The World Matters

When I started this blog, we were mostly in lockdown, due to CO-VID19, in various places throughout the world. People were struggling and I thought it would be great to share some activities that can help keep people positive and distracted from the difficulties of staying at home. This was meant to promote safety for our country by encouraging people to stay at home and do exciting things.

With the turn of events in recent weeks, I have morally questioned the original goal of this blog. I am providing a distraction from the bigger issues that are around us. Whether you participate or not, this has weighed heavily on me and I feel it causes myself and my worldview to be questioned.

I am shutting down this blog. I want it to be temporary, but with the status of our country and the world I have little hope for a resurrection. 

This was an escape from the pain and anger of what has been happening, but it is no longer something I see as having relevance or value when our nation is at war, fighting for the lives of black people and demanding that our country make the necessary changes for equality and respect for the lives of people of color. 

Thank you for your dedication during these few weeks. I hope to continue this someday when it is needed.

Sunday Funday: Water Pistol Practice

Get out those water shooters and have at it! 

There are quite a few ways to do target practice. 

Dixie Cups

Set up dixie cups in a pyramid and then try to knock them down. You could probably do this with Solo Cups, too, if you have more powerful water guns. You could compete with another person. Each of you could have a pyramid stack and you try to knock the other person's down.

Cans or Bottles

Put up some empty aluminum cans or empty plastic bottles up and try to knock them down!

Hanging Plates

Design some paper plate targets and then string them up and practice shooting them. Color on the styrofoam ones and the colors will run off to see if you hit it. The paper ones will be wet, so you could set up your own rules for that. You could also color the liquid, if you dare, and then you know which one you've hit.

You could also play 500 with the plates, by writing the numbers on them and see how far up you can go!

Running Targets

If you have SD6 people around, you can have them put on paper plate targets and run around. Almost like laser tag, but people could take turns with the water pistols.

You can always purchase target practice toys, too. There are several out there, similar to what you would play at a carnival. Craftier people than I have also posted how-tos on making your own carnival style target. 

Essentially, the sky is the limit for how you want to play. I'm not a fan of drawing on my windows, but if you have that washable paint or chalk that people use on their car windows for celebrations, you could draw targets on windows. Have your friend or sibling or someone make a face behind the target and tah-dah! Passive aggressive emotional relief. 

Don't forget, though, you want to set distance parameters. You can start with a set distance and then make it closer or farther away. How accurate is your water shooter?

Celebrate Saturday: At Home Happy Hour

Remember that drink you made about yourself yesterday? Well now is the time to enjoy it and maybe with some friends (safely distanced away via Zoom or at an extreme distance). I know I might soapbox this a little bit, but I am in a community that has completely stopped caring about any kind of protection and is only doing the bare minimum of what the state is asking people to do. So when I make these activities, I am making them to help with social distancing - not promoting any kind of physical contact or even being in any kind of proximity to someone not in your household. You do you, though.

Happy Hour is for specifically sharing some time with a drink (or ANY kind) in your hand. Grab your beer, wine, water, soda, etc. Empty glass? Why not! I've done that on a virtual Happy Hour before. So make it what you want!

Foodie Friday: Cocktail Concoctions

Try to regain some happiness after so many troubling events by making a cocktail that represents who you are! Also, I had watched Patton Oswalt's stand-up special on Netflix "I Love Everything" recently where he talked about how the barman for his wedding offered to make a custom drink that represented him and his wife. It was pretty cute and I recommend the special. Maybe watch it while you make your drink!

I have a few sites to look at that might help you make the perfect cocktail. I do just want to remind you that cocktails do NOT have to contain alcohol. It's what makes it perfect for you! (Kiddie Cocktail anyone?)

First, I have a BuzzFeed survey that might help you figure out a base to start from. Just watch out for the ads, they can make you think you're done or load on you quick.

Then I have two sites that recommend drinks based on your personalities: The Florist and SpoonUniversity.com

I offer these purely to help you get a foothold on what you want to make. If you already have a drink that you love and it fits you and you think it screams ME, then use that or build off of it.

This is also fun to do with kids, just remove the alcohol. Ask them to start with some sort of base (a juice or soda) and then start asking them what they like. Have you or kids you have or know ever done they "every soda from the fountain" drink? Yep! Think of all the fun they could have. I like those soda fountains that now let you pick your base drink and add flavors. Those are so fun, it's dangerous.

So slip on your Mixologist hat and try to create a drink that you like and that would be your signature drink (alcoholic or not). Don't forget to share your photos/recipes!

What did I make? I have two for each side of my personality:

My relaxed drink: Barefoot Sweet Red with Diet 7-Up/Sprite and a slide of orange. (Like a Sangria,but for me, I need to relax and just dump things into a giant Spider-Man cup! I use the small bottles of wine.)

My have-a-good-time drink: Pineapple Juice, Sugar-Free Cranberry Juice, and Coconut Bacardi Rum. It's a tropical rum punch!  I'm sweet. My bitterness is hidden beneath the sweet. My silly and careless demeanor will hit you slowly as I come out of my introvert shell. Then it'll punch you right in the face as your suffering of being exposed to me comes full circle. 

Throwback Thursday: The Killer Diller 40s Workout

The 1940s is a swingin' time in history, while also the most troubling. A term that was coined at the time was the Killer Diller. This slang term meant that something was the best or the ultimate thing. So, for example, "that date was a killer diller!" "Did you see her killer diller moves on the dance floor?" "That monster movie was killer diller!"

