BLOG CHALENGE DAY #30

Blog Challenge Day #30

What kind of lessons can anyone learn from what you do in your career?

I do human resources consulting.  I learn every day.  I learn about people and what they are capable of.  I learn how to read people.  I learn how to navigate difficult situations.

Dealing with people every day means I have to be calm, discreet, stone-faced, and a pretty good liar.  A liar because people will ask me secret personnel things to my face and I have to lie that I don't know what they are talking about.  I can't let on that I know anything. 

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I went shopping and bought 6 pairs of jeans on sale!  I was down to two pairs of jeans that I can wear in public.  I wear jeans every day so I needed to get some more.  I hate shopping so I buy a bunch at once when I find something that fits.  I got faded jeans, dark blue, regular jeans, plumb colored jeans, green jeans, and these funky silver/purple jeans.  I also got a jean jacket.  All on sale!!!

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #29

Blog Challenge Day # 29

Come up with a Truth vs. Lie post.

I was talking to my foster son for 10 minutes each night.  All of a sudden one night my foster son told me that he can only talk to me for 5 minutes.  Each night since then when I call and he tells me he can talk for 5 minutes.  Last night we spoke for 5 minutes and after we hung up, I called back and asked how many minutes we are allowed to speak.  They said 10 minutes and it has been 10 minutes for some time.  So he had been lying.  Turns out that once confronted, he admitted that he lied because he sometimes only wanted to talk for 5 minutes so he could do other things. 

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #28

Blog Challenge Day #28

Who is the one person you could definitely couldn't live without?  and why?

I don't have one person I could not live without.  I don't believe for me there is a person I could not live without.  I am a realist and I know that we are all on this Earth for a limited time and we all need to make the best of the time we are here.  I have family I love and I would like to spend time with them.  There are friends I love and I would like to spend more time with them. 

I guess it will be hardest for me when Happi passes.  Happi and I have been through a lot together.  I love her with all my heart.  But I know she is going to pass away some day pretty soon.  She has had a good life I hope.  A better life than she would have had in Palau on the streets.  At least a cushier life here.  When I was a teenager my grandmother and my dog died very close together in time.  I loved my grandmother but I was not very close to her.  It devastated me when my dog died.  I had her almost all my life.  She died at age 13.  She was supposed to be the family dog but she was closest to me.  I always wanted animals. 

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #27

Blog Challenge Day #27

What if you were told you were going to die on Friday and today was Monday.  What would you do?

Okay, I would want to spend it with my family and my foster son.  I am not sure how I would do all that since they all live in separate places.  But that is what I would want to do.  I am not sure what we would do except spend time together.  Maybe get a good meal.  I would want to spend time with Happi and Lucky.  Take a walk with them.  I guess that is it. 

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #26

Blog Challenge Day #26

How do you stay healthy?

I am not sure right now I am that healthy. That is why I needed to start the Orencia.

I eat pretty healthy food. I stay away from processed foods as much as I can. I try to eat fresh as much as I can.

I don't smoke, drink alcohol or do any drugs.

I try to get exercise but this is where I am failing right now. I am more sedentary than I want to be. I carry my 22lb dog up and down the stairs many times a day.

Overall I think I am pretty healthy.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #25

Blog Challenge Day #25

What would you want to improve on in your life?

My energy level.  I hope that Orencia will help with this issue.  I have had the Orencia for about a month but due to fears of an infection and then the fear of surgery, I didn't start the Orencia until last night.  Now that I started the Orencia, I am hoping it will help with my horrible fatigue.  I get so tired some days that I can't keep my eyes open.  I actually fall asleep in the afternoon.  I can't keep my eyes open.

I have a bunch of health things going on.  The fatigue, my feet are killing me, and my wrist is still hurting me.  I have hopes that the Orencia will help with these issues.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #24

Blog Challenge Day #24

If you could have witnessed an event in history, which would you choose?  And why?

