To Blog or Not To Blog

That is the question! Blogging is a lot of work and takes up a lot of time.  First, you have to figure out what to write about and it can't be just about anything.  It has to keep people interested and hold their attention.

Then you have to ask yourself, are you even doing it the right way.  Is this blog even going out there to anyone?  Is anyone even interested in what I have to say?  Well, I hope so.  At least it makes me feel better to think that someone in cyberspace is reading my blogs.

Anyway, that is why there hasn't been any blog posts in awhile.  I guess I became a little discouraged and exhausted from it all.  I don't want to blog about just anything.  I want to talk about things that are important, interesting and exciting.

So then it hit me, why not post something about my blogging frustration.  I am sure I am not the only one who starts a blog excited to post and then slowly the excitement turns into a dull hiss.  Then eventually it becomes a second job and the pressure of having to post when you can't think of anything to say.  Then suddenly it becomes something you dread.  I want to enjoy it, not dread it.  So I decided to take the pressure off myself and blog when I feel like it.

I may not blog everyday or even once a week. But I promise you I will blog anytime something catches my eye, or sparks my interest.  I also promise to be the best blogger I can be and learn new blogging tips to help my blog do better.  SO BLOG ON!

Bug Eyes

Why are we seeing all these celebrities wearing these "nerd glasses" nowadays?

As a child from the 80's I can tell you that there never will be anything fashion forward about wearing nerd glasses. I was hoping that I would make it through life without ever having to see another pair of these glasses again.  Isn't that why contacts were invented?  Why isn't laser eye surgery all the rage?

It's very interesting to see these young celebrities bringing back these glasses, which probably are not prescription.  Are they trying to torture us with bad memories?  I have enough bad memories of my teenage years without being reminded of them every time I turn on the TV. All I have to do is pull out my old junior high or high school yearbook to get a flashback of big glasses and bad hair.

Most of us from that era had at one time big glasses and we hated them.  But they were our only option. Maybe that's the appeal for these celebrities.  They are not forced to wear them and have many options to choose from when it comes to eye wear.  They are wearing them to start a trend so there is no traumatic experience tied to them.  I still to this day have nightmares about wearing those glasses, waking up in a cold sweat.  I even have problems wearing sunglasses because just the feel of glasses sitting on my nose causes me anxiety.

Well I guess to each his own, if nerd glasses are your style then rock them out!  But why not add some more flair?  Tight roll your jeans, or get yourself some aqua-net and rat out those bangs!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

My mother's birthday is this weekend January 29th.  So I posted an event on Facebook (super cool feature) and invited all the siblings.   The best thing about being able to post events is that it takes all the hassle out of trying to figure out which time will work best for everyone.  I have six sisters and one brother, all but two still live close by. Since we all get together regularly for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions Facebook events have been a life saver. 

This is how the scenario started before I remembered about the event feature on Facebook, and typically how we would try to work things out.  My sister Marie texted me to ask what we were doing for Mom's birthday this weekend because she had texted Mom and hadn't gotten a return message yet.  So after several back and forth message's to decide what to do and what day to do it on, I finally decided to call my mom later that day and texted Marie to let her know.

Called my mom later to get everything squared away and she says "well whatever works for everyone else, either Saturday or Sunday."  Then we discuss maybe will we go ice skating, take the whole family, and enjoy the day.  Then think maybe it will be too expensive for some of my siblings that have children to pay for the admission, skate rental and food.  The conversation goes on and on and on.  Finally landing on having people come to Marie's  house (my mom lives a little farther away) so it would be easier to all met there.  Have some cake and ice cream and call it a day. Sounds like a plan to me.

So I preceded to text Marie and ask if her house is okay, let her know what time we were thinking and then I now need to confirm this with 4 more people.  By this time I am exhausted, irritated, really not in the mood to see anyone and can't even remember who's birthday it is.  Why has this become so difficult and how did I get put in charge of this.  So all of a sudden the light bulb flashed over my head, create a Facebook event! I love you Facebook.

So I posted an event on Facebook, stating the time, date and place.  Then made my notes about possibly ordering food, having cake and ice cream.  Also mentioning that if the time did not work for everyone that we could adjust it.  Took me all of 10 seconds and Voila!  Done and done.  The next day my mom calls me and says I thought we were going ice skating! Really!

Too tired to go into another discussion I respond whatever you want Mom, just post your comment on the Facebook event and see what everyone else thinks.  With all this indecisiveness, I was dreading the next question I had to ask "What do you want for your birthday?"  With no hesitation she says " Well an Amazon gift card, so I can buy books for my kindle, of course."

