by Tish MacWebber | Oct 8, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Happy Thanksgiving from Canada! I am indeed going to stuff myself full to the brim of turkey dinner at a friend’s house today. I am thankful that I don’t have to cook a turkey this weekend, as it is still warmer than seasonal temperatures here and I would absolutely melt. I did see a turkey roasting pot at Walmart yesterday that looks like a crock pot for turkeys and claims to be self-basting while the turkey cooks. If that works it might be something that goes on my wish list. If you have tried this out, let me know if you like it.
I am cleaning this week. I realized that I need to get into the cleaning again, before November. I have been inspired to participate in NaNoWriMo after I decided not to do it this year. I am going to write about cats and Susan, and the theme is superpowers, not superheroes like I thought, but I will make it work. I have asked friends to send me cat stories for research. I have an idea of what I want to write, and how, but was worried that I may not have enough information to write it all from the original idea. I will use my own superpowers to win this year, I know it!
I have yet to complete the website setup. I am working on it this month, but I now have more going on than I did before. Since I started this blog in November last year, it seems fitting to make my move a year later. I wanted to test my writing abilities before making this leap. I think I can safely assume that it is not a passing fancy and that I am totally committed to keeping it going. I am about to add my new third category this week, and I am really excited about it. It is also going to have a few surprises, in terms of nerdy author geeky things.
Along with working on concepts and ideas for my NaNoWriMo novel, I have taken up the fantasy trilogy project. I do not want to fall too far behind on it and am working on it every few days. I am happy to say that a challenge I am in (are you surprised that I started another one? No? I am in two right now, with one to catch up on when I finish these two) has fired up my writing for the book one of the trilogy. I started a little bit of free writing and got some plot and character ideas going. That was all I needed to pick it up again. Who knew? I didn’t. I told you that I even surprise myself sometimes.
Weekends are supposed to be fun filled. It was. I also went to the Northside Market on Saturday, and am now as I write re-organizing furniture in my mind in the Master Bedroom/Craft Room. I have made some progress, and want to finish it tomorrow so that I can move more craft supplies back out of the living room and into the neatly organized space in my Master Bedroom. I hope to get this done because I am on a deadline. I have to push through this week and work at work and clean at home so that I can really focus on the writing. What do I need to finish before then? After the cleaning is done, then I move on to website building, including an online store (exciting and terrifying at the same time) and moving the Blog to the website. If I am going to get this all done before November, I need to be focused on progress and getting things finished.
By the end of the week, on Friday, I want to kick back and relax after a week of doing double duty. Then I can implement the maintenance cleaning schedule and have a monthly and weekly chore list that keeps things from reversing into chaos again. I know that chaos is a true sign of a creative mind and that it is not always a bad thing, but I am trying to change my ways for the better, and fight my way to be able to feel like I can spend more time creating and be happy about it. Not feeling guilty and not doing anything because what I want to do can’t be done until I do what I need to do, which I don’t want to do, and then I fall into the nasty non-productive loop of living in chaos and getting nothing done at all. I have a plan for tomorrow, and I have to set myself up to succeed before I give up on it all. I know what I have to do, and it is up to me to do it.
What did you do this weekend?
by Tish MacWebber | Oct 7, 2017 | Guest Blogging
When someone comes to visit me, I will offer them a cup of tea or coffee, as a host. I chose this picture in particular because it has vibrant colours.
As a Blogger, you generally love to read and write. A part of the craft is to continually learn and challenge yourself to become a better author. In doing so, one often subscribes and follows numerous blogs within the community.
I have been fortunate enough to start on this path with a lot of help and guidance from my friends, and peers. I have enrolled in free online workshops and found some that I think are worth saving up to participate in. Through one of these challenges, I launched a free Guest Blogging invitation to the world.
While I haven’t been overwhelmed by people looking to share in this opportunity with me, a few people have approached me, and today I have the pleasure of sharing a story that another blogger wrote. I do think as we are reading each other’s words and having online conversations about each other’s work, that we are well on the way to becoming friends.
I am a member of several different writing and blogging groups and communities online. I am loving the support that I get from each one, and how they are all unique in their own ways. I met my next Guest Blog Writer in one of these groups.
