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Throwback Thursday

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1982 – Is that the year Hershey’s invented the big Kiss? I do not know. But I will admit that Hershey IS my favorite chocolate bar – American or otherwise.

Hershey’s is another company that has put out some of the best commercials over the years. Who can ever forget the tagline “Hershey’s – The great American chocolate bar.” Can those of you over 40 hear that tune in your head? It gave me a tingling feeling inside and it still does. It brings me back to my childhood imaginings of what America was. A warm and strong place where no one could touch me. Throw in a Coke and a Clydesdale and my world was all right; untouchable.

My mom was not too keen on me eating candies. But my dad on the other hand… 😉 Every time I was visiting with him in Chicago and he went grocery shopping on Sundays, he bought me a Hershey’s chocolate bar. Sometimes we went shopping together, sometimes he went alone, but I could always expect that bar of chocolate. I still eat Hershey’s today. I’ll never forget that memory and the connection I felt between us over a chocolate bar. I miss my dad…Happy holidays in the Summerlands.

Throwback Thursday

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And another for the season from around 1982. In my early life, as a horse lover, the Anheuser-Busch commercials brought goosebumps. Let’s face it, all their commercials are great!

Do I ever drink any Bud products, you ask? Why yes, yes of course. Did the commercials influence me in that choice? Maybe, maybe not. When I was an “underage” drinker (which I do not condone), I drank Miller Lite (we’re talking the ’80s here!). Now as an adult, I tend to drink Budweiser products. But still, maybe my choice is subliminally influenced by those old Clydesdale commercials.

Throwback Thursday

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Befitting to the season…

I think this one’s from Christmas 1980! I loved Coca-cola holiday commercials. I have to admit, they’ve made some of the best over the years. This one brings back so many memories for me of quiet country Christmases and my step-father, Louis, trying to convince me that cows talked on Christmas Eve night around midnight.

It was the first Christmas I spent in Texas. I was in a new home, a new school, and I was more than a bit shy. Homesick, not really. Shy, yes. I had more warmth and security in my home with my mom and step-father than I ever had anywhere else and this commercial brings me back home to the early 80s when there was no cares in the world for me. Or so I remember it.

Back in those days, before Pepsi started burning up the market, a Coca-cola meant a Saturday or a holiday, a dinner out, or a special treat at a friend’s house. It’s something my mother didn’t buy to keep at home, but I loved it none-the-less.

Throwback Thursday

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!… Introducing “Throwback Thursday” here on my blog! Throwback Thursdays are a way for me to share a little more of myself with my blog readers on a more personal level. I hope you’ll not be shy; join me and share any stories you may have on the subjects I post.

I thought today was as good a day as any to introduce Throwback Thursday. Why? Because I am thankful for the memories. I am thankful for all I got to see and experience in my lifetime thus far and I am so looking forward to more. So here goes!

Well, it’s no secret I was born in 1969. I graduated high school in 1987, and I have two older siblings. My sister, who is about 10 years older than I, and my brother who is 4+ years older. Their tastes in music, movies, trends, clothing and food preferences did influence me to some extent, I know, as did Chicago. I am very much a child of the 70s & 80s, that’s for sure. But I also spent many years away from the big city, and away from my siblings, growing up in rural Texas. I’ve found that my parents’ and my step-father’s tastes in various things also play a part of who I am today. When I post a throwback from my life, there’s sure to be a memory connected.

Please feel free to leave comments on my posts and share your own stories as well.

So on each Throwback Thursday, I’ll be posting some old favorite of mine, or something that totally belongs to my adolescent years. The blogs will come from music, TV, movies, fashion, fads, food, drinks, and so forth. Hence, forthcoming are my memories.