If I could have witnessed a day in history I would have witnessed Martin Luther King, Jr. giving his "I Have A Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.  It was such a momentous occasion for people to see a black man on TV or the radio giving an address.  It was a defining moment in the civil rights movement and one of the most iconic speeches in history.  

As a kid I found a magazine that was celebrating an anniversary of the "I Have A Dream" speech and I read it and I kept it for many years.  For all I know, I may still have it.  It meant so much to me reading that speech and drinking in those words.  "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!"  I read that to mean that people would not be judged by their skin or their sex or their sexual orientation or their hair color or their weight or their height or their economics or their _______ but by the content of their character.  Even at my young age, I read that to mean that we need to see past all those things and judge people by if they are people who have integrity, are honest, are good, are responsible and are positive.  For me, if my dogs like them.  My dogs are never wrong.

That is where I would want to go if I could.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #23

Blog Challenge Day #23

If you could invite 3 people to dinner, who would you invite? And why?  What would you talk about?

Oprah, Tina Turner, and Barack Obama/Michelle Obama.  I would want to invite another person: Gordon Ramsay because someone would have to cook!  I would never be able to cook for these people. 

Oprah would be invited because why not.  How else would I get to meet Oprah and get to talk to her?  I would probably let her direct the conversation because that is what she does, right?!  We could talk books, music, world events.  Oprah can talk about anything that is why she is a great guest.

Tina Turner would be invited because I would love to hear about her life directly from her.  She is so strong.  Plus Tina and Oprah are such good friends.  I want to be their friend.

The Obamas would be invited because they are so interesting.  They can talk about any subject also so I feel like it would be such a great dinner party. 

Of course Gordon Ramsay would cook a great meal and then join us when he was done cooking. 

I think it would be a great dinner party.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #22

Blog Challenge Day #22

If you could go anywhere in the world with anyone where would you go and why?  Also why did you choose that person?

I would take my foster kid to Disney World. What kid doesn’t want to go to Disney World? That would be where he would want to go. He loves Disney.

I would want to take him camping at one of the places I went camping as a kid. Campgrounds in forests with rivers we could swim in. Forests we could hike in. Campfires we sat around. Games we played. It was so much fun.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #21

Blog Challenge Day #21

What is the next vacation you would like to take?

I don’t have a vacation planned. My life is a bit up in the air and planning a big vacation is not in the cards right now. I am planning a short trip to Arizona for the weekend. I will be spending the weekend with my mother. It is also hard to travel right now because of Happi. Happi requires a dogsitter who will stay at the house because she has a hard time walking, can’t hear and has to pee constantly. No doggie daycare will put up with that.

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I went to a train museum today. It was interesting and fun. I rode on a very old train on a very old train track. The museum was run by volunteers.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #20

Blog Challenge Day #20

What advice has stuck with you for a long time?  Who gave you that advice?

 When I was in high school I took typing and shorthand. All the girls and some of the guys took the class. This was before current computers were even a thought in someone's mind.  I was not very good in either class. My short hand teacher told me I would never do shorthand and typing as a job so I better get a good education.  She also told  me  to never learn to make coffee. Those were the best two pieces of advice I ever received.

I never had a job where I had to take shorthand. I never had a job where I had to type much. I never made coffee and when asked I made it clear no one would want any coffee I would make! These one serve coffees with the pods were made for people like me.

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I got my MRI results today. The TFCC is not torn. It may have been a bit torn 8 months ago but it is healed now. There is fluid in the spot. The choice I had was a steroid shot in my tendon or go on ORENCIA. I chose Orencia. Then in three weeks if I have no change, I will get the shot.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALENGE DAY #19

Blog Challenge Day #19

What are your traditions?

I do not have a ton of traditions.  Since I have lived alone for a while I don't have a lot of traditions that a lot of families have. 

• I do love Christmas and decorate A LOT for Christmas.  I try to get a live Christmas tree but if I am going to travel, a live tree doesn't make sense. 

