Jude Stringfellow's Blog, page 32

F.R.O.G. (Gonna Get a Little Churchy on Ya!)

     If you read my blogs, as thankfully 15 of you do, (thank you) you would know that I am choosing to rely fully on God for literally every single thing in my entire life. It just makes sense to do it. I know that all through my life, and especially my adult life, there have been so many perilous times when I did, and when I didn't rely on God for help. There were stupid and ignorant times in my life, and maybe in yours, I don't know, when I thought I could handle it. I was a tough, independent soul, I am a woman, I am a Celtic woman (by DNA) and I was born to other very strong people who have stood the test of time over and over again.  Then it hit me...they didn't do it alone.

    When I was younger and I wanted something really badly, I remember going up to my aunt Wilma and asking her to pray with me. If she thought it was something that she needed extra help with, we pulled Granny in on that prayer time too. I don't know why I didn't necessarily go to my mom, I think I thought Wilma and Granny were stronger in their faith and I really wanted God to hear me. Do you see where I'm going with this?

    My mom became the Granny.  My aunt passed, my actual Granny passed, and my mom became the one we went to. I was blessed in that I knew she was close to God, and I knew she would carry on the same way that her sister and mother did. Aunt Wilma was the type to look you straight in the eyes and ask "Have you prayed about it yet, or are you thinking you don't need to?"  My mom may say something like "What have you tried? Did that work? Have you thought about praying over it?"  Do you see the difference? My mom knew God had the power, and she knew I should go to Him, but she wasn't directly saying it, and Wilma did. Direction! I needed.

    So, I grew up, I got old, and by God's grace I've been able to make a lot of things happen, but there are times when I just can't do it. I am unable to begin doing it, whatever IT IS I am not there; so I do realize that I need HIS help, and I will directly go to Him to ask because now; you may have guessed it, I am the GRANNY!! ME!!  I am the one that grandkids will come to, I am the one who my nieces and nephews can come to. I am the one who will look them in the eyes and say "Have you asked God yet or did you think you could give it a good go yourself first?"  It's the way you deliver the question; it's all in the deliverance...you gotta have the eyes that go with it. You sort of squint one I think. 

    Waking up and praying is the best. Praying throughout the day is awesome. Realizing that I'm about to do something but need to think it over and pray it out first, just makes sense. Why not give literally EVERY last thing to Him?  He already knows the answer. He already has it all worked out. There's no real reason to worry, there's no real reason to fuss. If you think about it, giving it all up gives you the freedom you need to think about things you can change or things you can do. Don't sweat the tough things; His shoulders are a lot bigger and they're more capable too.

    There's an OLD abbreviation from the 1980s...that's how old it is I think. It's F.R.O.G.  Fully Rely on God. Before that, I remember the W.W.J.D. or What Would Jesus Do slogan. I need to be a F.R.O.G. Christian. I need to put all the trust I can into Him and let Him make the decisions. I can put on the armor, I'm supposed to do that. I can be weaponized, reading the Word and keeping it. I can think, I can plan, I can even hope, but I can't begin to take action until I've sought the method and direction I need to go. It just makes sense, and I do need more sense at times.

    Let me give you an example, so you understand. I am unemployed today, but I won't be. I owe people, but I won't soon. All around me people are bustling, hustling, hurting, crying, weeping, seeking ways and means to make ends meet but I know who I have believed. I know I will be OK. If I fret, if I worry, if I panic, I won't make anything come to me any faster or any better than if I just stop, pray, let go, and wait. What will be, will be, and He has it all wrapped up - - I'll give you a couple of verses to show you.

Isaiah 60:22 b (paraphrased) "In His time it will be".

Psalms 34:10 "The young lions suffer, want, and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."  

    Oh heck, I'll give you a few more because you may need them.

Psalms 37:4-5 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to Him, and HE will bring it to pass."

Matthew 6:33 "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." 

and of course this one:

Isaiah 41:10-13  "So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  For I am the Lord, YOUR GOD, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'"

    So there you go. Yeah, I got a little churchy, but I don't actually attend church these days. I go online to www.rumble.com and watch Charlie Garrett of The Superior Word. Here's a link: https://rumble.com/c/TheSuperiorWord

Be blessed and yes, if you need Him, He is there. That's the really cool thing about God. He didn't go anywhere, we did. He's always been there. He will always be there. Just start your own journey to find out. He's that awesome. 

My preacher man, Charlie Garrett of The Superior Word, Sarasota, FL.

Photo Credit: The Superior Word

I Went with Mint! (Mint Mobile)

 There is not a person on this planet who impresses me to the point that I would change my phone plan because they were either an owner of that particular service, or they were lending their name to it. I think Ryan Reynolds may actually be the owner or part owner of the Mint Mobile services; which is OK, but that's not why I changed. I have other reasons.  (Just so you know, the only one who could impress me enough to change would be a greater celebrity, maybe Faith the Dog. I would switch to be closer to her...she's my girl.)

    So, this morning I woke up after not having a phone for about a month and decided to switch carriers. The reason I didn't have service was my own stubbornness. I had paid for my phone and my service throughout the year, but then sometime in November, I got a notice from U.S. Cellular saying I owed $187.87 on my phone (an iPhone 12 Pro Max) and that I was behind in my service contract. I knew I wasn't. I checked with my bank, got my statements, circled the recurring withdrawals, and pointed this out to U.S. Cellular to NO avail.

    When I refused to pay more, they cut my service. I get it. I really do, but I was right, and I didn't mind being inconvenienced for that. My daughter had her phone, so if I needed to place a call or have anyone call me, they could do so using her number. She only texts. The last time she placed a call was for food to be delivered and if I'm honest, she probably used an app for that as well. No one actually calls anyone - - except me. I still call people.

