Quote: 10,000 ways

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

Thomas A. Edison

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Phone Appreciation Day

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

So, it was the first day back after Thanksgiving and I got distracted and I left my phone at home.

It was a travesty. Sort of. It was actually more inconvenient than I thought it would be. I’m getting more attached to the smart phone stuff.

1) I couldn’t tell anyone via text that I forgot my phone so they couldn’t text me.

2) I didn’t have any meeting reminders chiming quietly from my phone in addition to the silent pop-ups my desktop computer.

3) I couldn’t use my phone to get my password for a website I use for work.

4) I couldn’t add a reminder to do something after work.

5) I couldn’t look up the lyrics to ‘Jack and Diane’ while I was stopped at several red lights on the way home to get my phone during lunch.

Well, it was on the radio and I realized there were some words I’ve never understood.

6) I had to make notes about this on… a Post-it note!

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Favorite: Rain in a tent

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

Sometimes you just need to listen to a sound that relaxes your brain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSlgKZrHJg8

This is one of my favorite sounds: rain on a tent. Especially if the tent is waterproof and there is no chance of getting dripped on.

Even better, sitting in my living room and listening to it.

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Fear says

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

Fear says:

Don’t do it
You can’t do it right
It’s a waste of time
There is no point
It doesn’t matter

Joy says:

Try

 

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Picture of the Week: Palms

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

Palms and shadows of palms on the building behind them

Palms and shadows of palms… a nice change from the snowy scenes.

A trailer in the foreground.

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I am thankful for

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

Granddaughter in a bucket.

Merry-go-rounds

Laughing children

Swimming pools

Chocolate malts

Good jobs

Sunny days

 

 

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Security

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

So, normally when I travel, a certain amount of planning and packing takes place because of TSA rules: I have to put my liquids in a baggie, make sure I can get the laptop out, and I had better wear socks because they’ll make us take our shoes off.

Apparently, all of this careful planning is pointless.

Because when it comes down to getting a zillion people through security for the day-before-Thanksgiving crowd, none of that matters.

Even the scanners that I regularly opt out of weren’t fast enough. Nobody had to take anything out of their bags. Shoes stayed on. Dogs were brought in and we went through a metal detector.

Why don’t we just do that every other day of the year?

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Quote: What to do

Posted on November 21, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt

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Alfredo pesto pasta

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

 

Alfredo pesto pasta

  • Angel hair or your favorite spaghetti or linguine
  • Alfredo sauce (If you are ambitious, you can make your own, but I just bought the one that had cream instead of soybean oil as a major ingredient.)
  • Pesto (Again, I’ve made my own in the past, but it’s a lot easier to just pick up some at the store.)
  • Zucchini
  • Tomatoes (grape or cherry size)

Start boiling the water for your pasta. Put some Alfredo sauce in a pan over low heat.

Cut the little tomatoes into quarters. Slice the zucchini thin, then cut the slices in half or quarters.

Add some pesto to the Alfredo sauce. You’ll have to use your own judgement here, it depends on how much you like your pesto. Try a teaspoon or a tablespoon to start out, mix it in and taste it.

Add the zucchini and tomato to the sauce. If you really need your zucchini cooked through, you might want to use a separate pan. I’m okay with it being warm and a little crunchy. It adds texture.

Cook your pasta when the water is ready.

Stir the Alfredo occasionally, slowly heating it so it doesn’t boil or burn.

When everything is ready, serve the pasta with the Alfredo on top. Delicious!

Enjoy!

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The Chad P_______ Method

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Brave Thoughts

Once upon a time, I was living in a house with four other people for the summer.

There was someone named Chad P_______ who either lived there or spent a lot of time there – it’s been a long time. I actually know the whole last name, I just don’t want to use it here.

I think of him often when I use the microwave.

This was what I learned from Chad: you don’t have to be so specific when you use the microwave. If it says 2:00 in the directions, you can set it to 2:22. You’re not going far, you can stop it if you need to.

If it says to nuke it for 4:30, 4:33 is good. You don’t want to jump more than a half minute or so, but you can save all that extra effort of changing from one number to another. Repeat digits whenever possible.

1 minute? 1:11.

It may seem like such a little thing, but over the years, it adds up. My life is simpler now.

It’s the Chad P______ method.

 

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