "e" problem, because I do it too.  No one is a perfect speller (is that right?) (Oops, forgot to capitalize that sentence.)  I am talking about spelling "da" for "the.”  Really?  Your mama taught you better than dat (oops, I meant "that").  
For those of you who think that talking and spelling this way is "so white,” ask yourself this question: why does it seem like I am not getting ahead?   Then again, maybe you are as far as school is concern, what about getting a job and communicating with customers?  The rest of the world does not talk or write that way.

I just found out some disturbing news (and I am not trying to be funny at this moment because I am quite upset about it):  According to a recent reading practice report (as of today), 58% of third graders in my city's largest school district (Columbus City) will not pass to the fourth grade.  This is based on practice test scores.  They take the real thing in March, and I am afraid that if half of these kids do not step up and master passing this test, they will not graduate with their class years from now.  This is a test that the State of Ohio decided they needed in order to see how well they are being taught how to read in the first place.   Now here is the real kicker.   I have a friend who happens to teach third graders.   The district wants her to teach them how to read, but according to my friend, they want her to focus more on helping them to pass the third grade reading test and less about the curriculum they gave her in the first place to teach them how to get to that reading level.   So now she has to devote extra hours to tutor them after school until 6 pm for the stuff she should have taught them during regular school hours.  Then she has to go home and do lesson prep instead of attending to her own family.  Luckily and thankfully, she currently has a husband and a 2 year old child, but what if she was along with her 2 year old and did not have any help?  Where are the parents in all of this?    They should spend as much time if not more teaching their children how to read.   Why are they spending so much time on social media or any other device instead of trying to sound out words?   I have thousands of questions, and no answers.

Parents, please do not depend on your child’s teachers to teach them everything.  I know you are busy providing for your child, such as clothing, food, and entertainment.  This leads to the question:  Why does your child have to be entertained all the time?   Think about that.  Education should be one of them, and it does not have to be private.  Your teacher is also busy.  He/she has to provide lessons that will motivate and help your child to learn.   In other words, take time out to teach your child basic K-8^th grade stuff.

I was a Pre-K teacher at one time.  This meant providing a lesson plan that will stimulate the child into learning something as simple as spelling their name, tying their shoes, counting and early math (1+1=2), learning the days of the week, and so forth.   Oh how I sometimes I wished that the parents who I interacted with would have taken an interest in what their child was learning, instead of saying “hi” and “bye” to the child.   I know there are demands at work, but I was mostly talking to moms who stayed at home.  Did they really had to get rid of their child that fast?  Oh how I wished that I could have a conference with them about their child.

So, getting back to the beginning of this post with the Facebook comments.  Please use spell check, ask a friend, an elder, dictionary, or just get a clue.  Go back to school or if you are in school please ask your teacher how to spell “the”, “that,” and a whole host of often phonetically spelled words, which should be memorized by the 8^th grade.   Learn how to read, learn how to spell, and learn how to write.  A note to any parent in the Columbus, Ohio area:  please help your 3^rd grade child to reach the potential so that they can pass this reading test.  It is mandatory, and it can be the ticket to your child reaching they dreams.

So, what do you think?  Where has our education system gone?

My week and the art of being Grateful

Hello-

I have been so busy the last couple of days, including some things that threw me for a loop.  Yes, I am still on BlogHer’s posting challenge, but for some reason, I did not do the one that asks you about a favorite outfit, and I will post something about selecting a book to read.   Maybe.  It will be alright, I do hope that Blogher will account for busy lives.  

photo by google

To make up for Thursday’s missed blog post, I would love to give you a synapsis of my week, which was the worst week to date in 2013.

Sunday was typical Sunday for me.  A friend of mine decided to provide lunch at church and today he will be providing dinner.  After lunch, I decided to go home instead of going to my parent’s. (After all, I had seen them at church.)  I decided to go and get sushi to go and added on Sweet and Sour Pork to the mix.

Monday was my Oops day and I will tell you why?   I had forgot that I had scheduled shopping time with one of my women’s groups.   I asked mom if she would like to go Sunday evening, but she later called that day and said Chacha, the cleaning lady was supposed to help her with the silver, so I said I will not go.   My sister called a short time later and needed a ride to work.   At the time that she called, I had told her that me and mom was going out, but seeing that the store was near her workplace, I asked her if she mind going with me, and she didn’t as long as we get to her job by 8 pm.   Done deal.  

At the store, I found a pair of PJ bottoms to wear when I go out of town, but I had good tops.  Besides that, I did not like the tops they had.  I also found a pair of footy socks and bought my sister a pair, since it was two for one.   I also purchased a jacket for the spring going into early summer to wear next year.   Total amount:  $87.50 after all the discounts were taken off.  Score!

