Well, maybe not the greatest about our human condition, but made us at least feel something. There are moments in everyone’s life where you look up in the sky, and you feel with wonder. “I wonder what’s up there?” This list isn’t composed of those happy moments of wonder. These are those moments that made you say “Carpe Diem motherfucker” as you chugged a beer and mattress surfed off your roof into a pool below.
1.) The Curiosity Rover would sing “Happy Birthday” on Mars every year by itself. Alone on the red planet, stuck in isolation. It’s just a robot, right? (source)
2.) Pluto was disowned by science. That hurt everyone right in the ego, and everyone just decided to not acknowledge he wasn’t a true part of the Planet Pals in the Solar System Family (yes I said Planet Pals. It’s late.)(source)
3.) There’s literally a stream of garbage floating up in space. This isn’t because we’re now launching our landfill garbage up in space, but more like we don’t pick up after ourselves so it just stays stuck in outer space. Floating somewere. (source)
4.) Stars burn out. Yes some will grow into gorgeous supernovas and others will become black holes. Yet others will become white dwarfs and just…burn out. If that doesn’t feel like an epiphany for my life, I don’t know what else is. (source)
5.) The sun is going to destroy Mercury, Venus, Mars and Earth…someday billions of years into the future. Even though I won’t be around to see it, something about the planet being destroyed just makes me hold my blanket around me just a bit tighter. (source)
One of the many things a good portion of the population struggles with is getting out of bed every morning. Another thing a lot of people have issues struggling with is separating work away from your life outside of work – the life work balance. Working in the veterinary field personally means I really struggle to find ways to separate out my work/life balance since I typically bring work home with me.
The way I’ve mastered this is by keeping my life outside of work enriching through hobbies. My hobbies keep me sane throughout the week and help me unwind and recharge on the weekends before I have to go back to work on Mondays and start the daily grind all over again. But sometimes it’s hard finding a hobby you like, and then sticking with it. So here’s some tips.
Buy/Borrow Your Equipment
Every hobby has it’s equipment. For example, if you’re into equestrian sports you’ll need a horse, a saddle, a bit, etc. If your hobby is writing then your hobby probably only includes a pencil and a piece of paper. What hobby you’re deciding on is going to depend heavily on two things — time and money, the epitome of every crossroad problem in the universe. If you don’t have a lot of time and money, then your hobby should probably be one that’s going to be something you can do pretty consistently in a short amount of time and cheaply, like writing/knitting/reading. These hobbies are going to be affordable options and are going to be something you can pick up and set down as you go.
If you have more time and money to focus on your hobby, you may go for something a little bit more bigger, such as boating or kayaking. These hobbies are going to include more high dollar items and may not be actitivties you can do on the fly without planning ahead of time.
Which reminds me…
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Budget For Your Hobbies
If you’re not budgeting for your hobbies, then you’re going to run into some problems pretty early on. You want to make sure your hobbies are something that isn’t going to end up taking away your basic needs — food, shelter, and clothing should always come first before a lavish hobby.
One of the best ways of doing this is putting aside some extra money specifically for the hobby of your choice. If you do not have extra money to spare, you may want to look at ways to create income passively or by picking up a gig in your spare time like delivering through DoorDash.
Make Time For Your Hobbies
You may have issues finding the time for you to work on your hobbies. This is normal, as many adults have issues finding time to work on the things they enjoy outside of their jobs. Most hobbies are going to require at least some time and dedication to them, so once again this is going to depend on how much time you want to put towards your new hobby.
One of the best times to work on the hobbies is early in the morning or late in the evening, when the rest of the world is asleep or is about to wake up. These times could be the only time you have to yourself, and you should use up that time wisely by focusing on your hobby. Put away a couple of hours each week towards your hobby, because to become better at anything you’re going to need to practice, and practice makes perfect.
