Category — Microblog Mondays

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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February has come and gone, which means that I missed the first round of the Complaint/Restraint project.  It’s an Internet project meant to get us complaining less.  Apparently we complain about once per minute of conversation.  So in a 15 minute conversation, we whine 15 times.

And that’s a bad thing?

Yes, yes, yes, we all know that negativity begets negativity and how we need to send positive energy into the universe and the Laws of Attraction and… I get it.  But there is something so satisfying about a complaint; about unloading something that has been annoying you.  In fact, talking about things you can do nothing about takes back control from the uncontrollable by containing it inside words.  So there.

So complain away.  What’s bothering you this morning?  For me, it’s people who use their phones while driving, especially the ones who think it’s okay to look at their screen because they’re driving slowly or because they’ve reached a red light.  GAH!

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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I’ll admit that I usually don’t read reviews of my books.  I’m afraid that doing so will change me.  And change is bad.  So… I avoid it like an ostrich*.

But I was scrolling past a review the other day and this line caught my eye: “You’ll do well in the future so keep going.”  This stranger managed to say the exact words I needed to hear at the exact time.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I wrote out the words on a post-it note and stuck it over my desk.  If that person is reading this post, thank you.

Maya Angelou was correct when she said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  That reviewer’s words made me feel grounded.

Two inspirational quotes for the price of one… post.

I do love to surround myself with well-written reminders, the sorts of words that get under your skin exactly when you need them to.  So leave your favourite inspirational quote in the comment section.

*I’m aware that ostriches don’t actually bury their heads in sand.

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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Going hand-in-hand with avoiding dreaded tasks like getting my hair cut are things that I refer to as Schrödinger’s problems. While I don’t love the dentist or doctor, I’m not scared of the tasks that take place in the office such as a cleaning or Pap smear.

The reason I put off going to the dentist or doctor or any like task is the idea that if I don’t go, I won’t know about a problem. I’m aware that like Schrödinger’s cat being alive or dead whether or not the box is opened, if I don’t go to the doctor, the problem still exists. In fact, it could even be worse because I didn’t address it in time.

But I put-off tasks that could potentially bring me bad news. If I don’t go, I can’t receive the bad news. The same thing holds true for social situations where I suspect the person may tell me something I don’t want to hear.

Do you avoid things to keep yourself from hearing bad news or do you like to know definitively where things stand?

P.S. Before my mother asks: I have dental and doctor’s appointments scheduled.

P.P.S. Before anyone states this, I know this popularization of Schrödinger’s thought experiment is a bastardization of his actual statements on superposition.

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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Dolce & Gabbana (who last I checked were two separate people but apparently speak in unison) want you to know that they think your IVF baby is synthetic… like that cheap polyester that unfashionable people wear.  Can we pause a moment to allow them to throw up in their collective mouths?

Will I support Elton John’s boycott and not wear Dolce & Gabbana?  Yes.  I will now wear my Superman t-shirts and jeans in protest.

It is hard for me to become irate because two inconsequential people offered up their ridiculous opinion. (“The only family is the traditional one. No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed.”)  It is easier for me to become irate when sentiments like that are expressed by people I need to interact with on a daily basis, or people with a strong platform who have the ability to reach and influence a large group of people.  I guess my lack of anger comes from the fact that I don’t really see Dolce & Gabbana falling into that last category even though Elton John clearly does.

We all have a responsibility for what we put out in the world, and everyone who has a social media account or a blog technically has a platform.  But where is the line between rolling your eyes and clicking away AND addressing something hurtful put into words?  How do you determine what idiotic things you ignore and which ones you comment on?

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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I was recently reminded of why I only get my hair cut once every two years when I took the ChickieNob.  The stylist spent the entire haircut trying to convince us to switch shampoos, conditioners, and combs.

It is worse when I go.  She tacks on how I need a new hairstyle, how I need to colour my hair, and how I need to change the products I use.  I’m sure all these changes would be lovely, but I don’t want them and I’ve made that clear.

This isn’t unique to my stylist: the suggestions come from all stylists I’ve used.  And I am also aware that she works on commission and needs to sell me these products or services to supplement her styling income.  It’s a terrible system because the implied message to the customer is “you do not look good.”  And that just makes me feel like avoiding her vs. buying a product.

Getting a haircut is a dreaded task up there with sitting in the waiting room at the gynecologist’s office (yes, I prefer the Pap smear to sitting amongst the pregnant bellies).

What are your dreaded tasks that you avoid?

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.