A couple weeks ago my 12-year-old (who, coincidentally, reads on a late high school/early college level) brought home a permission slip from the local public middle school.

They wanted me to sign that I’d be financially responsible for audio books that she is going to be checking out. When I asked why she wanted to check out audio books when she reads faster than I do, she said that she wanted to do what the other kids did, and have the audio playing and follow along with her finger across the pages.

I nearly lost it. (And I don’t have that much sanity from the get-go, so I can’t afford to lose any.)

I followed my mommy-hunch and got online to check out her grades and saw a horrible grade in language arts — one that had plummeted in the past three weeks. I’m telling you, a child who reads and writes the way she does, has no reason to be struggling in a language arts (or any other) class. I asked her what was going on. We discussed it. The gist of it is …she’s bored.

I’m going to make sure she’s not bored. She’s being home schooled again. I tried the public school thing. I really did. I watched as she “slid” by in all her classes. I watched as she became bored and found ways to entertain herself. Thankfully, that was usually reading in class rather than paying attention. She reads 5-6 books a week on average, and sometimes more. Her choice of self-entertainment could have been so much worse.

I struggled with the guilt of leaving her potential in the hands of the public system. I reasoned that she needed the social contact, that I didn’t have the time, that everyone else left their kids in the public system so it must not be as bad as I thought (knowing full well I was lying to myself).

Once I made the decision, I expected a backlash of internal panic. It didn’t come. I expected the dread of one more thing perched, teetering on the summit of my very VERY full plate. It didn’t come. The strangest thing happened, instead…

I felt at peace. I knew that I was on the right path. I’m not stupid, and I’ve done this enough before to know that it will keep me hopping. But, I now know that I’m doing the best I can to ensure her long-term success by handing her the tools and instructing her on how to use them myself.

I don’t know if I’ll keep her out for all of the middle school years. I don’t know if I’ll break down and let her go back to “the system” in high school. Time will tell. I do know that with a mind as absorbent and “sponge-like” as hers is right now, it is immoral (if not criminal) to not throw everything possible at it.

I may not be able to change the world, or joust the windmills of the status quo, but I can do my level best to improve my little corner of the world and to give my youngest child the tools she needs to succeed.

I wish I could believe in the public system. I can’t. So, I’ll exercise my right to do it myself. I have to go now… we are studying the last Czars of Russia.

I’ve completely fallen off the blogging wagon. I can show you the bruises…

Over the past year, I’ve let my blogging slide. I’ve found a few other ways to express my verbal tendencies — one of which may well be raising my voice to all the children that are now a part of my daily life. It’s odd to go from the responsibility of a single charge to a houseful of people in a matter of just a few months.

I laughed to my mother the other day that I was looking forward to the time when it would just be the six of us. Now, consider that statement for a moment if you will… “I’m looking forward to when it will just be the SIX of us…” Wow. Never would have thought I’d ever be saying anything like that. Not in my wildest dreams… but here I am. Even more amazing… I’m happy to be here!

When you are a single parent and you become serious about another single parent… and you both have “adoption” tendencies… the house gets really full, really fast. He has four and I have three and there’s a handful of “adopted” children between us. And, we have had a family member with failing health move in as well. So, yeah, I’ll be glad when it’s just the six of us — my daughter, his son and daughter (all under legal age), the family member, him and me.

The others — all technically adults, but not quite “adult” yet — will be moving out soon. And, then we can get back into the swing of a “normal-for-us” family routine. We may have to create our own “normal” at that point.

It was so funny last month when my sister invited my crew to a birthday “thing” to celebrate my mother’s birthday (and my own).

My sister who has her hands full with her own daily life involving only one adult and one child in her home, decided to cook for my whole crew, her family and our folks. About mid-way through the meal, she got up from the table to tend to some of the food, blew a strand of hair out of her face in exasperation and said, “I don’t know how you do it! I’ve been cooking for two days for this one meal!”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that my crew likes to eat three times a day… plus snacks. I also resisted the wicked urge to tell her that I was also working 30-35 hours a week with the Census (I’m a recruiter) and that was in addition to the full-time job of running my writing business and tending my marketing clients.

Yeah, life is busy and having my sister give me props provided me a great deal of joy, I must admit.

So, even though I’m journaling in tiny little blurbs (on my iPhone, no less) to keep a record of what I do and when I do it, I’m not doing much of the standard writing that I’ve always done. I have been able to do a bit more on the novel than I expected — but only because when I have to choose between screaming and cursing or writing… I choose writing. And, at that point, I seldom choose the blog as the platform.

After all, when I’m feeling all angsty and full and angry… I’m pretty darn creative. And, what I have to say is better said as fiction, not as a rant on my blog — right?!?

I’m trying to determine how to continue to juggle all the balls that keep flying into the air over my head. So far, I’ve been too busy with that to worry too much over the fact that my regular blog has primarily been good for creating feelings of guilt and failure over the last few months.

I’m wondering if I should work on some of the fiction here on the blog or if I should continue to keep it under wraps and work on it in private… by candlelight, under the covers, when no one is looking… as is my habit.

For now, I’m trying to keep my sanity until the household thins out and I can determine (in a more logical way) what my personal and professional priorities are — aside from the familial obligations. And I’m working on getting my infamous “systems” in place to make daily life a bit easier so I have more free time. Maybe, someday soon, I’ll have fewer minute, inane, insipid questions and slews of blasted decisions that have to be answered, made or handled every few minutes.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to recapture a “flow” in life that will allow me to write more. Maybe…*sigh*

After a year and a half of singing the praises of my iMac to anyone who would tolerate it, my iMac died. The warranty was over six months ago, of course. So, at first I thought it was a hard drive issue. I researched and tried to figure out how to use my non-firewire MacBook to transfer the information using “target disk mode” which was impossible, the best I can tell.

