I Gave up Coffee.

 Two weeks ago I was so sick, and now, looking back at it, it could have been Covid, but I don't like to give that belief much thought. I know the virus is real. I just think it could have been prevented and that it was created, not an act of nature.  That's not what this blog is about; this blog is about one of the things to come out of the illness.  I gave coffee while I was sick because it upset my stomach so badly. I finally just said no to it, and though I'm on the mend, and almost over the dang thing, I still don't want to drink coffee.

    I'm not going to be dramatic, or say that I was an addict. I will say that I drank it every day, and that I looked forward to doing so. I drank coffee regularly since about my early 20s, even though I began drinking it at the age of two. I wasn't a full-cup drinker until about the age of 21. 

    When I was in my younger years I'd find a place like Starbucks to make me a strong cappuccino, usually a wet cappuccino, and usually with three or even four shots of espresso. I didn't do this all the time, but I did it enough so that when Starbucks came to my hometown, I knew what to order. I drank a grande four-shot wet cappuccino.  That was my go to. 

    Over time I started lowering the shots down to just two, and then finally going to a tall with just one shot. Time continued to pass and I would just make mine a flat white, asking for more cream. It's been gradual. I owned my own espresso machine, but they never turned out as good as the ones you could get at a shop.  My coffee pot was good though. I kept it stocked with good darker roasts and I drank one to three cups a day usually. I saved myself a tremendous amount of money doing that.

    Working from home, I don't get out to buy coffee on the go. I just make it at home. I decided two weeks ago to stop and I just didn't make it. I wasn't an addict apparently, because I didn't have any qualms about putting the pot away. I just stashed the machine in the pantry and haven't used it since. It didn't take a lot of heartwrenching to do it; I just wrapped up the cord, rinsed out the machine and stuffed it into the pantry where it sits today.

    One thing I thought would happen was that I would have intense withdrawals from choosing to go without any stimulant. That never happened. I mean, maybe it did and I was just too sick from the cold-covid thing to know I was having caffeine withdrawals. I didn't have a head ache that I remember. I didn't feel weird or empty. I just stopped drinking it. I substituted green tea, Macha tea, and I love it. I only drank one cup, not two or three.  This morning was the first time in about 12 days that I had regular green tea. I'm not going to substitute one caffeine for another. I just liked Macha and I'll drink it when I want to.

    I'm not kidding, I thought if I ever had to give up my coffee I would fall apart. That didn't happen. It was like letting go of someone who just sort of hangs out and doesn't do anything for me. It was as if I was keeping coffee around for my own reasoning, but there was no actual reason. I don't feel badly. I don't feel anything different. I'm not happy about it. I'm not sad about it. I'm not even sure I even notice any differences yet, but I'm told I'll have a clearer mind to think through issues. That makes me happy.

    I'm filling my life and body with good things. I meditate, eat correctly, sleep well, stretch, do exercises, walk, and pray. I take the right supplements and drink plenty of lemon or lime water throughout the day. Maybe...just maybe....giving up the coffee will be the one thing that triggers my hormones to finally release this stupid belly fat! Wouldn't that be nice? I'll pray about it. I don't want to put any false hope out there.

    That's it. No more coffee for me, not unless I have an occasional drink with friends or something, but for right now it feels as if it's history. I'll keep you posted.

Photo Credit:  OverHere.EU

Going Beyond the Label.

 I watch these videos online and I think long and hard about them. These videos I'm talking about are those would be Hollywood type doctors who swear by all things they believe to be holy, that they've discovered a new pill, a drug, or supplement that will change the way we live and the way we eat. Inevitably they claim a person (usually a woman over 50 years of age) can and will shed weight if they only join the many thousands who have already shed 10, 15, 20 pounds in just a short amount of time. Just pay $$$ for their pills...come on, you can do it...right?

    It makes me laugh really. I think, "Why are people so dumb that they would fall for this?" It has to be a lie otherwise it would have been out there with your own doctor's signature on the Rx pad, telling you to have your insurance pick up the tab for their miracle drug. It's not true. It's not real. It's not safe usually.

