In my years on earth I have learned about and come up with some what are called "life hacks". They're unconventional ways of accomplishing things or making your life easier, that you perhaps normally wouldn't think about. I'm going to share my favorite life hacks I've learned about in my life.
How to defrost a car quickly: Don't you hate in the winter when your car frosts up/freezes over and you either have to leave even earlier so you can sit in your car while it warms up, or (if you weren't prepared) be late to work because you had to wait for your car to defrost? Well, I have found a solution. In the winter time or whenever in your area the temperatures get near or below freezing, check to see if the temperature is freezing in the morning. If so, right before you leave, get a large cup of lukewarm water (maybe even a bucket). Not hot, because that could crack your windshield. Think warm pool water, or room temperature water. Take the cup and set it down somewhere while you start your car, start the defroster, and turn on your windshield wipers to a slow intermittent setting (once every 5-10 seconds). Dump the cup of water on your windshield and windows. It will clear up your windows in no time. If it's really cold out, you'll want the wipers going so the water doesn't freeze on your windshield. This hack has saved me so much time in the mornings, and the gas it saves is well worth the cost of the water from the tap. Although I will say that this doesn't always completely work, but a scraper is good for getting whatever the lukewarm water doesn't.
How to get a key ring open: This one is fairly common knowledge, but just in case you don't know it, I'm going to share it. If you have a staple remover (those ones with the sharp teeth), those are good at holding key rings open to get on and off key chains or keys off key rings. Much easier than ruining or hurting your fingernails. Just move it along the ring as you add or remove keys/keychains.
Chill a beverage (or beverages) fast: When you want a hydrating beverage, but it's not cold, there is a way to chill it fairly fast. The way I've done is to get a paper towel soaking wet (but not dripping) and wrap it around your drink. Stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (but if it's carbonated or glass, don't forget about it!) You should have a fairly chilly beverage in that time. For ice cold, I think it takes 20-25 minutes. If you need to chill multiple beverages fast, say for a party, get a bucket and fill it with water and ice cubes. Add salt, which reduces the freezing point of water. Then add the beverages, and they should chill in no time.
How to have cold water all day: Speaking of having cold beverages, if you're someone that drinks a lot of water and can use a water bottle at work, the night before fill it up roughly 1/3 of the way with water and lay it on its side in the freezer overnight. The next day, fill it up with water. You're basically guaranteed to have cold water all day, as that ice will do the trick. The key is to not fill it up so much that the ice blocks the opening at the top of the water bottle. So you could fill it up halfway or even a bit more, depending on how fast you'll be drinking the water, if you'll be refilling it, and how long you want the ice to last.
Increase ketchup capacity for ketchup cups: Whenever you're at a fast food place or a sporting event, and you get ketchup for your fries and you use one of those little paper cups, it never seems like enough (if you're someone that uses a liberal amount like I do, anyway). If you turn them inside out, they will hold a lot more. Carefully fold and bend it so it's stable, and it should have a much wider opening and hold more.
How to keep track of cables: If you're like me and you have a lot of electronics, this life hack can really help. If you have a computer station or a TV/video game set up, use bread clips on the ends of the power cords when you plug them into a surge protector/zip strip. You can either color code them or you can use a small felt tip marker and write what device it's for on the bread clip. This is very handy for if you have to move or replace a device, and you don't know which cord to unplug. Bread clips fit very well on electrical cords and can tell you instantly what the cord is used to power.
Organize cables/wires without tangling: One first-world problem a lot of us have is tangled cables and wires. One notable example would be for earphones. I wind them up in multiple loops and then use a binder clip to keep the loop together. You can also use a hair clip. If you have a large enough binder or hair clip, you can use it on larger cables or cords.
Two uses for scotch tape: Obviously scotch tape is good for wrapping gifts, taping paper together, etc., but it has a couple life hack uses you might not have heard of. One is to remove slivers. If you ever get a sliver that is very small and fine and too hard to grab with any tweezers you have, roll some tape into a loop with the sticky part facing out and press it against the area where the sliver(s) are. As a kid, I once touched the bark of a tree that put tons of tiny slivers into my finger, so my mom used this trick to get the majority of them out. It doesn't always work, but it's pretty quick and fairly painless. The other way to use scotch tape is as a lint roller. Maybe you noticed a bunch of lint on an outfit you were going to wear, but either don't have a lint roller or misplaced it. Grab a loop of scotch tape, maybe make it several connected loops (you can run the tape around the length of your four fingers) and press it against your clothes. It should pick up lint pretty well!
That's all I have for now, but if I think of anymore, I'll be sure to add them here!
Friday, February 21, 2020
Monday, February 10, 2020
Ring Central
Apparently this is a way you can contact me at work. You have to have the ability to dial a phone number on your computer, however. Click the link below to contact me.
RingMe
RingMe
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
My Experience with Shipping
The two jobs I've had in my life have a bit in common. Both involve working with numbers, answering the phone, and using a computer (on occasion at my past job). One more thing they have in common is dealing with shipping and receiving packages. I find that industry fascinating, and I almost entered into it. I also love shopping online and getting packages in the mail.
At my past job, I accepted many packages working behind the customer service counter. We got shipped a lot of things including displays for movies, promotional tickets, etc. We also got shipped items that we would sell such as books of stamps, Orca cards, and lottery tickets. I would then have to enter the items with monetary value into our inventory so we could keep track. The only notable thing we ever shipped out was a drug testing kit, I believe. Not always, but on occasion when a new hire would get drug tested, we would then have to ship the test via FedEx for the results. I often would be tasked to call the number 1-800 GO-FEDEX to schedule a pickup.
I have plenty of experience in my personal life involving shipping. As I said earlier, I shop online a lot. I do most of my Christmas shopping online. I have even shipped packages to people as well. Some semi-famous YouTubers will set up a PO Box, and I have shipped them items through the United States Postal Service. I even got to see one of them open the things I sent him on video. And when my girlfriend and I were long distance, I sent her a couple care packages in the mail. Recently, because of a misunderstanding, I "subscribed" to a gift set I ordered online. I only wanted one thing. So, I had to request a refund, get the address label, affix it to the package, and schedule a pickup to send it back. I don't mind dealing with shipping and the post office, but it can be a bit of a headache at times.
I did consider a career in the shipping industry when I was between jobs. I looked at jobs for both UPS and FedEx, but the one I got closest to was Amazon. I got to the point where I needed to just find something to not only make money, but to have something productive to do. I went for an Amazon delivery driver position, because I thought that would be fun leaving people's packages on their doorsteps. I applied and got hired and did a two day training session. On my first day, I was already having second thoughts because I had to report to the warehouse in the industrial district of Seattle. Because of a miscommunication, I didn't attend my first day on time, so at that point I just decided to quit. But the knowledge I gained from the training seminar was pretty helpful, and I know I lot more about how Amazon ships packages than I did before.
At my current job, we receive packages on a fairly regular basis. Having to sign for them or provide a carrier your name is something I'm definitely accustomed to doing. I am hoping to gain more experience in the matters of shipping as time goes on. I've gotten to know and recognize the guys that deliver us packages.
And to be honest, I haven't completely ruled out a career in shipping. It's a good work out for all the awesome people out there who make sure packages get from one place to another. But I'll play it by ear and just see what my heart wants.
At my past job, I accepted many packages working behind the customer service counter. We got shipped a lot of things including displays for movies, promotional tickets, etc. We also got shipped items that we would sell such as books of stamps, Orca cards, and lottery tickets. I would then have to enter the items with monetary value into our inventory so we could keep track. The only notable thing we ever shipped out was a drug testing kit, I believe. Not always, but on occasion when a new hire would get drug tested, we would then have to ship the test via FedEx for the results. I often would be tasked to call the number 1-800 GO-FEDEX to schedule a pickup.
I have plenty of experience in my personal life involving shipping. As I said earlier, I shop online a lot. I do most of my Christmas shopping online. I have even shipped packages to people as well. Some semi-famous YouTubers will set up a PO Box, and I have shipped them items through the United States Postal Service. I even got to see one of them open the things I sent him on video. And when my girlfriend and I were long distance, I sent her a couple care packages in the mail. Recently, because of a misunderstanding, I "subscribed" to a gift set I ordered online. I only wanted one thing. So, I had to request a refund, get the address label, affix it to the package, and schedule a pickup to send it back. I don't mind dealing with shipping and the post office, but it can be a bit of a headache at times.
I did consider a career in the shipping industry when I was between jobs. I looked at jobs for both UPS and FedEx, but the one I got closest to was Amazon. I got to the point where I needed to just find something to not only make money, but to have something productive to do. I went for an Amazon delivery driver position, because I thought that would be fun leaving people's packages on their doorsteps. I applied and got hired and did a two day training session. On my first day, I was already having second thoughts because I had to report to the warehouse in the industrial district of Seattle. Because of a miscommunication, I didn't attend my first day on time, so at that point I just decided to quit. But the knowledge I gained from the training seminar was pretty helpful, and I know I lot more about how Amazon ships packages than I did before.
At my current job, we receive packages on a fairly regular basis. Having to sign for them or provide a carrier your name is something I'm definitely accustomed to doing. I am hoping to gain more experience in the matters of shipping as time goes on. I've gotten to know and recognize the guys that deliver us packages.
And to be honest, I haven't completely ruled out a career in shipping. It's a good work out for all the awesome people out there who make sure packages get from one place to another. But I'll play it by ear and just see what my heart wants.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
My Work Blog
Ever since starting my job at ASSIC/GIP, I have been keeping up with a blog in my free time on Office 365's Delve. It was a good opportunity to talk about things vaguely related to my company or my job. Unfortunately, Microsoft is ending support for the blogs and closing them down later this year. So, I decided to switch over to Blogger, which is probably better anyway.
In total, I did 28 blogs since I started in September. I'm going to move them over here, and I and you or anyone can use this to get to them quickly. I thought I'd also use this to explain briefly what each one is about. I'm not going to go to the trouble to link to each one, they should be on the right under "Blog Archive".
1. "Scam Calls" - The first post I did was about the scam calls I almost immediately started getting. It's short, but I go over other specific calls in another post.
2. "I'm Happy to Help" - This is basically my cry for help, as I was bored and just telling people that I'm willing to help with basically anything.
3. "My Ties to the Aviation Industry" - I have some family that's worked in the aviation industry that I talk about, as well as a brief history of my flying experiences.
4. "In Flight Experiences" - I talk about different experiences I have had while on a plane, what I like to drink and do on a plane, etc.
5. "Places I Want to Travel" - Self explanatory, just basically a bucket list of places I want to go before I die and why.
6. "My Favorite TV Shows and Movies that Involve Planes" - I was really stretching for topics related to my work, but it was a fun thing to write about.
7. "My Frugal and Money Saving Tips" - I talk about the various methods I have used or seen others use to save money. One of my longer posts.
8. "Working a typical Mon-Fri work week" - This job is my first occupation working Monday-Friday, so I go over the positives and negatives to that.
9. "The long, arduous process of a plane flight" - I go over the entire process of a plane flight, from packing and going to the airport to security and whatnot. There's quite a bit of sarcasm in this one.
10. "The many ways I've helped people" - This is almost a continuation of the "I'm Happy to Help" post, but this one I provide specific examples on how I've helped others in the past.
11. "Bonding outside of work" - I did this post right after having lunch with my coworkers for the first time. I talk about it and other past experiences hanging out with co-workers.
