Well Fudge!

 This is the last blog of 2023! OMG....I can't believe it. Tomorrow, if I do blog, will be considered my first blog of the new year!! So crazy!! If you're in America, the date is 123123 but that isn't for anyone else; we do write out dates differently here.

    Anyway, the day was very lazy, just so beautiful in so many ways. I don't have plans to go overseas. I don't have plans to ring in the new year at some over-crowded venue such as Times Square, Princes Street, or even downtown OKC...nope, I'm just going to probably go to bed around 12:05 a.m. after I write to my three kids and say "Happy New Year, I love you" in text messages. To say I'm rather boring is probably rather accurate, but then again, I'm not with anyone special today, no reason to "ring in" anything other than just be happy with me! Just me and Jesus! (and my dog)

    I decided to make fudge, which if you've never done it, will make you think twice about making it from scratch. Is it worth it? I don't know. It's cheaper, but it's not an easy thing to do really, not when you read all the things you have to do in order to make it set up correctly, and then behave itself.  Mine didn't. I'll go into it, but it's funny how I even decided to do it. 

    I went shopping the other day with the thought of maybe doing it, but I thought to myself I won't need condensed milk. I think I saw three or four cans in the cupboard; I only need one. I remembered I only use condensed milk around the holidays when I make things such as fudge - - but I couldn't remember having done that in a few...wait...had it been a few years? Were those cans that old? Yep!!  The youngest one was in 2016. 

    I threw out the six cans, not four, and I laughed myself silly over it. I found a recipe online that used actual milk and sugar, and even though I knew there would be an added step because of it, I thought I could handle it. I laugh now because I didn't really handle it. I fudged it. (LOL) No, really, I made the worst fudge, and you could even call it sludge!! I will not let that fact stop me from eating it - - nope, I am on a quest now.

    I had dark chocolate chips, butter, sugar, half and half, vanilla, bourbon whiskey, cayenne pepper powder, and honey. Let me just tell you - - it's some hot mess. Yes, yes it is, but I enjoy every bit of it. I'll be eating on this thing for two weeks I'm sure, but that's OK too. I'll make the sacrifice. I'll make it happen; and when I do, I'll think of all those poor folks who have to share their fudge with others. No one is stepping up to the plate to share mine. No one.

    I melted the chips in the butter, added the half and half, brought it to a boil, added vanilla, bourbon (the liquor is cooked out), and then the sugar, and finally, the honey, bourbon, and pepper. I stirred. I stirred a lot. I let it boil again, but apparently, I didn't let it stir long enough. I poured it into a lightly greased 9x9 glass pan and put it in the fridge. When it hadn't set in 3 hours, I poured it all back into the pot, brought it to a boil again, and this time, I stirred it for 18-20 full minutes, just like the recipe said...at a boil. 

    I did the whole "soft ball" test, where you drop a tidbit into a bit of water to see if it balls up. To my surprise it did. There we go. I let it set for 2 minutes, poured it back into the cleaned out re-greased 9x9 pan, and put it back into the fridge to set - - but it just sort of thickened. It really never did what everyone else's fudge does. I had to use d fork to pry it out of the pan because using a knife only made the sticky mess you can imagine that it made. Yes, the fork is the choice utensil at this point.

    After a few bites I decided that even if no one else was brave enough to join me, I'll be happy as a clam just digging into it, pulling it out, sucking the sludgy goo sediment all the way to the silver prongs of my handy-dandy fork. I'm 100% OK not sharing it; no really, it's not that difficult of a task to just be the only person willing or present to indulge. I'm pretty sure it pairs well with just about anything I decide to eat with it. I may try to ice my popped corn chips with it. I may try to spread it on toast. I may just spoon it out if I think a fork isn't sufficient for my needs. I am not above trying new methods.

    Trust me when I say that fudge is not the easiest thing to make. I've been having "kitchen" issues lately with my oven not baking evenly, and some of my cookies coming out browner on the bottom than they do on the top! Not a happy camper! I gave the oven a rest and took it to the stove today, and this happened. I believe it is a fitting way to leave the year 2023 behind and to look forward to making things happen in 2024. I don't care what the world dishes out to me, I'm going to take it, make it mine, and turn it around doing what I need to do until it suits my fancy! 

    Bring it 2024...I'll put a fork in you! You're done!

Photo Credit: ME.

Worst Employment Experience Ever.

Everything inside of me wants to tell you the name of the company I worked for, and to steer you away from them so that you will not experience anything close to what I experienced with them. The fact is, however, if I do that, any future employer may think I will do the same to them if we separate on a less-than-amicable basis, and I don't want them to fear me in any way. I am a professional. I will be, I have been, I am now.

    What I will tell you is that I was recently recruited by a foreign-based company (first clue) to be a Claims Adjuster (first lie) for a client company which the host company ran "campaigns" for. What that means is that the host company has the personnel, they train them, and they sublet them to the client company to be used as either a service provider or information giver; a CSR in most cases. I did not sign up to be a CSR, but that is what happened to me. (another clue)

    During the recruiting process, I was asked questions, and given answers, and we agreed I would work Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. CST to 4:30 p.m. CST, and I would be paid X-amount...(another lie when I got my first paycheck) When I was onboarded, the process was horrific. I dealt with people from the Philippines who tried to assist in most cases, but I could not understand them. Sometimes they simply hung up on me, and I would have to call back and start the process all over again. This was for equipment check and verification processes.

