Oil Pulling (Trend? Maybe it Works)

 If you were like me, and you had never heard of oil pulling, you wouldn't know, as I didn't know, that this very basic and simple (ancient) ritual, is pretty cool. 

    I still don't pretend to know all about it, after all, I've just learned it even existed. I'm studying it, researching it, finding it to be both inexpensive and doable, and I'm asking myself, "Why not?".  That's basically the stage I am in right now. In fact, I am actually oil-pulling while I write this blog so that I can do it longer than I have done in the past three days. 

    This is my fourth day to oil pull, and the first three days were around 5-6 minutes. Today, because I'm writing, blogging, and basically not thinking about it, I'm able to keep the oil in my mouth much longer.  According to the gurus online, you're supposed to do it about 20 minutes a day. I don't know if I'll do it that long, but maybe 15. We'll see.

    So, what is it? Simply put, oil pulling is using oil (coconut oil specifically) to pull the toxins out of your mouth, and by doing so you'll help your body rid itself of bad bacteria that can cause bad breath, tooth decay, and all the other things that bad bacteria does to you; you know, bad stuff.  Does it work? I don't know. It can't hurt! I mean, think about it, you're swishing coconut oil in your mouth for 15-20 minutes a day. It's not like you're swishing something around in there that isn't 100% organic and natural to begin with.

    Unlike swishing water, the oils pull from the sides of your mouth and get in between your teeth to get to the gritty ugly stuff in there as well. Some people say it's helped them break up plaque. OK. I'm OK with that too if it works. I'm just not seeing a downside to all this. I only see good. It's not as easy as it seems either because your mouth does become sore if you're not used to doing it, but you do get better at it. 

    You don't swallow the oil, that's important because if you do, you're swallowing the bacteria right along with it. You spit out the oil into the trashcan, not the sink or toilet. It is oil after all, and you don't want to start the makings of a clogged-up sink since you're doing this every single day.  I looked it up, you can do it every single day.   The oil appears white and foamy when you're finished and it's good. You can almost feel that you did the right thing just by looking at the discolored oil - - I use 100% organically cold-pressed coconut oil. I think I paid $7 for the jar. Super cheap. 

    You can use coconut oil in your coffee or tea to help you lose belly fat. You can work it into your skin after a bath. You can soak the tips of your fingers in it (heat it for a few seconds) and then after a few minutes of soaking you can massage your fingers, and file them, keeping the cuticles clean and your hands softer. There's just a lot of things you can do with coconut oil. I also use it to make soaps. It's the main ingredient I think, or one of the first 2.

    Lots of fun, lots of uses. Go look it up for yourself, and even if the dental industry is trying to say there isn't enough evidence to say whether it works or not, consider who's saying it -- someone who doesn't want us to stop paying them for dental care. I think it has to have some benefits. I'll give it a good 30-day try and if I like it, I'll keep it as a daily thing.

Who knew? (about 8,000,000,000,000 people from the yesterdays)

Photo Credit: Golden Dental Wellness Center

Unfair Treatment - - Shouldn't Be This Way.

 I think it was the first of November, and my daughter and I were coming home after I picked her up from her job, when I was pulled over by an Oklahoma City police officer. The funny thing is, I saw the cop behind me (in my rearview mirror) and I remember him sort of smiling. There was a car in front of us that literally ran a red light, and I joked with my daughter Laura and said, "Well, you know, the cop is behind me, and doesn't want to take the time to turn around in the middle of the street to stop that guy I guess."  

    When the light turned green for us I proceeded, but then out of the blue, seriously, out of NOWHERE, the cop turned on his lights and bleeped his sirens at me. That sort of bleep bleep that they can do to get your attention. He pulled me over. When he came to my window he asked for my license, which I had already dug out, and I was going through my phone apps to find my most recent insurance ID card as well. I thought I could at least be proactive.

    I don't get stopped. That should be told right off the bat, because I drive slowly, cautiously, and sometimes overly careful, and if I'm being pulled over there's a real issue. Apparently, there was a real issue. My license decal was missing from my tag. WHAT? That can't happen. It occurred to me that it may be out of date though - - it was November 1, and I was a day out of paying for it. It was due in October. Surely, I thought there was NO WAY this guy was going to give me a ticket for ONE DAY!

