personal thoughts

What a wild week.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

The world has been watching for the past week as Russia encroaches on Ukrainian territory, and it has been a wild ride. First, we got to listen to a speech given by Putin where he opted to revise history, then we watched as “peacekeeping forces” were sent into the region and troops were drawn to the border on both sides. It all culminated in the Russian forces surging into the countryside, where they found multiple pockets of resistance.

It seems surreal. I feel like the news has the conflict plastered front and center for all segments, yet many other issues still need to be focused on. Is anyone else drowning due to inflation? I can’t seem to stop spending at least $70 every time I pop into the grocery store. Milk is up almost two dollars from a year and a half ago. Meat prices are astronomical. Let’s not forget that gas is bound to skyrocket once the full effect of this Eastern European conflict is felt around the world. Meanwhile, the people in power just keep spending more money on everything they can think of.

Covid has been placed on the backburner. We just watched Canada trample citizens over the issue of Covid vaccine mandates, and yet the threat of war has caused a fog to settle on this issue. The medical industry is still shedding employees due to burnout and requiring a vaccine that might prevent severe symptoms.

Hopefully, something slows down. We need cooler heads to prevail in these matters, and we need to remember that war is something we do not need to be involved in.

Don’t forget, MLBtv auto-renews on March 1st.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Since the lockout is dragging on potentially into March, this is your friendly reminder that MLBtv usually auto-renews on March 1st. Less than a week ago, I heard the owners debate that players in the minor league should not be paid for Spring Training, they also argued in defense of cutting a ton of jobs, and we were blessed with the idea of expanding the playoffs. Baseball is becoming a joke, and I am not letting that organization take my money, considering the season is likely to be delayed.

The owners are making a ton of money. Every year prices increase when it comes to food, drinks, ticket prices, and this year you can bet a trip to the stadium will cost a pretty penny. That’s assuming that there is a reason to go to the stadium. 2022 is giving off serious 2020 vibes, and I’m not about to fall for that trick again. I ponied up the money to watch a short season because there was a worldwide pandemic occurring, but there is no excuse this year.

The only silver lining I can find in this situation is that the lockout has allowed the Yankees to pretend like they were ever going to sign a big-name player. The organization showed the fans their true colors with the rehiring of Boone as manager. Before the lockout, there were no movements with any true significance, and I have no hope that the period after the lockout will be any different.

How can the players get an extension done before the (theoretical) season gets started if Spring Training is already delayed? This is a serious question that I have not seen many people bring up on social media. We all act as though the pen will start flying and that all these gigantic contacts will spring out of the front office, but why would that be the case? These owners will retaliate if they come out on the losing end.

I realize that a lot of this is just rambling to people who do not follow baseball, but it’s something that is more than a little aggravating, given that most fans just want to feel like things are back to normal. The idea of not being able to watch baseball is depressing, and I really do hope the two sides can come together and agree.

Crypto is having a bad day.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

My crypto account is seeing red. The amount I’ve made just keeps going down, and it is never something one wants to see. I refuse to cut my losses and turn away from Crypto because, in the long run, I think it is going to be a brilliant financial decision for me. At times like this, I tend to try and invest a small amount. It is the same mindset you’re supposed to have with the stock market: Buy when it’s low and sell it when it’s high.

I certainly don’t intend to invest until I’m broke, that would be unwise, but I will keep my tiny piece of the pie for the long-term gain that I know will happen.

FedEx really dropped the ball this time.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

On Wednesday, I made a rash decision to upgrade my laptop, and I found this sweet deal at Dell. Due to the upcoming holiday, the laptops I perused were up to $500 off. I picked out this lovely laptop from the G Series that will seriously upgrade the specs that I’m working with. The main reason I got it, though, is because I am hoping to get started on a job with Arise. The problem is that I need to have the correct specs and get all the other pre-employment items completed before Monday. So when Dell offered a next-day delivery option for free, I gladly took it.

Everything was going great. My laptop shipped out at about 6 am, and I was looking forward to getting my new item set up by Friday night. I cleared my schedule so that I could accept the delivery. Friday was a pretty nice day in terms of the temperature, and there was a lot of ice melt contributing to turning my deck into a giant puddle. Once the clock hit 2 pm, I thought it was a good idea to keep a closer watch at the door so that my delivery wouldn’t have time to touch the water. I was so anxious and impatient I actually tweeted a photo of myself standing at the door. It was just before 4 pm when I decided to check my alerts. There was something there! It was a notification letting me know that the driver had attempted to deliver the package, but no one was home to receive it. Naturally, I was confused and more than a little irritated.

It turns out that it’s like pulling teeth trying to get a real human being on the phone when you call FedEx. The automated voice sent me in circles for a couple minutes before I was finally allowed a chance to speak to someone. I end up talking to this lovely lady who obviously doesn’t live anywhere near Iowa. She has no idea how to get ahold of anyone in an Iowa location and can’t really do anything except send over a request for same-day service.” to the center in Ames. I had her add to the message that I live in kind of a tricky spot to find, with directions on how to see it, and I crossed my fingers. No package. Even though I let them know that something was wrong within fifteen minutes of the mixup, the driver never brought my box back around.

