Going through boxes from the garage

 

This month my daily challenge is to go through one box each day that is out in my garage.  So far, I have managed to go through several boxes.  This challenge has several purposes.  The big one is that my garage is a mess.  It's got my stuff, Jason and Marc's stuff and Michael's stuff all in it.  It just needs to be better organized and going through these boxes will help with that.  I can get rid of things.  And, yes, I do that from time to time.  But I can also condense the boxes.  That will help to save some space.

I enjoy going through the boxes and seeing what is in them.  Sometimes I refer to it on Facebook as I'm shopping in my garage.  And, in a sense, I am.  I find things that I either completely forgot I had, or I had forgotten exactly where I put them.  Last week, I found my castor set. It is something that I cherish, and I am glad to have it back out and on display. I also hope that this process will help me to start an online antiques selling venture. We shall see.  Either way, that is my challenge for this month.  Look for updates here or on Facebook.   You may see something that interests you!  LOL

Thoughts and prayers

 

I hate the fact that politics (in general and not one specific party) have stigmatized and ruined the use of "thoughts and prayers." For many of them it is used as a scapegoat when something happens.  This is especially true when it comes to gun violence in our society.  Instead of dealing with the issue itself, they hide behind thoughts and prayers. I believe that they think that will be enough to satiate their constituents and leave it at that.  And, in many cases, that is the truth.  But not for me.  

I will still say to someone "you're in my thoughts and prayers."  You know why?  Because that person IS in my thoughts and prayers.  It is what I can do immediately in that moment when I learn of some tragedy.  I am thinking about you and saying a prayer for you.  Whether or not the other person appreciates it is up to them. But it is what I can do in that specific moment of time.  It is not the only thing I will do. It is simply the beginning of a process for me.  And, honestly, thoughts and prayers are as much about how I feel as it is the other person.  It is a way for me to cope with sadness.  It works for me.  I understand that it doesn't work for everyone but I'm not everyone.  

And I agree that in certain circumstances thoughts and prayers are NOT enough.  We know what these issues are, and we know that they need to be fixed. There is a lot that is broken in our country and thoughts and prayers should not be hidden behind in order to avoid addressing an issue.  That infuriates me but I must make my own path. 

So, just know that if something horrific happens to you, the chances are quite good that I am going to respond by having you in my thoughts and prayers.  You can accept it or not.  That is up to you.  But do not tell me that my feelings are useless.  I'm not hiding behind them.  They are my first step in processing and figuring out how to move forward with the situation. It leads to a lot more in my life and I am not ashamed of that.  Just wanted you to know.  That is all. 

10 Best Picture Oscar Winners that I have not seen

 There is a site I enjoy going to several times a week called listchallenges.com. It's exactly that.  They have different lists, and you check off how many apply to you.  Mostly I do the movie lists.  One of the ones I did recently was about how many of the winners of the Best Picture Oscar have you seen?  I had not seen as many as I thought I had.  I don't watch as many movies as I used to either.  Oh well.  Still, here are 10 Best Picture Winners that I have not seen but really want to. Descriptions courtesy of IMDB.com. 

1. You Can't Take It With You - 1938

The son of a snobbish Wall Street banker becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family not realizing that his father is trying to force her family from their home for a real estate development.

2. Spotlight - 2015

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

3. Gentleman's Agreement - 1947

A reporter pretends to be Jewish in order to cover a story on anti-Semitism, and personally discovers the true depths of bigotry and hatred.

4. The King's Speech - 2010

The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.

5. Mrs. Miniver - 1942

A British family struggles to survive the first months of World War II.

6. The Silence of the Lambs - 1991

A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.

7. Marty - 1955

A middle-aged butcher and a school teacher who have given up on the idea of love meet at a dance and fall for each other

8. The Last Emperor - 1987

Bernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatization of China's eleventh and final monarch of the Qing dynasty: Emperor Puyi.

9. The Godfather - 1972

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son

10. The Sting - 1973

Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.

How many have you seen?  Any recommendations on some of your favorite Best Picture Oscar winners?  I'd love to know!