    No, he was telling me he was giving me a ticket because there was NO decal sticker to show the year I had purchased the tag. He went into his system and it came up that I had not paid for my 2022 tag but I had. He gave me a ticket and asked me to get the tag replaced to lessen the overall charge of the ticket which was something like $178.  I got charged $178 because someone stole my tag and because the tag agency that took my money in 2022 didn't record my payment! I had the receipt, but without it being recorded they said I could have generated the receipt on my own computer. (They don't know me. I can't do tech.)

    So, the next day, November 2, I went into the tag agency, and my tag was paid for, but not just the 2023 tag, oh no, I had to pay for the 2022 tag as well. That was WRONG. I showed them the receipt, but they had no record of it. The receipt (they said) was probably out of the machine that doesn't register the money because I probably paid for it in cash. I don't remember, but it's not beyond the scope for me to do that. They had a guy who was stealing cash and not reporting it - - so I got stuck. 

    Anyway, the thing was just so wrong on so many levels. I would think that I should be able to force the tag agency to honor my receipt, I should be able to file a police report showing the tag was stolen, and I should be able to get a new tag to replace the stolen one - - and yes, pay a fee for being a day late, but not have to pay the $178 for the ticket, nor the $275 for the two years of tag plus penalty! Penalty for not having the tag registered - - and they are the ones who didn't do the registration. It was and is wrong. 

    Again, I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed. I was given extra time to come up with the payment, as it was hitting me at a time when I was unemployed. Laura was about to pay it for me, but then lost her job. God is so good. He allowed the city to let me wait, and I was able to pay for the ticket today. They did take off $20 for having purchased the tags within 10 days of the ticket. If nothing else, I have that.

    Still, I should have been able to speak with two separate supervisors and explain that I have never not paid for my tag, I have never been pulled over for poor driving, I really do take my citizenry seriously, and though I was ONE DAY late getting the new tag, I shouldn't have needed to pay for a tag I had already paid for. Their system should not allow someone to give me a receipt and not register the cash. How is a citizen to know that? We can't. We just smile and say thank you, and we leave the office with our decal.

    It is a lesson I learned that cost a bit, but it is also a lesson to be shared because if it is happening to me, it is happening to others. I asked the cop if I could file a report with him and he told me no, because he was pulling me over. The city told me that he lied. The city told me he should have offered to take my report. Again, I'm not upset with the Oklahoma City Police, but I am upset about that one cop not being diligent, so yes, I reported him to his supervisor; who knows if it will come to anything. 

    Bottom line - - we need to be kind. We need to do our jobs. We need to be compassionate, and understanding. We need to realize that things happen and even bad things happen to good people. We need to be open to listening and working with people. Maybe no one will care, but I do. I care. Maybe no one will pay attention, but I do. I pay attention. I made sure everyone in my apt complex knew about the theft. There were at least three others who had their tag decals stolen as well. Maybe I stopped them from getting pulled over. Who knows?

    Just this: be good to each other. It really does make a difference in this cruel and ugly world.

Photo Credit: Me.

The Great William Ginn (Oops, Maybe I Shouldn't Use His Real Name)

 Among us, mere mortals (humans) walks a man who is by far, by so very far, greater and more radiant than any of us has a right to consider him or herself.  His name is William Ginn. No, this is not a Billy, Bill, or Willie, this man is the real McCoy - - or Ginn. He's a real Ginn.  He's apt to be titled really, maybe deserving to be called "Sir William Ginn", which now that I think about it, he very well could have been. His mother may have actually called him that as a child, which would explain at least a little of his behavior.

    I worked with the man, the legend, for only a few short months between May 2015 and March 2016. We were officed in the same space and we worked for the same agency through our state's government. I'll protect him further now, by not telling you what agency it is, but he is a full-blown Director. He's that important; we'll just leave it at that.

    When I worked there, he was a director as well, but I didn't work for him, only with him. I would have given anything to have worked for him because then I would have given him the title of my favorite boss. He does hold the title of my favorite co-worker, and that's saying something considering how many jobs I've had and how many co-workers I've worked with. To be #1 takes a lot of conning and let me tell you, this man is that man.

    The director I worked for, and subsequently, the same man that Ginn worked with (not necessarily for) was a con artist in my humble opinion, and I couldn't stand him. I couldn't stand to look at him. I couldn't stand to hear him. I couldn't stand to say I was his admin - - he repulsed me. The ONLY thing that kept me at the office every day was the bright and sunny smile of the man whom I give homage to; Mr. William "Sassy Pants" Ginn. 

