A few Measly Steps a Day

Thank you!

I tried Twitter. My Twitter days are temporarily over. I left all social media that has those algorithms dictating what shows up in my feed. I don't like that at all, so I decided to take a long break from all that. But Twitter is one of the safer ones, IMHO.

Best wishes on your book sales!

I don't like social media, but I can't see any way around using it - for me anyway. I sent a couple of tweets, and I guess everything went okay.
Thanks for the info about Twitter, SprinkL3. Also thanks for the info about "The Artist's Way". I will check it out.
My friend with the sneezing and coughing tested negative for COVID. So I'll cautiously get out of my house and into the outside world. I'll still be cautious about transmitting cold germs. A germ is a germ, after all.
I'm almost done with the first draft of "Earth Songs" (or whatever I end up calling it. I have about two pages to go.
So my big challenge is to get tweeting. For the record, I think calling it tweeting is stupid, and calling the messages tweets is even stupider.

Hello Measly Steps World. Congrat's D on reaching your Nanowrimo goal.

I'm not much on social media either. Well not quite. I'm here, I'm on Meet-up (about a dozen groups, of which I attend maybe 3) plus co-organizing one on liberating structures, and grudgingly on linkedin.

My personal distaste is the enormous amount of time they take. Just email runs to hours per week. And another peeve is the incredible shrinking "canvas" to communicate with—like the limit to a tweet. People even alert you with TL;DR (too long, don't read).

I cannot watch most music videos now because they're cut to MTV's standard, which is no shot lasts more than a couple of seconds. Oh, come on.

I'm curious D what you would call the messages flowing through twitter. Let's see, we had letters, then telegrams, then email, tweets, & text. In Africa we had drums, Native Americans had smoke signals. Even the Vatican has smoke signals when picking a Pope.

What are my current steps a day? None, I'm Off Duty! Till Monday to celebrate my birthday. I've started a dive into comedy and comic writing to support a friend who's doing beginner stand up. So that's a thing, but no commitment or due dates.

Checking in to clock out, Revu2

By Twitter messages I mean whatever the writer posts - a lot of advertisements. (That's what I'm posting.) opinions, news items of interest - some real, some made up or slanted. Twitter is more about marketing - Facebook is more about connecting with friends.

I'm healthy, and my friend tested negative for COVID, so that's all good.
It's raining today, so that's wonderful. We had a dry three weeks (?) I think it was about three weeks, which was worrisome.

I'm feeling a bit depressed right now. I think I need a long walk in the rain.

Hello MSTAD (Measly steps a day). Facing a big churning turning time for myself. I'll proceed here in the open. Some things for your consideration.

1. I'm dealing with taking on the major "make sure" role at my condo.

2. I'm calling it my "better home" or "home improvement" project in public because 99% of the time I get rolling of eyes, and horror stories. The first dismissive, the second the least helpful reaction the person can dredge up. Basically communicating "grin and bear it but don't look to me for support." Gee, thanks.

3. All of the common "have you thought ofs" have been thought of. These often are delivered by the rolling eyes crowd.

4. I've concluded that the social-emotional work will be the hardest. If I can focus on the work and spend zero time struggling with feeling put upon, unloved, and taken advantage of, I can manage this for the next 2 years of service.

5. The hardest part now is I have to curtailed my leadership services on a meetup group for liberating structures. It's been great fun itself for the past 16 months. This is the churn in the turn. Just only so much promise keeping I want to juggle. Sigh.

6. I'll keep my running log of wins and struggles on a different tread and link to it from time to time.

7. Right now my support here in the condo and across other condo "make sures" is invisible. One part feels very alone. I learned from reading The Psychic Grid that my tribe is real and active, only not yet tangible to me. Part of the journey is watching this appear, and making magic to speed the process.

8. Thanks for your hugs, and attention. Feeling a bit better prepared now.

Revu2

I have OCD now, on top of everything else (PTSD, DID, CFS/ME, GERD, IBS, etc.).

My steps involve:

1. Pacing myself - relaxing intermittently between tasks.

2. Taking one task at a time (because one day can even be too much).

3. Telling myself positive affirmations at least once a day. This include using internal family systems (IFS) coping to speak with my alternate personalities (alters) about certain decisions, which occurs on a daily basis.