Let’s start with something that many people remember, or have seen somewhere before…maybe on cable TV or on the Internet, or maybe like me, you spent time watching this show. Let’s face it, they can film as many re-creations of it as they like, but there will never…ever…ever be another Crockett & Tubbs as they were played by Don Johnson & Philip Michael Thomas on the hit show, Miami Vice (1984-1990). They were a big part of my teen years and I loved Don Johnson more than life itself. Me and a friend of mine had Miami Vice parties where we drank Boone’s Farm Tickle Pink and ate junk food while watching the show. Miami Vice and its cast are forever in my heart. Thanks for memories.

Find out more about Miami Vice here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Vice

MiamiVice

MiamiVice2

How Do We Associate Ourselves With Others and Groups?

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 Here’s a little something to consider. As usual, I was in a situation to think too much. So now, here’s my babble.

HOW DO WE ASSOCIATE OURSELVES WITH OTHERS AND IN GROUPS?

 

I was a sociology major in college for a reason… However, at this point I cannot truly remember what the reason was. I know why, really I do. Because I am interested in the society you live in and identify with. I want to know what makes you different from me and me different from the guy that lives across the street from me – besides the fact he’s male and I am female, of course.

 

I’ll explain my meaning behind the above question. Who do you most identify with in society? I’ll elaborate on this to get your mind turning. You associate and identify with many individuals out there and you may not even realize it. Why? Because we stereotype ourselves as often as we do others and we do it list wise…or categorically.

 

List wise? Make a list of you…according to where you are right now. What and who are you? In order, list your sex, sexual orientation, skin color, religion, nationality, etc. But do not make that list in any random order. Put the most important description of yourself first in the current situation. Where ever you are, check to see if that list changes later tonight when you get home from work. Or when you set out to meet your friends at a club.

 

Here is mine, in a nutshell right now. I am:

1.      Female

2.      White/Caucasian

3.      Pagan

4.      Single

5.      40’s

6.      Heterosexual

Which will be #3 on this list would actually be determined by the social situation. People at my job will more than likely not know I’m pagan. And for that reason, #4 might end up #3.

Now, look at the list above. If you saw this description, which one of these characteristics of myself is more important to me? The fact that I am female. To you it might not be your gender; it may be your skin color/racial group or your age. Also these may change according to social settings.

Let me tell you how you more than likely associate yourself to certain individuals, in say, a group of 250 people. And again, these could differ if we change social situations.

Let’s say you do not have what I like to call a brotherhood profession. A brotherhood profession is a group of individuals (& their families) that stick together due to their career choices (cops, firefighters, soldiers, nurses, teachers), or maybe they’re a fraternity or sorority group. These people tend to socialize in the same nightclubs, bars, restaurants, parks, and many may live within close proximity to one another in areas such as “cop neighborhoods,” etc. Sometimes the veterans of these professions will segregate themselves from the general populations…no matter race or creed or sex. I’m not saying they don’t socialize according to gender or race, but they are a brotherhood first.

We’ll work with the ladies. I’ll use myself to help you see my process and see if you can relate. Scenario: I am the new executive secretary to the CEO of BS Corporation. It’s a big, hectic, position. I’ve been there three months and know everyone in the small group surrounding my immediate work area. I am also familiar with most of the faces in my department. As time goes on, I will become very familiar with people in other departments. But, right now, my knowledge is limited. So are my nerves.

The company Christmas party has started without me. I’m single and no friend could go with me on such short notice. You see, I really didn’t want to go to begin with because I don’t really know everyone that well and I hate large gatherings.

I walk into the company Christmas party. There’s already 200+ people there. What’s the first thing I do after my entrance? What would you do? I mean, besides grab the strongest whiskey-something you can find? You stop dead at the entrance and scan the room like a burglar looking for loot.

So my eyes fly over the room. What am I looking for? First, I’m looking for the co-workers I sit closest to at work every day. It’s a start right? A connection? But, I can’t find them, so who would I personally look for next?

I look for the closest table of ALL females. Because my race means little to me when trying to make a connection, I look for a predominantly female table. I may be Caucasian but whites really don’t identify with each other like other races often do. I mean, what do I have in common with some 20 year old white man besides our color? I find a table that seats 10 people and there are 7 professional-looking women there. I don’t recognize them, but that’s where I’m going to head. There’s one white woman and the rest are a mix of black and ethnic-looking. I don’t care. We ladies understand one another. I’ve found my home for most of the night.

