Odds & Ends

April 30, 2013April 30, 2013 / Ally Bean / 27 Comments

:: We started putting together pots of flowers and herbs and vegetables this past weekend. The project turned out to be more difficult than I thought that it’d be. With our revised backyard [2 summers ago we added a lower level terrace at the back of the yard], we have fewer trees near the deck and more deer in the backyard. So I’m looking for sun-loving flowers that deer won’t eat. Not so many of those around.

Hence, the pot project has been postponed until next weekend when I hope that I will be more clear about what plants I want to put where. Hello Google. Time to research.

:: We like coffee cake. Once upon a time there was a product for sale in our grocery store called Aunt Jemima Easy Mix Coffee Cake. In the box there was a small cardboard baking pan. The dry coffee cake mix came with a small plastic bag that you could use, instead of a bowl, to mix the batter with water and an egg. Then there was a small packet of streusel topping. We liked this small coffee cake, but it is no longer available.

So, I decided to try Martha White Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Mix instead. It isn’t as small nor as fun to make as the Aunt Jemima Coffee Cake, but the results were good. We’ll use it again, but with much less streusel topping on it. Oy vey! It was way too sweet for us.

That being as it may, Martha White has gifted us with a new family saying: all streusel, no cake. [Think “all foam, no beer” OR “all hat, no cattle.” That kind of saying.] Clearly, we are a simple people who are easily amused– or maybe it was the sugar talking.

:: Over the weekend our new loveseat arrived. We ordered it a few weeks ago from Arhaus, but because it was a standard style + fabric there was hardly any wait time before it got here. It is gorgeous and looks perfect in the living room– very grown-up, but not at all stuffy. Plus it’s a mid-century modern frame which I find comfortable to sit on.

Now, I need to get going and find a rug to put under it. It’s been over 3 years since I started this living room make-over, but I promise when it is complete I’ll post some before & after photos. Well, definitely the after photos. I don’t know if I have any before photos to share. Huh. Bad planning, that.

[Hello FTC! Blah, blah, blah. Not getting any kind of compensation for my personal opinions here. Blah, blah, blah. Disclaimer written. Blah, blah, blah.]

I’ve Looked At Blogs From Both Sides Now

April 25, 2013August 29, 2018 / Ally Bean / 25 Comments

A few weeks ago I wrote about having been around the blogosphere for nine years. As I said then, I’ve seen and experienced many good things during my blogging career. But as you can imagine there have been weird things that have happened to me, also.

So, in the interest of full disclosure, and as I have nothing else I really want to talk about today, I thought that I’d share some of the less-than-friendly experiences I’ve had while blogging.

Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, now is it?

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1. Years ago a woman with a public blog asked me to remove her blog from my blogroll because she did not know me in real life. She told me that she only allowed people who she knew in real life to put her blog on their blogroll. I did as she asked and sent her an email apologizing for any distress my connection might have caused her.

To this day I have to wonder how she’s doing at keeping strangers from connecting with her. If you don’t want people to take an interest in your life, then don’t keep a public blog. Seems logical to me, but then I’m a pragmatic person, so what do I know?

Kind of trippy, that one.

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2. I’ve always included some photos in my blogs. At one point someone liked my photos so much that he or she set up a Flickr account using a version of my name. Then he or she stole some of my photos off my blog, and placed them in this account. Under my name.

This was one of those “to what end?” experiences. I was given credit for my work– which was good. The account was public– which was good. However, I never determined why someone would do this. Was it supposed to be flattery? I don’t know. It was harmless, but really?

Just a little too weird, if you ask me.

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3. As many of you know, I like to leave comments on other people’s blogs. I only comment if I have something to add to the conversation. Never anything rude or disruptive. So one day I read a post, complete with a photo, that spoke to me. Consequently, I left a short heartfelt comment based on experiences in my life.

I returned to the blog a few days later to see if this blogger had responded to my comment, only to find that she had taken down the photo that had sparked my comment. And that she had deleted my kind, non-confrontational, positive comment. I was shocked at first. But then it slowly dawned on me that this woman was a diva and she might have felt that my comment upstaged her [?], so she got rid of the photo– and me.

Flip city, huh?

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So, tell me, what weirdnesses have you experienced while using social media? I know everyone has a story to tell– and what better place and time than here and now?

Hmmm? ‘Fess up.

If Shakespeare Had A Coffee Maker, I Know Which One It Would Be

April 22, 2013May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 24 Comments

Last week I learned that I write like William Shakespeare. I determined this amazing truth when I submitted my Bad Coffee On A Monday Morning post to the I Write Like Analyzer.

Surely, thou gleeking half-faced hedge-pig doth jest.

This revelation surprised me. I won’t lie. But being the pragmatic soul that I am, I decided to go about my day as if nothing unique had happened.

What say ye, my spleeny beetle-headed varlot?

So, as planned, I went shopping for a new coffee maker. And taking heed of all the features and brands that you, my gentle readers, told me to pay attention to, I bought a Cuisinart® Extreme Brew 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker.

Forsooth, ’tis better looking & more useful than a churlish hasty-witted ratsbane!

After one week of use, I’m going to say that we like it. The machine fits on our counter. It is easy to fill and program. It makes hot coffee in a reasonable amount of time. The carafe is sturdy and ergonomically balanced so that pouring hot coffee from it is easy. All the pieces are dishwasher safe. And, the price was right.

Which, as any pribbling tickle-brained clack-dish knows, is a good thing.

[Please note, I created all my insults for this post using this wonderful resource: Shakespeare Insult Kit.]

[Hello FTC! So once again we meet, my ~~wayward pox-marked malt-worm~~ good friend. As usual, this product review is only my opinion about my experiences. I’ve received no money or other compensation for it. Are we good, FTC?]

First Photos With My New Camera: Outside From Small To Large

April 17, 2013April 17, 2013 / Ally Bean / 34 Comments

Over the weekend I bought a new point & shoot camera. It is a Nikon COOLPIX P520 18.1 MP Digital Camera with 42x Zoom. It will replace my Nikon COOLPIX P90 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 24x Zoom that I’ve enjoyed using for many years.

This new camera is similar to the old one, but has more bells & whistles on it. *yeah* I’m looking forward to learning about each cool thing that my P520 can do, but for these photos I just winged it. This camera is, after all, a point & shoot model, so why not go with the obvious?

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[Hello FTC! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I haven’t bought much lately. Huh. Well, just as a reminder, please note that I’m not being paid for my opinion here. I’m just explaining my experiences without any compensation whatsoever. That’s the way I roll, but then you knew that.]