    Ginn would show up and we'd have a bit of a ritual every day, several times a day. We'd say certain things to make each other laugh. He had a particular chair in his office that he would fantasize that a certain someone (I won't give his secrets away too easily) would one day sit in. I would pretend to be that woman, and make him giggle. Ginn could giggle. He was a master of the craft.  When I say I only stayed to be near him I mean it. I wasn't in love with him, (sorry William) but I was in love with his heart, his mind, his intellect, his being, his attitude, his moxie. 

    If we never meet again this side of Heaven, we will be linked arm and arm up on Glory Street, skipping and laughing, I know it. He has traveled the entire world by himself, and on his own, taking with him his can-do attitude; sometimes scaring the living tar out of me when he would travel about because he couldn't text or use a smartphone to save his life. Here he would go into the depths of the forests and wildlands of Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil, and other places....Peru, I think, and he would do it without a means to communicate!! 

    When I met the man he was OLD...we'll just let that one sit right there. He knows it, I know it, we all know it. He started working for the state when he was just out of high school I think, right around the time Teddy Roosevelt signed Oklahoma into statehood in 1907. Don't quote me, but Ginn is over the hill, OK. He's old. The thing is, I'm about to go into semi-retirement and he's working every day. He told me today that he's working to pay for his traveling; he's got more to do apparently.

    Well, just so you know, and you should know, I wish the best for my buddy, my pal, my tea-drinking friend of yesteryear. I can't wait to skip the golden streets with him and make silly faces at those we never believed could have made it to the pearly gates!! I'm that type, and thankfully, so is he!

Blessings my friend. Enjoy your next 178 years!!! You Rock!

Photo Credit: Displate.com  (This is the best picture of William Ginn I could find)

F.R.O.G. (Gonna Get a Little Churchy on Ya!)

     If you read my blogs, as thankfully 15 of you do, (thank you) you would know that I am choosing to rely fully on God for literally every single thing in my entire life. It just makes sense to do it. I know that all through my life, and especially my adult life, there have been so many perilous times when I did, and when I didn't rely on God for help. There were stupid and ignorant times in my life, and maybe in yours, I don't know, when I thought I could handle it. I was a tough, independent soul, I am a woman, I am a Celtic woman (by DNA) and I was born to other very strong people who have stood the test of time over and over again.  Then it hit me...they didn't do it alone.

    When I was younger and I wanted something really badly, I remember going up to my aunt Wilma and asking her to pray with me. If she thought it was something that she needed extra help with, we pulled Granny in on that prayer time too. I don't know why I didn't necessarily go to my mom, I think I thought Wilma and Granny were stronger in their faith and I really wanted God to hear me. Do you see where I'm going with this?

    My mom became the Granny.  My aunt passed, my actual Granny passed, and my mom became the one we went to. I was blessed in that I knew she was close to God, and I knew she would carry on the same way that her sister and mother did. Aunt Wilma was the type to look you straight in the eyes and ask "Have you prayed about it yet, or are you thinking you don't need to?"  My mom may say something like "What have you tried? Did that work? Have you thought about praying over it?"  Do you see the difference? My mom knew God had the power, and she knew I should go to Him, but she wasn't directly saying it, and Wilma did. Direction! I needed.

    So, I grew up, I got old, and by God's grace I've been able to make a lot of things happen, but there are times when I just can't do it. I am unable to begin doing it, whatever IT IS I am not there; so I do realize that I need HIS help, and I will directly go to Him to ask because now; you may have guessed it, I am the GRANNY!! ME!!  I am the one that grandkids will come to, I am the one who my nieces and nephews can come to. I am the one who will look them in the eyes and say "Have you asked God yet or did you think you could give it a good go yourself first?"  It's the way you deliver the question; it's all in the deliverance...you gotta have the eyes that go with it. You sort of squint one I think. 

    Waking up and praying is the best. Praying throughout the day is awesome. Realizing that I'm about to do something but need to think it over and pray it out first, just makes sense. Why not give literally EVERY last thing to Him?  He already knows the answer. He already has it all worked out. There's no real reason to worry, there's no real reason to fuss. If you think about it, giving it all up gives you the freedom you need to think about things you can change or things you can do. Don't sweat the tough things; His shoulders are a lot bigger and they're more capable too.

    There's an OLD abbreviation from the 1980s...that's how old it is I think. It's F.R.O.G.  Fully Rely on God. Before that, I remember the W.W.J.D. or What Would Jesus Do slogan. I need to be a F.R.O.G. Christian. I need to put all the trust I can into Him and let Him make the decisions. I can put on the armor, I'm supposed to do that. I can be weaponized, reading the Word and keeping it. I can think, I can plan, I can even hope, but I can't begin to take action until I've sought the method and direction I need to go. It just makes sense, and I do need more sense at times.

