Month: February 2023

Inspire. February 2023.

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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

– Theodore Roosevelt
This is a picture I took in the hotel my daughter and I stayed at right before Covid. Her brother and father were visiting friends in Florida and we stayed in New York, so I took her for one night to a hotel for her to go swimming. It was a fun time. Little did we know how much would change in the next couple of weeks. I’m sharing this photo now because I came across it and it’s been in my phone as a photo that I want to draw and sketch, so I’m including it now to give them the push to try and get it done before the next inspiring post. Wish me luck. (c)2023

January almost always starts off with a bang. I’m organized, I’ve got my calendar, I’ve planned my blog and my classes up to a point, and then around now, not quite halfway through February, it flounders.

But…

It hasn’t floundered. Not really.

I think I may have found a routine, sort of, some motivation, kind of, and even though it’s not perfect, well, nothing is, it seems to be working (for the most part).

I’m still trying to find the perfect storm of organizing while not being overly fastidious and ridiculously detailed.

I’m sitting at my desk (read: dining room table that was actually cleaned last night for dinner, but is currently not even remotely close), surrounded by folders, papers, planner, notebooks, car keys (which actually have a home, but are not there at the moment), and my cell phone.

I have a meeting in ten minutes, and I’m still trying to get this post halfway done so I can put it up tomorrow (Wednesday). It would only be two days late (in my mind) so that’s okay, and that’s what I wanted to talk about.

Since the beginning of the new year, I’ve been on top of things. Not only on top of my website writing, but the site housekeeping is coming up this week (ch-ch-ch-changes), and I’ve been getting ready for my two new classes in March, and working on organizing my two books on Scrivener, my storyboard program.

And, the list goes on and on. Not sure if that’s such a good thing.

Since my success in November with NaNoWriMo, I’ve been really excited about writing. I’ve tried to keep track of my writing time, word counts, ideas for future items, and writing every day. Almost every day. This has been coupled with moving all of my computer folders onto an external hard drive to better organize my writing and be able to see what I have and what I can do with those old workshop pieces. Next up is transcribing those workshop notebooks that go back about a decade.

Things seem to be coming together, and I’m hoping that by writing about it, I won’t jinx it.

I had my final therapy appointment (until I find another therapist) last week. I’ve decided to take a month off and see how I’m feeling. It’s been ten years and therapy has been a lifeline as well as a mental comfort. I’m not sure how I’ll be, but I’m hyperaware of how I feel, and I have my coping. There have been so many changes recently and a lot of the positives began about ten years ago when I found therapy; my faith; my writing. It’s been a lot in ten years and the changes take some getting used to. Including deciding on a new therapist.

I had a funeral last week for a wonderful woman in my writing group. At her funeral (and unrelated to my friend), I believe that I was given inspiration for a short story.

Inspiration is everywhere.

I’ve been on a new social media site, Spoutible. It opens to the public on Thursday and despite its glitches and slowness, it’s amazing. The atmosphere is truly the anti-Twitter. Everyone is so nice and friendly and we’re all following each other. We’re helping each other figure things out and having conversations, and I think I’m going to really like it there.

It’s still in beta (and will continue to be on Thursday) but it’s a million times better than a week-old site should be. I feel safe, I feel lighter, something I didn’t feel on Twitter. I can feel my blood pressure remaining steady. And when I open it, I don’t see Jim Jordan, Ted Cruz, or Lauren Boebert like I do on Twitter at the top of my feed even though I don’t follow any of them. It’s kind of annoying. I mean, I can’t mute everyone, can I?

I will have a Spoutible account attached to this site, something I did not do with Twitter. I’m not sure how I’ll use it but come along for the ride.

That’s it for now. I have an exciting Friday Food coming up at the end of the week. Come back for that!

