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I moved: Disqus vs. Intense Debate

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I moved: Disqus vs. Intense Debate

I have nothing against Intense Debate. I've used it for 8 months without issues. The spam comments ceased when I disabled twitter login. I am using Intense Debate on the Tech Bytes blog. However in my opinion, I think Disqus is the better of the two commenting systems for these reasons:

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The Garden of Eating... and music

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Siri came up with the title for this post. I was driving when the original title Garden of Eden came to mind. I asked Siri to create a note for me. She asked me what I wanted the note to say. I said, "Garden of Eden" and she wrote, "Garden ​of eating." If she were still listening I would have said, "That's perfect!"

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Tuesday Archive Link Up #41

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Welcome to Tuesday Archive Link Up (TALU).

This week I am sharing a post I wrote this weekend titled:

"Are you in the zone?"

It's a mobile phone timeline and an MBPSA because today is National No Phone Zone Day.

About TALU

On Tuesdays, there's a place to link up an old post you have written and share with a community of other writers doing the same thing. I'm co-hosting with these other bloggers:

TALU is a good way to introduce yourself to some new readers without having to write anything new. Generally I go back as far as "this time last year" but you're welcome to  share anything you've already written. 

It's nice to have your old stuff revisited. TALU is a mature group. Bloggers who leave meaningful comments, receive meaningful comments in return. There's no planning involved other than to remember it's Tuesday and link up your old post below. 

Here's the thing... THERE ARE NO RULES. But when you leave a comment, end it with TALU so we know where to find you.

Compliments: To fish or not to fish...

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My husband doesn't pay me compliments. Not in the way I think is "traditional". He grabs and gropes and hugs and kisses. Depending on how my fluff is going he might call me juicy or firm in his own flattering tone. I'm not one to ask, "How do I look or what do you think?" I can tell by the way that he looks at the top of my head that he doesn't like for me to wear a decorative head scarf. I can tell by the way he looks at the top of my head that he wonders if I will fix my hair today. I can tell by the twinkle in his eye when he thinks my hair looks nice. 

I've been married 15 years. I pick my battles. Fishing for compliments isn't one of them.

Kenya G. Johnson (Author)17 hours ago
Lesson from an 8 yo boy: I pulled up to the house and my husband was sitting on the front porch. I said, "I think daddy is so handsome." ~pause~ "Do you think he thinks I'm pretty?" Christopher said, "Yeah." I said, "He doesn't ever say it." He said, "Doesn't he kiss you?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "Well that's a sign of prettiness." And there you have it. Powered by socialditto  12 likes ·  2 comments

So on to yesterday's dinner...

Kenya G. Johnson21 hours ago
It's really not cool to ask what's for dinner on the way home from church. Not cool :-/ Powered by socialditto  8 likes ·  2 comments

Then as we pulled in the driveway Christopher asked, "What's for breakfast mom?" I responded, "I don't knoooooow" in the sing songy ya'll better leave me alone kind of way. We just got out of church and they were rubbing my spirit the wrong way.

I put on my headphones to listen to an audiobook and got busy in the kitchen. The best way to get them to leave you alone and stay out of the kitchen is to feed them well. So I made waffles, eggs and sausage. It really stinks to have to plan the next meal when you've just eaten. But in order to relax, I too needed to know what was on the menu. So I got on Facebook.

I found a recipe called Cajun Chicken with Pepper Jack on a Facebook page full of recipes and good stuff. The owner, Carl Barbaro has a note on this page that says:

"This Album is FREE to Share! The same is true for my "Healthy Stuff" Album, and my "Bible Writings And Videos" Album. Enjoy! If you try a Recipe, let us know on a Scale of 1-10, in the "Comments" section of the Picture, of the Recipe, you made!"

You should definitely go check him out. He's not on Pinterest. I already checked. So there's no way to share his pretty picture. These are mine. They are are boneless chicken breasts, stuffed with spinach and pepper jack cheese, seasoned with cajun spices and brushed with olive oil. I served this with Mahatma Yellow Rice. For me this meal had too much sodium so I ate something else. But I watched my boys eat. 

Without hovering, I noticed baby bear sample the chicken. His body language much like he daddy relaxed and settled in for a good dinner. He ate his rice first, which meant he was saving the best for last. Then I peered at Papa Bear, who eats something new in a way that a food critic does. He too sampled it, relaxed and settled in for a good dinner. Good enough for me. Nobody had to say anything. They liked it!

Then I got the ultimate compliment. I heard my husband say, "Hey Kenya, come here for a minute." >:/

From his tone, I knew it was about the food though it's unusual for him to say anything at all.