• I watch the Indy 500 every year.  I have been doing this since I was a kid.

• I watch the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness every year.  That is a tradition for me.

• I watch the National Hot Dog Eating Contest every year.  It simultaneously grosses me out and enthralls me each time. 

•  I watch my Christmas TV shows and movies each Christmas season.  I can't miss How the Grinch Stole Christmas during the season.

Those are some of my traditions.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #18

Blog Challenge Day #18

What is a current frustration of yours?

What isn't a current frustration of mine?  People who walk through a door you hold open and don't say thank you.  People who cut you off when driving.  When your HULU doesn't work all weekend.

Today I am not sure I have a frustration so I will talk about yesterday's frustration.  I have a system that allows me to play digital movies on my Roku.  For some reason Sunday night it was working one minute and stopped working the next minute.  I can't figure out why.  It just stopped working. My brother C is helping me try to fix it but we don't know if it will work.  It may take hours only to find out it still doesn't work.  I am in no hurry to do the work since it may not work.  It may but that is the frustrating part.  

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Last night I decided to give Happi her medicine a day early to see if that makes her feel better.  I made an executive decision without talking to the doctor.  It seemed to work.  Today I spoke to the doctor and he said it was a good call.  I think I am getting my vet license working with Happi.  She seems better today but she hates this medicine.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #17

Blog Challenge Day #17

Love Traveling?  If so, share your experiences.

Do I love traveling?!  I love traveling so much that when I was younger I traveled as much as I could.  Here are some of the experiences of my travels.

• I went to Panama to visit a boyfriend right before  the 1989 presidential coup. At the time I didn't think anything of it.  It was just weird seeing all these heavily armed military guys walking around and guarding bridges and things.  Not something you saw in the USA back in 1989.  
• I was in Europe while I was in college and was able to see SHAPE which is the military arm of NATO.  That was super interesting.  I didn't even know it existed.  
• Also when I was in Europe, I was separated from a boyfriend.  He didn't make it on the train and he had my passport and all our money.  I was thrown off the train miles away from where I got on and had to walk back to the starting point with all of our weekend luggage.  I learned to never give up your passport and money.  You never know when one of you will make it on a train and the other miss it.  
• I sunbathed naked on a beach in Martinique. I learned to wear sunscreen liberally!
• I traveled for 20 hours straight (sleeping on a train where some guy played with my feet while I asleep) to make it back to class while studying in Britain.  Beware of who you share your seats with!
•  I traveled to Wales with my brother E and saw the hardest, biggest raindrops I have ever seen in my life.  We got so wet, I never thought we would get dry and warm again.  We take central heating for granted in the USA.  
• I did study abroad semester's in both London and Washington, DC.  They were so different but I learned so much each semester.

That is just a few of the stories I have from my travels.  I look forward to traveling again sometime soon.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #16

Blog Challenge Day #16

What life events shaped you into who you are?

• My parents divorce and growing up with a single mom shaped me to who I am today.  It taught me not to be totally dependent on another person.  To have my own education, job, bank account, and credit.  
• Seeing a movie of how babies are born scarred me for life.  I ran out of the movie in horror.  I came home and told my mom that all my baby dolls were now adopted.  I was never having that happen to me.  I never bore any children but I am a foster mom.
• Being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis made me change my life outlook.  I changed the way I ate.  I changed the way I saw RA.  It is my thing.  Everyone has their thing and this is my thing.  I see the world differently now.  

I am sure there are more life events but that is enough for today.

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Today is my Name Day.  In Sweden (Swedish namnsdag) there is a thing called your name day.  It is where you celebrate the day of the year that is associated with one's given name.  Today is the day that is associated with my name.  So Happy Name Day to me!!!

