Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 76
September 27, 2018
Totally an Artist
Have you guys heard about those painting studios where you show up, sip a little wine, and paint a picture on a canvas? I think it's been a few years since I first read something about them and I've wanted to try it from the start. I finally got my chance!
A few of the women I work with wanted to try it as a girls' night out and everything fell into place for Tuesday. There were six of us and we had the back row to ourselves.
It was a lot of fun! (Although the chairs were pretty uncomfortable.) I discovered I have a heavy hand with the paint brush and things didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped, but it still turned out good enough that I'll hang it up in my house somewhere. Probably in my bedroom.
If you're looking for something fun to do, especially with a group, check to see if there's somewhere around your area that hosts a painting night. It was definitely worth it.
This is my painting.
A few of the women I work with wanted to try it as a girls' night out and everything fell into place for Tuesday. There were six of us and we had the back row to ourselves.
It was a lot of fun! (Although the chairs were pretty uncomfortable.) I discovered I have a heavy hand with the paint brush and things didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped, but it still turned out good enough that I'll hang it up in my house somewhere. Probably in my bedroom.
If you're looking for something fun to do, especially with a group, check to see if there's somewhere around your area that hosts a painting night. It was definitely worth it.
This is my painting.
September 25, 2018
Dream Bathroom
Sometimes I fantasize about what my perfect bathroom would look like and the one thing that is consistent in all my dreams is that I would have a master bath without a bathtub.
I always shower. I can't even tell you the last time I took a bath. It just seems like a huge waste of time and I'd have to hop in the shower anyway to wash my hair, so why bother? And yet every house I've had has had a tub. :-(
Tubs collect dust and they take up valuable real estate that could be purposed for something more useful--like a shower that is large enough for a seat and totally luxurious. Or how about a slightly bigger shower and a linen closet that isn't taking up space in my walk-in closet? (This is making me insane.) Or a vanity where I could sit down to mess with makeup and such. Said vanity could even have big drawers, something my current master doesn't have.
This house has two other bathtubs, so it shouldn't hurt resale and no tub would make me ecstatically happy.
Of course, I can't afford to redo my bathroom and so I'll have to live with this tub. Sigh. But it is nice to dream.
I always shower. I can't even tell you the last time I took a bath. It just seems like a huge waste of time and I'd have to hop in the shower anyway to wash my hair, so why bother? And yet every house I've had has had a tub. :-(
Tubs collect dust and they take up valuable real estate that could be purposed for something more useful--like a shower that is large enough for a seat and totally luxurious. Or how about a slightly bigger shower and a linen closet that isn't taking up space in my walk-in closet? (This is making me insane.) Or a vanity where I could sit down to mess with makeup and such. Said vanity could even have big drawers, something my current master doesn't have.
This house has two other bathtubs, so it shouldn't hurt resale and no tub would make me ecstatically happy.
Of course, I can't afford to redo my bathroom and so I'll have to live with this tub. Sigh. But it is nice to dream.
September 20, 2018
Rough Sketch
One of my great disappointments in life is that I can't draw. I'd love to pick up a sketch pad and some pencils and make beautiful drawings. Maybe if I spent time practicing I'd reach a point where I was adequate and not embarrassing, but while I'd like to draw, I don't have a burning passion for it. Not like writing.
As a kid, when I'd try to draw and fail, I'd give up and go do something else, but when I wrote something and it wasn't exactly how I wanted it, I revised and reworked, and wrote some more. This is the difference, I think, between a passion and an interest.
I've tried coloring books because it allows some color creativity if not actual drawing, but I found this exceedingly boring and gave up quickly.
Of course, this lack of talent doesn't mean I've given up and I frequently have to talk myself out of buying art supplies. Most of the time I'm pretty good about doing it because I know I'll end up with an unused collection if I don't. Recently, I failed. I bought a color pencil set, a regular pencil set, and two sketchbooks.
I had them sitting in my office, next to the computer, and while I was writing, I had this idea. Let me draw a map! I'm working on a scene toward the end of my book and there's a lot to keep straight as far as character/plot/action/etc. and the layout of the land was one more factor to monitor.
Like I said, I can't draw well, but I didn't need an artist's rendering, just a rough sketch of what is where. So I opened my pencil case and made an extremely rudimentary drawing. It might be ugly, but it helped me with what I needed it for. I'm calling it a win.
As a kid, when I'd try to draw and fail, I'd give up and go do something else, but when I wrote something and it wasn't exactly how I wanted it, I revised and reworked, and wrote some more. This is the difference, I think, between a passion and an interest.
I've tried coloring books because it allows some color creativity if not actual drawing, but I found this exceedingly boring and gave up quickly.
