Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Hodgepodge ABC: Advice, Blog, Combustion

Well, I meant to go back and edit this before publishing, but I hit "schedule" for 4-something-a.m. so that early birds on the East Coast could read it at 7-something. But I went to bed at 10-something with my last thought being, "Oh, well. I'm too tired to get back on and fix it. Probably haven't forgotten anything too important for it. Hope it makes sense and doesn't offend or embarrass me."

Sure enough, I left off the title and my link to Joyce. Sorry, Joyce! The good hostess didn't rag her guest for the oversight.

Here's a batch of questions this week. I'm not feeling too wordy ,if you can believe that. Nor creative. Oh, well, it's a rainy Wednesday and I'm allowed a quiet day, right. Some would even welcome that from me.

1. What is one piece of advice you would give a 'just turning' 21- year old adult?

Tear up all those credit card solicitations. Don't even open them. Okay, just one...the one with the lowest rate and best other terms. Pay it off completely the first month. If there's ever a month you don't pay it back, put the card in a bucket of water and stick it in the freezer. Do not thaw it until you've paid off the bill in full. You don't have to have everything your parents have right now.

2. Besides cooler weather (or warmer weather, depending on your hemisphere) what is one thing you are looking forward to this fall?

I'm looking forward to getting to know all the kids in my son's new school where I get to teach art one hour a week. And, here goes two things, I'm looking forward to finding out what it feels like to have an empty nest six hours a day, five days a week. A couple months ago, I would not have used the words "looking forward" and "empty nest" in the same sentence, and I realize it's still not an empty-empty nest, but it's never been just me at home all day since mid-March of 1988.

3. What sound lulls you to sleep?

Rain. It's been a sleepy few weeks here on the east coast.

4. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency 'kit' and/or disaster plan in place?

After Irene, we are better prepared than before, at least mentally. But no, we don't have an official emergency "kit" or D-plan in place.

5. How has your blog changed since you started blogging? Or has it?

I think it has changed. To name a few things: 1) I try to keep it more upbeat rather than share negative feelings too often. I have negative feelings often, but I don't think it's wise to divulge them publicly very often. I hope I do it often enough that I'm not perceived as Pollyanna, because I am definitely not a cockeyed optimist. When other bloggers keep it neutral or upbeat all the time, I don't feel like I can relate, so their blogs are one-dimensional. I like an occasionally rant or "this is how it really is" post. 2) I started out with readers mostly from my church and it felt like a tight-knit "family" . The family is bigger now, which is fine, but I feel like I've lost that sense of "up-close" community with people in my real life. 3) I get more comments from people I don't know in real life than people I do. 4) I try not to "preach" on my blog anymore. There was a time I thought every post should be "spiritual" with a specific "audience" in mind. If I feel like writing something "spiritual," I do, but I also talk about plenty of trivia and mundane things.



6. What's something you've recently learned to do on the computer?

Nothing. But can I brag that I taught myself how to set the alarm on my cell phone? Yay me. I have it set for an hour ahead of my massage appointment (my birthday treat!!!). But, if it fails, or if I fail to hear it, you can bet that my neck, shoulders, and back will remind me.

7. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

I'm going to do a separate post with pictures and post if I figure out how to get a picture off my camera phone. If I do, I will have just answered #6 affirmatively. I hope to keep it to under a thousand words, but I make no promises. After all, I can put the "labor" in "elaborate" like nobody's business.



8. Insert your own random thought here.

My sister in Texas is getting nervous about the fires. They are coming closer, and now they are close to Victoria where my cousin and his family live. It's two hours from where my sister lives. Everything is so hot and dry there that things are spontaneously combusting. Please pray for Texas!


3 comments:

Joyce said...

The 'labor in laborious'-ha...we also have that in common : )

It's hard to think about how dry Texas is....I'm starting to think NJ might just float on out to sea it has been so wet here. I'm praying they get those fires under control and your family is safe.

Lea @ CiCis Corner said...

Great answers and always fun to drop by and share a smile with you. I do hope to get back to "Hodgepoding" soon. I miss it! Happy mid week!

Laurie said...

(((hugs))) You are a joy!
Thinking of your sis and Texas w/ prayers!