Friday, May 30, 2014

Celebrate the Small Things, May 31, 2014

So, this week I did not complete the Illustration Friday drawing even though I had an idea for it in my head. I just didn't have time. My washing machine broke down so it took me extra long to do several loads of laundry. The spin cycle went kaput. It's a no-go, so I had to wring the water out of the clothes and let them drip dry on a drying rack a bit before putting them in the dryer. Luckily it has been a very hot week.

Anyway, I'm celebrating the fact that I just completed my third sketchbook this year! That is a feat for me because it usually takes me around 4 years on average to fill one sketchbook. And it wasn't filled with crappy drawings like my other sketchbooks were. This face-a-day drawing thing I'm doing on my art blog is actually doing me some good. Who knew? I thought it was just another pain-in-the-butt project I put myself through.

Here is the last drawing of the sketchbook I completed today:

 
Oh, and this week I actually finished the synopsis of my middle grade book! This week is full of surprises. Now I have to do an even shorter version of it (just in case a certain agent calls for it), a logline, and a query letter. Such daunting tasks. Haha. One step at a time.

Okay, so off-topic, if you like French music, go to YouTube and type in Priscilla Je Vais M'en Sortir. Or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgWYYDI25Q8. 

Listen to her song with the lyrics, then scroll down to see a girl named Lolicy perform it. This girl is such a good singer! I really hope she makes it. She sounds just like Priscilla! I feel really bad for her that there wasn't much of a crowd at the park to hear her sing. And she only got a little over a thousand hits on YouTube since 2009! There really is hidden talent out there.
Here is the link to Lolicy's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itqgqJaCDns

I'm glad I found her video. It's one of the highlights of my day.


Wednesday, May 28, 2014

High Strangeness At School

A friend of mine went to work one day at an elementary school and found that some of the chairs were rearranged to face the wall. Her paperwork pinned to a bulletin board was all re-pinned to where the sheets were diagonal/askew. It freaked her out a bit. I guess someone could've come in the room after she had gone home and rearranged things, but no one confessed and she may have had the only keys.

That's not the only strange thing. There is a teacher at that school who had a student die of an epileptic seizure. A month later to the day, another student in the same class died of an epileptic seizure. Now that is really weird.

I have heard that epileptic seizures are sometimes related to supernatural phenomena. It also can happen to anyone and be just a one time thing.

I have another friend who had a seizure just once in her life a couple of years ago and there is also paranormal activity in her house. Hmmm, something to ponder on...

Friday, May 23, 2014

Celebrate the Small Things, May 23

I didn't post any of my accomplishments last Friday because I didn't have any except for Illustration Friday which I do every week anyway on my smallkeedtime blog. It was a very unproductive and depressing week. I felt like a maidservant to my family and I didn't get very far with my writing. I also ate a lot of ice cream over the weekend. I felt and saw it in my waistline.

This week is a little better. I finished my illustration for the week, but I also lifted heavier weights at the gym. I've decided to lift heavier from here on out. No more 20 reps of light weight. I need results. Muscle burns fat. I don't want to be a weakling. All the women in my self defense class are bigger and heavier than me. I got a bloody ear and ugly bruises, but I've done well against them so far. I need to keep it that way.

The best compliment I got this week was when a friend said that I lift heavier than some of the guys in the gym. I'll take that. :o) Not bad for a mom.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Child Abuser

A guy that we know is a child abuser and a wife beater. After giving his 8-year-old son two black eyes, someone called the cops on him. This was the first time the cops could actually arrest him for anything. He has done a lot of bad things, but no evidence was ever found against him. His wife bails him out of jail, but the kids are thankfully taken away from them. I just heard that this crazy couple got their kids back. They have been gone for less than a year. It's very disappointing.

I believe that man is going to suffer all the pain he inflicted on his kids, wife, neighbors, and whoever else he hurt in his life after he dies. He doesn't know it, but I believe that's what will happen. I hope I'm right. It's what Dannion Brinkley experienced.


Saturday, May 10, 2014

Gluten Free Burgers With No Bun?!

I’m trying not to post anything negative, but I can’t help but gripe about restaurants that say they serve gluten free burgers when they really don’t. If there is no bun, that’s not a burger. It’s more like a lettuce wrap. It’s very disappointing to see this on the menu. When I come across restaurants like this, I just steer my family away from it. If other restaurants like Ruby’s Diner and Red Robin can serve gluten free burgers with gluten free buns, then the other restaurants can do the same. I also hate those restaurants that say they have gluten free items on their menu, but those items are just salads without the dressing and apple slices or some other fruit on the side. If I were a rabbit, that would be great. Otherwise, I might as well have just eaten at home. One time my family went to a vegetarian restaurant thinking there would be gluten free items on the menu. No. It was a Chinese restaurant, so they put soy sauce in just about everything. Soy sauce has gluten in it. The rest of the food was fried in a wheat flour based batter. The only thing I was able to eat was steamed broccoli. I was steamed as well. More and more people are discovering that they are gluten sensitive, have celiac disease, or have a gluten allergy. I didn’t even know I had a gluten sensitivity until two years ago. I probably had it all my life and never knew it just like a lot of people walking around today. You can have it without any symptoms. My maternal grandparents died of stomach cancer which can be caused by gluten. My brother just told me that he added gluten protein to one of his meals and got a bad stomach ache from it. He is noticing that whenever he eats food with gluten in it, such as oatmeal, he gets stomach aches. He didn’t even know oatmeal contained gluten. He thought it was gluten free and thought it was labeled as such also thinking the company lied about it being gluten free. We told him that oatmeal does have gluten in it, but if he still wanted to eat oatmeal there is a gluten free one available. I can’t help but wonder how many people are walking around with a gluten sensitivity that don’t even know it and will someday come down with some sort of cancer. Maybe it’s too late for me as well, since I’ve been consuming gluten for most of my life. On a brighter note, Ruby’s Diner and Red Robin have awesome burgers! We go there for our “cheat days” after eating cleanly the rest of the week. We love getting their chocolate sundaes as an extra treat, too. I rarely ate burgers before discovering my gluten sensitivity, but I can appreciate them now since my food choices are limited.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Happy Friday!

 
This is a quick doodle I did this morning while I was eating my breakfast. 

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!