The Joy of Reading

 Good morning from Amelia's Ward, Linden, Guyana! It is a bright day - Amelia's Ward is filled with bright sunlight. It is a little warmer than usual. I was reading about the sun recently. (I am interested in beautiful sunrises, sundials, sun damage to the skin, and so on.) I read a lot of interesting things about the sun. For example, the sun is a star that is 4.5 billion years old, and the amount of sunlight is dependent on the cloud cover (maybe you knew these facts!). Here are two resources on the sun:

• https://www.britannica.com/science/sunlight-solar-radiation
  
• https://www.lovetoknow.com/parenting/kids/fun-facts-about-sun-kids
  

It amazes me how much information is out there on the internet on just about anything!

Update

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! My sister is here from Maryland, USA. She is sure to enjoy the Linden Town Week activities. I am certain she will be hanging with her friends at a lot of the events. Maybe I'll be right there with them.

Two days into Linden Town Week and I have not yet attended any of the events. There are over 5 days left.

Right now, I wish I could be somewhere by the water working on my paper. I plan to work on the paper all day today so I will finish on time. An ideal location for working would be sitting by a peaceful lake enjoying the 'quiet' activity around such as swans floating in the sparkling water. I would get a lot done!

I had quite a lot to eat. I hope I don't fall asleep.

Hoping journal accepts my proposal

 I just submitted a summary of my proposed paper for publishing in the PLAIN Journal. I think it will be accepted. Submissions are due May 10th which means I don't have much time to write the paper.

Linden Town Week

 Somehow, it did not register that Linden Town Week starts today. I had a look at the calendar of events. Everything looks good. Maybe I'll be out and about this weekend after all. Linden Town Week seems to be a new version of the old Linden Fair.

(Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/8eY32Gjza8BgjW7X/?mibextid=oFDknk)

Update

 Good morning from Linden! I went out for a short walk today. I was a little later than usual. It is hard to believe it is Friday already. I have no special plans for today or the weekend.

In a previous post, I mentioned that almost all of my 'old' school friends from Linden now live out of the area. This means that I don't see them around Linden or cannot meet up with them in Linden for lunch or for fun. (I am in contact with them on my phone - along with some of the other girls.) I was surprised to see one of those friends, Kevaun, in a public video recently. She looked pretty much the same. She reminded me of activities we did here in Linden many years ago. I remember we would go to Watooka to use the tennis courts. I remember she visited my home, and so on. Good memories. (Link to video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/J5u4Lyd33ZqthhbU/?mibextid=oFDknk).

My phone still does not work.

(Photo from video)

Breakfast

 I am having plantain and eggs for breakfast today.

Hoping to be published

 I submitted a poem titled 'Seeing' to an online literary journal today. I should hear back from the journal in two weeks.

The Less Significant Accident

 #ThrowbackThursday

Today, I am remembering a car accident I was involved in in Maryland. It was not my last accident but one that occurred a few weeks prior. I was out to return the company laptop I used to work from home in Lanham, Maryland. I drove to a new UPS Store in Beltsville to use the services there. It was not my regular drive to the UPS store I always used. I was returning from a successful and pleasant experience at the UPS Store when an old woman ran into the back of my vehicle when I was at a stop light.

Returning the company laptop took longer than it should have because I had to find a new UPS store. The UPS Store I always used had shut down. I had a frustrating experience when I left home for the store hoping for a quick stop. I was not aware that the store had closed. After driving there and realizing they were closed, I drove around the area looking for a new store. I went here and there and could not find another UPS Store. I discovered there was a store about 6 miles away from an internet search when I got home. I took my time getting out of the house to get to the other UPS Store. I didn't go out for another 10 days or so. The day I decided to go to the other UPS Store to return the company laptop, I had the accident.

Lemons and Limes

Incidentally, I saw a post on the benefits of lemons and limes by WebMD just a few minutes ago. I posted about lemons just a few hours ago. The diagram/chart in the post from WebMD showed some interesting benefits of both limes and lemons. I was surprised by some of them. I did not expect to see benefits such as keep gums healthy, boost your brain, and help your baby grow. 

