Let's Start Spreading "Good News"!

"Which do you want first?  The Good News OR The Bad News"?  How many times have you said or heard that very statement?  If your like me, more times than you can count for sure!

It seems more and more these days all we here is the Bad News.............personally I am getting tired of it all!  I cannot quote you the exact statistics but I believe the saying is that:

    "When a person has a bad experience they will tell 10 people and when they have a good experience they tell only two people!"

  Folks this formula needs to be reversed!

We need to take control and shout the Good News from the rooftops!  It's not just Good News, it's things we LIKE or LOVE!  We need to spread the word when we like something!   How many shows have you made your schedule around because you didn't want to miss and episode and then it gets canceled?  How many authors do you read a book or two then you can't find any new releases?  There are a LOT of factors to be considered but I believe one factor is that the Networks and Publishers didn't realize just how many people LIKED the "product" they were doing away with!

Many times we have thought that there was not a lot we could do to support a show or an author..............Enter inspiration!  I just read author Nancy J. Cohen's latest blog post on how to support your favorite authors with just a little bit of your time.  I have linked her blog for your but I am reposting what she had to say:

     "

How Can Readers Help Authors?

Posted by Nancy J. Cohen on August 31, 2012

If you’re an avid reader, no doubt you’d like to encourage your favorite authors to keep writing. What can you, as a consumer, do for the writer who bares her soul to you in each story? Beyond buying her latest title, is there more?
You betcha! Here are some things you can do on your end that will be appreciated.
Write customer reviews of author’s books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Shelfari, and Library Thing.
Add author’s book to your Wish List on Amazon.                          
Search for author’s website, author name, and book titles periodically to raise their rank in search engines.
Bookmark or add to Favorites the author’s online sites.
Like author’s Facebook page; Share and comment on her Facebook posts.
Retweet author’s Twitter updates; Mention author and her books on Twitter.
Like and Tag author’s Amazon author page as well as each book title and edition.
Share author’s newsletter with your friends.
Recommend author’s books online on various reader forums.
Create a Listmania list on Amazon and add author’s books.
Look for good reviews of author’s book and click Yes to “Was this review helpful to you?”
Follow author’s blog tours and leave comments.
Repin author’s photos on Pinterest. Go to online bookseller and Pin author’s book covers into one of your albums.
Offer to hand out bookmarks for author.
Initiate a Street Team of fans to spread the word about author’s works.
If you live in the same region, suggest the author as a speaker to various groups.
Buy the author’s latest book or ask your librarian to order it and put your name on the wait list.
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Anything you can do will help, especially in this era of viral content. Word of mouth still has the most clout. So share your pleasure in the author’s writing and make her job easier so she can concentrate on writing the next book."

 WOW!  Can't think of a thing here that costs me anything but a little time and what a difference it could make to that author!  You can do the same thing to support your favorite TV show, movie, or even to some extent business or product!

Nancy's book's are available in lots of places including Amazon, and if you haven't read her Bad Hair Day series you are missing out! Permed to Death is the first in that series.

Another favorite author, and local to my area, lol, heck I even run into her at the grocery store is Jodi Thomas.  Jodi has a lot of GREAT books but I am particularly fond of her Harmony series!  She had me hook, line, and sinker with the first book Welcome to Harmony


So look up your favorite author, share the Good Word about their work, send them a "Way to Go" note!

It's time to flip that formula and when something GOOD happens, let's tell TEN people!  And if it is bad, stick to telling JUST that person or business!

Bowling Alone is BAD for us!

Personally the only people I know that have ever bowled alone were professionals or members of a team who were practicing. Ever gone to a movie by yourself? I have and I have seen some good ones and bad ones, but one thing I have found – whether it's good or bad, I enjoyed it much more if I had a friend with me to laugh or “groan” with.

