A Lot of Espresso and Contests
So, this is what my brain is like on ADHD. This will be mostly unedited other than I do like to spell correctly. Please read this… first http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling
This was my response when Darcy Vail posted it. It’s definitely weird that I have to ride a manatee to school. But he can hold his liquor better than the panda bear. We both oddly posted the link today… so yes I will be editing any grievous grammatical errors.
Why? Because I will be a multi-time best selling author. If I survive.
See today I am in full ADHD, I have been writing about espresso machines and X-men statues and more espresso machines. Espresso machines produce caffeine which is supposed to “wake” people up, however for me when I reach that kind of level, it causes arrhythmia. To me, who has given up sodas, most flavored beverages, coffee has become my thing. I can’t say it’s an addiction because I go without it at least twice a week.
But today I realized that an americano is roughly like a coffee, and an espresso machine can make cappuccino, which I like. It can make other drinks as well, but I don’t know if I like them. See I am researching espresso machines for a review site. They wanted 10 reviews, which has meant a lot of learning about the machines. Note A Lot. 1) Space between A and Lot. 2) I knew espresso machines were at coffee shops.
Athletic and musical talents are not mine… instead I am the person who could only play dodgeball. This was due to vast experience at PE with a ball coming rapidly at my head with the words “DODGE THIS!! YOU SUCK AT (insert game with a ball)” being screamed. Dodging was easier because if I attempted to catch said ball I’d somehow hit myself with it.
But I am competitive.
Yes, I can deny it. “Yes, that’s so cool you just made 50 baskets in a row! And I made one, which was a freak deal of how the ball bounced off that car way over there.” While secretly inside I am screaming I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU! Which I don’t really, but you are no longer on my Christmas list.
Because I want to be able to play sports. I can write. So I choose to fill up my life with random writing contests.
- You want 200 articles? Ok.
- You want 8 lens in 8 weeks and I joined 4 weeks in? Ok!
- You want 10 reviews on a mysterious machine that makes concentrated (espresso) liquid of the gods? OKAY!
- You want me to write 100 words on every Zazzle design? OK!
- Look another blog contest! OKAY!
Because the 200 articles, 8 lenses, 10 reviews, and my personal writing are not enough writing obviously.
See, apparently in addition to being quite horrible at sports and music, I rather suck at getting good jobs and dating. Although Michael Buble just told me “I haven’t met you yet” but considering he’s dating a model I think I am out of luck. He’s actually the 2nd Canadian that has caused me heartbreak, the other one is Matthew Perry. 
The Law of Attraction peeps tell me to believe. Visualize something and hold it firm and it will become reality. BULL CACA
Ok, if you have read this blog, you know I have wanted to be a writer since I was 5. The dream got squished. (picturing bug smooshed out like an ink blot) Yet, there was another dream, that was equally as vivid. It involves loads of numbers… so let’s do this.
At college I was going to meet a nice, sweet, smart, guy. After we graduated we’d get married, around 23. We’d each find jobs we loved. I’d work my job for 30 years because it would be a job I loved and made me feel fulfilled and happy, although I would have time off to have some children. 3 children, it’d be like a sandwich, 2 girls with a boy in between or vice versa. They should be between the ages of 13 and 4. We’d live in a 4 bedroom house on a one acre property with trees and a beautiful goldfish pond. We’d have 2 cars, 1 truck. 2 dogs 1 cat. We would happily celebrate anniversaries together and have wonderful family vacations.
This was the way things were supposed to be. I knew it. I believed it.
Jobs were far from fulfilling. The one job that was, had the problem all of them did. Bosses that yelled, screamed and called me evil wicked names. The marriage was a bust. Dating? Well, my boyfriend is 700 miles away and we see each other once every 4 months. WHOO HOO!! Romantic!
Michael Buble music is incredibly romantic. And it kills me that money is tight, and that I can’t afford his MP3 albums but then the songs I love seem to be scattered across various ones which makes me unhappy.
