Today

Sadly enough, I still don't have anything extra to post but there is this . . .

It's the most busy time of year!

It's that time of the year as indicated by the title of this post. I actually have cookies baking right now as I type this up with Christmas music playing too. I'm feel the holiday spirit as I'm too tired to fight it. Work has been crazy with working in the shipping industry. Real life continues to progress and I'm hoping that next year will have a series of posts to put up but we'll see. I'll catch everyone on the flip side. I'll have something else to post next time.

Whose laughing?

I adore improv. The wit, the banter and the spontaneity of it all just absolutely cracks me up. 

To share so enjoy:  

By the time . . .

It's that time of the year again, when things are starting to get amped up. For my family especially, after Halloween it's a wedding anniversary, Veterans Days with 2 birthdays very close and soon after there's Thanksgiving. This year, we decided to add more to our plate as we're trying to purchase our first home this year. We're crazy like that.

I swear that as the years go on, things get crazier and crazier and time gets more and more compressed. As a kid though, time seemed to drag on and Christmas was so far and far away. That's all I got for now. That's all I got time for at the moment, cause time is relevant in so many amazing ways.

Umbrella girl

I feel hopeful. It's almost odd to say that as I'm always a 'prepare for the worst and hope for the best' type of person. I plan ahead. If I don't have a plan A to Z, that's when it all goes to hell. That's not to say that I'm pessimist. I prefer to think of myself as a realist and if the worst doesn't happen, I'm the first to be happy that it's all good. When it might rain, I got my umbrella ready but when I see a break I may start to dance in the rain. I do my best to keep a happy spirit. Right now, I'm looking forward. I still have my backup plans but I feel like we're at the horizon. We're either going to keep walking into the sun or fall off the edge of the world. Either way, I'm ready to move forward.

Hate is such a strong word

To be straightforward, this is not to someone or even about someone. Certain events have brought up new understandings of my own thought process that I'm still trying to process, of which I'd like to share some these ponderings (I know that's a made up word but I liked the sound of it and am therefore using it.)

The idea of hatred on a personal level is what I'm concerned about. I don't hate. I strongly dislike things, and I've often used the word hate as a hyperbole, but I don't honestly hate things and, most especially, not people. The closest to hating something is my fear of snakes, and I don't necessarily hate the creatures themselves but more so, that I hate my reaction to them. I dislike people. I may not respect their choices but its their choice, and as their choices do not harm others around them, I have no problem with them. I get angry over people's decisions that do hurt themselves, others and myself but I can't hate the person who made that choice. Hating a person for a decision that they follow through is too much like taking way a person's free will and I do believe in free will above many things. After being angry, then I try to forgive and whether I'm able to give my forgiveness or not, I move on.

I don't dwell. The person made their decision and I've made decision and there's nothing that can be done about it as the past can't be changed. If I make the choice to no longer have anything to do with a person, I have made my choice. It's not a decision made of out of hate but as a desire to move on because at that point, so much has happened that I'm done with the situation and I don't care. It's not a choice made out of whim but with careful thought. It is my decision and unless there is something that brings new clarity to the situation, I likely won't change my mind.

I suppose in a way, inattention and disinterest can seem like hatred to someone who thrives on attention, sympathy and such things. The fact of the matter though is that I don't hate. I just don't care. I have no more interest in what has happened and I have moved my feelings and thoughts onto more interesting things. I have better things to do than to worry about what another person thinks of me.

Fuel for the Soul

Like for many, music is a balm for my soul. I can go from rock to classic to hip hop and back to musicals and heavy metal with techno, going from one right to the next in the most random order that leaves a lot of people with their heads spinning.

Mainly, I'm a rock/heavy metal chick.  I adore bands such as Aerosmith, Gun'N Roses, Lifehouse, Lacuna Coil, Breaking Benjamin, Fuel, Metallica. My favorite band in the world will always be Goo Goo Dolls. Their music has saved my life and I will forever be grateful that I can find comfort in their music.

For this soul, I just want to share what has touched my soul recently.

I need to see this. I adore the entire soundtrack. Enjoy. I know I do.

No Less

Oh, I was bad. It took me the entire two weeks that I normally leave in between posts to finally write something up yesterday for me to have to post today too. I got nothing in case you can't tell. In my defense, it's autumn, which is always the ramping into the busiest time of the year for me.

Let's face it: fall is the busiest time of the year for me. I got projects coming out of my ears right now and I'm working hard to pare them down but of course, it's a slow process. In my defense, the list was actually low for a bit so I thought I might finally do a few things for my self but then events happen and I just added a whole bunch of extra work for myself to do instead. I rarely win in these situations but I keep trying anyway. It's either enough to do or too much; there is no less.