    Once I was actually onboarded, I was unable to link into the links provided, again, tech was the issue. (another red flag) It never got better, literally every single day, and often more than five times in one day, I would be booted off the system, the power would simply shut down at times, and other times my screens appeared to be remotely controlled. When I mentioned it to people in the company they denied it and said it couldn't happen. Well, my mouse was moving and I wasn't touching it, and screens were changing. Let's just leave it there.

    During the training, which finally took place the 2nd day I was able to link into TEAMS, we were instructed to follow along while the "trainer" (using the word very loosely) had us follow her directions. OF COURSE, she was all over the place and gave us the wrong information. We were confused, we were befuddled, we were dismayed, and this sort of thing never stopped. I was there for three weeks. We started with 48, and by the end of the 3rd week, we had 24 left. RED FLAGS FLYING!!!

    The trainers, there were several, all had different ways of doing things, and when we would ask for help we would often be put on "hold" or in another team's room and left there unattended, ignored, and forgotten for hours. We'd mention it and another trainer would come in and assist and tell us something completely different from the last. It was miserable. We'd mention it, and the trainer helping would say something like "You asked for help, I'm helping you."  This was their idea of training.

    We had modules to do. There were about 12 I think, and each one had about 4-8 subcategories or events you had to do, watch, interact with, and so forth. We were told we had several days, but with all the tech issues, the ignoring, and the discombobulated instructions, several (most) of us were lagging on the last day. We were threatened with our jobs, and we shook our heads. I asked for further assistance as I am a visual learner. Several said they wanted the same. We were told it is a "Learner Lead" program. "You read the instructions, and if you need help you ask." We asked. We were ignored.

    The first deadline for the modules came and I was woefully behind due to tech issues. When I finally got help, the man who helped me had been with the company 10 years and said he's still shaking his head; it's normal he said, for all the people who get frustrated to just drop off without even asking for help. He commended me for sticking with it - - another red flag, but I appreciated his honesty. He fixed my computer remotely, saying it had bugs and other issues. He told me it was a 7-year-old CPU and couldn't handle Windows 11. He installed Windows 10 I think (remotely) and I was able to finish my course. CRAZY.

    Every last person they hired had tech issues. They sent us equipment from a place called 2ndGear, which I'm told (and researched) is a refurbishment station for all things computer. Most of my equipment was either overly used and outdated, or it wasn't compatible with the new updates for various programs. The VPN went out all the time, for everyone, and every other minute someone was commenting "Sorry, I was booted". I had my fair share of it too.  To put it in perspective, they sent me two monitors with VGA cables and my headset and keyboard were part of a marketing program back in 2013; yes, 2013. I looked it up. Tiny keyboard, and a flimsy headset. Of course, I used my own.

    I decided to resign, but let me give you a few reasons that are literally rattling off my tongue (fingertips). They expected us, in 2023, not to have cell phones or devices near our computers or in our workspace, but they weren't going to "check". It was on the honor system. Stupidity runs rampant with these people. They expected us to not use pen, pencil, paper, or anything else to keep track of numbers, assignments, etc...again, they aren't checking, and again, stupid is as stupid does. Of course, we had our phones. I used mine to take over 600 photos of complaints and the proof that we were being misled, lied to, ignored, and so forth. 

    They expected us to keep our calls down to a timed limit whether we helped people completely or not, but if it went over we could "hope for calls that would even it out, because at the end of the day, if you have more than 406 seconds on the calls you're not only not going to earn your monthly bonus, you're going to be pulled and we're having that conversation." This is the type of every minute, every hour, every day, every week sort of "training" we endured. Oh, and it's so much worse; they also gave us scripts that are so cringe-worthy, that if you as a customer called you'd either laugh or cry. I'm not sure.

    When they had decided that we were ready to take live calls they decided it. It wasn't in the plan. It wasn't a discussion. We were not prepared, and we had no true guidance. We were told we would either get on and try "swim with the alligators" which was the term used, or we were to resign because "you can't handle it". This was the training. Keep in mind, we had not had a single day of live call training, we had not role-played, we had only fuddled through modules and most of us were literally unable to do so. Our other trainers told us (literally on the recording) to just skip the videos, go to the questions, "If you don't get them right, we don't really care, just get through it." 

    I had enough.  I refused to go on calls because I am a professional, and I didn't sign up to be a CSR for taking payments, I was recruited as a Claims Adjuster. That's when I was told that as a "claims adjuster" at this particular company, it only meant that I would be a CSR taking first-notice calls, transferring them up the line, and my metrics were the same, except instead of 406 seconds for each call I had 312 seconds. The color ran right out of my cheeks, and I expressed myself. I decided to resign as politely as possible, but not before filling out tickets for HR listing 3 separate incidents causing a hostile work environment on the part of the trainers. I was 100% ignored until the very last day. I put the tickets in a week beforehand.

    When I expressed that I needed visual learning I was told to go to the doctor and have my "disability" documented. Hello, being a visual learner is not a disability, it is a mode of learning. Stupid is not the word that I would use, the word "ignorant" is going to have to replace "stupid" at this point. When I tried to educate them, I was shunned. I was ridiculed. I was told I was "under" them, and that I needed to keep my opinions to myself. When I expressed that it wasn't an opinion, but a general fact and that it was common knowledge, I was told to go back to work and keep my mouth shut. 