    After refusing to pay, I let the year run out, and I got my last statement from the bank and again proved to U.S. Cellular that I didn't owe anything. I spent time on the phone with their customer service, and found out they had been charging me $28.19 a month for over a YEAR for an iPad I had not even turned on in over 15 months. I had canceled the service, they didn't do their due diligence, and WHAM...I get hit with them saying I owe them when in reality, they owed me!! There you go!! Booyah! 

    Well, I woke up and thought OK, I can do one of two things. I can continue with U.S. Cellular, or I can switch. The plans at U.S. Cellular didn't match what I liked; so I looked into other carriers. The one that struck my fancy was Mint Mobile. They have a special going on; you can get any plan for $15/month for three months with no switch or activation fee. After the three months, the cost reverts to whatever plan you really want, and you move forward, but you do pay three, six, or twelve months in advance. That's their little hangup.

    It only took nearly two hours, but hey, what's time when you really come down to the wire? I am so non-techy I needed 100% assistance with the downloading, the switching, the settings, the ins and the outs. I decided not to keep my old number because a few weirdoes had it and were spamming me and trying to get me to sell their products. I was blocking their robo-calls constantly, and Mint Mobile had a really cool feature for blocking such calls!! Woot.

    Anyway, after speaking with three or four of their customer service people who were absolutely helpful and informative, I now have a new number, and my friends couldn't be happier. They were getting tired of messaging me on Facebook Messenger. I am the texting/calling Queen and they missed me. They literally said (some of them) that they missed me. They missed me!! Can you believe it? Well, that's so nice. If I die today I know I will be missed.

    Three things I learned through the whole switching phones process:  I know what an IMEI number is, and I know how to find it. You dial *#06#  on your device, and your IMEI numbers pop up. The customer service people need this to see what phone you own and who the carrier is.  I learned to find out if my phone is unlocked or not. I didn't know. I really had no idea. You go to Setting/General/Cellular Carrier and look. I think that's right. If not, Google it. My phone had no restrictions. I really thought U.S. Cellular would have restricted it since they thought I owed them for it. This proves I didn't.

    The other thing I learned was how to use the back of an earring to open the little trap door for the SIM card on the left side of the phone.  You can't use silver earrings. You must use stainless steel, gold, or platinum. Silver will bend. I learned that. I finally got it open with a gold earring and I popped out the SIM card so they could "install" the eSim card and we could move forward. I saved the physical SIM card just in case. I have a thing about throwing out tech...I get nervous about that sort of thing.

    There we go! I have a new Mint Mobile line, that uses all T-Mobile towers, and I don't have to pay anything for 3 solid months. I think I'll do the 3-month thing in the future. I don't use more than 3.8 GB so the 5GB plan is good for me. It's $25 a month, so $75 for three months. Not bad. I was paying $37.45 at U.S. Cellular for 3 GB and it would run over now and again, so I think this is gonna be good. Change is good. I'm 100% behind this one. I only had to bite my tongue three or four times in the process; so that's a plus right there.  I wrote to all my contacts to let them know I had a new number. I also changed my signature on my email and changed the resume contacts. It was a DAY!!!

    IYKYK....I am NOT techy. This was a good thing for me to try and achieve without the assistance of a kid - - or almost, Laura did have to show me where my "bars" were. She's cool like that. I didn't even know I had bars. I had bars. 

Photo Credit: MintMobile.com

My Resolutions!! (2024)

 What is this, the 5th of the new month, and I'm finally getting around to telling everyone my New Year's resolutions? Dang, I'm really not that concerned about them I suppose.  Well, that's not entirely true, but when I tell you my two main choices you'll pretty much understand what it is that is keeping me from going off and talking about it. I'm trying to rein in some of the overtness and do a bit more of the calmness; there's a reason.

    So, my first and most important New Year's resolution is to pray more and lean less. By leaning less, I mean to lean less on my own understanding, and to put God's ideas, wants, and plans before my own. I have screwed up enough over these past many years to know, that I am not the best plan maker - - nope. I am just one of the millions (if not billions) who put themselves first or at least fairly close to the top of their own priorities; I need to stop that behavior right now. I think I know how to accomplish that.

    The prayer thing is a big thing. I pray all the time, but I decided that this year, (kind of started it last year to be honest) I do more in the actual closet praying, and with my dog. Sometimes, because I'm really overly spiritual, I'll allow a cat or two to creep into the closet to snuggle up with us when we pray. Ginger is so used to going into the closet that sometimes I will catch her in there praying when I'm on the computer writing. I glance over and she's on the little chair with her head between her paws!! Wait for me!!

    So, by praying more and letting go of so much more, I think I'm actually going to feel better, be healthier, relax more, and just be a happier person. Believe me when I say I don't really worry about much anyway, but now I'm just taking that to another level completely. I'm seriously just going to let the troubles hit me, acknowledge them, and head straight into the closet to leave them at Jesus' feet. I don't want those troubles. I just really don't.

    Today, out of the blue I was hit with something that never should have happened and I got upset. I really did. I nearly shot out of my head from it, but then I remembered my promise to myself and my promise to God. I'm not going to dwell on it. I'm just going to dump it on Him and leave it there. I can't do much if anything to change it; He has to. If it will be changed, if it will be helped or resolved, He has to do it. I just can't anymore. I'm too full of hope now. I just can't argue with Him and His reasoning. The Bible is too often proven. There is no reason to fear. I hate that I even blew up, but maybe over time, I'll learn to stop that as well.

    When I saw a meme today that made me smile, I decided to share it. It goes along with the first resolution and now my second. My second resolution is to share my faith, to show others that it's not a gimmick, it's not something I do for attention. It's not something I think will pass either. I believe and I know that God is good always. He really will be the provider. The meme said:  "We don't pray to God because of who we are, we pray to God because of who He is."