12. "Goals and Aspirations" - I talk about various goals I have; now while I'm not specific, I do have some.
13. "Ways to stay productive" - There are plenty of ways to stay productive, even when you have nothing to do, as I pointed out.
14. "Foreign languages" - Since we have a lot of bilingual people in our office, I talked about my experiences with other languages, mainly how I know a bit of German.
15. "Expanding on my skills" - On the Delve profile, one section is a list of professional skills, so I went over the skills I listed and how I acquired them.
16. "My Thoughts on Different Airports I've Been To" - I've only been to a small handful of airports, but each one is different and I went over their unique features
17. "My history with computers" - My personal favorite to write, I talk about my history in owning computers and laptops and how well they've fared for me.
18. "Losing weight tips" - I shared some tips I've picked up on how to lose weight, and it's more than just eating right and exercising. Now if I could only apply these...
19. "Experiences with Scam Calls" - By this point, I had gotten experience with quite a few different scam call attempts. This is basically a continuation of my first post simply titled, "Scam Calls".
20. "Commuting to Work" - I talk about the different ways I have gotten to my two jobs now which is more than just driving, and my plan to try to reduce my carbon footprint.
21. "Dressing up for Holidays at Work" - Right before Halloween I made this post, because I was planning on dressing up fairly extravagantly as a zombie. I explain the different ways I've dressed at work for different occasions.
22. "Working with Numbers" - A simple concept, but numbers are a part of most jobs in the world, and I explain how I've used math, memorization of numbers and more in my two jobs now.
23. "Christmas at Work" - I go over what it's like for me to work in the days leading up to Christmas and how I celebrate it and stay festive.
24. "Apples" - My boss owns an apple farm, and I used to work at a grocery store, so I go over my experience dealing with apples in both jobs.
25. "Helpful Links" - I shared some helpful links I had found while working at my current job.
26. "Computer Hints, Shortcuts, and How-To's" - I share some keyboard shortcuts that I had found while working my current job.
27. "Changes" - I talk about changes going on around me and in my life, and how they're inevitable and how it's better to just roll with the punches of life.
28. "Well, this sucks" - A post I made after finding out I will no longer be able to blog there. The only post that I didn't include a picture with.
In total, I did 28 blogs since I started in September. I'm going to move them over here, and I and you or anyone can use this to get to them quickly. I thought I'd also use this to explain briefly what each one is about. I'm not going to go to the trouble to link to each one, they should be on the right under "Blog Archive".
1. "Scam Calls" - The first post I did was about the scam calls I almost immediately started getting. It's short, but I go over other specific calls in another post.
2. "I'm Happy to Help" - This is basically my cry for help, as I was bored and just telling people that I'm willing to help with basically anything.
3. "My Ties to the Aviation Industry" - I have some family that's worked in the aviation industry that I talk about, as well as a brief history of my flying experiences.
4. "In Flight Experiences" - I talk about different experiences I have had while on a plane, what I like to drink and do on a plane, etc.
5. "Places I Want to Travel" - Self explanatory, just basically a bucket list of places I want to go before I die and why.
6. "My Favorite TV Shows and Movies that Involve Planes" - I was really stretching for topics related to my work, but it was a fun thing to write about.
7. "My Frugal and Money Saving Tips" - I talk about the various methods I have used or seen others use to save money. One of my longer posts.
8. "Working a typical Mon-Fri work week" - This job is my first occupation working Monday-Friday, so I go over the positives and negatives to that.
9. "The long, arduous process of a plane flight" - I go over the entire process of a plane flight, from packing and going to the airport to security and whatnot. There's quite a bit of sarcasm in this one.
10. "The many ways I've helped people" - This is almost a continuation of the "I'm Happy to Help" post, but this one I provide specific examples on how I've helped others in the past.
11. "Bonding outside of work" - I did this post right after having lunch with my coworkers for the first time. I talk about it and other past experiences hanging out with co-workers.
12. "Goals and Aspirations" - I talk about various goals I have; now while I'm not specific, I do have some.
13. "Ways to stay productive" - There are plenty of ways to stay productive, even when you have nothing to do, as I pointed out.
14. "Foreign languages" - Since we have a lot of bilingual people in our office, I talked about my experiences with other languages, mainly how I know a bit of German.
15. "Expanding on my skills" - On the Delve profile, one section is a list of professional skills, so I went over the skills I listed and how I acquired them.
16. "My Thoughts on Different Airports I've Been To" - I've only been to a small handful of airports, but each one is different and I went over their unique features
17. "My history with computers" - My personal favorite to write, I talk about my history in owning computers and laptops and how well they've fared for me.
18. "Losing weight tips" - I shared some tips I've picked up on how to lose weight, and it's more than just eating right and exercising. Now if I could only apply these...
19. "Experiences with Scam Calls" - By this point, I had gotten experience with quite a few different scam call attempts. This is basically a continuation of my first post simply titled, "Scam Calls".
20. "Commuting to Work" - I talk about the different ways I have gotten to my two jobs now which is more than just driving, and my plan to try to reduce my carbon footprint.
21. "Dressing up for Holidays at Work" - Right before Halloween I made this post, because I was planning on dressing up fairly extravagantly as a zombie. I explain the different ways I've dressed at work for different occasions.
22. "Working with Numbers" - A simple concept, but numbers are a part of most jobs in the world, and I explain how I've used math, memorization of numbers and more in my two jobs now.
23. "Christmas at Work" - I go over what it's like for me to work in the days leading up to Christmas and how I celebrate it and stay festive.
24. "Apples" - My boss owns an apple farm, and I used to work at a grocery store, so I go over my experience dealing with apples in both jobs.
25. "Helpful Links" - I shared some helpful links I had found while working at my current job.
26. "Computer Hints, Shortcuts, and How-To's" - I share some keyboard shortcuts that I had found while working my current job.
27. "Changes" - I talk about changes going on around me and in my life, and how they're inevitable and how it's better to just roll with the punches of life.
28. "Well, this sucks" - A post I made after finding out I will no longer be able to blog there. The only post that I didn't include a picture with.
Well, this sucks
Originally published February 3, 2020
I just saw the warning message near the top of the browser. Apparently, Delve blogs are being retired. Starting Tuesday, February 18, I will no longer be able to blog here, and the blogs will be permanently removed on July 17. I guess either not enough people use this feature, or it's just too much of a burden for Office 365.
I still use Blogger and I have for about a decade now. You can visit my other blog here. I talk about a lot of different things there, but mostly I talk about sports, movies, and entertainment. It's one I've contributed a lot more to recently.
I don't know if I'll go to the trouble to save any of my posted blogs. Maybe the ones where I gave tips, like on how to save money or lose weight. I feel like those are pretty helpful. Or my personal favorite blog, "My history with computers". That one I had the most fun writing of all of them.
Well, I guess this is it. There's not really a point to posting another blog. I really enjoyed coming here every so often and talking about things. I tried to talk about work-related things as you could probably tell, but sometimes I did veer off course a little bit.
If anyone ever reads this or read any of my blog posts, I thank you. It's nice to be listened to, but it's also nice to just talk about things, even if no one is listening. Thanks again.
I just saw the warning message near the top of the browser. Apparently, Delve blogs are being retired. Starting Tuesday, February 18, I will no longer be able to blog here, and the blogs will be permanently removed on July 17. I guess either not enough people use this feature, or it's just too much of a burden for Office 365.
I still use Blogger and I have for about a decade now. You can visit my other blog here. I talk about a lot of different things there, but mostly I talk about sports, movies, and entertainment. It's one I've contributed a lot more to recently.
I don't know if I'll go to the trouble to save any of my posted blogs. Maybe the ones where I gave tips, like on how to save money or lose weight. I feel like those are pretty helpful. Or my personal favorite blog, "My history with computers". That one I had the most fun writing of all of them.
Well, I guess this is it. There's not really a point to posting another blog. I really enjoyed coming here every so often and talking about things. I tried to talk about work-related things as you could probably tell, but sometimes I did veer off course a little bit.
If anyone ever reads this or read any of my blog posts, I thank you. It's nice to be listened to, but it's also nice to just talk about things, even if no one is listening. Thanks again.
Changes
Originally published January 31, 2020
Change. I'm not talking about coins. I'm talking about a difference in your life. Some people like change, others hate it. I'm more towards the hate it. I am a creature of habit and routine, and I like going to the same job year after year, having the same friends, living in the same place. Although that hasn't always been the case.
Last year I got this new job. That was a big change for me. It was my first new job in over a decade. Crazy, right? But after ten years, it was time to move on. I stayed at my previous job for ten years because I just didn't want to change it, and for the majority of the time there, I didn't have a reason to.
Changes happen in my personal life all the time, too. One of my best friends moved away to Spokane last year, and I have not seen him since last April, although we chat on occasion. I worked with him at my retail job, and I got used to seeing him on an almost daily basis. He has talked about moving back, but nothing has been set in stone yet.
One odd thing I thought I'd point out: The places I spent most of my adolescence have all been torn down and rebuilt with something else. My elementary school, junior high school, and high school all went through those massive renovations. My childhood home until I was 10 got torn down and rebuilt into a larger home. I guess it's only a matter of time before my other childhood home gets torn down, which my parents moved out of last August, and they moved a bit further away from me. That was a home I spent about 15 years of my life in. I guess that's just how life goes. You could ask anyone up that's up in years what happened to the schools they went to and their childhood home(s), and chances are they'd say they a majority of them (if not all) are no longer standing.
After my friend and parents moved last year, it will be my turn to move this coming year. Our apartment lease expires at the beginning of April. We will not be able to renew our lease again, because our lease management is completely renovating every single apartment unit. We could move to an already renovated unit, but if we're moving, might as well go somewhere a bit more affordable. I won't get into the details, but we're also not a huge fan of a lot of the changes they've made to the complex and how they still haven't changed other things.
So last year, a new job, and this coming year a new place to live. Honestly, I don't hate changes, I just really like routine and habit and feeling comfortable in my day-to-day life. Changes can also be some of the most stressful times in our lives. I try to reduce the amount of stress in my life as much as possible; hence why I try to avoid change. But change is often inevitable, and it's better to roll with the tide than to try to go against it.
If I want to continue this trend of major changes happening in consecutive years, next year I might get a new car. I've had my current car for almost 9 years now. It's served me well, but I am ready for something different. I'd like to own a truck or SUV, even if that means parking gets tougher to do. I'd just like to have the ability to move furniture for myself or others if need be. I'd also like to be able to comfortably drive in the snow when we get that in the winter. Heck, I might not even wait until next year. Time will tell.
Life is about changes. No one person in western civilization has the same exact routine their entire life. People get new jobs, cars, homes, friends, and partners all the time. I really only enjoy change once the thing you've gotten used to has become monotonous or your current lifestyle requires an upgrade. Change can be stressful, but it can also be fun. It's a topic of conversation with anyone in your life, from friends, family and co-workers to even making small talk with people you barely know. If you never go through change, there's not really much to talk about in regards to your life.
Change. I'm not talking about coins. I'm talking about a difference in your life. Some people like change, others hate it. I'm more towards the hate it. I am a creature of habit and routine, and I like going to the same job year after year, having the same friends, living in the same place. Although that hasn't always been the case.
Last year I got this new job. That was a big change for me. It was my first new job in over a decade. Crazy, right? But after ten years, it was time to move on. I stayed at my previous job for ten years because I just didn't want to change it, and for the majority of the time there, I didn't have a reason to.