    When I resigned I did so with a professional email. They didn't deserve that treatment, but it was my choice to be the best person I could be. I laughed when I received an email today telling me that they were considering my "disability" for future training. I wrote back to say I had resigned. I really wanted to say so much more.  I will get the last laugh - - I have decided to write a new novel titled "Fidelity" and in it, I will be so so so very clear on the treatment we received, and no doubt the treatment countless others received with the company. I will have fun changing their names to reflect their "abilities" and lack thereof.

    Did I mention they didn't pay us for Christmas? No? Well, you see, it's an Indian-based firm. They don't pay for holidays I'm told. They do "observe" them, but they don't pay employees for them. I made the right decision, it's just so sad that a great company like Liberty Mutual Insurance is using this third-party host for CSRs...it's not "slave" labor by any stretch of the imagination, but it is so oppressive, and so restrictive, so micro-managed, and mistreated; they should consider pulling their client-hood from the host....in my opinion.

    Last evening, just seconds after I had emailed my resignation, one of my classmates phoned me. I was happy to hear from her, she was one of the people I would have missed. I was happy she took me up on my offer when I sent her a private message. She was furious. She had gone on the phones, and with 0% preparation, found herself sinking on every call. She literally transferred every call almost, and she was upset with the way she felt about one because she didn't know she couldn't call someone back; no one had told her she couldn't follow up with a customer who had trusted her and had asked her for help. Nope. Customers don't matter to these people, it's all about the $$$ and that's it.

    When I explained to my friend that she would be going uphill from that point, learning more programs, and having more windows to fuddle through, but without the extra monitors needed, she became convinced that she may not be with them much longer. She too, like me, is a licensed Claims Adjuster in many states. She was lied to, she was told she would be working as a claims adjuster, not a CSR.  Well, we live we learn. We need to keep our heads on a swivel, but for the most part, it makes me never want to work with another foreign-based company ever again - - they just don't have the wherewithal the Americans have. Sorry, it's again, my opinion. MINE.

Photo Credit: (oh my...did I just let that slip?) Facebook.

Experimenting in the Kitchen.

 If you know me, you know the characters in my novels often "experiment" with different feelings, actions, emotions, or whatever so they can feel and experience life on a new level. I can honestly tell you, that I often have one or more of my book people actually do or attempt to do what I really have done, or maybe what I think I want to do. That sort of experimenting is not limited to the kitchen; not for them, and not for me. The only limitation I have (and have had for 25 years) is that I don't have a partner to play with - - but I do in my head so I'm good. (He's really cute too. His name is Craig Allan Mackenzie, and he's about 800 years old. He's from up around Oban, Scotland, and he's..really...yeah, he's great.)

    Anyway, so here I am today, in reality, in my kitchen, thinking I want to do something in a very different way for the Christmas dinner table. I say that, but Laura and I haven't even set up our tree. We haven't hung garlands or any lights either. I did find a door hanger with bells and put that out for the cats, but they really don't care at this point. They probably never really cared, to be honest with you.

    I decided to try a "dump" cake, using 1/2 package of a basic white or yellow cake mix, poured over a canned fruit, with added butter and cinnamon, but this time I went with 1/2 can of pumpkin with 1/2 bar of cream cheese and an egg. We'll see if it works. I have no idea. It may, it may not, but what the heck, it's fun to try something new. Could be really cool. Could be a huge mess, but what do you want to bet I'll end up eating it anyway? I will.

    Craig absolutely loves it when I experiment. He heard from the ethereal grapevine that I was about to experiment, and always the keen and quick man for the job, he presented himself as he usually does; which is in the process of unwrapping his kilt, before removing it, folding it, and setting it to the side so we can experiment together. He wasn't upset that I had chosen the kitchen for my foreplay, but he was wondering if we would have room on the floor itself, or if up against the wall would be a better location for us to...stir and cream the mix before putting it into the oven.

    What I did was, (without Craig's assistance) was to empty the large can of pumpkin, 1/2 of it into my mixing bowl, and the other 1/2 into a container for refrigeration. There was no sense in using the entire can if my fantasy - - I mean, thoughts, weren't going to pan out the way I had hoped. Sometimes my mind can be really enthusiastic and I become so blinded by my pleasurable activities in my mind, that I forget that some things need to be put back to chill for a minute. No use in wasting anything - - waste not, want not.

    I added an egg to the bowl, and 1/2 a bar of cream cheese. I blended it together and placed it into a loaf pan. Loaf pans are about nine inches long. Some are glass, some are metal, and some are made of rubber or silicone. It's a preference thing; I like glass myself. (Easier to clean) After the mix is in the pan, you cut up slices of butter, maybe 8 pieces. You want to be sure and add enough butter to really slick things up and cover the entire surface of your...area.

    When you do that, you spice it up a bit!! Make sure it's level, spread out nicely, and then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon for that leather and lace effect. I don't know if you know about leather and lace effects in the kitchen, but they work the same there as they do in any room where you're "cooking" or otherwise pretending to. I may light a lilac and a lavender candle at the same time. I may add mango to my tomato salsa; you just need to play around with your options and find out what works best for you. When it comes to baking anything with pumpkin, I will add sugar and spice - - usually cinnamon, but I am not above defaulting to nutmeg - - I will go there.