We were running late, and we quickly dashed to the car, and when we were about ready to turn, a Ford truck ran into me.   Oh great!   On top of everything that was recently renovated in the house due to the sewage being backed up by a tree root, and new carpet, painting , revamping of both the security system and heater in the house, and a new valve being put on the engine of the car, now it needs a new hood and grill/bumper replacement.   That’s just wonderful.   On top of that, my sister was upset, and the police was behind the man who hit me.   So they asked us to pull into the parking lot of a store, and took the information.   No citation on my part, but a warning about being in the middle of turning lane on a yellow light.

I was trying to soften the blow to my dad, by calling my mom’s cell, who had gone to pick up my nephew at a friend’s house.   I finally texted my nephew to tell mom that we had been in an accident and no one was hurt.

Tuesday morning I looked at my damaged car.  I was able to drive it home Monday night after the accident report was taken, and now it was sitting in my garage waiting on the insurance people to say something.   I had some work to do, which kept my mind off of the damage.  Wednesday was another shopping day, and this time with my mom to a nearby mall.  I spent $77 on 2 sweaters, an infinity scarf, blanket for my couch (I love to snuggle under blankets), and a box of Moose Munch from Harry and David (my fav).   My dad had taken the car for an estimate, so before I drove it back home, I stopped by Starbucks for my annual Eggnog Latte.  (It was sooo good) I went to bible study that night and I usually ride with mom.

Here is a service announcement….Folks, in case you do not know, when you are in an accident, there are companies out there who will hunt down your accident report and call you so that you can total your car.   I received 4 solicited phone calls from mechanics who purposely looked up my accident report and asked me if I need a repair or to total my car.  “Well, if I needed one, I would have called you, so please talk to my father!”   This is what I wanted to tell each one of them as I answered the phone calls.  Talk about your intensiveness.  I was so mad Wednesday and Thursday, until I could just spit.   At least they could have asked was if I and my sister was alright.  Cars can be replaced, but we can’t.

Thursday was also the day that dad took the car in to be fixed.  So I was without a car.  I also was emotional.   Nope, it wasn’t that time of the month.  I was so over that at age 29.  I wrote a post about my first friend, and took it a little further and talked about my friend Lonnie.  You can read it here if you have not read it. 

Friday, still without a car, I did some business stuff.   Crazy stuff was going throughout the city of Columbus, including a man going on a shooting rampage.

Saturday, I got my car back, and it was bitterly cold outside.  Almost too cold for my new jacket, but dad asked me to take a look at my car, and it is beautiful.   The only thing that needs replacing is the emblem in front of the car.  It is still a reminder that I had the accident.  I finally got a chance to list some items for sale on my Etsy shop.

Now you see why I am grateful this week.  I am also thankful that my dad does not have a temper like I thought he did.  I am thankful that I, my sister, nor the guy was not taken by ambulance, I am thankful that the car nor the man truck was not totaled.   I am thankful for friends, family, and for a God I serve.   I have tons of blessings.

OK this at over 1000 words, so be blessed, and thankful my friend.

Tell us about your first friend.

Hugging Friends   By
Doug Mataconis

I had to think about this for a while.  After careful consideration, I want to explain this:   when I think about a person’s first friend, I can think about my cousins.   Yes, they are your relatives, but they act as your first friends and here is why.  They are the first people you are introduced to after your parents.   These are the people who can hold all your secrets from your parents.  You can laugh with them, play with them, and even hate them for a minute, jump back in as if you never had a hash word to say.

So without a doubt, my first friend was my cousin, Tammy.  She lives 4 hours away from me, and I do not see her much, because we are busy.   Tammy is only 6 months younger than me, and when we were little, she was my ying to her yang.   Total opposites.   I was military raised, while she was raised in Detroit.  She’s bossy while I was the quit one.

Our mothers are 7 years apart, separated by a sister and a brother who died at the age of 7.   My mother is older, while her mother was always accused of borrowing and never returning clothes.  I am in a lot of ways like my mother, while Tammy is defiantly like Aunt Liz. 

In a lot of ways, even though Tammy is younger than me.   I love her like a sister, even though we were not raised in the same area, we could always pick up where we left off.

I want to tell you about my second friend.   I met her when we lived in Southern California.  I was 3 and she was 4 and bossy as well (how did I end up with 2 bossy friends?)  Anyway, her name was Elondrea, Lonnie for short.  Our parents were friends, so that should make us automatic friends, right?  Right.   We lived in San Bernardino and she and her parents lived in Rialto.  I had fun spending the night at her house, because we did activities (not that we did not do activities at my house).  At one time, we both had the same type doll, but my doll had two names:  when she was at home, her name was Carol, but when I carried her over to Lonnie’s house, her name was Billy Jo (to Lonnie’s doll’s name of Bobby Jo).

We moved to McGuire AFB when I was 9, but Lonnie and her mother came to see us twice during that time.  That was the last time Lonnie seemed truly happy.   When we moved to Columbus in 1977, Lonnie came out to stay with us for a year, and she was a changed person.  We were getting into arguments, like any sister would, and while she was staying with us, she started experimenting with drugs, and became pregnant with her first and only child, Sequelia Olivet, Vet for short.   I was one her godmothers.  By then, Lonnie had moved back home, because mom and dad could not handle her.