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Research Your Hobby
Research your hobby as much as possible. Google different ways to do things. Look up Youtube videos. Talk to your friends and family about your hobby and see who else shares the same interests as you. The best way to become better at something is through learning and research, so don’t stop learning as much as you possibly can!
Have Fun
Your hobby should not feel like work. Your hobbies should be fun and relaxing. They should be stress reducing. If you find yourself no longer enjoying your hobby, then maybe it’s time to switch it up and try something new. There are so many things in this world for you to learn and work on, the possibilities are endless!
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What do you think about my list? What are some hobbies you enjoy? How long have you been working on those hobbies? If you like what I have to say, don’t forget to like and subscribe to my blog!
I keep seeing lists upon lists floating around Facebook this week about how many shows you’ve seen every season of. Lately, it had me thinking about how we seem to accumulate a great number of shows over a lifetime. If I live to see 70, I will have surely seen hundreds of shows by then. How many shows have you watched every episode of? How many shows have you started watching and didn’t even finish? Now, let’s think of all of the shows we’ve seen every episode of that you’ve watched over and over again.
Hey, y’all. What is up my dudes? I just sat down with a cup of English Breakfast tea, and I decided I would create a blog post to give you guys a heads up on what I’m planning on doing in the upcoming year.
I know in the past I have not tailored my blog to fit into a certain niche. On my blog, you can find lifestyle posts, book posts, funny posts, and beauty posts. My vision I’ve discovered is bigger than just covering a sector of a blog, and one day I hope to turn this blog into an elaborate culture blog that’s going to probably require more than just me one day. I want it to have different categories and sections being updated on a regular basis. To do such requires a lot more planning on my end, as this blog idea just suddenly happened one day and now I have a lot of big ideas I want to put together and get out there.
I also would like to keep my own personal blog going, but that’s still going to just be my own personal blog posts, so I’m not sure if I can provide a number of scheduled posts throughout the week because y’all–my life is really not interesting. Writing personal blogs is something I’m still struggling with writing regularly because it’s harder for me to have inspiration; I plan out things a little too much and then I’m anxious when it’s not turning out the way I had originally pictured it.
Over the next couple of weeks, I may play around with different layout types. Later on, in the year I hope to add a couple of designs to my website. You guys don’t understand how I’ve lived under an internet rock for about the past five years and now I find a website like Red Bubble after always obsessing over Deviant Art in my teen years. This just seems like a cool place to put some artwork up even if it turns out to be really freaking awful. I am also just starting to master the use of a stylus, but this is going to be interesting to say the least.
I also wrote a blog about New Years’ Eve Resolutions. For my year, I am planning on maintaining a healthy weight while I allow my thyroid to be treated by the endocrinologist. Plus doing more stuff with this blog.
How is everyone doing? How was your first week of 2021? Sadly, the world is still crazy. If you want to read more about what I have to say on a broad range of different topics, don’t forget to like and subscribe to my blog or follow me on my social media. Take care!
Tis the season after Christmas. It is the end of the holiday season and is the last month we hope to have snow in before aptly hoping for Spring–yes, it’s January. January is the first month of the year if you follow the Julian calendar, and it’s that special time of the year where you make false predictions about your life goals over the course of the next year before also aptly forgetting all about them. It’s what in 2010 we used to call “New Year New Me” if you were a basic hoe. It’s the time to make resolutions!
What goes into making a resolution? Typically resolutions are something you’d like to achieve over the course of the next 365 days. Whether it be a slim bod or reaching a promotion at the office, these are ambitious dreams for the end of 2021. You could keep a goal to and set a standard trail of breadcrumbs to get to said finish line. Other resolutions may include a list of things, such as a destination trip list over the course of the year or how many books you’d like to read over the next 12 months. These are also important goals to keep as well because they give you smaller achievements to look forward to over this next year.
