Random List

Behind The Scenes With A NaBloPoMo Blogger

/ Ally Bean / 14 Comments

As of today I’m one-third of the way through my commitment to post something on this blog every day this month.

√  I’m amazed by how easy it is for me to come up with ideas about what to write here each day.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised;  I’m a generalist after all. 

√  On the flip side, I’m worn out by the actual writing and posting of said ideas.  Daily posting takes more time than you can possibly imagine– says the free spirit who usually keeps this blog on a more casual basis.

√  As per my desire to meet more bloggers, I’ve introduced myself to 10 bloggers who are also doing NaBloPoMo.  Seven have stopped by here to say “hi!” right back.  Good to know that there are other people who are willing to reach out and meet someone new.

√  The total word count on my posts to-date is: 2765.  If I was doing NaNoWriMo, which asks a person to commit to writing a 50,000 word novel during the month of November, I’d be at the 16,667 word count mark by now.  Clearly, I’m a blogger and not a novelist.  A woman’s got to know her limits.  

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[And the seven bloggers who have stopped by to say “hi” are: alejna – Jane – Kristen – Laura – Melisa – Polly – Zazzy.  Click on a name.  Meet someone new.]

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This & That

/ Ally Bean / 6 Comments

{august – monday – late afternoon}

√  No, I haven’t lost my mind.  Yet.

On Friday, after I wrote and published my earlier post, I did something really annoying; I accidentally deleted my blog template.  Not the blog contents, mind you– just the template.  So, I had to find myself a new template– right quick, as they say.  And this little banana number is the one that I picked.

It’s kind of cheerful, don’t you think?  And the price is right– as in FREE.

Someday I’ll work on putting together a more appropriate header, but until that magic day arrives I plan on sticking with this bunch of bananas.

√   The Big Dig continues.

The landscape crew is here today planting bushes & shrubs & perennials & who knows what else.  This project has dragged on for so long now, with so many revisions, that I no longer know [or care] what is being planted.  I’m beginning to think of Greg, the land planner guy in charge of this project, as my very own Eldon.

Did Eldon ever finish painting Murphy’s townhouse?  Will Greg ever finish creating a backyard for us?  Stay tuned to find out.

√  I want to paint the hutch that is in our dining room.

(Actually, to be entirely accurate and forthcoming, it isn’t a hutch– it’s a pie safe.  But no one knows what that is, so I’ve taken to calling it a hutch.)

The “hutch” has scratches, gouges and is a dreary dark brown color.  Not pretty at all. But what color should I paint it?  Therein lies the problem.

So I’ve spent much of this afternoon looking online at photos of hutches.  I now can say that my head is swimming with possibilities— none of which seem quite right to me, but all of which are quite lovely to look at in someone else’s home.

I was hoping that after an hour or two of online research, I’d  find the perfect hutch– painted the perfect color– and it’d become my inspiration.  Which would give me the confidence to go forward with this messy, labor-intensive project.

But no such luck.  Yet.

Me, Myself & Why Not?

/ Ally Bean / 8 Comments

:: Me ::

“How many hours have you wasted trying to think of something suitably witty, funny and original for your status on Facebook or Twitter?” ~ Generatus  I found this site as I was surfing along, so naturally I had to try it.  My status update, in the purple box above, is delightfully accurate.

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:: Myself ::

“What’s happening?” ~ Twitter As some of you know already, I was not immediately taken with Twitter.  But instead of giving up I asked for some guidance, and many blogger/tweeters came forward to help me understand the medium.  Thank you.  Now I’m on Twitter just about every day tweeting along with the rest of them.  Learning lots.  Laughing often.  Loving much.  You can find me @spectacledbean.

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:: Why Not? ::

“Yikes  Something went wrong! But don’t worry, we’re on it — and we’ll try to get it fixed as soon as we can.” ~ Pinterest  I’m enjoying my Pinterest account when it works.  Have you started one yet?  It’s addictive;  I was warned, but I jumped in any way.  Click here to see what I’ve accumulated so far.

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So this is what I’ve been up to lately while online. How about you?  What cool things are you doing? 

The “7 Things About Me” Meme

/ Ally Bean / 6 Comments

I saw this meme at Sweet Tea.  I thought that it looked like a fun “dog days of summer I have nothing else to say because my brain is fried” kind of post.

I’m to list 7 random things about myself… add this button to my post… and then invite other bloggers to do the same thing.  Consider yourself invited.

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1.  I like mushrooms and pineapple on my pizza.  Don’t judge.  It’s good.  Zen-Den refers to it as “dessert” pizza.

2.  I stood in line at Starbucks behind Peter Frampton one day.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but later when I saw his photo in the newspaper I realized that the handsome, pleasant Englishman in front of me, who everyone in the shop was looking at, was Peter Frampton.

3.  I love to go for walks in city parks.  Movement +  people watching = entertainment. Throw in a few inquisitive dogs on a leash and I’m smiling for hours after I finish walking.

4.  I like palm trees.  They are happy trees.  When I see them in real life I know that I’m on vacation.  When I see them in photos I remember that I was on vacation– near happy trees– having a good time.

5.  I don’t like pastel pink.  I like fuchsia, dark pink, or honeysuckle;  these shades of pink have some zing to them.  But pastel pink makes me anxious and irritable.  It’s too demure and passive for me.

6.  I think that social media is lots of fun, but that too many people take it way too seriously.  Lighten up, people.  Live from your heart, not from your FB friend count.

7.  I have narrow feet.  Finding shoes that fit is difficult and always has been.  For me, when it comes to shoes, it’s not about getting what I want– as much as taking what I’m given.