What I noticed while lightly looking into the 1940s is that fitness was of interest, but the world was heavily distracted by the war that was raging around the world. During this time, fitness was primarily focused on what had been done in the 1930s. More sports and flexibility exercises. Women were able to be more engaged in physical exercise opening and it was encouraged for everyone to be taking staying fit seriously.

What I also noticed, though, was that there seems to be an interest in the breast and upper arms for the workout for the women. Fitness seems to frequently be focused on women in the form of videos. I find videos reporting on men doing physical activity, but I find more "here's how to stay fit" videos for women. A personal assumption is that men were familiar with military training and, with WWI and WWII going on, fitness did not go unnoticed. 

So while women were at home and the men were off to war, videos were focused on what women could do to stay fit for when the men come home. One video talked about the "Battle of the Bulge" as a connection to the War. Did you know that a war correspondent named Larry Newman coined the phrase "Battle of the Bulge," because when he was looking at the map, he was "struck by the bulging swell of German troops?" (MentalFloss.com) Interesting piece of trivia, I think. No wonder we hate those "bulges" so much. Think of how much that phrase had influence back then, if your jiggly bits were perceived like the U.S. attacking the Nazis. Oof.

I have two videos that offer some exercise ideas. The first one shows some upper-body exercises to do without equipment. Two-piece outfit is optional.

This second one I like, because it's showing more physical activity being included in schools. It's jumping jacks! So don't forget that really important exercise.

I would be remiss, though, if I didn't mention that dancing was at the heart of the 1940s.

If you really want that blood pumping and have an SD6 friend who is willing to give it a shot, try the Jitterbug.

So your exercise challenge?

1. Complete the upper arm exercises. Do the routine 5 times.
2. Do 25 jumping jacks.
3. Listen to some Killer Diller Music and solo or SD6 dance some Jitterbug!

Finally, though, and I loved this about the phrase "Killer Diller," was that in 1948, there was a movie called Killer Diller. I'm a fan of Mrs. Maisel on Amazon and this movie made me think of the performances that were showcased at The Apollo (the positive ones...). The movie includes performances by Nat King Cole, Moms Mabely, Dusty Fletcher, Butterfly McQueen, the Andy Kirk Orchestra and the Four Congaroos (dancing Lindy Hop). I thought this video was the coolest piece of history and it celebrates music, comedy, and dance. So whether you dance along or are looking for some great music, comedy, and entertainment, check out Killer Diller.

Walking/Wheeling Wednesday: Just Beat It

You set a goal for walking/wheeling last week. This week go ahead and beat it! Doesn't matter if it's only by a little bit. You are pushing forward into greatness!

It just felt like the right song. 

Toughen Up Tuesday: Fire

One of the things they teach you in survival lessons is the importance of making a fire. It provides light, gives you warmth, potentially keep animals at bay, signal help, and helps to cook any food or water you find. Plus, isn't it said somewhere that the ability to create fire separated us from the apes? Something like that. I always think of Plato's The Cave when I think of early man and fire.

Knowing that a fire is one of the most important survival skills, once you know night is setting in, it's important to find a place to stop and start gathering your materials for a fire.

Instead of me trying to figure out how to tell you how to do something like this, I found this really amazing video that provides 14 ways to start a fire without matches or a lighter. Talk about covering all your bases for starting your survival fire. But remember that having a lighter or matches on you can really help you out in a sticky survival situation. My recommendation is to always have those on you. Or glasses. Or a magnifying glass. You know... traditional stuff.

Here are the 14 ways:

• #1 Fire roll - Cotton ball & Ash
• #2 Spontaneous Combustion - 2:38
• #3 How to Start a fire with a Battery & Steel Wool - 4:46
• #4 Tearing open a lithium battery - 5:25
• #5 Fire Piston - 6:00
• #6 Potassium Manganate - 7:20
• #7 Flint and Steel (Blast matches and Magnesium bars) - 8:50
• #8 How to start a fire with the Fire plow method 10:00
• #9 How to start a fire with the Fire Saw 11:35
• #10 Beating/ hammering steel 13:45
• #11 Starting a fire with a flashlight (magnifying glass ect) 14:45
• #12 Spindle and Board with bow- Friction Fire Techniques 15:43
• #13 Spindle and Board (hand method) Friction Fire Techniques 18:50
• #14 Rope Lighter 19:50

Hopefully his video helped you find a neat method that you never knew before. He really knows his stuff. It's always good to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Just remember you need that tinder bundle to get anything going. Might as well keep one in your pocket for just such an occasion.

Good luck and happy survival-ing.

Mindfulness Monday: Blue

I was finally finishing watch a show on Netflix and I was struck with an idea for Mindfulness Monday. See, on the show, when the character needed to calm down, they were supposed to call out 5 blue items they saw around them. And blue is considered one of the most calming colors.

We use the word "blue" to describe our state of being such as "feeling blue" or "I have the blues." Here it is used to express feeling very down. Even when we "sing the blues" it's about letting out the pain we feel. So in a way, singing the blues is supposed to lift us up. The color can also be associated with positive experiences, especially when we say things like "beyond the blue horizon" or "blue skies ahead." I like the visual of "clear blue water." It just feels so zen.

So for Mindfulness Monday, I thought it would be a fun experiment to take time, in all the places you go today, to take count of how much blue surrounds you. Go sit outside and identify blue. Find your most stressful place and think about how much blue surrounds you. Go to your most peaceful place and look around.

Just take stock of everything that is blue around you. Erase it as the color of sadness and replace it as the color of calm. They say blue is the color of our mind, so close your eyes, breath deep and focus on... blue...