    God and God alone will keep 2024 and every other year, month, day, hour, minute, and even every second in check. He and He alone is the Resolution. If that sounds churchy, well, don't think of it that way. Think of it as just a really good honest statement from the experience of someone who has fallen over and over again, but who has decided to not fall alone - - If nothing else comes of it, I will be still, and know He is God.

    It works, Tex. It works.

Photo Credit: Ebay

Well Fudge!

 This is the last blog of 2023! OMG....I can't believe it. Tomorrow, if I do blog, will be considered my first blog of the new year!! So crazy!! If you're in America, the date is 123123 but that isn't for anyone else; we do write out dates differently here.

    Anyway, the day was very lazy, just so beautiful in so many ways. I don't have plans to go overseas. I don't have plans to ring in the new year at some over-crowded venue such as Times Square, Princes Street, or even downtown OKC...nope, I'm just going to probably go to bed around 12:05 a.m. after I write to my three kids and say "Happy New Year, I love you" in text messages. To say I'm rather boring is probably rather accurate, but then again, I'm not with anyone special today, no reason to "ring in" anything other than just be happy with me! Just me and Jesus! (and my dog)

    I decided to make fudge, which if you've never done it, will make you think twice about making it from scratch. Is it worth it? I don't know. It's cheaper, but it's not an easy thing to do really, not when you read all the things you have to do in order to make it set up correctly, and then behave itself.  Mine didn't. I'll go into it, but it's funny how I even decided to do it. 

    I went shopping the other day with the thought of maybe doing it, but I thought to myself I won't need condensed milk. I think I saw three or four cans in the cupboard; I only need one. I remembered I only use condensed milk around the holidays when I make things such as fudge - - but I couldn't remember having done that in a few...wait...had it been a few years? Were those cans that old? Yep!!  The youngest one was in 2016. 

    I threw out the six cans, not four, and I laughed myself silly over it. I found a recipe online that used actual milk and sugar, and even though I knew there would be an added step because of it, I thought I could handle it. I laugh now because I didn't really handle it. I fudged it. (LOL) No, really, I made the worst fudge, and you could even call it sludge!! I will not let that fact stop me from eating it - - nope, I am on a quest now.

    I had dark chocolate chips, butter, sugar, half and half, vanilla, bourbon whiskey, cayenne pepper powder, and honey. Let me just tell you - - it's some hot mess. Yes, yes it is, but I enjoy every bit of it. I'll be eating on this thing for two weeks I'm sure, but that's OK too. I'll make the sacrifice. I'll make it happen; and when I do, I'll think of all those poor folks who have to share their fudge with others. No one is stepping up to the plate to share mine. No one.

    I melted the chips in the butter, added the half and half, brought it to a boil, added vanilla, bourbon (the liquor is cooked out), and then the sugar, and finally, the honey, bourbon, and pepper. I stirred. I stirred a lot. I let it boil again, but apparently, I didn't let it stir long enough. I poured it into a lightly greased 9x9 glass pan and put it in the fridge. When it hadn't set in 3 hours, I poured it all back into the pot, brought it to a boil again, and this time, I stirred it for 18-20 full minutes, just like the recipe said...at a boil. 

    I did the whole "soft ball" test, where you drop a tidbit into a bit of water to see if it balls up. To my surprise it did. There we go. I let it set for 2 minutes, poured it back into the cleaned out re-greased 9x9 pan, and put it back into the fridge to set - - but it just sort of thickened. It really never did what everyone else's fudge does. I had to use d fork to pry it out of the pan because using a knife only made the sticky mess you can imagine that it made. Yes, the fork is the choice utensil at this point.

    After a few bites I decided that even if no one else was brave enough to join me, I'll be happy as a clam just digging into it, pulling it out, sucking the sludgy goo sediment all the way to the silver prongs of my handy-dandy fork. I'm 100% OK not sharing it; no really, it's not that difficult of a task to just be the only person willing or present to indulge. I'm pretty sure it pairs well with just about anything I decide to eat with it. I may try to ice my popped corn chips with it. I may try to spread it on toast. I may just spoon it out if I think a fork isn't sufficient for my needs. I am not above trying new methods.

    Trust me when I say that fudge is not the easiest thing to make. I've been having "kitchen" issues lately with my oven not baking evenly, and some of my cookies coming out browner on the bottom than they do on the top! Not a happy camper! I gave the oven a rest and took it to the stove today, and this happened. I believe it is a fitting way to leave the year 2023 behind and to look forward to making things happen in 2024. I don't care what the world dishes out to me, I'm going to take it, make it mine, and turn it around doing what I need to do until it suits my fancy! 

    Bring it 2024...I'll put a fork in you! You're done!

Photo Credit: ME.

Worst Employment Experience Ever.

Everything inside of me wants to tell you the name of the company I worked for, and to steer you away from them so that you will not experience anything close to what I experienced with them. The fact is, however, if I do that, any future employer may think I will do the same to them if we separate on a less-than-amicable basis, and I don't want them to fear me in any way. I am a professional. I will be, I have been, I am now.

    What I will tell you is that I was recently recruited by a foreign-based company (first clue) to be a Claims Adjuster (first lie) for a client company which the host company ran "campaigns" for. What that means is that the host company has the personnel, they train them, and they sublet them to the client company to be used as either a service provider or information giver; a CSR in most cases. I did not sign up to be a CSR, but that is what happened to me. (another clue)

    During the recruiting process, I was asked questions, and given answers, and we agreed I would work Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. CST to 4:30 p.m. CST, and I would be paid X-amount...(another lie when I got my first paycheck) When I was onboarded, the process was horrific. I dealt with people from the Philippines who tried to assist in most cases, but I could not understand them. Sometimes they simply hung up on me, and I would have to call back and start the process all over again. This was for equipment check and verification processes.

