Monday, May 30, 2022

All Gave Some, but Some Gave All...

 

I hope you've enjoyed the long weekend,

but never forget those who died to keep us free as well as the families who mourn their loss.



 

Monday, May 23, 2022

Miscelleneous Monday


 

Image courtesy of IMGBIN.

Did you know that the last day that all of us humans were on Earth together was October 31, 2000. At least one person has been aboard the International Space Station ever since.

* * * * * 

Did you know that one million seconds is about 12 days, and one billion seconds is about 31 years...?

* * * * *

Texas ... The Windy State...?


Image courtesy of IMGBIN,
but I do have some not-as-good pictures of my own...

 

Did you know that Texas generates nearly double the wind power of any other US state?

I didn't either, but it makes sense. We're the second largest state in the Union *and* we have a lot of wide open spaces.

Have you ever seen a line of these suckers, up close and personal?? I think they're pretty impressive looking.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-u-s-wind-electricity-generation-by-state/

* * * * *

Things are going okay...not great, but okay...

Mom is struggling a little on two fronts--a little with energy levels and whatnot, a little with accepting that she's not going to get back to her beloved Oregon. I think there's some grieving and depression going on.

Your prayers, if you're the praying sort, would be greatly appreciated.

Take care and have a great week.

Monday, May 16, 2022

NASCAR Day

GENTLEMEN! -- START! YOUR! ENGINES!

If you've been around these parts long enough, you might recall, I did a stint as a NASCAR fan way back in the day. I'm still a fan I guess, I just don't watch the races and I don't go to any races and I don't collect NASCAR collectibles. I still have my collectibles, though, and in fact, DH came across one of my favorite NASCAR collectibles while re-arranging the garage in preparation for Mom's arrival.

Let me introduce you to Sterling Marlin--my favorite driver back in the day...


This is a cardboard stand-up (that has seen better days, lol) and seemed pretty popular in NASCAR circles back in the day. Might still be, but I don't play there, so I don't know. You might have seen these in grocery stores in the beer aisle especially during big game events that might happen in your town.

This standup was bought on the down low from a bar in Phoenix when DH and I traveled there for a race waaaay back in 2001!

But I'm here to talk about NASCAR DAY, which according to the National Day Calendar website is:

"Each year on the third Friday in May, NASCAR Day recognizes the drivers, celebrities, corporate partners, media, and the millions of fans. They all come together to raise funds for charitable causes across the nation."

Sounds like a fun time, as NASCAR races are.

There's nothing like standing shoulder to shoulder with 100,000 of your best friends while while 40+ stock cars come barreling around turn four to start a race. Everything roars and vibrates... It's a pretty amazing experience.

As is camping at a NASCAR track. We did it twice. Once here in our own back yard at Texas Motor Speedway and once at Phoenix International Raceway. Each track had its own personality--TMS was a total party track, PIR seemed to be the retirees. Loads of fun either way.

So if you're a NASCAR fan, take a few minutes on Friday May 20th to celebrate NASCAR and your favorite driver and yourself as a fan.

Have a great week!

Monday, May 9, 2022

What's In A Name...? A Brand Name, that is...

"Name Brands" vs "store brands" is my topic.

My mom, bless her heart, hates the store I shop at with a passion. But that's the place I shop. Have for more than a decade and have no desire to change that habit at this point in time. :0)

But it's gotten me to thinking...I buy a lot of store brands, which, in my case, means "Great Value" or "Equate"--and she's not said a word about either since she's been here.

But there are a few things that I don't ever buy the store brand of. Ever. Probably more for a perceived issue of better quality than the reality of it.

I'm sure we all have favorite brands. This first one has nothing to do with quality, however.

Until I die, I will use Palmolive Dish Soap. And it has to be the original green kind. Why? Because I took bubble baths in it at my grandparents' house when I was a child and the smell of those memories is a cherished one.

Some people will only buy a name brand mayonnaise. Not me. I couldn't care less about mayo.

On the other hand--let's talk about cheese. I will buy store brand shredded or block cheese any day of the week...but I will never buy store brand "American" cheese. It's gotta be Kraft singles for grilled cheese sandwiches or nothing, baby.

I also buy Hunt's spaghetti sauce over any other brand. I don't know that I've ever tried the store brand, but that's not a product I'm willing to try. No reason why, to be honest. Hunt's is tried and true for us.