After a week of working whenever I had a free moment, I gave up and trotted it into the Geek Squad and had them check it out. Apparently, it’s not  disk problem, it’s a motherboard problem (Oh, LOVELY!) So, I bought a hard drive enclosure and came home and voided my warranty, which as we had already established, was already void. I pulled out the hard drive and then spent forever getting all the stuff off it and onto my MacBook.

I still love mac, but I’m less thrilled with the iMac for obvious reasons. I mean, seriously, a screen of that size and there’s no way to even use it as a second monitor (no video input option)??!!? Seriously?! What an insanely expensive paperweight I now own.

I’m using the MacBook as my only computer at the moment. It makes me nervous, since I carry the little guy with me everywhere. REALLY nervous. But that’s where I am now.

I’ve been perusing some of the freebie and low-cost options to improve my iMac and my MacBook and to make my iPhone a better organizational and entertaiment all-in-one tool. I found some really cool stuff, and I thought I’d share!

Fluid – Tired of having that slow-down-to-a-crawl experience in your current browser when you have a slew of web-apps open at once? Me too! I was looking for a way to shortcut some of the more essential ones (like Google Apps) onto my Mac’s dock when I tripped across this little gem. It’s a free download and saves a great deal of time by turning your favorite URLs into great little custom-icon encrusted goodness!

iPhone Explorer – Wanna drag and drop stuff onto your iphone from your Mac? Yeah, me too. Here’s a freebie program for just that purpose. Why carry an additional flash drive? Not only for Macs, it’s also available for PC platforms.

HuluDesktop – stay logged into this sleekly designed desktop (adjustable sized) one-stop for your favorite TV shows, clips and full-length feature films. It also allows the use of your iMac remote (or the remote on your iPhone). Keep it in your dock, you’ll need it. Now, if ONLY they would make an iPhone app for Hulu… pretty please?!?

VLC media player – I discovered this during my Linux days and I keep a copy of this on EVERY machine I’ve touched since then. Why scramble around looking for something to play this format or that format in audio or video when this one plays (almost) all of them?

HandBrake – fruity little video decoder and wonder tool that lets me rip that DVD I love and move it from the dusty shelf into a properly formatted and awesome iPhone format so I can take it with me and actually FINALLY get around to watching it — something I seldom have time to do in one sitting or in front of a big screen. I’m all about the mobility and the “being entertained” instead of being frustrated when I find myself in situations where I have to wait on anyone or anything. (Also good for other formats, btw, and works on Linux and PC as well as Mac. Try it, you will like it!)

Seashore – A quick image editor. Want to crop and change an image a little without having to learn an entire manual of stuff (like you do with GIMP?) If you are working under the 80/20 rule you are probably going to want to try this little gem.It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s not for big hairy jobs — but it may be JUST what you need.

Stanza – Making your Mac work as a master library server to get every ebook you ever imagined on your iPhone. Love it, love it, love it. Did I mention I love it?!? (Also works for PC.) Download the app for your iPhone too!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! And here are some Free Fonts for Mac too, so you can expand your fonts with these free fonts (available for commercial use).

The last couple of months have been extremely busy. Business is a bit slower than usual and I’ve picked up work with the Census on the side. Sooooo…

When I’m not working on client stuff, and I’m not cooking meals and being domestic, and I’m not working on my second job (I still can’t believe how much I’m enjoying working for the government), I’m taking the time to write.

I’m carving out tiny bits of time here and there. I’m feeling overwhelmed on a regular basis. Family life has changed dramatically in the last month as our household has grown to include three additional souls. We moved in September to a larger place (which was, as it turns out, done just in the nick of time!)

I love the new place, but wish I had time WITH my man to do little things like finish arranging furniture to be more “us” and to hang a few pictures on the walls. That would be nice.

Right now, it’s not happening. We are barreling down on the holiday season, so I don’t think it will be happening any time soon. There are a slew of other unexpected demands on our time that keep pulling us away from the tasks we would like to start (or complete).

Overall, life is pretty sweet, despite all the challenges. And, as always, I cope by writing. When I get so stressed out that I can’t bear my own company, there is only ONE cure — I must write.

I realized the other day that writing is the one thing I do that can turn a horrible day into a great one. That’s quite a feat! It’s not something I’ve always known, I had to be taught. I have always known that finding the time to write made me happy, but I didn’t know that stopping everything else and TAKING the time to write could turn around a crappy day.

My boyfriend helped me figure that one out. He always asks me how my day is — not the kind of “how are you” that people ask you on the street and never pause to hear the answer and not the “how was your day” which is just a segue for many people to endure one or two sentences from you before driving a truck over you to tell you about their own. He really wants to know. And when I’ve had a rough one, he asks why. And when it’s been good, he asks why.

Sounds simple, huh? Well the other day, my morning was horrid. And by the afternoon, it was good. He asked me what turned it around. I told him I took off an hour to write on my novel. I went to a restaurant, sat down, ordered myself something to eat and typed. This was a luxury I’d never permit myself on a normal day.

I didn’t stop and I didn’t slow down. I just typed. I stopped only to eat my meal and in between bites, I typed some more.

I left the restaurant with an inspired feeling and a short scene to my novel in first draft form. And, I felt like I was walking on clouds! Even the guilt for eating out alone didn’t blemish my joy… much.

So now, I try to squeeze in some time to write. This is the first year in the last three that I didn’t stress out trying to do the daily blog in November. And that “write a novel in a month” deal is insane for me (it depressed me before and made me feel like a loser of gargantuan proportions.) I didn’t want to feel that way again this year. I’d do it if I were independently wealthy and didn’t have the kids all at home (not to mention the other demands on my time.) I just can’t even bear to try it again this year. Maybe next year.