Of course, this lack of talent doesn't mean I've given up and I frequently have to talk myself out of buying art supplies. Most of the time I'm pretty good about doing it because I know I'll end up with an unused collection if I don't. Recently, I failed. I bought a color pencil set, a regular pencil set, and two sketchbooks.
I had them sitting in my office, next to the computer, and while I was writing, I had this idea. Let me draw a map! I'm working on a scene toward the end of my book and there's a lot to keep straight as far as character/plot/action/etc. and the layout of the land was one more factor to monitor.
Like I said, I can't draw well, but I didn't need an artist's rendering, just a rough sketch of what is where. So I opened my pencil case and made an extremely rudimentary drawing. It might be ugly, but it helped me with what I needed it for. I'm calling it a win.
September 18, 2018
A Little Less "Love"
I'm not sure if it's only my insurance company, but honestly they are constantly reaching out to me. Calling me, emailing me, wanting me to take surveys about my interactions with them. What's that quote? We care about your total well being. I can't remember if I read that somewhere or saw it on TV or in a movie, but it's appropriately sarcastic. They are trying way too hard to show they love me.
The thing is that I don't want my insurance company to reach out to me. I want them to leave me the hell alone. Send me my bill when it's due, send me my proof of auto insurance card, and stop raising my rates. That's all I want from them.
Instead, I get email after email after email, and when it gets close to policy time, they want to call me to discuss my coverage. No. I don't want to talk to you. I'll call you if I need you.
And ultimately, it doesn't matter how much they try to show they love me. One more price hike on my auto insurance and I'm shopping for a new company. I really don't want to do this because it's a time-consuming, royal PITA, but I haven't had a claim since 1998. There is no way my rates should jump every year.
Maybe if they wasted less money on reaching out to people who want to be left alone, they wouldn't have to jack up their rates.
The thing is that I don't want my insurance company to reach out to me. I want them to leave me the hell alone. Send me my bill when it's due, send me my proof of auto insurance card, and stop raising my rates. That's all I want from them.
Instead, I get email after email after email, and when it gets close to policy time, they want to call me to discuss my coverage. No. I don't want to talk to you. I'll call you if I need you.
And ultimately, it doesn't matter how much they try to show they love me. One more price hike on my auto insurance and I'm shopping for a new company. I really don't want to do this because it's a time-consuming, royal PITA, but I haven't had a claim since 1998. There is no way my rates should jump every year.
Maybe if they wasted less money on reaching out to people who want to be left alone, they wouldn't have to jack up their rates.
September 13, 2018
Flyers
At work, there are frequent charity fundraisers. Just this week, there were two on back-to-back days--a lunch for a woman who'd been in a car accident and another the following day for a man who had cancer. Both were worthy events, but the difference in flyers posted around the office were amazing.
I will confess immediately that I did the flyer for the woman in the car accident. There is a short, grabbing headline, a picture of the woman and her children, and the necessary information. First, what happened and why she needs financial assistance (this is also kept brief, but hopefully grabs the heart) and then a Where, When, What, Cost list in bold. This allows people to see the important information in a glance without having to study the flyer in detail.
Then there was the other flyer. The headline is long and confusing because of the poor grammar. I actually had to stop and read it twice to grasp what they were trying to say. There was no paragraph of explanation because that was what the headline was. It was necessary to search for the important information like where this was being held. The date and the cost were easy to see, so that worked.
I see bad flyers all the time at work. Literally, the flyer has about a second or less to grab a passerby's attention. Lengthy, confusing headlines don't do that. This is typical. Graphics of the food being served at the lunch instead of pictures of the family in need (or the charitable organization). Everyone knows what food looks like. Show the family, make it real.
Don't even get me started about grammar. My least favorite is the apostrophe atrocity. That would be using apostrophes where none is required. For example: Thank you for your contribution's. UGH! ::sobs:: I hate apostrophe atrocities. Not every S requires an apostrophe.
I'm not the only one who creates good flyers. Another department put together a flyer for a smoothie fundraiser that was exceptionally well done. It conveys the what you get brilliantly and the other information is easy to see in a glance. Someone else made it and did a fabulous job!
The thing is that these charity fundraisers are all good causes and it's a shame to lose people who'd potentially like to attend the lunch, but their eyes skim right over those flyers that are dense with text and confusion. The key always is to make it as easy as possible for people to know what you're asking of them. I try to do that with my flyers and I think I succeed.
My advertising degree at work.