I got my MRI on my wrist today.  It was a very tight MRI and it took 35 minutes.  I get the results on Friday.   Then I went to see my primary doctor.  He thinks I should go on Orencia now even if I have to have wrist surgery.  He thinks maybe my wrist pain is RA pain.  I am not sure I agree with him.  I said I would wait until Friday and see what the MRI results are before I make any decisions.  He says I don't need to get this surgery (if I need it) urgently.  So I can take my time.  He thinks I should go on the Orencia even if I have to go off it in a few weeks.  We shall see how it goes.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #15

Blog Challenge Day #15

Give a rant about something.

Usually I don’t need much to rant about something but I don’t really have much to rant about today. Last night my very young neighbors had a party. They warned me and let me know that if it got too out of hand to let them know.  I was not worried, they seem responsible.it did go very late (early) and it is clear they do not have children but I was young once.  Although I partied like that when I was much younger.

Anyway, my rant is about two of their guests. I went to sleep early after my trip and picnic. I fell asleep at 8:30 pm. At 11:30 pm my doorbell rang and it scared all of us. Lucky went barking and racing through the house. Happi woke up. I jumped up and went upstairs. There were two drunk guys looking for the party. I didn’t even open my door. I just said you have the wrong address. They left and figured it out I guess. Folks when you arrive at a party after 10pm, please have the correct address. It is disconcerting to be woken up from sound sleep by partygoers.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #14

Blog Challenge Day #14
Who is your mascot for life?
If you could choose a mascot to describe your outlook on life, who would you choose? And why?

Fi st I chose my favorite animal a panda but that doesn’t make a good mascot since they sit around all day and eat. Then I thought peacock but once again peacocks don’t really do anything but look pretty. 


Then I decided on Joy. I have been bringing my Joy doll everywhere for a few years. It is Joy from the movie In and Out. So Joy is my mascot. Joy is lighthearted, optimistic, and determined to find the fun in every situation. 


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I took a road trip today to see my foster son today. We went on a picnic. Yes, we sat at a picnic table. Unfortunately it was a very hot day even under the trees. We had sandwiches, carrots, watermelon, chips, apple sauce, little chocolate chip cookies and apple juice. At first he looked at the food and said it would not fill him up but after he ate it he said his tummy hurt. 

We played games and tag. It was so hot running around. It was fun. 

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #13

Blog Challenge Day #13

What is your motto for life?

I am not sure I have a motto. But I try to live with joy. I try to help others. I try to be kind. I try to be a good person. I don't know if that is a motto.

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I had an appointment with the dentist this morning. A tooth on my upper right side has been hurting for a few days. Two days ago I couldn't even bite down. It turns out my mouth guard is old and my teeth have moved. My guard was not fitting correctly and it was hitting that tooth and causing it to inflame.

The dentist readjusted my mouth guard and and x-rayed my tooth. Tonight is the trial to see if what she did worked.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #12

Blog Challenge Day #12

How do you work while traveling?

How do I not work when traveling?  I work all the time as my friends and family will tell you.  I own my own business so I am on call all the time.  I have done projects and taken phone calls in the ER, while I had meningitis in the hospital, at Disney World in the middle of the parade, on the beach in Bermuda.  My work never ends.  I work my travels around my work essentially.  I can do 95% of my work from a cellphone and a computer with wifi.  I don't have to be face-to-face so that makes traveling much easier.  When I travel I am more concerned with my laptop than my clothes.  I can replace clothes!

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Update on yesterday's blog post:

It is 3:34 and I have not had the TV on except for 15 minutes while I ate breakfast and lunch.  I will be honest, it is driving me crazy.  I am getting some of the items done on my list from yesterday.  I got an emergency vet appointment for Happi this morning so my morning was taken up with getting Happi in her harness, in the car, sitting down in the car, driving to the vet, walking to the vet office, subsequently carrying her to the office and the appointment.  Happi is fine.  I was worried because one of Happi's eyes looks bigger than the other.  I am not sure if it is the eye ball or the eye socket or the darkness around her eye.

