A Quick Note on My Hiatus
As some of you may have noticed, my posts have become sparse as of late. The truth is, I started a new job in October and I’ve been so geared in to being an amazing employee, that I haven’t been blogging as much.
I also think the fact that my kid is now past two and in total toddler mode is playing a factor as well. Never underestimate the power of an active two-year-old to tire you out at night.
Never fear though, my blog will be back up again soon.
Until then, you can find me in the following places:
And…coming soon, a Horror Blog featuring former Borders employees!
Also, if you are here because of Babel Clash, have no fear…it’s back! Thanks B&N!
‘Til next time…
Way Off the Wagon
The bad thing about sharing all of my previous weight loss successes on my blog previously means I kind of have to share the failures as well.
So, it’s been about two months since I fell off the wagon. I’m not necessarily sure why I fell off the wagon or how it happened, I just know it did and since then it’s been a gradual downward spiral. It’s pretty disappointing. I know what I have to do to get back on track, I just haven’t done it yet.
Sure, I could blame the lack of accountability for Weight Watchers Online, but that would be a cop out. The online program is really something you need to self regulate and I started cheating, which led to where I am now.
I have since cancelled my WW Online subscription.
I know what I have to do – I just need to do it now.
Onward.
Beware the US Airlines free airplane ticket scam
In today’s mail, I got a hand written envelope from Phoenix, Arizona. Wasn’t quite sure what to think about it, but I opened it anyway. It ended up being a letter from US Airlines Vice President Nicole Clay. She was writing to let me know they’ve tried several times to get in touch with me to let me know I was eligible for two roundtrip airline tickets. All I had to do was call a fancy toll-free number and away I go. Well, I was always brought up to believe that if something is too good to be true, it probably isn’t. So, after a quick google search, sure enough, this is a credit card scam. It also looks to represent itself in different ones with different names. Sometimes it’s a letter, sometimes it’s a travel voucher…just know all times it’s a scam.
If you’ve received something similar from US Airlines, please let us know about it in the comments below. I want to make sure this gets spread around as much as possible. These types of scams really piss me off sometimes. Hell, I’ve never even heard of US Airlines. Oh well.
I’m also showing an example of the letter I got (sorry for the bad quality, but you get the idea, right?). Stay safe folks.
Beware this US Airlines scam!
Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall – Working Day and Night
As I may have admitted during my 31 Days of Halloween Hijinks in the Thriller post, I’ve been on a huge Michael Jackson kick ever since I got back from the Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil show. So much so, that I checked out every album in his discography from the local library since then. While I already knew he was an amazing musician, what I really learned is how awesome Off the Wall is.
Sure, I’ve heard the singles and hits for every single one of his albums, but I’ve never heard the entire album for most of MJ’s earlier career. In fact, up until this past weekend, I didn’t really even know much about Off the Wall. Now, after listening to it non-stop, I am able to say it’s my favorite complete album in MJ’s discography. It’s just perfect from start to finish.
The song that’s currently stuck in my head is “Working Day and Night.” No lie, have the CD in the car with that song on repeat. I can’t get enough of it. The energy, the horn blasts, the chorus, hell even the “ooh hah” in the beginning of the song all add up to the perfect pop song.
After listening to MJ’s entire discography these past two weeks, I can definitely say his best decade musically was the ’80s (Off the Wall was 1979, but that’s close enough). Do you agree with me on this? ’80s MJ is the best, right? Feel free to sound off in the comment section below.
Also, what other artists should I get addicted to next? Before MJ, I picked up the entire Beatles discography. For now, I’m thinking either Pearl Jam or The Rolling Stones.
5 tips and tricks for a successful NaNoWriMo
While I don’t claim to be an expert (far from it actually), I do have the experience of completing a 50,000 word novel during NaNoWriMo in my lifetime, and since today is November 1st, I thought I should offer up the tips and tricks that guided me through my novel-writing journey.
