Category Writing

Free E-books -> Use OverDrive App

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Do you love reading? Do you want to save money? Well, then you should go to your local library, sign up for a library card and download the OverDrive App. I’m not a techie, but even I was able to download the app and with a few pointers from the librarian within minutes I was good to go and had downloaded some audio books.

Why do I mention this? Recently, I was at a coffee shop talking to a friend about the latest books we have been reading. I told her I was listening to a historical mystery on audio by Jason Goodwin called, “The Snake Stone.” She liked the story line of an eunuch detective set in Istanbul at the end of the Ottoman empire. I was happy to hear she wanted to get the book and read it; however, I was surprised when she said she would buy it on Amazon. NOW, great if Amazon makes money, but I told her unless she really wanted to “keep” the book, she could save herself money by downloading the e-book for FREE from the library. That was news to her, she didn’t know about the OverDrive App.

The OverDrive App is easy to use. Once you download it on your smartphone or tablet, you choose the library you belong to, which connects you to your library account and then you start searching for e-books, audio books, and videos, which you than view offline. THIS HAS BEEN GREAT. If you have a long commute to work and are stuck in traffic, it sure is wonderful to have an audio book to listen too.

One note, the OverDrive App does not send you a warning message that your e-book is about to expire. Instead your e-books are just returned. While that is good, it doesn’t allow you to “renew” the e-book, UNLESS you renew three days before the e-book is due to expire. Still, this is a minor disturbance for a free ebook. My next goal is to learn how to download the audio books to my iPod, so walking is more interesting… If you are an expert on this, let me know.

HAPPY READING!

Need motivation? Then it’s time for Sun Tzu’s, “The Art of War”

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Statue of Sun Tzu in Yurihama, Tottori, in Japan

I’m not sure how I heard about Sun Tzu’s, “The Art of War,” but it piqued my interest as a book I needed to read.

Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general known to be a great war leader and strategist. His goal was always to try and win a battle without fighting and if he did have to fight, to win the easiest battles first. If you read his book, you’ll find that his war strategies apply to business as well.

When I was in Singapore, I was determined to visit a bookstore and find Sun Tzu’s book. I also wanted to explore “other” interesting books that I might not find back home. The bookstore, of course, had a variety of books from Asian authors (Chinese, Japanese, Korean), a great Supply Chain section and a big area for best selling American novels as well.

image1Being the popular book that it is, the bookstore was out of Sun Tzu’s, “The Art of War;” however, they had a business version called, “Sun Tzu for Success: How to Use The Art of War to Master Challenges and Accomplish the Important Goals in Your life,” by Gerald Michaelson with Steven Michaelson.

As I started flipping through the pages, I was hooked. Michaelson takes Sun Tzu’s strategies and relates them to management/business situations. In Section One of Michelson’s book he talks about the importance of understanding “who you are.” He says that Sun Tzu’s philosophy was about knowing yourself, because if you do not know yourself, you are your worst enemy.

Sun Tzu/Michaelson’s goal is to prove to us that no matter how challenged life can be, we are in charge of our destiny, our dreams and our goals. For any hurdle in life, we need to find that inner passion and strength to “stay strong” and want to push through “rejections/failures” in our studies, jobs, owning a business, and more. It takes hard work to win!

I leave you with another bit of inspiration…

Midas Kwant (a 19 year old from the Netherlands), gave an inspiring TedxMaastricht talk on “Finding your Passion.” He talks about being really unhappy in grade school and how his life changed with the determination of his parents and a “little bit of luck.”

Here is to staying positive in life. By reading, learning, meeting new people and sharing inspiring stories, we help each other.

REMEMBER:  When we least expect it, miracles and creative ideas come to us that change the course of our lives. One small act of kindness toward someone can change the course of THEIR day, and the smile they give us warms our hearts and changes OUR day too!

So, I challenge you to go out and do one kind deed today!   Good luck, be creative!

Ok, Star Wars Fans – A Stormtrooper Toaster has arrived!

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Aren’t there those days that you are plugging along, trying to be productive… WHEN an email comes in and you are about to “delete it,” but the header (stormtrooper) catches your attention.

Your memories are brought back to May 25, 1977 when the very first “Star Wars” movie came out and you are “forced” to open the email. What you find doesn’t disappoint!  You see a stormtrooper toaster and a darth vader waffle iron.

You smile and think…  Life can’t get any better. I’m all for starting the morning out FEELING like the “FORCE IS WITH ME!”

Breakfast will never be the same!  Click here  to see the toaster on Amazon.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU today!