I want to start off by saying that both of these are entirely important goals if making resolutions at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve is something you like to do. Both of these should be achievable goals that give you some wiggle room in the middle, especially if you procrastinate a lot on your goals. If this is the first year you are to achieve your resolution, the best way is to accept your weaknesses. Instead of losing 50 pounds over the next 12 months, say you want to lose 10 pounds. If you lose 10 pounds and reach that goal by August, then you are doing pretty okay. You will feel inspired, and then you can set your next goal of losing 10 more pounds and see how much you can achieve by the end of the following year.
You are going to be more likely to keep your goals if you put forth the research into making these goals attainable. If you want to have a new car by the end of 2021, then I’d suggest doing research into better ways to save money or to make passive income. Sometimes research is as simple as watching a couple of youtube videos on how to make meal preps when you’re on a budget. If you’re serious about your goals, you’re going to make time to figure out how this is going to work. The more research you put into planning, the more likely you are going to be at succeeding in keeping your resolutions.
Surround yourself by like-minded people. You want to have people like-minded in helping you succeed in life. Do not surround yourself with people that will always tell you what you want to hear, however. I want you to make true, meaningful connections this year with people who want what’s best for you. Tell Aunt Carol at the family picnics this spring to kiss your ass, because you’re out to get your bikini body no matter what she says. Go to AA meetings if you feel like they help you stay on task. This is the time for you to stay on track.
Believe in yourself. Believe you are going to be able to succeed in life and win at whatever new years eve resolution goals you may have. Believe you are able to accomplish everything you set your mind to. This is going to be a good year, no matter if you lose a pound or if you lose one hundred pounds, but know that it only starts with just a step.
As you guys are well aware, I have created a 1st draft for a book that’s been floating around in my head for a while. Since completing it and going through the first draft for any errors and mistakes so it would be ready to send off to a publisher. I’ve been rewriting and adding scenes too as a part of my editing process, but I now have this nagging fear that every word I’ve written is somehow horseshit and isn’t worth any agent’s time of day.
How can I say that? I don’t know, it’s easy to pick apart an entire manuscript when you’re the one writing it. Some of these mistakes I’m sure are small, but I’m overanalyzing every single plot bunny and trope worrying that it’s not going to be good enough. Since I’ve been having this fear, I was thinking I’d share with you guys how I’m slowly trying to conquer this fear so I can get this out to a publisher without having to feel the need to give up entirely on it.
It’s Okay to be Hard on Yourself Within reason, that is. It’s easy to be hard on yourself when you’re going back over a book you’ve spent creating, and during the editing process it’s actually best to be hard on yourself. Some of the greatest writers of our time were hard on themselves to the point of throwing their works away, so you’re not alone in this feeling.
Get Someone to Read Over It Sometimes all you need is a good friend to take the time to read it and to be honest with you on your writing. You don’t want someone to sugarcoat it and make it seem like your writing is going to be the next Lord of the Rings, but it’s nice to have someone who takes delight in reading your genre of work because they’ll be able to give you an honest opinion. It’s okay to having a few people read over your story and give you different opinions from a broad perspective.
Take a Step Back It’s easier said than done to take a step back from your work if you’re on a deadline. However, I always feel that taking a walk or getting a cup of tea is the easiest way to recenter and come back to editing my writing with a clearer mind. If you’re not on a deadline, take a day if you must but after that come back to it. I don’t want you to feel as if finding perspective on your writing should take months, because I don’t want you to forget your masterpiece. Just take a moment to breathe.
Keep Writing Don’t forget how you got to this point. Write another draft of the same story if you have to, but I feel like my anxiety over my work is best managed when I’m focusing on another project, like my blog for my story and vice versa. Write to your heart’s content! Just as I said in the earlier paragraph though, don’t forget about why you are here, in your personal editing room. You want this book to be the best form of itself and that means you’re just trying to nurture it with the same care as a parent would be giving to a newborn.
