Relative-Family and Politics
Politics is a tricky subject, no matter who is present. There is always a dividing line, otherwise why would there be debates and elections? Politics never has been a big topic of discussion in my family–until now.
Politics strikes such a chord now and so much divisiveness. My family has become polarized. I find it sad that there is a topic that is off limits. The emotions are too high. It’s too easy to slip down the slope meanness.
It’s emotional for me too. I am just as passionate about my politics. I put it down to where we are as people. We have realized our stakes. We have captured the inner-grizzly bear in each of us.
The decision to forego political discussions is a silent gesture of our collective wisdom. It is a decision to respect our differences. To add some sparks to your writing, ask who everyone is voting for at the next election.
Relative–One Up on My Nephew with the Transformer Prime
Perhaps you can relate. Competitiveness reigns supreme among my sisters. It’s more so for the three younger sisters since we are closer in age. The battles of our younger years are a distant memory, but sometimes rear themselves in subtler ways.
Last year for Christmas, my nephew received a tablet. My sister is trying to encourage him with computers. He enjoys them, so it’s a good approach given the state of technology now. I’m known as the geek in the family, science and otherwise. It drove me a bit nuts not to get in on this bit of technology, so I made the ASUS Transformer Prime TF201
I chose the amethyst color, being as I was born in February. It is more like a steel gray, cool and sleek. The hand feel is wonderful. It’s thin, but has a little heft to it. The screen resolution is what will blow you away. In a word, it is stunning. Movies, videos and yes, games, come to life on the screen. Yet, despite this, it has a decent battery life. I can watch an entire movie on Netflix and still have 80 percent battery.
There are a few nit-picky things with the design. The headphone jack is on the right side, which is a pain if a site or game requires portrait view. It puts a bit of strain on the stress point of the headphones. A little electrical tape will reinforce it. The speaker is located right where your hands will be if you hold it in landscape view. I must mention that the sound is great nevertheless. The last thing is the edges. It’s easy to hold, but the edges will dig in after a bit. A cover is an essential to have your hands.
The performance is reliable and fast. It hasn’t crashed or had any of the issues that have been mentioned in the other blogs. For that, I must commend the manufacturer. I’ve had my TP about a week and already have had two updates pushed to me.
For writing, it is just what you need. I’d definitely recommend getting the Thumb Keyboard
The TP has a generous 32 gig internal storage. There is a slot for a microSD, but you cannot load apps onto it. As one who has viewed my App2SD app as a lifesaver for my smartphone, this took some getting used to. You do however, get 8 gig of free lifetime storage on My Cloud, which can be a game changer.
Overall, the Transformer Prime is a solid, well-oiled machine. It serves my needs famously for writing and blogging. For fun, it takes gaming and movies to a new level of performance. If you’re in the market, certainly, give this one a look.
Beginnings–Projects to Finish
The sense of accomplishment that comes from finishing a project is so sweet. The relief feels physical. The burst of pride is also something that feels quite nice. There is a secret to experiencing that feeling. It has to do with choices.
Choose a project you enjoy.
A no-brainer is that you must choose a project you enjoy or the outcome of which you will relish. This is especially important for long drawn out projects. Motivation is hard to muster as it is without fighting your own feelings to boot. You will find that it is easier to devote energy and extra time to something that you feel good about.
Streamline the process to finish.
My first e-book was a daunting task. There was a lot of work to do, including research and editing. It also involved getting used to a new venue and different software. I made some mistakes, but was able to find solutions where needed. Now that I’ve moved on to my second e-book, I learned a valuable lesson about streamlining the process.
That’s where you can find the key to helping you achieve your goals. Realize what obstacles are. If you’re a writer like me, you know the pitfalls that sometimes happen. Your task is to streamline the process to overcome the challenges.
One of the challenges I’m facing now is getting my first e-book ready for print. To its credit, CreateSpace goes the extra mile to make it as easy as possible by explaining everything in great detail. Yet, headers and footers can be a bear. I lament the fact that I wasted too much time trying to get everything to display correctly.
Now that I’ve done it, I know what I need to do. I can go back to writing and put formatting out of my thoughts until I need to get ready to publish. The next time I won’t waste time. I’ll get busy and get it done.
This is the tactic you need to discover for your tasks. Think about solutions instead of problems. You’ll likely find you’ll feel that same sense of relief once you’ve put an obstacle behind you.
Beginnings–3 Apps for Getting a Good Belly Laugh to Start Your Day
A disclaimer first. All of these apps tread a fine line with political correctness. As one who doesn’t care, I don’t care. If you do, I apologize. At your own risk, as the saying goes.