I said, "Yes?" /:)

He said, "This was really good."

:-O

I said, "Ooookay? Thanks." #:-S"So it's a keeper?"

He said, L-) "You know what would make it REALLY good?"

"What?" 8-|

He said, :-@

Here's the thing... and that's how I'm going to let him make it next time.

Are you in the zone?

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April 30th is National No Phone Zone Day

or at least it was in 2010.

I thought I'd take a walk down mobile memory lane...

Kenya G. Johnson75 days ago
Christopherism alert: We have some old cellphones to take to recycle. Christopher saw them and asked, "Are those fake or are they from the old days?" Powered by socialditto  11 likes ·  2 comments
  • In 1995 I bought a bag phone for my car, based on a promotion and employee discount. It would be used in case of emergencies.
  • In 1996 I would get a flat tire and wonder if I should call my daddy or my boyfriend from the bag phone. I called my boyfriend.
  • Later in 1996, on a road trip, I would make a bunch of emergency roaming calls from the bag phone to friends and family to tell them my boyfriend and I were engaged. My twenty something monthly bag phone bill would be over $100.
  • From 1997 to 2000 my husband and I would live out of the country while everyone stateside was getting cellphones.
  • In 2000 I would visit my brother. When using his cellphone, I would stop walking and go stand out of the way of people. He would say, "You know you can walk and talk at the same time."
  • Later in 2000, I would get a phone like the one my brother had, so we could walkie-talkie each other which we did maybe twice. I would still only use my phone for emergencies because cellphone coverage was crappy anyway. I would switch to Sprint in a year.
  • In 2001 boredom was an emergency and I would call and talk to my mom all the way home from work.
  • In 2004 I would change from Sprint to Verizon. I was going to have a baby and I wanted to be heard now, no matter where I was. My husband would stay with Sprint and would have to stand at the end of the driveway to use his phone. I would worry that he wouldn't get my call when it "was time". As it worked out, we were both home when my water broke.
  • After 2004 I would get the "new every two".
  • In 2006 I would take a vow to never look like I was talking to myself (bluetooth).
  • In 2007 I didn't text.
  • In 2008 I'd wish I had bought a phone with a QWERTY keyboard to text easily.
  • Later in 2008 Baby bear and I would get in a car accident. It would rattle my nerves that I was on the phone moments earlier and may not have seen it coming. I would wonder if the driver of the other car was DWI - driving while intexticated.
  • In 2010 I would sign Oprah's No Phone Zone Pledge and it would be a boring ride everywhere.
  • Later in 2010, I would not be able to wait until 2011 to get an iPhone and I would cancel my contract with Verizon. I would love it and pledge to keep it until it fell apart.
  • In 2011 I would forget signing the No Phone Zone Pledge. I run a business - one that gets calls from my husband like, "Are you at home? I need you to go back and get some order forms and bring them to me because I don't have any with me." I would get a lot of calls like this and it would be pointless to see 5 missed calls when I've arrived at Point B saying I need to go back to Point A.
  • In 2013 my iPhone would still be in tact but I would go in for an upgrade. I would love it and pledge to keep it until it fell apart.

Here's the thing... On this day in 2013, I won't be completely in the no phone zone but I'll sorta be handsfree using only my thumb to tell Siri what to add to my grocery list and confirming with an audible, "Yes". 

Conversations with Siri:

This Mama Bear Public Service Announcement (MBPSA) has been brought to you by Kenya G. Johnson at Here's the thing... Please don't text while driving.

Get Siri to do it for you.

Tech Byte: RSS to Text...

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*Ahem* :-BI've got something to tell you about that I think is FRESH!

RSS to Text

I tend to get excited about tech tools and overshare in another language (geek). So that I don't lose you, I'll keep this short and sweet. 

Did you know that you can receive a text notification of a blog post the moment it is published?

That's right, when you publish a post, anyone who has subscribed to you via ifttt.com will receive immediate notification via RSS. It looks like this. ===>

It is completely free unless you go over your text allowance. If you are on an unlimited plan you have nothing to worry about.

Feel free to use my RSS to SMS graphic to link to your own subscription. Join ifttt.com and then click on "Use Recipe". To create your own, you'll need your RSS feed. That's it.

Easy peasy. 

Here's the thing... This instant notification allowed me to be first in line for a blog hop. I THINK THAT'S FRESH and I highly approve it!

That's Fresh is a brand new Friday link up over at Prototype Mama where you can share something that you think is "fresh".

To this day I still think of fresh the way my grandmother used it to describe someone being a flirt or being sassy. She might tell me, "Don't get fresh with me" or speak of a over friendly man, "He's so fresh." 

