2022: The Year of Personal Decluttering: I wrote in Feb. 2022 about my goals. This blog post shows my progress.
This is from my Feb. 2022 blog post:
"Shades of vanilla" ("Fifty Shades of Grey")/ "Cinderella meets Prince Harming" ("Fifty Shades Darker")/ Freedom Convoy
Feb. 7, 2022 Scanning apps: Yesterday I posted this on my Facebook page, the Edmonton Screenwriters Facebook page, Edmonton Filmmakers Group Facebook page, and the Edmonton Film Industry Facebook page, and emailed some friends:
Adobe Scan: I downloaded this onto my tablet. When I take a picture of a small article, the picture wasn't good.
I tried to log into Adobe Scan with my Facebook, and then connect with my Yahoo account.
There seems to be a technical difficulty.
This is what happens: I try to do something on my own. If it doesn't work, I ask for help.
May you please try downloading Adobe Scan and see how that works?
This a project/ hobby of mine. There is no rush or pressure for you to help me.
Feb. 8, 2022: I can cut and paste the article onto 8 1/2 x 11 scrap paper and then put it in the scanner.
Why are you scanning and archiving/ digitizing your physical news articles right now?
Table Topics Daily: I was asked these questions
What is something you always wanted to do, but haven't done yet?
If you only had 5 yrs to live, what would you do?
1. I would go to Las Vegas: There is a pandemic and it's hard to get back into the country, because you have to provide a negative Covid-19 test 3 days before you are to get in. It costs time, effort, and money to do the test.
2. I would digitize all my old physical news articles onto a USB key. I would publish all my emails/ blog posts. This is good information and it's mainly job articles that has helped me (and readers) learn about how to get a job, etc.
I have digitized nearly all my job articles and they're saved into my email/ blog accounts. I haven't published all of them yet.
Oct. 30, 2022:
1. Las Vegas- I researched some more. There are a few emails/ blog posts that I haven't sent/ posted yet.
I asked a lot of people if they wanted to come with me. My parents won't let me go there by myself because it's dangerous. We can go together, and we don't have to spend the whole time together. We can leave on different days. Who wants go to with me?
A. My friend Cham was to go with me, but she went to Disneyland with another friend.
B. I asked Mei and she asked other friends. They don't want to go there.
C. Anne- Mei said she wanted to go there, but she didn't.
D. Melanie- she said she isn't traveling.
E. My sister S- she doesn't want to go to the US and get Covid there.
F. I have enough money saved. I plan to go there for 3-5 days.
G. I emailed a couple times to a woman at Travel Guru for how much a trip would cost.
Feb. 20, 2023:
H. Anastasia- my old boss. She has been there before, but doesn't want to go there.
I. Miranda- my old co-worker/ friend. She went there last year with her family.
J. I put this in my Personality Meetup group as an invitation.
"Do you want to go to Las Vegas with me?
My parents won't let me travel there on my own because they're too scared and worried. I can go there with you. We don't have to spend all our time together. We can go home at different times. I just have to go there with someone."
Mar. 20, 2023:
K. My cousin Jo- she has a two trips planned already.
L. My cousin Je- she has two trips planned already.
My opinion: I didn't really achieve the goal of going there this year.
Mar. 19, 2023: It's probably a good thing that I didn't travel last year. I read the business news about how it was busy in summer 2022 and the Canadian winters prevented planes from flying.
There were people stranded, lost luggage, and lots of customer service complaints.
Oct. 30, 2022:
2. Digitize old physical news articles- I did a lot and sent/ posted the emails/ blog posts.
A. I mainly reread and recycled a lot of old physical news articles: I pay rent to my parents and they pay for the newspaper subscriptions. I read and cut out those articles. (2010-2015)
B. I also recycled a few magazine articles- my sister gave me her old magazines. (Early 2000s)
C. There was still some school paper that I turned into scrap paper- my parents paid for the college tuition. I paid for the college books. (There is some from high school: 2000-2003. There was a little from college 2004-2005).
This proves that I don't buy things to own. Or that I don't give away things that I buy to own.
To visualize how much paper I got rid of: here is a box like this and I removed about half of that.
Heavy Duty Storage File Boxes - 15 x 12 x 10" S-3887 - Uline
My opinion: I definitely achieved this goal, and then some. This went from digitizing articles to mainly recycling a lot of newspaper articles, magazine articles, and turning school paper into scrap paper.
This is personal decluttering because these are my papers.