The diagram seemed to show that the benefits of limes are exactly the same as the benefits of lemons - I was very surprised by this. I expected only some of the benefits to apply to both limes and lemons, i.e. to be shared or in common between the two. For example, I expected both limes and lemons to have benefits such as full of antioxidants, but limes to have benefits lemons don't have and vice versa. 

My critique of the post is that the diagram should clearly show that all the benefits apply to both lemons and limes. The lines in the diagram may confuse some into thinking that five of the benefits are for lemons while the other six are for limes.

Breakfast

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! It is time to start thinking of breakfast. A repeat of the breakfast I had a few days ago would be good. My mother went out and got fried plantain and eggs. It was good. I like eggs for breakfast.

I am now actually thinking that a nutritious shake would be good for breakfast instead of some of the other options. The homemade chocolate milk I had some time ago would work. That was pretty much a meal replacement shake - it would replace a regular breakfast, nothing else needed. I don't believe I have more chocolate. Something will work out.

Lemons; In the Kitchen; Blenders

 In a recent post, I noted that I did not get the lemons I wanted so I used limes instead. I was watching a video recently where the woman complained that she could not find the lemons she wanted to use for making lemon water for breakfast. It was good information (link to video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/RyygSt9QV2X38nFM/?mibextid=oFDknk). The woman was the main character / the star of videos on the Heather's Kitchen page on Facebook - I assume Heather. Heather is a resident of the U.S. who "returned home" to Guyana for a vacation. In the video, she was explaining what she was having for breakfast. I liked that she was having lots of fruit. She also had a juice made from cucumber, ginger, and a few other ingredients. It reminded me of the healthy juices we made in our household during the time of COVID.

I discovered Heather's Kitchen when browsing in Facebook recently. Heather has some interesting cooking videos on her page. She seems to use her blender/mixer a lot. I saw one video where she used the blender to blend tomatoes, garlic, and some other ingredients together for a chicken stew. I have never seen chicken stew made that way. Heather seems to use the blender a lot so that she has healthy food. I bet that viewers in Guyana and other Caribbean countries are surprised by how she uses the blender. Guyanese and other Caribbean folk use the blender a lot for blending fruit and other shakes, but as far as I know, they do not use the blender in a similar way.

I remember that it was important for a Guyanese household to have a blender many years ago. When I was a little girl, just about every household had a blender.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Note that Heather is not a relative. I stumbled upon Heather's profile/page recently in Facebook. That was the first time I heard of Heather.

Speaking Things Into Existence

 Three quotes on speaking things into existence from separate websites...

Speaking things into existence is to make self-talk work for you. You will be driven to make the thing you speak of happen because you really believe you deserve it and you really believe you can achieve it if you really try. This is also communicated to others and some say the universe conspires to assist you.

I do not believe all that is described above. I do believe in being positive and in the power of positive thinking. No one likes a negative person. I also believe that you have to work to achieve what you desire.

Publishing Goal

 This World Book Day, I continue to pursue my goal of publishing papers in journals and also publishing books. I was on a break for a while when I traveled to Guyana but I returned to working towards the goal (from Guyana, where I am right now). I am certain I will join the ranks of published author by the end of the year. I am thinking that a number of my works will be published by reputable publishers by the end of the year. (There is some confidence for you! - I am speaking/thinking things into existence.)

I hope to publish my personal book of poems within the next 2 or 3 months. I posted about submitting the poems just recently (post: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2024/04/submitted-poems.html). Thank you for your feedback on the post. 

March, march, marching towards the goal! It is a propitious target.

Article for Journal

 The Plain Language Association International is seeking contributions for its PLAIN e-journal on the topic Culture of Plain Language. I am thinking of writing an article to contribute.

(Link: https://twitter.com/PLAIN_Lang_Intl)

Reading

 I made myself a cup of hot tea here in Linden, Guyana. A good book would go well with this tea. This is a good idea for World Book Day - a cup of tea and a good book. A lot of folks enjoy this combination! They say it is a perfect pairing. I found a website with good book recommendations for your choice of tea. It is: https://teaandinksociety.com/book-and-tea-pairings/. 

