Wildlife Wednesdays: Surprise Nest
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| Surprise Find at Work |
Toiling Tuesdays: Sexual Harassment
Miscellaneous Mondays:
Doctors should be open on Saturday (or sunday). They discount the large percentage of the population that works 9-5/8-5 hours during the week and cannot make it in or even make time to call the doctor and be put on the requisite 10-20 minute hold. Not only can the average working Joe not go to the doc without taking time off of work. They can’t go to many dentists, eye doctors, the post office, or the bank without taking time off or sneaking into the last 30 minutes of the business day.
Idea: A business that is open on the weekend!
Author Thursdays: My Writing Guru
There are books you love and authors you adore. There are stories that settle into your mind like dust that is never swept away. There are sayings that pass and words that glitter but I recently found my writing guru. Perhaps I found a wonderful writer before but was not able to recognize the finesse in the writing. I’ve read greats and smalls alike but this new author is unlike any that I have read. I would actually pay for her books, that’s how good her writing is (and I don’t hold with owning books, I prefer to rent them from the library, unless I’m supporting a local author). Her writing is full of descriptions I do not even have the experience to write and yet I can instantly visualize what she is describing. When I notice her writing techniques I see a lack of sloppy adverbs, until I am sucked back into the story of course. Her subject matter is a little hard for me to grasp, poverty in this day and age and a smart gal stuck in her life. Is she a good mother or isn’t she? Is she really poor when she has a cell phone, clothes, and food? What is poverty anymore for that matter?
Wildlife Wednesdays: Kayaking the Cedar
Last weekend my dad and I took out the two-man blowup kayak down the Cedar River. It’s a great run because at the end we ended up in our own backyard. Even though the measured depth was 1.8 feet, we were still able to scoot along (half the time with our butts touching bottom). I highly recommend rafting the Cedar. In high summer, when the river is deeper people go down in black donuts, sometimes with a cooler in tow. One time I swear I saw someone on a mattress. Yes, a mattress. It floats. Beyond our portion of the river and around a few more bends at a takeout spot there is even a liquor store. Many times people going down the river would wave to us from their donuts and ask how much farther the liquor store was. Oh, river-goers.
Miscellaneous Mondays: When I Grow Up
I’ve been telling my boss’s boss that when I’m rich and famous I’m going to purchase a Vitamix blender, a Dyson vacuum, and a laptop of approximately two grand. To me these things represent wealth. They are symbols of upper middle class. The blender is just under $400 and the vacuum cleaner mostly just under $300. To spend over $50 on an appliance and over $100 on a vacuum cleaner suggests splendor and excess cash. To me they represent solid items with lifetime guarantees (the Vitamix anyways).
What things represent wealth to you?
Cars that you don’t buy outright or houses you buy with a mortgage attached do not count. I’m referring to products you can walk in and buy with cash. That is a privilege for those who do not live paycheck to paycheck, especially if you’re splurging mid-year without a holiday’s excuse in sight.
Recently, to represent my newfound wealth of two incomes I purchased a (used but great condition) handheld GPS and a year-membership to Geocaching.com ($30).
When I was in college I spent six months debating whether to purchase my then $90 Vibram 5-finger shoes.
Between high school and college I spent three – six months debating whether to buy my own archery supplies (bow, arrows, etc) and then did, spending about $150 but later selling everything to another budding archer for $75.
In my mind, purchases over $100 necessitate some thinking. Are they worth it? But most importantly, are they as valuable as their price tag? Or as my dad would say, what is the use per dollar? A bed would have high use per dollar. A sandwich has one use per however many dollars you spend.
This is the financial thought process I go through when I want something and think I can “afford it” Certain products and services I value over others. Learning I value higher than cosmetic services. I do not think a haircut is valued over $20 but I think several hundred on a class is worth it (Bartending School). I think good healthy food is worth extra dough. I do not believe community-centered activities should cost anything (dodgeball, card game clubs, book clubs, etc).
How do you place value on the things you buy and do?
Socializing Sundays: The Smartphone date
I may be young, hip and cool but I just don’t understand the smartphone date. You know what I’m talking about, the young – middle aged couple who goes out on a date and spends 75% of the face time with their eyes glued to their cell screen. Don’t you know how ridiculous you look with a minuscule computer six inches from your face? You look like the blubber-balls from Wall-E. And even when not on a date, per se but an outing or a social gathering you cannot socially function without plodding away on Facebook, twitter, tumblr, twitter, blogger, tickld, etc. You are the most self-absorbed socially backwards bunch of awkward teens (or adults really) people I have ever seen. At least have the decency to pay attention to your surroundings and respect those you have come out to see/visit/hang out with. It is incredibly rude to do what I call “time waste” on your phone while in a social setting. Unless you are helping a friend with directions or taking a call from your mother, I should not see you tippity tapping away on your smartphone. I do not care if you want to show me that video you are thinking about right this second. You know what we did back in my day? We played footsie with each other. Just kidding. We talked and laughed and made eye contact. You know, 20 years from now you’ll be cross eyed from staring at a tiny screen for years and you won’t have any real friends anymore, only Facebook friends and followers. And far away, on what used to be Earth, two little robots are falling in love.
Author Thursdays: Steven King Says So
Adverbs
Just wanted to let you know I finished the first draft of my newest manuscript. It is the roughest first draft I have ever written. That is to say much editing and revising is needed (see <- passive voice no no). After listening to Steven King's audio book On Writing I realize I probably use too many adverbs. Whilst reading over my manuscript, I have also noticed the repeated use of many words and phrases. These are:
at the moment
as well
a moment
finally
first
and so
now
not to mention
sudden (ly)
still
So after my read over I will Control+Find all these bad boys and make sure they are all necessary or kill them. Also, I need to make sure I use the correct version of the following:
further v farther
leaped v leapt
toward v towards
Any other no-no words I should be looking out for?
Wildlife Wednesdays: The Worm
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| Do The ___ |
Rachel Author Barnard 