But her left (looking at her) eye seems bigger.  The doctor checked her out and said she has no glaucoma or eye infection or other eye issues and maybe it is her allergies.  He also checked her ears as best as he could but she is a wiggler.  She is fine.  She gained weight to 22.5 lbs.  All good signs.  I also got her nails trimmed today instead of Monday when she had an appointment with Lucky.  So now she doesn't have to go back in the car.  Since the car accident she hates the car.  I can't blame her.

Then I came home and got to work.  It is 90 degrees here so I didn't want to go for the walk I was planning.  So that came off the list at least for now.  I got the dreaded work item done.  That took a bulk of this afternoon.  But I kept to my agreement of no TV.  It has been hard.  I usually have the TV on in the background and the silence is deafening. 

At 6:30 pm I gave in and turned the TV on.  I could not take the silence anymore.  Plus I was bored and hot.  Lucky was being a pill, she hates the hot weather.  She was growly and whiny. 

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #11

Blog Challenge Day #11

Give up something and focus that time on doing something useful.

I would say I will give up the Internet but that is my lifeline for my work and my foster kid. So I guess I need to give up TV. As much as it pains me.

So tomorrow I will give up TV and do some other things such as go for a walk, invoice my client, practice Spanish, do a work task I have been putting off, and meditate. That should keep me busy. Maybe even take the dogs for a walk.

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Today I thought about 9/11 like everyone else. I thought about my trip to NYC a few weeks after 9/11. Everyone said I was crazy to get back on a plane so soon after it happened but I wasn’t worried.  I am from the East Coast and (if you haven’t heard my story before) I flew from the East Coast to the West Coast the morning of 9/10/2001.  Seeing Manhattan just weeks after the attacks was moving and heartbreaking. It is something I will never forget.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #10

Blog Challenge Day #10

What is your bucket list?

I have a bucket list of things I would like to accomplish. 

• Travel -  I know most people have a specific list of places they want to travel to.  I have a short list but I have a longer list too.  Short list: Alaska, Australia, Sweden, New Orleans, Turkey, Prague, Budapest, Africa, Antarctica, Iceland and Greenland. 
• Get better with my photography.
• Foster dogs
• Learn a language
• Have the courage to do something like skydive or parachuting
• Take a cruise to Alaska
• Go on a photography safari

Well, that is good for now.  What is your bucket list?  Do you have one? 

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #9

Blog Challenge Day #9

What inspires you?

I am inspired by people who have integrity, who stand by their convictions and are respectful to animals.

I am inspired by beautiful art.  Van Gogh, Munch, Picasso, Pollock, Warhol, Peter Max, and Haring.

I am inspired by the most wonderful areas of the great outdoors: the Painted Desert, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Mount Everest, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Sahara Desert.  I haven't seen them all myself in person but I aim to.

I am inspired by great music - Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Prince, Bob Marley, Elton John, Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, Donna Summer, Eric Clapton, James Brown, Dionne Warwick, Sting, and Stevie Wonder.  The list goes on.

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I went to the orthopedic surgeon today about my wrist.  My wrist is still bothering me since my fall in January.  It has been 8 months and it still hurts when I do this.  When I turn my wrist like I am turning a steering wheel.  I know, so don't turn it.  That is hard to do when I have to drive.

She looked at my wrist.  She looked at my old x-rays from January.  She looked at my MRI from February or whenever.  She saw the fracture on my hamate bone.  She said the hamate bone would have healed by now and would not be causing this pain.

She now thinks I may have torn my TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex).  It is the cartilage structure located on the small finger side of the wrist that, cushions and supports the small carpal bones in the wrist. The TFCC keeps the forearm bones (radius and ulna) stable when the hand grasps or the forearm rotates.

The prognosis is good for healing.  It is not good in the short term.  There are two ways to go.  1) if the tear is just a short tear, they can go in and shave the ligament and then put it in a cast for 6 weeks to stabilize it.  It should heal.  2) The tear is bad and then they have to go in and suture the tear and I will be in a cast for 6 weeks and then 2-4 weeks of rehab.  Either one sounds horrid.  I told her I can live with the pain!  It really isn't that bad.  She said unfortunately it will get worse as time goes on.