Now, I’m using my iPhone’s recording feature to capture ideas when I’m driving down the road, I’ve loaded up podcasts of famous writers and writing topic courses and inspiration from iTunes University. I use the Amazing Note app to capture snippets of thoughts when wake up in the middle of the night with something on my mind, and no pencil or paper in sight. I carry a book with me everywhere I go. I purchased a small moleskine to keep with me again (I’d gotten out of that habit some time back), and I pay extra close attention to the people around me and the environments I find myself in each day. I notice how people walk, how they talk, what attitudes they radiate, how they weave their words and what makes them smile or scowl.

The Census work gets me out of the house (I’m actually doing recruiting and giving tests for them now before the big push in the spring.) It’s keeping me busy and is taking me outside of my usual element — and sometimes even my comfort zone.

Yeah, recruiting in some of the downtown areas in Lexington is a whole new world. But coincidentally, the novel I started nearly a year ago with a few rough notes and a hope for time to continue… is based in a town about the size of Lexington. How great is that?

So, the Census work is helping me to shape and sculpt my novel. It’s still in novel infancy, barely a bookish zygote, but it’s there. It’s real. It’s finally happening. And, discovering that it can turn a day from hell into a day of joy encourages me to give myself permission to write instead of doing all the other myriad of things that I really “should” be doing.

The fact is, I’m a better person when I carve out some time to write. I feel better. I’m a better mother, better daughter, better girlfriend. I’m just better.

So, my blog may be sparse. I’m still around kicking and scratching in the Internet world… just not with the same frequency that I once was.

I’m online updating FaceBook nearly every day, since that’s something I can do on the fly (I LOVE my iPhone!!) but I’ve not taken the time to blog properly.

I should probably say that I’m going to try to remedy that, but, as long as I’m feeling inspired, I’ll write on the novel. That’s the fact.

In the meantime, catch me on FaceBook. I don’t have the time or desire to twitter so much these days. From a marketing standpoint, with Google’s recent decision to spider the tweeting masses, I probably should — but that’s not what makes me happy. Not right now.

Right now, meeting my obligations, helping the kids, spending a few stolen minutes with my sweetie and running my business and holding down a second job is what I do. And when I have a few extra moments that I can sleep or write… I write.

It’s more than a hobby, it’s more than a desire, it’s a compulsion. And, it’s a compulsion that’s finally garnered my attention.

I guess, if I’m middle aged now, it makes sense that life is gaining momentum and the days, weeks, months and years are whizzing by with alarming speed. But, I must admit…I resent it.

I’m finally at the age where I know what I want. I don’t just THINK I know and I’m no longer juggling a million options to fling myself into auto-overwhelm. Nope, now I know. Narrowing options is actually pretty liberating. Weird, huh?

The surprising thing is that it’s pretty simple.

I’ve never been horribly domestic. Don’t get me wrong, I have my moments and some of them are even extended… but it’s never really been in my nature. Now it seems like cooking a good meal and having a clean, comfortable living environment is as important as any personal project on my list. WTH? My housework has always been the FIRST thing to go when life stresses me out. The house falls to shambles while I dig out the “important” stuff like client projects and calls from family and friends asking for help. Now, it’s the one thing I try to maintain when life hands me a mini-maelstrom.

Maybe, it’s because I don’t really have much left to prove. I’m comfortable with my own company (and boy, THAT took a lot of years!) I like the life I have inside the four walls at home.  I’d love to roll out of bed without an alarm each morning (or even ONE morning) and think to myself “What would I like to do with my life today?” instead of the typical, “Oh HELL, I’m going to have to push to get it all done today!” I’m tired of being behind before the blur has lifted and my eyes are able to focus.

I want to have lazy days – not once in a blue moon, mind you, I want that to be the rule rather than the exception. I want to throw myself into a single project and follow it through to the end without having to juggle dozens of others in spurts while trying to finish any single one to my satisfaction. I’m just too old for this crap.

It seems that, at this point, the struggle should have subsided a bit. Instead, I find that I’m pulled in even more directions and I’m tired.

I’m not spending enough time with my family, I’m not accomplishing enough for my clients to suit me, I’m taking on additional work not related to my long term goals (dang economy) and all I really want to do is gear down — even as I find the need to ramp it all up.

I had managed to get to a point in the not-so-distant past, when I could get up and decide what I wanted to do today. It was glorious. It was also short-lived. I made decisions that changed my life. They were good decisions that made my life richer and more fulfilling, but today is much more hectic.

I’m selfish… I want both.

At the moment, I’m too tired to even do the “full scale evaluation” that always makes my children, family and friends duck and hide. (It’s the process during which I tear apart everything in my life, usually starting with the house and including everything that has EVER been on my “to do” list and strive to create some new system that’s going to fix it all and get me organized on some bloody cosmic level.)

It scares people. And, it is about as attainable as that “perfect purse” I have been seeking for decades. I just don’t see the point in any dramatic, sweeping overhauls anymore. So, I plug away while the term “quiet desperation” comes to mind, which I find morbidly depressing.

I find myself counting down to when I’ll have all the kids out of the house. THAT has become a goal. Sad, isn’t it? Parenting exhausts me. Working exhausts me. Very few things DON’T exhaust me. And I find myself wondering if punching someone else’s clock would be easier, less stressful and more palatable at this point in my life.

Then, I listen to people who DO work in traditional careers. I hear them complain and recount the “workplace” dramas, the stress and the lack of control over their schedules and their lives… and I realize that although my boss can be a bear, I’ll take life I’ve built, thank you very much.

After ten years, I know that the truth of “working for yourself” is actually working for multiple bosses (clients), but since I get to pick them, I’m pleased with the results. But, I do sometimes wish I could punch a clock and then let it all go when I got home. I wish that making dinner , blogging, helping with homework or taking a shower wasn’t something that I had to do when I “should” be working. I’d managed to overcome that before the economy tanked and, like all other freelancers and independents out there, I’m finding it more difficult right now.