Nashville – Go see Bellissima! The Italian Automotive Renaissance, 1945 – 1975

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old-fiat-in-italyIf you love old cars, you have to hurry! Nashville is having a fantastic auto show called, “Bellissima! (translation: gorgeous) The Italian Automotive Renaissance, 1945 – 1975.  The show is at The Frist Center for Visual Arts and ends October 9th, 2016. Sorry for the short notice.

italian-map-bootThis tour of 19 Italian built automobiles is post-World War II era. They are designed by Alfa Romeo, Ducati, Bizzarrini, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lancia and Maserati. You’ll see Italian coachbuilt cars, concept cars and motorcycles from the economic revival period known as “The Italian Economic Miracle.” From what I have read, The Italian Economic Miracle was given this name by historians to indicate a time in history when Italy was flourishing. Italians are known for fashion; however, did you know they also produced type writers, washing machines, refrigerators, plastics, sewing machines, and inexpensive motor scooters. They were known for their elegant designs and inexpensive production techniques at this time. The Italians do have a sense of style in anything they do…. AND food/music, we enjoy it all!

If you love Italy, like I do, and are curious about Italian history, I encourage you to CLICK on the links above. Learn a little bit about Italy.

What I find amazing about these cars is that quite a few of them look “space age,” which is where we are headed now with car designs. So, if you are in the Nashville neighborhood, bring your espresso coffee with you and tour through a piece of Italian history AND do me a favor, find out “how” they chose Nashville for this tour, I’m curious!

Tree Spirits… St. Simons Island, Georgia

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fullsizerender-2When I saw this sculpture of a man’s face in the tree, my first thought was of the movie, “Scrooge,” where Scrooge’s deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, visits him as a ghost. There is that same ghostly feel to the man carved in the tree. My next thoughts were, “who carved this man’s face, why, and where.”

I soon learned that on St. Simons Island, GA, there are a lot of old oak trees. Long ago, these oak trees were used to build ships and many sailors died on those ships out at sea. Sculptor, Keith Jennings, was commissioned to create faces in approximately 20 oak trees around the island, which commemorate the lives of sailors who were lost at sea. Jennings has referred to these sculptures as “tree spirits.” He has said he feels the trees talk to him and that is how he does his sculptures. Not all of the sculptures are of men. For those who are curious now, you can follow Tree Spirits of St. Simons Island on Facebook.

There is something haunting and realistic about the sculptures. For sure, they seem to want to speak to us and tell us of their sorrows. So, if you like a treasure hunt, take a trip to St. Simons, pull out your map and try to locate the 20 different “tree spirits” on the island.

Do you really think that there are spirits in the trees?  I wonder…

The $100 Golden Donut

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The $100 Golden Cristal Ube Donut at Manila Social Club. (MANILASOCIALCLUB VIA INSTAGRAM)

There is something comforting about donuts. We like them at work in the morning, on the weekend and who doesn’t remember after a College party wanting to stop for a donut on the way back to the dorms.

So, I knew my daughter was homesick when she said she was Googling donuts. While her Googling results did not find a place open in Ireland for late night delivery, she did come across the donut of all donuts. A golden donut, which costs $100 out of Brooklyn… and we both laughed with relief, because they do not ship Internationally yet!

In this Youtube video created by Barcroft TV, click here, you can see how Björn De La Cruz, executive-chef and co-owner at the Manila Social Club in Brooklyn, New York decided to create this luxurious eatable masterpiece.

I know… some of you are fainting, some of you are in an uproar saying your Dunkin’ Donuts at 99 cents is good enough and you would NEVER pay $100 for a donut, but before you write this off, consider that luxury and decadence comes at a cost. My daughter is into baking, so for her trying this donut would be “worth it” to find out WHAT a luxurious donut really tastes like. Now, we could be economical about this. Let’s say we ordered this golden donut to celebrate the New Year and we had 10 friends visiting. That would break down the individual cost of the donut to $10 each. Now, we’d have to be really accurate in cutting the donut into 10 individual bites, so we wouldn’t lose even one flake of gold. THEN we would make a toast and each eat our bite at the same time bringing in the New Year!  Eating gold on New Year’s Eve should indicate a prosperous New Year is ahead, YES?

So, I ask you… Is a golden donut worth $100?   What’s on your Bucket List?

Conquer your FEARS!

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So, I have a question…

When you are faced with FEARS, how do you respond?  Like this cartoon of the man, do you charge ahead ready to fight?  OR…  Do you become immobilized like the cat?

challenge-73325_960_720Here is the BIG question. How long do you allow yourself to stay immobilized?

I was thinking about this, because I got laid off from my job. Of course, for anyone who has been laid off, you know our first reaction is HOW that cat looks!  It’s fear of the unknown!

Aren’t all fears comprised of the “unknown.” If we are afraid of flying, it’s because we don’t know if the plane will crash. If we are afraid of heights, it’s because we might fall. In general, we want to know the outcome, then there is no fear.

cat-fearSo fear, like seen in the cat’s expression, can immobilize us. The goal is to conquer our fears as quickly as possible. As soon as we do that we are not in “self pity mode” anymore and instead we are focused on “our goals.”

When does that shift from fear to taking charge happen? It’s different for everyone, but we need to recognize the positive signs that our energy force is shifting. For me, this might sound silly, but as I was exercising, I started finding “lucky pennies” in the strangest places. Then a recruiter who was sending my resume in for a job, boosted my confidence by sharing her journey of her recent job search. She made me laugh, because she started out by saying, “interviewing sucks,” especially when we think we have the job and we don’t. I appreciated her willingness to share her feelings. By making me laugh, it changed my day!

