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Friday favorites, volume 7

June 13, 2014 by Jana 14 Comments

Seven weeks in a row of favorites! I have never, EVER done anything blog related for seven weeks in a row. Except, you know, post.

Before I get started with my weekly favorites, I just wanted to thank everyone for their input on my blogging identity crisis. I’ve decided to move all content from this site to my dormant one simply because there’s less posts to move (55 as opposed to 400) and the header on the other one is simply lovely. A friend is going to revamp it a bit for me with some fresh categories, and I’m hoping to have it all done by next week. I’ll keep this site up for a bit and just redirect everything to the new/old one. I’ll have an official announcement when the time comes.

Also, I need to get sappy for a minute. I started blogging in the personal finance niche and while I still have a soft spot for it, I never really felt like I fit in. Then I switched to whatever this is and it’s been such a different experience. I liken it to changing schools and, instead of feeling like an outsider, you finally feel like you have a group of friends you can relate to. So I just want to thank everyone who comments, shares, and follows along here. It means more to me than I can say.

Now, having said all that, it’s time for favorites, and linking up as always with Amanda.

Favorite songs

Nadine’s post about summer songs got me thinking about my own summer song memories. Most of mine are from sleepaway camp but occasionally, a summer song memory will slip in that has nothing to do with camp. One of those songs is Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer”. Except I love, LOVE The Ataris version as well, and when I think of that song, I think of that version. Which is odd but that’s okay. I also think of Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue” when I think of a summer song and it’s hard for me to pick which one I want to share. So I’m sharing both.

Humpday confessions: Social media sins

June 11, 2014 by Jana 28 Comments

I love Wednesday confession posts. They're a chance to air some grievances and get some stuff off my chest without sounding like a huge bitch. Well, maybe I do sound like a huge bitch but I don't care because it feels good to let this stuff out. And sometimes, you have to let it out.

And, unlike Facebook, this is an appropriate place to air your dirty laundry. Which brings me to today's confessions topic: social media. Or, stuff on social media that makes me seethe with rage and/or want to punch a kitten. And, in the spirit of being all confession-y, I confess that I might have done one or two of these at times which makes it totally fine to hate others that do it now.

So what social media sins infuriate me? How about these:

Blog comments that show the commenter clearly has not read the post. Or they just get preachy and obnoxious and rude and attacking. There's no need for that. I love comments but if you're just going to be an asshole, kindly move along. I will not engage with you and also, if you're a total dickhead, I will prevent you from commenting ever again.

10 Hilarious Donna Meagle Reaction GIFs From Parks And Recreation

People on Twitter who follow you, then unfollow when you don't follow back, and then do it all again. For weeks. Guess what? If I didn't follow you the first time, there's a reason, and if you do that to me, it is a guarantee that I will never follow you back. Plus, you look desperate and kind of like a schmuck.

People on Facebook who overshare their kids' lives. Seriously. It's horrible when you talk about your 6 year old's bed wetting problem or share pictures of their temper tantrums or mock them openly. It's one thing to be funny and self-deprecating about your parenting or share silly moments. But the mean spirited stuff? Knock it the hell off. When you do that, I totally judge you.

This:

Crowdfunding EVERYTHING. Not a day goes by that I don't see someone asking for money for something. Some I'm okay with but others are so unreasonable, I question that person's ethics. Like the woman who put up a GoFundMe asking her friends to pay for her to go to college. What. The. Fuck. Can't afford it? Take fewer classes or take out loans. But fuck you if you think there's any chance I'm helping your sorry ass pay for college.

Twitter “gangs”. Don't know what these are? Oh, they're just a group of people who get together and decide they're going to tweet each other's posts to drive traffic. Not necessarily a problem in theory, but these assholes all tweet the same post at the same time, cluttering my feed and guaranteeing I will not read that post. Schedule that shit out over the course of the day. You'll piss off less people AND get more traffic. So give it a shot.

Definitely this:

I could go on, particularly about Facebook and people with attention seeking cryptic statuses or fighting with their significant other or humble bragging or sharing inappropriate information for the group they're posting to or a whole host of other offenses that would take way too long to list, but I'm going to stop here. Because I want to hear what enrages you on social media. Or, you can tell me what you do that might piss some people off. It's okay. I'll only judge you silently.