So I find another contest.
This has become my solution to everything. I don’t know how I am going to pay this bill. OH, I know! Since there are no jobs available I’ll get in another writing contest. Now you are saying no jobs? Well, okay nursing and trucking. Both require training. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. The outside dog is a male with 70 pounds of “mark/pee on everything.” Yes, I do not want them in a truck with me, and I don’t want to leave them. The nursing? My solution to everything would be to vomit on it.
I suck at jobs. OO CONTEST!
Why contests? I figure I can write until the world drowns in my writing. Since my writing is everywhere people will have no choice but to use it as currency. Then I can pay bills and I can get out of this house into that 4 bedroom house on 1 acre and a goldfish pond. Except now that will be a GREEN LOW ENERGY 2 bedroom, guest suite, office, and theater room, 3 bath on 1 acre with 2 English Cocker Spaniels and 2 cats and a goldfish pond.
All I need to do … IS ENTER ANOTHER CONTEST!!
Or say the word. See I was never going to get a divorce. Never going to own a cell phone. Never going to stay in this house for 7 years. So I will NEVER MAKE $500 MILLION A YEAR.
So there.
I didn’t plan to write this much… but it’s great prep for the next contest.
Live, Love, RANDOM!
MJ
Read MoreA Memory Shared
My parents and I moved in with Dad’s parents before my brother was born. They were looking for a place to live in Texas, but it was also the last two years of my Grandmother’s life. The memories I have are vague as she died in April 1977 just before Ethan was born.
She was determined. She was not supposed to live to see her 5th birthday, because she had gotten so ill (possibly scarlet fever). It damaged her body and kidneys. She was not supposed to live to see my dad’s 5th birthday, and she survived until a month before my 5th…
Her parents and eldest siblings came over from Germany in 1905, so there is a strong tie to Germany. That being said, they moved to the US to become Americans, not German-Americans. So she spoke German, but not often around us. There were little German reminders, such as teaching me “Oh Tannenbaum” instead of “Oh Christmas Tree.” Too many years have passed for me to sing it anymore.
Back then, there were family Christmas parties. These were her side of the family, so the German heritage showed more during these special events. While they used mostly English, terms of endearment were German, especially with children, of which there were very few. They sang “O Tannenbaum” and “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night). There were a few special dishes from Germany, but more often German twists on conventional, such as adding apples to the stuffing. But there was this “Christmas” smell, a German smell of….
Orange, spice, and molasses.
Lebkuchen
You might say like gingersnaps but with orange. She made a cookie that had this smell. My memories are faulty as I was so little. My memories recall stars and icing laces, but stronger than anything was the smell.
Then over Thanksgiving, the sister in law of “that guy in NM” offered me a cookie from a specialty bakery and suddenly I was sitting on the floor in the breakfast room, the bar blocking most of my view of the kitchen. While I couldn’t see much of my Grandmother and Mom in the kitchen much, I could smell the wonderful orange, spice and molasses. With that box, all I could think about was Grandmother’s cookies. Since I was full, I intended to get a cookie the next day, but forgot. The problem with too many choices.
The cookies are Lebkuchen, but no one has her actual recipe. Actually there are a couple of recipes the family wants but we do not have. A few years ago I looked for “Pink Stuff” and came across something my family loves. We are still looking for a Cranberry Relish recipe.
However, with a little help from friends, we found a similar recipe. After some variations from memory my kitchen smelled of Lebkuchen (Lebkuchen Recipe). The major variation was making icing with confectioners sugar and orange juice (instead of water). The recipe was “it.” Exactly what I remembered, more importantly what my parents remembered.
It brings back warm memories. The family parties are gone. The sisters are gone, only one brother remains. As my blood family disappears, I felt the need to revive a memory.
Now I share it with my new family. You, my friends, and the family in NM.
Leben Sie, Lachen, Liebe, (live, laugh, love)
MJ Schrader
PS Two videos, so you can hear the songs in German.