A good belly laugh is a great way to start your day. Think of how powerful that is to start the day on a positive note. I enjoy humor, especially when it is clever. I abhor toilet humor. Give me a bar joke with a calculus spin, and I’m LMAO.
This site highlights the errors from newspapers. I’m not sure why, but journalism really has taken a dive lately in terms of grammar and spelling. For as many headaches that I’ve dealt with questionable copy editors, these lapses are unforgivable, albeit, funny.
The only fail with this site is that I’m always wanting more. Some funny, yet, borderline distasteful. You know sometimes, you just have to laugh as you wonder what the hell someone was thinking. I, for one, don’t like political correctness. We all need to laugh at ourselves once in awhile.
When I added my disclaimer, this was the site that I had in mind. Yes, it pushes the envelope sometimes. The funnies generate the kind of belly laughs that I look forward to each day. The site also includes a weird trail of sexy girl pics that distracts from the funnies. I guess its purpose is to be a guy’s kind of site, with all you’d expect to find.
However you find it, enjoying a real laugh relieves stress and puts you in a good mood. These are just three sites that explore the sometimes sick sense of humor of their writers. For that, I commend and thank them.
Beginnings–Starting My Exercise Program
One of the best lessons I’ve learned from walking is to make use of the power of walking. During the week, I walk alone. Other times, I’m walking with the hubby. When I’m alone, it is so easy for me to slip into a mindful state. Minutes fly by, and ideas flow.
I’ve begun anew with my exercise program. It’s hard when you work at home and write for a living. I confess to my desire to write overriding the need to get up and walk around. So, I’m taking matters into my own hands and am making exercise an unmissable appointment.
I’ll take advantage of the walking time to let thoughts flow and work out troublesome themes. You can’t beat that lovely flow of endorphins that make everything all, all right. Of course, my smartphone will be at my side to record any of those thoughts that pop into my mind. To use a trite expression, it is a win-win situation.
Beginnings–Healthy Lifestyle Resolutions
Freelancing offers a great opportunity to take control of your life. I honestly don’t think I could ever do anything else. The freedom tastes that sweet. However, it also requires discipline. Sitting and writing all day long begins to take a toll–or add one, as it were. With the New Year, I am resolving to get on track with healthy lifestyle resolutions.
Reduce eyestrain
I take it for granted the effects of staring at a computer screen all day. To remedy this, I have installed a free program called EyeDefender to remind me to take a break every 45 minutes to give my eyes a rest. The thing that amazes me about using this program is how quickly those 45-minute intervals go by. The program displays a lovely flower image that is calming, to add to its benefits.
Exercise regularly
I’ve been good most of my life and have exercised regularly for stretches. Now, I’m going to begin a new round. I want to lose some weight and build some muscle. I’ve got a good program in mind. I just have to get the willpower to stick with it.
Embrace social networking more
When I first used Twitter, it was so much fun. Yes, it was major time suckage. I uninstalled that handy, but distracting FireFox extension that showed tweets real time. I’ve been doing well with avoiding email until a few set times during the day. I plan on doing the same with social networking.
It feels different this year, or at least my attitude has changed. The New Year is a time of beginnings that I want to explore. Here’s hoping for the best 2012 for all of us!
Beginning–Writing My First Fiction E-Book
With the publication of my fist non-fiction e-book, 101 Things to Do on the Wisconsin Great River Road
I’ve had the book written for a couple of years. Nagging doubts about whether or not it was ready for prime time kept me from pursuing formal print publication. The ability to e-publish my work has dissolved those feelings. I’m moving ahead with my book, secure with the knowledge that I know how to format it.
That’s the hard part, isn’t it? Getting over your doubts and learning the ropes empower you and propel you forward. The freedom of being in control of your work can also motivate you. At the end of the day, I can say this is my work, 100 percent. That must be one of the effects of freelancing–you learn to like your new “boss” and feel tremendous loyalty.
I’ve blogged about my fiction book, a mystery set in 1984 in northeastern Wisconsin. It is an intensely personal work, though I doubt any of that will be obvious to the reader. I incorporate my own memories of growing up in a southern suburb of Chicago. My main character is from a similar area and brings those distinctive Illinois-isms to his personality. It has been so enjoyable re-living this part of my life.
With my artwork, I create scenes of a world I wish existed and that I could enjoy. My writing is similar. I’ve recreated a world I would love to inhabit. I may not be able to live in Pine Ridge, Wisconsin, but at least I can take a short mental vacation.
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