African-American Inventors

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I am trying to share Black History, especially if I can find it through Black voices. I saw this on my timeline on Spoutible (open to the public on Thursday – there will be a review coming then). As a studier of history, I am always surprised to discover something else that I didn’t know. It is so important to keep our minds open to learning new things. If you know of someone not on this extensive list, please add them in the comments.

Election Connection – Just Say NO to a 30% Sales Tax

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I’ve been seeing and hearing quite a bit about a new proposal from House GOP members about abolishing the IRS and implementing a 30% sales tax*. On its face it is an absurd prospect filled with scare tactics talking points and falsehoods, or as we like to call them: LIES.

I’m including three links as well as a great video that explains exactly what’s in the bill at the end. First, I’m glad to give you my opinion on this as someone who pays the bills for my household and is soon-to-be preparing our taxes and who spent the weekend shopping with my family for our household needs.

A 30% tax increase is CRAZY. It’s as simple as that. We’re an average family of five, one of whom lives on his own (but who often comes to dinner). We are still materially supporting two other children (regardless of their ages), feeding, clothing, entertaining. We live paycheck to paycheck, and some months we don’t have anything at all until the next paycheck. It varies.

This weekend we went to several places and took our daughter to breakfast on Sunday. I’m going to round up what we spent:

Breakfast out: $63

Department Store: $68 (this included groceries, medicine, and clothing)

Walmart: $6 (groceries)

McDonald’s: $3 ($1 drinks)

Sally’s Beauty Supply: $24 (school supplies)

Target: $164 (personal care/hygiene, toilet paper, school supplies, groceries, toy on clearance)

All of these purchases include state and county sales tax, which in (our part of) New York is 8%.

New totals based on an additional 30% federal sales tax (on goods and services):

  • Breakfast: $81.90
  • Dept. Store: $88.40
  • Walmart: $7.80
  • McDonald’s: $3.90
  • Sally’s: $31.20
  • Target: $213.20

For a grand total increase of: $98.40 for one day’s shopping. ONE DAY.

Republican House Members claim that this will abolish the IRS and eliminate 87,000 “weaponized” IRS agents who were increased in a recent bill that President Biden signed last year. This is a falsity that they’ve continued to lie about. Those 87,000 IRS agents will not be armed (as they’ve claimed) and they will not be coming to your house, but increasing the assistance the IRS gives to its clients every day. I’ve been on the phone with them previously and have always felt helped. They’re also supposed to help reduce the backlog to avoid situations like we experienced in 2021 when we filed in May and didn’t receive our refund until the end of December.

This National sales tax will be on goods AND services, where the current state formula is on primarily good with only a few services paying sales tax. This tax on services would include babysitters, which is explained in the video. This will also be on top of the state and local taxes paid on goods currently.

One of the things they claim is that 40% of households pay no form of income tax, and for those family’s eligible, there will be a monthly rebate based on a formula in relation to the poverty line and family size, but you would still have to pay it upfront at the time of purchase. If you’re eligible for the rebate, that is.

This creates an enormous burden on the poor and middle-class working families. The rich will always find ways to get around this tax, simply by leaving the country to do their shopping. Plus the fact that they can afford the increased pay out.

If it wasn’t obvious yet, I am definitely against this bill, and will be contacting my Congressman’s office to let him know he has my support to vote NO when this comes to the floor.

*Republicans claim that it isn’t a 30% increase, that it’s a 23% increase. That is because of how they are doing the math: $30 out of $100 is 23%. The video does an excellent job of explaining this.

Don’t Buy the Sales Tax (from the Brookings Institute)

TaxVox: Federal Budget and Economy

SNOPES: Is GOP Freedom Caucus Pushing for a 30% Sales Tax in US? [SPOILER ALERT: YES]

Video from Brian Kim of Clear Value Tax:

Adding Politics Girl’s Take here:

How Do You Write?

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How do you write? That is the question of the week.

I use my Kindle keyboard, my laptop, and paper and pen. My pens aren’t anything special except to me. They’re ball point. I usually bet them while I’m on vacation in local gift shops. Good pens are also the free ones you get at the hotels. Seriously.