    Once I was actually onboarded, I was unable to link into the links provided, again, tech was the issue. (another red flag) It never got better, literally every single day, and often more than five times in one day, I would be booted off the system, the power would simply shut down at times, and other times my screens appeared to be remotely controlled. When I mentioned it to people in the company they denied it and said it couldn't happen. Well, my mouse was moving and I wasn't touching it, and screens were changing. Let's just leave it there.

    During the training, which finally took place the 2nd day I was able to link into TEAMS, we were instructed to follow along while the "trainer" (using the word very loosely) had us follow her directions. OF COURSE, she was all over the place and gave us the wrong information. We were confused, we were befuddled, we were dismayed, and this sort of thing never stopped. I was there for three weeks. We started with 48, and by the end of the 3rd week, we had 24 left. RED FLAGS FLYING!!!

    The trainers, there were several, all had different ways of doing things, and when we would ask for help we would often be put on "hold" or in another team's room and left there unattended, ignored, and forgotten for hours. We'd mention it and another trainer would come in and assist and tell us something completely different from the last. It was miserable. We'd mention it, and the trainer helping would say something like "You asked for help, I'm helping you."  This was their idea of training.

    We had modules to do. There were about 12 I think, and each one had about 4-8 subcategories or events you had to do, watch, interact with, and so forth. We were told we had several days, but with all the tech issues, the ignoring, and the discombobulated instructions, several (most) of us were lagging on the last day. We were threatened with our jobs, and we shook our heads. I asked for further assistance as I am a visual learner. Several said they wanted the same. We were told it is a "Learner Lead" program. "You read the instructions, and if you need help you ask." We asked. We were ignored.

    The first deadline for the modules came and I was woefully behind due to tech issues. When I finally got help, the man who helped me had been with the company 10 years and said he's still shaking his head; it's normal he said, for all the people who get frustrated to just drop off without even asking for help. He commended me for sticking with it - - another red flag, but I appreciated his honesty. He fixed my computer remotely, saying it had bugs and other issues. He told me it was a 7-year-old CPU and couldn't handle Windows 11. He installed Windows 10 I think (remotely) and I was able to finish my course. CRAZY.

    Every last person they hired had tech issues. They sent us equipment from a place called 2ndGear, which I'm told (and researched) is a refurbishment station for all things computer. Most of my equipment was either overly used and outdated, or it wasn't compatible with the new updates for various programs. The VPN went out all the time, for everyone, and every other minute someone was commenting "Sorry, I was booted". I had my fair share of it too.  To put it in perspective, they sent me two monitors with VGA cables and my headset and keyboard were part of a marketing program back in 2013; yes, 2013. I looked it up. Tiny keyboard, and a flimsy headset. Of course, I used my own.

    I decided to resign, but let me give you a few reasons that are literally rattling off my tongue (fingertips). They expected us, in 2023, not to have cell phones or devices near our computers or in our workspace, but they weren't going to "check". It was on the honor system. Stupidity runs rampant with these people. They expected us to not use pen, pencil, paper, or anything else to keep track of numbers, assignments, etc...again, they aren't checking, and again, stupid is as stupid does. Of course, we had our phones. I used mine to take over 600 photos of complaints and the proof that we were being misled, lied to, ignored, and so forth. 

    They expected us to keep our calls down to a timed limit whether we helped people completely or not, but if it went over we could "hope for calls that would even it out, because at the end of the day, if you have more than 406 seconds on the calls you're not only not going to earn your monthly bonus, you're going to be pulled and we're having that conversation." This is the type of every minute, every hour, every day, every week sort of "training" we endured. Oh, and it's so much worse; they also gave us scripts that are so cringe-worthy, that if you as a customer called you'd either laugh or cry. I'm not sure.

    When they had decided that we were ready to take live calls they decided it. It wasn't in the plan. It wasn't a discussion. We were not prepared, and we had no true guidance. We were told we would either get on and try "swim with the alligators" which was the term used, or we were to resign because "you can't handle it". This was the training. Keep in mind, we had not had a single day of live call training, we had not role-played, we had only fuddled through modules and most of us were literally unable to do so. Our other trainers told us (literally on the recording) to just skip the videos, go to the questions, "If you don't get them right, we don't really care, just get through it." 

    I had enough.  I refused to go on calls because I am a professional, and I didn't sign up to be a CSR for taking payments, I was recruited as a Claims Adjuster. That's when I was told that as a "claims adjuster" at this particular company, it only meant that I would be a CSR taking first-notice calls, transferring them up the line, and my metrics were the same, except instead of 406 seconds for each call I had 312 seconds. The color ran right out of my cheeks, and I expressed myself. I decided to resign as politely as possible, but not before filling out tickets for HR listing 3 separate incidents causing a hostile work environment on the part of the trainers. I was 100% ignored until the very last day. I put the tickets in a week beforehand.

    When I expressed that I needed visual learning I was told to go to the doctor and have my "disability" documented. Hello, being a visual learner is not a disability, it is a mode of learning. Stupid is not the word that I would use, the word "ignorant" is going to have to replace "stupid" at this point. When I tried to educate them, I was shunned. I was ridiculed. I was told I was "under" them, and that I needed to keep my opinions to myself. When I expressed that it wasn't an opinion, but a general fact and that it was common knowledge, I was told to go back to work and keep my mouth shut. 

    When I resigned I did so with a professional email. They didn't deserve that treatment, but it was my choice to be the best person I could be. I laughed when I received an email today telling me that they were considering my "disability" for future training. I wrote back to say I had resigned. I really wanted to say so much more.  I will get the last laugh - - I have decided to write a new novel titled "Fidelity" and in it, I will be so so so very clear on the treatment we received, and no doubt the treatment countless others received with the company. I will have fun changing their names to reflect their "abilities" and lack thereof.

