Unknown's avatar

Your Cubicle is not really Your Space : How Not to Decorate

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So, you’ve got a job in cubicle land and you have your very own cubicle. Yours to decorate as you wish? Well, maybe, but there are some risks.

I once worked in cubicle land and had my own cubicle, too. Now, some people decorated their cubicle greatly, bringing pictures, heirlooms, and other things, while others, didn’t decorate at all. I leaned towards not decorating. At most, I had a picture or two, and maybe a small calendar.

And this was for several reasons, all huddled under the main reason which is that, your cubicle is not really yours. It belongs to the company.

One, departments are often compelled to move, and moving means that you have to unpin and remove all those belongings you brought from home, in addition to all the company material that must be moved.

Second, a cubicle cannot be secured the way your home can. So, that nice little vase you got as a gift that so impresses your co-workers, is also impressive to thieves. And it may not be the nighttime cleaning staff either. It could be co-worker in your department, or one just passing through.

Then, while it may not be offensive to you, that object or picture you brought from home may be offensive to someone else, resulting in your superior coming to you and demanding you take it back home. How your superior does this may or may not be embarrassing to you. And it may go on your employee record.

Or, it could just be a distraction in one way or another, resulting in the same demand being made of you to remove said item or picture.

So my advice? Ok, maybe an innocuous picture or two from home, but try not to go beyond this, and don’t bring anything that you know is against company policy or is too valuable to lose.

And speaking of pictures, it’s a good idea to take advantage of today’s technology, and make a copy, so if the picture at work goes missing, you’ll still have the original on your computer.

Good luck with your cubicle, even though it’s not really yours!

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site!

And thanks for reading! 🙂

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The Mental Hand

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We all have two hands, right? Well, actually we have 3. That’s right, 3.

The 3rd one is your “mental” hand. This is the one in your mind and it can be a great resource for any of us. This is what you use when you really stop and think about something, such as your politics, or you’re wanting that great new thing, or any other serious self-examination of our own lives, something most of us don’t do, or do too little of.

I refer to this kind of mental examination as a “mental hand” because I liken it to the mental equivalent of using one’s hand to really feel what a physical object feels like, or even experiencing something in the flesh.

It can often help if one uses that mental hand before making an important decision. If one is thinking of getting that new big-ticket item, like a house or a car, they are often in a frenzy to get that new item. Oftentimes they won’t think of the negatives that could be involved, starting with the money that would be spent, so they don’t use their mental hand and buy the item.

It doesn’t mean that it is automatically a bad decision, but, because they haven’t thought it through, it is more likely to turn out bad, or at least, any negatives that come up will be more of a shock and will retard the good points more, because, by not using their mental hand, they were mentally unprepared for the shock of the negatives.

But, when one can stop that frenzy, that overwhelming desire to make that purchase, or to stick with a way of thinking or doing, and use their mental hand to really do an honest, unbiased, objective analysis, one is much more likely to make a better decision.

Using the mental hand to its fullest potential means that you can see and ask yourself if you really need that new car, is the political party you support is really the right one, is that employer one you would really want to work for, do you really want to live in that area, do I like my friend Joe Blow because he’s Joe Blow and I’m letting him exploit me because I’m  just shallow, or is it because he really is a great person and friend?

The mental hand allows you to take a ‘time out’ and really consider the important choices, or any choices, in your life. It doesn’t guarantee a good decision, but it does increase the odds for one.

If you’re using your mental hand before you make major decisions, keep doing it. And if you really haven’t, start.

I’ve used my mental hand more and more, and it’s improved my life and will improve yours, too.

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading! 🙂

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As Long as You Know the Score (And Be Sure You Know What You’re Saying!)

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Once, when I was in high school, this guy, that I’ll call “Johnny ABC“, was saying, in the presence of a group, that his family came from a long line of famous people. Feeling a stupid need to challenge him on this, I replied that “The only place I’d seen your name was the name of a street“.

Well, later on, he confronted me and he was not happy. Luckily, I had the good sense to apologize and managed to defuse the situation, though I have the feeling that he harbored bad feelings about this in the back of his mind through the last time I saw him, which was at graduation.