Now about World Book Day. It is such a good idea to have a day that is all about books and the encouragement of reading. I was surprised to learn that UNESCO started World Book Day. 

Thankful

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! It is a rainy morning and a little dull outside. It is a good time to listen to good music. I saw a post on Twitter/X that asked what song is stuck in my head right now. I currently don't have a song playing over and over in my head, but I feel like listening to 'We Thank Thee' by Jim Reeves. It is a good song to listen to at the beginning of the day. It reminds me that there is always something to be thankful for. I thank God for getting up this morning (my life), for family and friends, and for the things I have and enjoy. 

Earth Day

 Good afternoon from Linden, Guyana! It is Earth Day today...

This Earth Day 

I am thinking of the outdoors.

I am thinking of the pitter patter of rain

And the earthy smell from the Earth when it rains

I am thinking of days by the lake

Just enjoying the calmness of the water

I am thinking of walking outside

And enjoying nature

I am thinking of a starry night

With the stars twinkling up above

These are some of the good experiences here on Earth

Experiences worth preserving

#fahmeenaodetta

Explaining the Steps

 I stumbled upon the question: 'What happens in your head when you add 37 and 48?' on Twitter/X. I was surprised by the question. I usually hear questions such as: 'What are your thoughts on X?' or 'What is your thinking on Y?' but never: 'What happens in your head when you add A and B?'

Since this blog is called 'Inside Fahmeena Odetta's Head,' I felt obligated to answer the question. When adding 37 and 48 in my head, I follow the rules. Based on the rules, I know I need to add the 7 and 8 first so that is my first step. The rules tell me what I should do with the (intermediate) result 15. Then, based on the rules I need to add the 3 and 4 and add 1 to it to get the result. The result is obvious.

It has been years and years since I wrote out the steps to solve a math problem. I recall some problems required step-by-step explanations (such as: Since X = Y, then...., and therefore....).

Cream Soda

 It's cream soda today. I always liked cream soda. When I was young, it was one of my favorite Icee drinks.

Fruit

 Good morning from Linden! It is a good Sunday morning. I feel like having fresh fruit, maybe mangoes or sugarcane.

Over the past two weeks or so, I had no fresh fruit. Instead, I had drinks made with fruit which, I guess, was a substitute for fresh fruit. I had the banana Icee (the local, store-bought carbonated beverage) and I made drink (similar to fruit punch) from drink mix in packets. I had flavors such as pineapple and lime. The drinks worked because they helped to cool me down on the hot days. When I drank them, they were ice-cold, refreshing, and delicious.

I also drank a lot of water.

Submitted Poems

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! I submitted a bunch of poems for publishing yesterday. I hope the publisher likes what I submitted (it is well received).

Dinner

 I am having cook-up rice or just cook-up for dinner. It is homemade rather than store-bought. I eat a lot of cook-up (which is very popular in Guyana). I like that there is variety - different types of cook-up such as red peas cook-up, black eye cook-up, and channa cook-up. The meat used could also be different. Cook-up could be made with chicken, beef, and so on. So there are a lot of combinations for this dish! My favorite is red peas cook-up. I think it tastes better. In my opinion, red peas cook-up is best with a combination of meats. Using salted/pickled meat (salt beef or pickle pork) adds flavor.

Technical Writer

  Sometime ago, I considered applying for Technical Writing roles so I could have a lucrative side job while I work on completing my PhD. I applied for several jobs but did not obtain a position. I am very surprised by the number of people who are either already in a Technical Writer role or seeking to obtain a Technical Writer position. Apparently, even software developers are looking to move into the Technical Writer role. There is a lot of competition.

Motivation

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana!