The other day I tried a new pencil. I almost never write in pencil, but I was intrigued by a recent podcast from Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach. I listen to her podcasts pretty regularly or I’ll read the transcript which is what I did in this case.

You can listen or read by following the link below:

Do You Need Stephen King’s Pencil?

I think we all kind of feel that the greats have some kind of special ability besides the actual excellent writing – a comfy chair, a perfect mug of their drink of choice, a light that shines on the paper or the computer and leaves no glare, and if writing on paper, a writing implement.

To be honest, I felt that Stephen King was a felt tip or gel roller type of writer. Or an old-fashioned typewriter like the kind I learned on in high school in the eighties.

But according to Ann Kroeker’s research, Stephen King’s pencil (not pen) of choice is the Blackwing 602. On the side of the pencil is the tagline: HALF THE PRESSURE, TWICE THE SPEED. The eraser is larger than on a school pencil but squared and squished.

I had to go to an artist materials supply store. And they cost $2.25 each. I bought a couple to let my upcoming students try them out.

And I have to tell you…

I loved it!

It was smooth. It was fast.

I liked it.

I’m not going to change what I write with (for the most part) but I really did enjoy the feel for it.

Anyway, if you’re reading this Stephen King and you want a couple of extra pencils, email me your address and I’ll send them out. I’ll even spring for shipping.

In the photos below,

Continue reading

Black History Month

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Somehow it is expected to fit all of Black History into the shortest month, and the more we study Black History, we find that it encompasses all history, from the African continent to the New World. I usually post a link to a terrific Black History Resource, but unfortunately, it is coming up with a 404 error. I hope to find it again soon. I’m hoping it has just moved since it really covered so many aspects of the diaspora.

This post will share links to some online offerings to get everyone started.

First, beginning on February 6, you can sign up to join the Black-owned Tw*tter alternative, Spoutible. It is definitely having some growing pains, but as a pre-registrant I’ve been using it since yesterday and it looks like this could be the one. On the 6th, I’ll be creating an account linked to this website, so join me.

Second, this link highlights free online resources for kids, and while the website says, “It’s never too early to teach children about Black history,” I believe it is also never too late for anyone to learn what’s been missing from mainstream curriculums, and in the case of Florida, being eliminated.

Free Online Resources for Kids that Celebrate Black History and Culture

Next, from The Smithsonian: Heritage and History Month Events

The History Channel’s Black History Month

Common Sense Education’s Best African American History Apps and Websites

And finally, from multiple government agencies: Black History Month

I will leave you with a local mural of Medal of Honor recipient, Henry Johnson, WWI hero who served in France.

Mural of Henry Johnson and other WWI heroes on Henry Johnson Blvd. in Albany, NY. (c)2023

St. Brigid’s Day

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As promised on Instagram, a list of St. Brigid‘s symbols in the above sketch.

  1. St. Brigid’s Cloak – she is said to have been at the birth of Jesus and wrapped him in her cloak. Her cloak has also been told to have grown when offered land for her monastery the size of her cloak. I seem to recall that I’ve also heard her cloak referred to as the night sky with constellations shining on or through it. (I will need to search out my notes and return later this week when I find it – I need it to be true!)
  2. A mug of beer. St. Brigid is known to have turned water into beer, including a lake.
  3. The Triskele. Not only a symbol of Brigid, but the triskele is a triple spiral, often meaning the three roads of life: past, present, future. It may also reference the Holy Trinity.
  4. A Shepherd’s Crook or Bishop’s Crozier. Brigid is considered to have done the works of a Bishop in her position as Abbess of the monastery at Kildare. She led masses and preached.
  5. Medieval-style Goose. She is often depicted with geese as well as cows.

One of my favorite books about St. Brigid is: Brigid’s Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story by Bryce Milligan, illustrated by Helen Cann