In looking back, I realized several things. One, though I never meant to be insulting when I said what I said to him, it was insulting, especially in the way I said it. It implied that his name was associated with dirt, the gutter, the bad image of any street, so to speak.

Second, what he was saying could have been true, which would have made me look even more foolish in my playing the one-upmanship game.

Third, he wasn’t insulting me or challenging me when he said what he said, but was talking about himself. 

What should I have done? Simple. I shouldn’t have said anything. I learned some important lessons through that experience.

First of all, even if I’m right, I learned it can often be better to keep quiet than to try to correct someone as it can make them feel foolish, especially if you’re among a group of people, and also make you look like you’re always trying to take people down or engage in one-upmanship.

In most cases, as long as one “knows the score”, that’s all that counts. 

Of course, if the consequences of the other person being wrong can be detrimental, by all means, tell him or her! If Joan says she’s sure that the cake someone else brought over has no nuts and you know that it does have nuts and you know Joan is allergic to nuts, you must tell her!

All I’m saying here is to follow the adage, “Be sure your brain is running before you throw your mouth into gear!”

I have found more and more that it’s good to live by this.

Second, whatever the person is saying, they may just be right after all! Just because Johnny ABC’s name wasn’t Franklin, or Columbus, or Lincoln doesn’t mean that they aren’t related to him. Names change through marriage and other means as well. And I certainly didn’t know his family history, so who was I to say that he was wrong?

Finally, I’ve learned through this and some other experiences that I don’t need to be the smartest person in the room and that, if I do know something that I feel must be said, I don’t need to take someone else down to say it! And, whatever the other person is saying, if it’s not attacking me, I shouldn’t attack them.

If you feel the need to retort in a way that puts the other person down, or the need to challenge anything someone else says in order to get the last word or make yourself look more intelligent than the other person, try to quell it if possible, because it will eventually bite you back if you don’t.

And go ahead and have your say, just don’t do it a way that’s insulting or that tries to take someone else down. The idea is not to attack, but to contribute! 

I found that I’ve learned much more by being humble and listening. I don’t usually learn as I speak if I’m just saying what I already know.

So remember, be sure your brain is running before you throw your mouth into gear!

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

And thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Who to Work For, Big or Small?

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Looking for a job? One question to ask yourself is, do I want to work for a big corporation or a small business? This can be more important than you think.

For me, I prefer, in general, to work for small businesses. But first, I’ll tell you what I’ve experienced and read so far.

I worked for a large firm for 13 years, before I left and moved on to take a few jobs with much smaller businesses.

In terms of articles I’ve read, I have found that the vast majority of job and career advice centers around big executive jobs in large firms or in fields that are held to be, lets say, “prestigious”, such as the legal field. However, some of the advice given can certainly be applied to any field or job for any size employer.

So, is it best to work for the big corporation or the small business?

Let’s look at the big corporation first.

Getting that corporate job can be hard and complicated work in itself, and requires a lot from you before you’ve even been hired.

Unless you know someone in the company who is really powerful and loves you to death, you will most likely have to submit an application with a resume and cover letter to Human Resources, or HR. Having spoken with people in the HR where I worked, I can tell you that some HR reps will send an application and resume to the shredder or round file for so much as a period on the resume that isn’t perfectly round! (I’m talking microns here, and believe me, I’m not kidding!)

It’s now coming to the point where they will also require such things as your social media passwords, credit reports, and require that you pay for the checks they do on you as well. Oh, and if you’re currently unemployed, some will now reject you out of hand, also. They also have all sorts of reasons that they will deem you to be unemployable.

Then, you may have to go through several interviews. And, according to various articles I’ve read, wearing business attire and being polite is just the beginning of what you need to do to ace the interview. You also have to read the interviewer’s mind and body language, as well as watch your own, and of course, you can do all of the best things from all of the articles’ suggestions (as they often contradict one another), and still not get the job!

