Archive for January, 2018



American GodsAmerican Gods by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What if you mix a radio show, comparative religion, with a road trip? This is it!

Look, I see a lot of differing reviews on this book. I think if you are able to listen to the Audible version you would like it better. The many actors bring this far-fetched story alive. The narrators: Ron McLarty, Daniel Oreskes, and full cast (whatever that means) make you see gods, goddesses and dead people and other characters. They help you feel the cold, the pain, smell rot or smoke.

I don’t know if I would have liked the book had I just read it without the Audible narration. I think it might have been more meandering and possibly boring. What kept me going was wanting to see what would happen to the main character. And having a bit of interest in other religions and cultures I wanted to see how Neil Gaiman would portray them and the war between them as they were fading into the obscurity of disbelief.

This wasn’t my favorite book. It is very male-heavy. Goddesses and women were given little time or depth. BUT I doubt I will forget it and may want to read it again in a few years and see how it affects me then. I highly recommend using the audio version to immerse in this world, which may be America, but a different dimension than where most live.

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I want to thank Linda G. Hill for her inspiration! Today’s prompt is Eco.

The prompt sent me to the internet. I found

Ecofeminism

The definition goes on and on. Check it out here.  As I studied that I realized that I was upset. Why, if we want people to embrace feminism do make everything so hard to read for the normal person? I remember when I first started reading about feminism I could find nothing simple to read or understand. Sure I understand the word, but if you want ALL humans to get it and the average person has a reading level of 7th or 8th grade, why make your assertions college level. Good, you made it to college but we need to boil it down so that a person who is reading casually might not have to look up every other word to make sure they know what is being said.

I think it was Feminine Mystique that I tried to read when I was pre-marriage, pre-kids that wore me out.  I came from a traditional family so all I could see what how snooty these women were and the only way that information would get to the common person it needed to be watered down.

Look. Here’s what I know now. As a stay-at-home mom, I thought I was saving money on a lot of levels. I figured that I birthed them I ought to care for them. And child-care was/is more expensive than any job could pay me. So I followed my heart. Now at retirement, I make less than half the SSI than my ex-husband. How was/is that fair? If you are a stay-at-home mom right now make sure you stuff away money for your retirement. Have your own bank account. Don’t touch the money even if you have a family emergency.

Honestly, I don’t know how I would have done any differently in my life. I love my children and loved raising them to be super adults. And what should I have done when I became a single mom, let my kids starve? Don’t take them to the doctors? Don’t make sure they have a roof over their heads? I didn’t drain the system. But the system drained me!  Take that EcoFeminism!

 


Just Jot it January is the brainchild of Linda G. Hill.

Memories

I can hear Babs singing it right now. I never saw Cats but in voice-class, this was a favorite. I loved that class. Because I got to take it eight times (four for voice and four for accompaniment–which I was allowed to still use for voice. I hated accompaniment. My eye-hand coordination is worse when stressed and being the one playing on stage nearly killed me. I loved singing. I was afraid at first but soon was able to use the butterflies to my benefit.

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After eight semesters I was able to take voice lessons from the teacher. I LOVED that! Soon I was able to sing with friends or alone at churches and other events. I loved hanging out with my musical friends, singing harmonies, playing musical games.  Ah! Memories!

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When I had to move from the area life took over and all that went by the way-side. If I had to sing solos now I would be a nervous wreck. But I miss it. I must find a way to add making music to my daily schedule.

I’m not good at being audience. I can’t sit still long enough. But in those days I got to be in a couple musicals, My Fair Lady – chorus and Oliver (Old Sally). I like singing in the chorus. I got to be the screechy high soprano because most couldn’t get the notes. I’d like to think I was okay. Mostly it was fun being a part of the production. Musicals are my favorite type of music. I like my music to come with stories. I like acting it all out. No talking parts for me. Makes me too nervous. I can remember song words, not spoken.

Into the Woods, Phantom of the Opera, Yentl, and Les Miserable are among my favorites. What are yours?

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Check out Linda G. Hill’s site to learn about Just Jot It January. Today’s prompt is “Passionate”.

I had thought about other things to write about today but I am very passionate about the problem I’m having the Media+. I went for help from WordPress and their answer was clearing the cache. That worked last night, but today not so much, The problem is back. I will go back to working on something else besides the computer.

Wish I could show you a picture of the ear warmer/headband I’m making for my husband but the Media+ isn’t working. I have no energy to fight this daily. Getting very discouraged. If it gets fixed I will tell you about a school I worked for that taught from passions of students and teachers. I was very passionate about that school. But not today. Sorry. Back to loom knitting.


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Thank you, Linda G. Hill, for always being an inspiration!

So, a few years ago my daughter gave me a couple coloring books and color pencils.

 

I played in them off and on but only was this far last spring:

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I didn’t like the pre-done bits in either picture like all the dark parts in the Mandala or all the scales and shading on the dragons but decided because Linda set us to task to get busy and try. I finished (I think) the dragons. There still may be things to do but here I am now.