Show Tunes

 

The other night, I posted on Facebook about watching musical theatre clips on YouTube and how I wish I had someone to share that with.  It's true.  But not necessarily the way you think.  I was not referring to a boyfriend or a partner or a date, even though I would not turn that down.  I just meant having those theatre friends who get excited to just sit and listen to show tunes.  Ah, those were the days.  Bonding with people over a cast recording is pretty damn cool to me.  In high school, all of us drama club kids new the scores to Phantom and Les Miz and we could just talk about those for hours.

When I got to college, the first time, I encountered many other musical theatre enthusiasts.  Marcia and I would spend hours listening to music and watching musicals.  We were not in a musical theatre program, so we had to make our own fun.  If I had a dollar for every show choir concert I sat through, I would at least be able to buy myself dinner LOL It started to become easy to spot the people who loved show tunes.  Sometimes it's because they had the t-shirt on.  Sometimes a random lyric would come out and you instantly recognized it.  Hell, we even had parties where we sat around listening to cast albums.  

It's just a part of my life that I have let fall behind and I need to bring it up to speed.  I know very few of the shows from the last 15 years of Broadway seasons.  It is almost impossible now to go to the music store for the latest cast album.  I have picked up some good ones at the used bookstore, though.  But I need more of that in my life.  It makes me happy.  And I want to find people to share that joy with.  That is all. 

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

Strong emotions, such as anger, hurt or fear, can erupt very quickly.  In the split second before this happens, allow yourself to pause before you react.  Become mindful of your breath and notice the sensations in your body.  You then have a choice about what you do next. 

50 at 50 - My list is complete

 

My 50 at 50 list is now complete. By that I mean that I have added three more things to come up with a list of 50 things to do.  Now I just have two months left to get it all done LOL  Now, I know that is NOT going to happen but as I have stated earlier, I will carry this list into my 51st year and keep on going. And I have also completed another item on my list which is have a job interview.  That is something that I have not done in over 8 years so I wanted to do that at least once this year.  It was a great experience, whether or not I get the job, so I am definitely glad that I did it.  And I can check that one off of the list. 

So far, I have completed 12 things on my list, so almost a quarter of it has been done.  I think that is pretty good.  Still have a little ways to go but I can get more things done before December 5th.  I need to really look the list over and start scheduling my time and my weekends to get some of the things checked off. It gives me something to look forward to and we all need that!  But now that I have come up with 50 things, I feel a sense of accomplishment.  I have talked about this before, but I do better when I have a list of things in front of me.  I get more things done that way and it might as well be a list of fun things to do instead of my usual list of household chores LOL. It's a good thing!

Thought of the Day

 "What if" is a phrase that has been a big part of my adult life that has invaded my mind on an almost daily basis.  We all have those thoughts.  "If I had only...." or "I should have...". And those thoughts can be very taxing on one's spirit.  I know that they are taxing on my spirit. Well, they used to be.  I work very hard at not getting myself caught up in things that might have been had I done this or behaved that way.  While that does take a great deal of effort, I have learned that by not allowing those feelings to infiltrate my life I feel better. While I know that I cannot change the things that I have done in the past which I am not proud of, I can acknowledge them and move on.  After all, those things made me the person that I am today.  And I am proud of who I am today.

For me personally, I feel that I came to this resolution late in life but in all honesty there really is not a defined timeline for such things.  And now that I am to this point, I can move forward in positive ways.  Now when one of those thoughts creep into my conscience, I recognize it and use it for something positive in my life. When I think "well, I should have done this", I will then take that thought and repurpose it into something like "well, because I didn't do that then, now I'm doing this which is what I want to do now." It may be hard to understand what I am trying to say but it all makes sense in my head. 

"What ifs" are a natural part of our mental health.  I am simply taking mine and making something good out of them. That is all. 

Quote of the Week

 This was a good quote to carry with me today.  And will be a good quote to carry with me everyday!

Getting myself into the gerontology job market

 Today, I am going to experience something that I have not done in a long time as an adult.  I am going to a job interview.  I have not had a job interview in 8 years.  I am pretty nervous because I do not want to make a fool of myself.  Most of the jobs I have interviewed for have been not very important in the grand scheme of things.  I do not mean that the jobs were not important to me or what I was doing was not important, but these were jobs I did not need experience for or a degree for.  I have loved the jobs that I have had in my life.  They have helped shape me into who I am today.  But now, after graduation, I feel like I am in a different league of job searching.  And I am.