So, once I manage to catch up… if that ever happens again… maybe I’ll find a way to reach my goals. Perhaps, I’ll be able to gear back a bit, raise a garden, decorate my home, write my novel and enjoy life a bit more. Until then, I’ll probably continue to feel old and overwhelmed and resentful that something I have no control over (the economy) has reached in and has shaken things up at the point I’d just started enjoy calm waters.

Writing the "wicked" way

I’ve been looking for the perfect word processor for the Mac for quite some time. When I first broke free of MS Word, I was loving the open-source community and I was all about OpenOffice.

Then, when I made the jump to Linux, I simply adored Abiword and wondered why I had dealt with the bloat of Word and even OpenOffice for so long. (I still use Open Office for other features, but don’t like waiting for the launch for a word processor.)

When I went to the Mac platform, I traded in my OpenOffice for a Mac-specific version of the same called NeoOffice. Frankly, I got tired of waiting so long for it to launch to jot down the idea that I was trying to wrestle, so I started looking for faster options. I looked at Mellel (which was reportedly a favorite of many writers). It came in one of my MacUpdate packages, which pleased me. I liked it ok. I used it for quite awhile. But it always seemed to be a bit lacking. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted.

I considered getting one of the “blackout” programs that turned the full screen into a writing surface without any distracting menus or pop-ups. I test drove a couple. WriteRoom (with the Windows version being DarkRoom) and even got the iPhone app for WriteRoom to try that one on the fly. Neither worked as I had hoped, I needed it to do a bit more than just blacken the screen for $25, so when the Mac trial ran out, I left it.

I also started looking into notes options that would launch quickly… something like the notepad gadget on Windows… but something with a bit more umph. From there, I discovered TextWrangler, TextEdit (which came with my Mac), and even played with Stickies (also came with the Mac) and a dozen or so others, all in an attempt to find a quick way to keep up with my notes.

I gave up finding the perfect tool(s) and hobbled along, busy with all the other balls I was juggling. Finding these holy grails joined the mass of items on the “I’ll get back to it” list. I find that locating the perfect tools (software) on a Mac can become a full-time hobby all by itself. There are so many options! There are dozens of options that I tried that didn’t even make it into the top contenders list.

But, recently, I found my perfect option. I have a four-pronged approach to the office suite thing – one is for quick notes on my Mac, one is for word processing and “darkening” my distractions, one is for full featured word processing (which I seldom touch these days) and one is mobile.

First, I have a quick-launching multi-note system in XPad. It offers a quick way to get the thoughts down and to make lists for specific projects, ideas and writing projects. It also offers a “slide out” list of all the mini-documents contained therein. It offers cool tools like fonts and highlighter and color options without cluttering the interface with more stuff than I need or want. XPad launches when I turn on my Mac and stays “at the ready” for me to use. And, it’s FREE!

Second, I have Bean. Bean is an oddly named, but beautifully built word processor that launches quickly and handles 90% of what I need. In addition to being there in a couple seconds (literally), it also offers bullets, formatting, highlighting and several advanced features. It even offers a “full screen” mode that blacks out the rest of my computer and helps me to concentrate on the business of writing. I changed the blue background with white text to the retro black background and electric green type of my youth. I love it. LOVE IT. And, it’s also free.

I keep a copy of NeoOffice on my machine, although I seldom launch it for anything other than the spreadsheet app. I don’t really do much with advanced features like mail-merge and the like, so I don’t need those “hefty” features because I don’t do admin work. And, I don’t want to sit and wait. I hate waiting for a program to launch. I despise it.

On the “mobile” front, I absolutely adore that feature-rich note system in Awesome Note for my iPhone. I love that it’s wherever I am, and that it’s able to sync with Google Docs — even the Google Apps version! So I can backup and restore my notes from any location. It’s richly textured and as graphically beautiful and visually appealing as it is functional. I may like bare-bones programs on my computer – clean and crisp is fine there – but on my iPhone apps, I expect beauty. I can’t explain that, but the graphics (even the icon for the app) seriously affects how often I’ll use an app. I’m iPhone shallow, I guess.

I’m a writer by trade — mostly a content and marketing writer for my clients. I write, do web work, and SEO submissions. That doesn’t take much word-processing power. It takes a little knowledge and a lot of creativity — and the ability to capture the creative sparks when they fly. I find that having to wait for my software to launch actually discourages my productivity. If it’s a quick launch, I’ll add a thought or an idea on the fly. If I know I have to sit and wait for it to launch — even for an additional 5-10 seconds — I think, “Oh, I’ll just remember this and jot it down next time I’m working on that.”

The fact is… I don’t remember and I’m not patient. I’ve quit trying to pretend that I will or that I am. I know my foibles and I now find the tools I need to work around them. Resistance is, after all, futile. It’s particularly so when fighting my own nature. These tools make my life better and my business stronger and for under five bucks, I have them ALL.

Even in this economy, that’s a GREAT deal!

So, I’m working today, minding my own business…when someone calls the house phone. I answer. (Mistake number one, I should NEVER do that while trying to work.) The lady on the other end asks if I know the neighbor down the street. I don’t.

She wants to know if I can get a message to her. I say, “That depends, what is your company?” She says she can’t give out that kind of confidential information. (Hmmm… but she wants me to carry messages for her down the block?) I asked how she got this number. It was “listed” as a neighbor contact, she says. I think that maybe my significant other knows something about this that I don’t, so I continue the call.

I told her that the kids knew her kids, but before getting them involved, I needed to know if they were attempting to collect a bill (I just had that feeling). She said no, that she is not collecting a bill, she’s unable to verify references for this neighbor and is trying to help her. She says it’s really important.