So, okay, what if I didn’t find that table of women? Next on the list? I might search out Caucasians second. Okay, so I spot the mixed table of white folks. There are some ladies, but mostly men. And, guess what? I think they’re all 25 years old and by the looks of it, they’ve beat me to the bar 10-fold. Should I join them? I don’t think so. I don’t want to be the odd man out…being over 40, I mean.

Moving on. The table I seek out will have older adults. Hopefully, as old as I am or older. I spot them. Older 40s through late 50s. Oh, it’s all men. No. Oh wait. Is that dude my boss? The CEO? Never! Moving on. I spot another group of mixed individuals. I’ve seen some of them elsewhere throughout the company but never had a chance to say hello. They are not “the boss”. Some are administrative assistants, and I’m pretty sure the Afro-American dude is an accountant from the 3rd floor. I talked to his wife outside the office yesterday. She told me it was her 40th birthday. They all look my age. I’ll head over there.

So I sneak up the table of 40-somethings, a blended crowd of men, women, mixed race and ethnicity…and I’m sure D.J. is from Jordan. We all get paid in different brackets, but we all make less than the CEO and are overworked. We won’t get loud and embarrass one another either. It’ll be a nice night.

But what if I’m the shy type? The above might not take place. So now what? I revert back to my school days before I had the guts to hit that girl over the head with a food tray. I casually walk the floor, grab a drink and head over the a table that has only two people. Some odd-looking, white middle-aged guy with thick glasses and a younger white female who’s attention is on her cell phone. I don’t head for the table because they are white, I go there because there are few people. I can tell other people are or were sitting at the table but might be gone now. Maybe they left, or are dancing, or cleaning out the buffet. I take a seat that is vacant, glasses and plates untouched.

They guy looks at me and I nod to him. “May I sit here?”

“Be my guest,” he says.

He looks relieved that I’m there.

Next scenario. I get on a Chicago city bus. It’s packed and there are only a few empty seats dotting the bus. Now this is a true story. So how did I decide where to sit?

My brain’s reeling with stereotypes in the short 2 seconds it takes for me to pinpoint a seat. I pay for my ride and I see very few empty seats. I scan the bus: Empty seat, but that guy in the wheelchair is blocking it. Can’t help it. It’s the handicapped section. Empty seat by elderly Chinese guy. He eyes me suspiciously. I know immediately he’s not keen on me sitting next to him if I don’t have to. There’s an elderly Chinese lady. She looks harmless enough and normally I would choose to sit by a woman, but she is totally turned around in the seat talking loudly with the 2 Chinese people behind her and it’s annoying. Empty seat by old white dude who smells like urine and is singing Amazing Grace and talking to Jesus. Other empty seat by some late 30-something white guy who looks like a Charles Manson in the making. He’s watching me, checking me out and rubbing his beard. Oh, I don’t think so Charles!  Last empty seat is next to average-looking black guy reading a college textbook and listening to his Ipod. He never looks up. I sit next to him before someone beats me to it. In my opinion, my brain decided he was the only “normal” person on the bus.

Now, it’s your turn. Put yourself in the above situations. How do you seek out comfort when you have so little control? I’m especially curious about men. How do you guys deal with the same circumstances as above?

 

Come Play With Me!

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Haha… Gotcha!

So here’s a game for readers and writers.

What do you (or a writer in general) need in order to write? Maybe it’s something specific that you personally need while writing, or to get you started.

Also, list what might be a general need that all writers have. The “things” don’t even actually have to be an item, maybe it’s a ritual. You don’t have to be a writer to play. My understanding is that readers often wonder about their favorite authors, so here’s your chance to voice your thoughts.

List three(3)  things…

Here are just some of the things I personally need/do:

1.      I have to gather everything I’ll need so I don’t have to get up…which can cause me to procrastinate. So I grab a drink, a snack, and shut off my cell phone.