    Did I mention they didn't pay us for Christmas? No? Well, you see, it's an Indian-based firm. They don't pay for holidays I'm told. They do "observe" them, but they don't pay employees for them. I made the right decision, it's just so sad that a great company like Liberty Mutual Insurance is using this third-party host for CSRs...it's not "slave" labor by any stretch of the imagination, but it is so oppressive, and so restrictive, so micro-managed, and mistreated; they should consider pulling their client-hood from the host....in my opinion.

    Last evening, just seconds after I had emailed my resignation, one of my classmates phoned me. I was happy to hear from her, she was one of the people I would have missed. I was happy she took me up on my offer when I sent her a private message. She was furious. She had gone on the phones, and with 0% preparation, found herself sinking on every call. She literally transferred every call almost, and she was upset with the way she felt about one because she didn't know she couldn't call someone back; no one had told her she couldn't follow up with a customer who had trusted her and had asked her for help. Nope. Customers don't matter to these people, it's all about the $$$ and that's it.

    When I explained to my friend that she would be going uphill from that point, learning more programs, and having more windows to fuddle through, but without the extra monitors needed, she became convinced that she may not be with them much longer. She too, like me, is a licensed Claims Adjuster in many states. She was lied to, she was told she would be working as a claims adjuster, not a CSR.  Well, we live we learn. We need to keep our heads on a swivel, but for the most part, it makes me never want to work with another foreign-based company ever again - - they just don't have the wherewithal the Americans have. Sorry, it's again, my opinion. MINE.

Photo Credit: (oh my...did I just let that slip?) Facebook.

Experimenting in the Kitchen.

 If you know me, you know the characters in my novels often "experiment" with different feelings, actions, emotions, or whatever so they can feel and experience life on a new level. I can honestly tell you, that I often have one or more of my book people actually do or attempt to do what I really have done, or maybe what I think I want to do. That sort of experimenting is not limited to the kitchen; not for them, and not for me. The only limitation I have (and have had for 25 years) is that I don't have a partner to play with - - but I do in my head so I'm good. (He's really cute too. His name is Craig Allan Mackenzie, and he's about 500 years old. He's from up around Oban, Scotland, and he's..really...yeah, he's great.)

    Anyway, so here I am today, in reality, in my kitchen, thinking I want to do something in a very different way for the Christmas dinner table. I say that, but Laura and I haven't even set up our tree. We haven't hung garlands or any lights either. I did find a door hanger with bells and put that out for the cats, but they really don't care at this point. They probably never really cared, to be honest with you.

    I decided to try a "dump" cake, using 1/2 package of a basic white or yellow cake mix, poured over a canned fruit, with added butter and cinnamon, but this time I went with 1/2 can of pumpkin with 1/2 bar of cream cheese and an egg. We'll see if it works. I have no idea. It may, it may not, but what the heck, it's fun to try something new. Could be really cool. Could be a huge mess, but what do you want to bet I'll end up eating it anyway? I will.

    Craig absolutely loves it when I experiment. He heard from the ethereal grapevine that I was about to experiment, and always the keen and quick man for the job, he presented himself as he usually does; which is in the process of unwrapping his kilt, before removing it, folding it, and setting it to the side so we can experiment together. He wasn't upset that I had chosen the kitchen for my foreplay, but he was wondering if we would have room on the floor itself, or if up against the wall would be a better location for us to...stir and cream the mix before putting it into the oven.

    What I did was, (without Craig's assistance) was to empty the large can of pumpkin, 1/2 of it into my mixing bowl, and the other 1/2 into a container for refrigeration. There was no sense in using the entire can if my fantasy - - I mean, thoughts, weren't going to pan out the way I had hoped. Sometimes my mind can be really enthusiastic and I become so blinded by my pleasurable activities in my mind, that I forget that some things need to be put back to chill for a minute. No use in wasting anything - - waste not, want not.

    I added an egg to the bowl, and 1/2 a bar of cream cheese. I blended it together and placed it into a loaf pan. Loaf pans are about nine inches long. Some are glass, some are metal, and some are made of rubber or silicone. It's a preference thing; I like glass myself. (Easier to clean) After the mix is in the pan, you cut up slices of butter, maybe 8 pieces. You want to be sure and add enough butter to really slick things up and cover the entire surface of your...area.

    When you do that, you spice it up a bit!! Make sure it's level, spread out nicely, and then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon for that leather and lace effect. I don't know if you know about leather and lace effects in the kitchen, but they work the same there as they do in any room where you're "cooking" or otherwise pretending to. I may light a lilac and a lavender candle at the same time. I may add mango to my tomato salsa; you just need to play around with your options and find out what works best for you. When it comes to baking anything with pumpkin, I will add sugar and spice - - usually cinnamon, but I am not above defaulting to nutmeg - - I will go there.

    Finally, for the top, you dump the cake mix.  You just dump it right there, right in front of God and everyone. You don't have to dress it, but I will add more sugar and cinnamon and even a bit more butter if I think I may need to make it a bit more moist, that can be nice too. Again, preferences. It's all about preferences. 

    Heating it up is important of course. If you preheat - - you know, "fore" the oven temp up to the degree you want it, or where it should be; in this case 375 or 400, you'll find that working with the whole kit and kaboodle becomes easier to do. You're introducing your loaf into a very receptive range; one where all the bakers can be pleased. Time passes, things settle into place, and after about 30 minutes of it, a smile is brought to your face - - the deed is done.  It may take longer. You decide.