Today the urban dictionary describes fresh (origin Mid 80s): 

  • to mean it is acceptable and highly approved by someone. 

Ex. "Those are some fresh shoes!" 

Snacks on Weight Watchers...

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Weight Watchers Week 9 Update

This week I was going to tell you that I didn't seem to snack so much anymore. Then I almost blew my week on a NEW snack that I'm not even going to tell you about. I'll share the recipe around grazing season - somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. By then I hope to have a grip on self-control of the unmentionable snack, and I'll be able to make 'em, taste 'em and give 'em away as gifts. Until then...

Kenya G. Johnson (Author)34 days ago
There's Oreos, Goldfish, Popcorn, Ritz and Fruit Snacks here. But nooooooo Christopher likes my 1 point Rice Cakes! Really? #WeightWatchers Powered by socialditto  5 likes ·  4 comments

I can guarantee you that if there were no other snack in the house, Christopher would not want a rice cake. I had bought the caramel flavored rice cakes for myself obviously. Who else keeps rice cakes around just for snacks? Not me - before now.  One day Christopher saw me eating one and insisted on tasting it. Since I didn't want him to take a bite out of my calculation I told him to go get his own. He gobbled it up and said, "Not bad." After that, every time he saw me eating a rice cake, he wanted one. So next time I went to the store, I decided to buy the plain ones instead. He said they had "no taste" and he was right. What was I going to do with these tasteless rice cakes?

I now eat the plain rice cakes with Sabra's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. You can generously divide 1/4 cup of Hummus and spread onto two rice cakes. Two of these with a cup of tea, diet soda or glass of water is very satisfying. This snack is 5 - points.

I like to carve out 7 points of Hummus at the start of the day. Scoop out a 1/2 cup of Hummus in the morning and save for later. Allot 2 more points for rice cakes and use the remaining Humus on something like cucumber or zucchini sandwiches, or baby carrots (zero points). 

You may think 9 points out of the day is too much for Hummus and rice cakes but look at it this way:

Not bad huh? Or did I lose you?

I'll tell you the truth, if you are just starting Weight Watchers or some kind of eating right regimen, it would be hard to just jump in from eating Doritos yesterday to Hummus tomorrow. You have to acquire a taste for healthy and you have to mix it up. 

Something I learned a long the way is that you can be satisfied with a healthy snack like this. Your brain will tell you that you are full and you will be fine with that.

Here's the thing... if you spend 9 points on a bag of Doritos, you aren't going to be satisfied. Whether you are hungry or not you'll want the taste of more Doritos. I mentioned in my opening that I almost blew my week. I'll tell you that it involved pecans. Sounds healthy right? Well they aren't points friendly AT ALL. Half a cup of pecan halves is 10 points. I couldn't even calculate the butter and sugar that I'm not telling you about.  On Wednesday of last week, I had to erase my weekly fun points because the fun had been had. For the rest of the WHOLE week, I had to stick to the script.

The moral to this story is find a healthy snack that tastes good, but not so good that you want to eat it twice. You know what I mean? Who eats two apples in a row?

Week Nine: Lost .5 lbs Total Loss: 7 lbs

Join me next Wednesday for another edition of Weight Watchers Wednesday.

Tuesday Archive Link Up #40

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Welcome to Tuesday Archive Link Up (TALU).

This week I am sharing a post titled:

"Slashback to 2008"

I updated the post with supporting video!

About TALU

On Tuesdays, there's a place to link up an old post you have written and share with a community of other writers doing the same thing. I'm co-hosting with these other bloggers:

TALU is a good way to introduce yourself to some new readers without having to write anything new. Generally I go back as far as "this time last year" but you're welcome to  share anything you've already written. 

It's nice to have your old stuff revisited. TALU is a mature group. Bloggers who leave meaningful comments, receive meaningful comments in return. There's no planning involved other than to remember it's Tuesday and link up your old post below. 

Here's the thing... THERE ARE NO RULES. But when you leave a comment, end it with TALU so we know where to find you.

Thirty minutes and not counting...

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It's a Monday Listicles post! 

Today's listicle is about top 10 ways to spend 30 minutes.

Whether I get to do it or not...

10 ways I enjoy spending 30 minutes

  1. Preparing my lunch and eating it. Nobody else's lunch - just mine. I can turn salad and sandwich making into art. Then I take pictures.