2.      I have to have pens nearby so that I can thoughtfully tap them to my forehead while thinking.

3.      I have to have a notepad to jot down notes.

Leave a comment listing three things some writers might say they can’t write without, or without doing. I’m anxious to see what you all come up with!

Do We Need to Cut Back on Social Media, Web, Our Cell Phones?

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DO WE NEED TO CUT BACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THE WEB, OUR CELL PHONES?
Just rambling on….

This is a post I threw together on a whim. Just some jumbled thoughts on the Internet, social media and cell phone usage.

I think that anyone now a-days can be guilty. Know, however, that I am drawing from my personal Web experiences as both a writer and a run-of-the-mill Internet surfer. And you know me, I’m sure to ramble off subject a bit because I love to add my .02 to everything. Hence, my tagline, “And, your point is?” Haha.

Have you ever wondered when enough is enough when it comes to the amount of time and energy you waste on the Internet and social websites? Do you know, and are you willing to admit, how you abuse yourself and waste precious time on the Web?

As a writer, I do spend a good amount of time on the Web. It’s how I do research and promote myself. I remember the days when I had to go to the library to find information. Or contact a teacher, professor, doctor or some other expert on a particular subject. Of course, don’t get me wrong…writers still have to those things too, especially if writing on real-life subjects. You know, writing about true crime, or a biography, etc. Even if the crime ends up a work of fiction, statistics need to be real. Readers are not stupid.

Now then, often times as a writer I get sidetracked. I flip on my computer to get busy on Word. I power up FireFox to research women serial killers and end up on Facebook. How does that happen? Well, I’m sure there are some women serial killers who use Facebook, but I am not friends with any of them…to my knowledge. FTW? Anyway, yep, so there I am on Facebook for the next hour…or maybe two if I get on a game or start PM-ing with someone.

In the old days, before I got on Facebook, it was MySpace. Before that it was Yahoo Groups and Y!-Instant Messenger, along with plenty of niche or specialty website message boards. Before that, it was Hotmail on a constant basis. Note: I got my first Hotmail account back in 1996, which is when I was first introduced to the Web. Wow. I was so excited. I entered college in ’96 from a world where things like the Web didn’t exist. Imagine my surprise when I found out that those huge-ass floppies were gone and we were using those smaller square 3” storage disks. Oh, and we no longer had to boot up the computer using those old start-up disks I experienced way back in 1988. Ah, those were the days of the old word processor and Lotus 123.

Okay, my history with computer technology is for yet another blog at some point. Maybe. So, here I was, in 1996, doing online research. Also, there were all sorts of archives on the Web for so many things. I was impressed. I got my first personal computer, a Compaq, in October, 1999! Woo-hoo! I was in heaven. I couldn’t wait to get home from school or work and power that sucker up. Hotmail and my favorite website message board awaited me!

So, I love my gadgets & technology. I love my dumbass smart phone that I’d like to smash with a hammer and I love my laptop and my Kindle. I love social media, and WordPress, of course. I enjoy being be able to self publish books on CreateSpace or Smashwords, etc. One of my first-ever favorite sites was Amazon.com. When I first met Amazon…eons ago… I was in heaven. I found books there that I couldn’t find anywhere, even in many libraries.
I like advances. While I don’t have cable TV right now… due to cutting household costs mostly…I have Sirius radio in my car. I’d rather have Sirius than cable TV. And actually, when I as a teen and a helluva lot smarter than I am today (back in, probably, 1986) I invented (in my head) something similar to Sirius radio. I said to a friend, “Hey, what if there was something like cable radio?” I was a fool. I thought it was futuristic and a long shot. I never tried to pursue it. I’m such an idiot as I could be a millionaire today. So, I am always about moving forward.

Let’s not get off track. So I end up on Facebook, Goodreads, and often I get sidetracked by other people’s blogs and websites. Especially other writers or the people I follow on WordPress. My research falls to the wayside and I’m playing CandyCrush and reposting my Facebook friends’ crazy status updates. Then there’s Twitter. I don’t spend as much time there as I should. All my original Twitter posts feed to my Facebook author and personal pages too. What a mess!