In 1989 or 1990, Lonnie had taken to the streets of LA and started doing drugs very heavily.  After all, her mom took custody of Vet, so Lonnie felt that she did not have any responsibility.   She was also going with this guy during the time.  One night, Lonnie felt the need to steal some drugs off of him, and he killed her.  To this day, even though I live here in Columbus, it is still one of the things I have a hard time dealing with, and I am crying as I write this part of my post for Wednesday. 

I still miss my friend, Lonnie, but I know why.   Part of it had to with when she was 8, there were family members who started molesting her.  This was when I was 7, and that is something that no kid should ever have to go through.  I thank God that none of them touched me, and I think if they did, my father probably would be in prison and out of the Air Force, because no one messes with his little girl.  I guess when she started using, it was her way to numb the pain that she was felling.  I cannot relate to this. 

This is why I urge all parents to please talk to your children daily.  Make sure you listen to all the clue of a drug problem, bullying, or even that they are being sexual, emotional, or mentally abused. Maybe they cannot talk about it, but be there for them, tell them that you love them, and get them help before it is too late.  Keep them from not ending up like Lonnie.  May 15, 2014 would have been her 51^st birthday.   I wonder what her life would have been if that family member would have kept their hands off of her at age 8.  Her daughter is in her thirties and probably would not have been born.  My parents have not heard from Miss Olivet, Lonnie’s mom in 5 years.   I know this post is long, but Miss Olivet, if you happen to read this post, my parents would love to hear from you.  Please contact them, their number is the same.

Be blessed my friend.  Same to you, Miss Olivet.  Patti.

PS:  Tell me about your first friend.   Comment below.

How much of the day are you plugged in? Do you consciously set aside offline time, or does it happen whenever it happens?

(c) 2015 by P. Lynne Designs

Ok, I must admit something….When this thing called the internet first came into the scene, I was not too thrilled at the thought of it.   Something changed to make me think otherwise and that was my job at CompuServe.   I was at the job for about a year in a half when it was all the rage in Columbus, Ohio.  People do not know that CompuServe was the first Facebook.  OK, I am going to stop right there, because I am aging myself.

Since I left that job in 1995, I have been trying to stay connected.  After I got rid of my free accounts for being an employee at CompuServe, I got an AOL account.   I still have it, but my father uses it.   I wanted more out of just being able to do a few select things.  It wasn’t until I got my account with Time Warner Cable’s Roadrunner that really made me take off in the internet world.   After that, I wanted to blog, sell items, and communicate more.  

2009 was a big year for me.  I started MDN Creates, the blog, I came face to face with Facebook, I opened a Twitter account, and a LinkedIn account.  I love it.  Add in a Pinterest account, a You Tube account that I actually started in 2007 with just viewing videos, and finally an Instagram account, you would wonder if I ever see anyone from the outside world.   As a matter of fact, I do. 

I do things with my family, with my church, and I take long baths (not too long).  I do sleep.   Most of my online presence in comparison to my off-line presence is about 50-50.  I work at home now.  My choice.  Some people still think it is an abomination to work at home while others say they wish they could.    My secret to being present to others is to set aside time for everything.   Sometimes I write it down and sometimes I do not.  My schedule is supposed to be:

• Business 9-5 (M-F)
• Home life (after 6)
• Family (after 6)
• Spiritual time (anytime of the day, because I need those pray moments, and God says not to put him on the backburner)

My schedule has been lately:

• Home life all day! I recently did some major renovations to the house and now I need to fix the car.  I had an accident last night with my sister in the car.  We are alright, but the hood needs replacing.  So there goes the 9-5 aspect, because mechanics are not going to see you after 5 (at least no body shops).  
• Business:  If I can sneak in a blog post or two, a writing assignment, or an ad campaign during 9-5, I am golden.   I would love to be able to contact a sponsor during the day.
• Family:  24/7  I have people who for the life of me cannot understand that if I was at an out of the home job, I would not be able to take you to appointments, go shopping, or have the repair person come into my home.  My purpose for working at home is to start a business, nurture it, and later on, if it gets too much to have it at home, I can buy a building and work from there. 
• Spiritual time:  I attend my church’s bible study on Wednesday nights, church on Sundays, and I try to sneak in a bible study reading or two.  Unfortunately I do not read the Bible in print anymore.  I have it on my Ipad and my phone.  It is more convenient.
• Sleep:  What’s that?   I am kidding.  I do get my sleep, including a power nap in my chair at the computer desk.   I do eat.  In fact, I am thawing out some chicken wings and tomatoes for my first “Everything but the kitchen sink” soup of the season.   It is basically a soup base, plus anything you have in your refrigerator and simmer.   Depending on your combo, it can be very delicious.  It is cold out there, and I need warmth.

Well I am at 730 words, so be blessed, my friend, and comment below your answer to this question about unplugging from your online friends.