Last night my darling daughter (yes sometimes that description changes but it depends on what she has done) “roared” into my house all excited. She is a junior at West Texas A&M University, a Business Major, the Scheduling Manager at the Canyon McDonald's, and a member of the Chi Omega Sorority (yes technically it is a Fraternity since it was started by a man but the girls go with the Sorority tag for less confusion).  Mary has always been involved in groups (4-H, FFA, Girl Scouts) and activities (cheerleading, student council, basketball, volleyball). 

I raised her to be involved in her community and her world but to be honest I never thought of her as a prospect for a sorority.............gosh, am I ever glad that I was WRONG on that call! Last night was a case of redecorating her car because Rush (my bad, Rush is an old term, they call it Recruitment now) is next week, and I got to hear exciting stories about their photo session and all the plans they had for Recruitment.

Looking back on my undergraduate years and to the present of having taught a freshman Communication class since 2009 I have thought several times about WHY some students don't make it to graduation. I have even thought ahead to why some people do not succeed in the work place and in life. This morning I had one of those little “flashes” (and I don't mean a hot flash – this was a light bulb flash)..............I remember (mainly because my mom saved them for ages) my first grade report card and one of the things I was graded on was “plays well with others”, as I got older that category changed to “works well with others”............it made me think..........

Several months ago a former instructor of mine, Dr. James Hallmark (he is now a Provost at A&M University in College Station) recommended a book to me -  " Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American Community " by Robert D. Puttman.

“Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans’ changing behaviour, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures—whether they be PTA, church, or political parties—have disintegrated. Until the publication of this ground breaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe.

Like defining works from the past, such as The Lonely Crowd and The Affluent Society, and like the works of C. Wright Mills and Betty Friedan, Putnam’s Bowling Alone has identified a central crisis at the heart of our society and suggests what we can do”

We have spent many years teaching our children (and ourselves) to be themselves, to be individuals, to follow a different path..............but I think somewhere along the way we forgot a very important fact.............LIFE is about being part of a TEAM!
The community you live in could not survive if there was not a Team of people keeping it together – the city government, the police department, the fire department, the schools, etc.

Your work place is a team, no one – not even the farmer in the field, does their job completely by themselves! We all depend on someone to get something done in order for us to do our job successfully. Many jobs REQUIRE an official team in order for it to be done. I promise you, NO single engineer designed and built the Space Shuttle, it was a team of engineers, in fact it was SEVERAL teams of engineers that made it happen.

Why is it important to discuss this? Because I think that one of the reasons our children are NOT succeeding today is because we are not teaching them to be part of a team. This is something they need to learn from a young age and it is something that they need to continue as they grow and mature.

Now what does that have to do with an excited daughter storming into my house? Well it goes back to my thoughts of why some students don't succeed in college. They are young, they have come to a new place, and many know no one there. Student's need to get involved in something besides their classes, whether it is a sorority/fraternity, campus church group, or academic organization...........


Involvement in an organization and the forming of friendships will give them both a sense of belonging AND experience in working with a team. Of course they do need to find a balance between fun and school but with guidance they can.

I am going to go out on a limb with my next statement because I am not sure if the statistics are available to prove or disprove my hypothesis BUT I think that if you could review the academic careers of high school dropouts you would find that the majority of them were NOT involved in any organizations or activities at school.

Many of us treat the old saying “All work and no play makes (insert name) a dull boy” with light heartiness............ but it is so true! Think about it, that week that all you do is work and you don't take time to play even a little..........just how long and tiring was that week?

So my advice to you is to work, but also find some time to get involved and play a little.............encourage your kids to get involved and to play - no matter what their age!

 
In closing I will say that involvement in our community, our work, charity, and family makes this a MUCH better world..............so stop Bowling Alone, invite some friends to bowl or join a league............it will make your world a lot brighter and your life a little richer.

Retail Therapy..........Actually Retail People NEED Therapy!

Yesterday I worked at JC Penney, it was Sunday and the last day before our area schools started so we had a BIG crowd - big enough that we did 30% more in business than we were expecting.

I want to begin by saying that I had some GREAT customers...........and finish with saying I came closer yesterday to NEEDING the services of Bail Bonds by Judy, than I have come in a LONG time!