4. Telling myself what's safe, so that I remain grounded and less anxious about doing certain tasks (whilst also using IFS coping).

5. Trying to eat healthier.

6. Trying to sleep healthier.

7. Trying to maintain good hygiene, since I don't have the energy to shower every day.

8. Maintaining a spreadsheet of my budgeting and daily tasks, which logs my accomplishments for the day.

9. Telling myself that it's okay if I have an "off" or "bad" day. There are days when I simply cannot do anything as planned.

10. Communicating with my therapist via email every day and online during our sessions twice per week.

11. Using effective communication with others via phone, Zoom, chat, forums posting, email, and/or texts. I'm not perfect, but I do the best I can.

12. Trying to combat one fear per week, whether that be going outside alone for a walk during the daytime or early morning hours, or not feeling compelled to wash my hands as many times that I do, or using lotion on my hands more frequently.

13. Minimizing my triggers, any toxic relationships, any toxic news, the general news, and any other stressors. I can minimize this to one hour per day or once per week - or something to that effect. But I try to never read disturbing news first thing in the morning or the last thing before bed. I try to reserve that for the middle of the day, if possible.

14. Being flexible with goals. This is still a traumatic pandemic. Things are constantly changing, so my goals have to change, too. I'm more open about change than I was two years ago. It's not easy, and it comprises many traumatic losses, much traumatic grief, many traumatic triggers, and more. Nevertheless, I am surviving, and that's the best I can do.

15. Remaining as safe as possible, and being true to myself, which includes all of my alters.

So many challenges, you two! Consider me sending you both positive vibes.

I'm doing Christmas things today. I'm happy with the presents I've bought. Downside- my house is a mess and the ants are marching. And I've decided that I'm a lousy writer. We'll see what tomorrow brings on that note.
On the very positive side - the ants are marching because it's raining. Yay! I'll start attacking the housecleaning and maybe write a couple of cards. SprinkLe, in case you're wondering, in California, eight out of the last nine years have been drought years. Last year was horrible - roughly three days of rain all year. So we all want rain. And with everything so dry, we have had a ton of bad fires.
Good wishes and good vibes to you both. (and anyone else who reads this.

Hi MSTAD, on the Barbara Sher site we were exiled from because she closed it, we had great fun with the idea of Yuck Lists, described as a list of things you'd rather not have to do, yet you must. Taxes. Colon health screening tests. Yet another COVID vax. All yucks things on my list.

Had a decent enough meeting last night on a project that a team is struggling to wrap up. Feeling energized so devoting this morning to my Yuck Stuff:

• Colon health test (don't ask the details)
• Mail it
• Tracking a repayment for a fouled up order via Paypal
• confirming a training date with client
• paying local taxes in another state (online)
• sending cousin a holiday wish and note for his share

Oh, I found a great hack. Got to thinking that someone might have made a daily checkbox Google sheet, and found one. Google Sheet Geeks. Have fun.

Yuck Stuff:

Done
Colon health test (don't ask the details)
Mail it

• Tracking a repayment for a fouled up order via Paypal
• confirming a training date with client
• paying local taxes in another state (online)
• sending cousin a holiday wish and note for his share

The company I ordered from, AmeriMark, is very incompetent, to put it politely. People calling them out on BBB are a bit harsher. Geez, I may never see my $21 again, but it's gonna cost them a lot more than that in the steady hassles I'm about to launch.

Avoid AmeriMark. Scammer, liars, & cheats.

They've managed to filch $21 from me. Well, now with belated research I can see I'll never get the goods or get my money. PayPal, through which I paid, seems unwilling to use their muscles to call them on their tactics and return my money. So far, I'll know more after I hear back from Paypal's CEO (or the FTC, or attorney generals, or one of the law firms compiling cases for a class action).

So I once again join forces with other marks* & we'll be a team of gnats, bees, & hornets. I will warehouse information on a google site about class actions, where to complain, responses, and their crappy reviews on BBB and other complaint sites.

* a mark in slang language is the unwitting receiver of the attentions of swindlers and con artists.