    Finally, for the top, you dump the cake mix.  You just dump it right there, right in front of God and everyone. You don't have to dress it, but I will add more sugar and cinnamon and even a bit more butter if I think I may need to make it a bit more moist, that can be nice too. Again, preferences. It's all about preferences. 

    Heating it up is important of course. If you preheat - - you know, "fore" the oven temp up to the degree you want it, or where it should be; in this case 375 or 400, you'll find that working with the whole kit and kaboodle becomes easier to do. You're introducing your loaf into a very receptive range; one where all the bakers can be pleased. Time passes, things settle into place, and after about 30 minutes of it, a smile is brought to your face - - the deed is done.  It may take longer. You decide.

    Of course, it could be that it may need some time to cool before you plunge into it again - - think about it; don't burn yourself. That's never fun, and it would or possibly could mean bringing on an entirely different fantasy - - thought process; playing doctor can be fun too. 

    Enjoy your pumpkin dump cake. Oh, and Craig had a great idea, he suggested you throw in some nuts...just maybe a couple or so. 

Photo Credit: BlessThisMess.com

Let Go, and Let Jesus Have Your Worry.

 So, what you don't know, or maybe you don't know, is that I've had some set backs over the past two and even three years; we'll go back as far as 2002; because that's really when things...no, wait, it's about 1988.  Yeah, we'll go with 1988 as being the worst year ever, and then we'll bring it up to about 2019, when things just sort of completely fell apart. LOL.

    I think I'm making my point. I've had major set backs all of my adult life. I have been employed, terminated, fired, rehired, consulted, begged back, and just you name it, when it comes to employment, I've had it. I've owned my own business, worked for others, worked for third parties, worked for people who lied to me and said they were the actual employer - - yes, it happened. I have so many drama stories, that if I were to write a book about it, not one person would think it was possible. It was that bad.

    Through it all; even through the good, because there was a tremendous amount of good, there was one single thing that was constant, and consistent, and that would be Jesus. He just doesn't change. Nothing about Him changes. He can't change, and that's the best part of it; He will never be anything other than what He has said He is. You can 100% bank and rely on that. God is great, all the time.

    So, let's take right now for example; I am working for a company that will remain 100% anonymous even though, they don't give us anonymous surveys to take, and expect us to "tell the truth". Right. No one in their right mind is going to...wait; I did tell the truth. I may not have a job tomorrow, but I did tell the truth.  That's it, I always tell the freaking truth because you can't defend a lie. You can't. You can defend and explain the truth, because it is your opinion, or it is fact, but a lie is only and always wrong. It's a cover, it's a hedge, it's a nasty thing. Don't do it.

    I'm in the middle of the most discombobulated training class I have ever been with, and it's a major service provider. The third-party service we are actually hired through is 40% at fault, but the client, the major service provider, must take the lion's share of the problem with the training because they sent us (all 48 of us) faulty, bad, broken, out of date equipment and fully expected us to keep up in a massive classroom setting that takes place over a VPN/VDI setting -- don't ask me to explain, other than that the client wants us to do their CSR work, and the company that hired us hosts the VPN of the client so we can do that. It's a MESS, and they literally won't change it.

    When I talked to the VP/CEO/CIO/CFO and other higher leveled employees of the client company and the host company not ONE OF THEM realized what the trainers were doing, what we were doing, how it was so messed up, and how it had become so bad that in just a few days we went from 48 licensed people who thought they were going to be CSRs to 28, and we're about to lose a few more. I may be one of them. Not because I want to be, but because they have a deadline for modules to be completed, but my computer locked up so often and I wasn't (and haven't) been able to get them all done.

    If I lose this position, I will BLAST this company, and the host, because I think people deserve to know who they work for, what they are getting into, and what they can expect. For instance, NO ONE told us that we're not paid for holidays. NOPE, we are not. They "observe" them, but we aren't paid for them. They have an incredibly micromanaged attitude about their metrics, and they can stuff that right up their arse because I'm never going to be told what to do if it's not the right thing. I will NOT cut a call short, I will always give the best service because I would want that same treatment.

    Let's just say if I lose this job, I won't cry over it. I'll pray over it, but I will NOT cry over it. I will take action, oh...yes, I will take action. I may even write a new dramatic novel about it, but again, people would say I was making sh*t up; it can't be that bad...yes, yes, yes, it is. I have proof. I won't say what that proof is today, but I have proof, and my new LinkedIn friends and I will go over it if I'm released; no, we'll go over it anyway. Some of the crazy things they expect would make most of us laugh. It's 2023 and they think we're not going to have our phones at our desks -- WE ARE AT HOME!!!  They think we're not going to have paper and pens either, food, or whatever. Yeah, OK.

    That's about it. Don't let the turkeys get you down! Soar with the eagles, and pray like you mean it. Jesus is listening, and He's not blind either; He sees what's happening behind the monitors. (Yes, he saw that too!)

Photo Credit: fenge.com

Turmeric and PolyPhenols Baby!! YEAH!

     So, if you know me, you know I love new ways (or old ways) of staying fit and healthy; I like feeling good. I go way out of my way to research methods and remedies that will help me either feel better, look better, be better, or seem better. I really don't mind researching and I really don't mind trying things as long as they aren't painful or expensive; which could be the same thing. 