Year Without a Summer

Frankenstein

I watched this interesting story on the history channel the other day.  The title was The Little Ice Age and it talked about the year 1816 when there was significant climate abnormalities across Northern Europe, northeastern United States and eastern Canada.  This time period is often referred to as the "Year Without a Summer" or "1800 and froze to death".

Temperatures on an average spring/summer day stay relatively stable around 68-77 degrees and summer snow is unheard of.  However, in May 1816 a dry fog covered the northeastern United States and frost destroyed most crops.  New York saw snow in early June and river ice was observed as far as Pennsylvania. There were dramatic temperature swings, going from 95 degree temperatures down to below freezing temperatures in mere hours.

It is now believed that the cause of these severe weather changes was due to a volcanic eruption in Indonesia the year prior.  Who would have guessed that!  The eruption caused volcanic dust to enter the upper atmosphere, changing the weather pattern and lowering Earth's temperatures. Different parts of the world saw brown and red colored snow and the bitter temperatures dropped in the winter of 1816 to as low as -26 degrees.

Another interesting tidbit, is during the summer of 1816 when the world was stuck in this frozen landscape, the young author Mary Shelley traveled to Switzerland with friends.  Since the weather outside was too cold and dreary for any outdoor activities, the friends decided to stay in doors and share ghost stories.  An idea arouse that they each would write their own supernatural story to share amongst the group.  Which is where Mary Shelley brought to life FRANKENSTEIN...... DUN DUN DUN!  

I personally can say that one whole year without a summer is a lot more frightening than Frankenstein.  So the next time the sun is shinning on that nice summer day, enjoy, cause the cold could last longer than you think.

When Mice Attack!

Dell Mouse

My computer mouse has recently been on the fritz and I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating it has been.  Since most everything we do revolves around computers, being able to navigate with the mouse is very important. 

For the last week or so I kept forgetting to replace the mouse for my home computer.  But I still needed to complete homework, write this very entertaining blog and download I-tunes songs.  So when my mouse wouldn't move in the direction I wanted it to, I almost lost my mind.

The little roller ball in the bottom of the mouse would become stuck in certain places, it would move left and right, but not up and down.  And then stop right underneath the place where I needed to click.  I resorted in some instances to using the keyboard when I could and even held the mouse in my hand and moved the roller ball with my other hand.  I would pick the mouse up, place it back down, swirl it around the desk, all to just get it to this one elusive spot on the screen! I cleaned the mouse, begged and pleaded with the mouse, told it nice things and still nothing.

Please believe me when I say that I love all furry creatures and would never condone harming one, but we all have our limits. My brain was stuck in a mousetrap and I couldn't escape. ARGGGGG!!

Finally I took a couple of deep breaths, counted to ten, and got a new mouse.  Now all is well. Me and the mouse have made up, and we are friends again.  Morale of the story; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today, or you might find yourself in a straight jacket.

No Temple of Doom Here

Boom Blox

Steven Spielberg making video games and not movies! 

Yes it's true, although he probably has not given up his movie producer day job, he has moved into the video game arena.  The video game he helped design is Boom Blox for Wii.  The action-puzzle game mimics the jenga board game but with the interactive Wii the game reaches a whole new level.  I mean who doesn't like throwing stuff and knocking things down? You use action gestures with the Wii remote to grab, throw or blast objects to topple towers or destroy battleships.  The game offers over 400 different levels and features single, co-op or versus game play. 

This is the first game collaboration between Steven Spielberg and EA and has gotten good reviews.  However game sales are not where they would want them to be, it has sold only 60,000 copies and is the ninth most popular game for Wii. With so many new Wii games competing for your attention Boom Blox definitely deserves a second glance.

And don't worry Indiana Jones, I'm sure Steven hasn't forgotten about you.

Healthy Living Work Perks

Cold Tumbler

My employer for the past couple of years has been promoting Healthy Living.  We have started a committee that meets once a month to come up with ideas that help employees make better, healthier lifestyle decisions.  We have started a weight watchers group, which was a huge success!  Started a personal training program, the trainer comer three times a week.  A yoga instructor who came for about six months, once a week. I am crossing my fingers she will come back! 

Some of the other great things they have done in the past is started a walking program, and provided all of the employees with pedometers to count their daily steps.  This year we are holding a Health Fair, where will bring in nurses that will test cholesterol levels, and other businesses that want to promote a healthier lifestyle.


We have also purchased these neat plastic water cups for all of the employees.  They are slightly different from the water bottles we normally see.  These basically look like a cup from a fast food restaurant with a straw.  But these are made from a harder plastic which makes them more durable, even the straw is made from the same hard plastic material.  They are mush easier to wash and I personally like having the straw.  Hey, if I can't have the coca-cola from the local fast food joint at least I can pretend that's what I am having!