And I think those three items are the extent of my "pickiness" when it comes to name brand vs. store brand. I'll give anything else a try.

What about you? Any product you'll pay more for the brand name of??

Have a super week!

Monday, May 2, 2022

First Quarter Report

This is way late due to my unexpected trip out of town, but I had it written and ready to go. No sense in wasting already written words, so here is my scorecard...

1. Sending post cards to Grandma--I'm one card behind. The first one got returned due to a postage glitch and then I ran out of stamps and the local post office has been without its credit / debit card machine. So yeah... But, overall, I'm doing better...

*update...I'm on track now. I sent out cards right before I left and one right when I got back. So yeah.

2. Exercise regularly/up my game--With few exceptions (due to the super cold weather and one late night), I've gotten on the elliptical every day. I've only upped my game in so far as I'm up to 15 minutes worth of effort. I haven't switched out any of the other equipment or added yoga back into the mix yet. But 1st quarter, right? Get the habit established and then we'll add in and switch up.

*update...due to Mom's arrival and all the upheaval from getting her settled and into various doctors appointments, this one is on hold for a few more weeks.

3. Cook & eat healthy/stick to a food plan-- This has been a struggle. I'm a comfort/stress eater and issues with getting my mom here have caused some anxiety. I'm not doing terrible, but I'm not doing great. However, this is one area where I'm really giving ,myself some grace. We'll see how it goes in the 2nd quarter.

*update...due to Mom's health this is now a thing, we are working towards a balance between freshly cooked meals, meals prepped in advance, and easy but healthy "scrounge" meals.

4. Housekeeping--I've stayed on track. I hit the marks each week, but I haven't yet upped the game to any real degree, unless you want to count picking up dog poop regularly. I'll need to decide what to add for the 2nd quarter.

*update...this became a priority for various reasons, but execution will take some time due to the aforementioned arrival / upheaval...

5. Writers Group Treasurer Duties--A+ on this one. I've caught up and kept up.

*update...got a little behind while gone, but now that I'm getting caught up with day job duties, this is back on the priority list.

6. Publish One Book--I'm on track for this. I finished the last of the editing and got the epilogues written this past month. April is for getting all the files created, reviewed, and uploaded to retailers and aggregators. ISBNs have been assigned. Release day is June 24. I'll start working on one of the other two Works In Progress in April, just to dip my toe in, get re-acquainted with the characters and the plot. Then I'll go from there...

*surprisingly, still on track. I had scheduled a lot of lee way here, so barring anything catastrophic, this looks good to go...

7. Hone/Learn My Craft--Doing okay with this so far. I've listened to several of the webinars from one of the online conferences I paid for. But this item is low priority and has gotten bumped a time or two so that I could do other things. But I recently read an admonition that resonated. Any epiphanies in and of themselves from books or webinars or blog posts aren't going to do much. I have to put in the work. I'm not sure what the work is just yet, but I need to figure it out.

*update...not as critical considering everything else right now, so on hold for the time being. There are too many other things on my plate at the moment to worry about this, but because emails don't expire and the conferences I registered for allow me three years of access, I have plenty of time.

8. Double My Etsy Inventory--So far so good. :0) Surprisingly. I took a few minutes a couple of weeks ago to assess my progress, and noting that I was only a little behind, set out a schedule that allowed me to get caught up.

*update...another thing that's fallen off the priority list altogether. On the other hand, due to drama in Etsy circles, I'm looking at creating my own store platform not via Etsy, so I'm researching store templates. But still not a priority--just a thing to do when I need something "fun" to think about/do.

9. Read, read, read--On track. I set my Goodreads Challenge at 104 books and I'm pretty sure I'm ahead of schedule. Granted, my pace has dropped off a little, but that's okay.

*update...I might have gotten behind because I didn't read at all while I was gone. OTOH, I was ahead before I left and I'm a fast reader, so catching up/getting back on schedule should not be a problem.

10. Keep up with Goodreads admin--missed a few check-ins this month, so I need to do that and then write that bi-monthly appointment in my planner.

*update...completely dropped the ball on this, but again, not a priority. I think I'll just put that on hold until the start of the third quarter.

If you set goals for the year, how are you progressing??

Have a great week...