Month: November 2013
30 Days of Thanks – Day 29
“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” ~ Randy Pausch
I am thankful to have worked in retail while in college. I enjoyed my jobs and have pleasant memories of flexible hours, great customers and fun co-workers. With one glaring exception – Black Friday. I was left so traumatized by the experience, over 25 years ago, that I never shop on Black Friday, and only patronize small, locally-owned or socially-conscious, green businesses.
Black Friday traditionally marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It was the period of the year where retailers would operate “in the black,” or at a profit, versus than “in the red,” or at a loss. For folks employed by retail establishments, it simply meant earning more money in a shorter amount of time.
Sadly, Black Friday has become synonymous with greed. And violence.
I urge you to consider whether or not those items are dire necessities worth dying for today. Or ever.
In the meantime, enjoy the dulcet, acapella tones of Sweet Honey in the Rock’s “Greed.”
30 Days of Thanks – Days 27 and 28 – Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day
Wishing you continued blessings and gratitude for being on the blog journey with me. Please enjoy time with loved ones, as it is precious and entirely too short. Pause for a moment to think about and thank all the people who work on holidays, sacrificing time away from friends and family, to keep us safe, healthy and free. Let us work together to ensure they come home quickly, safely and are fully supported upon their return. Happy Thanksgiving!
30 Days of Thanks – Day 27
I was able to spend the day with Hubby at his job, managing a dog day care. Whew! It was exhausting, but worthwhile work, watching dogs of all ages, sizes and play styles interact with each other. For some reason, I thought working with animals would be easier than working with children. In some respects it was, but in many more, it was not. Dogs cannot tell you if they are hurt or why they may be sad. Two dogs that may be playing happily with each other, may, all of a sudden, become aggressive and the people have to be vigilant for any signs of behavior changes. Hubby has the right instinct for this type of work. I do not. It has been an interesting day and I am ready to see my K9 pack of three.
30 Days of Thanks – Day 26
Today’s post is short. I am thankful for my family’s, friends’ and my health.
Release Day Blog Blitz: Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1) by Laura Kaye (ARC Review + Book Trailer)
Laura Kaye’s new series “Hard Ink” starts today with the release of “Hard as you Can.” Looks like a real scorcher, people.
30 Days of Thanks – Day 25
This time of year inspires upbeat, tug-at- the-heartstrings, romantic comedies to celebrate the holiday season. It is the only time of the year, I find myself wanting to watch television movies, because the characters overcome adversities and eventually find their happily ever after. These are not the women-in-crisis, committing or victims of adultery or true crime dramas. No, several television channels devote the period right before Thanksgiving until Christmas to uplifting stories, and I watch as many as I can. Every year. Thank you to the programming departments of those channels for making us smile.
New Google Ad will make you cry, without understanding a word that is said
Sometimes words are simply unnecessary.
I remember this old P&G advertising guy who always said “you know you have a good spot if you can turn the sound off and still get the ad”. Try that one time and see if it works because it’s very hard.
Here is a new Google ad where there is no English at all and yet the story is easy to follow. If you want, you can turn on the Closed Captioning by hitting the tiny CC button at the bottom right of the video. I watched it without understanding one word that was spoken and I was able to follow along. And i cried.
The ad is beautifully shot, and feels more like a mini-movie than a TV ad. Well, it is 3 minutes and 32 seconds. They stay authentic to the culture, with great visuals, music and language. The story is simple–about two friends who have…
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30 Days of Thanks – Day 24
Our family, on Hubby’s side, likes to celebrate birthdays by going out for pizza. We exchange funny cards – always funny cards, nothing sentimental or thought-provoking, please. Everyone orders their favorite beer or wine, salad, and the Birthday Boy or Girl chooses the pizzas we will eat. We always have a wonderful time because, as middle-aged adults and senior citizens, we prefer to focus on each other and celebrate another milestone together, rather than on gifts. Today, we celebrated BL who is one year closer to retirement and is counting down the days.
If you are ever in my area of the world, visit Cappy’s Pizza, a local joint that makes the best Chicago-style, deep dish pie in Florida.
30 Days of Thanks – Day 23
I am grateful to have graduated from the University of South Florida, over 20 years ago. It was a wonderful experience learning how to live with diverse people. There was no football team when I was student, so my experience attending college football was as an alumnus. My husband and I have had season football tickets for several years and it is one of our favorite date night activities.
10 Steps to Make Goodreads Work For You
By Lisa Verge Higgins
Goodreads – with its 18 million rabid readers – is one of the most powerful places for an author to be discovered.
Goodreads is where folks converge to discuss novels, offer recommendations, write reviews, and keep compilations of the books they’ve read and want to read. Etailers like Kobo and Google feed Goodreads reviews directly into their websites.
Even if you’re not a member, your books are still listed and attracting reviews. Take advantage of the opportunity to control your own profile and book data and provide information that’ll bring the reader directly to you.
Here’s how, in ten easy steps:
1. Become a Member of Goodreads!
In order to join the Goodreads Author program—where all the perks are—first you have to join Goodreads as a reader. If you are joining for the first time, I strongly recommend that you use your author name in its exact spelling to…
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30 Days of Thanks – Day 22
Our friend Teresa recommended Live Oak Veterinary Hospital when we brought Zeke home. Her Doberman, Gracie, had been a patient there her entire life and loved the staff. For 12 years, they have taken care of our pack and love our pets as much as we do. Thank you Live Oak for being committed to serving your patients with personal, professional and compassionate care.
30 Days of Thanks – Day 21
I am grateful to everyone around me who has supported me through the life challenges I have faced, recently. They reminded me to embrace my creative side, as well as my practical, linear side. This will lead to one of the most exciting things I have done and bring me closer to my passion. It will require a leap of faith, but I am ready.
Self-Love is NOT a College Course
Today I stumbled upon this little gem Elon University to Sponsor “Self-Pleasure” Course. The blogger proceeded to describe the course schedule that included toy demonstrations and communication techniques. Sadly, its initial session was only open to 20 students.
What could possibly go wrong with a college course about personal sexuality? Nothing, if the course had been sanctioned by the University. Apparently, students at Elon may create seminars and workshops on topics of their choosing. Many colleges offer similar opportunities through their student organizations, on and off-campus health service agencies, lecture series and similar venues.
Elon did not actually offer “Masturbation: 101,” and the blogger failed to contact University officials to verify his facts. In fact, the very first comments on his posts were by, none other than the Vice President for University Communications. Oops.
Would you take a course in “Self-Pleasure” for college credit? Post away, let’s talk.
30 Days of Thanks – Day 20
When I started this blog I needed an outlet for my feelings. Not only has the experience been cathartic, it has given me the opportunity to read other bloggers’ thoughts. But, the unexpected blessing has been the thought-provoking discussions I have had with people all over the world. Over time, I my readership numbers steadily increased, and I started to find my voice. Thank you for taking the journey alongside me.
Today is about you. Whether you focus on books, humor and satire, fashion, or life, please leave a post with your name, the name of your blog and a brief description of it. This post is a forum to celebrate your blogs and pay it forward.
Test your Chick Swagger IQ for a Chance to Win One of Three Amazon Gift Cards!
My homies over at Chick Swagger are celebrating a blogiversary! Stop by and check it out!
Reading, Drinking and Dancing with a Chaser of Snark 