She doesn't know for sure this is what I have so they took x-rays today and are doing an MRI next week to see if things have changed since January.

Meanwhile there is nothing I can do but wait.  I guess I can learn to type with one hand. 

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #8

Blog Challenge Day #8

Share your favorite reading list.

My favorite books are:

• The #1 Ladies Detective Agency series
• Water for Elephants
• Adrian Mole series (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole)
• Cutting for Stone
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
• A Fine Balance (my very favorite book)
• The Happiness Project
• The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
• Tales of the City series

There are probably more books I really like but this is a good start.  What books do you like?

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I went to see a movie today with my friend S: Where'd you go, Bernadette?  It was a unique movie.  It is about a woman who was facing a life crisis.  Her daughter was going away to boarding school, her husband works many hours and what was she?  It has funny parts and eye opening parts.  The scenery is beautiful.  I would recommend it.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #7

Blog Challenge Day #7

Use 5 words to describe yourself.

• Integrity
• Funny
• Helpful
• Honest
• Nice

What words would you use to describe yourself??

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #6

Blog Challenge Day #6

What first memory you remember?

The first real memory I remember may not be my memory but may be a memory of a photo.  It was my family camping on a campsite with a camper.  My brother E was a baby.  There was a clearing and then trees.  That is all I remember.  Like I said it may be that I saw a photo and that is what I remember or it may be a real memory.  If my brother was a baby then I was 3-4 years old.  I am not sure we even went camping when I was that little.  That is the earliest memory I have.

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This morning my Dad and I went to have breakfast and my step-mother was still in the hospital.  We went to pick her up when she was discharged.  She is fine.  We all went to the aquarium for the day.  It was a lot of fun.  I went about 25 years ago.  It has really changed.  It has such beautiful fish. 

I felt bad that I had business calls that I had to take.  I also had a fair number of calls and texts about my foster kid.  There is a lot going on with him and I had to make a number of decisions that could not wait. 

After the aquarium we went to early dinner (linner) and then I drove home.  I was super lucky my dog sitter could stay longer than we agreed since Thursday was a bit of a bust on the evening visiting time.  When I got home Lucky ran around in circles and acted like I had been away for a week!  She was so cute.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #5

Blog Challenge Day #5
What scares you the most and why?

I am scared most by ants. Some people are scared by snakes or heights or sharks. I am scared by ants. I wrote this story before. When I was a kid I saw a movie about ants that take over an island. They were ants that bite and the people on the island had to burn the ants to live.  Once they set the island on fire the people jumped in the water and had to breathe through straws with their heads under water to survive.  That movie left a lasting impression on me.  I can't stand the thought of ants crawling all over me.

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Today I drove to Monterey to spend the night with my parents.  I got a late start due to dealing with my foster kiddo stuff.  I got to Monterey before my parents because they were caught in traffic.  We went to get some food and then went sightseeing.  We went to a candy store and my step-mother bought a bunch of old-time candy.  She ate a piece and immediately her tooth fell out.  There was a bit of a panic to find a dentist at 4pm on a Thursday who would fix her tooth.  She found one and we began walking to the office.  We had no idea that the office was in the next town but we got our cardio for the day!  Once we got that taken care of, we leisurely walked back to the hotel and got in the hot tub.  My step-mother came downstairs quite upset.  She had unintentionally taken my Dad's pill instead of her vitamin.  There were phone calls to figure out what to do before taking her to the ER.  She is spending the night in the ER.  I am relaxing in my hotel room and watching TV.

The day was exciting but not the way I expected.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #4

Blog Challenge Day #4

What are your 5 top distractions and how do you deal with them?

 Distractions.  Oh, I have a lot of distractions.  I work for myself so I have a lot of distractions.  I learned a long time ago that I can find many things to do instead of the thing I am supposed to do.  When I was writing my Master's thesis, I never had such clean and organized closets.  I would do anything but what I was supposed to do; write. 