Linking up with Kathy as usual.

Reshaping my pioneer project

June 10, 2014 by Jana 7 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of my pioneer project. When I dreamed up the idea, it was to develop self-sufficiency skills that are in short supply in my arsenal and to prove that, if need be, I could survive a prairie winter (or summer for that matter). I still refuse to ride a horse or shoot a gun, but I’m slowly working on the rest (except for crocheting. I’m done with that shit. I can get by with my sewing skills and the knitting loom and I have a date later this week) and I think that, at this point, I could survive a prairie winter. While my project is far from over, it’s nice to know that in just a few short months, I’ve come so far.

I think I can attribute that not only to working on my skills but also, an attitude shift. Because the more I work on my project, the more I realize that being a pioneer isn’t just about what you can do or having self-sufficiency skills like sewing a dress or baking bread or raising chickens or building a fire. Being a pioneer, at its core, is about your feelings and attitude towards work, family, rest, survival, faith (not necessarily organized religion), productivity, and a willingness to keep trying and fighting even when your whole body, heart, and soul tells you to quit. It’s also about committing to things that matter, forgetting those that don’t, connecting with your family, friends, and environment, and doing something that’s never been done before. It’s about doing what you think is right for you.

To the last point, I fully believe that everyone can pioneer their own life. You don’t have to do something groundbreaking that changes the world. You don’t have to be the next Elon Musk or Steve Jobs or Amy Poehler or Sheryl Sandberg. Being a pioneer is about doing something new, adventurous, and groundbreaking in YOUR world. Whatever that entails. No matter how big or small it may seem to someone else.

To the point about working hard on the things that matter and the things that don’t, that, to me, is the crux of being pioneer. After you’ve decided what you’re pioneering, of course. Because once you’ve decided to focus on that, that’s where your time and energy needs to go. Goals you set should be tied directly to your pioneer efforts. Your free time? Same thing. And if you don’t think you have the time or you can’t make the time, then whatever you’re attempting to pioneer is really not that important to you.

That’s been the biggest shift for me. Realizing that there are just some things that aren’t worth the effort (cough-crocheting-cough) but other things that are (hello, essential oils. Nice to meet you). I’ve been placing more emphasis on putting down the social media, giving up a business or a project that didn’t produce results enough to justify the effort, using some of my time in way that makes me happy instead of obligated, and trying to construct my life in a way that is new for me. The intangible things that, when we think of the simple life of the pioneers, we want to have. Because, if you think about it, the pioneer life really wasn’t that simple (I keep meaning to write a post about this. I think I should get on that).

For me, though, obtaining that romanticized simple life means not only developing those all important self-sufficiency skills. It involves putting myself outside of my comfort zone and connecting with people, friends and strangers. It that involves slowing down. It involves having one full day per week where no one in my house does any errands or chores and we just have family time. It involves letting go of the things that won’t get me closer to a goal and embracing more of the things that will. It involves digging deep and developing a work ethic and spirit that I’ve never possessed.

It involves taking the attitudes and core beliefs the pioneers had, internalizing them, and making that the focus of the project rather than just whether or not I can make something from scratch. Believing in my own efforts and realizing that just because 39480 people have done it before me doesn’t make what I’m trying to do any less awesome or special and it certainly doesn’t mean that I don’t deserve the same success. The pioneers didn’t let other people’s raging successes (or perceived successes) deter them.

Because now, I’m pioneering my own life. And I don’t give a shit who does or doesn’t like it. In the words of the wise Billy Joel “I don’t care what you say any more, this is my life. Go ahead with your own life. Leave me alone”.

Click the picture and read the whole post this image came from. It's really good. — Click the picture and read the whole post this image came from. It’s really good.

I used to believe that this experiment was about how anyone can be more self-sufficient. Now it’s about how anyone can be a pioneer.

They’re not the same thing.

They don’t need to be.

P.S. This is the unintended beginning of a three part series coming your way starting next week and lasting for 3 consecutive Mondays.

Friday favorites, volume 6

June 6, 2014 by Jana 18 Comments

Friday favorites. This week’s is a quickie because I’m a slacker and didn’t get it done last night and now my daughter is on summer break and I can only hide from her for so long.