**smacking head on keyboard** Once the day started they just KEPT coming in!  Kids screaming, crying, and playing chase throughout the store..........Parents totally ignoring what their kids were doing, and customers who seemed determined to figure out what my "last straw" was!

 ****BELIEVE ME there were SEVERAL times I just wanted to SCREAM TOO!!!!!!

If they "touched it" they threw it down, if they went near it they knocked it over..............we were in a constant battle to TRY and keep at least even with the mess.

I was particularly excited when the Mom and two teenage daughters came to check out and the teenager SAT/LEANED on the front of my counter with her BACK to me while I was checking them out, there was some conversation throughout the transaction and I am pretty sure RUDE is something they strive for........enough said about that one.

We made it to 6pm and closing time.............and they would NOT leave!   People were still going INTO the dressing rooms, they were still shopping............FINALLY we got them all out at 6:30............and at 7:45 we were able to leave (btw, I and most of the staff were scheduled to be off at 6:45 but between the mess that was left AND the customers who would not leave..........we didn't make it in time!)

Well I did make it without having to call Bail Bonds by Judy and Ollie (my dog) listened to ALL my troubles and the sun is shining today...............mmmmmmmmmmmm, maybe I should reconsider that Job Opening at Cheetah's.................No, not that desperate yet! LOL, Ya'll have a good day!

Job Match FAILS and Unemployment Crazies!

Okay, I am STILL on the job hunt..............I have been searching! Everyday I go through a “list” of matching words – Marketing, Sales, Outreach, Coordinator, Public Relations, etc. my list is a long one!

With every search I find one or two decent job opportunities, a whole bunch that don't fit what I am looking for – I don't think I am that picky but I just don't see my next step on my career path being a Schwan's delivery truck driver.

I have typed in my work history and education SO MANY times I can do it in my sleep! I no longer have to double check phone numbers of jobs or references, I have them memorized!

In the process I have submitted several applications that I KNEW were going to be turned down, let's face it I am drawing unemployment – oh and that is another story in itself!, so I have to apply for at least 8 jobs a week regardless of the facts (whether they fit me or not). I knew full well that Pillar Hotels was going to turn me down for a manager position but what the heck I gave it a shot!

I already did one blog post on filling out applications and job search engines but today was SPECIAL! Today I “registered” with a local area Job Search site (no I have no clue why I had not done this before but after doing it today I think I secretly knew not to!). I filled in all their blanks, I listed my experience and my goals, submitted my resume and WHOOHOO! They had recommendations for me right away................

THEIR number 1 recommendation was at Cheetah's Gentleman's Club! Uh, WHAT? HELLO! This is the best you can do? ROFLMAO! Let's look at this a little closer shall we?

1. I am 52 years old and kicking in the door of 53 – one month away to be exact!
2. I have given birth to THREE kids and to me exercise is a FOUR LETTER word! Now I do not consider myself fat but face it I do NOT have the same body I had at 18! Gravity has taken a firm hold on several parts of it and while many of those parts do Wiggle and Jiggle it is not controlled and it ain't pretty!
3. Referring to number 2 – I have WRINKLES old enough to vote!
4. Rhythm has NEVER been a strong point of mine, I did take ballet but that was when I was 8 and 9 years old and there is a VERY good reason I did not continue!
5. Limber has NEVER been a skill associated with me, even BEFORE I got old! With a scorecard of: Car Wrecks, Steer Riding Wrecks, Sports Injuries, and Repelling Accidents I REALLY am stiff, I am pretty sure I paid for half of my chiropractors new house!
6. Yes I have done some pole dancing, in the past..........get your minds out of the gutter, it was an exercise class that I tired for two sessions..........the pole did more bending then I did! Jaimie Lee Curtis I am NOT!

 ***I guess I should add that if I DID take the job............I know the perfect recipe for getting "oiled down", I will just use the Shaving Scrub I tried last night!