    What I did was go online and see one such "miracle pill" from a guy who really did have the credentials he claimed he had, but all that means is that the people behind the supplement paid him to agree to say he developed the pill and that he stands by it. You know he's raking in the money; and he had zero or very little to do with the actual supplement. It's just a scham. I hate it, because too many folks believe it.

    OK, so the pill I found was supposed to "reactivate" a person. I say that loosely so no one feels they need to sue me anytime soon.  I looked up the ingredients and they are (for the most part) zinc, selenium, cooper, magnesium, vitamins C, B6, and B12.  Tell me you can't pick those up on your own for so much less than what they are charging with these pills they push.  You can go on Amazon, Swanson, so many other places and pick up a bottle of each or in combinations of these supplements. I personally prefer liquid drops; it's so much easier.

    I do a daily poo-cleanser that was put together by me in a big container using the same exact ingredients as another famous celebrity doctor. I think I have something like 180 days supply rather than 30, and it cost me 1/2 of what he was charging for his 30 day supply.  It works fine. I'm OK...over here pooping like I should.  I'm going to give this new weight loss and skin firming "pill" a go by buying the liquid drops and taking them in the same amount of dosages suggested by the good doctor.

    Soon, I too, can look 20 years younger and have radiant skin, nails, and hair....my face will become firmer, and my belly fat will instantly melt away! That's his claim, not mine. I'll be happy with being healthy and hopefully it will help my immune system since it has all the same ingredients that others prescribed and have prescribed for years. It's just amazing how these doctors think we need to buy zinc in the pharmacy and pay $$$ for it when it's literally $3 at Wal-Mart or online with Amazon.  You only need 10-12mg a day, so if you get the 25mg pill you may consider cutting it in half. READ and talk to your doctor about it before you go off and experiment!!

    This time tomorrow I will have the liquid miracle in my hands!! Maybe by this time next month I'll be radiant...who knows? Worth a shot, right? I bought a bottle of berberine as well since another famous doctor claimed his new pill helped to reduce a woman's waist and literally 90% of the pill is berberine....go figure. Again, just look it up, talk to your doctor, be sure you can take these supplements and save yourself the $$$ you need to put into your gas tank!!

UPDATE:  I literally bought four bottles of liquid drops that contain the EXACT supplements (and a few others like folic acid and other mood supplements) and the four bottles will last 60-90 days depending on the bottle.  This means at least 60 days. They all have 60 days at least in them.  I paid $42 for it, and it will last at least 60 days. The cheapest bottle online for the good doctor's pills was $49.95 but you had to buy two to get the price. Each of his bottles are a month's supply, or 30 days. See the difference?

Photo credit:  TraceMinerals.com  (Not the one I bought)

Driver's License Rant.

 I'm 100% over the rant-stage at this point; and I have to add that a trip to Arby's helped in that situation. My driver's license was up for renewal and had to be done by 3/31/24.  Today is 3/22/24, and I happened to be off from work at noon today; yay team!  So, I decided to drive to the tag agency, which is where we get our licenses in the state of Oklahoma.  I rolled up to the place and walked right in. There were only two people in front of me.

    As I walked up to the counter I could clearly see a big orange sign stating that they had reached their capacity for doing driver's licenses for the day. It was barely after the noon hour and they're open until 5:00 p.m.  There were literally TWO people in front of me. I wondered if they were even allowed to take off at noon; they aren't. It's a government-run facility, and they don't get half-day off-with-pay type benefits. 

    When I got to the front of the line I was asked if I wanted to make an appointment to have my license renewed. No, I don't want to make an appointment, I'm here! I wanted to renew my license. Apparently, they don't do it that way anymore. I don't know when that started as my last license was renewed in 2020. It was confirmed in the "Pandemic" and I walked into the place without a mask and got the darn thing. Today, I have to set an appointment! 

    There was a young man sitting by the driver's license photo thing and he said he had been there 3 hours waiting for his appointment because he couldn't make it, leave, and come back. He lived too far away. That's crazy! There were people in the office right there who could have helped him. They were moving so slowly, and intentionally not looking at him. I thought "Wow, these people are both lazy and rude."  I know I'm correct on that one. 