I said, “So you have THIS number, but you don’t have a number for the neighbor you are trying to reach? And none of her references are verifying?” She said, “Yes.”

I asked, “Did she give you THIS number?” She said, “No.”

I asked how she got it. She said she looked it up.

I said, “Ohhhh, so you looked her up online and are calling based on our geographic proximity to her?” “Yes,” she finally admitted, “but it’s imperative we get in touch with her.”

I take the name, extension and number and then tell her NEVER to call here again and hang up.

I look up the number she gave me, it’s (best I can tell) a collection agency. I also look up the number on the caller ID (865-687-8993 – Divis O). Apparently that’s not a name, it stands for “Operations Division.”

I have to wonder if having neighbors spy and give messages and information out is a legal (I know it’s not a moral/ethical) way to get information to collect a debt.

Geeze!

For more information on these jokers, check out these sites:

• http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8656878993
• http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/gc_services.htm
• http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/gc-services-c10510.html

(Image courtesy of morguefile.)

One Sunday harvest from one tomato vine.

The economy sucks. It’s horrible out there. People are losing jobs in record numbers. The “basics” cost more now — a LOT more — than they did just a couple years ago. It’s harder to make ends meet than it has been in recent memory. And, according to the “experts” (and my own gut), it’s not going to get better anytime soon.

So why am I enjoying this mess?

It’s put me back in touch with some of the things that it’s easy to forget… like how to enjoy the simple pleasures. It makes me remember that it’s much easier to save money than to make it. It becomes glaringly obvious how much better life is when people pull together to make things easier instead of wandering apart.

Case in point — I’m cooking again. Dating someone with kids and having my own grown children nearby has expanded my “standard” meal from a quick two-person deal (for my daughter and me this time last year) to a five or six-person meal… often expanded by one or two more than that!

I’m keeping a tight rein on the health aspects of the cooking for varied (and necessary) reasons. I enjoy seeing the differences in the way the people around the table are trimming down, pumping up with energy, and feeling as good as they look. I’m cooking from scratch most of the time. Almost nothing goes to waste.

Despite the tough economic times, I’m not pushing as hard as I once did. My client load has lightened and I’m taking it in stride. I enjoy expanding my “daily” work to things outside the office. I don’t spend 16-18 hours in front of the computer these days. Honestly, it’s nice.

I have a tiny garden to tend. Mostly it’s just herbs, tomatoes and chard (oh, and weeds) … but it’s amazing how much has come out of that little patch of earth. My Roma tomatoes have escaped the blight that many gardeners in the area have endured with their own tomatoes. That one vine has produced enough for us to have fresh tomatoes at one or two meals a day, and I’ve had extras that I’ve used in cooking. The other vines haven’t done much — other than provide some HUGE green tomatoes for deep-south lovin’ green fried tomatoes (only once this year, so far.)

I’ve probably spent less money on fluff in the past four months than I have in years and I don’t miss shopping… at ALL. I like finding ways to make our food budget shrink while our food quality soars. I enjoy scouring Craigslist and the local Goodwill for the things we need or want around the house.

Yeah, I’m nesting. I know this. I have an appreciative audience, which helps enormously. And the best thing about all of this? We all sit down three times a day together and “break bread.” We have family time without a television or even a radio. We sit and eat and talk. Yeah, TALK. We do this several times a day… EVERY day. We are getting closer all the time. It’s nice and I notice the effects on interpersonal relationships around the house.

I think the speed with which we are accustomed to living life has not been a benefit to family life. I think grabbing something at a drive through, munching whatever can be found in the fridge while watching TV and sink-hovering to devour “fuel” for our bodies has starved our souls.

I like working together, pulling together to make life better with less. Yeah, I’m a simplicity girl… but it’s nice to have a whole group of people working together to make the most of everything. It’s truly joyful.

So if you wonder why I’m smiling so broadly while everyone else is cursing the “hard times” — now you know.

I love Hulu. Yeah, I know, I’ve said it alot. I don’t bother with cable, I get all my content online. It’s a good place to be (and is cheaper than paying cable and Internet bills, IMHO).

Google Labs is always coming out with something cool and new (if ONLY they had the same stuff for my google apps paid account!) and now my favorite video site has a “labs” offering too.

So if you want to go check it out, you can play around in Hulu’s Lab too!

You have heard the old query… “If you had 24 hours to live, how would you spend them?” And I’m sure that thinking about this semi-regularly is probably a good idea. At the very least, it’s humbling.

Sure, I’d like to say that I’d go skydiving or something that I’ve always wanted to try. The fact is, I wouldn’t.

When you are a parent, it seems like a luxury to even CONSIDER doing anything for yourself for 24 hours… much less to actually DO it — even if those were the LAST 24 hours you had.

Heck, I’d be running around trying to figure out how to make sure my kids were ok once I was gone.

Besides, I reason, I’m at an age now that I’d probably break a leg or something if I jumped out of a plane to try skydiving and would spend my last few hours on earth in an emergency room. So, my future in hell would begin early.

If time is all we have, then why is it always so disposable, so hard to hold onto, and so “grabbed at” by everyone else? Why isn’t it more sacred? More appreciated? Considered more valuable?

Labor saving devices don’t really give us any more free time. Time management systems just frustrate us and require us to learn new software, carry more stuff around, and/or read a bunch of books on the topic from “so called” professionals in the time management industry. The fact that an industry has popped up around this should be a dire warning to anyone taking “time management” too seriously. I think “time management” is an oxymoron, like “quality fast food” or “fair taxes” but I’d have to study it more to be sure.

The digital world takes more time than the pleasure it offers us in return. We create and/or buy machines and services… EXPENSIVE machines and services… that we have to work longer hours to afford, to help us more creatively waste the time we do have. Think TV, think cable, think cell phones, think high-speed Internet.