Changes happen in my personal life all the time, too. One of my best friends moved away to Spokane last year, and I have not seen him since last April, although we chat on occasion. I worked with him at my retail job, and I got used to seeing him on an almost daily basis. He has talked about moving back, but nothing has been set in stone yet.
One odd thing I thought I'd point out: The places I spent most of my adolescence have all been torn down and rebuilt with something else. My elementary school, junior high school, and high school all went through those massive renovations. My childhood home until I was 10 got torn down and rebuilt into a larger home. I guess it's only a matter of time before my other childhood home gets torn down, which my parents moved out of last August, and they moved a bit further away from me. That was a home I spent about 15 years of my life in. I guess that's just how life goes. You could ask anyone up that's up in years what happened to the schools they went to and their childhood home(s), and chances are they'd say they a majority of them (if not all) are no longer standing.
After my friend and parents moved last year, it will be my turn to move this coming year. Our apartment lease expires at the beginning of April. We will not be able to renew our lease again, because our lease management is completely renovating every single apartment unit. We could move to an already renovated unit, but if we're moving, might as well go somewhere a bit more affordable. I won't get into the details, but we're also not a huge fan of a lot of the changes they've made to the complex and how they still haven't changed other things.
So last year, a new job, and this coming year a new place to live. Honestly, I don't hate changes, I just really like routine and habit and feeling comfortable in my day-to-day life. Changes can also be some of the most stressful times in our lives. I try to reduce the amount of stress in my life as much as possible; hence why I try to avoid change. But change is often inevitable, and it's better to roll with the tide than to try to go against it.
If I want to continue this trend of major changes happening in consecutive years, next year I might get a new car. I've had my current car for almost 9 years now. It's served me well, but I am ready for something different. I'd like to own a truck or SUV, even if that means parking gets tougher to do. I'd just like to have the ability to move furniture for myself or others if need be. I'd also like to be able to comfortably drive in the snow when we get that in the winter. Heck, I might not even wait until next year. Time will tell.
Life is about changes. No one person in western civilization has the same exact routine their entire life. People get new jobs, cars, homes, friends, and partners all the time. I really only enjoy change once the thing you've gotten used to has become monotonous or your current lifestyle requires an upgrade. Change can be stressful, but it can also be fun. It's a topic of conversation with anyone in your life, from friends, family and co-workers to even making small talk with people you barely know. If you never go through change, there's not really much to talk about in regards to your life.
Computer Hints, Shortcuts, and How-To's
Originally published January 24, 2020
Working with computers for over half my life, I have learned quite a bit on how to use them effectively. I am going to list any computer hints, shortcuts, or how-to's below that I think can really be beneficial to anyone that uses a computer. Some of these you might know and some of these might not help you, perhaps because it involves a program you don't use. But I bet if you work on a computer like me, you'll find something in here helpful.
Windows:
Lock computer quickly - Let's say you need to leave your desk in a quick manner, but you don't want to leave everything open and unattended. The shortcut is: Windows Logo Key + L. On my keyboard at least, that's the button between Fn and Alt, to the left of the Space Bar. This shortcut will quickly lock your computer, and anyone attempting to get on it has to type your password first. It's also easier to do that clicking the start menu and going to lock that way.
Bring up task manager quickly - It's annoying to do CTRL - ALT - DELETE every time to bring up task manager in case you need to end the task of an application. Rather than do that, hit CTRL - SHIFT - ESC and that will automatically bring up the task manager.
To select certain things not in a sequence - Sometimes you want to select a few different items or values that are not in a sequence. Not many people know this, but if you hold CTRL and select this way, it will only add each thing you click to the selection and not everything in between. If you use SHIFT, it will select everything in between. This works for not only selecting icons and files in Windows, but word selections in WORD and values/cells in Excel.
Excel:
Scroll down feature - Sometimes you might work on a spreadsheet with a lot of information, which I have. If you have information that takes up a bunch of uninterrupted rows, select the first row (Cell A1, for example) and then press CTRL + ⬇ (Down arrow), and that will send you to the end of your data. Usually when people input data in a spreadsheet, they start from the top and go down, so this is a helpful shortcut to know.
Input today's date - Dates are often inputted into Excel, so the makers of it designed some shortcuts to help people input them. To put in today's current date, select which cell you would like it to be in and then use CTRL + ; (semi-colon). Now, to input a date that will always be the current date, use the formula =TODAY() That will automatically update to the current date every time you open the spreadsheet. If you need just a date stamp, or you need the spreadsheet to automatically have today's date, those shortcuts/formulas are there for you.
Browser:
Clear history quickly - This shortcut works on Chrome and Microsoft Edge, at least. To quickly bring up the window to delete your browsing history, hit CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE. That will bring it up instantly. On Chrome, you're just a "Clear Data" button press away from clearing your browser history, so it would take 2-3 seconds, tops. Why you would need to clear your browsing history and that quickly... well, that's your business. I am now wondering if this shortcut has saved anyone's job.
Bring up tab you just closed - We've all done it. You're in a hurry, or you think you can close a tab, but then you realize you didn't want to close it. Fortunately, the developers of most browsers thought of a solution. The shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + T will bring up the most recently closed tab. It's been very helpful to me, and it can even be used to bring up more than one tab if need be.
That's it for now, but if I think of or see any others, I will be sure to add them here!
Working with computers for over half my life, I have learned quite a bit on how to use them effectively. I am going to list any computer hints, shortcuts, or how-to's below that I think can really be beneficial to anyone that uses a computer. Some of these you might know and some of these might not help you, perhaps because it involves a program you don't use. But I bet if you work on a computer like me, you'll find something in here helpful.
Windows:
Lock computer quickly - Let's say you need to leave your desk in a quick manner, but you don't want to leave everything open and unattended. The shortcut is: Windows Logo Key + L. On my keyboard at least, that's the button between Fn and Alt, to the left of the Space Bar. This shortcut will quickly lock your computer, and anyone attempting to get on it has to type your password first. It's also easier to do that clicking the start menu and going to lock that way.
Bring up task manager quickly - It's annoying to do CTRL - ALT - DELETE every time to bring up task manager in case you need to end the task of an application. Rather than do that, hit CTRL - SHIFT - ESC and that will automatically bring up the task manager.
To select certain things not in a sequence - Sometimes you want to select a few different items or values that are not in a sequence. Not many people know this, but if you hold CTRL and select this way, it will only add each thing you click to the selection and not everything in between. If you use SHIFT, it will select everything in between. This works for not only selecting icons and files in Windows, but word selections in WORD and values/cells in Excel.
Excel:
Scroll down feature - Sometimes you might work on a spreadsheet with a lot of information, which I have. If you have information that takes up a bunch of uninterrupted rows, select the first row (Cell A1, for example) and then press CTRL + ⬇ (Down arrow), and that will send you to the end of your data. Usually when people input data in a spreadsheet, they start from the top and go down, so this is a helpful shortcut to know.
Input today's date - Dates are often inputted into Excel, so the makers of it designed some shortcuts to help people input them. To put in today's current date, select which cell you would like it to be in and then use CTRL + ; (semi-colon). Now, to input a date that will always be the current date, use the formula =TODAY() That will automatically update to the current date every time you open the spreadsheet. If you need just a date stamp, or you need the spreadsheet to automatically have today's date, those shortcuts/formulas are there for you.
Browser:
Clear history quickly - This shortcut works on Chrome and Microsoft Edge, at least. To quickly bring up the window to delete your browsing history, hit CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE. That will bring it up instantly. On Chrome, you're just a "Clear Data" button press away from clearing your browser history, so it would take 2-3 seconds, tops. Why you would need to clear your browsing history and that quickly... well, that's your business. I am now wondering if this shortcut has saved anyone's job.
Bring up tab you just closed - We've all done it. You're in a hurry, or you think you can close a tab, but then you realize you didn't want to close it. Fortunately, the developers of most browsers thought of a solution. The shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + T will bring up the most recently closed tab. It's been very helpful to me, and it can even be used to bring up more than one tab if need be.
That's it for now, but if I think of or see any others, I will be sure to add them here!
Helpful Links
Originally published January 22, 2020
Recently, I figured out how to link to various websites on here, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite links. These links have either helped me at work here, or they've at least helped pass the time in an informative way.
The Per Diem Calculator: This helped me calculate the per diem for my boss's trips he took last year. Per diem is the allocated amount someone gets for traveling to various destinations, usually internationally. It's used for tax purposes, mostly.
Currency Exchange Rates by Date: This helped me figure out the approximate exchange rate on a particular date. I have had to convert different currencies to U.S. dollar, and this website shows you the exchange rate for any currency on any date. Pretty handy.
Google Translate: Who hasn't heard of Google translate? Regardless, it has helped me translate things so I can understand what a particular foreign charge was for, as not everything was in English.
Report Google scam calls: Unfortunately, we get quite a few scam calls, most notably the Google business listing scam. Various automated voices have told us our Google business listing is in danger of being taken down, and each time a new number calls I use this link to report their number.
Merging and Rotating PDF Files: One thing I've had to do is assemble PDF files on items that were scanned. Unfortunately, those scans can be oriented incorrectly. The second link is the best one I found to rotate PDF documents. Then, once they were oriented correctly, I had to merge some of them into one file, so I used this first link to merge them into one. I wasn't able to find the best options on one website, but these two work really well for what I need, and best of all they are free.
Today's Front Pages: I've visited this website off and on for many years. They have the front page of most newspapers around the globe. It's good for checking in with current events for a particular area, and good for practicing translating. They had posted they were going to stop at the end of 2019, but in 2020 they are still updating with new front pages.
Recently, I figured out how to link to various websites on here, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite links. These links have either helped me at work here, or they've at least helped pass the time in an informative way.
The Per Diem Calculator: This helped me calculate the per diem for my boss's trips he took last year. Per diem is the allocated amount someone gets for traveling to various destinations, usually internationally. It's used for tax purposes, mostly.
Currency Exchange Rates by Date: This helped me figure out the approximate exchange rate on a particular date. I have had to convert different currencies to U.S. dollar, and this website shows you the exchange rate for any currency on any date. Pretty handy.
Google Translate: Who hasn't heard of Google translate? Regardless, it has helped me translate things so I can understand what a particular foreign charge was for, as not everything was in English.
Report Google scam calls: Unfortunately, we get quite a few scam calls, most notably the Google business listing scam. Various automated voices have told us our Google business listing is in danger of being taken down, and each time a new number calls I use this link to report their number.
Merging and Rotating PDF Files: One thing I've had to do is assemble PDF files on items that were scanned. Unfortunately, those scans can be oriented incorrectly. The second link is the best one I found to rotate PDF documents. Then, once they were oriented correctly, I had to merge some of them into one file, so I used this first link to merge them into one. I wasn't able to find the best options on one website, but these two work really well for what I need, and best of all they are free.
Today's Front Pages: I've visited this website off and on for many years. They have the front page of most newspapers around the globe. It's good for checking in with current events for a particular area, and good for practicing translating. They had posted they were going to stop at the end of 2019, but in 2020 they are still updating with new front pages.
Apples
Originally published January 7, 2020
Apples are one of the most common fruits, especially in North America. They are grown around the globe, including New Zealand and Japan. You ask someone to name a type of fruit, and apple may be the one they come up with. So why am I talking about apples? Because I recently helped my boss with his finances/reports for his apple farm, and it just got me in the mood to talk about apples.