So I am still on the Job Hunt, please don't tell the Texas Workforce Commission that I turned down a Job Opportunity..........I may not be able to convince them that it was in everyone's best interest that I do so!

Speaking of Unemployment – I have to tell a story of “What in the World?” regarding this State Institution!

Four years ago, when I was laid off from the Amarillo Dillas (now Amarillo Sox), I had to file for Unemployment. At that time you were “paid” with your very own personal debit card – btw, I must add the fact that I only got two payments then and had to fight for those, once because I TURNED down an interview with Schwann's for a delivery truck driver and once because I turned down a job to accept another one (neither was starting for about two weeks).

Anyway, after I started my new job I put that little special debit card away and (I think) when I made the move to Canyon I threw it away.......................BIG MISTAKE! It seems that the State thinks that this is a LIFETIME card! So much so that even though I was still gainfully employed they sent me a NEW card back in July of 2012!

Yep that's right, the cards are only good for FOUR years and then they send you a REPLACEMENT card even if you are still employed! Unfortunately they sent it to my address that I haven't lived at for THREE years – uh the Post Office does NOT forward mail that long!

Now because I am a dummy and I did not go ahead and select the Direct Deposit option (really I didn't notice it) when I first filed on August 1st my first “check” automatically went on that new personal debit card that is floating around in Dead Letter Hell!

After several phone calls I am being sent a REPLACEMENT card with the caution to hang on to it............Remember it is LIFETIME, I will get a NEW card in four years whether I am working or not...................I should get my August 14th check about September 1st (crossing my fingers). Since I “signed up” I have gone back and done the Direct Deposit route.

Now you might be thinking “okay your own Direct Deposit so that is how you should get this payment”...............WRONG! SINCE I did not sign up for it to start with and the initial payment came through the debit card – the REPLACEMENT payment HAS to be on a Debit card! **shaking head and banging it on the keyboard** Someone please tell me HOW this is saving the state any money?

Alright, I need to get back to job hunting and in 5-7 days I (crossing fingers) should get my first unemployment “check”..............actually if it all works right I will get my SECOND “check” first, cause it is scheduled for Direct Deposit............maybe, hopefully.............oh heck, guess it's a good thing I like beans

Pinterest and Shaving May Kill Me!

Why I think Pinterest may be the death of me!

Yep, it may just kill me for sure! Yes I am hooked! I have lots of boards with multiple pins on each board, probably enough that if I live to be 80 I will never try them all! But I have been trying very hard to try at least ONE thing a day!

I must note that yesterday I tried three recipes (it was my complete meal) and each recipe turned out good...........I did make notes on two of them and the next time I will be making a couple of changes that I think will make those two great! A few weeks ago I went on a cleaning binge and about wore myself out!

Tonight I tried the “Super Easy, Most Awesome Ever” skin scrub for your legs. The ingrediants were simple: ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup olive oil, and 3 TBSP lemon or lime juice..........mix it together and use. The recipe suggested these steps: Shave legs, put on skin scrub and scrub, shave again, rinse, more skin scrub and scrubbing, then final rinse. And a promise that your legs will be smooth, smooth, smooth!

Well they didn't lie...........but for me they left out just a fewwwwwwwww tiny details and suggestions............

1. I would recommend taking a bottle of Dawn to the tub with you cause the water is going into a TUB of GREASE.
2. You are probably going to be cleaning the tub afterwards..........I am old and the last thing I want to do is step into the shower in the morning, slip, and fall!
3. Again refer to number 1..........regular tub cleaner is NOT going to get all that olive oil out of the tub!
4. Have the towel handy for when you are done but be prepared for it to go STRAIGHT to the washer...........again I reference the TUB of GREASE!
5. Work really HARD on getting the bottom of your feet GREASE-FREE, especially if you are like me and your bathroom is TILE! Reference to number 2........I don't want to slip and fall ANYWHERE! I am old, I don't bounce as well as I used to and things have a tendency to crack and pop when I fall!
6. Well now my legs are shaved, silky/greasy smooth, my tub is clean, my floor is clean..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................and I have discovered something else......................my dog LOVES olive oil..........he won't stop licking my legs!