    Anyway, they only had appointments for times in the month of April. They were booked solid unless you walk in at 8:01 a.m. and they have someone who decides to help. No thank you. I'm complaining to the Governor and I hope others do as well. This method is highly unproductive and it causes anger and unnecessary hardship on people.  I left the office and drove four miles to a tag agency in my smaller township of Bethany, where I grew up. Luckily, there was only one person in the entire office! Woo Hoo!

    They still wanted me to set an appointment, but I managed to talk them into doing mine between the three appointments they had scheduled for after 1:00 p.m. today. It was about 12:45 and she said she'd do it. YEA!!  I was really happy about that.  She asked for my driver's license of course, my passport and another form of proof to show where I live. Are you kidding me?  I mean, I keep my passport on me, but I don't keep mail on me.  I asked her to look up my car registration and she did, and used that. Geez Louise!

    The four-year renewal was only $21.50 and because I'm 62 it was only $17.50.  That's cool - - but you know what really hit me is that we have to prove so much to get a dang license, but they'll let illegal undocumented people into our country and allow them to have I.D. cards without any I.D.   They can literally say their name and address and get the I.D. card without proof! That's not acceptable. 

    I am an American citizen and I had to prove my address three different ways. I had to show proof of my insurance for my car tag, and I had to prove my identity through a valid passport as well.  The 2024 election will likely see millions of voters who have no right to vote, but because they have an I.D. they will claim to be an American. I am not sure if their cards are different from ours. I would hope they would be.  I can't shout it loudly enough - - we need reform!

    There should be a way to go online and renew the licenses as well. If they accept my passport they should be able to look it up online and see that it's valid.  If they accept my car's registration they should be able to link that information as well. I should not have had to drive around and beg someone to take my photo for my license. We have the means of doing that through an app as well.  That's how I did the passport photos.

    It's only a little rant, but one that needed to be done. I'm just so tired of people (usually the government) making things too hard on all of us - - just don't.  Remember to vote those into office who you feel will actually do something for us; not harm us. I think there is a way to do this all online, but I didn't know that until today - - which wouldn't have helped me. You need to do it about a month in advance. I thought I was doing well doing it a full week beforehand. 

Photo Credit:  Zutobi.com

Lean Six Sigma - - and Me.

 I was somewhere around the age of twelve when I first learned about Bloom's Taxonomy. I guess I just thought everyone knew about it, and you can only imagine my astonishment when I realized that no, no they didn't.  I was called out for my love of the philosophy even before I knew I had adopted one. I was a Bloom's friend and there was nobody in this world that could stop me from asking pertinent and/or meaningful questions about literally everything I came in contact with. 

    Today, some fifty years later, I'm still asking questions. I want to know just about everything there is to know about everything I see, hear, know, or think about. I don't see a piece of art and think it's pretty. I first wonder about the artist, and why they were compelled to make that particular piece of art. I see something at work or at school and wonder who engineered it. I think someone had an idea, they had to get it approved, and then they hired someone to make it happened. I never just look at something and think, "Oh, that's really cool" without asking myself what it is, why it's what it is, how it is constructed, what makes it work exactly, and can it be improved. I asked myself what applications does it have in my life, and then I start building out my own thoughts of why I didn't think of it myself!

    Lean Six Sigma, or just Six Sigma really, since all of these concepts include the "lean" portion of it now; trying to be the best and using the most effective means possible; it only makes sense to just combine the two and call them what they are. They are the components to a philosophy that asks us to be more effective, more logical in our means and ways, and to find better and more efficients means of being productive or in some cases, being more effective. 

    Six Sigma courses train a person in several disciplines but not all disciplines; not yet. They are coming out with more courses for more diverse learning and I love that. It's literally  the very core of what Six Sigma is all about. We can't stop at 8 or 10 disciplines if all disciplines can benefit from the way of thinking which is Six Sigma. I think for the time being, I will learn the processes through a free online course and do so in the discipline of supply chain or logistics. It has always been a fascination of mine; how the food ended up on my plate.

