reflections

LET’S GO YANKEES

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

With the Tampa Bay series’ conclusion, the Yankees have extended their lead, and they head for Boston with the chance to continue their winning streak. Winning against the Twins is expected, but this series with Tampa could have ended with us looking up at them in the top spot.

The second half of the season has been especially rough on Yankees fans, and it is a sign of hope to see them take this series. The Yankees need to continue to roll. I’m not sure if the front office has it in them to thoroughly shake things up, but if they were up to snuff, they would DFA Hicks once Hader is ready to go. I think the administration and the manager have made it clear that they see no value in him. It would have been nice for them to have come to this conclusion before the beginning of the season, but hindsight is 20/20. While Hicks has been struggling, I worry that an abrupt departure could potentially derail the team yet again.

As a lifelong fan, I am used to the roller coaster of emotions that a season can elicit, but this year has been particularly tough. Last year the team was just plain awful. It was easy to see that they would spiral and sputter up until the last game, which is exactly what happened. This year started at such a booming pace that it felt like things would never change. I thought they would look at a season with over 110 wins, but we’ll be lucky to pull out a hundred.

The trade deadline ruined the Yankees.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Unlike most fans, I always dread the annual trade deadline. Every year there seem to be significant misplays by the front office of the Yankees, and this year has been no exception.

Yes, we are less than a week past that deadline, but the pulse of the team seems to have weakened. The trade of Montgomery to the Cardinals seems to have shaken this team to its core. There is plenty of time for them to return, but this current team is sad to watch. They have been slumping since before the deadline, and the new faces have not seemed to change anything. Sure, the Yankees still have the lead in the AL East, but how much longer can that last with a 5 game-losing streak looming?

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.

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.

*Bitcoin is part of the future of currency.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

I am not a financial expert, and everything I talk about is based only on my feelings and opinions.

Yesterday bitcoin was down to where I was losing close to $50. As you can see, it has bounced back today.

I know this looks scary and intimidating, but as someone who has invested in the stock market for the last five years, I promise you this is nothing new. I realize that Crypto is different from the stock market, but, in my opinion, there is a ton of room for Crypto to grow. It is only a matter of time until large governments begin to accept it as a legitimate form of currency. Within the last year, there has already been one country that has opened its economy up to Crypto. Fundraisers and charities accept crypto donations, individuals receive it when funding projects or other endeavors, etc. I am willing to ride the wave of uncertainty and see where it takes me over the next few years.

I wouldn’t tell anyone to over-exert themself in investing because, like with stocks, something could very quickly go wrong, but it is fun to watch the Crypto market keep rising.

Something is soothing about new incense.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

I love anything that makes my surroundings smell better, but I always feel like a candle doesn’t last as long as it should, and sometimes they do not have a smell that lingers. Therefore, I always find myself turning to incense as an acceptable alternative. I have a small apartment, and one stick can keep the place smelling nice all day long.

I never know where I’m going to find new incense, and I typically purchase from one of the small tobacco outlets in a nearby town; this time, I planned to look online. I decided to not know what scents I would be receiving, and I found the perfect pack of incense online. After a while, I find that the same fragrance can become grating on my sense, so I love to switch it up whenever I want. I also don’t want to spend a lot, so I look for a product that will never fall apart or constantly go out but also doesn’t drown my spending money.

My favorite scent from the pack I received.

Check out this awesome <a href="http://<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=joredd311-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07TJZP48M&asins=B07TJZP48M&linkId=0e8e0f06126238cd40c551bc673c30bb&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true">variety pack if you need incense for your dwellings.

I’m starting to notice a trend.

/ Jo Redd / 3 Comments

Three of the last four items I purchased on Amazon have gone missing somewhere throughout the shipping process. After the first package went missing, I attempted to order items together to ensure the box was more prominent and, therefore, harder to lose. However, Amazon still broke my order up into different segments. Now both of those items are missing.

I love shopping online, and in particular, I’m usually pleased with my purchases on Amazon. Nothin irks me more than when things go missing, though.