Two hours later, I’ve got nothing done. Sometimes when I’m bored or have something like writer’s block, I get lost online for hours! This isn’t solving my writer’s block. It’s making it worse because I’m not attempting to write anything.

Half the day can be gone before I know it. Or I look at the clock, it’s noon and I’m still in my jammies. I’m not the only one, I know. It’s happened to you all too, especially maybe if you live in a cold climate where it rains and snows a lot in winter. Sometimes on a day off from school or work we are forced to turn to the Web for entertainment. It doesn’t just happen to writers, it happens to all of us at some point. It’s just some people suffer more than others. We neglect our writing and editing, our homework, or forget about our test, we abandon the housework. We become addicted to Facebook’s Farmville, CandyCrush, Wheel of Fortune, etc. Or we’re on MySpace, or Tweeting about nothing. Or we’re over reading the blogs of all our Women’s Rights activist pals, or scouring YouTube for cat videos, and checking news sites for Royal Baby happenings. Nothing’s done. Nothing. We forget to water the plants, feed the cat, walk the dog and eat lunch. We forget that we went to bed married last night. The laundry’s piled up.

As a writer, I get lost online sometimes. In fact, very often. I start out with good intentions and screw it up. I start clicking links from one article to the next. Next thing I know I’m reading stuff that doesn’t apply to my research and clicking the “follow” buttons to track more people on Facebook or Twitter. Whaaaattt? I’ve threatened myself over and over. The other day I had so much writing work to do, I got off Facebook and stayed off even though I had to access the Web a few times to look things up. I got a lot done.

Sometimes when I don’t allow myself access to Facebook or Twitter on my laptop because I’m writing, I might check it from my cell. This is because I hate my dumbass smart phone and won’t play on it long. I do not talk on my cell when I’m driving. I don’t text or access Facebook or Mapquest either. If I’m in a situation that needs Mapquest, I pull over. If I feel the call I’m getting is an emergency call, I pull over. There have been times that I have texted or tweeted while behind the wheel at a stop light but never become engrossed. But that’s wrong too, I know this. It pains me to see drivers doing these things while their wheels are spinning, and I pray to see the day when getting caught driving…or even at a stop light… and talking/texting, etc., comes with fines so large they’ll break us. It’s ignorant. People don’t even realize the things they do…or don’t do…while talking on cells and driving.

Three days prior to this blog post, I was almost killed by a woman talking on her cell, smoking a cigarette and drinking water. Driving too fast, she wasn’t paying attention to the road or the stop light, and made a turn on a red light and couldn’t control the wheel with no hands. She was holding all three: cell, smoke, water. I don’t think the shit will ever come out of my undies. She plowed past me so closely & so fast, the wind from her SUV shook my 4-door Dodge Avenger. She lost control and drove up on the curb and smashed into a parked car in a lot which then slid and smashed into a car. In that car there was a woman and her infant and a dog. They were waiting for someone to come out of a shop there.

If I was one second closer she would’ve hit me going about 35 mph in her SUV while making that illegal turn. Hang up! There is absolutely no one, and I mean no one, that you need to talk to while driving. No one. Not your kids, your doctor, your sister, your employer, and you don’t need to hear your voicemail messages either since you shouldn’t be calling anyone back. Pull over. There are parking lots and residential roads all over. Pull over. I know what you’re already thinking…No, that woman was stupid. I’d never do all that stuff at the same time and I can drive and talk at the same time. Okay…whatever. Well, this topic too is for another day. Let me not get sidetracked.