Next, I was at the library and came across this book called, “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway,” (Dynamic Techniques for Turning Fear, Indecision and Anger into Power, Action and Love) by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.  YES, I did have that feeling of “wow” perfect timing for finding this book. I got home, downloaded the audio version, and listened it to while I job searched. Very motivational! I would hope I wrote my best cover letters that day.

One more, my sister happened to forward me a job fair event for Amazon. That was “out of the blue.” I went and they were talking about a new initiative to attract applicants who need flexibility in their work schedules, which was in the news the next day!

What is the “moral of this story?” Make an effort to get out of your FUNK as soon as possible! Once you do, the Universe makes things HAPPEN!

AND… Be willing to share your story with others, similar to the recruiter sharing her story with me. She made me laugh and changed my day!

How have you gotten out of your funk?

We motivate each other!!

“Guardian of the Spirit”

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Sharing with you some photos from my walk this weekend up by Discovery Park, where my friend and I came across the “Guardian of the Spirit” statue here in Seattle. There was a write up below the statue, which I hope you can read.

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Have you ever seen a Dream Catcher?  Here’s one…

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If you visit the Pacific Northwest, you will notice that this area is rich in Native American history. There is a lot to learn and explore and for sure you’ll come across a totem poll and you might even see a Pow Wow taking place!

Sleep well — your dream catcher will take the bad dreams away!

Guizhou – Sister’s Meals Festival

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A few months ago I started following a Blog called, “Enjoying Life… don’t quit.” I am not sure how I came across it, but the blogger had posted some fantastic photos of birds. They were amazing and as I looked at some of her other work, I was hooked. So, now I look forward to seeing “what” photos she will post next.

Well, this week she posted some really beautiful photos from the Guizhou – Sister’s Meals Festival in China. Due to copyright rules, I did not take this photo from her website, but it gives you an idea of the type of photos she has posted this week. I encourage you to click here, and see her pictures of the festival.

This is something I would love to see, so I did a search to find out more about this Chinese village and the significance of the festival. The China Highlights website describes the festival and has an itinerary for a tour you could take. They say that the Sister’s Meals Festival is known as the Oriental Valentine’s Day.

This festival allows Miao (Hmong) youth to possibly find their marriage partners through rice. Disclaimer: The photo I have is of young children. You need to click on site above to see the photos of the older “mature ladies” who participate in this exchange of rice ceremony. I didn’t want to mislead you with the photo I have.

Back to the rice exchange…  The ladies come out in traditional costumes wearing their elaborate silver jewelry. The Miao believe that silver dispels evil spirits. At the dance party, the young men present a parcel of rice to the lady they are interested in. In return, the lady gives the young man a parcel of rice, which gives him her answer. When the young man opens his package if he finds 2 chopsticks, it’s an acceptance. If the man finds 1 chopstick it is a refusal and if he finds a chili that is a definite, “No.”  There are other activities at the festival like dragon boat racing, bull fights, wooden drum dance, etc.

So glad I opened this lady’s post this week. I want to learn more about the “Guizhou Ethnic Minorities Festival Tour.” In fact, see China Discovery, if you are interested in more information as well. The world is full of traditions and special customs. Let’s keep sharing!

Mighty Girls – strong and powerful.

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Ginny Thrasher 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist

Ginny Thrasher, 2016 Rio Olympics Gold Medalist in Sports Shooting, photo from “A Mighty Girl” website.

Have you noticed lately there is a push toward “girl power?” A few months ago I started following “A Mighty Girl” on Facebook. They are a great resource for girls of all ages on being strong, confident and courageous.

The website shares all sorts of books, movies, TV resources featuring girls/women who have made a difference in their lives, community and/or the world. When I was young we didn’t have a special resource like this. What a wonderful website for girls!

As I follow “A Mighty Girl” on Facebook, I am pleasantly surprised by their inspiring posts every day. Share this website with young girls/women you know.

TODAY their message was really special. They honored Ginny Thrasher, a nineteen-year-old American sports shooter from Virginia, who won the FIRST GOLD MEDAL of the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 10 meter air rifle competition. I got lucky and I happened to turn on the Olympics during the shooting competitions, so I saw Ms. Thrasher in action. It takes a lot of concentration to win, especially when the crowd, instead of being silent, was loud and started clapping, which is distracting…. BUT she kept her FOCUS and finished with a 10.9 beating two-time medalist Li Du of China.

The story gets better. Ginny Thrasher only took up this shooting sport five years ago and was ranked 23 in the world as she entered the Olympics and not favored to win gold. Clearly she has a special skill and her passion and determination brought her the GOLD medal. She’s a sophomore at West Virgina University and became the first freshman ever in history to win the NCAA individual air rifle titles.

2016 Rio Olympic history was made!  Another Mighty Girl was revealed.

Congratulations Ginny Thrasher, we’re PROUD of you!!  Go Team U.S.A.!