And don’t think for a second that, even if all of the interviewers say that you’re a shoe-in for the job, that you have the job. I was told this by interviewers many, many times, but didn’t get the job after all. You don’t have the job until the company officially says that you do!

Let’s say you survive the application process, checks, and interviews and finally get the job.

Oftentimes, keeping the job, and especially trying to move up the career path in a large corporation means not only trying to present yourself well and doing the job well, but learning to decipher a multitude of hidden messages, dealing with office politics, trying to read the mind of the boss, knowing what words to use and when, and hoping nothing in your past, no matter how innocent, will come back to destroy you.

Now, I’m not saying that this is always the case, but you’re more likely to encounter this when working for a large firm or corporation. But let’s say your unit, boss, and even upper management is friendly and easy to work with and for, there are still some disadvantages.

Rules may be the biggest one. Even if your boss and colleagues just adore you, your boss cannot give you those two extra weeks of vacation, or that raise or bonus you asked for, and that promotion, or even lateral movement you wanted to make may be turned down by upper management or the rules themselves, no matter how much your boss and colleagues are in your corner backing you.

Changes, including layoffs are another. The bigger a business is, the more like a government it becomes. Unless you are really close to the top, you become less a person and more of a cog to the higher-ups. That means it’s easier to force bad changes like layoffs or poor assignments upon the employees. After all, the CEO sees, “employees“, not “John, the loyal employee“. Things become less personal to the higher-ups.

Poor decisions can be made regarding equipment as well, where the employees who have to use said equipment have little or no say or recourse when problems arise.

When I worked for the large corporation, I used to run a roomful of printers and would make sure that various departments had their reports printed and delivered to them. Well, the company decided to get new printers, which is perfectly understandable.

However, these new printers did not perform as well, and had a very bad flaw. If a report was over a certain size, the new printer would literally shut down and fail to complete the job. Now, if the old printer had done this, which was rare, all that was needed was for the printer to be shut down and restarted. The old printer would continue the job from where it left off so that you wouldn’t need to print the whole report over again.

The new printer didn’t do this. It would lose the job, no matter what you did, and would have to reprint from the beginning! This happened one day with a report that was about 3,000 pages and the most important page was the last page, which summarized the whole thing. They never got that page despite several frustrating attempts to get it printed, as well as having the help of the IT department.

Why didn’t the people in charge of purchasing equipment test out these printers at the manufacturer’s for this problem, I’ll never know. Quite possibly, due to the size of the company, the purchasers had no idea of the size of the reports these printers would have to deal with. And, since I was an employee in the field, I could only tell my immediate superiors, which I did. The machines were replaced about a year later, possibly due to multiple complaints, but it may have been solved naturally earlier within a smaller company where those who make purchases for the company have greater contact and exposure to those who will use the equipment.

There are some advantages to working for a larger firm, if you can handle the disadvantages.

Have a bad boss who’s out to get you? In a big corporation, unless he or she is the CEO, they have to be more careful in what they try to do to you, as there are the rules and channels, and they, too, have a boss they have to report to. There is probably a system as well for “skip level” meetings, where you can talk to your boss’s boss or even higher in some companies. And your colleagues might be on your side and, as a group, might have more sway with upper management. This can be especially useful if the boss is new and upper management has the collective conscience to at least wonder why you or your unit has suddenly gone downhill, just after this new boss arrived.

Big corporations can also afford bigger pay, greater benefits, and more perks, if they’re willing to offer them. Being large, they are less likely to suddenly go out of business, but size is absolutely no guarantor of this not happening. Employees of some large corporations in the past have arrived at work to find the doors closed for good, too. But, chances are you may see the writing on the wall sooner. And, if they have several divisions, they may just transfer you instead and use the economic benefits of simply not having an extra building to maintain instead of laying off people, including you.

What about small companies?

Here are the advantages.

They are more intimate. When you try to get a job there, especially if it’s just a mom-and-pop, chances are the owner will be the one to see your application and resume. He or she is probably a lot less interested in keywords on your resume or whether you are right or left-handed, or what your credit score or Facebook page looks like. They are just looking for someone who can man the counter, or sell accounts for them and who will fit in and be reliable, and if they say you’ve got the job, you’ve got the job!