    Lately, about the last week or so, I've been putting turmeric powder in my coffee, hot cocoa, and tea to see which drink I like it best in. I drink them all throughout the day, so I wanted to try them all.  Today, just for grins and giggles, I made a coffee, added cocoa, coconut oil, and turmeric to see how that tasted...and added a little vanilla coffee creamer. It was a "drink" rather than a coffee at that point.  It ended up being a spicy sort of drink that wasn't bad at all; in fact, I could market it, and probably make a lot of money.

    The bennies of using turmeric are not endless, but they are copious. I'll list a few. Adding (about a tablespoon throughout the day, dividing it into things) helps with:

• Inflammation - arthritis
• Digestion 
• Respiratory infections
• Allergies
• Liver disease
• Depression / Anxiety
•  Antioxidants
• Prevention of certain cancers
• Weight loss

It's the last one that I want to see the result of; weight loss. It's supposed to help dissolve belly fat (fat burner/metabolism booster). We'll see if it works. 

    I'm also adding coconut oil for the MCT benefits which include helping with:

• Weight Loss
• Improved movement /joint lubricant
• Prevent some symptoms of diabetes
• Assists with improving autism/ADHD
• Regulates blood sugar

This is too cool. Coconut oil is the only MCT I can use. They do have the powder type you can buy and add to things, but it knocked me to the ground. It was way too strong for my body. You have to be a bit more careful with it - - always consult your doctor, I did not.

So, What are polyphenols and why are they so healthy? Wow, this was something I already knew but didn't do too much about it. It's as simple as using good olive oil when I cook, but I can also just take a teaspoon of good strong extra virgin olive oil with 500-750 mg of polyphenols every day. Don't think all oils are the same. Cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil is the best one I've found, and you don't have to spend $$ on it either. I think my 16 oz bottle was $11.  Good stuff. I have another bottle that I use to cook with, but it's like a 32 oz bottle; not as easy to handle when I'm trying to pour it onto a spoon.

    Here are some of the bennies of eating or cooking with oils that have a lot of polyphenols.

• Lower LDL cholesterol
• Reduces high blood press
• Decreases blood clotting
• Reduces some skin cancers
• Weight loss
• Digestion assistance
• Helps with constipation
• Strong antioxidant
• Smooth skin (from the inside out)

So, you can see that adding these things can be both beneficial and not that expensive. You can do it every day, several times a day, but again, always consult your doctor because you don't want to start a program he or she would say isn't right for you. My doctor is excited about me doing it, because she is a health-junkie too. She's vegan, I'm not, but we agree on a lot of other stuff. 

    When it comes to weight loss, it's really the number one thing on my mind for my health because I've been unable to lose my belly fat; it's sitting behind my organs, and won't come out to be eliminated. I'm not wanting to get surgery to remove it, but I need it gone. My belly is extended and I don't like it. I feel fat - - when I'm really sort of normal. I would rather be thinner and stronger. That's the goal.

    Weightwise, I could lose 30-40 pounds. I know I could. I've been working on it for years. This may be the key. I don't know. I did the whole Keto thing, I can't sustain it. I've been to the gym and all that. I'm 100% sure it's a hormone issue, so taking the probiotics and natural foods I need to rebalance the hormones is the best way to go for me.

    Another really good thing to do is to eat foods rich in probiotics rather than taking them as supplements. I find that I can't go wrong when I add apple cider vinegar to the mix; which is very good for me. I love pickles, I love kombucha, but again, we didn't know how great these things were until more recently. They have been a staple in the Asian markets and in their cuisine, but we Americans are just sort of now catching on to it - - we're a bit late to the party, but I'm willing to stay and dance. Here are a few things you can add to your grocery cart next time. (They are different and may take some getting used to, but they are worth it.)

• Kefir (fermented milk) 
• Greek yogurt 
• Cultured cottage cheese
• Kimchi 
• Sauerkraut (love this stuff)
• Kombucha 
• Aged cheese, but only certain ones (not pasteurized). Try Swiss, Gouda, Edam, Gruyere, and raw Cheddar
• Miso (a paste sort of food with soy and rice) May have to go to an Asian market to get it.  I put it in burritos instead of beans.
• Fermented olives. 
• Dill pickles (be sure they are actually fermented, not the typical)

Do your research! You may like some of the seafood that I don't prefer. Fermented seaweed is not something I'm going to rush out to buy, but you may love it.

    That's it. That's my thing right now. I'm dieting, exercising, working, writing, studying, thinking, and just waiting on Jesus to come pick me up so I don't have to do all these things to be healthy and gorgeous, because once that trumpet sounds I'm gonna get the body I really want, and the health to live eternally!! Woot!!!

Photo Credit: Everydayhealth.com

OOPS - - It Happens.

 I was today years old when I discovered the Monkey Face orchid, and if you haven't discovered it, go do that. It's amazing. There are many colors, shapes, and sizes, but to be 100% honest, I really never ever knew they existed. It makes me think that we're going to experience so much more than we ever thought we would when we get to Heaven, and that may be sooner than we know.

    Today is December 16, 2023, and we're so close to the Rapture of the Church it's really just a matter of time; which of course, it's always been just a matter of time, hasn't it? The Bible is really clear about it; people will scoff and talk poorly about and to Christians (even other Christians) and they'll say "Where is the promise of His return?" That's not the same as saying "Where is He? He said He would return." These people in the end will be asking where is the PROMISE? They don't trust or believe - - and that only means one thing; they will miss out. You have to believe before you go!