Decluttering journal: I wrote one on an email/ blog post in my email/ blog accounts.
Write down the decluttering, organizing, and cleaning you did, and you will be motivated to continue.
You may see changes in your life because of all that cleaning.
Oct. 19, 2022 "Ellen Degeneres: Channing Tatum helped me figure out ‘What That Do?’":
I found this on Facebook about where Ellen shows these items and ask, "What that do?" The audience then gives their guesses and some are right.
I agree with Ellen at the beginning:
Ellen: Spring time means that it's spring cleaning. It's that time of year where you get rid of all your stuff and make room for new stuff that you get rid of next spring.The audience laughs.
Ellen Degeneres. Aug. 17, 2022:Channing Tatum helped me figure out ‘What That Do?’
My opinion: How about you stop shopping? Or more like stop buying things to own.
Nov. 29, 2022 Friends:
Table Topics Daily: I found this through Meetup. This was in the first half of the year where I met them on Zoom. We were asking each other questions and we had 2 minutes to answer.
Personality Meetup group: I went to one with my friend Cham. I started attending more and there is a Whatsapp and Discord group chat.
Mar. 31, 2023 My hobbies:
1. Watching TV on my TV. I hardly ever subscribe to streaming platforms or go on TV channel's websites.
2. Reading the news on the internet.
3. Writing about the above topics on my blog
This isn't really expensive hobbies. I'm paying for the TV and internet.
Collect news articles: I mainly copy and paste news articles and save them onto my email and blog accounts. This takes up digital space.
Feb. 1, 2023: I wanted to know this:
Former Devops/CC/dev at Yahoo! (company)1yIs there a limit to how many emails Yahoo Mail can keep in their system?
1TB.
All accounts get 1TB worth of storage. The number of emails that is depends upon the size of each email. If you get a lot of large attachments, for example, or they’re all small emails.
If you are in a web browser, click Settings in the upper right (the cog icon), then click “… More settings” at the bottom
The lower left of the screen, you’ll see the storage limit “1TB” along with a percentage of how much you are using.
Example: Mine currently says
1TB
0.05% used
My opinion: I have over 100,000 emails in my inbox. I have lots of folders of emails. I see that I have 0.78% used.
Sept. 6, 2022 "
Blogger Vs. WordPress (2023 Comparison)":
Since 2018, Blogger provides unlimited storage. The amount of storage available with WordPress depends on the host company you use, but 50 GB is standard for most companies. For most people, this is enough. Once your site gets more traffic, you may need to increase the package you pay for, which often comes with unlimited storage and a dedicated server.
Apr. 1, 2023 Free stuff: I find pens, markers, highlighters, and batteries on the street. I pick them up. If they work, I keep them. If they don't, I put them in a bag and recycle them at Staples.
Feb. 1, 2023: I wanted to know this:
Is there a limit to how many emails Yahoo Mail can keep in their system?
1TB.
All accounts get 1TB worth of storage. The number of emails that is depends upon the size of each email. If you get a lot of large attachments, for example, or they’re all small emails.
If you are in a web browser, click Settings in the upper right (the cog icon), then click “… More settings” at the bottom
The lower left of the screen, you’ll see the storage limit “1TB” along with a percentage of how much you are using.
Example: Mine currently says
1TB
0.05% used
My opinion: I have over 100,000 emails in my inbox. I have lots of folders of emails. I see that I have 0.78% used.
Sept. 6, 2022 "
Blogger Vs. WordPress (2023 Comparison)":Since 2018, Blogger provides unlimited storage. The amount of storage available with WordPress depends on the host company you use, but 50 GB is standard for most companies. For most people, this is enough. Once your site gets more traffic, you may need to increase the package you pay for, which often comes with unlimited storage and a dedicated server.
Feb. 14, 2023:
Feb. 14, 2023:
Sustainably Kind Living
This week's theme is about traveling:
This week's theme is about traveling:
"Avoid travel fees"/ "How to afford a vacation when money is tight and costs are rising"
"Protecting yourself from scam artists"/ "How to protect yourself against fraudsters when travelling"
My week:
Mar. 31, 2023 "'Elaborate scam' leaves seniors with high-interest mortgages they didn't want or understand": Today I found this article by on CBC:
Some seniors are at risk of losing their homes in a scheme involving door-to-door equipment rental contracts, questionable renovations and mortgages worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that many didn't know they had and can't afford, a Marketplace investigation has found.
