Category: lifestyle

NaNoWriMo Inspiration

There’s a lot of things I never thought I could do until I came out the other side.  Hopefully NaNo will be the next!  43,000 words to go…

For Writers Quote Wednesday

Animal Moment – Miniature Pigs

Cutie pies!

Fun fact – according to a research project by an Emory University neuroscientist, pigs are actually quite intelligent, often outsmarting dogs.  They also found that pigs:

• have excellent long-term memories

• are whizzes with mazes and other tests requiring location of objects

• can comprehend a simple symbolic language and can learn complex combinations of symbols for actions and objects

• love to play and engage in mock fighting with each other, similar to play in dogs and other mammals

• live in complex social communities where they keep track of individuals and learn from one another

• cooperate with one another

• can manipulate a joystick to move an on-screen cursor, a capacity they share with chimpanzees

• can use a mirror to find hidden food

• exhibit a form of empathy when witnessing the same emotion in another individual

Read more here. 

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – John Lennon

“I don’t like Batman…I like Robin,” said my two-year-old niece, completely confounding me.  What does she mean she doesn’t like Batman?  All kids love Batman.  Who would rather be Robin than Batman?

“Why do you like Robin?” I asked, holding up a DVD cover with a picture of the cartoon versions of the characters.

“See,” she pointed to the picture. “Batman is big…Robin is small, like me.”

I kissed her curly head and put her down on the floor to play.  On the drive home, I thought about my niece, how she’s the youngest of four, probably ignored and pushed aside by her siblings, fighting for attention, to not get lost in all the chaos.  No wonder she found a kindred spirit in the Boy Wonder.  She learned an important lesson from him – even if you’re the smallest one in the room, you aren’t powerless.

We all are the “Robin” in our relationships sometimes.  Part of being a good friend is knowing when to step aside and let someone else have the spotlight.  And if they are a truly good friend, they know when to step back and let us play Batman for a little while.

For Writer’s Quote Wednesday

Animal Moment – The Pudú

I only learned about this species of deer a few months ago.   According to Wikipedia, pudú are the smallest species of deer, ranging in size from 32 to 44 centimeters (13 to 17 in) tall, and up to 85 centimeters (33 in) long.  Unfortunately, they are on the endangered species list due to over-hunting and loss of habitat.  I hope we are able to enjoy the beauty of these remarkable animals for generations to come.

Enjoy the video!

Mindful Moment – A Domestic Disaster

Structure is not my strong suit.  Since I was a kid, I’ve kind of run around like a chicken with her head cut off, flitting from one project to the next, getting easily overwhelmed, filled with frantic energy, rarely finishing what I start.  I learned after I became an adult that there is a word for that frantic energy – anxiety.  Getting diagnosed and learning through therapy how to live with anxiety has been invaluable.

We’re always taught to finish what we start – your room isn’t really clean until your closets are organized and every speck of dirt has been wiped away, do all of your homework, even if you’re up until the wee hours of the morning.  I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with any of those things, it’s just that my brain doesn’t work this way.  I only know two speeds – 0 or 100.  I look at a sink full of dirty dishes and think screw it, I’ll wash them tomorrow, or I get frantic and scrub all the dishes, clean out the cabinets, mop all the floors, clean all the bathrooms, do 10 loads of laundry, vacuum…well you get the picture…then I’m exhausted and do nothing for the next two weeks.

Now, I give myself a set amount of time to clean, or tackle any other project I don’t particularly enjoy.  If the project isn’t done by the time the allotted time is over, it will be there tomorrow.  Before diving into housework,  I give myself time to transition from work mode to wife mode.  Me time.  It’s what keeps me sane.  I take the dog for a long walk, or write.  Sometimes I read or wander around Target, or just do some deep breathing.  I allot time to be social, so I can make sure to maintain the friendships I value so much, and of course couple time for me and the hubby.  I’m much happier and much more at peace, knowing that somehow I’m learning to manage my life.   I can do it all, I just can’t do it all at once.

On another note, I hope to follow this same philosophy when I tackle NaNoWriMo next month.  The regularity of my blogging with slow down, but I’ll still be here, hopefully updating you on my progress.  I’d love to hear about your experiences if you’re participating as well.

NaNoWriMo 10/26/15

notepad-691250_1280

So here is the synopsis for the novel I will be writing during NaNoWriMo:

200 years in the future, woman over the age of 18 have lost the ability to conceive; young women everywhere are cashing in on their fertility by selling their genetically-engineered offspring to the highest bidder. Television shows featuring pregnant teens are all the rage. Reya, rescued from being dumped in an orphanage due to her undesirable genetic code by her adoptive parents, has achieved her dream of being cast on Posh Preggers, the most-watched show on television, but is frightened as she begins to learn the startling truth behind her conception and birth, and the foundation of lies upon which her community was founded.

A tentative title for the book is Chosen, that is what adopted children are called in this society.  But there are so many identical or similar titles out there, so I’m not sold.  The idea for the novel was actually inspired by a story I entered in a Flash Friday competition.  You can read it here.

My username on the NaNoWriMo site is jennthumphries.  Hope to see you there!

The Herbivore and the Carnivore – A Love Story

before wedding
Me and hubby before we were married.

When I met my future husband, I was a twentysomething, exercise-averse, meat and potatoes and candy-eating girl.  Now, seven years after our wedding, I’m a thirtysomething, fitness-loving, vegetarian, but still candy-eating, woman.  He’s still a meat and potatoes guy, but we have a meat-free home.  I can’t stand the smell or texture of meat anymore.  I have a friend who doesn’t eat meat any longer but still cooks meat for her husband every night.  I don’t know how she handles it.

Hubby goes out and gets take out for himself when he has a craving for meat, and he orders it sometimes when we go out for dinner, but when I cook at home it’s always a vegetarian meal.  So that brings me to the questions – if you’re a single veggie, do you only date other veggies?  If you’re in a relationship and your partner is not a veggie, if you do most of the cooking, do you prepare meat at times to appease your mate?  If you eat meat, how would you feel if your partner became vegetarian?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.