Jana Says

Living life from cover to cover

10 things I’m loving right now

by Jana 7 Comments

Here are a few things I love right now:

  • Good Girls. Have you watched this? It’s darkly funny, full of female badassery, has Christina Hendricks and Retta and the guy who played Matt Saracen on FNL, and it’s on NBC so you don’t need Netflix or Amazon or anything special to find it.
  • Boom Chicka Pop. Can’t stop, won’t stop eating it. The butter and cheddar cheese are my favorites.
  • Pilot Mr. Grip pens. You know how a good pen is life changing? That’s what these are. Plus they’re refillable to props to not having to toss an empty pen.
  • Hulu. I’ve recently learned that one of my all-time favorite shows, SouthLAnd is available on Hulu and I love that they took the plunge and added it.
  • Thug Notes. One of only like 4 things I enjoy about Facebook. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a show hosted by Sparky Sweets, PhD discussing classic literature and it is glorious. And I just learned there’s a book so you know what my next book purchase will be.
  • Death, Sex, and Money. It’s a podcast that covers the topics in the title and if any of those interest you, I highly recommend checking this one out. For me, it’s a nice balance to true crime and books.
  • Libby. Since my library app is broken and the people in charge have no interest in fixing it, I’ve starting using eBooks more and Libby helps enable that. It’s a books app that’s exclusively for eBooks and, unlike other apps, is very specific about available copies, where you are on the waiting list, and how long your expected wait is. And you can put the books directly in the app on your phone.
  • Vacation planning. Since my daughter’s cheer team didn’t qualify to go to Disney this year, the money saved can go towards a real vacation and planning vacations is almost as fun as actually going.
  • The rats scattering. It’s no secret around here how much I hate, loathe, and despise our current administration but watching these fuckers run scared because they know their time is limited fills me with glee.
  • This transformation picture of Lizzy. Left is on day one, right is the other night. One of these days I’ll get around to writing about what it’s like with a puppy mill survivor but for now, please just enjoy how fucking cute she is.

What are you loving right now?

Either I write a clever title or I don’t

by Jana 14 Comments

via GIPHY

So I’ve been thinking lately about how we live in these either/or situations:

  • Consume content or create
  • Dogs or cats
  • Spend all your money or save all your money
  • Watch TV or read books
  • Credit cards or cash
  • Exercise inside or outside
  • Stay home or work outside the home
  • Wine or beer
  • Hustle or self-care (this is actually a soapbox issue for me but we’ll skip it today)
  • Self-employed or work for someone else (another soapbox issue. I’m feeling soapboxy, apparently)
  • Blog for money or blog for fun
  • Coffee or tea
  • Cooking from scratch or buying pre-made food

And so on. Feel free to add your own.

The thing is, it doesn’t have to be that way. There doesn’t need to be these hard line “WORKING FOR YOURSELF IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET RICH” or “I ONLY READ BOOKS BECAUSE TV IS A WASTE OF TIME” statements.

First of all, they’re way more judgy than they need to be. I mean, we all make choices based on our moods and budgets and circumstances. Is it really necessary to put our values on someone else especially without knowing all the facts? For instance, I read plenty of books but I also watch my fair share of TV. I don’t feel like I’m a waste of a person because I park my ass on the couch in my soft pants and watch Netflix instead of going for a 12 mile hike and I don’t feel like it’s anyone’s business if I spend a Saturday watching 47 episodes of The Office or reading a 400 page book. I’d sure like your feedback if you’ve seen or read what I’m reading or watching because discussions are fun. I even want to hear how you spent your time.

But telling me that what I’m doing is wrong because it’s not what you would do? No.

Second, why? Why do we have to draw such lines? Why isn’t is possible to want both situations? To want to drink wine AND beer, even in the same night (although godspeed to you if you do)? To hold a full-time job but also have a side business? Even more, what’s wrong with wanting to spend your career as an employee instead of a retired-early entrepreneur? Why do we have to choose? It is possible to be a healthy, balanced person who dabbles on both sides of an equation. Life doesn’t work in absolutes. And we do ourselves, and others, a disservice when we try to convince them otherwise.

I get wanting to advocate for your beliefs. Writing about them on a blog, tweeting about them, sharing pictures on Instagram. I believe in respectful discussions or a contentious argument or two if you believe strongly in one thing over another. I think it’s awesome to share information and resources and opinions. We want others to think like we do and to form a community and support network of those who have the same preferences. And I love people who are passionate. It’s great to learn from them and read their experiences and find out why they’re so passionate.

But it’s entirely different to condescend or demean someone who feels or chooses differently.

I think that’s where this whole thing started. Seeing or hearing people condemn or mock others whose life choices are different, both on the small and large scale. I think that’s a bunch of bullshit. A reader isn’t superior to a TV watcher and I don’t think you’re better than me because you don’t drink coffee or alcohol. Working moms have it differently difficult than a stay-at-home mom. We all have struggles and advantages and we’ve made our choices based on weighing those against each other.