If they really like you, they can give you that raise, extra time off, or other perk you asked for and don’t have to answer to some higher-ups.

Also, they are easier to contact and more likely to seek your input when making business decisions that can impact your job.

And, if they are contemplating letting you go due to economic reasons, they may find another way to survive without letting you go, because they know you personally and you’re not just some far distant employee.

And if they do have to lay you off for economic reasons, they may call you back later if things improve, because they remember you.

Of course, there are some disadvantages, too.

They usually have less money, and may not offer as much pay and probably few to no benefits. And, if times get too tough, you may be laid off and the company may even go out of business.

If you have a bad boss and he or she is the owner or a relative of the owner, you’re probably out of luck.

If you’re the type who has to be constantly rising on the career ladder, you may hit a glass ceiling rather quickly and end up frustrated.

So, these are things to consider when deciding how big or small a company you want to work for. And of course, it’s important to remember that you can encounter any of the advantages or disadvantages listed above at any size company.

So, good luck with your decision and job! Oh, and if you need a resume, see the services page for more info.

If you like what you’ve read here, be sure to check out the rest of this site and blog and let others know, too! And be sure to follow this blog as well. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Moving Long Distance? Some Things to Do for a Successful Move

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So, you’ve gotten that job transfer out-of-town, or have just decided the time’s ripe for you to have that change of scenery or fresh start. And the place for that just happens to be far, say over 200 miles, from where you are living now.

This means a long distance move. And things to consider.

You may already know where you want to move to. But even if you’ve visited the area many times at different times of the year, it is still best to plan an extended visit, of at least two weeks, with the idea of living there. The greater the differences of all kinds between the new area and where you live now, the more this is important!

And it is also important that you make your visit during that time that you may find it most difficult to cope!

And differences in climate can be one of the biggest factors determining whether or not you will really like the area you want to move to.

I’ve heard, and I’m sure you have, too, stories of people from areas with cold, snowy weather, who went to Florida or southern Arizona for the Christmas holidays. They found the 70 degree days just beautiful and decided on the spot to move there. Then summer arrives with 90+ degree temps and great humidity in Florida, or 110+ degrees in Phoenix, and boy, they can’t stand it!

Also, even if temperatures and humidity don’t bother you much, can you cope with seasonal extremes such as droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms, or flooding?

What about earthquakes, wildfires, and landslides? Earthquakes, while not weather related, are a fact of life in California and Alaska in particular. And much of the west is subject to wildfires in summer and early fall. Any hilly area can experience landslides and can be especially treacherous in snowy or icy conditions.

I moved from southern California to the Portland area in 2004. I dislike heat and that was one of my reasons for leaving. So, I planned a two-week trip to Portland, not in summer, but in the dead of winter. I knew that if I could stand a Los Angeles summer, I could certainly stand a Portland summer. But winter was another matter. While not as cold as back east, a Portland winter is still much colder than a Los Angeles winter. While two weeks does not add up to a whole winter, I did get a good taste of what I would have to deal with yearly, and helped me make a much more informed decision as to whether I should move to the Portland area. So, if climate is a big concern and the new area has a different or more extreme climate than your current area, try to go when the new area’s climate is most disagreeable to you.

Also consider cost of living and taxes. If you’re moving from a small town in Kansas to New York City or Los Angeles, be prepared for major sticker shock!  That one-bedroom apartment you’re in now that you rent for $500 could be $1500 in Los Angeles and $2,500 in New York City! And this can apply even if you’re moving from Bakersfield, California to Los Angeles or San Francisco. Cost of living can vary even within the same county in some cases. In Los Angeles County, an apartment in Palmdale will rent for less than a similar apartment in the city of Los Angeles.

Population is another thing to consider. Can you handle the big city crowds? Will you feel like you’re living in a ghost town in that small town you want to live in? Are the neighbors too close? Or too far away?

Culture can be related to this. You want to live in the French Quarter of New Orleans? That means a huge party at your front door every year at Mardi Gras time. If you’re not sure about this, be sure to visit during Mardi Gras. You may like it or you may not.