PPS Look forward to the next of the 30 Days of Truth on the 12th.
O Tannenbaum
Stille Nacht
New Mexico and New Thoughts
This time last week I was in New Mexico, spending time with “That Guy in NM.” The trip? It was an adventure from start to finish.
Change of Plans
The energy sales I went into, resulted in exactly zero sales in one month. To work that hard and get nothing is more than disappointing. To see that parking went up by $2 per day was disappointing. The plane sat on the tarmac for quite a while, then we arrived over 30 minutes late. “That guy” is working, so he arranged for his brother to pick me up at the airport and sent his number. His brother tells me his wife is picking me up, but his phone dies before I get her number. My luggage didn’t catch the same flight I did. Spending time with his family while “that guy” got off work, turned into being dropped off at one of their branch offices. After the luggage arrived an hour and half later, things started back towards plans. Needless to say with all these “changes of plans” I was STRESSED.
I still waited for him to get off work and arrive in the city where I was… but “that guy” is the ultimate salesman. He got us a nicer hotel for just a bit more money than another. He also wrangled free breakfast, and they had a super nice buffet, with wonderfully delicious fresh fruit, which is great because we spend the next 2 days camping.
Family and Friends
There are campers, really good considering how cold it was. Really wonderful neighbors, one who brought us slices of coconut custard pie. I’ve had coconut pie… I love coconut pie. 
I’ve had custard pie, I really like custard pie. Coconut custard??? I had that piece wolfed down in a heartbeat. It was so heart-warming to me to be like these neighbors, no blood, but part of the family.
This year has been crazy. Mom’s mom died. That leaves only her dad. Dad’s family is gone. When Grandaddy dies, mom’s family will be gone. It’ll be my parents, my brother his wife and me. Some friends that I thought were close, didn’t call to check on my mom or me. It’s funny; in a way, they are mad at me (right now) not wanting them in my inner circle anymore. They want to be close friends or not friends at all, when they weren’t friends when I needed.
So here is my family is small, my friends circle is off kilter while I try to rebuild my inner circle, and in New Mexico, another world. Their family is big. “That guy” is one of 6 children. There are nieces and nephews, there are uncles and aunts, there are cousins. There are people who are not related but are extended family members. To me this is beyond amazing. Everyone asks about each other, and knows about “family” blood or not This is what I think life SHOULD be like!
“That guy in NM”
Then there is that guy. He amazes me. Some might say he’s rough and crude. He is a guy. He and I went on a private jeep ride. It was insane! Up hills, down hills, into crevices, it was wild. We acted like a couple that had been dating for months when we met. Now we have fallen into a routine of acting like we’ve been together for years and years. 
Thinking
It was cold there. I packed for 30s in the morning 60s during the day. Not for weather remaining in the 30s most of the day. Anyway, in the cold, we had times of warming up in campers and cars, and I started thinking. The energy business did not work, it may later, but why not pour energy into my old design store. It always sells items, just not many. Another thought was a business I loved; selling cards. The goal is to make money. Mom told me that she doesn’t want to see me in the medical field (you don’t either) or truck driving, the two job options right now. So selling cards, getting my design store up and running, and maybe selling domain names are my real options.
Guess, we’ll see what I decide to do soon. You probably see the 30 Days of Truth on this blog. That’s still going. I am doing one every few days, too many other things going on to handle it every day
How was your Thanksgiving? Are you ready for Christmas?
Please comment below and 3 more things…
Live, Laugh, Love,
MJ Schrader
ADDED: MOTION SICKNESS WARNING!!
PLEASE NOTE Thank you Barb (hugs)
Please visit boattobeachdecor.com if you don’t want to watch a bumpy Jeep ride.
THIS IS THE JEEP RIDE! THE BUMPY CRAZY ONE!
You have been warned!
Imma Be Living the Good Life
So I said there was a lot to cover since my babysitting absence. Perhaps my hesitation in personal writing has been that some personal stuff has happened. Some really great things that in some ways I am still trying to understand. But let’s sequence the wavy flashback effects now…
SNOW!