Who is the super hero for Consumer Justice? Patron Saint? Not St Anthony, he's busy with lost causes.

Seems I'm dealing with scammers a lot more frequently in the past few years. Indigogo "campaign" called unobrush was a full-on scam and they're likely getting away with a dirty $2 millions, my hit, $129. Link: v.gd - Shortened URL (click through)

Wench.com full on venture capitalist backed scammers. Overcharged me $110. My pages on them is here: v.gd - Shortened URL

The wench alert page will be my model for AmeriMark's. I'm settled in for having fun writing this up. It'll get spicier over time as I track literary quotes about knaves, thieves, scammers, crooks, and pickpockets.

Sigh, permanent on guard now and will run a "credit check" on any new company I'm considering business with.

In the Hall of Shame for Thieves, Amerimark joins some prestigious company: Wells Fargo (opening unnecessary accounts), Sears (rest in hell, hiking up repairs on cars, stealing patent for ratchet tools), BeechNut (diluting apple juice for babies, geesh), Ford (exploding Pintos), ... my fingers getting tired.

Rant easing, thanks for lending me your eyes. R.

You can try to contact their Cleveland, Ohio corporate offices to make a complaint and ask for some resolution.

If the above doesn't work, you can try to resolve this through:
1. The Better Business Bureau
and
2. The Attorney General in Ohio

If all of the above doesn't work, you can also sue them and take them to Small Claim's Court (if you have the means, wit, time, energy, and strength to do so, jus to get your point across).

There's also some Consumer websites where you can publicly make statements about certain companies and what you feel about them. Some of those websites might require paid membership though.

Name one step you can take to:
- do self-care
- bring a smile to your face
- feel a sense of safety
- feel a sense of calm
- feel a sense of peace

For me:

- do self-care: rest intermittently
- bring a smile to your face: find and post fun photos (I did that in a different thread under the dissociative disorders forum)
- feel a sense of safety: watching reruns of "Good Witch" (just the background noise and scenery helps me to feel safe
- feel a sense of calm: look around my bedroom and see my stuffies - some of which are Christmas presents that I gave to myself/little alters and teens
- feel a sense of peace: remind myself of all the things that I'm grateful for, including my own privileges

Quote:

Originally Posted by SprinkL3 Name one step you can take to: - do self-care - bring a smile to your face - feel a sense of safety - feel a sense of calm - feel a sense of peace

Luv this! Can I count the ways?
Self-care - “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give and nobody will care for you.” ― Karl Lagerfeld via goodreads

Bring a smile - “We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world. To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.” ~ Jack Gilbert

Feel safe - "When we feel safe the present comes alive." Source: Ourbond.com

Feel calm - "We can't control what happens on the outside but we do have a say over the quality of our mind. No matter what's going on, if your mind is OK, everything is OK. Right now." source: Psychology Today

Feel peace - "When you feel peaceful, you accept the challenges and face them with a newfound resilience." Source: Drivethru

Thanks Sprinkle for this. Finding quotes was fun.

I'll start mediating on the Test-Operate-Test-Exit psychology set-up in my Steinbeck Warmups thread if you care to come visit. I'm playing it keyed it songs & poetry.

@Revu2 - I love all the quotes - how creative! THANK YOU!

I've been moody lately. I'm trying to be positive amid the negative.

Hi, Steppers,

I'm procrastinating shamelessly, but I'm still making some headway into my yuck list. It includes health issues and housecleaning.

R, sending you good vibes for your condo tasks. I admire you for taking it on.

SprinkL3, it sounds as if you're making progress. Congratulations. When you add all the steps together, it amounts to an impressive achievement.

Concerning scammers - I don't usually cruise Facebook, but a couple of days ago I did that and found a very cool video. (No, I don't have the link. Sorry) An engineer designed a box which he leaves for thieves to find. It contains skunk spray, a glitter bomb, four cameras which transmit videos to local police stations, two rods which prevent the box from closing, and a recorded countdown sequence. He can somehow get addresses for scammer phone numbers and sends glitter bomb boxes to them as well. On the positive side, he also leaves boxes by apartment house mailboxes. Most people ignore the boxes, a few call the number on the outside of the box to warn that the box is in a location likely to attract thieves, and of course a few of the people who pass by steal the boxes. It made me hopeful. Also on the hopeful side, the police caught some of the thieves who have been stealing catalytic converters in our area.