    Anyway, that's not what this blog is really about. It's about not realizing something, making mistakes, screwing up either intentionally or unintentionally, and having others really "lose it" or come unglued because of it. We all make mistakes. There's not one of us who doesn't, so why is it when someone else makes a mistake that affects us, that we go nuts over it? I almost did that today. I mean, I left a poor Yelp review, and I did call the manager to get the situation rectified, but no one needs to lose their job over a mistake; they need to be retrained. 

    I paid for a chicken dinner today. It comes with four pieces of crispy fried chicken tenders, fries, a cookie, a roll, sauces, and tea. I got home, the chicken was missing - - from the chicken dinner. It was everything but the chicken dinner at that point. I wasn't about to drive three miles to get the chicken, so I called the manager and let him know. He put my name down on a list to come back and pick up another meal on the house at another time. Makes me think though; why is there a list? How often does it happen?

    I called another store in the same chain of restaurants to ask. They have an average of one out of 250-260 customers who don't get their meals at that particular restaurant; that's a bit excessive. That means every day someone isn't getting what they paid for, and if someone calls back to say they don't have their food, I wonder how many ACTUALLY aren't getting it; I bet it's closer to 1%, or 1 out of 100.

    If you multiply that by how many restaurants there are, that's seriously too many people not getting what they paid for. If it's happening at food places, it's happening at other places as well. If you order your groceries online, I bet it happens. If you order multiple things for the office, your home, or whatever, I bet it happens. We don't need to fire people, we need to train people. Not only that, and here's my real rant; we need to pay people a good wage so that they want to work. We haven't done that in forever, and we have people these days who are NOWHERE NEAR as apt to want to go to work as we were when we were kids.  (Yes, I went there.)

    This generation as well as the last generation, have been so very lax when it comes to showing up on time, staying, looking at their phones, or even paying attention to their employers, it's just amazing that we have any sort of customer service whatsoever. I'm working a customer service job now and one of the modules we have talks about active listening. We called that "listening" because it's sort of a no-brainer that if you're actually listening, then you should be actively listening. So many of the kids (listen to me, I sound old.) don't want to be at work, they skate by and pass things off, so they don't actually have to work. Not all of them; of course, no, but enough so that we have lists to write people's names down to come back and pick up the meal that wasn't placed in the bag!

    Well, there we are - - here we are. Too many parents forget to "Train up the child in the way he/she should go..." so that "when he/she is older, they will return to it."  It's not just about believing in Jesus, but it's also about being the right type of person; the best you can be. Growing up we didn't have all the stimulants there are today; but then again, we didn't have the depression and anxiety or stress that I see today either. We talked. We didn't fight, scream, blame, punch, or retaliate if someone screwed up, we talked. We forgave because we all know, we mess up too. It happens.

Photo Credit: Etsy

    

Ingram Spark - HEADACHES (Free Comes With a PRICE)

     I'm pretty excited about the fact that I can write a book using  Microsoft Word, and then edit it for free, format it for free, upload it into Ingram Spark for free, and then never have to pay someone for that service again. The cover is another story, but it's not, it's just that you have to fiddle with it, and it can take a long time if you don't do it EXACTLY the way they want you to do it. 

    Ingram Spark has a book cover template that they prefer you to use, but I use the one from KDP (which is also free) because it has a really nifty pink lining for the outline border(s) so I don't need to guess what size my book needs to be. I can literally go to Google and look up the KDP book cover template, and it pops up.  You do have to find it, bookmark it so you don't lose it, and scroll almost to the bottom to find the tiny blue link, but it's still a great tool to use. 

    When you put in your EXACT page criteria, the page count, etc., it tells you exactly what you need, and you can download the template, so you can upload it to Canva, make your book cover, download it to your computer, and upload it to Ingram Spark. That's the process, and again, it can become harried if you have to do it over and over again because someone at Ingram Spark doesn't want to do their job and they send it back to you asking for it to be corrected.

    Today, someone (unknown name) sent it back to me saying the book cover was the wrong size but didn't tell me what size they needed it to be. Too vague. Thank you!  So, I wrote back to them and asked for a response. I decided to go back to KDP to be sure I had downloaded it correctly and decided to make it ever (a tiny bit) bigger. I went from 11.25" to 11.30".  I think the difference may account for 346 full pages and the book is about 339-342 if I had to guess. I mean, the editing processor says it is - - it has to be. I add 2-4 blank pages, and it's counted in the count.

    Anyway, I did take the opportunity to "erase" part of the back cover photo, using a new eraser tool I found on Canva, but I didn't do it the way I should have...oh well. I am not going to do it again unless they tell me I have to, and if they tell me I have to redo it, it won't be because of the erased portion of the photo, it will be the spine width, I'm sure. We'll see. I had the same issue with "Edinburgh", and they finally, finally got it right. We'll see if they can accept what I have sent, and if not I will redo it, if only to do the erased part over again, because now it sort of bothers me. Funny, it didn't bother me before I knew there was such a tool.

    When you do the cover, you download the template, and you have to hover over the words on the template and delete them. you have tools on Canva to help you align photos, text, effects, and all manner of fun things. You can spend a lot of time in it if you really wanted to. I may do that for one of my books, but not this one. it's fairly straightforward - - horse barn.