    Of course, it could be that it may need some time to cool before you plunge into it again - - think about it; don't burn yourself. That's never fun, and it would or possibly could mean bringing on an entirely different fantasy - - thought process; playing doctor can be fun too. 

    Enjoy your pumpkin dump cake. Oh, and Craig had a great idea, he suggested you throw in some nuts...just maybe a couple or so. 

Photo Credit: BlessThisMess.com

Let Go, and Let Jesus Have Your Worry.

 So, what you don't know, or maybe you don't know, is that I've had some set backs over the past two and even three years; we'll go back as far as 2002; because that's really when things...no, wait, it's about 1988.  Yeah, we'll go with 1988 as being the worst year ever, and then we'll bring it up to about 2019, when things just sort of completely fell apart. LOL.

    I think I'm making my point. I've had major set backs all of my adult life. I have been employed, terminated, fired, rehired, consulted, begged back, and just you name it, when it comes to employment, I've had it. I've owned my own business, worked for others, worked for third parties, worked for people who lied to me and said they were the actual employer - - yes, it happened. I have so many drama stories, that if I were to write a book about it, not one person would think it was possible. It was that bad.

    Through it all; even through the good, because there was a tremendous amount of good, there was one single thing that was constant, and consistent, and that would be Jesus. He just doesn't change. Nothing about Him changes. He can't change, and that's the best part of it; He will never be anything other than what He has said He is. You can 100% bank and rely on that. God is great, all the time.

    So, let's take right now for example; I am working for a company that will remain 100% anonymous even though, they don't give us anonymous surveys to take, and expect us to "tell the truth". Right. No one in their right mind is going to...wait; I did tell the truth. I may not have a job tomorrow, but I did tell the truth.  That's it, I always tell the freaking truth because you can't defend a lie. You can't. You can defend and explain the truth, because it is your opinion, or it is fact, but a lie is only and always wrong. It's a cover, it's a hedge, it's a nasty thing. Don't do it.

    I'm in the middle of the most discombobulated training class I have ever been with, and it's a major service provider. The third-party service we are actually hired through is 40% at fault, but the client, the major service provider, must take the lion's share of the problem with the training because they sent us (all 48 of us) faulty, bad, broken, out of date equipment and fully expected us to keep up in a massive classroom setting that takes place over a VPN/VDI setting -- don't ask me to explain, other than that the client wants us to do their CSR work, and the company that hired us hosts the VPN of the client so we can do that. It's a MESS, and they literally won't change it.

    When I talked to the VP/CEO/CIO/CFO and other higher leveled employees of the client company and the host company not ONE OF THEM realized what the trainers were doing, what we were doing, how it was so messed up, and how it had become so bad that in just a few days we went from 48 licensed people who thought they were going to be CSRs to 28, and we're about to lose a few more. I may be one of them. Not because I want to be, but because they have a deadline for modules to be completed, but my computer locked up so often and I wasn't (and haven't) been able to get them all done.

    If I lose this position, I will BLAST this company, and the host, because I think people deserve to know who they work for, what they are getting into, and what they can expect. For instance, NO ONE told us that we're not paid for holidays. NOPE, we are not. They "observe" them, but we aren't paid for them. They have an incredibly micromanaged attitude about their metrics, and they can stuff that right up their arse because I'm never going to be told what to do if it's not the right thing. I will NOT cut a call short, I will always give the best service because I would want that same treatment.

    Let's just say if I lose this job, I won't cry over it. I'll pray over it, but I will NOT cry over it. I will take action, oh...yes, I will take action. I may even write a new dramatic novel about it, but again, people would say I was making sh*t up; it can't be that bad...yes, yes, yes, it is. I have proof. I won't say what that proof is today, but I have proof, and my new LinkedIn friends and I will go over it if I'm released; no, we'll go over it anyway. Some of the crazy things they expect would make most of us laugh. It's 2023 and they think we're not going to have our phones at our desks -- WE ARE AT HOME!!!  They think we're not going to have paper and pens either, food, or whatever. Yeah, OK.

    That's about it. Don't let the turkeys get you down! Soar with the eagles, and pray like you mean it. Jesus is listening, and He's not blind either; He sees what's happening behind the monitors. (Yes, he saw that too!)

Photo Credit: fenge.com

Turmeric and PolyPhenols Baby!! YEAH!

     So, if you know me, you know I love new ways (or old ways) of staying fit and healthy; I like feeling good. I go way out of my way to research methods and remedies that will help me either feel better, look better, be better, or seem better. I really don't mind researching and I really don't mind trying things as long as they aren't painful or expensive; which could be the same thing. 

    Lately, about the last week or so, I've been putting turmeric powder in my coffee, hot cocoa, and tea to see which drink I like it best in. I drink them all throughout the day, so I wanted to try them all.  Today, just for grins and giggles, I made a coffee, added cocoa, coconut oil, and turmeric to see how that tasted...and added a little vanilla coffee creamer. It was a "drink" rather than a coffee at that point.  It ended up being a spicy sort of drink that wasn't bad at all; in fact, I could market it, and probably make a lot of money.