Favorite song

Black Stone Cherry is a relatively new to me band, and I just love them now. They’re songs are fun, rockin’, and honestly, who can’t love a band with a song “White Trash Millionaire?” And let me just say that when I first watched a video, I was NOT expecting the singer to look the way he does.

Favorite frugal find

Remember how I said earlier in the week that my fat ass needs to lose some weight? Well, I found a coupon for 50% off Weight Watchers for 3 months. Now, I’m not a huge advocate of paying for weight loss services since there are so many good, free ones but I lost a ton of weight with them once before so it’s worth a shot again. As a balance, I no longer belong to a gym and workout for free at home.

Favorite TV thing

This. Only this.

Favorite book thing

Last summer, I read Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. It is a well written, kind of weird, completely creative story about the environment in an ad agency at the end of the internet boom, and it’s written in the first person plural. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and when I realized that the author had written two more books, I jumped on that wagon train. I just finished The Unnamed and have started To Rise Again at a Decent Hour. I am troubled that he only has these 3 books but if you’re looking for something to read this summer, any of those come highly recommended.

Favorite celebrity doing something good instead of being a dickhead

Apparently, Aaron Lewis, the lead singer of Staind, went on a tirade at one of their concerts, STOPPING their set to yell at a bunch of lecherous, disgusting assholes who were, by all accounts, molesting a 16 year old girl who was crowd surfing. When you think about all the crowd surfing he’s seen, to stop a performance to yell at (and threaten) these dudes, it must have been bad. Like really, really bad. But kudos to you, Mr. Lewis, for stopping it.

Favorite funnies

Have a great weekend, y’all!!

Linking up, as always, with Amanda:

It’s my birthday and other stuff

June 5, 2014 by Jana 16 Comments

Today is my birthday!!! It’s kind of crazy that I’m 37 because on a good day I feel 12, maybe 14.

GIFSoupAnd since it’s my birthday, I get to do whatever I want. Which will probably mean taking a nap and watching a movie all by myself. I might buy lunch for myself, too, since I never do that. Treat yo’self, amirite?

GIFSoupI’m also linking up with Kristen which is something I’ve been meaning to do for months but keep forgetting. I blame the fact that I’m getting old.

I belong to a Bichon Frise group on Facebook (because I have 2. Not because I’m crazy obsessed with the breed. Although that, too). Anyway, a lady in the group has been sharing photos of Josh, a Bichon mix who was brought to a kill shelter at 48 hours old because the breeder thought he wouldn’t get enough money for Josh. You see, Josh has a cleft palate and also, the breeder is an asshole. And some amazing lady rescued him, bottle fed him, and now Josh is in the running to be on the cover of Modern Dog magazine (totally sounds made up but it’s not). If you could vote for him, that’d be amazing. There’s no registering or anything. Just clicking a button.

I have become completely obsessed with the show Longmire. It’s not really even that good. I mean, it doesn’t totally suck, but it’s kind of like Law and Order: Wyoming. So dead sheep and horses along with the dead bodies. But it has Lou Diamond Phillips and he was in La Bamba and that’s enough for me. It’s also on Netflix so binge watching is possible. Which is pretty much how I pick shows now.

Speaking of TV, can I just express for a minute how upset I am that SouthLAnd was canceled and I can’t even watch reruns on Netflix or anywhere? Get your shit together, Netflix. This show needs to be on your service. Now.

I cleaned my desk and my office yesterday, except for my husband’s desk. Now I’m just sad that all my stuff is clean and organized but I still have to sit at his to use his laptop since mine has the blue screen of death and I’m too broke right now to buy a new one.

I have the Oregon Trail app for my iPad and every time I try to play it, the damn thing crashes. I’m pretty sure I can fix the problem somehow but I’ve become too lazy to figure out how.

I mentioned Netflix twice in this post. Well, I guess technically 3 times. I need something else to talk about. Clearly.

I love that my computer’s Google doodle is a whole bunch of birthday stuff. I guess their complete invasion into my life and privacy has some benefit. Thanks, Google!

Have a great Thursday, y’all! You have my permission to do whatever you want today in the name of my birthday.

Linking up with Kristin:

Friday favorites, volume 7

Humpday confessions: Social media sins

Reshaping my pioneer project

Friday favorites, volume 6

It’s my birthday and other stuff

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