Syl DiNada was interested in Guest Blogging when I put out the invitation. We started chatting, and Syl was more interested in sharing than hosting. As it is an open invitation, I decided that I would see what came out of our discussions, and reading my new friend’s blog.
Let me tell you, the artwork that is prominently featured in Syl DiNada’s Blog is phenomenal. I can visit just to look at the pictures. Truly inspirational and magnificent. Well worth checking out. The writing, well, we definitely have different outlooks on life, and that is absolutely wonderful. I love reading different things, and Syl puts a lot of thought behind the artwork, and consequently the writing for the blog. I rather enjoy the visits, you should take a peek, and find something to read there.
Here is the Guest Blog share from Syl DiNada.
Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Sharing the Self
Z: “Syl, I like your avatar but seriously, what do you look like? Why are you standing behind a mask and yet trying to convey true words?”
Y: “Z, I would just like to say we live in a world where we sometimes put too much importance on how others look. An Avatar can be a way of allowing a much larger audience to pay attention and really hear what is being said.
Personally, not for myself, as I honestly don’t care how someone looks, but I
care what is in their heart and how they convey that.”
Syl: Yes, Y has it pretty much. Although I really do make the majority of my
posts with just me in mind.
But really, at the time I signed up for FaceBook I did not own any pictures of
myself. I don’t use a phone either and had no digital camera. I just don’t
have much interest in personal pics, never have. (Yes, I know it’s hard to
believe in this day and age, but some of us have never taken a selfie.) So I
used this avatar pic of mine. And ofc…”There is More…”
Pictures of faces have a very particular effect on cognition. They instantly
convey an impression of someone. Pictures of faces are limited in what they
can convey, particularly when someone is outside of the typical cognition
pattern. I feel pretty confident that I am very much Not what a picture of my
face looks like.
I mean you will see a fairly regular face. But I think I can say without any ego
that I am not very regular at all. Not better or worse, just quite different. This
is something I know for sure from an objective standpoint.
So any picture I put up of me will actually be *Inaccurate.* It won’t, and can’t, tell the whole story. Lol, I struggle to tell my story when I make an effort to do so.
For instance, a friend whom I chat with regularly, asked and made some specific comments about how it all started for me. And well, they completely
miss-assumed how it all began. So I had to explain. Lol, a few hundred thousand words, or half a dozen books later, I am still not done telling that story.
Haha, nothing for me is simple anymore, and that was just a straight-up
chronological story, telling about my early days as a philosopher, as a boy.
(Yes, I was a philosopher as a boy.) So really, I can’t put up a picture, it
would be a falsehood.
And besides, I am not sure why folks assume some other profile pic means hiding, That avatar pic actually says a lot, but that is a whole other post by
itself. I would say my posts reveal more about me than most pages I have
seen.
I am sharing my very essence. That is about as intimate as one can go. To
share what one’s favorite colour and food is, means nothing at all really. In
order to truly know someone, we need to know what matters to them, what
is important, what resonates with their Inner Being, with their Core.
It is knowing what they *Aspire* to. Not even ambitions really tell us about
someone, those are typically relatively superficial, and often artificial. But
what someone’s Heart and Soul truly *Aspires* to, that is *them.* Knowing
someone, one could say, is getting to know their Soul and Heart, not their
temporary and arbitrary likes and dislikes. We have to go past the surface
superficialities to really get to know someone.
Besides, I don’t feel what I Share for the most part “belongs” to me.
Concepts, thoughts, ideas, Perspectives and all the More I Share, belong to
everyone. In this way I feel I am Sharing what is Us. I truly make every effort
to live in Attunement to everything around me, to everyone and everything in
my life. I try with everything I have to live in Attunement with the World and
the Universe. Perhaps I need a picture of a community, a large community,
that would be more accurate. <3 <3
***
And well, there is another reason also… I am way too handsome to post my
picture. I would get err….unwanted attention if I did. 😀 😀 😀
However, in amongst all the art in my posts, somewhere, there is a picture that does resemble me. <3
Syl DiNada is a Philosopher-Writer focusing on the Application of a comprehensive Practical-Personal-Philosophy.
Creator of: The Philosophy of Appropriateness and: An A+ Philosophy.