Growing up, I did not like apples. I just refused to eat them as a kid. I liked applesauce and apple juice, but not apples themselves. I got braces in my teens and I think I was starting to develop a liking for apples then, but with braces it becomes very hard to eat apples, at least whole apples. I think I started to on occasion eat apple slices, but never whole ones. Once I got my braces off, I slowly started trying apples. And then, working at a grocery store and seeing them come through my line many times a day, I had to try them. First, I'd have them with caramel dip to help ease myself into liking them, and then the apple by themselves. I developed a liking for the Honeycrisp apples especially. Unfortunately, Honeycrisp tend to be perhaps the most expensive apple variety at the store, and they're seasonal.
I learned a lot about apples from working at a grocery store, and I am learning even more about them here. I know a ton of varieties, and I still remember most of their PLU numbers. Here, I have learned about culls and bins and which apples are used for juicing (golden delicious). I have learned the different kinds of imperfections that can keep an apple from going to market such as punctures, scaldings, cracks, and worms stings. My boss's farm I believe grows the six most popular apples in North America: Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Red Delicious. Also, through some mathematics I have found that the average apple can weigh between 1/3 to almost 1/2 a pound.
Recently a new apple was developed called "Cosmic Crisp". It gets its name from its skin pattern looking like the cosmos AKA the stars. I have tried them already and they are really good, about as good as Honeycrisp. I would definitely recommend them to anyone that likes apples.
I definitely want to eat apples more than I am now. Right now, if I see an apple I like on sale I'll buy one or two, but that's it. I'd like to eat several per week at least, because apples are a great snack and meal substitute, and they do promote weight-loss as they are densely water-filled, meaning they will fill you up more than something else of equivalent caloric value. An apple's calories is roughly equal to half of the average candy or protein bar (95 vs. 200). An apple will certainly fill you up more than half a candy or protein bar, and it's better for you. A full candy or protein bar might fill you up as much as an apple, but you'll be taking in twice the calories.
The Washington Apple Commission even has a bunch of recipes to use apples for, from entrees to salads to desserts to even drinks! I definitely want to try a few of these; they not only look tasty but fairly healthy (not counting desserts). From a kid who grew up disliking apples, I sure have a fondness for them right now. I am definitely going to have to start buying apples more often.
Apples are one of the most common fruits, especially in North America. They are grown around the globe, including New Zealand and Japan. You ask someone to name a type of fruit, and apple may be the one they come up with. So why am I talking about apples? Because I recently helped my boss with his finances/reports for his apple farm, and it just got me in the mood to talk about apples.
Growing up, I did not like apples. I just refused to eat them as a kid. I liked applesauce and apple juice, but not apples themselves. I got braces in my teens and I think I was starting to develop a liking for apples then, but with braces it becomes very hard to eat apples, at least whole apples. I think I started to on occasion eat apple slices, but never whole ones. Once I got my braces off, I slowly started trying apples. And then, working at a grocery store and seeing them come through my line many times a day, I had to try them. First, I'd have them with caramel dip to help ease myself into liking them, and then the apple by themselves. I developed a liking for the Honeycrisp apples especially. Unfortunately, Honeycrisp tend to be perhaps the most expensive apple variety at the store, and they're seasonal.
I learned a lot about apples from working at a grocery store, and I am learning even more about them here. I know a ton of varieties, and I still remember most of their PLU numbers. Here, I have learned about culls and bins and which apples are used for juicing (golden delicious). I have learned the different kinds of imperfections that can keep an apple from going to market such as punctures, scaldings, cracks, and worms stings. My boss's farm I believe grows the six most popular apples in North America: Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Red Delicious. Also, through some mathematics I have found that the average apple can weigh between 1/3 to almost 1/2 a pound.
Recently a new apple was developed called "Cosmic Crisp". It gets its name from its skin pattern looking like the cosmos AKA the stars. I have tried them already and they are really good, about as good as Honeycrisp. I would definitely recommend them to anyone that likes apples.
I definitely want to eat apples more than I am now. Right now, if I see an apple I like on sale I'll buy one or two, but that's it. I'd like to eat several per week at least, because apples are a great snack and meal substitute, and they do promote weight-loss as they are densely water-filled, meaning they will fill you up more than something else of equivalent caloric value. An apple's calories is roughly equal to half of the average candy or protein bar (95 vs. 200). An apple will certainly fill you up more than half a candy or protein bar, and it's better for you. A full candy or protein bar might fill you up as much as an apple, but you'll be taking in twice the calories.
The Washington Apple Commission even has a bunch of recipes to use apples for, from entrees to salads to desserts to even drinks! I definitely want to try a few of these; they not only look tasty but fairly healthy (not counting desserts). From a kid who grew up disliking apples, I sure have a fondness for them right now. I am definitely going to have to start buying apples more often.
Christmas at Work
Originally published December 6, 2019
My favorite holiday is easily Christmas. The lead-up to it is a month long, and there's no holiday that has more decorations, more songs about it, or more closures of businesses. Sure, there's a bit of stress that goes along with it, such as the shopping, decorating, wrapping gifts... but in the end, it's all worth it. At work, decorations can be seen across a wide variety of businesses, and many workplaces have employees exchange gifts.
At my last job, we didn't really exchange gifts, especially since there were so many of us. However, a couple times some of us that were closer (and hung out outside of work) exchanged gifts. I remember getting a long-sleeve Star Wars shirt from one of my friends/coworkers that I still wear to this day. I also exchanged Christmas cards with some of my co-workers as well.
But my favorite part of the holidays at work was the feast we had. Every year on Christmas Eve, we would have a large amount of food in the break room, from ham to turkey and vegetables and rolls. We'd usually have some deli food to go with it like Jo Jo's, chicken tenders, and/or chow mein. On a couple of these occasions, our supervisors would even let us out (or get backup to let us out) on unscheduled breaks to enjoy the food, which was nice. These feasts would also happen on the day before Thanksgiving. I'm not sure if they ever happened Christmas Day because I never worked it. I don't think so, from what I heard from my co-workers that worked Christmas Day.
As I said in my "Dressing up for Holidays at Work" post, I did just that. I liked to wear red and green whenever possible in the days leading up to Christmas. Our store would usually get decorated to a limited extent. I remember one year wrapping empty boxes to put up on top of the aisle end caps to make it look like Christmas gifts. We also would have a Salvation Army bell-ringer outside our store starting shortly after Thanksgiving. But my favorite part (sarcasm) was trying to sell Hunger Bags. The bags represented a $10 donation that our company would make to the local food bank. We were often encouraged to ask customers if they wanted to "buy a bag", which I was never too keen on. I did, however get a few donations that shocked me. One guy donated 10 bags ($100 worth) and someone else donated over 30! ($300!) Seeing the joy of giving at work was something special.
I wonder what we do here, if anything. I'm curious. Ever since seeing Secret Santa's done on TV shows (Friends, The Office), I've wanted to do one either with friends or coworkers. But I feel like if we were going to do that, we would've picked names by now. I can't say I know everyone here extremely well, but I know most of them well enough to know what sort of gift they'd like and appreciate.
The thing that is best about Christmas is it's a day to forget your troubles and enjoy time with family as you not only get to see what they got you, but see their reaction to what you got them. I have never worked Christmas Day and I don't plan on doing it ever. I certainly empathize with those that have to work Christmas. It's perhaps the one day out of all the year that work just stops for 24 hours. I honestly feel like all non-essential businesses should be closed.
I sure miss the says of the two-week long winter break that I had in school. That went from a week before Christmas to a day or two after New Years Day. It would be cool if my place of work did that, but I understand the loss of revenue/sales/business would cause it to be too detrimental. As I write this, Christmas is less than three weeks away. It always seems to sneak up on us. Can't wait!
My favorite holiday is easily Christmas. The lead-up to it is a month long, and there's no holiday that has more decorations, more songs about it, or more closures of businesses. Sure, there's a bit of stress that goes along with it, such as the shopping, decorating, wrapping gifts... but in the end, it's all worth it. At work, decorations can be seen across a wide variety of businesses, and many workplaces have employees exchange gifts.
At my last job, we didn't really exchange gifts, especially since there were so many of us. However, a couple times some of us that were closer (and hung out outside of work) exchanged gifts. I remember getting a long-sleeve Star Wars shirt from one of my friends/coworkers that I still wear to this day. I also exchanged Christmas cards with some of my co-workers as well.
But my favorite part of the holidays at work was the feast we had. Every year on Christmas Eve, we would have a large amount of food in the break room, from ham to turkey and vegetables and rolls. We'd usually have some deli food to go with it like Jo Jo's, chicken tenders, and/or chow mein. On a couple of these occasions, our supervisors would even let us out (or get backup to let us out) on unscheduled breaks to enjoy the food, which was nice. These feasts would also happen on the day before Thanksgiving. I'm not sure if they ever happened Christmas Day because I never worked it. I don't think so, from what I heard from my co-workers that worked Christmas Day.
As I said in my "Dressing up for Holidays at Work" post, I did just that. I liked to wear red and green whenever possible in the days leading up to Christmas. Our store would usually get decorated to a limited extent. I remember one year wrapping empty boxes to put up on top of the aisle end caps to make it look like Christmas gifts. We also would have a Salvation Army bell-ringer outside our store starting shortly after Thanksgiving. But my favorite part (sarcasm) was trying to sell Hunger Bags. The bags represented a $10 donation that our company would make to the local food bank. We were often encouraged to ask customers if they wanted to "buy a bag", which I was never too keen on. I did, however get a few donations that shocked me. One guy donated 10 bags ($100 worth) and someone else donated over 30! ($300!) Seeing the joy of giving at work was something special.
I wonder what we do here, if anything. I'm curious. Ever since seeing Secret Santa's done on TV shows (Friends, The Office), I've wanted to do one either with friends or coworkers. But I feel like if we were going to do that, we would've picked names by now. I can't say I know everyone here extremely well, but I know most of them well enough to know what sort of gift they'd like and appreciate.
The thing that is best about Christmas is it's a day to forget your troubles and enjoy time with family as you not only get to see what they got you, but see their reaction to what you got them. I have never worked Christmas Day and I don't plan on doing it ever. I certainly empathize with those that have to work Christmas. It's perhaps the one day out of all the year that work just stops for 24 hours. I honestly feel like all non-essential businesses should be closed.
I sure miss the says of the two-week long winter break that I had in school. That went from a week before Christmas to a day or two after New Years Day. It would be cool if my place of work did that, but I understand the loss of revenue/sales/business would cause it to be too detrimental. As I write this, Christmas is less than three weeks away. It always seems to sneak up on us. Can't wait!
Working with numbers
Originally published November 27, 2019
I love working with numbers. Never has that entirely been my job, but it's now been a part of my last two jobs. Ever since I was a kid learning math, I have always been at least above average at math, sometimes even being the best student in class. Numbers never change and once you know something (such as algebra), it can help you in more complex and difficult applications (such as calculus). I took Pre-Calc in high school, and then took three calculus classes in college. Anytime my job involves working with numbers, I enjoy that aspect of it, and I'm always good at it.
As I said, back in school, I was good with numbers. I once won a contest to memorize digits of Pi. I don't remember exactly how many I remembered, but it's helped me remember this much so far (without cheating): 3.14159265358979323846. I did more than that, but I still have those memorized at least. My favorite part of math was algebra, solving for x and whatnot.