    Everything has a start. Everything as a beginning, a middle, and an end. As a writer I fully understand the concept. In my training and my research I welcome the fact that there are stages and degrees of learning within the courses. If you think of the frog that becomes unaware of how hot the water becomes because he/she has become so accustom to the temperature as it slowly rises, that is the same concept of Six Sigma. You can't take it all in at one time; it's overpowering. You learn as you go, and you build on what you have learned.

    The company I am currently working at doesn't offer the paid training in Six Sigma for Claims Adjusters at this time; they are only paying for the courses for their managers. I think that's unfortunate, because the learning concepts are not just for one set of people; the entire company will benefit when any and all decide to think openly, willfully with a desire to streamline and make the process easier, better, more efficient. It's OK, I'm not going to wait on them - - I don't wait on anyone and I never have. If I want to learn this philosophy, and I do, I'll simply find a way - - it's who I am.

    I'm now enrolled in a free online White Belt course for Six Sigma, and after I take the White Belt certification, I'll pay for the other levels. There are various places to go online to learn; you don't have to enroll in college these days to learn. Since it's not a degree program, online certifications are available. There are places you can go and take official tests so you get your certifications; this way you can add these needed and valuable skillsets to your resume. You appreciate in value - - professionally speaking. It can help you with your own personal self love and awareness as well.

    Six Sigma is a great practice to engage in at so many levels. Like Bloom's Taxonomy, it's not just for the limited disciplines being offered, but a technique to use in literally every decision you make from this point forward. It gives you a way to think through your decisions and to come up with the best and more keenly thought out resolution.  You start to think about things in so many varied ways; it gives you a spectrum of choice that you may never have realized before.

    If you're interested I would suggest that you Google "Online free Six Sigma courses" and find the one that best suits you. I'm going with www.sixsigmaonline.org for the first round, and if I like it, I will continue using them for the various levels or belts before taking the final step to become a Black Belt. They have Master Black Belts as well, but I think I'll stick with the top tier of Black Belt. I'm not necessarily going to try to train others. This is for me. This is my time. 

Photo Credit:  Vanderbilt Center for Teaching

"Mesa" it Begins.

 Writing the newest Nick Posh thriller titled "Mesa" will possibly take a bit longer than I usually take because I'm working now, and can only get to it after work and on weekends.  I won't rush myself, and I have no timeline or agenda to meet.  I'm just happy to be back in the "saddle" again - - that's sort of a play on words because in the book Nick will have to saddle up and ride across desert terrain to capture one of the bad guys he's chasing. There are actually quite a few in this new book.

    The last book "1211" was a different sort of book. It dealt with the strange personalities of a certain home in the city where Posh and his family live. There were murders but he wasn't using his detective skills to trap any of them really. He was using his wits and charm to help an elderly suspect from being wrongfully accused; and yes, he did manage to stop a couple of bad guys from doing things they shouldn't be doing.

    "Mesa" will see the American gumshoe back on track, and working under his own steam as an independent investigator. He's being paid by the City of Oklahoma City to track down and hopefully apprehend a couple of men who had murdered two women in that fair city.  He ends up taking on additional work that seemingly corresponds to his first assignment; sort of double-dipping, but not necessarily.  He forms his own task force to assist him as they'll need to split up to make the case, or cases.

    This one will be fun to write. It involves strange people, odd events, lawlessness in lawless places, and a throwback to the Old West days that somehow seem trapped in time for obvious reasons. The entire book will be spread over a short amount of time; only two months. It's action packed, fun, crazy, wildly imaginative, and it will showcase the charming behavior of our man Nick Posh; the man who can smile his way both in and out of trouble.

    I hope it turns out the way I want it to. I'm studying and researching today and all week. I'll start writing next weekend probably. Some of the characters in this one will be very recognizable. L. Frank Baum is mentioned, as well as other Chicago entertainers, murderers, and high-enders such as George Remus, Beulah Annan, Byron Gay, and both the Ringlings and the Barnums. Circus personnel, animal trainers, wranglers, gamblers; you name it - - they make their appearances against the backdrop of the greater Southwest barren trails and buttes.