I'll try to have something better next time.

Falling into Season

If I have never mentioned it, I adore autumn. I love watching the trees go into yellow, gold, red, bronze and then falling to the ground in a blanket. I anticipate the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin and everything spice and nice. I enjoy few things more than to take a walk in a crisp cool morning. I can't wait to get the fall clothes out so that I can cuddle into a nice comfy sweater and curl up under a cozy blanket while reading or watching tv.

That is all, because of course, I have a million things to do right now.

Clumsy Life

I'm perfectly aware that this post is more than a bit later, which is a shame as for a good long while I hadn't been more than a day or 2 late at the most.

Have you ever had everything going so well for you that you can hardly believe it? You've been trudging forward ever slowly towards that horizon that you can barely see in the far off distant when suddenly it feels like you're starting to walk faster and you can actually see what you're heading towards. You actually start to feel hopeful that you might finally get to where you want to be so badly, when suddenly the ground is pulled out from underneath you. You stumble; you trip and It hurts. The disappointment is like a knife right in your heart and it makes everything around you bitter tasting but you don't have time or the energy to feel it because you have to keep going. Too many people rely on you for you to stop and wallow so you swallow it all down and continue to take the next step and the next step after that.

Yup, that's how I feel right now. 

As I said, I will continue though. I have no choice. Hopefully, I'll have something more interesting to post next time. 

Anti-Social Media

Social Media is an obsession of the First World. News travels through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and whatever else app that someone has downloaded and is now passing among their friends.

Yes, I use social media. I'm primarily a Facebook user. I have a Twitter account but I rarely use it. I have never signed up for Instagram and though I was invited into Google Plus, I never bothered with that either. It's a bit too much for me to be constantly signed into such things. I don't particularly care what each person is doing minute to minute. You have a fairly interesting update in your life that you feel you need to share then I'm more than willing to lend a few minutes of my time or you have something that's funny and silly to share then let's chuckle together. I don't understand the need to constantly post 300 selfies a day or 300 updates a day about the food you just ate or how the pencil broke or how you just suck at life in general. It is a great way to keep in touch with people you don't see on a daily basis though and I'm all for that. 

I could go on about things but instead I'll share this link--http://www.itpatraining.com/Responsible_Social_Networking

Social media is a powerful tool. It's like drinking--a little bit is good, too much and it makes you look like a douche. Please use social media responsibly. 

Marriage is Marriage

So finally, America is dragged into the current world and people are allowed to marry who they want to marry, whether gay or straight. It's about bloody time is my attitude.

Of course, there are the naysayers and their views are narrow-minded and judgmental. Marriage is just one man and one woman and that by by allowing a man to marry another man and a woman to marry another woman, it is ruining the sanctity of marriage. Do you know what ruins the sanctity of marriage? People who get married when they are high and drunk only to divorce or annul it months, weeks, days, even hours later. The worst thing about this are child brides and child grooms. There are children who are married off to another child of similar underage or a much older person for the price of a cow or the price of one less mouth to feed in a large family living in a poor country. There are those who want to use the Bible argument. I'd like to point out that that same section of Leviticus states that women are unclean and should not be touched during their monthly womanly visitor. Are there any groups of people who truly follow this? The point is that you can't follow one section of a Bible passage and not follow the other. There are no indicators that tell us which lines are more important than other lines especially if a person is going to tote the Bible as the Word and only Word. 

I find it funny that for a country that prides itself on personal freedom people sure do love telling other people what they are not allowed to do. Personal freedom is just that it's on each person. It gives each person the right to basically live their life as they choose so long as they follow the laws of the land and do not harm others. It does not give the right to impose your own thoughts and beliefs onto another person no matter how the right or wrong they believe them to be. A person can choose to listen or not. That's it. Live and let live, that is the lesson. Marry and let marry, that is all. 

Where's the rum? I drank it.

Ever had a month when it seems like the hits just keep coming and every time you think you might get a breather it's just a horrible tease? In case the question hasn't already made it obvious, I'm having one of those months. This summer is having me being worn and more than a bit weary.