At my past job, numbers did come in to play quite often. First off, I had to memorize PLU (Produce Look Up) codes for produce items. I picked that up very quickly, since they are only 4 or 5 digits long, and usually started with the same number (4). I would often impress my coworkers and customers when I would remember a PLU code for a very obscure produce item we wouldn't sell very often. I even memorized the bar codes of cases of water, soda, and cat litter because I typed those in often enough. Those were around 10 digits long. And then, it came in handy when I got trained for bookkeeping, as my math skills helped immensely (counting money, for one).
And now at this job, my skill with numbers is helping yet again. Currently, I'm having to add and find totals for various apple varieties for different fruit companies, which can be overwhelming due to the vast amount of numbers. But it helped me find matches between different reports to help verify the correct totals.
I just have a very good memory for numbers. I remember all of the addresses I've ever lived at. I remember phone numbers very well, even ones I hardly ever call or never call. When I'm watching a show or movie and a character has to remember a series of numbers, I try to see if I can do the same, which I usually can. If you ever need someone to remember a series of numbers or do some quick math for you, I'm your guy.
I love working with numbers. Never has that entirely been my job, but it's now been a part of my last two jobs. Ever since I was a kid learning math, I have always been at least above average at math, sometimes even being the best student in class. Numbers never change and once you know something (such as algebra), it can help you in more complex and difficult applications (such as calculus). I took Pre-Calc in high school, and then took three calculus classes in college. Anytime my job involves working with numbers, I enjoy that aspect of it, and I'm always good at it.
As I said, back in school, I was good with numbers. I once won a contest to memorize digits of Pi. I don't remember exactly how many I remembered, but it's helped me remember this much so far (without cheating): 3.14159265358979323846. I did more than that, but I still have those memorized at least. My favorite part of math was algebra, solving for x and whatnot.
At my past job, numbers did come in to play quite often. First off, I had to memorize PLU (Produce Look Up) codes for produce items. I picked that up very quickly, since they are only 4 or 5 digits long, and usually started with the same number (4). I would often impress my coworkers and customers when I would remember a PLU code for a very obscure produce item we wouldn't sell very often. I even memorized the bar codes of cases of water, soda, and cat litter because I typed those in often enough. Those were around 10 digits long. And then, it came in handy when I got trained for bookkeeping, as my math skills helped immensely (counting money, for one).
And now at this job, my skill with numbers is helping yet again. Currently, I'm having to add and find totals for various apple varieties for different fruit companies, which can be overwhelming due to the vast amount of numbers. But it helped me find matches between different reports to help verify the correct totals.
I just have a very good memory for numbers. I remember all of the addresses I've ever lived at. I remember phone numbers very well, even ones I hardly ever call or never call. When I'm watching a show or movie and a character has to remember a series of numbers, I try to see if I can do the same, which I usually can. If you ever need someone to remember a series of numbers or do some quick math for you, I'm your guy.
Dressing up for holidays at work
Originally published November 1, 2019
Whenever I get the chance to wear something unique to work, I take advantage of that opportunity. Who wants to wear the same boring old outfits every single day? Holidays and special occasions are a good way to break up the monotony of the work day, and it also works as a conversation starter. I am going to discuss my history with dressing up for certain occasions, and how I take advantage of different holidays and special occasions.
Dressing Down: At my past retail job, we were given the opportunity to dress down on certain occasions. The first time this happened was when we donated a certain amount of money to our current fundraiser (usually around $10 each) and wore a button saying we are dressing down to support that fundraiser. It showed customers that we cared about the fundraiser at the time, whether that be breast cancer research, muscular dystrophy, or prostate cancer research. Unfortunately my place of work stopped doing that; I think because too many people weren't donating and also dressing down, and it was too hard to keep track of. And also because our store wanted to be a bit more professional, and too many people weren't even abiding by the dress down dress code. The second opportunity was for employee appreciation week. Management allowed us to dress down so long as our store was doing well enough on the customer satisfaction surveys, which it always was. I again took advantage to get out of my work uniform. At my current job, just like at a lot of places, we have casual Friday's, so I wear my jeans on Friday's and so far Seahawks gear on every Friday as well (see below).
Seahawks/College football games: Also at my old place of work, they allowed us to wear football jerseys and shirts during football season. Fridays were "Blue Friday" and we could wear Seahawks gear. Saturdays were for college games so we could wear the gear of our favorite local team, whether that be the Washington Huskies or Washington State Cougars. Sundays were usually for Seahawks games and we could again wear Seahawks gear, although this day was sometimes on Monday or Thursday if the Seahawks played on those days. I always took advantage of wearing my plethora of Seahawks gear, and usually took advantage to wear something Huskies or Cougars related on Saturdays. At my current place of work, since I work Monday through Friday, I can really only represent on Fridays for the Seahawks and I have every Friday so far. However, the Seahawks already played a Thursday night game, and I happily supported them then, and they play a Monday night game in just a couple weeks so I will support them at work yet again.
Halloween: Halloween is tomorrow as of me writing this and I am planning on wearing a costume. I wore a costume every year at work with varying degrees of effort put into them. A couple times I was Harry Potter. I have also been a Seahawks player, Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Star Lord, and a nerd. I had to stay work appropriate and I couldn't wear masks. I am a huge fan of dressing up for Halloween, and I love shopping for costumes.
Christmas: Christmas is my favorite holiday. I've never had to work Christmas day fortunately, but I have had to work Christmas Eve almost every year. Around the time leading up to Christmas, I love to wear Christmas colors; wearing red and green every chance I get. I have both a green and red sweater I can wear around that time. This year I plan to do the same.
Patriotic Days: I love my country and I do my best to support it whenever certain patriotic holidays roll around. On the 4th of July, I've been known to wear patriotic wristbands, undershirts, and red and blue beads. Those days I would recognize would be Memorial Day, 4th of July/Independence Day, 9-11/Patriot Day, and Veteran's Day. I have had to work all of those days at my previous job, and always did my best to show my patriotic colors, even though I still had to wear my work uniform.
St. Patrick's Day: I don't think I have ever not worn green for St. Patrick's Day. As long as I have been dressing myself, I have worn something green on March 17th. Just like with patriotic holidays, I do my best to show off my colors by wearing wristbands, undershirts, and necklace(s) of that color, in which this case would be green. Now that I don't have to wear the standard work attire as everyone else, I will definitely try to wear even more green next St. Patrick's Day.
There aren't really any other holidays you can "dress up" for, but as you can tell I always did my best to recognize certain holidays and occasions, and I took advantage of any opportunity to dress differently.
Whenever I get the chance to wear something unique to work, I take advantage of that opportunity. Who wants to wear the same boring old outfits every single day? Holidays and special occasions are a good way to break up the monotony of the work day, and it also works as a conversation starter. I am going to discuss my history with dressing up for certain occasions, and how I take advantage of different holidays and special occasions.
Dressing Down: At my past retail job, we were given the opportunity to dress down on certain occasions. The first time this happened was when we donated a certain amount of money to our current fundraiser (usually around $10 each) and wore a button saying we are dressing down to support that fundraiser. It showed customers that we cared about the fundraiser at the time, whether that be breast cancer research, muscular dystrophy, or prostate cancer research. Unfortunately my place of work stopped doing that; I think because too many people weren't donating and also dressing down, and it was too hard to keep track of. And also because our store wanted to be a bit more professional, and too many people weren't even abiding by the dress down dress code. The second opportunity was for employee appreciation week. Management allowed us to dress down so long as our store was doing well enough on the customer satisfaction surveys, which it always was. I again took advantage to get out of my work uniform. At my current job, just like at a lot of places, we have casual Friday's, so I wear my jeans on Friday's and so far Seahawks gear on every Friday as well (see below).
Seahawks/College football games: Also at my old place of work, they allowed us to wear football jerseys and shirts during football season. Fridays were "Blue Friday" and we could wear Seahawks gear. Saturdays were for college games so we could wear the gear of our favorite local team, whether that be the Washington Huskies or Washington State Cougars. Sundays were usually for Seahawks games and we could again wear Seahawks gear, although this day was sometimes on Monday or Thursday if the Seahawks played on those days. I always took advantage of wearing my plethora of Seahawks gear, and usually took advantage to wear something Huskies or Cougars related on Saturdays. At my current place of work, since I work Monday through Friday, I can really only represent on Fridays for the Seahawks and I have every Friday so far. However, the Seahawks already played a Thursday night game, and I happily supported them then, and they play a Monday night game in just a couple weeks so I will support them at work yet again.
Halloween: Halloween is tomorrow as of me writing this and I am planning on wearing a costume. I wore a costume every year at work with varying degrees of effort put into them. A couple times I was Harry Potter. I have also been a Seahawks player, Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Star Lord, and a nerd. I had to stay work appropriate and I couldn't wear masks. I am a huge fan of dressing up for Halloween, and I love shopping for costumes.
Christmas: Christmas is my favorite holiday. I've never had to work Christmas day fortunately, but I have had to work Christmas Eve almost every year. Around the time leading up to Christmas, I love to wear Christmas colors; wearing red and green every chance I get. I have both a green and red sweater I can wear around that time. This year I plan to do the same.
Patriotic Days: I love my country and I do my best to support it whenever certain patriotic holidays roll around. On the 4th of July, I've been known to wear patriotic wristbands, undershirts, and red and blue beads. Those days I would recognize would be Memorial Day, 4th of July/Independence Day, 9-11/Patriot Day, and Veteran's Day. I have had to work all of those days at my previous job, and always did my best to show my patriotic colors, even though I still had to wear my work uniform.
St. Patrick's Day: I don't think I have ever not worn green for St. Patrick's Day. As long as I have been dressing myself, I have worn something green on March 17th. Just like with patriotic holidays, I do my best to show off my colors by wearing wristbands, undershirts, and necklace(s) of that color, in which this case would be green. Now that I don't have to wear the standard work attire as everyone else, I will definitely try to wear even more green next St. Patrick's Day.
There aren't really any other holidays you can "dress up" for, but as you can tell I always did my best to recognize certain holidays and occasions, and I took advantage of any opportunity to dress differently.
Commuting to work
Originally published October 25, 2019
I have been in the American workforce for over a decade now, and with working comes the commute to and from work each day. I have been a licensed driver in the state of Washington for over 14 years, but I don't always like driving. For one, driving can be stressful, especially if there is traffic. Also, anytime I drive it costs fuel and adds to the wear and tear on my car, adding miles and whatnot. So, if and when I get the chance, I like to take alternative forms of transportation to get to work to not only save money but to get a little bit more exercise.
I have been in the American workforce for over a decade now, and with working comes the commute to and from work each day. I have been a licensed driver in the state of Washington for over 14 years, but I don't always like driving. For one, driving can be stressful, especially if there is traffic. Also, anytime I drive it costs fuel and adds to the wear and tear on my car, adding miles and whatnot. So, if and when I get the chance, I like to take alternative forms of transportation to get to work to not only save money but to get a little bit more exercise.