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Besides the mandala to finish, this is the next dragon:

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This one looks like a lot more fun! What do others prefer to color with? I want to try pastels or actual crayons but feel I need to learn more about the pencils. Maybe I should wait for the next picture as this is on the back of that multi-dragon and maybe the wax of crayons will bleed through?


Linda G. Hill: Who could top your memory. Memory is a cold mother!

        

            

OMG! Wednesday was easy! I may need to work on some other things today! Coloring? Journaling? Editing? Color my hair! Ding ding ding! Time to do my hair and come back and color a picture while I decide what to do next.

Say, anyone having trouble with media/pictures? I can’t seem to access my pictures for WP. When I hit ADD+ the next one prompts choosing what’s there or saved. But when I select from my cloud which picture to use it all gets stuck. I have to hit refresh to get out of that pop-up. So these pictures are copied straight from Linda’s site. Yesterdays SYW was copied from Cee’s Photography. I don’t know if it show up or if it is ‘legal’. What can I do to make that work? It used to be easy.

Share Your World January 2, 2018


 

Share Your World is a feature from Cee’s Photography I love her site and all the features and pictures!

 

What one word describes you best?

ADD. My mind is all over the place and I can’t pin it down.

What is set as the background on your computer?

My favorite cheat sheet for my favorite game Return to Ravenhearst I always mess up the telephone connections.

If you have been to a foreign country name those you have been to?

Mexico and Canada. No further. I wish…

What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week?  Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination. 

My daughter sent a photo Christmas card with her guy and cat and a sweet note. And my friend sent one, too. We just picked up the mail today. We took down the tree, today, too. Maybe too soon. But our Rosey keeps bring us the stuffed toys I pile around the tree just for her. Her timing of gifting us is middle of the night, so sleep is more important than rituals of Winter.

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Just Jot It January is brought to us by Linda G. Hill. Go check out her site. The prompt for the day is boisterous.

After the drama of yesterday’s prompt, I cannot feel boisterous. With all that is happening in the world, I cannot feel boisterous.

There are some things I feel grateful for, the healing of my ex-but-friend-and-always-my-adult-childrens’-father. Health, home, family, friends, food…etc.

But not boisterous.

I think I used to be. I think I am still more energetic that even my body or people I know and love can handle. I think that is why I have a hard time with the fibro/arthritis. I want to follow my ADHD from here to there and back, but only my brain goes and the rest sits and knits. It seems all I can do. At least I can do that. And the projects go to folks who need them. At least there’s that.

Boisterous goes with my kids when they were small and had enough energy people always told me they wish we could bottle it. As tired as I was chasing the four of them, I knew where that energy came from. Boisterous goes with reading aloud books like

The Monster at the End of this Book

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I think if I read it again to my pets I might gain back a bit of the Boist!

Newest Loom Knitting Projects


I love making these comfort dolls. I have the pattern memorized. All I need is leftover yarn and go to town. LoomAHat.com is where to find this addicting tutorial.

 

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Scarlett Royal’s mini animals are another favorite. This mini-elephant is found here. They work up very fast and take very little yarn.

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Oops, this little fellow strayed from his friends.

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No single pattern here. Make a baby hat on the 24 peg loom. Turn the hat inside out and bring the cast-on loops back on. Divide up the loom to add tentacles. This little guy was an experiment of leftover yarn and three different loom knit curlycue tutorials. They say that preemies like these squid/octopi. Oh–I ended making this guy reversible. If it doesn’t go to a baby it may go to a kid that likes throwing a ball around.

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Yes, another elephant. This one is so soft I almost kept it!20180101_121951

 

Here’s my squiddy of the day. I’m getting better at the tentacles. I made this like a ball, too, so it can be a versatile toy.20180101_183738


Well, I decided that last year’s JIJ worked so well for me to get into daily journaling/blogging/writing that I’m back again! Thanks to Linda G. Hill for giving us all this opportunity to just jot. Today’s prompt is Drama.

It seems that a lot of people thrive on it, drama. For me, it often seems silly the drama created because people don’t just speak their truth. Maybe they are afraid of not being accepted. Or maybe they want to try out a new vision of themselves and don’t want to look silly as they practice it.

Could it be they want to hurt your feelings or save your feelings? What if it is just not a good day and they need to be left alone? The person on the outside looking in can only wait until the truth comes out, however long that may take. Yet the person feeling and causing the drama may not even know. I’ve been on all sides of this drama dilemma.

There are some people that force issues and get in your face and yell. That may work for some but if a person gets in my face it is more than likely going to turn me off and send me elsewhere. There are some that need that kind of catalyst. If they get mad enough or sad enough they will let it all out. But I find that it is often the crazy emotion that taints the inner truth.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could just be logical like Spock and work things through? I can do without the drama–unless it is in a movie or book, or I get to be the actress playing the part.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

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