Smiles and positive posts are all well and good, but sometimes I need to vent a bit. How about you? That’s what The Monday Peeve is all about, a chance to blow off a little steam at the beginning of the week, so then we can go merrily on our way once again (hah). I’ll pick a topic that’s on my mind, but you can vent about whatever you please, here in comments or on your own blog. Grab the photo, use the TMP tag, link back to me (or not), and Bob’s yer uncle. I do reserve the right to delete any links that offend my delicate sensibilities. So far, none have, but it could happen. I have feelings!
Wow, I feel all peeved out after my last rant; maybe I should have saved it for today. How about Santa Ana winds though? They trigger migraines and dry out my skin something fierce. More are coming tomorrow. 🙁 That seems peeve-worthy! No reason we can’t get annoyed about weather ~ some annoyances have no solution and that’s okay.
Journeywas the first band I saw in concert, back in 1980. I haven’t been to many shows because (1) they’re usually super expensive for the bands I like and it’s hard to get good seats for a reasonable price, and (2) the music is so loud it is actually unpleasant to listen to. I guess others don’t feel this way, but I like “produced” music, free of mistakes and shouting/applause and long ridiculous ego solos. Put me down as the “Tang” music consumer. 🎶
If I’d kept a journal back then, for sure it would have been filled with complaints about the boyfriend in Illinois who took me to that concert. He meant well, I guess, but he was what now we term in the dating world “radically honest,” aka an insensitive jerk. Nothing much has changed for me with respect to relationships since I was 18. Guess I was always destined to be a single cat lady 🐈⬛ but I’m glad I detoured from that path for a minute to have two sweet children.
Back to music, I’ve really enjoyed the shows I’ve seen at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Weird Al (twice), two different Eagles cover bands, and a cover band for The Who. I also saw a Johnny Cash cover band in Newport Beach and they were fantastic. In general though, blasting music does not agree with me and can trigger a migraine. (These shows were at a normal volume.) Oh, the Journey concert was hideous… we were right next to an amp. 😱
Hola, it’s the 12, Rory-style! Couple notes. I title these to reflect how many I’ve done ~ Rory has more than 4, but I’ve missed some. Also, I delete his images and use ones that better suit my blog. Onward!
1. What’s currently inside your bathroom cabinet or sits on a shelf in your bathroom?
On the counter is a layered tray of vitamins, headache meds, lip gloss, eyedrops, etc. In the cabinet I have shampoo, first aid stuff, nail polish, and a million other things.
2. If you awoke one morning and discovered that you had the complete control over global Time – would you USE it well or ABUSE it badly and how?
I would eliminate DST. 🌞
3. If you could start a new blog and no one was to EVER know who you were and you never let on either – what style or genre would you opt for?
Probably erotica.
4. If you found yourself to be a ghost for a day who would scare the heebie geebies out of and why?
I wouldn’t want to scare people ~ I’d just spy on them. 😈
5. What if anything are you allergic to?
I may be allergic to bees. I had a very bad episode once that the ER doc decided was from a bee sting, even though there was no mark on me. I also will get sneezy and itchy from exposure to pollen and dog fur.
6. What makes for the best Sandwich in your opinion and more importantly can you describe your perfect recipe to us?
I like a grilled cheese and tomato best.
7. Silly caps aside – how well and how long do you think you could honestly survive in a post-apocalyptic world brought on by a terrible life ending disaster?
About two seconds!
8. If online advertising doesn’t influence your buying decisions – what if anything – does?
Special occasions, getting obsessed with a certain color, change of seasons, etc.
9. Have any of your priorities with regards LIFE changed significantly during 2020 and if so, what and how?
Not really. I always gave my daughters the highest priority and still do. 💖💖 Then I value work, writing, friends, etc.
10. Do you have any bizarre fetishes and if so – care to share?
They aren’t bizarre.
11. Rules are meant to be broken … yes or no and if yes why and which and if no, why not?
They aren’t meant to be broken, but sometimes there’s a higher priority. In general, I think it’s good to follow rules. Makes society run more smoothly.
12. So!! Coffee upstairs or something stiffer and if so, which, why and what?
Coffee please, or tea. I rarely drink alcohol because of migraines.
Smiles and positive posts are all well and good, but sometimes I need to vent a bit. How about you? That’s what The Monday Peeve is all about, a chance to blow off a little steam at the beginning of the week, so then we can go merrily on our way once again (hah). I’ll pick a topic that’s on my mind, but you can vent about whatever you please, here in comments or on your own blog. Grab the photo, use the TMP tag, link back to me (or not), and Bob’s yer uncle. I do reserve the right to delete any links that offend my delicate sensibilities. So far, none have, but it could happen. I have feelings!