    I think what is the most upsetting about it is, that you and I have to do our jobs; we do them, and we try hard not to slack off, am I right? Well, every now and again, I'll run into a person at the Ingram Spark processing plant who just doesn't want to put forth any effort. They'll reject my manuscript but not say why, and then it goes through 11 other hands before someone with enough knowledge to publish it correctly contacts me to tell me the issue, and they take it upon themselves to do it correctly. I thank them, and I wish I could request them, but Ingram Sparks wants all of their employees to learn to do their job - - wouldn't that be GREAT?

    They make more money off my book than I do. The print process for my books is $6.29 (but I bet it's not really that much, that's what they charge me.) Then they allow Amazon to print them for about the same cost, maybe $6.39 each, and they make their money from that, and who knows where else? I make under $2.00 per book. That much I know.

    When the books are in E-Book format, I can sell them for much less and I earn 70% of what I charge. I try to charge $3.99 per book so I earn $2.79 or so. That's fair, and the book is not $19.00 for the patron to buy! That's really a good thing. I prefer Kindle / Ebook. I really do. The cover will be very different for the Kindle / Ebook and Ingram Spark makes $240 off me each time I have them do that. I give them the money, they turn my print book into an EPub file, and they sell the book for $3.99. Instantly allowing someone to buy it, no print, no wait, it's great.

    If you ask me, I like holding my books when I show people what it is that I wrote but give me the Kindle or Ebook to read every time except the first time. The first time I read the book I wanted it in print form so I could pick through it, circle the mistakes, go back and and make corrections, and upload the better file. That's why I'm not doing the E-book yet. I have to make sure all of the books are corrected before I pay Ingram Spark $880.00 to do four books at once. (That's expensive, but I can't do the EPub myself. Others can.)

    I may learn to do the EPub later, but for now, I'm good letting the experts do it - - as long as they freaking do it!! They will do it because I pay them to do it. It's the free stuff they don't like to do...and I get that, but they make money off of the books when they are set and published, not when they are sent back to the writer. Some writers aren't as aggressive or assertive as I am; the book may sit for another month or year before any corrections are made.  Geez! 

Photo Credit: Me  (A KDP template) 

1211 (Three is Written) Woot!!

     So, just so you know, I didn't write anything last night, opting to read from my Perry Mason book instead. I love my Kindle. I love Erle Stanley Gardner as well. I would read Perry Mason books all day and never complain; just another thing about me that you may have already guessed.  I do take inspiration from the man, I do take his words and recreate them. I don't use entire plots, but I will take a sentence or two and bend the structure, making it fit my needs from time to time. I did that tonight.

    In "1211" tonight, the death of a cop who had previously attempted to murder my hero in "Pinball" was all the talk, but no one could say anything officially; the official story of suicide hadn't hit the morning press. There's a reason it didn't make the morning news folks, but that's because it was scooped by our man Hanshaw, and he told the real story in the evening news with only minutes to spare before it went to press. Oh, the agony that one will cause!! Damn. A stunt like that can cost a man his job....or his life.

We'll have to see how the journalist fares and what will happen in the big City of Edinburgh before Nick takes off for the States to somewhat settle into his old home state of Oklahoma. His mother has been waiting for this day; she's really excited about it. Not only will she have her son home, but his wife, and their son!! She loves being a grandmother, and we find out soon enough she's been one in the past, but the boy she gave birth to as a young woman was adopted out from under her; she never really knew him. Their reunion will not be one of shared love; not by a long shot.

    The day will come when names and faces are put together, but for now, we'll need to focus on the antics of another set of off-the-wall types who share all the same walls. The residents of the apartment house at 1211 W. Garvey, in Oklahoma City. Words like "odd", "quirky" and "strange" start to describe them; but it would be unfair not to add words like "sinister", "deceptive" and "immoral" as well. Not all of the residents can be categorized or lumped together; some are quite different than others, but for certain, all of them are unique. 

    Tomorrow, and throughout the weekend, I'll have fun diving into their lives, exploring and exposing them for who and what they are. It may take a while to sort them out, but in the end, it will all make a bit more sense...at least I'll try to make it so. I promise. I don't think there will need to be a follow-up to the book, but there will be another Nick Posh thriller to follow; that's for sure. I have about ten of them planned now, and that's another two years from now really -- who knows what will or can happen in that amount of time? Anything really.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress 

1211 (Two!) I Hope This Isn't How its Gonna Go.

     I'm working now, having started my new job today, so I'm only able to write after work and of course, I'll write over the weekends as well. I'll likely not write every evening, but I'll catch up on the weekends for sure. My goal is set, and when I actually set a goal, I do meet them. I can't remember a time when I didn't actually meet a goal that I intentionally set. There's that, but I do hope I don't find myself writing a chapter and then blogging about it -- that's a lot of blogging.

I started a new job today, one I will keep for a while, and then when it's time to move forward I will do so. I work normal hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m. I was told today they aren't allowed to keep us past 4:30, so that was funny. I suppose they are rather strict about their overtime with this particular company. That's good. I need my writing time.

    I can start writing at about 5:30 and I'll write for an hour or so, getting at least one chapter a day written. That's a good goal. I won't stress that way. I'll just take one chapter at a time, and over the course of a month, I'll have a new book! Woot! Such a plan. This plan is a good plan, and I always say a good plan is good to have, but having a plan is essential. (My saying, you can quote me if you like.)