Layout of the new area. Yes, this is also important! When I made my preliminary two-week trip to Portland, I discovered that an apartment complex that had looked promising to me on the internet, was located in an area that had only one main route into downtown, and was often crowded with traffic. I found the other side of town better laid out and traffic and crowd friendly. No amount of internet research would have told me this, which is why a personal and extended preliminary visit is really essential.

What is the local economy like? If you are moving due to a job transfer, then you won’t have to worry right away about finding a job, as you’ll already have one, but it’s still a good idea to find out what the local economy is like, just in case you get laid off unexpectedly. You can get an idea even before you take your preliminary trip. Craigslist.org is a good start. You’re able to select from a large number of locations. Check out what jobs, and how many, you find in the new area you’re moving to. And you can also browse the forums as well. You can also get an idea of rents and housing prices as well. It’s a good area to start your research.

And of course, finding a new place to live is important. My first post is titled  “How to Find a Better Apartment: What I Did“, which I published in November, 2012. In it, I tell how to find a better apartment, what to consider, etc. Much of what I talk about in that post can also be applied to buying a house or condo as well.

Lastly, there’s the problem of moving your belongings. You can hire a moving company which can do it in one trip, but it can cost you and you do have to make sure you’re dealing with reputable people. Or you can do it yourself, which may involve several long distance trips or renting a truck. Then, if you have pets, they may require special treatment or arrangements. there are companies that specialize in transporting pets, but again, you need to do your research.

So, you can see that there are lots of things to consider for this type of move. Again, the best thing you can do to make it successful is to make sure you really want to do it, and the best thing to help you decide is to take that preliminary trip to the area you want to move to. And, if this is the result of a job transfer, and especially if the company offers to pay for a preliminary trip, take that trip!

So, best of luck with your move!

If you like what you’ve read, please let others know of this post, blog, and site. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Vibram is the Way to Walk!

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For the last 8 years, I’ve been distributing fliers door to door, which involves a lot of walking. 

Well, of course this means needing, and going through, pairs of comfortable shoes, like running shoes or deck shoes. So, I found this one brand of shoe that was very comfortable and fit just right.

However, the shoes would wear out quickly, especially in the heel section, so after 1 1/2 to 2 months, I would feel as if I were leaning back when I wore the shoes. And at 3 months, the soles were too worn and I had to get another pair at $110 – $120 a pop!

This could add up to $450 a year! Well, I decided to look for a different shoe and noticed one made by Merrell. The word “Vibram” was printed on the side of the sole’s heel. I asked a rep at the store what vibram was and he told me. It indicates that the sole is made of vibram, which is similar to what car tires are made from, and wears very well.

The shoe was also slightly less expensive, at around $90, so I decided to give it a try. And am I glad I did. The Merrell shoe fit as well as my previous brand and the sole had better grip on slippery surfaces than my previous shoes did.

But the best part? The shoes lasted over a year doing the same heavy walking that I’d done in my previous shoes! I’ve since bought other pairs, two that are waterproof and made for light rain to heavy rain and snow conditions, and a pair to wear when I’m not working. And all of these shoes have stood up really well, some for over two years now. And it’s saved me a good deal of money.

I do know other brands of shoes are also made with vibram soles and now, I don’t even consider shoes whose soles are not made of vibram.  And I recommend you do the same and save yourself a bundle.

If you like what you’ve read on this post, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

Happy walking and thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Get that True Cinnamon Flavor!

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I really like Cinnamon flavored foods, particularly, breads, cakes, pancakes, and ice cream. And I like it “straight”, that is, with no other items added, such as nuts, apple pieces, raisins, peanuts, or peanut butter.

Unfortunately, foods with just cinnamon added are quite rare, and, when I do find them, the amount of cinnamon is often very small, so you don’t get much of a cinnamon taste.