    Right now I'm studying the murders of a few of the more publicized cases in the United Kingdom as well as the United States during that period because Posh will continue his weekly calls to his friends in Edinburgh; helping them help him with cases he's working.  His wife Elaine and his son Alistair are vacationing in the old city so they'll make their appearances as well. Good stuff. I can't wait to pen it - - type it.

Photo Credit:  WorthPoint.com

The New Book. (Postponing Again)

 The new book, the one I won't title until I actually publish it, is giving me second and third thoughts. I'm wanting to write it, of course, but I'm thinking of making it another Nick Posh book rather than a stand alone drama. I've decided to pour more of myself into the Posh books for the foreseeable future. It makes sense when I think about it.  Branching off into romance is OK, but just popping out a drama book for the sake of it didn't make a lot of sense. 

    If I make the book a Posh book I can kill two fake birds with one fake stone. I don't ever want anyone to associate me with being a bird murderer...nope.  I can write the book, make it everything I want it to be in terms of sending a message, and it can be a Posh thriller so that it has a good plot and a couple of who-done-it moments. I like that idea. Besides, the book will deal with self-awareness, suicide, homelessness, and the underseen, underheard, under-appreciated. Nick can sink his detective teeth into it and find out some of the underlying reasons for such behavior.

    I'm thinking Dr. Francis Moynihan can meet up with Dr. Wilhelm Rosenfield and they can write a white paper together on what they research and discover.  My new romance book will take place in Edinburgh and the characters will be modern aged, present time. I don't need to have too many out of sync books out there. I'll stick to Posh and romance. Sounds good. I just talked myself into it.

    My next Posh book however is "Mesa" and it takes place over the summer months of 1931 while Elaine and Alistair are in Scotland. Mesa takes place out west in the Southwest states of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. There will be horses, circuses, clowns, mayhem, murder, and more. There will be a cast of weird yet loveable characters; some helpful, some not so helpful. There will be a reason to call on a few old friends from the Taylor murder days; maybe someone can help Nick put a pin in Charlotte Riley, aka Charlotte Shelby, Mary Miles Minter's mother, who many believed murdered the super-director in 1922.

    "Mesa" will be a wild west ride for sure, with plenty to look back on and say "that was fun".  I hope to think of great adventures for Nick to participate in, as well as coming up with ways to showcase his detective abilities. He'll run into a man by the name of Erle Stanley Gardner and they'll talk.  They are exactly the same age, give or take a few months. Both men will discuss their passions. That will be good. P.T. Barnum will make an appearance as will Frank L. Baum, the writer of the Wizard of Oz and other Oz stories.

    I think I'm going to enjoy writing "Mesa" as much as I enjoyed writing "1211". I have to tell you, writing is my passion and my soul-food. I don't think I could breathe without it. I have been postponing it because I'm working but I need to get right back into it - - I can work, and I can study, and I can do the whole Six Sigma thing too if I need to. I'm going to study Xactimate soon, maybe in May. I can write and put in a few pages every day or so - - it adds up. I need to write. It keeps me grounded.  I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

    

Photo Credit: iStock.com 

1211 - Boo Boo!! (I'm OK)

 I really don't know HOW I do this, but I've done it three times now. I have sent up the wrong file for the interior of my book(s) after I have gone over them with a finer than fine toothed comb, only to have sent up the WRONG file, the one without the corrections. Then, after I get it back from the publisher online so I can check it, I (because I'm a real dummy) didn't look at the interior, I just OK it since I know it's been gone over - - DUMB THING TO DO - - I assumed! 

    So, this time, with "1211", I did the same thing; I sent the wrong file up.  You'd think I could just scrap it, have the publisher take the book out of distribution, and send up the good one, but I really don't KNOW if the good one is good enough. I think twice, maybe three times, that maybe I deleted it thinking the other one was the better one - - second guessing is not that far of a leap since I've already screwed up.  So, what I did was to stop the presses on it, and keep "1211" from being distributed, but I did go through it page by page and I marked it up with a pen, and turned the corners down of each page where I found a possible mistake.