In the first few years of my first job, I lived close enough that I could walk to work. I lived just less than a mile away, so it made sense to walk when I could. But unfortunately, that wasn't very often. I couldn't walk if I worked too early or too late (dark hours, in other words), and I really preferred not to walk when I had a long shift in front of me, because that made working an eight hour retail shift that much tougher. Anyone that's worked a long retail shift where you stand on your feet all day knows your feet hurt enough from standing and adding walking to and from work to that can be borderline torture. But if I had a shorter shift somewhere during the day, I did my best to walk to work. It took longer, but I could listen to music on the way or just think about my day ahead. This was also preferred by my parents because in the first few years of my job, I didn't have my own car so I had to drive my parents' car to work.
Eventually, however, I moved out of my parents' place, which as I said was close to my first job. However, my new place was about 5 miles away from my job. I therefore lost the ability to walk to work. But, I was able to find a bus route that took me from close to home to close to work. There was still a bit of walking involved, but not as much as walking all the way to work from my parent's place. I therefore tried taking the bus when I could, but it was tough because all the buses that could take me home stopped running around 6, 7 o'clock, and I usually worked until at least then, if not later. On occasion I would get an earlier, shorter shift so I would do my best to take the bus on those days, and I eventually got an Orca card to make it much more convenient. And honestly, I love taking the bus (so long as it's not too crowded), because I can do anything on my phone like play games, watch videos, and text people, that I would not be able to do if I was driving.
After leaving my last job and working here, I found there is another bus route that can take me from close to home to close to here. I then took that bus to work. It cuts it close to me being on time, but I always have the option to stay late if need be to make up for it. What is brilliant about this setup is that if I take the bus to work, I do not have to take the bus home. I am fortunate enough that my girlfriend (Whom I live with) works less than a mile away from me. She gets off an hour after I do, so that gives me plenty of time to get off and walk over to her work, so we can carpool home together. I saw that if I were to take the bus home, I would get home just a little bit sooner than her, so there's not really a reason to pay an unnecessary bus fare when it won't even get me home that much sooner than if I were to carpool.
Eventually, however, I moved out of my parents' place, which as I said was close to my first job. However, my new place was about 5 miles away from my job. I therefore lost the ability to walk to work. But, I was able to find a bus route that took me from close to home to close to work. There was still a bit of walking involved, but not as much as walking all the way to work from my parent's place. I therefore tried taking the bus when I could, but it was tough because all the buses that could take me home stopped running around 6, 7 o'clock, and I usually worked until at least then, if not later. On occasion I would get an earlier, shorter shift so I would do my best to take the bus on those days, and I eventually got an Orca card to make it much more convenient. And honestly, I love taking the bus (so long as it's not too crowded), because I can do anything on my phone like play games, watch videos, and text people, that I would not be able to do if I was driving.
After leaving my last job and working here, I found there is another bus route that can take me from close to home to close to here. I then took that bus to work. It cuts it close to me being on time, but I always have the option to stay late if need be to make up for it. What is brilliant about this setup is that if I take the bus to work, I do not have to take the bus home. I am fortunate enough that my girlfriend (Whom I live with) works less than a mile away from me. She gets off an hour after I do, so that gives me plenty of time to get off and walk over to her work, so we can carpool home together. I saw that if I were to take the bus home, I would get home just a little bit sooner than her, so there's not really a reason to pay an unnecessary bus fare when it won't even get me home that much sooner than if I were to carpool.
In my life I have probably commuted to work by car over 95% of the time just because it is easier and I don't have to plan for it. I would love to be able to reduce that and take the bus more often. I think I'll start out slow, taking the bus once every two weeks, then once a week, then two times a week, then maybe I might occasionally get to three times a week. I think I could get used to it so long as I gradually ease myself into it and get used to the different schedule. It also helps that King County Metro has made it so much easier for people with the introduction of Orca Cards, where you can load your cards with funds and check their balances online. I just wish everyone else made even as much effort as I do to either walk or take the bus, because if they did, the roads during rush hour would be a lot less crowded.
Addition, March 12: I am moving later this month to a place in Bothell, so my commute is about to get worse. Checking Google maps, they say it takes anywhere from 27 minutes to over an hour to get to work. Lovely. I also checked for buses and I'd have to take multiple buses to get to work. That would take even longer, or at least I'd have to get up earlier for it. I may get a Good-To-Go pass so that I can travel in the toll lanes and travel along 405 much quicker. I'll have to see how it is first, so time will tell.
Addition, March 12: I am moving later this month to a place in Bothell, so my commute is about to get worse. Checking Google maps, they say it takes anywhere from 27 minutes to over an hour to get to work. Lovely. I also checked for buses and I'd have to take multiple buses to get to work. That would take even longer, or at least I'd have to get up earlier for it. I may get a Good-To-Go pass so that I can travel in the toll lanes and travel along 405 much quicker. I'll have to see how it is first, so time will tell.
Experiences with scam calls
Originally published November 6, 2019
My first post on here was about scam calls and how I handle them, but it was not very lengthy and I didn't really have too many examples to draw on. Now that I have worked at my current position for a month and a half now, I think I have built up a nice collection of phone calls that have not been for legitimate business purposes. Here are a few that stand out:
- The most obvious scam attempt
I would say the single most obvious scam attempt was a call I got a few weeks ago. There was a delay before they started speaking of course, but in that delay I could hear background noise (perhaps other scammers trying to scam other innocent individuals). I was just about to hang up, but decided to ask "Hello?" because I heard the background noise. Then someone with a bit of an accent said "Hello?" I then asked him how I could help him. He then shouted my boss's/our company president's name. Didn't ask to speak with him; just shouted his name. And not in the form of a question, either. The caller ID said "Out of Area" with no phone number attached to it, so I asked "May I ask what this call is regarding?" And he promptly hung up. This call may have been made from across the world for all I know, and it seems like this is a scam-baiting attempt where they probably call hundreds and hundreds of businesses a day, hoping to get a hold of a business owner and attempt to scam them.
- "Myron" and their frequent attempts to sell us stuff again
This isn't so much a scam, but more of a telemarketing call. In any case, it's an unwanted call. It seems like at least once a week a company named "Myron" calls and asks to speak to my CEO. They are a promotional materials company based in New Jersey. Apparently, my CEO and our company have done business with them before. From what I have gathered by doing research on their phone number, they are a company that will incessantly try to reach a business to try to reestablish a business relationship with them. I can tell by how she ignores their call that she has absolutely no desire to do business with them again, and I don't blame her. I've started ignoring their calls because I recognize their phone number (Their caller ID shows up as "Out of Area" but at least has a phone number). I may one time in the future just tell them that we're not interested. Apparently, the combination of Lisa and myself ignoring their calls may not be enough to get them to take a hint.
- The robot that could respond to what I said
This call happened just to me recently. Earlier that same day that I got the call and even the day before, I had gotten a few calls from a Florida phone number with the caller ID saying "Talada Lowell". Through some research, I actually found out this phone number belongs to a Lowell Talada that lives there in Florida. Anyway, the first few times they called, it was a silent call. However, on the 3rd or 4th time, I heard an automated voice. You know how when you call a company and you hear an automated menu? It sounded a bit like that. However, this automated voice (male, by the way) asked how I was doing. I responded, "Well, how about you?" They responded by saying "Ah bless you, I'm doing well." I just thought that was interesting. They then want on a spiel to say they represented an insurance company and were going to offer me life insurance (which I already have). This voice then asked, "So to get things started, how old are you?" Obviously I am not going to tell a strange voice over the phone my age, so I said, "I'm actually not interested, I already have life insurance." They then promptly hung up without so much as a pause. So to sum up, some poor old man's phone number was hijacked by this insurance company, and it was the strangest responsive automated voice.
- The Google Listing Scam
I have gotten a few of these, and they were all over a three day span or so. After a delay (of course), an automated female voice says, "Don't hang up". Yes, that makes it sound really legit! NOT. She then goes on to say that our business is in danger of having its listing on Google removed. She then says, "Press 1 to keep your listing", then goes on to say, "If you are the owner, press 1", so in a way she contradicts herself. Then she says, "If you'd like taken off the call list, press 7." I've tried pressing 7, but they just called back again later. I also just stayed on the line, but eventually the call disconnects. Each time they called with a Washington area phone number, usually one with area code (425), which is where we are. It seems like they have stopped calling us, but it sure was weird.
-Three automated calls in six minutes from either PSE or Corix Utilities
Also recently I got a series of phone calls from an automated voice that claimed to be Puget Sound Energy, our local power provider. However, the Caller ID said "Corix Utilities" and the area code for their number is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They said that they'd need access to our power meter basically. After some research, I've seen many other people get calls from this number claiming to be for their local power provider (Not PSE). Honestly, I cannot figure out what their angle is. I can't figure out what they are trying to accomplish with these automated calls. Also, these calls came in quick succession, and the 2nd one came in while I was listening to the first! And it was the same number, somehow. The third one came five minutes after the 2nd one, so all three were in a total of just six minutes. All said the same thing.
- How I could pocket $10,000 every two weeks
This one was while I was out of office, but it's a fairly common one from what I've gathered. It was an automated voice that had already started its spiel when it was time to leave a message. It said to press 3 if I was to find out exactly how to start putting $10,000 or more in my pocket every 10-14 days. He finishes with press 9 and I'll never hear from him again. I love how these automated systems don't know they're leaving messages that we cannot press buttons on our phones to interact with them. By the way, his voice sounded like someone crafted a salesman's voice in a lab until it was absolutely perfectly sounded like a salesman.
My first post on here was about scam calls and how I handle them, but it was not very lengthy and I didn't really have too many examples to draw on. Now that I have worked at my current position for a month and a half now, I think I have built up a nice collection of phone calls that have not been for legitimate business purposes. Here are a few that stand out:
- The most obvious scam attempt
I would say the single most obvious scam attempt was a call I got a few weeks ago. There was a delay before they started speaking of course, but in that delay I could hear background noise (perhaps other scammers trying to scam other innocent individuals). I was just about to hang up, but decided to ask "Hello?" because I heard the background noise. Then someone with a bit of an accent said "Hello?" I then asked him how I could help him. He then shouted my boss's/our company president's name. Didn't ask to speak with him; just shouted his name. And not in the form of a question, either. The caller ID said "Out of Area" with no phone number attached to it, so I asked "May I ask what this call is regarding?" And he promptly hung up. This call may have been made from across the world for all I know, and it seems like this is a scam-baiting attempt where they probably call hundreds and hundreds of businesses a day, hoping to get a hold of a business owner and attempt to scam them.
- "Myron" and their frequent attempts to sell us stuff again
This isn't so much a scam, but more of a telemarketing call. In any case, it's an unwanted call. It seems like at least once a week a company named "Myron" calls and asks to speak to my CEO. They are a promotional materials company based in New Jersey. Apparently, my CEO and our company have done business with them before. From what I have gathered by doing research on their phone number, they are a company that will incessantly try to reach a business to try to reestablish a business relationship with them. I can tell by how she ignores their call that she has absolutely no desire to do business with them again, and I don't blame her. I've started ignoring their calls because I recognize their phone number (Their caller ID shows up as "Out of Area" but at least has a phone number). I may one time in the future just tell them that we're not interested. Apparently, the combination of Lisa and myself ignoring their calls may not be enough to get them to take a hint.