Luckily, cinnamon is sold separately, so, if you do it yourself, you can have those foods with cinnamon and only cinnamon! Pancakes is one example. My mom made cinnamon pancakes for me a few times when I was younger and they were great. Just by adding cinnamon to the batter. Now, if you’re like me, I don’t always want the hassle of making the batter itself. But there is a solution. You can find batter in a plastic container, usually where the pancake mixes are kept in the store. You just add water and shake and your batter is ready. Just add the cinnamon and you’re all set. I tried this recently and the pancakes came out great!

This can also be done when baking a cake. Just add the cinnamon to the cake mix before baking. For bread, cookies, and, if you know how to make ice cream, this can be done. And since you are the one adding the cinnamon, you get to decide how much to add and can avoid adding too little. And you don’t have to add the apple, raisins, or other things that stores and bakeries insist on adding that we cinnamon purists just cannot stand!

If you’re not into doing it yourself, you may want to give it a try. Lots of people you know may be able to give you hints about cooking that will help, and there’s always the internet and the library.

So now, you can get that true cinnamon flavor! Yea!

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Is The Advice in that Article Really for You?

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You’re in the job market and you’re looking for a position as a cake decorator for a small mom-and-pop neighborhood bakery. You spot an article on the internet regarding interviewing techniques or what to put on your resume and how to say it. The article is on a reputable career guidance website. The article mentions all kinds of things like SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and “Keywords” for your resume. Or how you should walk in a certain way, make or not make certain gestures, and try to read the interviewer’s state of mind by how he or she acts.

How good is this advice for you? 

Well, the problem is that much advice is often centered on a target audience that usually fits a certain criteria. I’ve found that most career advice centers around getting that mid to upper level office job in a well-known non-manufacturing firm. This is where your resume would be scanned by the HR department, where they will often be looking for keywords,  and where the interviewer may not be the person you would be working for and where the decision to hire you or not is almost entirely subjective and often made by those not even connected to the department you would be working in!

The bakery owner is probably not interested in SEO or keyword on your resume and is also the person who would be looking it over, and interviewing you. And, should you be called in for an interview, he or she is probably going to base the decision to hire on whether you can decorate a cake to their liking or not, and doesn’t care that your tie or earrings may not be the best color. He or she is just looking for someone who can decorate a cake, period.

Can the advice you get from articles like this help you even if it doesn’t addresses your case to a T? The answer is, in most cases, yes! If you use the things that the article focuses on and modify them to fit your situation.

On your resume, for instance, while you may not know what keywords a corporate recruiter would look for, you would know what a bakery owner is looking for in a cake decorator and what terms the bakery owner might use and recognize. Having these on your resume, and using the words in the interview will tell the bakery owner that you are at least familiar with baking terms and that he or she can give you instructions using those terms knowing you won’t need to have them explained to you.

And it’s not just articles about job hunting that can help. An article about saving money may  talk about a “latte factor’, saying that one can save a lot of money over the course of a year if they just give up having that $3.50 latte on the way to work each morning. You may not have a latte factor, but you can use, and give up, that morning donut or Friday night beer or that 3rd movie you go to see each month in order to save money in the same way the article talks about.

Sometimes an article that looks like it may have advice that, while it may be good advice, may have nothing for you no matter how much you think about it and read it. But before you toss an article’s advice out of your head completely, do think about how it may apply to you if you mentally modify things to fit your situation. You may be surprised!

If you liked what you’ve read here, please let others know!

Thank you for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Disconnect a Little!

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You may have noticed that many people today have things plugged into them, or they’re plugged into things, as the case may be. You’ve seen them. The guy crossing the street with earplugs in his ears, and maybe texting at the same time. You may even notice that when you get together with friends or family, that one or more of them may have a smart phone and a tablet or small laptop with them, and, in some cases, they may insist on texting or typing away on the tablet while they’re talking to you!

And of course, we’ve seen the commercials showing the dangers of texting while driving and the foolishness that can result when texting and walking, like the person shown falling into the fountain.

And, I’ve heard at least two commentators say that, in essence, we should not let technology take over our lives completely and stop us from interacting with one another. And they’re right.