I will confess immediately that I did the flyer for the woman in the car accident. There is a short, grabbing headline, a picture of the woman and her children, and the necessary information. First, what happened and why she needs financial assistance (this is also kept brief, but hopefully grabs the heart) and then a Where, When, What, Cost list in bold. This allows people to see the important information in a glance without having to study the flyer in detail.
Then there was the other flyer. The headline is long and confusing because of the poor grammar. I actually had to stop and read it twice to grasp what they were trying to say. There was no paragraph of explanation because that was what the headline was. It was necessary to search for the important information like where this was being held. The date and the cost were easy to see, so that worked.
I see bad flyers all the time at work. Literally, the flyer has about a second or less to grab a passerby's attention. Lengthy, confusing headlines don't do that. This is typical. Graphics of the food being served at the lunch instead of pictures of the family in need (or the charitable organization). Everyone knows what food looks like. Show the family, make it real.
Don't even get me started about grammar. My least favorite is the apostrophe atrocity. That would be using apostrophes where none is required. For example: Thank you for your contribution's. UGH! ::sobs:: I hate apostrophe atrocities. Not every S requires an apostrophe.
I'm not the only one who creates good flyers. Another department put together a flyer for a smoothie fundraiser that was exceptionally well done. It conveys the what you get brilliantly and the other information is easy to see in a glance. Someone else made it and did a fabulous job!
The thing is that these charity fundraisers are all good causes and it's a shame to lose people who'd potentially like to attend the lunch, but their eyes skim right over those flyers that are dense with text and confusion. The key always is to make it as easy as possible for people to know what you're asking of them. I try to do that with my flyers and I think I succeed.
My advertising degree at work.
September 11, 2018
Knitting Needles
Last Christmas, I planned the holiday party for my boss's boss and all his departments. It took a lot of nagging, but I managed to pull it off. As a thank you, my boss's boss gave me a gift card to a craft store. Woot!
Recently, said craft store had a super good sale with 25% off of everything and free shipping on any dollar amount. It was time to use my gift card!
As a new knitter, I'm woefully under supplied with knitting needles. Aside from my interchangeable set, I have three sizes of straight needles and two sizes of Double Pointed Needles (DPN). I didn't want to invest a lot of money in the straight needles because I don't use them that often and I don't think it's because I'm so limited on size. I like using my interchangeable needles with the long cord for shawls because of the number of stitches involved.
I'm still waiting for a sale to pick up a couple of sets of DPNs--one set for each sock or sleeve I need to knit--and I definitely would like some 8 or 9 inch circular needles for knitting in the round in this manner when I want to. The DPNs do the same thing, but sometimes I struggle with them.
Anyway, I ordered my straight needles--one set in every size I didn't have--and I discovered my gift card was for double what I thought! Thank you, boss's boss!!! So I bought yarn, too. :-)
After placing my order, I told my dad about the extra money on the gift card and what I'd bought. What was his response? "Do you really need more knitting needles?"
Grrr!
Now granted, he doesn't knit so he doesn't get it, but when I was in college and living at home, he used to ask me, "Do you really need another pair of black shoes?" Well, of course I did or I wouldn't have bought them. Men!
Recently, said craft store had a super good sale with 25% off of everything and free shipping on any dollar amount. It was time to use my gift card!
As a new knitter, I'm woefully under supplied with knitting needles. Aside from my interchangeable set, I have three sizes of straight needles and two sizes of Double Pointed Needles (DPN). I didn't want to invest a lot of money in the straight needles because I don't use them that often and I don't think it's because I'm so limited on size. I like using my interchangeable needles with the long cord for shawls because of the number of stitches involved.
I'm still waiting for a sale to pick up a couple of sets of DPNs--one set for each sock or sleeve I need to knit--and I definitely would like some 8 or 9 inch circular needles for knitting in the round in this manner when I want to. The DPNs do the same thing, but sometimes I struggle with them.
Anyway, I ordered my straight needles--one set in every size I didn't have--and I discovered my gift card was for double what I thought! Thank you, boss's boss!!! So I bought yarn, too. :-)
After placing my order, I told my dad about the extra money on the gift card and what I'd bought. What was his response? "Do you really need more knitting needles?"
Grrr!
Now granted, he doesn't knit so he doesn't get it, but when I was in college and living at home, he used to ask me, "Do you really need another pair of black shoes?" Well, of course I did or I wouldn't have bought them. Men!
September 6, 2018
938
For years--this is no exaggeration--I would always look at the clock at 9:38. It drove me crazy trying to figure out why this kept happening. Sometimes I would look at the clock on my computer at 9:37 and I'd say, okay, I'm not going to look at the clock again for a really long time. I'm going to beat the universe and avoid seeing 9:38. I'd wait for what seemed like forever before I looked again and it would be 9:38.