  2. Reading. One time I went from elliptical, to treadmill to bike at the gym and worked out for over an hour because I was reading The Help.
  3. Talking to my mom on the phone. We can easily blow an hour if no one is home at either of our houses. 
  4. Walking around the neighborhood. Alone. With good music.
  5. Chores - I'm not kidding. I have to be listening to music or an audiobook or talking to my mom. Otherwise it's a drag.
  6. Doing a puzzle. I would have a permanent puzzle table if a had a place to accomodate one. Puzzle-ly word games on the iPhone suffice. 
  7. A power nap. I wish I could be put in timeout for 30 minutes everyday because I am too hard headed to take a nap of my own free will. 
  8. Being at the bookstore. Alone. I never buy a book, I just window shop for Kindle books.
  9. Reading other bloggers. I wish I could do this from the gym. Believe me I've tried, but the print is really too small and trying to comment while you are on the bike is equivalent to simultaneously patting your head and rubbing your belly
  10. Writing, when it's effortless.

Here's the thing... just because I like to do chores at home doesn't mean I like to do them anywhere else. You'll never hear me ask, "Do you need help with anything?" I won't really want to help clean up but I will do it anyway especially for my mom. 

Tell Me Something Good...

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Today’s (totally optional) Prompt: Tell Me Something Good

I'm linking up today with Jana's thinking place because I needed a prompt like this. It's been a week hasn't it? It's been a month for that matter, winding myself into a total funk. Every where I turn, one more piece of bad news. But on to the what's good...

Spring is OVER

I said that like Spring has arrived huh? Spring is over (my least favorite time of year), in the sense that the pollen is gone. So my Spring arrives approximately one month after the official first day of Spring.  I need to mark this day on my calendar as a day in Spring to look forward to. This year all I could remember is that I'm able to sit on the porch by Mother's Day and that point of reference was too far off.

 I am already feeling a little perkier because I've been outside for extended periods of time for three days in a row. I didn't realize the lack of outdoors - because I'm not a big outdoors person - was taking its toll on me.

5 things I love about April 21st Spring:

  • No meds clears the cobwebs in my head
  • I can be outside
  • I can open the window in my writing room
  • I CAN BREATHE
  • I am happier

Here's the thing... now that is it written, I have a date to look forward to next year.

So how about you? Tell me something good.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

  • Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
  • Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
  • Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
  • Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post (in the sidebar). .
  • Link up your post below.
  • Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

Weight Watchers Pet Peeves

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"You don't need to lose anymore weight."

I was home for a visit this weekend. On Friday night daddy exclaims, "I can tell you're losing weight. You don't need to lose anymore." I can't remember if I sarcastically said thanks, ignored him or told him to be quiet.

"How many points was THAT?"

By Sunday we were having breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I had ordered the Multi-Berry pancakes, and a side order of hash brown casserole. I gave Christopher the eggs and meat. When I was finished eating daddy asked, "How many points was THAT?" I said, "I don't know!" He said, "I betcha won't write about THAT in your blog." I thought to myself, I betcha I will. 

10 comments that are my Weight Watchers pet peeves

  1. "You don't need to lose weight." If I can't fit the clothes in my closet, then, yes I do.
  2. "You don't need to lose any more weight." - I'll stop when I can comfortably fit the clothes in my closet everyday of the month. 
  3. "Should you be eating that?" You're the elephant in the room. 
  4. "Have you given up on Weight Watchers?" No. I'm taking the week off. Leave me alone.
  5. "How many points was that?" This information is on a need to know basis. If you're not on Weight Watchers then you don't need to know. 
  6. "How much weight have you lost?" Asked when it's obvious you haven't lost any or you've gained some back.
  7. "Diets don't work." It worked for me twelve years ago. I lost 29 pounds. I kept 20 off for 8 years and during that time I had a baby.
  8. "I know Krispy Kreme donuts aren't on Weight Watchers." Leave me alone.
  9. "Are you going to share dessert with me? You know you want to." I'll nod affirmatively. "I knew I wouldn't have to twist your arm." Shut up.
  10. "Let's eat some ice cream." UGH! Thank you for your support.

CLAIMER: Everyday people are guilty for #1. My daddy is guilty of numbers 2 - 7 and my husband is the guilty for numbers 8 - 10.

These are all things I've learned as a result of being on Weight Watchers. When you have been through the experience yourself, you know what questions not to ask, and what comments not to make. As with a pregnant woman, if she says she has two months left, its not helpful to tell her she looks like she could go any day. Get it? You're liable to get punched in the face.

Here's the thing... I have no traveling this week, no PMS, no occasions for restaurants, no taxes to munch to. I'm really hoping for a breakthrough. 

Week Eight: Lost 0 lbs Total Loss: 6.5 lbs

Join me next Wednesday for another edition of Weight Watchers Wednesday.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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