Okay, I'll go attack some of my things to do.

Good wishes to you.

Hi, with 2 weeks of a lite schedule I've taken too many books & books on CD from the library. Even streaming something I've borrowed, too.

Tonight, I made the connection that condo ownership has elements of poker play, not the stakes-gambling parts, but the playing part. In Hold 'Em, everyone antes up to play get dealt a pair of cards face down. In a condo, that's your unit. Then there are 5 cards face up which are the communal cards, and in the condo there are communal spaces. The betting is reversed! In poker, players bet to win the pot, in condos people maneuver to avoid the "pot," the burden of taking care of the communal spaces.

Breaks down here, because ownership follows people until they sell.

Thanks for admiration. It's just something I need to be part of if I want a roof over my bed the rest of my life, 60% self interest. The challenge is not all of the owners feel the same pinch since nearly half don't live here. A few have never lived here.

The big challenge is to reduce the time I spend bellyaching. The ratio can be as hight as for every hour of work I might spend 2 hours bellyaching. If I can hold the bellyaching to about 10 minutes per hour of work, even with the known a**holes and freeloaders trying to stir trouble or avoid work, I'll do just fine. That's my focus as I prep for this round of service. It's my 4th time I think being on the board in our 12-unit condo. Would I move into a condo this small again? No. So what, I'm here, I'll deal.

Revu2

Great poker analogy. People are imperfect, and getting them to agree on something, especially money, is a challenge. And then getting them to follow through . . . Anyway, kudos to you for stepping up. Me - I'm doing Christmas stuff today.

Have a merry holiday season, everyone.

I really wish I could move to a "safe land" with "safe neighbors" and "safe medical professionals." I just want to feel safe again. I don't feel safe, and I certainly don't feel free. I want to be able to walk outside without fear of being attacked - by a human, a virus, or anything.

I also wish I had more space in my home. Ideally, I'd like a two-bedroom. I prefer to rent, so as to minimize responsibilities and have the freedom to travel as I please, if I need to. I don't know if I'll ever settle on a place, but I'm hoping to in the distal future - if I'm still alive. For now, I just want to pay off my bills and focus on savings for the 2022 year. I have at least 2 credit cards that I need to pay off quickly, in order to avoid some interest. Once I pay off my credit cards, I don't use them. They'll just sit there with zero balances. I have 2 paid off so far, but I have about 4 or 5 left.

My health is important, but I'm doing what I can with the limitations we have. I'm also sticking to the minimal friends I have locally. They are nice, and I trust them. I don't know any neighbors yet, as I don't feel they are that nice or safe. I wished I lived in a different kind of home with a backyard and a frond door that opens to fresh air. I'm sick of living in hallways with shared air spaces. I would be so much more free if I didn't live in an apartment. But I can't afford a house. Maybe a duplex or triplex townhome or home rental would do, but everyone's selling those these days - no one is renting those things anymore. It sucks how the housing market took advantage of this pandemic, because they know that houses are safer than apartment and condo dwellings.

Still, I wouldn't want to buy or own at this time. The prices have inflated so much that I swear they tripled in price where I live. Only the rich seem to be able to afford houses.

Besides, with all the wildfires, sinkholes, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, potential tsunamis, climate crises, viral issues, economic issues, pandemic-related changes, uprisings, political changes, and more, it's not safe to truly own anything at this time - unless you are rich, able-bodied, privileged, employed, have a good-enough nest egg, partnered, and healthy (minimal risks).

Hi Thread. Sprinkle, yeah, I sense your constrictions through the 'net. Sucks.

My Yuck list update (completed in green):
Tracking a repayment for a fouled up order via Paypal
confirming a training date with client
paying local taxes in another state (online)
sending cousin a holiday wish and note for his share

The repayment this is on back on delay as I await Paypal getting an answer from the company. The company is a real con artist, so I'll be curious what they say to mollify Paypal, who'll try to mollify me. Fat chance, I know when I've been robbed.

Merry holidays to all, Revu2