I'm sure skeptics will say there is no higher meaning. I simply became aware of that number because I saw it a few times and my brain decided there was a pattern and it became a self-fulfilling moment. I believe it meant more than this. The question was what.
The first thing that came to mind was this was the first three digits of my childhood phone number and my parents had that number right up until the time my dad sold his house and moved in with me after my mom passed away. I couldn't figure out why, though, I would get a message about my parents' phone number. When I lived in Minnesota, I saw them every day, and after I moved to Georgia, we talked often. I ruled this one out.
I tried numerology, where you add up the numbers to figure out what the mean. 9+3+8=20. 2+0=2 so the numerology is for 2. But when I looked up the meaning of 2 it didn't really fit either.
I remained stymied as to what this could mean until it dawned on me to actually search for the meaning of 938 as a full number. I didn't expect to get a hit. It's such a specific and strange number, why would anything about it be out on the internet? But I was wrong, I did get a result that actually fit what I was looking for.
The site said that 938 indicates that angels are supporting you in your soul mission. This felt true to me and I was all yea!
Until I realized I hadn't seen 938 in a while. Now I'm all OMG, have I lost the support of the angels? Have I veered from my soul's purpose? I asked to see 938 again and I haven't yet, so now I'm sort of worrying. What should I be doing if this isn't right?
Somehow I think finally finding out what the number meant wasn't a good thing for me.
I'm sure skeptics will say there is no higher meaning. I simply became aware of that number because I saw it a few times and my brain decided there was a pattern and it became a self-fulfilling moment. I believe it meant more than this. The question was what.
The first thing that came to mind was this was the first three digits of my childhood phone number and my parents had that number right up until the time my dad sold his house and moved in with me after my mom passed away. I couldn't figure out why, though, I would get a message about my parents' phone number. When I lived in Minnesota, I saw them every day, and after I moved to Georgia, we talked often. I ruled this one out.
I tried numerology, where you add up the numbers to figure out what the mean. 9+3+8=20. 2+0=2 so the numerology is for 2. But when I looked up the meaning of 2 it didn't really fit either.
I remained stymied as to what this could mean until it dawned on me to actually search for the meaning of 938 as a full number. I didn't expect to get a hit. It's such a specific and strange number, why would anything about it be out on the internet? But I was wrong, I did get a result that actually fit what I was looking for.
The site said that 938 indicates that angels are supporting you in your soul mission. This felt true to me and I was all yea!
Until I realized I hadn't seen 938 in a while. Now I'm all OMG, have I lost the support of the angels? Have I veered from my soul's purpose? I asked to see 938 again and I haven't yet, so now I'm sort of worrying. What should I be doing if this isn't right?
Somehow I think finally finding out what the number meant wasn't a good thing for me.
September 4, 2018
eBook Please
Recently, I was looking for a book I needed for research. It's a self-published work, I'm like 95% sure of that, and not available at the usual places, only on the man's website. Well, that's not completely true. If I wanted to pay more than what he's charging, I could get a copy somewhere else, but I wasn't willing to add an extra $10 onto the cost.
I'd prefer not to buy on his site, but I needed the book badly enough to do that. Okay. Let me download the ebook.
No ebook. Only paper.
My guess is he's doing this to try to keep piracy at bay, but OMG, I wanted it in electronic format, not paper.
Once upon a time, I only wanted my reference books in paper, but somewhere along the line, that changed. Maybe it was when I ordered a research book that was so huge, it was difficult to hold it. (Hardcover and very, very thick.) I ended up buying a second copy in the ebook version so I didn't have to try to read The Tome. Or maybe I've just grown accustomed to ebooks because I read all my fiction in this format. Two moves showed me the benefit of electronic books.
But ebook wasn't an option so I ordered paper. The man didn't accept PayPal, which I definitely didn't like. Now I have to give you my credit card information, too? And when I sucked it up and ordered anyway, I didn't get a confirmation email. I screen capped the screen with my reference number.
All these complaints aside, the book arrived quickly. Within days. I'll be able to highlight and use page flags to reference things I might need to review.
I'd still rather have an ebook.
I'd prefer not to buy on his site, but I needed the book badly enough to do that. Okay. Let me download the ebook.
No ebook. Only paper.
My guess is he's doing this to try to keep piracy at bay, but OMG, I wanted it in electronic format, not paper.
Once upon a time, I only wanted my reference books in paper, but somewhere along the line, that changed. Maybe it was when I ordered a research book that was so huge, it was difficult to hold it. (Hardcover and very, very thick.) I ended up buying a second copy in the ebook version so I didn't have to try to read The Tome. Or maybe I've just grown accustomed to ebooks because I read all my fiction in this format. Two moves showed me the benefit of electronic books.