A bad storm blew through the area, which in turn blew a tree onto my hubby's car. Of course, it's damaged beyond repair so we were forced back into car payments with a new-ish car bought just yesterday. That storm had also knocked out power to our area for about 4 days, which was a major inconvenience. Right after the damage his car, I narrowly avoided a situation of hay bales falling out of another vehicle a few cars in front of me and not hitting any of the cars in front of me. On top of all of this, my MIL (mother-in-law) was put into the hospital just a few days ago and had surgery. Luckily, it went well and it shouldn't be long before she's back in her house. Including the stresses of trying to get pre-approval for house loan, I'm heading towards my limit. I already had a nice night of drowning my sorrows with a lovely mix of rum and iced tea.

So not to end this on a completely sour note, here's a great link to a lovely http://www.thedrunkenmoogle.com

Inside Out Reflections

I recently went to see the latest and greatest Pixar movie, Inside Out.  It was a great movie with a lot of great themes that I hope my daughter will really take to heart as she grows older. They are lessons that I try my best to behold. In fact, it's been pointed out that I am Joy, the person who tries her best to make the best of the situation and make everyone happy.

It's a very hard thing to keep doing all the time and sometimes I fail. A huge storm blew through the area. The wicked witch may have blown past on a tornado. It most definitely knocked down a tree into my parent's driveway smashing my husband's car and taking the power out for 3 days. I found it very difficult to stay Joy. I wish more than anything I had a magic wand that I could use to fix everything but I don't and I can't, especially when it seems like everything is doing their best to rain on my parade.

I keep trying my best to keep doing my best. I will stumble and I will fall and I might even fail but I will keep trying my best to make everyone happy.

This summer's going to hurt like a . . .

No, I wasn't going to use that word from that Maroon 5 song. It is summer though and it's hot and I do work in a warehouse so it does hurt sometimes. That's not the point of this post though.  This is just a quick catch up of some things going on. My child is out of school which means it's now harder to find time to work on my own things but such is the life of a parent. Other things are in the works that may or may not happen. I'm hoping for a small vacation but unsure if it will happen. That's about it really because until things do happen it's all speculation. In the mean time, here's that song:

Memorial Day weekend

Obviously, it's a few days past Memorial Day and I do apologize for posting this late but it's been a crazy weekend and a crazy week so far. I did need to share this though. Memorial Day is technically supposed to be such a solemn event with activities of putting new flags and/or wreaths onto the graves of veterans and such and yet, BBQs, trips to the beach and such are the main events of most people's Memorial Day weekends. At first glance, this seems like such a contradiction, as if most people's ideas of Memorial Day weekend plans are almost selfish.

In a way though, it's the perfect expression of Memorial Day weekend. Those soldiers put their lives on the line for camaraderie and patriotism so that others wouldn't have to, so that others could enjoy the freedom that they fought and died for. Also, what is it that military families do a lot when you live on a military base? They cookout and they invite friends and neighbors. There's a reason why it's said you're part of a military family.

That's it. I hope everyone had enjoyed their weekend. I know me and my family did and it was harder than usual starting the week but that's nothing compared to others.

The American Dream

I want a house; it's the American dream and all that rot. I want to say that this is my land and I want the right to be able to say who can stay and who goes while on my own land.

Last week my husband and I went to a first time home buyers' seminar at our bank. There was a lot of good info and availability of resources to learn about and we ended up applying for a loan. It was said that it would take up to 3 business days. It's the third day and we have yet to hear anything from anyone and I'm quite terrified or either decision, really.

As I said I want a home, more than anything, but I'm terrified at the idea that we may not be ready for responsibility of owning our own home and I'm terrified that we won't get pre-approval for a house loan because it means that much longer until we are able to own our home.

Don't mind me, I'm just a nervous wreck right now and I'll try to come up with another more exciting topic for next time.

PSA: Yes, I'm cheap

Yuppers, I totally admit it that I'm a cheap. I hate buying anything that's not on sale. I adore reusing because not only does it help save the environment but it saves me money. I'm the lady in the line holding up a fistful of coupons with her club card brandished out for the cashier to scan at any moment.

That's not to say that I'll buy something just cause it's a lower price. I won't sacrifice quality. If I don't like it, that means I won't use it, which means it sits there til I throw it away, which means I didn't get my money's worth out of it. All the better, that I can get the items I want for a lesser price. After all, why should I pay more when all I need to do is sign up for an e-mail and print it out so that I can receive a certain amount off the original price? Spending a few minutes here and there to cut out a coupon is worth the few dollars I can take off the full price. Simple math teaches us that a few bucks and pennies off here and there will add up to bigger dollars over time and if you're going to buy the item anyway then it's absolutely worth it.