Now I have some very common distractions:

1. TV - I watch way too much TV.  Right now I am obsessed with Acorn TV.  That is British television shows.  All those British shows that are shown on BBC or PBS.  I just love binge watching these shows.
2. Online News - I can waste a lot of time reading the news online.  I get updates and breaking news.  
3. Facebook/Twitter/Internet - There is so much information out there.  Funny stuff, interesting stuff and stupid stuff.  Suddenly 30 minutes is gone.
4. Texting friends - I can spend a lot of time texting friends.  Sometimes I have two friends texting me at the same time.  Oi, keeping the two conversations going at the same time.
5. Puttering - You know what I mean.  Look at a magazine, open mail, get a drink of water, look at your phone, throw a toy for the dog, and suddenly time has passed and no work has gotten done. 

I think one of my biggest problems is dealing with them.  I don't think I deal with them very well.  When I have a deadline, I use these distractions as breaks.  Work for two hours then take a break with 30 minutes of TV while I eat lunch.  Or work for a bit and then text a friend for a short laugh to keep motivated.

When I don't have a deadline I can get distracted pretty easy.  I try to keep my distractions to a minimum but some days I am better than others.

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #3

Blog Challenge Day #3

Pick out 3 creative people who inspire you and think about if they collaborated to make a product - What would it be?

My three people would be:

• Walt Disney

• Jimi Hendrix

• Prince

The product they would collaborate to create would be a psychedelic, funky, animated musical movie.  Can't you see it?  It would be the greatest animated movie of all time!  It would have the greatest soundtrack.  The most fabulous colors and characters. 

That those are the three people I would choose and the product I would have them make. 

Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #2

Blog Challenge Day #2

What would you love to learn? 

I would love to learn another language.  In school I took French until it was clear I was not going to learn French.  Then I started learning Latin.  Latin, you probably said, that is a dying language.  Yes, it is but it is a great language to learn if you want to do really good on the SATs.  Latin is the root of most words so learning the basics of Latin helps to learn how to spell.

I have been trying to learn Spanish on-line but it is hard to learn a language by yourself and when you have no one to practice with.

So, I would love to learn another language.

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Today I worked on my garage again.  I didn't schedule to work on the garage but I had such success yesterday, I wanted to keep up the momentum.  It is going to be small changes as I go through boxes and get rid of stuff.

Before

After

After

 I can see a lot more floor!


Until tomorrow...

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY #1

Beginning today I am doing a new Blog Challenge.  This Blog Challenge is about creative questions/comments and the answers I will write about each day for 60 days.  I am excited to see whee this takes me.

Blog Challenge Day #1

How did you get started writing your blog?

I started writing my blog because my friend A told me that the updates about RA I sent to people over email were interesting and funny and informative.  She said I should collect them somewhere and send them to other people.  This started me thinking that maybe I could do a blog.  I started a blog that was at first just something I shared with friends and obviously posted online.  Then it grew.  At one point I had 1,000 views a day. These days I am getting about 1,000 views a month.  I expanded my blog from just talking about RA to talking about everything in my life and how I live with RA and my other autoimmune diseases. 

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Last night after posting my blog I was invited to go out and meet up with some friends and friends of friends.  I was a bit resistant to going because it was a hard day.  But I got up and went and had a good time.  They all had tapas and wine.  I sat with them while they ate.  Afterward my friend S and I went to get ice cream.  The place had 2 flavors of vegan ice cream and vegan cookies!  You know I went crazy.  I had a scoop of each flavor and a fudge cookie.  I shamelessly ate it all. 

Today I worked on the garage for day #3.  This time I took a before photo.

I moved some stuff around and got rid of some stuff and organized some stuff.  I have boxes I need to go through but that is a job for another day.  See if you can see a difference.

This is a big project and will take some time. 

Until tomorrow...