But ebook wasn't an option so I ordered paper. The man didn't accept PayPal, which I definitely didn't like. Now I have to give you my credit card information, too? And when I sucked it up and ordered anyway, I didn't get a confirmation email. I screen capped the screen with my reference number.
All these complaints aside, the book arrived quickly. Within days. I'll be able to highlight and use page flags to reference things I might need to review.
I'd still rather have an ebook.
August 30, 2018
Screens, Screens Everywhere
I blogged previously about one of my Rally goals being to go without looking at a screen for an hour and how difficult that was to do. It's become more difficult at work than ever.
My day job recently remodeled the building I work in--it needed it because of how long it had been since the last refresh--and one of the additions has been large televisions everywhere. When I walk in from the parking deck, I pass two of these TVs in the main hallway and when I turn down another hallway to get to my office, there's another one. Then there's the TV on the back wall of my office.
It wouldn't be too bad if they were locked to the company's news network, however, they're not. The first screen I usually see will show company news. This is okay. The second screen, however, usually has some kind of station playing on it. This is not the way I want to start my morning. I need to ease into the day and the TV blaring whatever is like a rude slap. It usually makes me tense as soon as I can see it as I come down the hallway.
The third TV is one that is never on and I'm not sure why they installed that one since I've never seen it being used. The television in my office is generally okay, too. It's normally set to a camera that shows us a view of the airport. It's our version of a window.
Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't appreciate all the screens, but I look at computer screens all day for my job, I have a phone with a screen that requires attention, my car has a screen to control navigation, radio, temperature, and the phone, and when I get home and write, I'm staring at the computer again. Taking TVs out of the hallway isn't going to change these other factors, but it sure would be nice to have a break as I walk around the office.
My day job recently remodeled the building I work in--it needed it because of how long it had been since the last refresh--and one of the additions has been large televisions everywhere. When I walk in from the parking deck, I pass two of these TVs in the main hallway and when I turn down another hallway to get to my office, there's another one. Then there's the TV on the back wall of my office.
It wouldn't be too bad if they were locked to the company's news network, however, they're not. The first screen I usually see will show company news. This is okay. The second screen, however, usually has some kind of station playing on it. This is not the way I want to start my morning. I need to ease into the day and the TV blaring whatever is like a rude slap. It usually makes me tense as soon as I can see it as I come down the hallway.
The third TV is one that is never on and I'm not sure why they installed that one since I've never seen it being used. The television in my office is generally okay, too. It's normally set to a camera that shows us a view of the airport. It's our version of a window.
Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't appreciate all the screens, but I look at computer screens all day for my job, I have a phone with a screen that requires attention, my car has a screen to control navigation, radio, temperature, and the phone, and when I get home and write, I'm staring at the computer again. Taking TVs out of the hallway isn't going to change these other factors, but it sure would be nice to have a break as I walk around the office.
August 28, 2018
Character Possession
My characters rub off on me. This is both good and bad. Good because I develop interests in a wide range of topics that I otherwise would have zero interest in. Like surfing or vintage cars. There are times, though, when this isn't so good.
In the Work In Progress (WIP), my hero swears. A lot. One of his favorite phrases is F**k that, but he loves the F word in general. He doesn't limit himself either. There is much profanity.
So here I am at my day job, and since I've moved to Atlanta, I've tried to cull all swearing from my work vocabulary because I think there are some people who'd clutch their pearls figuratively speaking, of course. I'm not talking extreme language like the F word--I've never used that at work, at least not out loud. :-) But in Minneapolis, swearing was a little more accepted and I did do some of that.
I'm talking to my former boss's boss who is now promoted to the next level. He said something right on the money and what came out of my mouth? "No shit." sigh. I meant to say no kidding, really I did. I'm totally blaming my hero from the WIP for that slip.
In the Work In Progress (WIP), my hero swears. A lot. One of his favorite phrases is F**k that, but he loves the F word in general. He doesn't limit himself either. There is much profanity.
So here I am at my day job, and since I've moved to Atlanta, I've tried to cull all swearing from my work vocabulary because I think there are some people who'd clutch their pearls figuratively speaking, of course. I'm not talking extreme language like the F word--I've never used that at work, at least not out loud. :-) But in Minneapolis, swearing was a little more accepted and I did do some of that.
I'm talking to my former boss's boss who is now promoted to the next level. He said something right on the money and what came out of my mouth? "No shit." sigh. I meant to say no kidding, really I did. I'm totally blaming my hero from the WIP for that slip.