Each situation is unique, but many seem to follow a general pattern where homeowners — usually seniors — who have previously been duped into various door-to-door HVAC equipment rental contracts are again approached at their homes by people who say they can help the homeowner consolidate their debt.
In some cases, the homeowners are told they are eligible to receive money back if they buy more equipment or have renovations done on their homes. In reality, their home is used as collateral and they are allegedly tricked into signing mortgage papers that many say they did not understand.
Funds from the mortgage are deposited into the homeowners' bank accounts, then the same door-to-door people allegedly return, asking the homeowner to write cheques or money wires for those funds, telling them it's to cover the cost of the home renovations.
The mortgages are usually a one-year term with 25 per cent interest and monthly payments paid up front, which means that in many cases the homeowner does not know they have a mortgage until it comes due a year later.
It remains unclear who is ultimately responsible for orchestrating the scheme province-wide or if there are multiple parties involved. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), through their Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and in collaboration with other police agencies, say they are investigating a similar-sounding scheme, but won't identify the companies or individuals under investigation.
In January, the SFO sent a statement to Marketplace, stating that the scheme is "complex and multijurisdictional, involving multiple individual complaints across the province."
My opinion: It's a good thing that CBC is reporting about this scam to forewarn people about this.
Apr. 5, 2023 "Grocery chains boost profits by charging different prices for the same stuff": Today I found this article Don Pittis on CBC:
My week:
Mar. 31, 2023 "'Elaborate scam' leaves seniors with high-interest mortgages they didn't want or understand": Today I found this article by on CBC:
Some seniors are at risk of losing their homes in a scheme involving door-to-door equipment rental contracts, questionable renovations and mortgages worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that many didn't know they had and can't afford, a Marketplace investigation has found.
Each situation is unique, but many seem to follow a general pattern where homeowners — usually seniors — who have previously been duped into various door-to-door HVAC equipment rental contracts are again approached at their homes by people who say they can help the homeowner consolidate their debt.
In some cases, the homeowners are told they are eligible to receive money back if they buy more equipment or have renovations done on their homes. In reality, their home is used as collateral and they are allegedly tricked into signing mortgage papers that many say they did not understand.
Funds from the mortgage are deposited into the homeowners' bank accounts, then the same door-to-door people allegedly return, asking the homeowner to write cheques or money wires for those funds, telling them it's to cover the cost of the home renovations.
The mortgages are usually a one-year term with 25 per cent interest and monthly payments paid up front, which means that in many cases the homeowner does not know they have a mortgage until it comes due a year later.
It remains unclear who is ultimately responsible for orchestrating the scheme province-wide or if there are multiple parties involved. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), through their Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and in collaboration with other police agencies, say they are investigating a similar-sounding scheme, but won't identify the companies or individuals under investigation.
In January, the SFO sent a statement to Marketplace, stating that the scheme is "complex and multijurisdictional, involving multiple individual complaints across the province."
My opinion: It's a good thing that CBC is reporting about this scam to forewarn people about this.
Apr. 5, 2023 "Grocery chains boost profits by charging different prices for the same stuff": Today I found this article Don Pittis on CBC:
Squeezing for profits
Called "price discrimination" or the "two-price system," it's a long-standing technique used by retailers and service providers to squeeze the most profit out of their customers by selling to different people at different prices.
"The goal is to increase sales and profits," said Jean-Paul Lam, an associate professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ont.
For most of us, if we think about how grocery stores set their prices at all, we likely imagine it as pretty simple: Retailers see how much their suppliers are charging, then they tack on some percentage markup to cover their own costs. But that's not how pricing works.
Instead, retailers use their different branded stores to charge a range of prices from slightly above the supplier's price to many dollars above that price, depending on how much they think we'll pay.
Called "price discrimination" or the "two-price system," it's a long-standing technique used by retailers and service providers to squeeze the most profit out of their customers by selling to different people at different prices.
"The goal is to increase sales and profits," said Jean-Paul Lam, an associate professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ont.
For most of us, if we think about how grocery stores set their prices at all, we likely imagine it as pretty simple: Retailers see how much their suppliers are charging, then they tack on some percentage markup to cover their own costs. But that's not how pricing works.
Instead, retailers use their different branded stores to charge a range of prices from slightly above the supplier's price to many dollars above that price, depending on how much they think we'll pay.