    Let me give you an example, so you understand. I am unemployed today, but I won't be. I owe people, but I won't soon. All around me people are bustling, hustling, hurting, crying, weeping, seeking ways and means to make ends meet but I know who I have believed. I know I will be OK. If I fret, if I worry, if I panic, I won't make anything come to me any faster or any better than if I just stop, pray, let go, and wait. What will be, will be, and He has it all wrapped up - - I'll give you a couple of verses to show you.

Isaiah 60:22 b (paraphrased) "In His time it will be".

Psalms 34:10 "The young lions suffer, want, and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."  

    Oh heck, I'll give you a few more because you may need them.

Psalms 37:4-5 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to Him, and HE will bring it to pass."

Matthew 6:33 "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." 

and of course this one:

Isaiah 41:10-13  "So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  For I am the Lord, YOUR GOD, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'"

    So there you go. Yeah, I got a little churchy, but I don't actually attend church these days. I go online to www.rumble.com and watch Charlie Garrett of The Superior Word. Here's a link: https://rumble.com/c/TheSuperiorWord

Be blessed and yes, if you need Him, He is there. That's the really cool thing about God. He didn't go anywhere, we did. He's always been there. He will always be there. Just start your own journey to find out. He's that awesome. 

My preacher man, Charlie Garrett of The Superior Word, Sarasota, FL.

Photo Credit: The Superior Word

I Went with Mint! (Mint Mobile)

 There is not a person on this planet who impresses me to the point that I would change my phone plan because they were either an owner of that particular service, or they were lending their name to it. I think Ryan Reynolds may actually be the owner or part owner of the Mint Mobile services; which is OK, but that's not why I changed. I have other reasons.  (Just so you know, the only one who could impress me enough to change would be a greater celebrity, maybe Faith the Dog. I would switch to be closer to her...she's my girl.)

    So, this morning I woke up after not having a phone for about a month and decided to switch carriers. The reason I didn't have service was my own stubbornness. I had paid for my phone and my service throughout the year, but then sometime in November, I got a notice from U.S. Cellular saying I owed $187.87 on my phone (an iPhone 12 Pro Max) and that I was behind in my service contract. I knew I wasn't. I checked with my bank, got my statements, circled the recurring withdrawals, and pointed this out to U.S. Cellular to NO avail.

    When I refused to pay more, they cut my service. I get it. I really do, but I was right, and I didn't mind being inconvenienced for that. My daughter had her phone, so if I needed to place a call or have anyone call me, they could do so using her number. She only texts. The last time she placed a call was for food to be delivered and if I'm honest, she probably used an app for that as well. No one actually calls anyone - - except me. I still call people.

    After refusing to pay, I let the year run out, and I got my last statement from the bank and again proved to U.S. Cellular that I didn't owe anything. I spent time on the phone with their customer service, and found out they had been charging me $28.19 a month for over a YEAR for an iPad I had not even turned on in over 15 months. I had canceled the service, they didn't do their due diligence, and WHAM...I get hit with them saying I owe them when in reality, they owed me!! There you go!! Booyah! 

    Well, I woke up and thought OK, I can do one of two things. I can continue with U.S. Cellular, or I can switch. The plans at U.S. Cellular didn't match what I liked; so I looked into other carriers. The one that struck my fancy was Mint Mobile. They have a special going on; you can get any plan for $15/month for three months with no switch or activation fee. After the three months, the cost reverts to whatever plan you really want, and you move forward, but you do pay three, six, or twelve months in advance. That's their little hangup.

    It only took nearly two hours, but hey, what's time when you really come down to the wire? I am so non-techy I needed 100% assistance with the downloading, the switching, the settings, the ins and the outs. I decided not to keep my old number because a few weirdoes had it and were spamming me and trying to get me to sell their products. I was blocking their robo-calls constantly, and Mint Mobile had a really cool feature for blocking such calls!! Woot.

    Anyway, after speaking with three or four of their customer service people who were absolutely helpful and informative, I now have a new number, and my friends couldn't be happier. They were getting tired of messaging me on Facebook Messenger. I am the texting/calling Queen and they missed me. They literally said (some of them) that they missed me. They missed me!! Can you believe it? Well, that's so nice. If I die today I know I will be missed.