    I am now going through the dog-earred copy and making the corrections before sending it back up to Ingram Spark to be redone and made ready for production. THIS TIME however, I will check it again online before agreeing to have it distributed. I swore up and down after having down that with "Edinburgh" and "Bay Sorrel Ranch" that I wouldn't do that again. I'm supposed to be deleting the back copies. I can at least take credit for  naming them correctly, but like a dummy again, I didn't change the name of the one I sent up. I may have renamed the bad copy and deleted the good one. So, in the future, when I write a book, I will be deleting the bad copies as I replace them and only having ONE copy on my desktop. I can have 10 copies on a flashdrive, I don't care, but I send the one from my desktop to the publisher.

    Geeze Louise! You would think I would learn by now. I have over 100 mistakes in the book right now. If you were one of the unlucky ones to have purchased it, please let me know, I may make you prove it before I send you another copy, but I may be able to send you another copy. I'm not making promises, I have no idea how many people bought the bad book. It was available for about two weeks before I got my copy and realized it was so grossly incorrect.  Maybe in the future I can actually afford an editor, but I'm not sure I'll trust them either.

    The good news is, the new copy should be THAT much better. I like this book. I LOVE all of my books, I really do, but this one was really fun to write. I like it. Someday, when I have nothing else to do, I'll correct all the books, tweaking them here and there, and republishing them with better and more precise covers. As I grow in my craft I learn things, but I don't have the capital to make the changes and redo things after a certain amount of time. They allow you do it a few times in the first 60 days, but not after that, they charge. It's not much, but right now I'm not a wealthy author - - just a published one. Maybe one day!

    I drove by the old homestead this weekend and thought to myself that the people living there now have no idea that a book is out there with their home being the centerpiece of the novel.  I changed the name of the address and house of course, but still, it was a fun year. I will always remember it as one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I could write another book about it, maybe a sequel  - you just never know.

Beginner's Luck? (Maybe I'm Good at This!)

 I always giggle when I start a new job or work with people who don't know me; they don't know I'm a talker, and then they find out for themselves.  I can literally talk the ears off a wood-gnat, and in case you didn't know, they do have ears.

    So, I started my new job as a Claims Manager for an undisclosed company last week. We were given a full week of training before being expected to be on the phones and starting the pipeline to what will become our income source. We fill up those pipelines with promises of recovery from liability and/or subrogation claims, and over a period of time the fees shift over to my account bucket, from which I am then paid. 

    I'm paid a salary, but there is a bonus and commission structure as well. I make what I put into it really, and I hope I can do well enough to make the bosses happy, but not too much money this year, as I'm trying to balance myself with my other income source; the one that won't pay out if I make too much money. I'll be paid this year, but if I make too much in 2024, I'll lose the extra in 2025.  It's a thing - - but one I want to play at so I can be both useful and not over stressed to the point where I feel as if I have to be the top producer. (Those days are so far gone.)

    I'm such a content person, that I am 100% OK with being paid a good wage, commission, and bonus as long as I'm not stressing, over-working, and/or otherwise pushing the envelopes. I like to chill, take breaks, breathe, strategize, organizing myself to the point that I work smarter and not faster or harder. I want a steady work flow, and I want it to be really laid back - - that's the part that takes a bit of practice. I'll need to get geared up and I love the fact that this company is all about learning the job well before expecting me to be the miracle-child.

    The job is rather easy in that there are only 3 moving parts. I am given a claim to work, I work it, and ask for payment. If the party doesn't pay, eventually I turn the claim over to the "collector" who is an attorney. I'm an adjuster who determines liability based on liability statutes, policies, and coverages. If someone says they're not responsible I investigate it. If I find that they didn't do their due diligence, if they didn't have the required licenses or insurance, or if they either admitted responsibility and/or it was witnessed, then we ask for the money our clients had to pay to be indemnified.