With this discovery I think I have a new course of action............NEXT time I need to shave my legs and scrub all the “dead skin” off.................I think I will just smear my legs with olive oil and let Ollie LICK the hair and dead skin off! It will save me having to mix anything, clean the tub, or clean the floor!

Job Hunting - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!

On The Hunt For A Job – A Note to Employers

Yes I am a member of the “unemployed” and I have been hunting for a job for about a month now. This writing is not so much about my search or the jobs that I have looked at but rather the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly that I have found.

Searching: Let's face it these days the numbers of employers who buy an ad in a newspaper to advertise a job are few and far between! The majority of employers posts their jobs on their web sites and these are picked up by Job Search engines who repost them.

Job Search engines can be a great asset, but they can also be a major pain! Some of them require that you “sign up” for updates before they will let you “see” the job. Others want you to look at offers such as degree programs, now I understand this – they don't do this for free, they have to make their money somewhere and it has to come from advertisers. My argument comes from the fact that unless you are VERY careful you find yourself filling out your information for the advertisers because you “think” it's part of the JOB application! And this is just NOT right! Another downfall of these Job Search Engines is the fact that many do not keep good track of when jobs are filled so you find a lot of messages when you click on the job that it is gone............more wasting time!

Applications...........Oh here I go, MAJOR RANT on this one! I have a resume, it is a pretty good resume if I say so myself! Now mind you I did NOT do it all by myself, I had a friend who helps people write resumes for a Living who helped me write mine. Lol, my first one she said it was GREAT for the 1980's but we were in a different century now so I needed to make some MAJOR changes! Okay she was right, it is a LOT better now that she worked on it!

1. Auto Fill: The site has an upload for my resume and it auto fills several blanks in the application...........HELLO! If it can read my name, address, phone, etc..........why I am STILL having to fill out Education and Work History?
2. Resume Upload: Okay, I uploaded it..........then you direct me to a page where I retype EVERYTHING on it..........See above, Auto Fill is AVAILABLE!
3. ReCAPCHA: Oh don't even get me started! :( Insert almost every word I could say that if my mother heard me I would get SLAPPED! I am 52 years old with trifocals but I can still SEE, I have had some sites that I typed the “words” if 20 times and many of them I KNEW they were right but it still says I was WRONG! I understand security but this is ridiculous! Hey come on! If a computer “applies” for the job...........your going to notice it when IT comes in for the interview!
4. Applications: Some sites have a very nice application that you can fill out right there! WhooHoo! Now let's talk about the REST of them!
   a) There are those who have applications that you can fill out BUT who ever has done the “fillable” form has set it for the type to FILL! Which means some of your entry's are in BIG BOLD print and others are in teeny tiny print and it just looks BAD! Some are set right but then they want you to SIGN the application...........which means you have to print it out, sign it, then scan it, to send!
   I really love the ones that direct it needs to be TYPED or PRINT...........but they don't make it Fillable! Hello! Who in this day and age owns a type writer? Very FEW! Your option? YOU have to make it Fillable FOR them! Ugh!
   I REALLY loved one job opening that the ONLY place you could get the application was on line BUT you had to make the form fillable yourself and then they REQIURED that you MAIL it in! I am betting they have a typewriter in their office! Lol
5. Response: Now I am in their court, I really do LIKE it when I get a response back from the Job Search engine or the Employer that they have RECEIVED my application! AWESOME! But I can tell you the “Employer” response is few and far between! Now I am not saying that Monster or Career Builder or any of the other sites are not getting my resume to the potential employer but it would be really NICE to know for sure!
6. Salary: Yes I get it, I do understand why many employers do not advertise a salary but here is the Flip Side of that............if you spend the time to advertise a job with no salary, you look through applications, select several to interview, call them in............how much time have you wasted when they say “I can't do the job for that”? I had one that I applied for – 40 to 60 hour work week, travel, sales – they called me and in the conversation I found that they wanted all of this for $25K a year and I pay my own expenses!............Uh, no thanks!
   