Taking a rough estimate, by going with sales and coupons, in just grocery shopping, I save at least $30 a week on grocery shopping. That's a clear gain of money not spent at around $1500 a year on food. That doesn't include the coupons and sales that I use on other everyday things such as office supplies, arts and crafts, clothing, entertainment and gifts throughout the year. Put it all together and I'm banking at least $2000 a year. Who wouldn't want to hold onto $2000 a year? Yes, it does take time going through those flyers, cutting the coupons, sorting through dozens of emails a day to get those discounts but a few hours a week isn't the worst drawback.

My favorite website, which I'm totally grateful to my sister for showing it to me:  www.mypoints.com
There are so many ways to earn money and such on this website. Sign up is free. You can opt to get emails about different bargains, of which by simply clicking on the email you can get 5 pts. You can print coupons and get 10 pts for every one used with bonus points. By going through that website first and finding out if the store you're planning on ordering online from is affiliated with them, you can click through and get a certain amount of points for every dollar you spend. If you only do that, it's such an easy way to get points if you're a big online shopper anyway with barely any effort on your part and a lot of major stores are on their partnering store list. You can even buy gift cards through this website and earn points that way. These points that keep accumulating are used for redeeming gift cards. Gift cards such as restaurants, major brand stores and a few other things. I've received over $200 worth of free gift cards from using this website.

Totally worth it!

Star Wars, once more!

Star Wars, as for many, was the first intro I got into the world of Sci-Fi and fantasy and from that moment then on I was hooked. I used to have the original trilogy almost completely memorized. It used to be that you give me a line and I could tell you who said it, which movie, what was happening in scene and what the next line would be. I could hear that iconic opening music and my butt would be planted in front of whatever screen was playing it for the entire time.

My love of Star Wars has never ended and as I grew I found the comics and books. My passion never waivered from the Expanded Universe. I read everything I could get my hands on. I even bought and played the card game when it came out.

When the Prequels came out at the time when I was in high school, of course I was excited as a Star Wars fan girl. Sadly, as the next two movies played out, I became disillusioned with how the storylines were portrayed. The directing was less than stellar and some of the actors weren't he best fit. It was disappointing but I still happy to have more official plot lines in the Star Wars universe and just just speculation. 

The latest gossip is, of course, the newest trailer for Star Wars The Force Awakens. The first trailer was left entirely to speculation and skeptics. I withheld judgement. I'm unsure how much of the principal photography was done or of how much principal editing was done for the movie at that time, but it was obvious, not enough was ready excpet for a trailer to show off a few of the CGI & FXs that had been done. This second trailer, most definitely revealed a whole lot more with a revealing of actual storyline and welcome view of beloved storylines. 

It's exciting, yes, but I still withhold judgement though. Once again, there's nothing but speculation and I'm unwilling to once again fall into that temptation. I am weary of where the story and character lines might trail to. I can't help wanting the Expanded Universe, most especially The Dark Empire trilogy of Timothy Zahn's novels. The plot lines from those novels were an amazing jump start to see how the Rebellion would grow into the Republic of the Galaxy. As I said though, I'm on the fence of things and for now, that's where I'll sit til the actual release but of course, you know where I'll be this Christmas. 

Geek fun!

I'm a geek and a nerd. I play video games, board games to tabletop role playing. I adore sci-fi and fantasy. I have read my fair share of comic books too and watched enough anime to go around the block once or twice. I live my life with the betterment of chemistry and obsess over the skies above us. I can just as happily discuss classic literature with comparisons to modern culture. I'm proud of all of those things that I do.

Last weekend I went to an anime convention.  https://zenkaikon.com/
Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend nearly as much time there as I would have liked but it was still enjoyable.

To share, here are 2 pics I was able to catch. 

Trust me, I'm Irish!

Obviously, I'm not Irish but after all these posts I hope there is some trust in this blogging relationship. In case you can't tell, I adore Irish culture and I tend to develop crushes based solely on the accent.

Just to list a few things, Irish breakfast tea is my favorite of the black teas. I love shepherd's pie and Irish Whiskey cake.  I put the nonalcoholic Bailey's Irish cream into my coffee every morning and I've had Stout but I'll admit that as I didn't grow up on that stuff I couldn't really handle it. I'm currently learning the Irish language thanks to my favorite free app, Duolingo, which I have mentioned in a previous post.

Go green or go home!

OO--obsessive organizing

Yes, I am indeed obsessed about organizing things in my life and even in other people's lives. I hate losing things. I got the item for a reason and if I can't find it when I need it, there wasn't much point that at all and simply becomes a waste. I can't stand waste. I like purpose but there is a paradox that I adore of sometimes the purpose of something is not to have a purpose. I can't explain it except to say it works in my head. I guess it's kind of a reminder that nothing in life is perfect and it's also a good reminder to sometimes relax.