    Three things I learned through the whole switching phones process:  I know what an IMEI number is, and I know how to find it. You dial *#06#  on your device, and your IMEI numbers pop up. The customer service people need this to see what phone you own and who the carrier is.  I learned to find out if my phone is unlocked or not. I didn't know. I really had no idea. You go to Setting/General/Cellular Carrier and look. I think that's right. If not, Google it. My phone had no restrictions. I really thought U.S. Cellular would have restricted it since they thought I owed them for it. This proves I didn't.

    The other thing I learned was how to use the back of an earring to open the little trap door for the SIM card on the left side of the phone.  You can't use silver earrings. You must use stainless steel, gold, or platinum. Silver will bend. I learned that. I finally got it open with a gold earring and I popped out the SIM card so they could "install" the eSim card and we could move forward. I saved the physical SIM card just in case. I have a thing about throwing out tech...I get nervous about that sort of thing.

    There we go! I have a new Mint Mobile line, that uses all T-Mobile towers, and I don't have to pay anything for 3 solid months. I think I'll do the 3-month thing in the future. I don't use more than 3.8 GB so the 5GB plan is good for me. It's $25 a month, so $75 for three months. Not bad. I was paying $37.45 at U.S. Cellular for 3 GB and it would run over now and again, so I think this is gonna be good. Change is good. I'm 100% behind this one. I only had to bite my tongue three or four times in the process; so that's a plus right there.  I wrote to all my contacts to let them know I had a new number. I also changed my signature on my email and changed the resume contacts. It was a DAY!!!

    IYKYK....I am NOT techy. This was a good thing for me to try and achieve without the assistance of a kid - - or almost, Laura did have to show me where my "bars" were. She's cool like that. I didn't even know I had bars. I had bars. 

Photo Credit: MintMobile.com

My Resolutions!! (2024)

 What is this, the 5th of the new month, and I'm finally getting around to telling everyone my New Year's resolutions? Dang, I'm really not that concerned about them I suppose.  Well, that's not entirely true, but when I tell you my two main choices you'll pretty much understand what it is that is keeping me from going off and talking about it. I'm trying to rein in some of the overtness and do a bit more of the calmness; there's a reason.

    So, my first and most important New Year's resolution is to pray more and lean less. By leaning less, I mean to lean less on my own understanding, and to put God's ideas, wants, and plans before my own. I have screwed up enough over these past many years to know, that I am not the best plan maker - - nope. I am just one of the millions (if not billions) who put themselves first or at least fairly close to the top of their own priorities; I need to stop that behavior right now. I think I know how to accomplish that.

    The prayer thing is a big thing. I pray all the time, but I decided that this year, (kind of started it last year to be honest) I do more in the actual closet praying, and with my dog. Sometimes, because I'm really overly spiritual, I'll allow a cat or two to creep into the closet to snuggle up with us when we pray. Ginger is so used to going into the closet that sometimes I will catch her in there praying when I'm on the computer writing. I glance over and she's on the little chair with her head between her paws!! Wait for me!!

    So, by praying more and letting go of so much more, I think I'm actually going to feel better, be healthier, relax more, and just be a happier person. Believe me when I say I don't really worry about much anyway, but now I'm just taking that to another level completely. I'm seriously just going to let the troubles hit me, acknowledge them, and head straight into the closet to leave them at Jesus' feet. I don't want those troubles. I just really don't.

    Today, out of the blue I was hit with something that never should have happened and I got upset. I really did. I nearly shot out of my head from it, but then I remembered my promise to myself and my promise to God. I'm not going to dwell on it. I'm just going to dump it on Him and leave it there. I can't do much if anything to change it; He has to. If it will be changed, if it will be helped or resolved, He has to do it. I just can't anymore. I'm too full of hope now. I just can't argue with Him and His reasoning. The Bible is too often proven. There is no reason to fear. I hate that I even blew up, but maybe over time, I'll learn to stop that as well.

    When I saw a meme today that made me smile, I decided to share it. It goes along with the first resolution and now my second. My second resolution is to share my faith, to show others that it's not a gimmick, it's not something I do for attention. It's not something I think will pass either. I believe and I know that God is good always. He really will be the provider. The meme said:  "We don't pray to God because of who we are, we pray to God because of who He is."

    God and God alone will keep 2024 and every other year, month, day, hour, minute, and even every second in check. He and He alone is the Resolution. If that sounds churchy, well, don't think of it that way. Think of it as just a really good honest statement from the experience of someone who has fallen over and over again, but who has decided to not fall alone - - If nothing else comes of it, I will be still, and know He is God.

    It works, Tex. It works.

Photo Credit: Ebay

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