I took to Twitter and received basically the same response. I was told it would be dropped off the next day. I got an alert saying it would be delivered today by 4:30pm, which did not happen. I know I won’t get it tomorrow, and I’m not even sure if they will deliver it on President’s Day. I can only hope that I get it earlier on Monday as opposed to later.

My bad luck never fails me.

Facebook/Meta Banhammer for 90 days

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

A year and a half ago, I chose to post a funny meme on Facebook. Today, that meme came back to bite me in the ass, and it resulted in a ban from posting ads on Facebook. It’s one of the only ways I can hope to gain traffic to my site, and now it has been squelched.

To be completely transparent, here is the meme in question:

It is ridiculous that something like this gets flagged. It is no wonder that the site is hemorrhaging users.

Speak it into existence.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

The fear of failing is powerful. It can hold the brightest and most ambitious back from success. Sometimes, all we need to do to combat this failure is speak of our goals aloud. Instead of keeping our dearest thoughts and dreams locked inside our minds, we need to release those ideas and let the rest of the world hear about our endeavors. I am ready to be successful, I am prepared to build a business in my home, and I am prepared to move forward.

I have been on this planet for 33 years, and I have gained knowledge on various topics in that time frame. My hobbies are multifaceted, as are my talents and skills. I am always willing to learn something new, and I crave finding a work atmosphere that feels inclusive and warm. I realize that all jobs will have stressors, but my former employment had too many all at once.

I’m tired of moping around and whining to myself about why things aren’t working out. I will never change things if I continue to feel afraid of failure. Perhaps the universe is keeping me from finding another 9-5 job because It recognizes that I am meant for more than I currently have.

It is time to start something new. I don’t care what I start working on. I just know that I need to complete some sort of project. I need to prove that I have what it takes to get the kind of career I want.

Down and out, but not defeated. Yet.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

2022 has already been a wild ride, and I’m starting to wonder why I chose to go down this path. I can handle rejection. My issue stems from how much time I have spent just to find yet another seemingly insignificant hiccup on the road to working for myself.

Once I realized I needed a bachelor’s degree before doing anything related to editing, I turned my attention back to the work from home industry. I got cold feet when looking into a job with Omni Interactions, and I’m still kicking myself for letting that one go. Tonight, I finally decided to set up an account with arise. I did the assessment, watched the videos, gave them all my information, only to have them turn around and reject me due to my equipment. My laptop’s processor isn’t up to snuff, and now I have hit another dead-end. I just bought this computer at the end of 2022, and already it isn’t capable of handling the kind of work most of these places require. I would be lying if I said I had the money to fix this: I don’t. I do not have the means to make that big purchase again.

I’ve spent the last month getting things set up to work from home. Now it seems as though all of that money has been wasted. I’m also looking for a standard 9-5 job, and even in that respect, I have been hitting numerous dead-end roads.

Halftime Show was a win for music.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

I don’t care what anyone says. That was an excellent halftime performance from all the artists. Eminem will always be my favorite, but the other artists put all their energy into what they were singing. The crowd seemed to become electrified watching each stage light up.

I knew that Snoop would be the first one out of the gate because that is always how it seems to work. I’ve seen him in concert before, probably about a decade ago, and he’s still got the same swag that he’s always had. It was really cool to watch all the performers work together and create exciting bridges before going into their solo stuff.

I loved all the dancing and theatrical choreography. Each backup performer had a purpose, and no one seemed to be left making their own random moves.

I am not sure why they chose to make the stage viewable to half the audience, but other than that, I have no complaints.

Official pick to win the Superbowl.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

A week ago, an image appeared showing the Simpsons having predicted the game’s outcome. I’m not about to go against a beloved cultural icon, so I have made my decision.

This year I am betting on the Bengals to win the Superbowl. I’m so confident that they will win I’ve placed a small bet on the Bengals to win it all in overtime. I’ve watched the last few games, and it seems like they’ve all ended in overtime heartbreakers. Why would this one be any different? It would be even cooler if the Rams could have the lead at halftime with the tie coming in the third or fourth quarter.

I have no gut feeling when it comes to tomorrow’s game. I was secretly hoping that Tom Brady would make another appearance at the Superbowl, so my heart isn’t really in the game. The Superbowl has always been a nice distraction during the offseason of Baseball, and this year is no different.

No shame in the truth.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

There’s no reason for me to deny it. I am a very unhealthy and out-of-shape person currently. Two years ago, I had big plans to use the new decade to spark my motivation to change certain lifestyle habits. A month and a half into my goal of walking/working out every day when Covid took hold of the country. I used it as an excuse to stay inside, stop working out, and no longer eat healthily.

I have struggled to get out of this rut in the past two years. I want to be healthy. I know that if I want to be around as my son grows up, I need to change my way of thinking about food. Food used to be a comfort to me, and now I am repulsed by the amount of money and time I spend on food-related items. Now seems like a good time to start making a change.

I always encourage people to start small. Your first steps need to be tiny enough to keep you motivated to reach for more, no matter the final goal. Start out with these small weights if you’re looking to get started with a workout routine, but you’re living with minimal space. I love them, and I love having the small weight because I can add it to cardio workouts and feel like I have worked out my whole body.

I am ready to feel better. I am prepared to embrace the old view of myself because that was one that I was happy with. I have changed my parameters for what will make me “happy,” and I will gladly settle for being able to experience and enjoy more of life’s little moments.