- The robot that could respond to what I said
This call happened just to me recently. Earlier that same day that I got the call and even the day before, I had gotten a few calls from a Florida phone number with the caller ID saying "Talada Lowell". Through some research, I actually found out this phone number belongs to a Lowell Talada that lives there in Florida. Anyway, the first few times they called, it was a silent call. However, on the 3rd or 4th time, I heard an automated voice. You know how when you call a company and you hear an automated menu? It sounded a bit like that. However, this automated voice (male, by the way) asked how I was doing. I responded, "Well, how about you?" They responded by saying "Ah bless you, I'm doing well." I just thought that was interesting. They then want on a spiel to say they represented an insurance company and were going to offer me life insurance (which I already have). This voice then asked, "So to get things started, how old are you?" Obviously I am not going to tell a strange voice over the phone my age, so I said, "I'm actually not interested, I already have life insurance." They then promptly hung up without so much as a pause. So to sum up, some poor old man's phone number was hijacked by this insurance company, and it was the strangest responsive automated voice.
- The Google Listing Scam
I have gotten a few of these, and they were all over a three day span or so. After a delay (of course), an automated female voice says, "Don't hang up". Yes, that makes it sound really legit! NOT. She then goes on to say that our business is in danger of having its listing on Google removed. She then says, "Press 1 to keep your listing", then goes on to say, "If you are the owner, press 1", so in a way she contradicts herself. Then she says, "If you'd like taken off the call list, press 7." I've tried pressing 7, but they just called back again later. I also just stayed on the line, but eventually the call disconnects. Each time they called with a Washington area phone number, usually one with area code (425), which is where we are. It seems like they have stopped calling us, but it sure was weird.
-Three automated calls in six minutes from either PSE or Corix Utilities
Also recently I got a series of phone calls from an automated voice that claimed to be Puget Sound Energy, our local power provider. However, the Caller ID said "Corix Utilities" and the area code for their number is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They said that they'd need access to our power meter basically. After some research, I've seen many other people get calls from this number claiming to be for their local power provider (Not PSE). Honestly, I cannot figure out what their angle is. I can't figure out what they are trying to accomplish with these automated calls. Also, these calls came in quick succession, and the 2nd one came in while I was listening to the first! And it was the same number, somehow. The third one came five minutes after the 2nd one, so all three were in a total of just six minutes. All said the same thing.
- How I could pocket $10,000 every two weeks
This one was while I was out of office, but it's a fairly common one from what I've gathered. It was an automated voice that had already started its spiel when it was time to leave a message. It said to press 3 if I was to find out exactly how to start putting $10,000 or more in my pocket every 10-14 days. He finishes with press 9 and I'll never hear from him again. I love how these automated systems don't know they're leaving messages that we cannot press buttons on our phones to interact with them. By the way, his voice sounded like someone crafted a salesman's voice in a lab until it was absolutely perfectly sounded like a salesman.
There have been quite a few others not as memorable, most of them being silent calls. I'd say about 2/3 of all scam/spam calls are just silent calls. Sometimes the line disconnects before I can even finish my greeting. I think there are some phone systems out there that are programmed to hang up unless they hear the word "Hello". That is the standard greeting for when an individual answers a phone, but not a business. And individuals are much more susceptible to getting scammed than businesses (or people at work, for that matter).
Losing Weight Tips
Originally published October 25, 2019
Much like I did with my Frugal and Money saving tips post, I am doing another advice-type post. This one will be on losing weight. Now, I will admit I am not the best person to share advice on this as I am a bit overweight. I just need to stick to these things I am about to share because I know how to to do it, I just need to do it. However, like most people, my weight has fluctuated throughout my adult life, which does include losing weight so I know how to do it. I have lost 20-25 pounds at one point in my life. I will share my weight-loss tips and how I am going to follow through with them. Forewarning: This is a long post as I have a lot of tips, but if anyone follows most of these, I bet they will lose weight.
- Drink plenty of water
Water is a known appetite suppressant. Especially if you drink it about 30-45 minutes before your mealtime. I now work in an office setting with a water jug, and I am drinking 6-8 mug fulls of water each work day (Which is anywhere between 40-60 ounces). And that's just while I'm at work. I also bring a water bottle that I leave in my car that I drink to and from work. Some people really don't like drinking water citing its tastelessness, but as long as its cold, I really like drinking it. However, adding sweeteners with sugar or artificial sweeteners takes away a lot of the benefits of water, such as Mio and Crystal Light packets. If you really don't like the taste of plain, even cold water, try sweetening it with some sort of fruit like a citrus fruit (Orange, lemon, lime) or berries. In this case, it would be worth investing in a water bottle that is a fruit infuser that will slowly over time infuse your water with the fruit you drop in. Plus you get the added benefits of the nutrients from the fruit. Just find a way to keep yourself hydrated, especially before mealtimes.
- Drink less sugary beverages
But you cannot hydrate yourself with sugary beverages. One problem I've had is that I have been known to drink a lot of sugary beverages. It's not just soda, but certain flavored teas, juices (with sugar added), sports drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened coffees. These types of beverages probably are a huge factor towards our country's obesity epidemic, because a lot of people don't realize that just by drinking bad stuff, they can gain weight. They could have a perfectly healthy food diet, but if they drink sugary beverages all day every day, they will probably gain weight. I am therefore trying to primarily drink water, fruit juices (with natural sugars only) or low or no sugar teas with meals. Sugars get converted to energy in our bodies and if we don't use them, they get stored as fat.
- Get more physical activity, even if it's just walking
Our bodies were designed to move. In the age of cavemen, before the industrial age and the age of computers and cars, we constantly were on the move. A lot of us, myself included, work jobs that don't have enough physical activity in them. So we must get physical activity in some way. An extra bit of walking can go a long ways if done on a consistent basis. I am starting to go for walks on my lunch breaks when there's time (3 times a week at least, provided it doesn't rain). Also, I am starting to work out for short periods after I get home. Once I get home, I don't usually and instantly want to veg out the rest of the night, because I still have some energy. Anyone who works at a desk and sits most of the day should have enough energy to work out after work. The problem is if I start vegging after I get home, it is very hard to stop and get up and do something physically active. So, my plan is to work out before all that and then rest afterwards. The more physical activity, the better, but as is the case with a lot of us, there's usually not a lot of time to get physical activity. But there are little things you can do in your daily routine even if you don't have much free time: Park further away so you have to walk further, take the stairs instead of an elevator/escalator, and walk somewhere for lunch rather than drive. If ever given a choice that involves physical activity, choose the option that takes more physical activity if you can. It's good for you.
- Eat out less
When we eat out, we have a tendency to not only overeat but eat less healthy than if we ate at home. Restaurant foods tend to be filled with sodium, sugar, and fat. Most restaurants care more about making the food taste good (to get you to come back) than the health and nutrition of the food. The wait staff of course try to tempt you with dessert and/or appetizers as well, because the larger the bill, the more tip they get. For lunches, try to bring your lunch to work as much as possible rather than always going somewhere to eat. If you work at a place that sells ready to eat food, (like I used to), do your very best to limit yourself on the amount of times you eat from there. I've seen and heard multiple stories where people start working in fast food or at a grocery store that gained weight because they ate there too often. Heck, I'm one of them! Anyway, eating out less will not only save your waistline but it'll save money in your wallet as well. Save eating out for special occasions, and then when you do, pay attention to the caloric intake of each dish, because most restaurants nowadays have the calorie amount on their menu. Anything over 1,000 calories should be avoided.
- Don't push yourself too hard too fast with your workouts
One problem I've had is trying to push myself too hard and too fast, thus resulting in me giving up on working out because I wasn't able to complete a particular workout. Depending on your fitness level, find a workout that suits you. I own a copy of the "Insanity" workout program, which I do not recommend to beginners. Even when I was in better shape, it was very tough to do. I considered starting that again recently, but I decided I need to be in better shape (and focus on losing weight) first. There are a ton of workout apps out there and I found one that works for me that gives me the option to choose beginner, intermediate, or expert. I chose beginner so that when I am ready I can move on to intermediate and then expert. Know your fitness level and what you are capable of. The key is to push yourself, but only a little at a time. Do not get discouraged because you get tired quickly. Just slowly and incrementally push yourself a little bit more each time.
- Shop for what you need and what's on your list
When you go food/grocery shopping, make a list beforehand of things you need to prepare meals for the coming week or few days (depending on how often you can shop). Of course, make healthier dinners filled with vegetables and healthy meats and then shop for the ingredients for them. Then when you go shopping, do not buy anything not on your list. It can be tempting because bad for you food items are often put in the most well-lit and prominent areas of the store. Just say no. It might be a good idea to only bring enough money for what's on your list, provided you know the cost of each item.
- Know it takes time to lose weight
If I had a nickel for every time I looked at the scale and wondered why I wasn't losing weight faster, I would have quite a bit more money. Losing weight takes time, and depending on how intense you are dieting/exercising, it may take a while for results to appear. The key is to not get discouraged and keep at it. Don't let the results of the scale get you down and make you want to quit; if anything, it should motivate you. Some weeks you might even gain weight if you're doing strength exercises like push-ups or lifting weights. That just means your body is converting fat into muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. If you're more into actually shedding some pounds, focus on cardio exercises that get your heart rate going such as running, dancing, and aerobics. And even if you're working out and dieting intensely the pounds may not shed that quickly. The key is how long you can keep at it, not how intensely you work at it in a short amount of time.
- Eat in moderation and plan your meals out more
As far as diets and what to eat goes, my advice is two-fold. One, eat in moderation. First off, don't over-indulge if you can help it. It helps to eat slower so that your stomach has time to register what you've eaten and tell your body that it's full. Also, if you happen to have a fairly large breakfast or lunch, have a lighter dinner. Or if you know you're going to have a larger dinner, have a lighter lunch. And to go along with that is my second point, which is to plan out your meals. Don't decide last second what you are going to eat, because more than likely that can result in ordering unhealthy takeout or fast food. If you plan your meals ahead of time, you'll more than likely stick to them and eat healthier in the long run.
- Eat a light meal when you know you aren't doing much physical activity in the near future
To go along with the tip above, if you're trying to lose weight, try your best to eat a light meal if you won't be working out until after your next meal. Our bodies are like cars in a way. If a car doesn't run, it doesn't need gas/fuel, does it? Our bodies are pretty similar in that we don't need to fuel up on carbs and calories if we're not going to use them much. Conversely, that's why you hear stories about how much professional athletes eat. They have to eat a lot in order to fuel their bodies for practices and games because they burn so many calories during those things. So, unless we're sleeping or sitting/lying completely still, we are constantly burning calories through our movements, so you need to eat something so you don't pass out when you try to move. Passing out is kind of the body's form of a car running out of gas. I plan to eat lighter meals when I can, especially for lunch when I won't be working out either at all or much until dinner or the next day.
- Track your meals and/or weight progress
Something that has helped me in the past is tracking not only my weight, but what I've eaten. It can be easy to lose track of what you've eaten, but there are a number of apps you can download on your smartphone that will help you record your caloric intake, and most of those you can track your weight on as well. This helps regulate what you eat. For example, you can see you ate a decent-sized meal on Monday so you decided to eat light Tuesday. I personally like writing down my weight progress and putting it in a place I will see it often so that I can be motivated and keep track easily. But do what works best for you.
- Try not to think about food too much
One problem someone might have with a diet is that they think about food too much when they're hungry, thus making them submit to cravings for unnecessary/unhealthy food. This is obviously easier said than done, but it can be accomplished by keeping yourself busy. I have had days where I have been so busy I have made my mealtimes much later than they normally are. In these cases, I didn't even think about being hungry or eating food. One other trick is to try to think of something else when you are thinking about food. Pick a particular interest or hobby of yours to convince yourself to think about instead of food, such as sports, a certain TV show you're in the middle of, or plans for the future. Anytime you think of food, think of this other thing and it will really help curb your cravings. I am not saying starve yourself, but this will help your body adjust to the smaller amount of calories it is taking in.