I’m not really sure what the point of this post is. I freely admit that it’s a hot mess of rambling nonsense. But if I had to sum it up, it would be this: it’s okay to equally enjoy things that seem to be in direct conflict with each other. Books and TV, cats and dogs, self-employment and entrepreneurship; none of them are mutually exclusive and there’s room in your life for everything if you want it. And if you don’t, ease up on those who aren’t steadfast in their beliefs or preferences.

Life isn’t always either/or.

Unless it’s either impeach trump or not. Then there’s only one real answer.

"So, tell me about yourself. Preferably something I can use either for myself or against you later."

3 Things in April

by Jana 15 Comments

I’m starting to really like these monthly features. It’s helping with my SEVERE writer’s block plus it’s easy to schedule and quick to write. Except I need to do a better job of keeping a running list of topics because when I can’t think of any, that adds a whole new challenge. I don’t need more challenges. I’m all full.

So, that said, I present another edition of three things (I know I need a better logo design for this. One day. One day).

Movies I quote often

  1. The Breakfast Club
  2. I Love You, Man
  3. Spaceballs

Podcasts I can’t stop recommending

  1. Conversations with People Who Hate Me
  2. Homecoming
  3. Limetown

Apps I use every day

  1. Instagram
  2. My bank
  3. At Bat

Words I hate

  1. Girlboss
  2. Overwhelm (as a noun. Not “overwhelming” as an adjective)
  3. Mushroom

Most recent Amazon purchases

  1. A sign language book for my daughter
  2. Reusable Bento boxes
  3. Dr. Grip pens

Weird foods I eat (or, stuff that most people find disgusting)

  1. Black licorice jelly beans
  2. Mint chocolate chip ice cream with peanut butter sauce
  3. Ketchup on eggs

Things I’m excited for in April

  1. My sister’s wedding
  2. An overnight trip–ALONE–to NYC
  3. My daughter’s competition in Baltimore

So, tell me three things going on with you and/or leave me a topic for next month

Weekly recap, 2018, v8

by Jana 13 Comments

Short but sweet recap of the week.

Reading. Homegoing and Still Me. I think I might have bought a couple of books but that could also have been last week but I don’t know anymore because everything just feels like one long day.

Watching. The Roseanne reboot. I have mixed feelings. It was quite funny but she’s a reprehensible, vile person and I don’t know if I will keep watching.

Loving. That SouthLAnd is on Hulu. It’s one of my all-time favorite shows and I can’t wait to binge the shit out of it after the child’s spring break is over.

Listening. This is where you come in. I’ve listened to various podcast episodes that have been excellent but no show is really setting my world on fire. Any suggestions?

Wanting. Tickets to EVERYTHING. There’s like 12 concerts and Broadway shows I NEED to see not to mention plane tickets to a bunch of places. It’s hard to prioritize which ones should come first. But I have to. I only have so much money. I should get more.

Laughing.

That’s all for this week. Happy Passover. Happy Easter. Happy weekend if you celebrate neither.

Six good things in March

by Jana 11 Comments

Hey there. Remember me? I used to have things to say and opinions to share. It was a good time. But life doesn’t always work like that and right now, things are not exactly…fun. There’s a lot going on I can’t and won’t talk about and most days, they’re all consuming and it takes everything I have just make it from sunup to sundown most days and writing seems so trivial and unimportant. I’m pretty much in survival mode and I’m looking forward to some resolutions and resuming some semblance of normalcy.

Just like I did back in January, I decided to make a list of some good things to remind myself that in the midst of all the shit, not everything sucks.

Opening Day! Thank god for baseball. I fucking love it even if the Mets give me more stress than is appropriate for someone who doesn’t actually wear the uniform. I love how life feels…better when baseball season is here. The best way I can describe it is the way so many people feel at peace during Christmastime. And, fun fact, At Bat is only one of three apps allowed to give notifications on my phone.

New music. For some reason that I’m not complaining about, so many bands I listen to have new music out right now. Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, Pop Evil, Adelita’s Way, Godsmack. It’s a long list and it’s refreshing to my ears.

Iced coffee. I drink it year-round (thanks to Steph’s recipe) so it’s not like it’s in season for me or anything but I do love it and when you don’t drink soda or juice and tea only gets you so far, it’s nice to have something in the fridge to accompany my water.

Tanya. GUYS. If you need anything designed for your blog or work or anything you’re working on, please hire her. Not only is she ridiculously nice, she is crazy talented. She redesigned my blog last year and she’s in the middle of doing my business site. Plus, she’s a small business owner and we all need to stick together.

The Parkland kids. I am in awe of the intelligence, strength, courage, determination, and smart assery of these kids. They are inspiring and if these are the kids leading our future, we’re going to be okay. And props to their parents for letting them do their thing. It’s hard to take a backseat and watch your kid lead without wanting to step in, and for these parents it’s 100 times worse given that their children are harassed, maligned, and verbally assaulted by adults who should know better, but I couldn’t tell you the name of a single mom or dad of these kids. This is all them.

Friends. Friends you can call or text and say “my life is shit” and they just listen. They don’t placate you with bullshit inspiring platitudes or tell you to cheer up because it’s just not that bad and you’re just so strong. We all need people who realize that sometimes it’s okay not to be okay and they support us in our not-okayness.

Not going to lie. Getting to 6 was difficult. But I did it.

What are some good things going on in your life lately?

 

 

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