Remember, you’re going to fall and get a few scraped knees during your first novel. Rejection is going to be a part of the game but that’s okay! You’re still trying to figure out the ropes in the editing game–we all are.
Hey my dudes! What’s up? I hope you are having a great day today! I’ve had a bit of an unexpected week. On Friday the 13th I showed up to work and was told the woman I work with every Friday had tested positive for COVID-19. Which is not the greatest thing you want to hear as soon as you walk through the door to work. That, coupled with the fact that I had been coughing up a lung all night long had my boss nervous to let me work the front desk, so up until yesterday I was home at quarantine with my boyfriend.
It wasn’t that bad, and as you all know I’m rarely out of the house to begin with. I am living in a county where the infection rate is going up again, and clinics are giving tests out by a first come first serve basis. Another coworker of mine spent five hours waiting to be tested. I found out through Kevin (boyfriend) you can get a test shipped overnight to your house online if you live in the United States! How cool is that? Mine came all the way from the West Coast to the East Coast on Monday and by yesterday morning I found out I was negative! It’s through Pixel by LabCorp and it’s been approved by the FDA. This isn’t a paid advertisement for Pixel and I am not in any way affiliated with Pixel or their parent company. I just know how precious time is, and if you’re worried if you have COVID-19 I want you to know all your options to get tested.
Spoiler Alert: if you’re queasy when it comes to wounds don’t look at my next picture.
Since I’ve been at home I’ve made the best of my time. I got an exceptional amount of writing accomplished, including a full length story and a few blog posts I’ll set up to be blogged over the course of the next few weeks. You may have noticed as well I updated the theme of my blog once more. I’m still trying to decide which theme/layout I like more so you’ll continue to see my blog’s appearance change. I also have finished and started a new book on my November reading list, which is very exciting for me as well.
Oh, I also potentially have a new scar to add to my collection. This isn’t the aftermath of a rambunctious night hunting aliens like I’ll one day tell my grandchildren it’s from, unfortunately. I rubbed my hand against a very hot lid off of a boiling pot whilst cooking dinner the other night.
You’re welcome for the scars in the making overshare. Does this mean we’re best friends now?
Any who, for more updates on what I’m doing or what I’m posting, I am in the process of getting a Instagram and a Facebook page up and running. Talk to you guys soon.
Did that just really happen? Yes! Yes it did! I finished writing 50,000 words 13 days ahead of schedule.
Just in case anybody doubts my literary prowess.
I never in a million years thought I would be able to type my own work of fiction in under 30 days. This is so unbelievable. Of course, I have been working part-time and I have been able to spend a lot more time dedicated to writing this year than any other.
The rest of the month will be spent on polishing up the work I’ve just written. I have hopes on getting this book traditionally published if I can. I’ll walk you through the rest of this process if you want me to.
I’m so exhausted but so happy it hurts. I can’t stop smiling.
Yesterday I was busy waiting for Safellight Repair to show up and fix my windshield. Nothing major, just a starburst crack about the size of a quarter on my passenger’s side. This is probably the third or forth time I’ve gotten my car’s windshield fixed in the past year. I’ve had my car since September 2019.
I don’t know at the point if it’s a common occurrence or not to get your windshield fixed as many times as I have. Is this just one of those hazards that happen? Is it because I live in a suburban area now because I really don’t know. I don’t have any farm equipment to blame it on now like I used to.
I actually have a long history now of run-ins with farm equipment. My nickname at work used to be “Crash” after I had gotten my first car and a full license.
I finally got my permit when I was about 18, and my provisional license right after. I hadn’t gotten much time behind the wheel, despite both of my parents having their CDLs and being drivers for a living. By the time I had received my provisionals I was older than most of the other students in my driving class and had the least experience. Yet, despite all the odds going against me I ended up passing the written and driving portion of the exam. Someone in the DMV thought even though I drove like three drunken baboons in a trench coat, it would be perfectly fine to give me a provisional license and set me out to terrorize the world.