I debated a long time about applying for gerontology jobs that I am not qualified for.  I decided that I would go ahead and start applying for them for two reasons.  One is my goal of networking.  Even if I do not get the job that I am applying for, at least I will be getting myself out there and that is important in this line of work. Gerontology is as much about who you know as what you know.  Another reason is that I never know when someone will be willing to take a chance on someone like me, newly graduated with little experience in the field.  It may be the case today. It may not.  But I will have done it.  I put my application in online on a Sunday and I was called to set up an interview the next day.  We shall see how it goes.  Either way, I am happy to have this opportunity.  

Student Adventures - my online notes

 In a follow up to my last blog about school, I realized that I also need to store my notes from online while I still have access to them.  First and foremost, I need to find out how long I will have access to my student accounts. That will at least give me a time frame from which I can go about saving everything.  I started looking back at all of the documents that I have saved and it is quite a few.  Three years' worth.  But they are all going to be beneficial to me in the long run, so I need to hold on to them. I need to get a flash drive to put them all on so that I can have easy access to them.  I will add that to my list!  I wonder if I should also print everything out as well.  Hmmmmm Decisions, decisions.  I am hoping that by reviewing all of this material that it will motivate me to learn more.  I need to keep learning so that I stay current and can be more "marketable" in the gerontology world.  We shall see.  But, first, let me find out my access dates and go from there. 

Here's That Rainy Day - Susie Arioli

 I first heard Susie Arioli on NPR.  I don't remember which show I was listening to, but I do remember her.  Her voice is so soothing and clear.  I love her vocals.  I have found several of her albums over the years and so enjoy listening to them.  If you have not heard her before, I suggest you listen to her.  I hope you enjoy!

Recipe of the Week - Ham and Potato Soup

 Now that we are coming to the end of summer and fall will be here soon, it is time for me to start thinking about soups.  I do not really make soup that much during the summer months but when fall gets here, there is just nothing like a good bowl of soup for dinner!  Or lunch.  I found this recipe online a while back.  I was looking for something to do with some extra ham that I had left over, and this was the perfect solution.  While I have only made it once, I will definitely make it again.  Anytime I can use my crock pot is a good thing!

Ham and Potato Soup

1 bag frozen hashbrowns, thawed

2 cups diced ham

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded cheddar

Garnish - Green onion

Mix all of the ingredients except for cream cheese and cheddar in your crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Add cheeses then and stir until smooth. Cook 30 more minutes, stirring several times. Top with green onion and serve. 

Enjoy!

10 of My Favorite Podcasts

 I guess you can say that I came to enjoy Podcasts later than most people.  I really only began listening to them during the past few years.  But I really do enjoy them and find myself listening to them on a weekly basis.  I don't binge listen to them, so for many of the ones that I enjoy I am still playing catch up.  Ah, well. I tend to seek out things that I love when I am looking for podcasts.  Here are 10 podcasts that I love to listen to.  What are some of yours?  I am always open to recommendations!

1. The Plot Thickens - Turner Classic Movies series that each season focuses on one piece of Hollywood History.  The latest season is about the epic flop Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor.  

2. Can't Wait for Christmas - Keeping the spirit of Christmas alive all year round, hosted by comedian Tim Babb (with help from his family).

3. Sporkful - Hosted by 3-time James Beard award winner Dan Pashman, it's not about foodies, it's about eaters. 

4. Merry Britmas - a series about the holidays in Britain.  It covers music, specials, traditions in a very fun way!

5. You Must Remember This - Another deep dive into the world of Hollywood.  There are many fun seasons to listen to. Mine is currently Six Degrees of Joan Crawford.

6. And the Award Goes To - Each episode features a Tony Award winner and their experience winning the award. 

7. Golden Girls Deep Dive - They take each episode and examine it.  Can be quite fun but sometimes they do get hung up on something that should just let go of LOL 

8. Totally Rad Christmas - Everything 80s Christmas podcast.  Very nostalgic! 

9. Season's Eatings - Each episode looks into a Christmas food such as plum pudding.  Often there are dishes from African or European cultures that I was unaware of.  Very enjoyable! 

10. Gastropod - More fun with food!