Today’s peeve has been postponed due to a migraine. Which is annoying! Meta peevery happening here. Pain sucks. Please share your own peeves regardless. Thank you. 🙂
I thought I’d turn Fandango’s Provocative Question today into a pointless meander. He asks if I’ve ever had to make what turned out to be a life-changing decision and, if so, do I wish I could go back in time and change it, blah blah, what and why. There have been a few…
Generally, I begin with my foolish decision not to go to Northwestern U. I had no idea about “prestigious” colleges back then apart from the obvious Harvard, Yale, etc. I knew it was good I’d gotten accepted, but the gravitas of the decision was foreign to me. I behaved impulsively as a teen and things that went wrong were easily fixed. Everything felt inconsequential at the time. My parents didn’t seem to care, and after an argument with my mom, she decided she didn’t want to pay for NU, so I ended up at the University of Illinois in Champaign. It was a horrible experience, I dropped out, moved back home, and ended up in a series of dead-end, low-paying jobs.
Next, I moved from Chicago to Southern California with my parents at age 22. I’m not sure this was a great decision, though it would have been hard to stay in the city alone given my crappy jobs. But from the minute I stumbled off the plane to right now, I’ve had one giant migraine that never seems to disappear for good. I know I’d probably suffer from them wherever I lived, but it soured the whole experience for me. I remember being bombarded with the dazzling sunshine when we landed and feeling like I was going to pass out from the brightness and the pain.
Finally, I returned to college to finish my degree. But again, doh, I eschewed UCLA for Cal State because the freaking parking was easier. It seemed like an okay decision at the time, but it was yet another folly. Not that I had a bad experience at Northridge ~ I actually loved it all and appreciated my classes and the professors there. But until I had my own children I did not realize the importance of the name of a school. Whatever, at least I finished and that led me to the job I have now, which is good. But I got a late start at a career and retirement savings…
All the while this school/moving stuff was going on, I was also dating. Ugh, what a nightmare. I can’t blame online dating and culture such as it is now for my relationship issues, since I’ve had them all along. I am attracted to the wrong men, and that’s just the common denominator of the whole mess. I regret spending/wasting time with a lot of these guys, but I can’t regret my second marriage because my two wonderful daughters are my prize for sticking with it. I should have ended it sooner however. I definitely regret all the years I thought the marriage could be fixed and floated in limbo, taking no action to help myself move on.
I like to imagine that if I’d been single in my 40s I would have had a great romance and met my life partner, though that’s probably false. I would have simply made stupid dating decisions all that time too. Ugh, thinking about all this is an emotional drain… plus it’s all fantasy. I did what I did and here I am. The only thing to do is to slog on…
Clean, though I get envious of those who do even more. Because of neck/back issues, I don’t clean as obsessively as I might. I’m also neat & tidy. At work, it’s harder cuz of ongoing paperwork on my desk, but at home I’m super anti-clutter. I love to throw things away!
If I asked you to describe yourself in five words – what would they be?
Smart, funny, creative, obsessive, crabby.
Do you enjoy being out in nature?
No. Theoretically, it’s great… lovely beach, peaceful hike, majestic mountains… but the reality is that so many things trigger my migraines it’s not fun to be outside. Bright sun, wind, cold, etc. are all triggers. And now, with constant back pain, it’s hard to even enjoy a simple park walk.
Incidentally, this was a huge problem for me on dating sites, where every man seemed to crave being outdoors 24/7.
What could you spend all day talking about?
Relationships, writing, psychology, games, music. Not saying I know a lot about these things, but they’re interesting to me.
Please feel free to share some gratitude from your life! Thanks!
Super grateful I was able to see part of my family this past weekend, including my newborn grandson! 💗💗💗
Starting my Tuesday with questions from Melanie! 🙂
1. What do you think of professional motivational speakers? Do you think they motivate?
I don’t like to listen to jabber, period. I don’t seek out speakers and in fact avoid audio like the… you know. Videos are for music. 🎶 That said, I don’t mind reading some motivational jibber, depending on my mood. I enjoy short, profound philosophy that can make me go ahhhh and leave me thoughtful and/or calm. And I enjoy humor mixed with inspiration, a la Mark Manson. I don’t find motivation in everything he writes because a lot of it is geared toward much younger folks beginning careers and relationships. But there is still some stuff applicable to me. I don’t know if these speakers motivate people in general, but I’ve gotten value from reading other ideas, especially MM’s.
2. Do you have a favorite flavor?
Yes, several… coconut, cinnamon, lemon, and vanilla.
3. While out walking, you hear a rustling in some bushes. What do you think of?
Kitty!
4. What’s your ideal temperature (nature-wise)? Hot, cold, temperate and mild, humid or bone dry?
I like it pretty warm, 80ish. But I prefer an overcast day, as bright sun is a migraine trigger. Rain is also a trigger, as are any big changes in weather or extremes generally. Hate wind!
Alrighty! Got a post done and now on with the day… 🎉
Yep, it’s Friday. And yep I did a search for May 29th posts last night, but nothing grabbed me. I had a One-Line Wednesday that came up about migraine tigers (triggers), but if I’m going to post about head pain, I’d prefer to ramble on about it anew. Oh! Did I tell you… I’m sloooowly going off one of my meds? Yep, my doc and I discussed it in a virtual visit last week and I’ve now cut Topamax 25% and am okay so far. It’s a good time to try this when I don’t have so much going on and can lie down if I need to. The drug was a lifesaver at a time when I was super-stressed, but things are pretty chill now and I don’t like all the side effects, especially feeling so blah. I can always go back on if my migraines get too horrible to bear, but my hope is that I can cope without it and I’ll have more energy again and can start to exercise more (i.e., at all). The goal is to be completely done by June 30. Since my head gets really bad toward the end of August through September, whatever I do, this will be a good way to make sure I don’t confuse that inevitable badness with going off the drug. I’m determined to be optimistic even though I did this a couple years ago and it was a big fail. I had more stressors then though.