In a post on social media yesterday, Northcentral University (now National University) asked what song, album or playlist motivates me to complete tasks such as school assignments or projects. I was surprised by the post but decided to answer. I will preface providing one of my favorite motivation songs by saying I enjoy listening to music and I have to be careful that music does not distract me from completing tasks. I could listen to a favorite album or playlist for hours and hours without doing anything else. There are a lot of songs that motivate me to get started mostly because of the lyrics/words. An example is Whitney Houston's Step By Step which reminds me that I have a goal and I will accomplish that goal by taking or doing things step by step. An excerpt from the song is:

Well, there's a bridge
And there's a river
That I still must cross
As I'm going on my journey
Oh, I might be lost

And there's a road I have to follow
A place I have to go
Well, no one told me just how to get there
But when I get there I'll know
'Cause I'm taking it

Step by step
Bit by bit
Stone by stone (yeah)
Brick by brick (oh yeah)
Step by step
Day by day
Mile by mile (ooh, ooh, ooh)

Link to song on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sWa5vE4MUpU?si=ySImcqzjG0IJ3Q9V

This post gave me the idea to create a motivation playlist on YouTube. I am currently working on an international playlist (https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY1B6DIOhWPG63mCzaP_vaCrXLQP_GAX5) with music from popular international/foreign artists such as Enya, Bob Marley, and Rupee.

Limes vs Lemons

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! I went out for a short walk today. It appears that it would be a good day.

Back in the U.S., I used a lot of lemons. (Do you recall my post on lemons? See it here: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2023/07/lemons.html). Recently, I wanted lemons but got limes instead. I don't mind using limes as a substitute for lemons. Limes are smaller than lemons but more sour/acidic. The lime drink is as good as lemonade.

I grew up with a lot of limes around. We even used them at school sports. I recall there was a lime spoon race at Watooka Day School sports.

(Photo looks different because I resized/edited the image captured by the camera rather than take a regular screenshot of it)

More information

 More information or knowledge should benefit a person. More information about something should lead to improved understanding and could also improve behavior. But, sometimes, more information could lead to more confusion. The information may be conflicting or not the right type of information. I mentioned this issue in a post way back in 2014. I wrote:

 "I like when things become clearer as you get additional information (and I am thinking of the phrase "shed more light on"). Some people say "The more you know, the more confused you are," but I am not sure about that. Maybe a person would be more confused if there is conflicting information or too much information or there is no understanding of the information..." (https://moorefo1.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-interview-yesterday-went-really-well.html)

I think it is important to ask questions.

Sharing information

 Good afternoon from Linden, Guyana!

I am very surprised by the type of information others shared about their health problems and issues on social media. I suppose they are bold and not ashamed of their situation. I shared a little about my temporary solution (due to complications during surgery) in previous posts and was very nervous about it.

One of my previous posts:

https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2024/01/health-update.html

Wisdom

 I liked the questions and discussion in one of my Facebook groups...

Bible Verse

 Two verses from the Holy Bible today:

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

- Proverbs 4:7 (NIV)

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!

- Proverbs 16:16 (NIV)

World IP Day

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana!

On Twitter/X today, I saw a post on World Intellectual Property (IP) Day. I believe World IP Day will be on April 26th. It appears that the post is for people to obtain information on the use/development of social media materials for the day. It seems interesting, but I need to learn/understand more.

I am into publishing original papers, poems, and such so I am into intellectual property. Intellectual property - ideas, inventions, and other creations of the mind that belong to an individual or organization - is important. It brings knowledge. It drives progress and development.

Morning Walk; City I Would Choose

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! I went out for a walk today. It was a little misty and cool - about 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

I just saw an interesting post on Twitter/X that requested an answer on the city I would choose to spend the rest of my life in. I could not decide on just one city so I responded 'One that I enjoy living in.' 

Many years ago, I looked at benefits provided by several cities in the U.S. when I wanted to move from Lanham, Maryland. I wrote an article on the options I considered and how I made the decision - Why I Decided To Move To Florida Though I Am Years From Retirement (Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-i-decided-move-florida-though-am-years-from-retirement-moore/). Back then, I decided on Gainesville, Florida and it was a good choice. I am not certain what I would choose right now. I am different in many ways - I had some life-changing experiences and a whole lot of pain and suffering.

The city I choose to live in may be a city that has lots of jobs/positions I can fill. Earning a living is important. However, these days, it is easier to work for a company in one city and live in another. I read about quite a few people who live in the Caribbean and work for overseas companies.

Eclipse

 5:20pm

The sun currently looks red here in Linden. It is not photographing well.