I do not take my cell phone to the dinner table, at home or while out with friends, and play on Facebook or Twitter. Do you? That’s a sign of addiction! When I’m alone in Taco Bell, I’ll often Tweet or update Facebook. I rarely eat fast food, but I like Taco Bell. One of the Bells I visit near me has interesting clientele and I love to watch them. They do funny shit. So I post it. But if anyone brings their phone to my dinner table, they’ll be asked to set it aside, turn it off, etc. That’s just bad manners to sit at the dinner table with your friends or family, playing on Facebook over Thanksgiving dinner. I hope you all don’t do that either. You should have more respect than that, and don’t allow others to do it at your table either.

Back to the Web. When does our time wasted become too much? Do you know the signs? Maybe if you know all you have to do that day is relax, and Facebook games are your way of doing that then by all means, indulge. I’ve been there too. But how much of your life do your 300 strange Facebook friends take away from you, your family and real life friends every day? How many nice-day walks are you missing? How many phone calls go to voicemail? When’s the last time you took the dog out on his leash? You sit on Facebook and the world just keeps on turning. It was 9am, now it’s 3pm. Where’d the day go?

Some of us never realize we’re addicted. Am I addicted? Personally, I don’t think I’m 100% addicted. I can still shut the computer off and walk away. I can watch an entire 2+ hour movie at home and never look at my phone. And when I’m at a family gathering, I stay off of Facebook. Now and then I might post a pic or a Tweet from my phone about something ludicrous a family member just did, but it’s because we’re on Facebook and so are our real life friends and it is fun to embarrass my brother on Christmas Day. It’s fun. Period. But I will not sit during our entire holiday gathering with my eyes glued to me cell. I like to use Facebook for fun, but sometimes it turns into a monster, or it turns us into monsters. Yes, it does. And a few of us really and totally are addicted. Some of us are partially addicted. Some of us don’t think about it until we power up the computer. Then we get stuck on social media and turn into zombies, losing track of our day; our lives.

So many times I’ve said, “I’ll finish writing this chapter, then go for a walk.” I boot up the laptop…next thing I know I’m on Facebook, or Yahoo or Outlook. The chapter may or may not be finished, but the time for the walk never comes. I’ve missed a lovely day.

Sometimes I hear big roars of laughter outside my home. My mom’s on the porch with some neighbors laughing hysterically. I find myself enjoying the noise, but never budging to join in. Then I ask Mom what the hell was so funny, and when it comes from her, it’s not so funny. I missed it because I couldn’t walk away from Facebook for a few minutes.

I am jobless right now, so for the past few months I’ve spent a lot of time on social media. Spending the time on Facebook that I should be spending writing fiction, poetry or preparing my next blog, etc. It’s crippling. I know this. When I have a job, I spend less time online and can go for a couple of days without spending a whole lot of time online and don’t power up the laptop at all. I can keep up on my phone that I love to hate; therefore, not spending hours relentlessly on Facebook.

So my addiction is intermittent. But it’s there. I fall off the wagon. I have to beat myself metaphorically over the head to get me to read the books I want to review, or to get those 2,000 words written, or edit some manuscript pages. Yes, even my greatest love…writing…is infected with Facebook. That’s when you know things could become an issue, when your greatest loves are affected.

When I don’t get done what needs to be done, I feel sick and I hate myself. That’s how we all feel after we indulge in things we’re addicted to when we shouldn’t be involved. It’s how we feel when we’ve eaten to capacity and now are eating another piece of pie. Or when we sneak a smoke when we haven’t smoked all day. Or when we know we’ve had too much alcohol, but can’t say no to peer pressure. And I’m sure there’s a million other exampled you guys have experienced or witnessed. Yes, I should’ve been writing, but instead I was on Facebook.

In recent years, I’ve witnessed some real social media and Web addicts. These people look like zombies, stay up all night for no other reason but to facebook with friends or tweet and play Internet games. They lose their lives. They have no “real” friends. Their families are constantly pissed at them for not participating in family events or for constantly staring at their cell phones. I’ve seen a few that won’t even take the time to make a sandwich, or feed the dog. I’ve met people who tell me of carpal tunnel and arthritis in their back, elbows, wrists…all from living on the Internet. I believe most of us, who have full movement of our bodies, do not stay on the Internet that long. Yes, we love to access and update from our phones, it’s fun, but remember, there’s a time and place for everything, and it’s not while driving or at the Thanksgiving dinner table, or in the hospital room of your dying grandma. If you do those things, you’re probably an addict.

