Play Nice

Hello, Friends: Letting The Sunshine Shine + Shifting To A Lighter Blogging Schedule

/ Ally Bean / 190 Comments

ABOUT THE SUNSHINE

I haven’t done something like this old-school style blogging prompt in years*. 

So when Vicki nominated me for Kimberly’s “Sunshine Blogger Award” I thought why not do this? I want to join in the fun— so I have.

Here goes.

I. The guidelines from Kimberly about the “Sunshine Blogger Award”:

• Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog. [look up]
• Thank the person who nominated you. [THANK YOU Vicki]
• Provide a link to your nominator’s blog. [Victoria Ponders]
• Answer your nominator’s questions. [look down]
• Nominate up to 11 bloggers. [everyone, anyone, no one, IT’S UP TO YOU]
• Ask your nominees 11 questions. [bottom of this section]
• Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts. [let the COMMENT LOVE flow]

II. The questions from Vicki:

What is your morning routine?

I get up 6:30 a.m., drink coffee, gaze at nature, and attempt to engage my brain. I’m like molasses slowly oozing into the day. No loud noises or bright lights please.

What is your favorite season? Why?

Autumn. It’s pretty, the leaves on the trees are glorious colors, and the summer humidity is over so I feel relaxed.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Riding my tricycle that I got for Christmas, maybe age 4? It was too big for me so my dad put wooden blocks on the pedals so I could use it. I was a speed demon.

Who or what has been your most unlikely teacher?

Phony self-absorbed people have taught me that: 1) I’m friendlier & more emotionally balanced than I ever realized; 2) it’s not always a bad thing to be ignored; and 3) their reactions to me have nothing to do with me.

Who or what are you most proud of?

Librarians. They know things. They know where to find the information. They know how to keep you up-to-date. They know the good stories. They are a valuable resource, now more so than ever.

What is something that surprises people about you?

I like wearing eyeglasses, hence the title of this blog. Don’t be talking smack about spectacles.

What motivated you to start blogging?

Curiosity to see if I could. Free time courtesy of a yearlong recuperation period from emergency surgery.  Orneriness.

What forms of entertainment do you enjoy the most?

I like TV series, often mysteries or sitcoms, which I watch one episode a night. Never binge watch. I also like walking in parks or nature preserves.

If you are a book reader, do you prefer a paper copy or a digital copy?

I read paper books. I want to use a proper bookmark and have a book I can gift to a Little Free Library— of which there are many around here.

What’s your favorite music genre, and who is your favorite singer?

I like contemporary jazz, r&b, soft rock, and classical. Favorite singer? I dunno, not sure I have one.

What societal causes do you care about the most?

Health & Education: food, shelter, water, medicines/vaccinations, safety, public schools, libraries. Any and all things that help a person physically and mentally thrive.

III. My questions for you, my intrepid bloggers:
  • Favorite color?
  • Favorite animal?
  • Favorite mantra?
  • Favorite number?
  • Favorite curse word?
  • Favorite drink?
  • Favorite holiday?
  • Favorite cookie?
  • Favorite movie?
  • Favorite flower?
  • Favor question here?

* In 2012 I answered Polly’s questions for my “Sunshine Award” and am now using some of her questions here.

ABOUT THE BLOGGING SCHEDULE

As the old saying goes: If something works, stick with it.

To those who’ve been around The Spectacled Bean for a few years it’ll come as no surprise when I tell you that as of today I’ll be shifting to my spring/summer posting schedule.

As you may remember, or will learn right now, this simply means I’ll post my flapdoodle and twaddle once every two weeks, usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday, turning this into a fortnightly blog.

I appreciate everyone who reads and comments on this weblog. Y’all are the best, you make blogging fun. In fact without your support, my gentle readers + kind lurkers + wordy commenters, this blog would have crashed and burned a long time ago.

Thank You!

The One About Saying Goodbye To Icky August, Hello To Wonderful September

/ Ally Bean / 221 Comments

Once upon a time we had a cat who was told to not get up on the kitchen table. He did not listen.

May I be honest here? I’m not meant to live in super hot temperatures and this past August we had some super hot days, like ones with a daytime high of 104ºF.

Not. A. Fan.

Despite being inside in air conditioning where you might think I’d ignore my aversion to high temperatures, I did not. I could look through a window and see how hot it was outside. This made me feel tired and irritable, bereft of my usual “alacrity of spirit” as Willy Shakes* would say.

Who can make plans, go on adventures, flourish, when walking to the mailbox zaps what little energy you have managed to gin up for the day?

However last week September arrived bringing with it daytime temps near 80ºF which I find enjoyable, invigorating even.

l feel alive again.

• • •

Of course this pleasant change in temperatures and the subsequent realization of my renewed spirit comes with its own subtext. In the dog days of summer it’s easy to put off making any decisions, too hot to think straight, right?

However with this cooler weather my excuse for not doing much of anything is over. As you can imagine I’m ready to do the things that will entertain and motivate me during my favorite season of the year.

Autumn.

Thus I ask you, my little caramel apples of inspiration, what are you thinking about doing this fall? Do you have specific plans or do you have general guidelines about autumnal activities or are you going to wing it?