   
   
   Well my hunt is still on along with all of the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!  
   
   
   Please feel free to share your Job Hunting Experiences with me here..........we can laugh together!

Retail Blues and Tax Free Weekend

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **Shudder** There are two days EVERY retail worker dreads and EVERY bargain hunting shopper counts the days down to..............TAX FREE WEEKEND and BLACK FRIDAY! Yes I know a weekend is longer than one day but for this purpose I count it as ONE!

This is the “day” of days............the day you can SAVE an average of $8 for every $100 dollars you spend and that is on top of what the sale price is! WhooHoo! But it is also the day that you are going to be in a LOT of lines............Lines for the dressing room, lines for check out, even lines to get in and out of the parking lots.

Your in a hurry, I know that!, the kids are in tow.....your tired.....their tired.........you've been on your feet for hours and you are so ready to get home to relax and enjoy your weekend.

 I get it, I understand totally..........but let's talk about the “flip-side” of this coin............

I'm here because it's my job, and yes I applied for the job knowing that this day will come. Let's discuss the list of things that I am doing/not doing:

Doing:

1. Smiling! Yep, that is what I am supposed to do, no matter how tired or hungry or how many times you yell at me.
2. Helping! Yes, I am trying to be helpful, even when I am busy with another customer and you ask where something is or want a price check on something, PLEASE give me a minute, the customer who caught me first thinks that her question/need was just as important as yours!
3. Cleaning! **Sigh** I know the place is a mess right now, it was neat and clean when we opened the doors this morning and we are trying our BEST to keep some kind of order! And on a special NOTE: If you REFUSE to let me slip into the dressing room ahead of you to clean it out...........Hold off on the BITCH session when you get out about “How messy the dressing room is”!
4. Checking! YES, I want you to be able to buy EVERYTHING that you have picked out, I really do! 1 – because you took the time to select it because you wanted it! 2 – the more you buy, the less I have to straighten when we close the doors! 3 – we are in business to SELL! So we want it SOLD! 4 – If you decide you don't want it OR if I can't ring it up......that means I have to take it back to the correct department! ….................................SO................PLEASE be sure it has a bar code on it! This is NOT 1960! Just because you say it was on the $10 clearance rack does not mean it was supposed to be there AND I CANNOT just type in a price! I have to have a bar code in order to put it in the register............if it does NOT have a bar code, then you need to be SURE and check out in that Department! I have 10 people in line behind you, I CANNOT leave my register and run over to Children's to find the rack this came from and find the same item with a bar code on it!

An EXTRA Note added after working Saturday:  YES I am going to ask if you have our Store credit card AND if you say NO - I am going to ask you if you would like to apply to save some money!  I am also going to ask you to fill out a survey at the end of the transaction....................Lighten up!  This is what I am supposed to do!  Please don't bite my head off or go into a 10 minute soap box speech on the evils of Credit Cards or how you once filled out a survey and the company spammed your email to death.................If a supervisor comes by and I DIDN'T ask you about the credit card or ask you to fill out the survey - they are going to say something to me about it later!  So PLEASE bear with me, it is "in my job description"!

Not Doing:

1. Setting down! I get a break every three hours, that is it! You at least get to set down in the car between stores, not an option for me............and yes my feet do hurt too! Along with my back!
2. Quiet time! ROFL! Yeah right, refer to above, every THREE HOURS! That is when I can escape for 15 minutes of quiet time! You think your tired of hearing kids scream? Step into my shoes!..................Btw, I was so impressed with the parenting skills of the mom who allowed her son to scream at the TOP of his lungs for 45 minutes in my department because he wanted to ride the escalator DOWN when they left...........you let him scream, you ran off every customer in my department, it gave me a super bad headache, as you looked at bras, tried them on, then checked out............45 MINUTES! You turned from the register and said “Okay, we can ride the escalator DOWN..........and he stopped screaming............thank you so much! NOT!
3. Food: OH I get that! Yep........ONE meal break in a NINE hour shift, and it is ONLY a 30 minute break..........it feels like High School! 30 minutes to clock out, get up to the break room, make a potty stop, shovel my food in, and relax..........Yeah Right!
4. Escape: You have commented TWICE that you can't wait to get out of this store! AMEN Sister! Me too! Refer to above – we normally have a 1 hour lunch but to be sure we aren't delayed in coming BACK from lunch they have cut it to 30 minutes and have ordered food in – I am so excited about 4 hour old pizza that has been setting out all that time!
5. Yelling: No I am not ALLOWED to yell back at you, no matter HOW stupid your complaint, OR the fact that you just scooped all the panties off that table so that you could set your purse down, OR that your kid just knocked over a rack and you told him it was okay cause it was in the wrong place, OR that you opened three pajama sets to “see what they looked like” (btw, there IS a picture on the tag) and then chose one that was still together because it is for a gift!

Whew, okay that rant is off my chest. All I ask is that you REMEMBER! REMEMBER, the person behind the counter is there because it is their job, REMEMBER much of this is beyond their control, REMEMBER it has been a long day for them too, and REMEMBER this little fact........................................................They live here and who knows, NEXT week they maybe in YOUR place of work.............and they may just REMEMBER YOU! And how YOU treated them!

*****Just to note, a while back I encountered an insurance saleswoman that REALLY wanted to sell me some insurance............I REMEMBERED her, and I REMEMBERED her WELL............I didn't buy a DARN thing from her!

I am sure many who have worked retail have similar stories, lol, would love to hear them!

Art is All Around Us - and Cassie Foster is a Leader!

You say you're not an art lover? I say Poppy Cock! Lol, that's right! Poppy Cock!

We all admire beautiful things and we buy things that we think look nice but when we speak of art many immediately think you have to go to a higher level of understanding and knowledge in order to appreciate the “object” as art...............WRONG! Art is all around us, it is on the walls of our homes and offices, it is what we wear as clothing and accessories, and it is the buildings we work and live in.

art/ärt/

Noun:

1. The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture,...: "the art of the Renaissance"
2. Works produced by such skill and imagination.

I am a big believer in the second definition: “works produced by such skill and imagination” and those works are all around us!

Let's face it, NO ONE has ever looked at a painting or print and said “That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life, I am going to buy it and hang it on my wall” Art does not have to be old, or high priced, or even original to be enjoyed..........it just has to be appreciated in order to be art. This brings me to my purpose today................I have “discovered” the most WONDERFUL artist right here in Amarillo, Texas and her name is Cassie Foster! She paints a variety of subjects but what I LOVE most of all are her Long Necked Ladies!

You can follow Cassie on her Facebook page Cassie Foster - Artist on Facebook

She is represented at a gallery, called The Stache - Facebook for The Stache, located in the Sunset Art Gallery, during the summer she is there a lot BUT you can always catch her during the First Friday Art Walk (hint, it happens on the First Friday of every month!)  Sunset does have a Facebook page where you can check out more of the artists out there

Now I will tell you a little secret............at the present time Cassie's work is STILL very affordable for any budget! You don't even have to purchase an original, she does do prints from $10 to $30 on most of her paintings. But let me tell you the BIGGEST secret of all...............I am certain, when “big money” art lovers discover her.............the prices are going to go UP! This is one artist that my grandkids are going to be REALLY glad that I purchased, and purchased MORE than one!

 

They are fun, delightful, and best of all..........I never get tired of looking at them! I have three of her paintings, but still on my list of “wants” is one where the Ladies hair comes from trees!

 

Beautiful as always!

You can find more of Cassie Fosters work her ETSY shop - Cassie Foster

On another note, I must say this blog post was a pleasure to write and it was SO easy to put together thanks to my new Linux system and Ubuntu!