Current Work

 I am making progress with my poems. I just wrote on piano lessons in Linden. I remembered that the teacher taught piano lessons from his home. I decided to share what I have so far.

Music - Draft by Fahmeena Odetta Moore

Music made a difference in my childhood

I was into the songs we learned at Watooka Day School

They were songs of ambition, dreams, and taking on the world

Then came piano lessons

I was a student of Mr. Smartt, a major piano teacher in Mackenzie who also taught music at Watooka Day School

He taught his pupils from his home

From two pianos, one used as the main piano

His wife taught me once

Lessons started at the front door

We were required to take off our dusty, dirty shoes by the door

And go to the piano to prepare for our instruction

Mr. Smartt made us learn the notes and learn how to play the keyboard

His lessons included correct posture

I also learned a lot about music theory

Music lessons led to writing of a major music examination

My performance he did not want to tell me

It was excellent, I recalled

That led everyone to expect good performance all around

Healthy

 Good morning from the place I grew up - Linden, Guyana! I went for my usual morning walk today.

I mentioned yesterday that I like to stay away from carbs. I prefer to eat healthy, nutritious foods. I am all about foods for healing. I like to read about (keep up-to-date on) nutrients and other benefits from food. Below is an example of a post on the benefits of food from Twitter.

Update

 Good afternoon from Linden, Guyana! I did not do much today. It was basically a rest day or day off work.

I was hungry early today and in the mood for much food. I had roti and also tennis rolls. It was more than I usually eat in the morning. It was more carbs than I like to take in. I try to eat moderate amounts of bread to stay away from carbs.

I am seeing updates from my friends on the eclipse. I do not believe Guyanese saw much of it from Guyana. I did not want to see it anyway because I had problems with my eyes recently. At this time, my eyes are very close to normal and I wish for them to remain that way.

Feedback

 Two recent likes of my post Developing a Habit... please keep the feedback coming. I would appreciate comments on any area.

Three words to my 18-year old self

 

Think decisions consequences#fahmeenaodetta https://t.co/x3YaCHcVli

— Fahmeena Odetta Moore (@fahmeenaodetta) April 5, 2024

 

Guyanese Waters

 Guyana typically has dark waters not blue or aqua waters like other Caribbean islands (the blue lake in Linden is an exception). And, Guyana is home to a salty Atlantic Ocean, something other Caribbean islands do not have.

(Photo from a Visit Guyana reel: https://fb.watch/rfSjqDd3KL/?mibextid=Nif5oz)

My Vehicle - A Difficult Decision

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana!

For my short essay today, I thought of 3 words I wanted to include beforehand.

-------------------------

I purchased my last vehicle over 15 years ago from a car dealer in Laurel, Maryland. It was quite an experience. I was a busy professional living life at a hectic pace. I lived in the bustling DC/Maryland/Virginia metropolitan area. I recall that, at the time, I took a 3 hour flight each week to work with employees at another office location. The constant travel was rough. I didn't go out much to complete regular tasks such as grocery shopping and did not see family members often. However, I did manage to save tens of thousands of dollars over about seven months. I decided to purchase a new vehicle. I researched cars and car dealers online for weeks trying to decide on the brand (make and model) to purchase as well as the best dealer or option for the purchase. There seemed to be thousands of options! It was difficult to select a specific brand. SUVs were becoming popular so I decided on a SUV. I thought several SUV options would work for me. I saw several colors I liked. I was ambivalent about where to get the vehicle. I knew I could ask one of my relatives to "manufacture" a vehicle for me. That was a good option. Obtaining the vehicle from a dealer or reseller was another good option. I saw that resellers such as Carmax had very good vehicles at a fair price. One weekend, I felt like going out and went to see the inventory at the Tischer car dealer close to my apartment. It was a vibrant car dealership, well stocked with a wide range of a particular brand of vehicles. I walked through the customer entrance and was greeted by a friendly, loquacious car salesman. He talked me into test driving one of the vehicles and told me it was a great deal. I told him I would purchase the vehicle if I could get it at a great price. I am not the best at haggling, but I managed to get him to reduce the price. I wasn't that happy with the deal because the price was a little over what I wanted to spend, but I thought the vehicle was spectacular. It had an impressive list of features - it had good seats, a good sound system, and a lot of the bells and whistles of the new vehicles back then.