    The bennies of using turmeric are not endless, but they are copious. I'll list a few. Adding (about a tablespoon throughout the day, dividing it into things) helps with:

Inflammation - arthritisDigestion Respiratory infectionsAllergiesLiver diseaseDepression / Anxiety AntioxidantsPrevention of certain cancersWeight lossIt's the last one that I want to see the result of; weight loss. It's supposed to help dissolve belly fat (fat burner/metabolism booster). We'll see if it works.     I'm also adding coconut oil for the MCT benefits which include helping with:Weight LossImproved movement /joint lubricantPrevent some symptoms of diabetesAssists with improving autism/ADHDRegulates blood sugarThis is too cool. Coconut oil is the only MCT I can use. They do have the powder type you can buy and add to things, but it knocked me to the ground. It was way too strong for my body. You have to be a bit more careful with it - - always consult your doctor, I did not.
So, What are polyphenols and why are they so healthy? Wow, this was something I already knew but didn't do too much about it. It's as simple as using good olive oil when I cook, but I can also just take a teaspoon of good strong extra virgin olive oil with 500-750 mg of polyphenols every day. Don't think all oils are the same. Cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil is the best one I've found, and you don't have to spend $$ on it either. I think my 16 oz bottle was $11.  Good stuff. I have another bottle that I use to cook with, but it's like a 32 oz bottle; not as easy to handle when I'm trying to pour it onto a spoon.    Here are some of the bennies of eating or cooking with oils that have a lot of polyphenols.
Lower LDL cholesterolReduces high blood pressDecreases blood clottingReduces some skin cancersWeight lossDigestion assistanceHelps with constipationStrong antioxidantSmooth skin (from the inside out)So, you can see that adding these things can be both beneficial and not that expensive. You can do it every day, several times a day, but again, always consult your doctor because you don't want to start a program he or she would say isn't right for you. My doctor is excited about me doing it, because she is a health-junkie too. She's vegan, I'm not, but we agree on a lot of other stuff.     When it comes to weight loss, it's really the number one thing on my mind for my health because I've been unable to lose my belly fat; it's sitting behind my organs, and won't come out to be eliminated. I'm not wanting to get surgery to remove it, but I need it gone. My belly is extended and I don't like it. I feel fat - - when I'm really sort of normal. I would rather be thinner and stronger. That's the goal.
    Weightwise, I could lose 30-40 pounds. I know I could. I've been working on it for years. This may be the key. I don't know. I did the whole Keto thing, I can't sustain it. I've been to the gym and all that. I'm 100% sure it's a hormone issue, so taking the probiotics and natural foods I need to rebalance the hormones is the best way to go for me.
    Another really good thing to do is to eat foods rich in probiotics rather than taking them as supplements. I find that I can't go wrong when I add apple cider vinegar to the mix; which is very good for me. I love pickles, I love kombucha, but again, we didn't know how great these things were until more recently. They have been a staple in the Asian markets and in their cuisine, but we Americans are just sort of now catching on to it - - we're a bit late to the party, but I'm willing to stay and dance. Here are a few things you can add to your grocery cart next time. (They are different and may take some getting used to, but they are worth it.)
Kefir (fermented milk) Greek yogurt Cultured cottage cheeseKimchi Sauerkraut (love this stuff)Kombucha Aged cheese, but only certain ones (not pasteurized). Try Swiss, Gouda, Edam, Gruyere, and raw CheddarMiso (a paste sort of food with soy and rice) May have to go to an Asian market to get it.  I put it in burritos instead of beans.Fermented olives. Dill pickles (be sure they are actually fermented, not the typical)Do your research! You may like some of the seafood that I don't prefer. Fermented seaweed is not something I'm going to rush out to buy, but you may love it.
    That's it. That's my thing right now. I'm dieting, exercising, working, writing, studying, thinking, and just waiting on Jesus to come pick me up so I don't have to do all these things to be healthy and gorgeous, because once that trumpet sounds I'm gonna get the body I really want, and the health to live eternally!! Woot!!!

Photo Credit: Everydayhealth.com

OOPS - - It Happens.

 I was today years old when I discovered the Monkey Face orchid, and if you haven't discovered it, go do that. It's amazing. There are many colors, shapes, and sizes, but to be 100% honest, I really never ever knew they existed. It makes me think that we're going to experience so much more than we ever thought we would when we get to Heaven, and that may be sooner than we know.

    Today is December 16, 2023, and we're so close to the Rapture of the Church it's really just a matter of time; which of course, it's always been just a matter of time, hasn't it? The Bible is really clear about it; people will scoff and talk poorly about and to Christians (even other Christians) and they'll say "Where is the promise of His return?" That's not the same as saying "Where is He? He said He would return." These people in the end will be asking where is the PROMISE? They don't trust or believe - - and that only means one thing; they will miss out. You have to believe before you go!

    Anyway, that's not what this blog is really about. It's about not realizing something, making mistakes, screwing up either intentionally or unintentionally, and having others really "lose it" or come unglued because of it. We all make mistakes. There's not one of us who doesn't, so why is it when someone else makes a mistake that affects us, that we go nuts over it? I almost did that today. I mean, I left a poor Yelp review, and I did call the manager to get the situation rectified, but no one needs to lose their job over a mistake; they need to be retrained. 

    I paid for a chicken dinner today. It comes with four pieces of crispy fried chicken tenders, fries, a cookie, a roll, sauces, and tea. I got home, the chicken was missing - - from the chicken dinner. It was everything but the chicken dinner at that point. I wasn't about to drive three miles to get the chicken, so I called the manager and let him know. He put my name down on a list to come back and pick up another meal on the house at another time. Makes me think though; why is there a list? How often does it happen?

    I called another store in the same chain of restaurants to ask. They have an average of one out of 250-260 customers who don't get their meals at that particular restaurant; that's a bit excessive. That means every day someone isn't getting what they paid for, and if someone calls back to say they don't have their food, I wonder how many ACTUALLY aren't getting it; I bet it's closer to 1%, or 1 out of 100.

    If you multiply that by how many restaurants there are, that's seriously too many people not getting what they paid for. If it's happening at food places, it's happening at other places as well. If you order your groceries online, I bet it happens. If you order multiple things for the office, your home, or whatever, I bet it happens. We don't need to fire people, we need to train people. Not only that, and here's my real rant; we need to pay people a good wage so that they want to work. We haven't done that in forever, and we have people these days who are NOWHERE NEAR as apt to want to go to work as we were when we were kids.  (Yes, I went there.)