- Be happy and not disappointed when you make healthy choices
What can really hurt someone's motivation to diet is when they are tempted with food that is unhealthy, and they have to say no because they are dieting. Say someone brings in donuts to the office and you have to say no. That in itself can be depressing to watch other people enjoy donuts while you can't. Instead, you can focus your negative energy two ways. One, you can tell yourself that those people are gaining weight, and you're not. You're making healthy choices, and they aren't. Or two, you can be proud of yourself for being able to turn down a tempting offer. It's not easy to turn down some temptations we encounter, so instead of being upset, think to yourself that you did something you should be proud of, like jogging a mile or lifting heavy weights.
The main thing to really take away from these tips is that losing weight is more mental than it is physical. It's all about having the right mindset. You have to be determined and you have to be strong mentally. To be those things, it helps to have some sort of motivation, whether it be a partner encouraging you, or trying to fit into an article of clothing you don't already. I personally have a few shirts I'd love to be able to fit into that I can't quite right now. Plus, being able to see my friends and family's reactions to seeing a slimmer me would just feel incredibly good and worth all the the effort I put into losing weight. I'm determined right now to lose weight, and (if you need to lose weight) I hope you are too!
Much like I did with my Frugal and Money saving tips post, I am doing another advice-type post. This one will be on losing weight. Now, I will admit I am not the best person to share advice on this as I am a bit overweight. I just need to stick to these things I am about to share because I know how to to do it, I just need to do it. However, like most people, my weight has fluctuated throughout my adult life, which does include losing weight so I know how to do it. I have lost 20-25 pounds at one point in my life. I will share my weight-loss tips and how I am going to follow through with them. Forewarning: This is a long post as I have a lot of tips, but if anyone follows most of these, I bet they will lose weight.
- Drink plenty of water
Water is a known appetite suppressant. Especially if you drink it about 30-45 minutes before your mealtime. I now work in an office setting with a water jug, and I am drinking 6-8 mug fulls of water each work day (Which is anywhere between 40-60 ounces). And that's just while I'm at work. I also bring a water bottle that I leave in my car that I drink to and from work. Some people really don't like drinking water citing its tastelessness, but as long as its cold, I really like drinking it. However, adding sweeteners with sugar or artificial sweeteners takes away a lot of the benefits of water, such as Mio and Crystal Light packets. If you really don't like the taste of plain, even cold water, try sweetening it with some sort of fruit like a citrus fruit (Orange, lemon, lime) or berries. In this case, it would be worth investing in a water bottle that is a fruit infuser that will slowly over time infuse your water with the fruit you drop in. Plus you get the added benefits of the nutrients from the fruit. Just find a way to keep yourself hydrated, especially before mealtimes.
- Drink less sugary beverages
But you cannot hydrate yourself with sugary beverages. One problem I've had is that I have been known to drink a lot of sugary beverages. It's not just soda, but certain flavored teas, juices (with sugar added), sports drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened coffees. These types of beverages probably are a huge factor towards our country's obesity epidemic, because a lot of people don't realize that just by drinking bad stuff, they can gain weight. They could have a perfectly healthy food diet, but if they drink sugary beverages all day every day, they will probably gain weight. I am therefore trying to primarily drink water, fruit juices (with natural sugars only) or low or no sugar teas with meals. Sugars get converted to energy in our bodies and if we don't use them, they get stored as fat.
- Get more physical activity, even if it's just walking
Our bodies were designed to move. In the age of cavemen, before the industrial age and the age of computers and cars, we constantly were on the move. A lot of us, myself included, work jobs that don't have enough physical activity in them. So we must get physical activity in some way. An extra bit of walking can go a long ways if done on a consistent basis. I am starting to go for walks on my lunch breaks when there's time (3 times a week at least, provided it doesn't rain). Also, I am starting to work out for short periods after I get home. Once I get home, I don't usually and instantly want to veg out the rest of the night, because I still have some energy. Anyone who works at a desk and sits most of the day should have enough energy to work out after work. The problem is if I start vegging after I get home, it is very hard to stop and get up and do something physically active. So, my plan is to work out before all that and then rest afterwards. The more physical activity, the better, but as is the case with a lot of us, there's usually not a lot of time to get physical activity. But there are little things you can do in your daily routine even if you don't have much free time: Park further away so you have to walk further, take the stairs instead of an elevator/escalator, and walk somewhere for lunch rather than drive. If ever given a choice that involves physical activity, choose the option that takes more physical activity if you can. It's good for you.
- Eat out less
When we eat out, we have a tendency to not only overeat but eat less healthy than if we ate at home. Restaurant foods tend to be filled with sodium, sugar, and fat. Most restaurants care more about making the food taste good (to get you to come back) than the health and nutrition of the food. The wait staff of course try to tempt you with dessert and/or appetizers as well, because the larger the bill, the more tip they get. For lunches, try to bring your lunch to work as much as possible rather than always going somewhere to eat. If you work at a place that sells ready to eat food, (like I used to), do your very best to limit yourself on the amount of times you eat from there. I've seen and heard multiple stories where people start working in fast food or at a grocery store that gained weight because they ate there too often. Heck, I'm one of them! Anyway, eating out less will not only save your waistline but it'll save money in your wallet as well. Save eating out for special occasions, and then when you do, pay attention to the caloric intake of each dish, because most restaurants nowadays have the calorie amount on their menu. Anything over 1,000 calories should be avoided.
- Don't push yourself too hard too fast with your workouts
One problem I've had is trying to push myself too hard and too fast, thus resulting in me giving up on working out because I wasn't able to complete a particular workout. Depending on your fitness level, find a workout that suits you. I own a copy of the "Insanity" workout program, which I do not recommend to beginners. Even when I was in better shape, it was very tough to do. I considered starting that again recently, but I decided I need to be in better shape (and focus on losing weight) first. There are a ton of workout apps out there and I found one that works for me that gives me the option to choose beginner, intermediate, or expert. I chose beginner so that when I am ready I can move on to intermediate and then expert. Know your fitness level and what you are capable of. The key is to push yourself, but only a little at a time. Do not get discouraged because you get tired quickly. Just slowly and incrementally push yourself a little bit more each time.
- Shop for what you need and what's on your list
When you go food/grocery shopping, make a list beforehand of things you need to prepare meals for the coming week or few days (depending on how often you can shop). Of course, make healthier dinners filled with vegetables and healthy meats and then shop for the ingredients for them. Then when you go shopping, do not buy anything not on your list. It can be tempting because bad for you food items are often put in the most well-lit and prominent areas of the store. Just say no. It might be a good idea to only bring enough money for what's on your list, provided you know the cost of each item.
- Know it takes time to lose weight
If I had a nickel for every time I looked at the scale and wondered why I wasn't losing weight faster, I would have quite a bit more money. Losing weight takes time, and depending on how intense you are dieting/exercising, it may take a while for results to appear. The key is to not get discouraged and keep at it. Don't let the results of the scale get you down and make you want to quit; if anything, it should motivate you. Some weeks you might even gain weight if you're doing strength exercises like push-ups or lifting weights. That just means your body is converting fat into muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. If you're more into actually shedding some pounds, focus on cardio exercises that get your heart rate going such as running, dancing, and aerobics. And even if you're working out and dieting intensely the pounds may not shed that quickly. The key is how long you can keep at it, not how intensely you work at it in a short amount of time.
- Eat in moderation and plan your meals out more
As far as diets and what to eat goes, my advice is two-fold. One, eat in moderation. First off, don't over-indulge if you can help it. It helps to eat slower so that your stomach has time to register what you've eaten and tell your body that it's full. Also, if you happen to have a fairly large breakfast or lunch, have a lighter dinner. Or if you know you're going to have a larger dinner, have a lighter lunch. And to go along with that is my second point, which is to plan out your meals. Don't decide last second what you are going to eat, because more than likely that can result in ordering unhealthy takeout or fast food. If you plan your meals ahead of time, you'll more than likely stick to them and eat healthier in the long run.
- Eat a light meal when you know you aren't doing much physical activity in the near future
To go along with the tip above, if you're trying to lose weight, try your best to eat a light meal if you won't be working out until after your next meal. Our bodies are like cars in a way. If a car doesn't run, it doesn't need gas/fuel, does it? Our bodies are pretty similar in that we don't need to fuel up on carbs and calories if we're not going to use them much. Conversely, that's why you hear stories about how much professional athletes eat. They have to eat a lot in order to fuel their bodies for practices and games because they burn so many calories during those things. So, unless we're sleeping or sitting/lying completely still, we are constantly burning calories through our movements, so you need to eat something so you don't pass out when you try to move. Passing out is kind of the body's form of a car running out of gas. I plan to eat lighter meals when I can, especially for lunch when I won't be working out either at all or much until dinner or the next day.
- Track your meals and/or weight progress
Something that has helped me in the past is tracking not only my weight, but what I've eaten. It can be easy to lose track of what you've eaten, but there are a number of apps you can download on your smartphone that will help you record your caloric intake, and most of those you can track your weight on as well. This helps regulate what you eat. For example, you can see you ate a decent-sized meal on Monday so you decided to eat light Tuesday. I personally like writing down my weight progress and putting it in a place I will see it often so that I can be motivated and keep track easily. But do what works best for you.
- Try not to think about food too much
One problem someone might have with a diet is that they think about food too much when they're hungry, thus making them submit to cravings for unnecessary/unhealthy food. This is obviously easier said than done, but it can be accomplished by keeping yourself busy. I have had days where I have been so busy I have made my mealtimes much later than they normally are. In these cases, I didn't even think about being hungry or eating food. One other trick is to try to think of something else when you are thinking about food. Pick a particular interest or hobby of yours to convince yourself to think about instead of food, such as sports, a certain TV show you're in the middle of, or plans for the future. Anytime you think of food, think of this other thing and it will really help curb your cravings. I am not saying starve yourself, but this will help your body adjust to the smaller amount of calories it is taking in.
- Be happy and not disappointed when you make healthy choices
What can really hurt someone's motivation to diet is when they are tempted with food that is unhealthy, and they have to say no because they are dieting. Say someone brings in donuts to the office and you have to say no. That in itself can be depressing to watch other people enjoy donuts while you can't. Instead, you can focus your negative energy two ways. One, you can tell yourself that those people are gaining weight, and you're not. You're making healthy choices, and they aren't. Or two, you can be proud of yourself for being able to turn down a tempting offer. It's not easy to turn down some temptations we encounter, so instead of being upset, think to yourself that you did something you should be proud of, like jogging a mile or lifting heavy weights.
The main thing to really take away from these tips is that losing weight is more mental than it is physical. It's all about having the right mindset. You have to be determined and you have to be strong mentally. To be those things, it helps to have some sort of motivation, whether it be a partner encouraging you, or trying to fit into an article of clothing you don't already. I personally have a few shirts I'd love to be able to fit into that I can't quite right now. Plus, being able to see my friends and family's reactions to seeing a slimmer me would just feel incredibly good and worth all the the effort I put into losing weight. I'm determined right now to lose weight, and (if you need to lose weight) I hope you are too!
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