A Rant against the evil, puss-covered, slimy Trolls that invent viruses!

Evil, Slimy, Puss-Covered, …...........the list goes on for the names I could give those that create viruses!

On the other end of the spectrum are the Knight's in Shining Armor! Lol, only mine don't wear armor, one of them wears tennis shoes or flip flops, the other cowboy boots; one is former military and served in Afghanistan and the other raises and shows cattle on the college level; one is married with the cutest little baby on earth (well at least until my grandson comes along, lol) and one is single with a girlfriend that I know has to be awesome cause he is dating her. They both carry laptops but you can forget the stereotype of glasses patched with tape and snorting when they laugh..........btw, one does have glasses but he would probably use Duct Tape if he had to patch them. They are just all around good guys that don't laugh at little ole ladies like me and have the patience of Job when trying to explain computer things to me. Once in a while I have to say “stop!” - “I don't have a clue what you are talking about” or “do you really think I am EVER going to use that part of the program?”. Like any good teacher, they smile, pat my hand and go on. Vance Morris and Brett Dawson are just too cool in my books!

My story actually – probably - started months ago when my computer got “grabbed” and I spent a miserable time where Bing had a hold of my computer, like the flu a week before Christmas I didn't ask for Bing it just got me! Suddenly I could not search for any page because Bing would do the search and redirect me to strange and frustrating places...........I would have to do the search 5-6-7 or more times before it would finally get me to the page I wanted, even when I was typing in the exact addresses! It was like trying to get a straight answer about of a group of 12 year olds on “who broke the lamp”, only I couldn't smack or ground the “person” who put Bing on my computer! (I still wonder if it wasn't a certain 14 year old that lived at my house but for the record she denied it!)

I have spent four years at the West Texas A&M University Department of Engineering and Computer Science so I do know a few top brains when it comes to this computer stuff (yes they do laugh at me sometimes but they do it politely). I batted my eyes and begged and one of our top students (Vance Morris) came to my house, spent 3 hours and FINALLY got Bing off my computer! WhooHoo!

Well I was good for awhile, but then I started noticing my computer getting slower, and slower, and slower. At the start of the summer Bing didn't hit me again but another virus came to visit, my computer science hero's swooped in again to fix my troubled PC. They really are knights in shining armor! 

Fast forward a couple of months and BAM! The virus trolls got me again! By this time Brett Dawson had to step in because Vance is all the way in New York at the IBM headquarters for a summer internship, and although he tried to fix things via text message it worked better with him and Brett talking and Brett doing the work here. This time it was a four hour fix with a warning that it might not hold................they were so right, on Saturday of last week the evil Troll which calls himself “Platinum Security Shield" invaded and I was toast! :(.............For the record, if it gets you just turn your computer OFF, unplug everything, and find a technician cause it is GAME OVER for you!

Btw, also for the record these virus folks should really learn more about their victims! Seeing pictures of “Brittney” flashing her chest on my computer screen did nothing for me and NO I did NOT want to chat with her even if she was lonely!

Now I am up and running again, this time with the operating system called Linux, using Ubantu for my processing, along with FireFox and Google Chrome for my searching! I am told that this combo is what all the “in the know” computer science folks use because 1) it is a much higher level than Microsoft and 2) it is not an exe program so therefore none of the trolls write viruses for it!

Now some of you are saying – Whoa! I never heard of Linux much less Ubantu, that is going to limit what programs/software you can use! There is an answer! Lol, and kind of a fun answer! There is a piece of software called WINE! Yep, you heard me right it is called “Wine” and it is built so that you can run software built for Microsoft through it and it will convert it to Linux/Unbantu!  Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_%28software%29 if you want more info about it.   I knew Wine was good for a lot of things but now they have taken it to a whole new level..............don't ask me if it is Red or White, they didn't tell me that one! :)

Time to get back to the Internet and searching for new heights! Oh wait, no..........time to load all of my pics and other things salvaged from my “old” system onto my Linux system.............THEN on to new heights! Ya'll have a great day!