Annoying Internet Ads

I can't say that I have never clicked on an ad on the internet, but I can honestly say I can count on one hand the times I have ... and that every single time, the ad turned out to be misleading.

Note to advertisers: If you have to deceive potential buyers to get them to view your products, maybe you should find something else to sell ... or advertise without misleading them on the price. If it costs $50, don't lure customers to your website with the promise that it's less hoping they'll buy something anyway.

My NUMBER ONE pet peeve is internet advertising that flashes, twirls, spins, or is in any way animated to draw attention to itself.  Those ads get my attention, but only long enough to remove it from my sight. On my ipad, I zoom in on what I actually want to read to push the offending ad off-screen. On my chromebook or laptop, I resize the window and/or drag the page to the side ... forcing the ad off the screen entirely. Or I just quit reading that article altogether.

When I'm trying to read an article, I DO NOT want ads spinning or flashing or twirling in my periphery. It's EXTREMELY annoying! I don't personally know anyone else who goes to the extremes I do to keep from seeing flashing crap on the internet, but searches for how to turn off different types of animations show me that I'm not the only one who feels this way, even if I am in the minority.

On my laptop (work and home), have one of the browsers configured to where all animation is turned off. Using that browser can be a hassle at times, because java-driven menus and navigation bars don't work, but I deal with it. If there is a video or animation (or a menu) I want to see/use, I have to copy the link and open it in a different browser. Fortunately, I find this a small price to pay for not having to be slapped with annoying animation.

I have some coding ability, but not enough to create a browser that plays animation only when you tell it to. Maybe, if I'm a very good girl this year, Santa will bring me one for Christmas!!!

There are people who do this, too!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Sounds like someone wants to be Kanye West!

What Makes You Think It's Not My Bed?

"I fit just fine ... see?"

I Think Olivia Needs Glasses

Most of the time she does just fine, but sometimes when she wants to jump up on something, she slams into the side of it. After she does that, she looks around like, "I hope no one was around to see that." I shouldn't laugh, but it's really funny! Maybe she doesn't need glasses ... maybe she just has no depth perception.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder what she'd look like in glasses ... so I got on Photoshop and found out!

If You Zoom In and Look Very Closely ...

There are TWO deer in the picture.

Another Wedding to Plan!

Thing 2 was lured to the church last night under the ruse of birthday party for her boyfriend, only to discover he had brought her there to propose to her in front of their families and closest friends. It was very touching, and more than one man in attendance got teary-eyed.

Ironicly, she ate Chinese for lunch, and the fortune in her cookie was spot on ...

Rope lights created a path to lead her into the darkened gymnasium to a lace-draped table with a dozen roses and two candles, and a pair of his boots and her heels sitting in front ...

Their family and friends stood quietly on the running track above the gym. Somehow, and probably for the first time in their lives, her boyfriends very young niece and nephew, were completely silent. She didn't know we were there until we all started cheering afterwards ...

I filmed it, but it's not a great video. You can't hear anything other than the music, but their actions were expressive enough that we need to hear them. She was surprised and thrilled and elated ... and she got the dramatic, romantic proposal every girl dreams of. I can hear their future kids saying, "Mommy, tell us the story again of how Daddy asked you to marry him."

I couldn't be happier for them. He's a great guy and his family loves her to pieces. My little girl is getting married!

Ten Life Skills You Should Master by Age 30

I love personalizing the wrapping paper and ribbons to the recipients tastes!

I read an article about the ten life skills you should master by age 30. Since I'm passed 30, I wondered how many of these skills, if any, I had mastered. They are:

1. Changing a flat tire
2. Repairing your pipes
3. Assembling an emergency kit
4. Mixing a signature cocktail
5. Mastering at least one dish
6. Wrapping a present
7. Figuring out the tip
8. Creating a monthly budget
9. Effectively packing luggage
10. Mending clothing

I didn't do as bad as I thought I would!

1. Changing a flat tire, check! While I have never changed a flat tire, I know how and am certain I could eventually get the job done in an emergency ... providing I could get the lug nuts off.
2. Repairing your pipes, check! I wouldn't exactly say I have repaired pipes, but I have used a snake to unclog drains, and I have taken the pipes apart under the sink to retrieve something that's been dropped down the drain ... so I'm counting this skill as mastered.
3. Assembling an emergency kit, check! I once assembled a first aid kit, and although it's been looted in the years since, I do have all, or most, of the items necessary to replenish it.
4. Mixing a signature cocktail, check! My sweetie and I love Georgia Sun Tea from Logan's, and I've mixed it up for us on occasion. We aren't big drinkers, so the fact that it turns out a little different each time doesn't bother either of us in the least, so I'm going to count this one as a yes.
5. Mastering at least one dish, check! This one was an easy yes. There are several dishes I make that are devoured so quickly dinner is a blur of hands, forks, and spoons.
6. Wrapping a present, check! I wrap presents like nobody's business ... they're so pretty people delay opening their gift just to enjoy the wrapping. Part of my Christmas decorations are the beautifully wrapped presents under the tree, and part of the gift is how beautiful the present is wrapped. I'm giving myself extra credit for this one.
7. Figuring out the tip, check! Sales tax at restaurants here is 8%, so double the tax and you've got a tip that is 16%. Even before the tax hit 8% I was able to quickly calculate a 15% tip ... move the decimal point of the total one digit to the left, then add that amount and half that amount. Calculating a tip is third grade math, not rocket science.
8. Creating a monthly budget, check! I'm not so good at creating a monthly budget these days, but for many, many years I did exactly that. Even though I no longer do this, I know how, so this one's a yes.
9. Effectively packing luggage, check! I once packed the exact items of clothing I would need for a weekend youth retreat in a neighboring state. The water was rusty. After my shower, I put on the only dress I brought to wear to the evening dinner ... only to discover my wet hair had smeared rusty water all down my back. My white dress was ruined. After that, I began over-packing ... to the extreme. I have since toned it down quite a bit, and can easily pack for a trip in a carry-on. The hardest part, I've discovered, is not taking too many shoes!
10. Mending clothes, check! Once upon a time, kids were taught life skills in school. All seventh and eighth grade girls took home-ec (cooking and sewing), and boys took industrial arts. Girls were taught how to cook real food (and cookies!) in real kitchens, and boys built shelves, step ladders, tool boxes, etc. Being "vertically challenged", learning to hem well was not optional! I can sew a hem almost as fast as a machine. You'd have to look pretty close to see the difference from a machine stitch and ones I've sewn by hand. And, I can sew on buttons, zippers, and snaps in my sleep.

My sewing machine was messing up,
so I hemmed these jeans by hand.
Not a perfect job, but definitely passable!

I will give myself a score of 10, although if I'm honest, numbers 2, 3, and 4 were not mastered by the time I was 30. But, since I was unaware I was supposed to learn how to repair pipes, assemble an emergency kit, and mix a signature cocktail before I was 30, I'm going to cut myself some slack and keep my perfect score!

How about you? How many have you mastered?

You Don't Say!

I'm also given to understand that chili is spicy because it's full of spices.

I've always been told ... "Don't look down at your feet when you walk."

Experts say you should never look down at your feet when you walk. Your head should be held high, looking around, keeping an eye out for anyone who might abduct or attack you. Predators, they say, prey on people who are looking down because you don't see them coming and have less time to react. But, I don't always listen to the "experts" ... and it's a good thing ... because if I hadn't looked down, this is how I would have gone out with my sweetie.

He would probably have noticed and clued me in ... but that's not a sure thing, so I'm pretty darn glad I looked down at my feet as I was walking down the stairs!