Communication takes a great deal of our time, even if it’s been truncated into flat, textureless, flavorless, one-character words and images sent via thumb-presses over a cell phone. There is no time when we are “unconnected” and there is no “downtime.” We are omni-available. We are always on call. We are at everyone’s mercy and seemingly take no personal control to say… NO!

When do we rest… really rest… in this modern world? Why do we feel guilty if we want to unplug and become unreachable for even a few hours or *gasp* a few days?

I love my technology and I love my life, most days. But I do wonder what it would be like to disappear for some well-deserved “me time” — and I wonder if it would be worth the joy it would bring, of if I’d spend the whole time worried about what was happening while I was gone… or what I’d have to face and the messes I’d have to clean up when I returned.

Maybe it’s not a technology or a modern life thing… maybe it’s just me.  Maybe I’m incapable of slowing down and letting go. Maybe I need to begin smaller and learn to mediate for a few minutes a day. Maybe I need to take a walk (without the iPhone) more often. Maybe I need to carve out a little time each day that belongs to just me. Maybe I just miss the farm and need a “farm fix.”

All I know is that I need something, something peaceful and sweet, something refreshing and fulfilling, something selfish.

Being a remote professional often involves travel and work in… ahem… unusual locations. You may find yourself working on the road, in your car, at a library or coffee shop, onsite with a client, or anywhere in between. Desktops are great,  but they will tie you to a single work spot. They are usually stable and cheaper than the portable alternatives. That is, until recently.

If you are a power-user and you need to multi-task, keep a slew of windows open, and often push the limits of both your CPU and your RAM, your mobile options won’t be low cost.

If, however, you have started using some or many of the online options for thinks like book keeping, email, calendar, etc., a netbook may bridge the gap between portability and pocket-sensitivity.

For under $400 (and even below $300, as of today) you can now get an amazingly lightweight, highly portable, low-power computer with longer battery life than was possible just a year ago.

The first netbooks were rather light on HD size, but there are better options today and 120-250 gig drives aren’t uncommon. Promises of upcoming (June 2009) Ion-based CPUs will make these lightweights heavy-hitters in the remote professional market. Dual-core netbook options are rumored to be in the works and should be available by year end.

Some options have optical drives, others require a USB drive to load software. Alternatively, you can drop the CD or DVD into a network drive and load software via Ethernet or wireless connection.

If you can’t wait that long, look at the sale on the ASUS Eee PC 1002HA 10-Inch Netbook at Amazon (with a $50 rebate) — which has recieved excellent reviews from customers and techies alike. Today, Dell has released their own low-priced netbook called the Mini 1011 Bear with a base price of $299 and several upgrade options, according to a review article on Engadget.

So, if you plan to buy a portable machine in the near future, your options may be more diverse than they were the last time you looked. Weigh all your options and come up with the best option for your needs. If you buy a netbook,  be sure to get a 6-cell battery and max out the RAM options (2 gig minimum), for the best performance in these machines.

Have fun!

Well, spam has finally moved from my computer to my cell phone. I’m hating this crap! I get probably a dozen calls a week from various numbers all over the USA with an automated voice telling me that this is my second and final notice that the warranty on my car is about to expire.

If only this really WAS the final notice, it wouldn’t be a problem. The problem is… It never is the final anything.

They are also using my toll-free number, which transfers to my cell when I’m out of the office, so I get the joy of paying twice for each blasted call.

And the best part? My car is so old that no one would EVER offer a warranty. Ditto for my trucks and my beep-beep. I’m just not a new car gal. I’ve never owned a new car, and I never plan to. Why would I do that? It’s fiscally irresponsible, IMHO. But back to the calls…

I’ve done a bit of research and there are many others enjoying the same harrassment, and there seems to be no remedy. I’ve been blocking the numbers I can, but they change daily and it’s becoming a full-time job just to try to do so. The numbers are apparently spoofed, since you can’t call the numbers back.

If anyone has found a solution for this, I’d love to hear it. In the meantime, I’ll continue to grit my teeth.

I’ve been through a slew of iPhone cases in my quest for the perfect one. SLEWS of them. I love my iphone, ask anyone who knows me… but, trying to keep it safe and in excellent working order isn’t always easy when you take it everywhere. (Heck, I even listen to music on mine in the bathroom while taking a shower — so I needed a moisture-resistant, shock proof, tough case for it.)

Yesterday, the ideal case finally arrived. I got mine on eBay, but it’s available on Amazon too. I got myself an Otterbox Defender Semi-rugged Case for my iPhone in girly pink. It’s also available in white, in black and in black with yellow trim, for those of you who aren’t that interested in going all girly.

It doesn’t maintain the sleek, thin lines of the iPhone. It adds a great deal of bulk and weight — but I don’t care. I love it. It seals it from the elements and from my daily abuse. It’s even got a well-functioning screen protector (unlike those that inhibit my ability to use the touch screen on those ever-so-delicate game sessions when I’m waiting in line or in a waiting room). These things matter!

The holster is also pretty cool. I wish it had been available in pink too — but the pink case comes with the standard issue black holster. It’s quick and easy to slide the phone in and out to answer it, and it keeps it protected and at the ready.

The holster clip can also be adjusted to become a defacto easel back so you can watch videos in landscape mode (which is really nice!)

The only thing that bugs me about this solution is how hard it is to get it in and out. It no longer slides easily into my iHome for extra speaker boost, and it’s required me to get more creative with the Griffin WindowSeat Windshield car mount I just got for my car. Aside from those small issues, it’s the best protection I’ve ever seen. I’d probably not even have a heart attack if my precious iPhone went skidding across a parking lot now — so long as it was in the case.