I spent the last few weeks creating a household binder. I can't believe I never stumbled on this idea before. I love keeping all relevant information on the household all in one spot. Important contact information is within easy reach and things that impact our living situations such as grocery shopping and coupons are also ready to be used.

http://organizedhome.com/household-notebook/whats-household-notebook

If you haven't already done this I completely suggest it. I have my Ipad2 and still use it everyday, all day but let's face it, there are still something that need to be on ink and paper.

Cold cold

It's definitely winter. For the past week the average temperature has been about 15 degrees. There's snow on the ground. On a personal level, I have a cold and with how low the temps have been, that's not changing any time soon. It's a snow day for the district so that's nice. That's all I got. I'll have more next week, when I'm more able to breathe through my nose without using up an entire tissue box.

(I only wish this were my tissue box.)

Creative Crafting

I love creating. I revel coming up with an ideas then mulling it over so that a rough idea gets smoothed over into a workable plan. I relish gathering items from buying on a budget or by re-purposing old items. I get excited in sharing my plans and getting others involved. It really gives me joy to be working on a project and to finish is even better. It's why I have so many interests and hobbies from reading, writing, crocheting, gaming, painting and general arts and crafts.

I figure I do so much that I might as well try to go the next step and actually sell some of my stuff. I'm hoping that once I get a stock pile going that I can actually create an Etsy shop. I've got some ideas for great gaming home goods such as afghans and pillows. I don't want to give away too much as I don't want someone to accidentally stumble upon this and take my idea for their own. Besides, I need to work up more ideas. Whether it sells or not, the items I'll make can still be great gifts! Actually that's how this idea popped up. I had made a gift for a friend, which ended up being free advertising as another friend decided that he'd be willing to pay for something similar. I figure why not? I'll have fun either way.

Rights to dream about

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day and I suppose I should have a post about civil rights but I feel that enough of my past posts should give away my feelings about the subject.  For this post, I want to focus on another type of right that I feel everyone should have and that is of healthcare.

Our healthcare system is a complete mess. While one procedure might cost this amount in one hospital, the price might be skyrocketed compared to another hospital. Healthcare is unfortunately a private business and in my opinion, it should be government regulated. Equal care for all is the way to go. If you got the money and you want perks in your hospital stay, I say pay your way but there should be a bottom line cost that should be equal for all. Insurance should be at a base rate that again if you have the money and you want more perks you're free to pay for more but the basics should be the same for all and not cost an arm and leg to receive.

Simple idea but insane to put into practice, I know. The Affordable Healthcare Act is just a bandage on a damaged system. No one understands it and the level of cooperation between local, state and government just leaves everyone in chaos to what needs to be done. My personal experience in trying to get any type of information was hellacious and that's putting it lightly. Seriously the runaround I got was completely and utterly ridiculous. I say wipe the entire system down and start afresh but there's no way that will happen with the amount of money that health insurance companies are currently collecting.

But this is just my opinion and but this is my blog and I'm allowed to share my opinion.

It's January again, a sort of Monday

January has become my least favorite month. When you think about it, there's almost a sense of logic to that idea. After all, what is everyone's least favorite day of the week? It's Monday, of course, the first day of the week and January is the first month of the year. There is that bit of a correlation, even if there really isn't all that much practical logic to the situation but when one is speaking of emotions, there never really is any logic to things, is there? It's not as if I have a personal problem with the month of January but it does seem like it's out to get me.

Last January was a mess to say the least. It was snow fall after snow fall and power outages to make things even more difficult, not to mention the personal business of losing a loved one in the most unexpected way with petty dramas on the side. This year doesn't seem to be going that much more different. The weather is terrible with below freezing temps and wind chills that take your breath away. While there is no current loss of a loved one, there is the threat of loss with the unexpected realization of the reclining health of a loved one and the situation just seems a bit too similar not to give one a sense of eerie foreboding.  Also, that petty drama never seems to go away, no matter how often I avoid it.

I'm doing my best to hold onto positive thinking but it's difficult. Memories of last year are threatening to bleed over with the problems of this year and I'm having issues of holding onto my own emotions. When it gets bad, I take some deep breaths until I feel my pulse stops racing and then I keep going because I have no other choice except to continue but things don't stop. I'm praying things get better and all I can ask right now is any positive thoughts to be sent my way. I remind myself though, I can do it and I will do it.