    We are hired by those who are self-insured. If they are liable they pay their own, we don't represent them in their defense. We only recover what they are owed and I am in the first line of that recovery process. I get the claim, work the claim, and ask for payment. If they choose not to pay after we've proven their negligence, I simply turn it over to the next level and go on to the next claim.  Simple really. I love the investigation part best of course, but I also love talking to folks and trying to work things out before they are turned over to a legal advocate. I hope to help.

    Today, out of the blue, a guy decided to pay something he had previously told others he wouldn't pay or take responsibility for because I was able to explain it to him in a way that he understood his position rather than just being told "Pay this, you owe it."  

    He prefered the analogy ..."If  someone wanting to rob you jumps over your fence and breaks into your house, if your dog bites him for it, he can sue you through your Homeowner's Strict Liability clause. Our clients know you have a strict liability to pay what one of your subcontractors broke if you don't have a bond on that person that was in place at time of the loss. If you do have a bond on that person, you can present it to me now, and I'll call them and rebill the claim to them so it's off your plate and in their corner."   He knew (and I knew) he didn't have the necessary documents for that particular day or that particular worker.

    The man paid the debt in full and that sort of made my day. The man doesn't have to fear that he will be taken to court and charged extra fees on top of what he didn't want to pay in the first place, and our client is happy to get that matter off the books too. I'm happy because it stuffs my pipeline, and my boss is happy because just after one or two days on the phones I've had a few payments already!! Woot. I will say it helps to be nice, sweet as honey, and to pour on that Southern Belle charm that simply oozes out me when I need it to.  (Think Reba.  She doesn't REALLY speak like that - - I've known the woman since 1979!) 

    Let the games begin!! I'm hoping to do really well, but not to exceed what I don't want to exceed. Maybe I can train people and then just take a lower salary...that may be the way to go in the future. I'll talk to the boss about it. 😇😇😇

Photo Credit:  Confident Living

Update on my Life. (This is Cool)

 When I say this is cool, I mean this is really something. I'm not usually this excited about stuff related to work, especially if it means I'm working for someone else. This, however, is really cool. I'm going to try and really get behind this next adventure, and when it happens, I'm going to truly love it.

    So, on the third day of my employment, my boss's boss asked me to join a Teams meeting, and we (a couple of others and I) joined and listened to him go on about a few things that were really important and informative. Somewhere in the middle of his second wind, he said, "Hey Jude, I heard a rumor about you, and you can tell me if it's true or not." This sort of thing usually makes me smile. It usually means someone found out I'm an author or that I owned Faith - - that sort of thing.

    The question on my 2nd level boss' mind had nothing to do with that; he wanted to know if I was involved with the Lean Six Sigma philosophy and if I had been certified. I was floored! What a question! No, as a matter of fact, gaining my Lean Six Sigma certification is something I thought about a few years back, but I hadn't actually done it. I'm hoping to find out more about it now, and it looks like my boss and his boss are going to put me through the courses and give me the opportunity to become certified as a black belt. Woot!

    The Lean Six Sigma philosophy, in a nutshell, is to work in two distinct manners to bring about better results. The first manner is to reduce error, and the second is to expedite the process of your project or model. You fix it, and you streamline it. It fits in perfectly with my love for solving issues in order to make things work better, feel better, be better, etc. I see a potato and I want to know what I can do with it to make it the best thing possible. Can it be improved on, and if so, how? That's how my mind works. 

    I've decided to do a couple of things this spring. I'm going to take the courses I need to know and become certified in Xactimate as well as become a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. That should take up most of my spare time, don't you think? I'll put my next couple of books on hold. It's OK; I'm not in any rush to complete them. I have several to promote now. With my new job, the next level of involvement with the books should be promotion. I earn enough now I can do that.

    Becoming a Lean Six Sigma may help in the future in terms of bringing about a better salary, but the thing is, I'm more about the education, the knowledge, the training, and the work. I like the challenge and the process.   When I think of Lean Six Sigma, I think of Bloom's Taxonomy. It's about the same thing, really, but just another way to prove your evidence. Look them up. They have similar features. If I could make money being a student, I'd do that. I'm never bored. I can honestly say that, and not a lot of folks can. I don't want the moss to grow; I'd rather find out how to repurpose it.