It’s also uber-easy to find in the bottom of my cave-of-a-purse with the bright hue!

If you are looking for the best possible protection for your iPhone, check it out. It really rocks!

I know, I know, I’m always complaining about these things…

But I got a referral to a dermatologist recently. Not a big deal, just a little bump that needed to be checked out. I traveled two hours to get there because the referral was made before my recent move North. Not a huge deal, but not much fun early on a Friday morning.

It also decided to snow that morning. After 70+ degree temps, it decided to snow. So be it.

My iPhone mapping program apparently didn’t have the most recent maps and sent me to BFE instead of to the new medical plaza area in Somerset, KY. I arrived on time, but barely.

When I arrived, I was asked for my insurance card. Not a problem. I was then asked for my social security number. I’m used to avoiding this issue. I’ve not had to raise my voice or tilt my tone over this in many months because I selected an insurance provider that doesn’t require that I use this as a form of identification. I like that. I refuse to give such info to just anyone. It’s unnecessary.

I explained that my group and member number would suffice. They disagreed. They also asked me for a copy of my drivers license. I asked why they needed it. They needed a photo ID. I asked why.

Because, I was told, it would protect me from anyone claiming to be me walking in and getting my private records. It was for my own good, they said. I asked how that would protect me. They said that they made a copy of the photo ID and put it in my file and it was in their computer so they would compare it to anyone asking for my info. I told them I understood and handed them a copy of my business card, which has a photo image on the front.

They said that was unacceptable. They needed an official photo. I regurgitated the reason they had just given me and said (holding the image up to my face) that this should suffice to visually identify me should that need ever arise.

They said it was a new mandate and was going into effect next year. I told them we could discuss it next year. They said that it had to be in order by April 1st for their office. I pointed out that it was not yet the end of March, so I shouldn’t be affected. Long story short… I was denied service because I would not produce my drivers license.

I didn’t really care for their privacy policy either, which stated that I could request that they not share my information, but they had final say on that and although they would take my wishes into consideration, they would do as they pleased. Isn’t that cool? I’m so glad they would consider my wishes about my information. They are so thoughtful!

Might I also add that they got all squirrel-ly when I asked to see a copy of the privacy policy that I was signing the paper to say that I’d been provided. They finally handed me a framed copy under glass, rather than one I could keep with my own records.

They were also a bit huffy when I prepared to leave and asked that my papers (the ones I filled out with my personal information before I was declined service) be returned to me. I was told they would shred them. I told them no, that they would hand them over to me and I would shred them myself. I stood there unmoving, unflinching until the receptionist rightly determined that I’d be less trouble if they just handed over the papers in question than if she continued to decline my request.

I cannot possibly be the only person in the world that refuses to cough up every piece of personal information requested when seeking services. Note that word… SERVICES. I’m paying for them, I should be treated accordingly.

When I went to the local hospital later that same day for some x-rays (it was a whole tripping over the dog in the middle of the night, catching myself in the dark and subsequently spraining my thumb and knocking it completely out of socket incident)… I was not treated like an idiot when I declined to give them my social security number. They always ask, I always decline. It’s not a big deal. They don’t decline to offer me service.

Are people so eager to share this info that they assume that if it’s requested that it’s required? Does no one question these things anymore? Am I just bringing drama to my door by refusing?

Ok, anyone who knows me knows that I love a bargain. I love treasure shopping. I love the “hunt” for cool stuff. I also adore Goodwill and other thrift shops. (I would have been a pirate a few hundred years ago. Not for the stealing part, but for the finding of the loot.)

For years, I’ve said that you can find ANYTHING you want at Goodwill if you look hard enough and are patient enough.

Now I knew there were some exceptions to that rule, but only the obvious ones. I’ve wanted a platinum or 18K diamond ring for awhile now (I love ebay for trying to find those types of items) and I know that Goodwill isn’t hte place to find that… or at least I thought I did.

Last week, while looking for a few final “necessities” for my new apartment with my son… he found some jewelry that appeared to be sterling in the mass tangle of the jewelry basket. I checked it and it was, indeed, sterling.  So we start digging.

What we found, essentially, was an estate collection of sterling jewelry along with a couple pieces of gold. The most impressive piece was found by my son… it’s an 18K white gold band with a beautiful (and perfect) diamond in a tension setting. Simply lovely. He had it checked out at a jewelers and has since “loaned” it to me to wear.

The cost for this treasure? $1.00

So, I have to amend my earlier statement to include everything — not just nearly everything — is available at Goodwill if you look hard enough and are patient enough. I’ve picked up leather coats, gold and silver jewelry, crystal, sterling flatware, designer purses, down comforters and an assortment of other delightful items at Goodwill in my travels. During this economy, it’s nice to know there’s a place you can score a $2,000 ring for $1 — isn’t it?

Have a great day and happy hunting!

This last week was an interesting one for people in Kentucky. The weather took an twist and I must say I actually enjoyed the whole experience. I know many people were without basic services, and my opinion may be slanted by the fact that I didn’t lose electric or water. I only had a short stint without the Internet.

I spent the time visiting, cooking, relaxing and generally enjoying my little weather-induced mini-vacation. The weekend brought temperatures in the 50s and 60s and all the ice and snow that was frosting my world is gone. The weatherman says we may be in store for a bit more snow today and tomorrow, but nothing will match the huge silver-dollar sized flake-clusters that fell from the sky or the uber-thick coating of ice on each tiny sprig of grass on the ground, branch on every tree and everything else.

I hate that there was so much destruction. (My parents lost most of the old trees (and many of the younger ones) in their yard.) But the natural world in turmoil sure adds a new facet to things. It was so pretty and so deadly. That mix is oddly compelling. I spent much of my time out taking photos and the one posted here is one of my favorites. I hope all my friends are recovering and that everyone has power back.