Thanks for letting me share your story from January, Syl DiNada. I look forward to reading more of your writing, and further conversations. If you are reading this and want to get in touch with me for Guest Blogging opportunities, here is the invitation.
by Tish MacWebber | Sep 30, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
My friend Susan died last week. She was very brave and fought against cancer for as long as she could. I decided to write out what I would like to say at her Celebration of Life Event today. I am going to share that here, for those who could not attend to read about my friendship with Susan, and her husband, Andrew. She was 47 years old. Here is what I had written to say, from several little pieces of notepaper, scribbled at 3 am one morning earlier in the week.
I remember feeling sad when Susan told me that she had cancer. We weren’t the closest of friends at that time, but that changed. I had met Susan’s husband before I met her. I joined a gaming group as I was new to Fredericton, and needed to meet people and make friends.
Susan and I met later on, and we had a lot of things in common, including creativity and cats. Oh, how Susan loved all of the kitties! She would save as many as she could, and picked the ones that nobody else would choose. She had a cat with one eye, and a cat that has medical issues that require frequent vet trips. That didn’t matter because Susan loved her cats, and they loved her right back.
I attended a dance lesson in their backyard, once. It was a gathering of friends, and we all participated in learning a medieval dance. It was fun, although I would not be able to do it again without lessons. I returned the favour by bringing Susan to a Zumba class with me. It was after she had been diagnosed, and she did what she could. There were chairs for her to rest in when she was tired. I remember that she had fun, and wanted to go again. That didn’t happen, but it was nice to share the love of dancing with Susan.
You might be wondering why I chose to wear this brightly coloured poncho today. ( I was wearing the same one that is in my profile pic here.) When I started to knit it, I was lost, and rather confused. Knowing that Susan was an avid knitter, I approached her for help with it. She took the time to go over the pattern, and we decided that I needed a chart. She helped me to make the chart, and because she helped me, I have a completed poncho that she helped me to knit. Simple, yet effective. The perfect solution for me and that is why I am wearing it today.
She liked to knit socks for people. I remember being out to buy sock yarn with her, and she was asking if the colours went together well or not. She confided that other people didn’t always like the colour choices she made for knitting socks. She wasn’t so fussy when it was for her own socks, they were just socks. She had been getting feedback on other socks that she had knit for people that the yarn didn’t always match well, so she wanted to check on the colours before buying yarn if she was making socks for gifts.
When she found out I wanted to work on knitting, she lent me her Stitch and Bitch knitting book. I think I kept it a little too long. When she asked for it back, I actually went out and bought my own copy. I never told her that.
I have attempted to join in on the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) events. For those that do not know what it is, it is a worldwide movement for authors to write a whole book in November, and it is an annual event. I tried a few times, but have decided that it is not the format for me, and I am now a Nano Cheerleader. Susan loved to host the events for Nano, and was very proud to show me her Nacho Hat platter that was used for the Nano events. She was a great leader in the Nano world, and people looked forward to her launch and closing parties. Unlike myself, she was a Nano winner. She recently gave me a book she wrote, called “Freaks in Fredericton.” I plan to read it when I feel ready, and I guess I will have to wait to discuss it with her in another place and time.
(I added a bit here about FredNoWriMo, the local branch, and that the theme is Superhero this year.)
When Susan was needing to be more cheerful, she would often turn to Youtube. Sometimes we would sit and watch cat videos. Other times it would be music. She introduced me to the guy that takes tweets from Twitter and turns them into songs. Her favourite was the one with the ukulele and he is singing, “Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing on Rainbows.” That is the whole song.
She also introduced me to Post Modern Jukebox. They take current songs and cover them in different styles from different eras.
(This was the end of page one, and the start of page two. I had a harder time with page two.)
One thing I learned from both Susan and Andrew, her husband, was that it was OK to talk to them about things that were happening in my life. I didn’t want to bother them with my issues, they seemed to be insignificant when they were dealing with her diagnosis. We came to an understanding that it was OK to talk about things and that we would all be real when we were visiting. In a way, it might have helped them to have something less impactful to talk about, and as friends that talked about problems together, I think it helped them, just as much as it helped me to have a place that was safe to talk about anything. It made me realize that because they realized that what mattered to me was important, that made me, their friend, important. What a beautiful gift of friendship to share.