First and foremost, writing 50,000 words in 30 days looks like a daunting task. Don’t kid yourself into thinking otherwise because it is. One of the most important tips I have that you need to remember is this: Don’t let the sheer size of the task get into your head. If you’re psyched out, you’ll never finish. Trust me. Just sit down, relax, put your hands on your keyboard, and get writing.
Second, make sure you’re writing space is clear of any major distractions. When I completed my NaNoWriMo, I sat in a room with no TV and worked on a computer where I disconnected the Internet while I wrote. The closest I got to distraction was putting my music playlists on shuffle.
Third, what you write during NaNoWriMo will be nowhere near a final draft. Consider it as the first draft of your first draft. Don’t get hung up in plot holes, grammatical errors, or spelling errors. Those things can be fixed later. NaNoWriMo is about words, words, words.
Fourth, set a pace. I tried to write 1500-2000 words a day. There were days I wrote less (0 words) and days I wrote more (5000). If the novel you’re writing is speaking to you, keep going though because you will definitely hit walls and stall throughout the month. By writing ahead when the novel takes you with it, you’ll prepare yourself for when you stall with your writing. If you get way behind in your word count, step back, take a break and simply recalculate your new daily word count. My guess is that it won’t be as bad as you think, so don’t get discouraged.
Fifth, and potentially the most important, have fun. Successfully completing your NaNoWriMo novel is a fun thing to accomplish, so don’t let it stress you out while you reach that goal. Just remember, it’s a marathon and not a sprint.
Hopefully, these tips help you out on your journey. If you have more tips for all the NaNoWriMo participants, leave them in the comments.
Happy writing!
31 Days of Halloween Hijinks: What’s Next?
Day Thirty One: What’s Next?
Well, this was a successful Halloween if you ask me. It’s almost ten o’clock and my daughter is still awake from all the excitement (no candy tonight though…seriously) and my wife and I are mellowing out in front of the TV before we get ready for bed. In case you don’t remember, my daughter and I went with the themed costume this year. In fact, I’m going to dress up with her every year until she gets sick of me. So, here’s Poppa and his little monkey.
Lily Monkey is hungry!!
I can’t believe 31 days are already over. Things just flew by this past month. Thanks so much to all of you for sharing your time with me this month. I really hope you continue to come to the blog regularly because I plan to keep on going.
So, what’s next you ask you ask?
Well, you can definitely expect to get a healthy dose of pop culture, movie, music, and books on the blog. I’ll also throw in some other content (contests perhaps?) and guest posts from time to time. Plus, personal stuff and recipes and writing will also make appearances…stick around why don’t you?
No matter what happens next, Halloween Hijinks may be over for this year, but the regular hijinks continues!
Halloween Hijinks: New Devil’s Night Traditions (and a free Batman pumpkin stencil or two)
Day Thirty: New Devil’s Night Traditions (and a free Batman pumpkin stencil or two)
Tonight is the night before Halloween, which is also affectionately known as Devil’s Night (or Angel’s Night in the Detroit area). Up until tonight, most of my thoughts of Devil’s Night revolve around mischief-making, The Crow, and Detroit burning itself down. That’s not a very positive way to think of an evening (well, The Crow is a good graphic novel/movie), so this year, I decided to make Devil’s Night something new. Now, for our family, Devil’s Night will include cupcakes, pumpkin carving (and if I have my way, Chinese food).
First, we have the cupcake eating…
Mmmm, this is a yummy new tradition.
Then, we have the pumpkin scooping…
Scoopin' out the pumpkins with Momma.
Momma's pumpkin gut bowl is fuller than mine.
Now, we apply the stencil on the pumpkin…
Daddy, I think you're doing it all wrong.
Then, we have the final product…
La La La La Elmo's World...
The new Dynamic Duo...all lit up!
If you’re interested in the Batman pumpkin stencil, follow the break where I’ll post the link to that stencil (and some of Joker and Catwoman as well).