Kite Flying

 #ThrowbackThursday

Going back in time to last time I went kite flying on Easter Monday in Linden. I was about 12 years old. That year, as in previous years, I had a kite made by my father. The family went out to the dyke near my grandmother's house - a wide, open space with a lake - to fly our kites. It was a sunny day good for kite flying. My kite went up with ease and stayed up in the air for hours and hours. Late in the afternoon, there was a mishap. The kite's string was accidentally cut, which caused the kite to float away to a place far away. One of my cousins went with me to find the lost kite. We found it miles away at the ground by the Trade School. The kite was in bad shape when we retrieved it. It had holes and tears.

National Ramen Day

 I saw on social media that today (April 4th) is National Ramen Day! 

I eat instant ramen fairly regularly. I have been eating instant ramen for many years. My old food blog shows many instant ramen meals. It is not the best meal - it is a light meal that I can "customize" to taste really good. I usually get it at a really good price - it is really inexpensive.

Ramen is an inexpensive food that could be used to combat hunger in the world.

Developing a Habit

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! It rained this morning so I did not go out for a walk. I stood outside for a while and enjoyed the soft pitter-patter of the rain.

It is hard to believe that about seven months ago, I almost never got out of bed early in the morning to exercise. Now, I regularly walk in the morning. I feel out of sorts when I miss my walk. I think I have developed a new habit - the habit of early morning exercise. You may recall that I wanted to develop this habit badly. I wrote about it in one of my LinkedIn articles/notes (link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/habits-success-fahmeena-odetta-moore-/?trackingId=HdNIHpV%2BTZu9K%2F%2FmJLd6Aw%3D%3D).

So how did I develop the habit? The regular exercise in rehab (needed so I could use my legs normally again) may have had something to do with it. I exercised daily in rehab, but after rehab, I was at home not doing much exercise. After arriving in Guyana from the United States, I was again not doing much exercise. One day, I just felt like taking a walk to exercise my legs. I knew exercising my legs would do me good. The walk made me tired and I was panting at the end of it, but I was pleased that I walked. That was a good day that led to many more like it. I was just motivated. Before long, I was planning to walk early in the morning rather than later in the day.

I really do believe motivation plays a big role in developing (and maintaining) a new habit such as exercising. People need to figure out what motivates them. It could be the desire to fit into a particular dress, or the need to ensure that their actions do not exacerbate a health situation, or the need to escape a horrible outcome such as losing a limb. Motivation helps you to keep going to achieve a goal.

Word Choice

 Recently, I've been practicing different areas of writing. Just a few days ago, I decided to practice my word choice. I found a good article that provides information on how to improve word choice. The article: https://spinsucks.com/communication/word-choice/.

I get some practice from my poem writing. I also want to practice word choice in short essays or stories. I did not find much exercises to practice (specifically word choice/selection).

Snack

Responding to a prompt from Visit Guyana:

In primary school (in Guyana), snack referred to food for lunchtime. My mother prepared my snack each day then packed the snack in my lunch kit (lunch box) for me to take to school. My snack was usually five-finger drink and coconut buns (not cross buns). I did not enjoy it. Now, snack is food I eat between meals or when I feel the need to augment a light meal. I like to snack on food such as pastries, salara, plantain chips, and cassava/potato ball. For some of these foods, the snack goes well with a bottle of "sweet drink" (soda) or a glass of homemade drink.

PC Alumni Events

 I read notices of two upcoming events for President's College alumni in Facebook, which led me to believe there was a meeting of the PCAI officers recently. It seemed obvious to me that the management of the association sat and carefully planned the events, including marketing of the events. A Barbecue is planned for June and the annual brunch event planned for Labor Day. I enjoyed reading the 'Save the Date' notices which were informative, cheerful and fun. They are sure to motivate members to attend. I don't think I'll make the two events because I may not be in the United States. I never attended one of their events.