She often expressed a hate for cancer. I agree with her on that. One day, when she was having a particularly difficult time finding the right words to express her thought, she accurately said that she hated her brain. I knew exactly what she meant, but I still don’t know how to correctly respond to that comment.
I wanted to be a good friend to Susan, even if I knew that it would tear me up inside after she was gone. The last thing I said to her was, “See you later.” I hate goodbyes.I hope to be a better friend because of my friendship with you.
It surprised me when people told me after that I did very well, and that I should be a public speaker, not a writer. In the last few months, I have also been told I should be a comedian. I try to be funny, but it doesn’t always work. I blank out after speaking in public, so I don’t always know if it went well or not unless I ask someone after I am done. I did read in Church when I was old enough, and they taught me the few basic skills I used today. Pacing yourself, pausing to look at the people, and just making sure that you speak clearly into the microphone. I did need a minute near the end, but I expected that. I managed to do my best, and that is all I wanted to do.
It was not easy to do that today, even if it seemed like it may have been before page two. I had to just focus on the task of reading what I had written. Knowing another friend had given it a read before today helped, she said it was perfect. What do you say when there are no words to express how you feel? You think about the good times and write from the heart. Sometimes there are no words. I was blessed to have known her and to be able to tell her family just how important she was to me, as my friend.
by Tish MacWebber | Sep 29, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 31
Another week has come and gone. Thursday was yesterday. I am a little sorry that I am writing late this week, but my heart wasn’t in it yesterday, and I want to keep it real and honest with you all. I have suffered a loss nine days ago that has affected me more than I expected in some ways, and just as much as I thought it would in others. This loss was neither on a scale nor of inches.
There are two certainties in life. You are born, and you die. A dear friend of mine lost her battle with cancer nine days ago. I plan to speak at her Celebration of Life Ceremony tomorrow. While I was writing what I wanted to say and organizing my thoughts for that, I realized that it was more important for me to focus my attention on it when I decided to do it. I got a friend to give it a read through in an editorial sense, but because I drafted and edited it myself, she thought that it was a great piece of writing. So I am sorry if I let anyone down that is following my journey in this category, but all is not lost. I am here today, and I feel like writing. If the family is OK with me sharing my story after I read it tomorrow, you can expect to read a different kind of Weekend Warrior story later on this weekend.
So what brought me around, other than the guilt of missing my self-imposed deadline for the weekly story? I was watching another video along the lines of Branding, and learning more about how to be effective at it. Wait, what? How does this relate to a struggle with weight issues?
The guest speaker was talking about taking what makes you mad, and writing about it. Not an infuriating anger filled frustrated rant, but to use common sense thought processes and provide a solution. This is the basis of what I want to do here. I am mad that I am the way I am, physically, and health-wise. I write about what I need to do, and I learn new recipes and ways to improve my health and change what I am using for fuel in my body to have a positive outcome. I can write about it, I can think about it, I can talk about it, but the bottom line is, only I can care enough about myself to actually DO something about it.
I seem to be at opposing sides with my food choices. I will eat a really healthy meal, and then go WAY off track and have junk food or fast food. Willpower is certainly lacking in my life these days. I am struggling with some old monsters. They are ganging up on my inner light and causing me strife.
The feeling that I am never going to be good enough is a main contributing factor in why I weigh over 300 lbs. I get it from many sources in my life. My childhood was not bad, not at all, but sometimes the messages were not presented in a way to make me flourish. I don’t believe people when they compliment me right away. I need to hear things that are positive about a million times before I believe them, and then I get upset. I just don’t know how to accept compliments. I am working on this and getting better about thanking people when they say nice things. For me, this is a real struggle.
Work is another area where this arises. Workplace Bullying is wrong, no matter how subtle it is, or who the bully is. I am not singling out my current employers, let’s be clear about that. But when I see or experience it, it makes me feel like I am not good enough. I struggle with that internally, and it is not always somebody else’s fault. Sometimes I can be too sensitive. I am learning to stand up for myself, and this is not easy for me to do, either. As I learn, I have to make mistakes. Picking battles is a trickier thing than you think it is. If I was to cry out about every little thing that happened in my life, people would stop listening, stop reading, and stop caring. Then I would be alone and back to doubting myself.