    This generation as well as the last generation, have been so very lax when it comes to showing up on time, staying, looking at their phones, or even paying attention to their employers, it's just amazing that we have any sort of customer service whatsoever. I'm working a customer service job now and one of the modules we have talks about active listening. We called that "listening" because it's sort of a no-brainer that if you're actually listening, then you should be actively listening. So many of the kids (listen to me, I sound old.) don't want to be at work, they skate by and pass things off, so they don't actually have to work. Not all of them; of course, no, but enough so that we have lists to write people's names down to come back and pick up the meal that wasn't placed in the bag!

    Well, there we are - - here we are. Too many parents forget to "Train up the child in the way he/she should go..." so that "when he/she is older, they will return to it."  It's not just about believing in Jesus, but it's also about being the right type of person; the best you can be. Growing up we didn't have all the stimulants there are today; but then again, we didn't have the depression and anxiety or stress that I see today either. We talked. We didn't fight, scream, blame, punch, or retaliate if someone screwed up, we talked. We forgave because we all know, we mess up too. It happens.

Photo Credit: Etsy

    

Ingram Spark - HEADACHES (Free Comes With a PRICE)

     I'm pretty excited about the fact that I can write a book using  Microsoft Word, and then edit it for free, format it for free, upload it into Ingram Spark for free, and then never have to pay someone for that service again. The cover is another story, but it's not, it's just that you have to fiddle with it, and it can take a long time if you don't do it EXACTLY the way they want you to do it. 

    Ingram Spark has a book cover template that they prefer you to use, but I use the one from KDP (which is also free) because it has a really nifty pink lining for the outline border(s) so I don't need to guess what size my book needs to be. I can literally go to Google and look up the KDP book cover template, and it pops up.  You do have to find it, bookmark it so you don't lose it, and scroll almost to the bottom to find the tiny blue link, but it's still a great tool to use. 

    When you put in your EXACT page criteria, the page count, etc., it tells you exactly what you need, and you can download the template, so you can upload it to Canva, make your book cover, download it to your computer, and upload it to Ingram Spark. That's the process, and again, it can become harried if you have to do it over and over again because someone at Ingram Spark doesn't want to do their job and they send it back to you asking for it to be corrected.

    Today, someone (unknown name) sent it back to me saying the book cover was the wrong size but didn't tell me what size they needed it to be. Too vague. Thank you!  So, I wrote back to them and asked for a response. I decided to go back to KDP to be sure I had downloaded it correctly and decided to make it ever (a tiny bit) bigger. I went from 11.25" to 11.30".  I think the difference may account for 346 full pages and the book is about 339-342 if I had to guess. I mean, the editing processor says it is - - it has to be. I add 2-4 blank pages, and it's counted in the count.

    Anyway, I did take the opportunity to "erase" part of the back cover photo, using a new eraser tool I found on Canva, but I didn't do it the way I should have...oh well. I am not going to do it again unless they tell me I have to, and if they tell me I have to redo it, it won't be because of the erased portion of the photo, it will be the spine width, I'm sure. We'll see. I had the same issue with "Edinburgh", and they finally, finally got it right. We'll see if they can accept what I have sent, and if not I will redo it, if only to do the erased part over again, because now it sort of bothers me. Funny, it didn't bother me before I knew there was such a tool.

    When you do the cover, you download the template, and you have to hover over the words on the template and delete them. you have tools on Canva to help you align photos, text, effects, and all manner of fun things. You can spend a lot of time in it if you really wanted to. I may do that for one of my books, but not this one. it's fairly straightforward - - horse barn.

    I think what is the most upsetting about it is, that you and I have to do our jobs; we do them, and we try hard not to slack off, am I right? Well, every now and again, I'll run into a person at the Ingram Spark processing plant who just doesn't want to put forth any effort. They'll reject my manuscript but not say why, and then it goes through 11 other hands before someone with enough knowledge to publish it correctly contacts me to tell me the issue, and they take it upon themselves to do it correctly. I thank them, and I wish I could request them, but Ingram Sparks wants all of their employees to learn to do their job - - wouldn't that be GREAT?

    They make more money off my book than I do. The print process for my books is $6.29 (but I bet it's not really that much, that's what they charge me.) Then they allow Amazon to print them for about the same cost, maybe $6.39 each, and they make their money from that, and who knows where else? I make under $2.00 per book. That much I know.

    When the books are in E-Book format, I can sell them for much less and I earn 70% of what I charge. I try to charge $3.99 per book so I earn $2.79 or so. That's fair, and the book is not $19.00 for the patron to buy! That's really a good thing. I prefer Kindle / Ebook. I really do. The cover will be very different for the Kindle / Ebook and Ingram Spark makes $240 off me each time I have them do that. I give them the money, they turn my print book into an EPub file, and they sell the book for $3.99. Instantly allowing someone to buy it, no print, no wait, it's great.

    If you ask me, I like holding my books when I show people what it is that I wrote but give me the Kindle or Ebook to read every time except the first time. The first time I read the book I wanted it in print form so I could pick through it, circle the mistakes, go back and and make corrections, and upload the better file. That's why I'm not doing the E-book yet. I have to make sure all of the books are corrected before I pay Ingram Spark $880.00 to do four books at once. (That's expensive, but I can't do the EPub myself. Others can.)

    I may learn to do the EPub later, but for now, I'm good letting the experts do it - - as long as they freaking do it!! They will do it because I pay them to do it. It's the free stuff they don't like to do...and I get that, but they make money off of the books when they are set and published, not when they are sent back to the writer. Some writers aren't as aggressive or assertive as I am; the book may sit for another month or year before any corrections are made.  Geez! 

Photo Credit: Me  (A KDP template)