And regardless of how it makes me sound… I miss the ice.

Ok, my new printer is a nice one. It’s an all-in-one and does everything but serve my lunch. It is a wonder of modern technology… so why do I hate it?

• I have determined that there are some areas where I am exceedingly simple.
• I discovered recently that printing is one of those areas.
• I don’t want any more wiz-bang in my technology than I can properly appreciate — and not a whit less, either.

I love the networking/wireless feature. That’s way cool! But other than that…

I think that the rub here is paying all that extra money for the fancy printer and the expensive multi-part inks all to end up not being able to print a single sheet of black and white text simply, quickly and in a fashion that if it gets a little damp — it won’t run in rivers, which leaves my text MIA.

(What’s with the sounding like a plane on the tarmac revving engines for a full two minutes before the first sheet of printed material finally emerges? I’m an instant gratification gal — I don’t like that.)

So, while I love most of my technology, I long for a compact, inexpensive LASER printer that can meet my needs economically and simply without all the noise, expense and hubbub.

Seriously, is that too much to ask?

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a rant. So, if you want kindness or technical assistance this is not the post for you (use the search box to find a less angsty post on the topic of your choice.)

If you like a good rant… you are in luck!

I have my roots in media. One of my most enjoyable, challenging and rewarding professional stints was as a reporter and later as a managing editor of a small newspaper. I ponder that time of my life fondly now (in my dotage) and wonder at the amount of energy I had to do all that way back when. Gee what I wouldn’t give for some… even just a little of that now!

Today, the written word is my favorite tool and past time and passion. I think it always will be.

But what I see in the media now absolutely curls my toes (and not in a good way!) There is no relationship between truth and what is written in the mainstream publications. Particular offenders are local newspapers and television newscasts.

Larger papers, assumed to be more reserved with stories more carefully crafted and with a team of fact-checkers on staff, are now slinging sensationalism too. It used to be that I avoided even looking at the “weekly” rags at the checkout line at the grocery store. I’ve NEVER purchased one (nor do I ever intend to). But today, even the local papers use those same reporting “techniques.”

If I had been the editor when some of the recent news stories were submitted, some reporting “heads” would have rolled. I would have benched them or fired them. Period. There’s not even a half-hearted attempt to get facts right in “news” stories…even to the point of the basics (who, what, where, when, how)… even THESE they get wrong.

As far as reporting voice and tone — it’s more like a Stephen King novel than a report. A reporter, people, is supposed to REPORT — hence the name. Capture the reader with your headline, sure, but tell the facts in an unbiased and well researched way in the body.

There, I said it.

A writer of FICTION gets to make it up and “fill in the blanks” between the missing bits of reality strung together for entertainment purposes. This type of writing is not reporting. See the difference?  If you have an opinion, it belongs on the OP/ED page — not on the front page.

If you must create stories (which isn’t a bad thing… at all… so long as you don’t try to pass it off as truth) — then write fiction. As a fiction writer, you can play free and easy with the facts as much as you like. It hurts no one. It’s not unethical or immoral then. Then, it’s properly seen as entertainment. Then it’s fun.

And if you are an news editor, and you are letting this half-baked crap be sent to the press you should be ashamed. Where are the Publishers, to fire the editors who don’t fire the reporters for this shameful work product?

Does life not have enough real drama? Must more be created by our “news” outlets? Are the traditional, once respectable, news venues so desperate to hang on financially that they have sold out their rightful role as the watchdog of our society just to sell a few more papers? Are the continuing education classes for journalists now being sponsored by The Enquirer?

How disgusting I find it all.

Every year, every January 1st, I have this great hope that the upcoming year will be a bright and beautiful one. For years, I’ve been less than pleased with the results. This year, I’m already happy with the new year.

Well, that may be a bit misleading since my life started getting REALLY good (for no particular, identifiable reason) about the middle of last month. Decembers usually suck for me. It’s a fact. But this one was lovely.

I’m not sure what it was. I’m not sure what was different. Maybe it’s that I worked to eliminate stress. Maybe it’s that I actually completed my taxes before going on a two week vacation for the holidays.

Maybe it’s that I’ve quit stressing over the fact that I’m not living on the farm. I realize now that despite the fact that I have to wait for Internet to reach the farm (and not the slower-than-dial-up satellite I can get there now), before I can move there full-time — that it WILL happen. I’ll live there again.

It’s hit me that knowing my “end game” — that I’ll end up on the farm — makes when that happens less important. It could be next year or in three decades. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that between now and then, I’ve got a life that should be viewed as adventure. And I have a place to land when I’m ready to quit adventuring. A place that belongs to me.

I have one child still at home and my biggest concern for her is her education. If I have to move to get her what she needs, I’ll do it. It’s an adventure.

If I need to home school her (although I prefer not to do that, since she’s soon going to need much more depth and breadth than I can do easily while working full-time), I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever is in her best interest.

I have seven more years before she’s out on her own, and my job as an active parent is over. Then I’ll be more of an “adviser” parent to her — like I am to the boys. Of course, she may want that advice more than they do… or she may not.

I’ve spent my life planning for tomorrow and failing to really live in the today.

Suddenly, in the past three weeks or so, I’ve gotten much better at living in the now. I’m doing what’s required to lessen my debts, the mass of details I’m juggling, the number of belongings I have to maintain. The whole process has been quite liberating. I’ve simplified my business life considerably. I’m working now on continuing the progress on the personal side. Simple is best. Always has been.

I’ve preached simplicity for years, but I’m just now making real headway toward it on an elemental level for myself.

So life is good and 2009, despite my misgivings over the economy and politics of the current day, is looking pretty good for me. It’s ironic. I’m not going to investigate the why too long. I like things the way they are now and feel no urge to over-analyze it.

Now THAT’s new.