Sometimes the monsters are on the outside. That is something that makes me angry. People that abuse power are the worst kind of bullies, and I come from a long history of being a victim. I struggle every day to be a good person. It tears me up inside when that is perceived to be not good enough. At this point, I can react in two different ways. I can hide, and cry until I have no more tears. Or I can speak out. I am doing more talking, and it does not always go as well as I plan it in my head. Some things are not OK, and some things need to be confronted. When things backfire, I do hide for a bit, until I deal with my feelings of being hurt. Sometimes I can be overzealous in my attempts to stand up for myself. In these cases, I do get upset, but these days I stand to face the music, instead of turning tail and running.
Still not sure how I am planning to tie this all together? Well, the ugly monsters inside are the worst ones of all. The inner bully that kicks you when you are down and sucker punches you when you weren’t looking is pure evil. We all have the negative self-talk, the hard feelings about one thing or another that we let win. I have been doing a little too much of that this month. I am letting the monster win, and that is not going to end well. I have two choices. I can do nothing, or I can do something about it. I think it is time to take action and kick some monster butts. I feel the inner glow getting a little brighter as I wrote that. I needed to get it out. So I am going to take my common sense and use it to change what makes me angry. For this category, that means I am going to start making better choices and be the change I want to see in myself. One thing at a time, one choice at a time, one story at a time.
Trust Your Gut.
by Tish MacWebber | Sep 24, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Hello everyone! I am kicking back and putting my feet up in a hotel in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. I have just finished a weekend of helping my friend out at a craft show, with her knitting and her daughter’s crocheting. It is an annual show, called Windfall Fine Art & Handcraft Market. I have worked at other craft shows myself, and I have to tell you, this one was a little different.
The show is hosted at the St. F. X. Campus in Antigonish, in a section of the arena. There is an admission fee for the customers, and that is donated to the local Charity that donates part of the proceeds to the local hospital. The part that really stands out for me was that there was a place for vendors to go and take a break. Not so big of a deal by itself, until you find out that there is a snack table with hot and cold drinks, biscuits and cheese, and sweets there for the vendors to take as they wish. It is also run by donation, and all of the proceeds from this and the raffle go to the same charity. There are donated gifts from the vendors that they sell tickets on, which is what the raffle is for. I did not win a prize.
We left on Friday. I took a 4 day weekend, and am using up 2 vacation days to be able to be here. We booked a room in a local hotel. I wasn’t sure about it, but it has been a pleasant stay. The hotel is under new management, so there are things that could be improved upon, but these things did not make the stay unbearable. The bed was good, there are enough pillows and towels. It is clean. I have been comfortable here.
We got some groceries to have food during the weekend at the show and at the hotel. I am getting ready to make some microwave popcorn to enjoy while watching the brand new Star Trek Series Discovery. I am looking forward to the show.
We ate at a local favourite restaurant tonight. It is called The Snow Queen. I knew there was one near Mother Webb’s Restaurant, but I was not aware that there was one in the town of Antigonish.
I was impressed by the food. I got the pan fried haddock in lemon butter, garlic mashed potatoes, and a small house salad. I was in the mood for a treat, so I had a chocolate milkshake with it. I really enjoyed it. The piece of fish was large, the potatoes and salad were tasty, and the milkshake filled the glass twice. I felt like I had a haddock Thanksgiving dinner. It was very good.
One of the highlights for me was seeing a few relatives today. They didn’t realize I was in town so it was a bit of a surprise for them. I was happy to see them and to have a few minutes to catch up. If I come back again next year we may plan more than a short visit. The
The other nice memory I have was of a little girl this afternoon. She was about 3. Her mother had picked up a mandala vest, and I told her that I was impressed that she knew what it was. She did because she had previously bought one for her daughter, who had outgrown it and it was time to get her another one in a larger size. She got her daughter to try some on and then was deciding on colours. Her daughter was spinning and hugging it and just looked so thrilled to be getting a new vest. The whole event was simply adorable.
Well, it is time to pop the popcorn and enjoy the new series opening shows. We are going to get to see episode 1 &2. I did buy 2 bottles of wine today, to bring home. It was a fine way to finish the weekend.
What did you do this weekend?