Not that things aren’t stressful in the world now. Right? I mean gah! But I feel lucky that I’m able to stay pretty isolated from it all and I’m also the kind of person who doesn’t mind being isolated. My personal life (knock wood) is calm, even while the world is falling apart. I’m sorry world, but there isn’t much I can do about the things out there except try not to make them worse. Perhaps staying in here, as I do, helps a little. At least I’m not using much gas anyway. But things are “opening up” again, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me as the virus numbers are climbing, but what do I know, eh? Maybe they felt more and more people were going to take to the streets in protest so they’d better let them start going to the Cheesecake Factory (just an example ~ I don’t actually know if the Cheesecake Factory is open). Nothing is perfect. Personally, I am not going to sit in a restaurant, or anywhere else, among a giant glob of people, anytime soon. I just don’t see why I should take that risk. I’m fine at home by myself, going out to get groceries once a week, and stopping at my office (alone) to pick up the mail and water the plants. I understand that some people are going out of their minds without actual physical companionship, but I’m not one of them. The only thing I truly miss is not being able to see my family and the routine of going to the office 9-5 daily. I’m one of those weirdos who likes doing that. There are very few of us apparently… most people prefer blobbing around the house in sweatpants. Bleh.
I don’t really have interesting thoughts about current events. My view is likely the typical “liberal” one on most things, except I don’t allow disgust for a leader to create my reaction to every issue. One thing I differ on from many is my view about social media. I’ve already mentioned my unpopular idea that I do think there is something wrong with the idea of providing a platform for people to be utterly horrible to each other, even to the point of ganging up on someone and driving them to suicide, in order to make money from ads, and then shrugging off all responsibility for it. I’ve said that one possible solution is to disallow anonymity. One account, one person, and it trails you forever like a fingerprint. Well, no one likes that because it’s as scary as a microchip in a vaccine. What about forcing the companies to enforce their own TOS and not selectively as they do but consistently and fairly? Maybe they’d make less money, boo hoo. I don’t think children should be on social media at all. It’s bad. But if “everyone else is” and that’s how teachers are giving out lesson plans, well, whaddayagonnado?
One thing I really dislike about this new block editor is that I don’t see my word count as I type. Where is it? Last time I copypasta’d my writing into a Word document to obtain it, but that’s just dumb. There should be a word counter somewhere! It’s probably here in some menu that makes no sense off to the side and I’m just not finding it. I know, what a weird thing to get annoyed about, but hey that’s me! Weird things annoy me. I need to know my word count, grrrr. Otherwise, there’s literally nothing wrong with typing in blocks and I don’t know what people are so fussed about unless you have some huge complicated page with moving parts you need to paste in. I’m just straight up typing and it’s fine. I don’t know if I can add my photo here (but that was the case with the old editor as well) ~ if I can’t, I’ll save the post and add the photo from the app. (Added the photo!)
Today I need a stamp. Why can’t we pay the water bill online? I don’t think that’s enough for a whole Monday Peeve, so I’ll just leave it right here. Maybe something will annoy me when I walk over to the Post Office and it can be my Monday Peeve, but it’s just a stamp. What could go wrong?
I FOUND THE WORD COUNTER! It’s the little “i”. Why wouldn’t you know that? Who wouldn’t think to click the little “i”…
Rory wants to know 7 things that make me happy & 7 things that make me unhappy. Then he wants me to define happiness, save the whales, and cure cancer. Let’s get started, shall we? 😀
Happy Things. Here I’m going to put stuff that makes me personally happy, not stuff I might read about regarding others. Like I love when I see stories of firemen rescuing kitties from trees! Nuh-uh. That doesn’t count here. It’s not direct. We gotta narrow this thing down. Same goes for the next list, or else it’ll be full of all the bad news in the world and nothing about me.
1. When someone pays me for my writing or spends their money to read something I wrote. 🎉
2. When someone leaves a public positive review of something I wrote or my writing in general. ❤️
3. When someone says I’m funny (without hoping to get laid or anything like that).
4. When I spend time with my children. Meant to put this one first, oopsy! 🤣
5. When I have a productive day at work.
6. When I have a productive writing day.
7. When I write something particularly good (either poetic or funny or profound or whatever). 😎
Unhappy Things.
1. When I get nothing done. 😡
2. When there’s a lot of noise. 😱
3. When someone is a jerk on the road.
4. When people demand things of me (who aren’t related to me or paying me).
5. When I have a big f*cking migraine. 🤯
6. Spam, fraud, robocalls, and all that sh!t.
7. Things that don’t work right especially when they interfere with work or writing. Rawr!
So, I think we can sum this up by saying that Paula is happy when she can write and Paula is unhappy when things interfere with writing.