In February we had snow. Now for some people that’s no biggie, but for where I live, snow is a surprise. Snow that actually sticks to the ground for more than a few hours is a shocker. Snow for a few days?
Valentine’s and a House Guest
A few days before Valentine’s Day this snow moved in and then my boyfriend from NM visited while the snow was still here. This was my first Valentine’s with someone in 4 years which was nice, but a stress because I haven’t had anyone stay in my home for a couple of days in many years. I’d rather not admit it, but I have become a bit used to bachelorette life.
So here were 3 things that were bit amazing happening. Then another happened as well. My family is small. A family reunion would be 17 people with significant others, and 4 generations included. Since the family is small you would expect us to be close… you’d think… Then pictures must be made quickly before people see the camera. Most certainly they don’t pose like we did below.
Brunch
And my boyfriend’s cousins invited us to brunch at their house an hour from here. The cousin who I already knew through Facebook gave me a hug. His sister and her family, I didn’t know and they invited us in warmly. We laughed and talked in the kitchen while brunch was being made. Everyone interacting like families should.
We ate brunch. Sharing food, discussing the new dishes, accepting imaginary tea from the 2 year old’s tea cart. Then we cleaned up together and laughed at music videos. Later we went out on their boat. A 42 foot boat with a cabin. The biggest boat I’d ever been on, we cranked music, while the girls fled from the “old people dancing” and in the midst of it all “Imma Be” came on.
Imma Be
It’s the first time I heard the song. Dancing on a boat. Surrounded with LOVE. My boyfriend, who makes my heart light. A family who loves each other. And my writing career growing. I felt loved. I felt amazed. And I felt incredibly at home.
“Imma be living the good life. The good, good, life. Imma be living the good life.”
yea… I am…
♥ MJ
PS. The next post will bring us back to current times!
Silly video recorded while the song was playing… a beer with frozen head …
For The Official Video
By Black Eyed Peas Imma Be
Read MoreChristmas Card
It is that time of year, that everyone should be receiving Christmas cards. In my case I can not send a card to each of you my readers, because I don’t have all of your addresses, nor do I have time enough to address all those cards. Yet you are still very important to me.
However, what I learned last year, was a picture is worth a thousand words. Sending a simple picture of me with my “family” was a great way to share a thousand Christmas words.
Now this year I decided to do something different and made an online scrapbook. Thus between the pictures, the “Christmas Time is Here” song and all that’s at least 20,000 words I am sharing with you and that HAS TO BE BETTER than a card right?
Ok, all joking aside… cards aren’t my thing. Writing is my lifelong dream, while graphics are a passion of mine. So writing a blog post to you and showing you a few pictures from the past year is the best way for me to send a Christmas card.
Thank you for spending valuable time with me. Thank you for all you do. This year has been so stressful, with jobs, finances, economic worries, worries about society and more that I know sometimes you may question what was good this past year… but you are a gift to me. Your life touches so many that you will never know…
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy my Christmas card, please feel free to comment below.
Please read the note below the card…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
MJ Schrader
♥
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And as a writer, who often gets comments in private, I want to share 2 more posts with you. If you know anyone stressed please send them to this post or the post they need. Please forward it as necessary. Unfortunately I know for a fact that both of these are more likely during the Holidays.
Abuse Odds-Are about abuse and Healing then But He Doesn’t Hit Me Which deals with non-physical abuse
Depression -How-your-life-touches-others and Dealing-With-Negative-Thinking and Celebrate Moments
And please recommend Rockstar Guide Books this is how I make money
Read MoreViva La Vida
Welcome to my personal blog. This blog in various forms and formats has been in existence since 2000. As for why this is called Viva La Vida, it means "live the life" in Spanish, but it is a salute to living life to the fullest. And my hope is that you will live life to the fullest!
This is my personal blog! So viva la vida with me!!