Facebook gets blamed for a lot. And more and more we’re hearing about folks becoming addicted to it or its games, among other things. When did it start? Well, not this year, or even last year. Maybe not even in 2005. In 1999, I was spending hours on message boards. And hell, that was long before Facebook. While, yes, it’s another avenue for Internet addicts, it’s not the first nor it will it be the last avenue of Web addiction.

Just before this past Thanksgiving season, when I was still employed full time, I started a system. No cell phone usage at certain times of the day or week. And not at all during the TV shows I watch with my mom. She’s going to be 78. She fell ill June of 2012. Her thyroid almost killed her then she got Shingles. She STILL has Shingles. Now she’s got a heart that beats too rapidly sometimes. They think it’s thyroid or thyroid medicine-related. So she’s on a pill for that. And if one day I wake up in the morning and she’s not breathing anymore, I don’t want any thoughts to go through my heart similar to, “God, I wish I hadn’t been staring at Facebook through the dark while I was supposed to be watching The Vampire Diaries with her!” So, when we’re watching shows we enjoy together like Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries or some mini-series like Under the Dome, I leave my cell in my bedroom and I put my books down. I do not bring my phone to the dinner table. I’ve never brought my cell to our dinner table, but up until about 14 months ago, I used to check Facebook or Twitter though the dark while watching TV. I don’t do this anymore, especially when Mom and I are watching our shows.

I also had a schedule when I was working, and now that I am back on the job hunt, I’m trying to practice restraint again because I realize how much time I’ve been blowing on the Web doing everything and anything except research or job hunting. I have all this free time to write or blog and I’ve been wasting way too much time on Facebook. Next thing I know, I’ll be working again and complaining that I have no time to write…and dwelling on all the time I wasted on Facebook instead of writing during my months of unemployment. I’m limiting my Facebook time via my laptop because if I don’t, I’ll power up and be on Facebook for hours. Also, I’m re-evaluating when and where I access social media on my cell phone and trying to be less ignorant about it, and of course, I don’t want to become a killer behind the wheel of my car. So I will continue the practice of ignoring my phone while driving.

I’d like to know about you guys. Are you addicted to social media? To your electronic gadgets? How much mindless time do you waste on the Web and it’s addicting avenues? How has this affected your life? Do you even know it’s being affected? Are you carelessly putting pedestrians and other drivers at risk to feed your addictions of talk, text, and social media?

Share your stores with us if you’d like to.

Join Me on Facebook & Goodreads

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Greetings WordPress neighbors, readers, and friends…

If you haven’t yet, please visit my Facebook author page and give it a “like”. I reciprocate from my author page and my personal page.

https://www.facebook.com/WandaSParylaAuthorPage

Or join me on Goodreads!

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6914975.Wanda_S_Paryla

Thanks!!

I’m An Idiot…

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Okay, yes, Idiot on the rise here. I had so much technical difficulty today on WordPress. However, I doubt it was WP’s fault at all. It was all Wanda.

Thanks for your patience if blogs kept appearing and disappearing. Where would I be without the world of technology to totally make me feel inferior.

Don’t you all feel inferior at times? I know I do, for sure. Like those times I figure something out, like how to add or delete something from WordPress, or how to add a menu or add to a menu, then forget what I just did.

Bonkers!

Life is tough enough without computers and their not-so-friendly websites mucking up my life. Computers are supposed to make things more convenient. Well, not when I’m the operator.

Okay…onward to to other subjects.

Technical Difficulties

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My apologies to those of you who keep seeing my messages appearing and disappearing…or perhaps showing up in your email with dead links. It seems I’m having a little technical difficulties trying to post my latest book review. As well as that my last book review disappeared! Ugh!

Please stand by, and thanks for your patience.