    

Photo Credit: Triaster.com

Work and Play!

 I started a new job this week, and though I will not tell anyone where I work, I can say that I love it. I'm not going to become rich working there, but that's not the reason I accepted the job. I don't really want a lot of money; money doesn't motivate me. I'm motivated by service, helping others, and all that really mushy stuff that makes people sick to their stomachs!

   There's so much more to life than money, and that means there's more to life than just working.  I'm a writer. I write. I get satisfaction from researching the next book, preparing to write it, writing it, then editing it, and finally watching it cruise its way into publication.  I get a kick out of thinking through what the characters will say to one another or how they'll end up engaging or interacting. I pretend in my head what it will look and sound like. That's something that makes me both get out of bed and get into bed because I often dream about those moments, too.

    The new job is a work-from-home job. I'm not ever going to go back into the office to work. It isn't something I wanted to do after retiring from teaching. I had just about had enough of the whole hour before and hour after work routine; time I wasn't paid for, but expected to endure. Now, when I get up in the morning, I can get up about 35-40 minutes before I need to be on the clock. I have time to walk the dog, make coffee, write in my journal, and log in. Before, when I worked at the school or in an office, I'd have to get up at least an hour and a half early, quickly walk the dog, make coffee, shower, dress, put on makeup, and head out the door (always forgetting something, usually my coffee) and then I had to fight traffic BEFORE I got to the office or school.

    Now, because I never wear makeup and can either shower the night before or the day of, I can sleep later, relax, take my time, journal longer, read my Bible, stroll the dog, talk to neighbors, and I can drink the first cup of coffee in my jammies before I log in -- still in my jammies!  We don't have to be on camera for the meetings unless the boss wants to make sure we're actually sitting at the computer, but that doesn't happen. He sees my log in, I'm participating, he doesn't need to see my face. 

    I am far (far) more productive at home, too; some people are not. Some people have to have interaction with others and be able to look out over the city from their office window to feel as if they are alive. Nope, not me. I'm good. I start at 7:30 a.m. on the nose, I take my breaks, eat my lunch (30 min.) and clock out at 4:00 p.m. on the nose. I don't have to endure so-and-so's stories about last night, the weekend, who they're dating, or who their grandson is dating. I don't have to fake caring about their garage sale revenues or whether or not they were able to stick it to the boss somehow. I hate, and I mean HATE, office politics, drama, or gossip. HATE IT.

    Being at home is my way of saying I'm successful. I control my hours. I control my workload. I control my results. I control my behavior; I control whether or not I want to jump on a Teams meeting to just chat - - and I don't do that. I had Amazon send a package to those who choose to work at the office today. It was a box of chocolates and some Keurig cups of hot cocoa. I'm on the good list!! They love me.

     I don't have to interact to interact! I'm not against interacting, but if I spend X-time talking to co-workers and not producing, the boss has no grounds to complain if my numbers are down if they force us to work in the same room at the office.  I worked at an office with seven women and one man. It was about 30'x50', and I wanted to scream! On either end, they had big-screen TVs with gossip shows running all day. We had to wear headphones to drown out the dang noise, and then the ladies talked non-stop the entire day!

    I just went back online to Amazon and bought some work clothes. They'll arrive tomorrow.  I bought four pairs of light jammies for Spring. They're all long, of course, but they're not flannel. The sun rises now at 6:45 and so do I. I go from not wearing jammies when I sleep to wearing them when I work. Gotta love this!! My dog can't figure out why she's not allowed in my lap for the most part of the day now that I'm working, but she's in the background at all times and this company doesn't mind if you tell people you work from home. More than 77% of our clients work from home, too. Times are changing. 

    I wonder if suggesting a pajama party would be an HR issue? I won't ask. I'll drop it in the suggestion box anonymously. We don't have to be inappropriate, but we could all raise a cup of Joe to the boss and take a photo!!

Photo Credit: LionnessofAfrica.com