Now, this is not completely new. It may have started somewhat with the invention of the telegraph, then was made significantly more so with the invention of the telephone, which brought ‘non-face-to-face’ communication to the masses. But, with the advent of cell phones and computers, and related software and hardware it is getting more obvious today.

I’m not saying that all of the new technology is bad and I could never be a technophobe. But I do believe in taking a look at both edges of the double edge sword that technology, as well as just about everything else, is, before jumping in. Also, there is the fact that new technology in general is at its most bug ridden, expensive, and least capable, when it first comes out and everybody ‘wants one’. But that is a different subject.

For me, while I like new technology in general, especially for what it can do for me, I do hold off in many cases, for a number of reasons. When cell phones came out, they were big and just added another thing I would have to carry on me. And, in addition, I didn’t always want to be reachable. (Read, “bothered”).

But, with my dad’s urging, we both got cell phones. And, I’ve come to see where they can be helpful. And, they’ve gotten a lot smaller and lighter and their battery life has greatly improved. I now feel naked if I go out without my phone. However, regarding cell phones, some things I haven’t felt a need to jump into or add. For instance, while my phone can do a lot more than my first phone could, it’s not a smart phone, and I don’t feel the need for one. I can text with my phone, but I really see no need to use texting, when I can call and leave a voice message, or talk directly to a person. So, I’m not a ‘texter’. As a matter of fact, if someone I know sends me a text, I often call them instead of replying to the text. It’s just faster and easier for me. Also, I do take safety into account. If I’m driving, I don’t answer the phone without a bluetooth hands free device, and even then, I will pull over first to a safe area. If I can’t answer the call, my voice mail will pick it up. After all, that’s what it’s for!

And of course, I don’t make calls when I’m with other people unless it’s for the whole group, such as calling to see why one of our group is late or checking on the time that a movie is going to start that we all want to go to. And I will often turn my phone off during these occasions, only turning it on to check my voice mail later on. And of course, my phone is always off during movies, plays, performances, or interviews and similar situations.

If you want to get another opinion supporting the idea of not upgrading to a Smart Phone, click on this link here below:

http://www.xojane.com/tech/my-flip-phone-has-made-me-a-rebel

As for always being connected? Well, I do distribute flyers door to door and I’m by myself most of this time, so I do use my mp3 player, which is filled with music of my choosing, as well as having an fm radio. But, I’m alone during this time, so no one else could be offended because I’m not paying attention to them. Also, my headphones are not the noise cancelling type so I do hear things around me, including cars and my cell phone ringing.

And even then, I will often turn off my mp3 player and take the headphones off, just to hear the world around me, which I do think is vital from time to time.

My computers? I have two of them. And I’m not on them all the time, nor do I feel the need to check my e-mail every 15 minutes.

So, I guess the message here is, disconnect a little! When you’re with friends or family at dinner, take off those headphones and stop texting! Interact with the people who are with you! And by all means, make sure your kids do the same! They won’t die if they are disconnected from their smartphones for an hour. Trust me. Real life is worth it!

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Go Ahead and Experiment! You may Like Those New Foods!

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Lately, I’ve been experimenting with different foods. You may have read about my earlier post about eggs with bacon bits and pimentos. Well, I’ve also tried some things with pasta recently.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

Spaghetti and chili. Combine spaghetti with Hormel chili without beans. It was different, certainly not as Italian tasting, but good nevertheless, especially when shredded mozzarella cheese is put on top. It does taste good, but I’ve only tried it once, and more can be added, such as spices or garlic salt.

Spaghetti and lentils. I used a packet of Tasty-Bite brand lentils in a tomato like sauce and poured this over spaghetti. It also was different, giving an Indian taste to the spaghetti. Again, I’ve only tried this once and more can be added.

Lastly so far, I’ve made capellini, a very thin spaghetti, with Trader Joe’s brand roasted garlic blend sauce. It does taste very garlicky, and the capellini tends to bunch together a lot more than thicker angel hair, spaghettini, or spaghetti. But it does taste good, especially the leftovers.

I do plan more culinary experiments, so stay tuned!

Bon Appetit, and thanks for reading!

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