    I am also credited with saying "The world, when seen through the eyes of a child, is a rainbow." I think it was around 1988 when I came up with that one.  Anyway, I'll write this book right up to the deadline of January 22, 2024. On that day, Friday, the 22nd, I'll pay for the access code for the Versk version of studying Xactimate. I'll spend every last free hour I can studying that software program so that I can become really good at it. When I take the certification tests in March, I will try to do both Levels 1 and 2 at the same time, but I know I'll at least achieve Level 1.

    The book will be written quickly, but systematically. Today, I knew I would be writing Chapter Two, so I sat down and penned out what I wanted to do inside that chapter. I'm still pretty much catching the reader up from the last book, as this is a sequel to "Pinball".  I needed to explain a few characters, and what better way to do that than to let them speak and explore their own neighborhoods? This way the readers find out who they are, where they came from, what they intend to do in the next few chapters, etc.  It's my way, and it's my book, so there you go. 

    Today, the readers learned about the underground Chinese tunnels and the very secretive lives that hid themselves under Oklahoma City's downtown hustle and bustle. These 200-300 men and women, mostly men, huddled underground for protection, but it was also nearly free to do so. They came up to use the public toilets and showers; and they worked where they could, bringing food home to not only their own but for neighbors as well. It was a hard, harsh way to live, and many native Oklahomans didn't even know these tunnels or these immigrants existed. I wanted to bring a light to them; to show their strength and bravado. 

    Tomorrow? I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I may continue, picking up the story from Chapter One, or I may skip thoughts, and strike out on another rabbit chase, like I did today with Chapter Two. You just never know. Eventually, all the chapters will meld and flow together, making this a really fun and quirky book for the world to cherish. I like this book. I do, I liked it before I wrote a single word of it. I think it needs to be written - - it's fun, and it's odd, and it's really different. So yeah, "1211" will be a good book for anyone and everyone.  I'll keep you posted.

Photo Credit: OnlyInYourState.com

1211 (Chapter One is Done) Woot!

 I wrote out about a dozen things I think should happen in the new book. I wrote out over 40 names of people who will appear in it. I divided them into (a) Main Characters (b) Supporting Characters and (c) Apartment Dwellers & Associates. This way I will have names and such to use and go back to. Believe me, I forget people's names. I was writing the first chapter today for "1211", and I needed to remember the name of a man in "Pinball" so I had to go back into it, and use the FIND feature to look for the last name of the man. I could not remember what I had named him. He's in "Murder Book" and in "Pinball" as a minor type character, but I did not remember his first name. OMG...I need to stop naming the bad guys "Brian". I did that in my latest book too! 

    I really don't have anything against all the Brians out there. I promise I don't. I just happen to have used a male name generator, and that's what I got. I will be a lot more inclined to pay more attention this time. This particular Brian ended up hanging himself after trying to kill my hero in the last book. He's actually not that bad of a guy, but he got mixed up with the wrong set; it happens.

    So, I did finish the book "Bay Sorrel Ranch" yesterday and have sent it up to be published at Ingram Spark. I was going to rest and not write another book but decided that I can't do that; I have to try to get "1211" out before or around mid-January, and THEN I can rest. I am going to study Xactimate which will take all the spare time after work and on the weekends to get done correctly. I'll be able to take certification tests in March and then May, so that by March I'll be at Level 1, and by May I'll be at Level 2. It's an estimator's tool to use to earn a good living, so it takes precedence over the books for now.

    Once I get Level 1 out of the way, I'll write another book, and then I'll do another book after I get Level 2 out of the way. If I play my cards correctly, and I'm lucky, and eat all my veggies, I should be able to write my third book in the Summer, and maybe even a 4th or 5th before this time next year. I hope I can. I don't mind doing one chapter a day, which would be about a book a month, but I know I do not want to burn out like that. I like having the creative juices flow when they flow, not on command. They become so much less creative at that point.

    Well, Chapter One of "1211" is complete. It's saved. I have explained a little from the last book. You have to do that when you have a sequel. I've managed to get a few nuggets for foreshadowing as well, so I feel pretty good about Chapter One. I'm also critically thinking about each chapter as I write them now, and I'm editing as I go so that my editing process at the end is easier. I'm checking the spelling, I'm checking the spaces. I'm checking the adjectives, and I'm adding fluffy stuff as I go. Maybe I can get the book done in a month, and then start on the Xactimate study. That's the goal.

    I won't get the Xactimate access key until Friday, January 22, 2024, so I have over a month to get this book done. I can do the chapter-a-day thing, and I can catch up on the weekends. It can be done by January 10-12, and edited, formated, and sent up before January 22, 2024. I think I can make that happen. I'll at least give it the whole 9-yard effort. I'll do all I can on my end, it's really up to the characters to keep my head filled with the next steps. So far, they've never let me down.

    I wrote "Of Kilted Pleasure" in just over 1 month. I wrote "Murder Book" in less than that. It was a joke, to see if I could pour myself into it, and I did. I think it was 24 days or something crazy like that. I wrote "Jude's Almost Daily Blog Book 2" over the course of years, but put it all together in 2 weeks. I then wrote "Edinburgh" in just under a month, and "Pinball" in six weeks. The last book, "Bay Sorrel Ranch" was 32 days", a month and 2 days. Not bad. If I keep that up, I can write a lot more in 2024. We'll have to see how I feel - - after work!!

Photo Credit: Me.