I’d love to know what’s up with you regarding the next few [what I believe to be] glorious months. Will you be organized? Will you be boisterous? Will you be rebellious?

Tell all in the comments below.

And this cat whilst on the forbidden kitchen table made a point of deconstructing any bouquet of flowers he found there.

* The full quote is: “So, I am satisfied. Give me a bowl of wine. I have not that alacrity of spirit Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have.” It is from Richard III – Act 5, scene 3 BUT I am sad to say that unlike Richard III no one brought me a bowl of wine. Good help is soooo difficult to find these days.

Are You Pondering What I’m Pondering? 7 Random Things To Tell You On A Tuesday

/ Ally Bean / 239 Comments

“Brain, what are we going to do tonight?” “The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world.”

~ • ~

1 – I am well. Show of hands, who here ate some of the recalled Boar’s Head sliced meat and got food poisoning caused by an infection with listeria? Anyone, anyone, just me? I’m over it now but it was painful and disorienting. And because of it I am vowing to never eat sliced packaged deli meats again. Bleech!

2 –I am enjoying. I adored the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics, am still grooving on the history and quirkiness of the show. Since then I’ve discovered a new to the Olympics sport called Kayak Cross. If you’ve not seen this, and it is fascinating + hilarious, think of it as bumper cars for kayaks. What could go wrong‽

3 – I am entertained. A lecturer from the University of British Columbia who teaches about all things musical has put together a list ranking 114 Disney songs. Based on variables such “lyrics, music, vocals, plot integration and subjective enjoyment (‘vibes, basically’)” he scored each song. While #114 is one of my personal favorite songs providing the subtext to my approach to blogging* I won’t belabor the point and instead suggest this is a fun list.

4 – I am contemplating. Earlier this summer a friend surprised me when she confided that after decades on social media and reading personal blogs she’s no longer interested in the details of other people’s lives. She’s not mean-spirited, depressed, or uptight, she’s just tired of knowing so much about people. I’ve considered what she said, wondering how much is too much and too frequently when it comes to sharing socially online? No definitive conclusion, but I take her point.

5 – I am discouraged. One year ago we had 26 beautiful large boxwood bushes on our property. Then the blight came and we lost 13 bushes**. We had the diseased bushes professionally removed and have replaced them with a variety of small bushes, not boxwoods. This has changed the curb appeal of our house and while I understand why we did what we did, the house doesn’t look like my house. Yet.

6 – I am inspired. On my radar is the Cozy Cardio trend which I’m lead to believe started on TikTok. According to the Cleveland Clinic this is a gentle way to get active. I agree with the principles of the trend in reference to walking or pilates, but don’t consider jumping rope as a “gentle” exercise. The rest of the concept sounds doable, even to a sloth like me.

7 – I am relaxed. This blessing, or spell, or poem, or whatever you want to call it, speaks to me in a basic easy way. So in an attempt to parcel out good karma I’ll share a link to it HERE and end this list with a line I am taking to heart: “just for today, let gratitude be a balm I apply lovingly to my modern life.”

~ • ~

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

What’s your favorite sport in the Summer Olympics?

If you have one, which of the Disney songs is your favorite? Do you love this lecturer as much as I do?

When do you lose interest in someone online? Is it when they talk about themselves too much [as defined by you]? Is it when they do things differently than you? Some other reasons?

Assuming that you do, how do you spread good karma? Please share the deets.

~ ~ • ~ ~

* Over the years I’ve revised the lyrics to this song as a rational way of explaining who I am as a blogger: We are Ally Bean if you please, We are Ally Bean if you don’t please. 🎶 

** Of the remaining 13 boxwood bushes 10 are struggling and will be replaced next spring, leaving us with 3 of the original ones assuming they don’t get sick between now and then.

Plan B: In Which I Beguile With A Potpourri Of Pretty Pictures & Pithiness

/ Ally Bean / 252 Comments

This is what I think of as a flapdoodle & twaddle post.

I’ve nothing specific to talk about today, Tuesday, the day I try to be here every week. This happens occasionally because when you write a personal blog you can only write about things that happen to you and if nothing much is happening because it’s a dull January, then you have to go to Plan B.

Which in this case is: I look through my files, I find images + links, I write something here, thereby adding value to the blogosphere whilst giving you, my little kumquats of curiosity, something to talk about. That’s Plan B.

I await your snarky insightful comments below.

+ • + • +

1 – Here’s a visual representation [via The Washington Post] of book genres and the percentage of people by age who read the genres. Are you in step with your age group OR marching off in your own direction?

2 – This is an excellent observation that is worthy of contemplation, akin to the medieval scholarly question: how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  [Answer: it depends on the music.] 😇

3 – I’m not a dog but this feelings wheel calls to me. I have my ZOOMIE moments and my GROWLY moments. Who among us doesn’t?

4 – After taking a year off from One Word 365, I’ve picked *LIGHT* as my personal inspirational focus word for 2024. Let’s see how this goes, shall we?

5 – I know World Penguin Day isn’t until April 25th, which also happens to be Light Jacket Day a la Miss Congeniality, BUT I can’t resist a good flow chart. Can you?

+ • + • +