Jen FitzGerald's Blog, page 18

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.

 

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.

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

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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/mapp...

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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.

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!

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!

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...

Miscellaneous Monday

 As hoped / intended I'm back... I've got some Miscellaneous Monday items to share with you.

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MaskIt!

They take blood products pretty serious in the State of Oregon...

In the ladies rooms, at least at the airport in Medford, there were little plastic bags available to seal your blood-soaked sanitary products into. One for napkins, one for tampons. Of course the only place I saw them was the airport, so... Nothing like that in the bathroom at the local Walmart. The concept is great. Can't imagine what the cost is or if whatever those little plastic bags are made of is good/bad for the landfills...

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Nate MacKinnon

I've finally treated myself to a new hockey/pajama shirt. I've been coveting this one for a while and when I received the up-front payment on a recent proofing job, I decided to buy it. I also had a discount code for the site, so I basically saved shipping charges. Either way, it wasn't as much as it would have been otherwise.

I don't talk much about him because his name and his team name is verboten in our household by my hockey partner in crime... buuuut Nate MacKinnon is my second favorite hockey player after Sidney Crosby. Funny enough, they are from the same small town in Nova Scotia. Sid was a hero of Nate's growing up, because why wouldn't the greatest player in the world who was from your same hometown be your hero?

Nate too is becoming an elite player, and his team has a very good chance of going all the way to and winning the Stanley Cup Final. *fingers crossed* I've got $5 on Nate and the Avs.

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Speaking of Sidney Crosby

While tootling around Klamath Falls early on in my visit, imagine my pleased surprise to come across this. :0) I don't think anything more needs to be said.

Have a super week, catch you next Monday.

Home Sweet Home

 

I have returned to the State of Texas...along with my momma. It really is a state of mind, lol.

Anyway, due to health reasons, she's a member of our household now. I promise that not every post is going to be about this. :0) I'm hoping to get back to my regular planned topics, but we're still in a bit of an adjustment phase, getting her set up with doctor's appointments and settling into routines and such.

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Oregon was as beautiful as you'd expect. Lots of trees and green-ness. Also--deer where my mom lived out in the country. Two other things that there were a lot of in Mom's neck of the woods--double wide trailer homes and solar panels!

Here are a few pictures from Oregon...

Mount Shasta in the southern distance (across the border, actually, in California).

Deer in the back yard...they'd just jumped over the fence into the yard when I took the dogs out at one point. Once I recovered my wits, I was able to get this (not great) picture.

And here...if you have the volume up loud enough--is the sound of the wind through the pine trees. Such an amazing sound.
But we escaped Oregon in the nick of time because this week--SNOW! They're supposed to get one to three inches every night all this week. Yikes!
And

Whew!! ~ that we traveled to Texas before that hit. :0) Hope you're all well, my dear blog readers. I'm going to shoot for once a week for the next month or so until things settle around here. Bear with me. Have a great week.

Update...

 Hello...

*waves*

 Just a quick update to explain my lack of posting... 

I had to make a last-minute trip out of state to help facilitate my mom's move to Texas. In fact, I'm writing to you from Oregon.

It's been a challenging couple of weeks trying to keep up with a minimum amount of day job and make progress here, plus keep up with Mom and her three fur babies.

I don't have much brain power or energy left for much else.

So there will be no posts for at least another couple of weeks.

Thanks for you understanding, patience, and any prayers you want to send our way.

Take care.

Strengths Spotting - Jen's #10: Focus

Courtesy of IMGBIN.

Strengths spotting in oneself and in others is highly encouraged in the BFA circles...

(BFA is the Better-Faster Academy, where my Strengths Guru, Becca lives, eats, and breathes. It's geared towards writers, although most of the advice and information can be applied more broadly.)

So I've been trying to be aware of how each of my strengths manifests itself in my daily living. It's quite interesting to make those connections. Now every aspect of every Strength doesn't always apply to every person and some of that has to do with the placement of the Strength as well as the Strengths around it which will hinder and help in various ways.

But DH and I had a conversation last week about what I thought were ways that he could make better progress in his various tasks and projects, so I suggested we revisit his Strengths test results and then come up with ways to utilize them to help him make progress on his priorities.

The whole whole purpose of knowing your Strengths is to lean into the top five or ten and utilize the things you're already good at or wired for to ratchet up your game. Whatever that means for you.

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So my number ten Strength is Focus. According to one of the reports I received after taking the test, this is why I succeed using Focus:

"You have a powerful ability to prioritize, set goals, and work efficiently. You avoid time-consuming distractions and stay on track toward an overall objective."

And that's mostly true. The challenge for me is that at work, I wear many hats and so the duties of some of the hats (receptionist, answering phones, for example) derails my ability to get into a zone and efficiently concentrate on and complete some of my other responsibilities.

In my writing endeavors, on the other hand, I've implemented the actions they suggest: carving out dedicated time and eliminating distractions. That's why I get up way before the rooster crows to write and churn through other admin tasks related to writing and publishing. And it's worked brilliantly.

At work, we've been discussing the need for our techs to have a chunk of time that's sacred to them so they can focus on assigned projects. I want in on that. I want a time block each week so that I too have time to deep focus on a couple of recurring tasks. I get into a groove and then people want to randomly speak to me and pull me from that groove I'm in.

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Hope you're having as great a week as I am... :0)

Miscellaneous Monday

Meet Fiona the Hippo!

Have you heard of Fiona the Hippo who's Internet famous? She was born six weeks early but survived. She's been immortalized in children's books and news segments for years since her birth in January of 2017.

Fiona celebrated her third birthday in 2020 with a special "cake."

Image borrowed from the Cincinnati Zoo website.

Did you know that before 1909, scientists placed hippos in the same group as pigs? Despite their outward similarities with pigs or wild boars, hippopotamuses are closely related to whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Hippos are semi-aquatic mammals that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. They are the third-largest land mammal after elephants and rhinos.

Who knew?!

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Black or Green?

Image courtesy of iStockPhotos.com

Let's learn some things about olives, shall we?

Did you know that the olive is a fruit? Because of the stone or pit inside that is actually a seed.

Did you know that about 90% of all olives are used to make olive oil, the other 10% are used as table olives (aka the ones we eat).

Did you know that all olives (color-wise) come from the same plant? It's all a matter of maturity. Green and yellow olives are at the beginning of the ripening cycle, while the purple and black coloring comes at the end of the ripening cycle. Black olives are usually artificially colored.

Did you know that olives must be cured and fermented before they can be eaten? The process can take anywhere from a few days to a few months depending on what's used to make that process happen.

I like both; how about you?

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Class of 1986

I graduated high school in 1986...which is whatever, but I came across this interesting bit of trivia:

In 1986, Oprah Winfrey became the first Black American woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show!

And sooooo many years later, she's still going strong.

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Why Christmas is Celebrated on December 25th

While doing a bit of research on holidays in medieval Scotland I learned that the reason Christmas is celebrated on December 25th is because it's exactly nine months from March 25th, the theorized date of Jesus's conception.

The church in Rome began celebrating Christmas back in 336, but the most of the Eastern Empire continued to celebrate Epiphany on January 6th for another half-century. Christmas didn't become a major Christian festival/celebration until the 9th century.

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All my babies are under one roof this week--mine!! So excited to have Sonshine and the Brown-Eyed Girl home for a few days. DD is on spring break, so it's gonna be a fun time hanging out and visiting.

Have a super week. I sure will be. Pictures to come!

Take care.