Prices vary wildly
Ted Keay of New Minas, N.S., did some comparison shopping for the same 250-gram container of parmesan cheese at four different stores. Prices varied wildly, he said, going from a high of $10.29 at Sobeys to a low of $6.97 at Giant Tiger.
Mary Briggs of Mississauga, Ont., thought she would take advantage of a 20 per cent seniors' discount at Shoppers Drug Mart, a drugstore chain owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd. But she found that even after the discount, the drugstore price of $15.99 for the Tide Pods she wanted was more expensive than the $10.99 at the Loblaw-owned Independent Grocery.
"Why two companies owned by Loblaws have such a large price difference is the question," Briggs said in her email.
Grocery chains boost profits by charging different prices for the same stuff | CBC News
My opinion: Look at the fliers you get in the mail, and you can see the prices.
Apr. 3, 2023 "Singer Sabrina Carpenter faces backlash after 'gross' April Fools' prank falls flat at concert: 'Who told her this was a good idea?'": Today I found this article by Kaitlin Stanford on Yahoo:
Sabrina Carpenter is in some pretty hot water after pulling an April Fools’ Day prank on her fans that didn’t go over too well. In fact, people are still talking about it several days later.
During a performance in Salt Lake City over the weekend, the singer gave a seemingly improvised outro before the end of the concert. The lyrics, according to a now-viral TikTok, were: “Put your hands up if you live in Salt Lake/How do you get alcohol on Sundays?/I’m pregnant!/Happy April Fools’ Day.”
“Ooof, that’s some bad PR team she has,” one person tweeted. “Who told her this was a good idea? Incredibly insensitive to people who can’t get pregnant, have had miscarriages, or how about women currently pregnant but at high risk for losing the baby? Why are people so dumb?!”
“I thought literally everyone knew this was not an okay April fools joke?” said someone else.
At the same time, many commenters thought it wasn’t a big deal.
“y’all are so sensitive oh my god lol,” one person tweeted.
“a joke about being pregnant is not her or anyone mocking those who can’t get pregnant,” wrote someone else. “It’s a joke about your own body & everyone’s expectations & excitement. If you make it about yourself, that’s your problem. Y’all need to stop trying to make a problem where there isn’t one.”
After joking that she was pregnant, the crowd got noticeably quiet.
“THE SILENCE,” one person commented on the TikTok, which was shared by @nataliejoyhixon.
“That crowd’s silence said ‘how do we feel about this’ REAL LOUD,” added another.
Though the audience screamed and cheered as soon as Carpenter announced it was all a joke, not everyone’s been laughing.
“Gross joke,” one person wrote in the comments.
“I thought we as a society grew out of April Fool’s pregnancy announcements,” added someone else.
It’s true — for years now, people have been calling out how incredibly un-funny (and often hurtful) these kinds of jokes can be. While they may sound harmless to some, they are pretty triggering for those who suffer from infertility, as well as anyone who’s experienced pregnancy or infant loss.
My opinion: You guys are:
A. Offensive
B. Funny
C. Both
D. Neither
I would say it was mildly funny. She's making a joke about herself. This was a "gotcha" joke.
This reminds me of this joke. This was a "gotcha" joke. I have written about this joke on my blog:
Sept. 20, 2017 A guy who bought a box of condoms:
Cut to 2000. It was Fri. night. Probably Just for Laughs.
It was in May or Jun. 2000.
When I was 14 yrs old I was checking out Comedy Network. This 20-something yr old guy with curly blond hair and he was wearing a nice light blue button down shirt and khakis.
He was handsome.
He was smiling. He has his hands in his pockets.
Guy: So the other day I bought a box of condoms.
There is a pause. The audience is silent.
A guy in the audience yells out: Ow, yeah!
Pause.
Guy: Because my last one was expired.
The audience laughs.
I was like: "That's the cleanest sex joke I've ever heard."
I never thought I would say that.
Apr. 3, 2023 My opinion: He's making a joke about himself.
Apr. 1, 2023 Job interviews: Last week I attended 3 job interviews. After 2 of them, I did some shopping.
Riverdale: I watched the season 7 premiere of this show. This is the last season. Spoiler alert: The characters are all transported to the 1950s. They talked about Emmett Till.
Alaska Daily: I saw the season 1 finale of this show. This is the only show where I watched the whole season (11 episodes). This is a solid and average show. TV Grim Reaper showed that this is one of the lowest rated shows on ABC and is probably going to get cancelled.
TV Grim Reaper (@TVGrimReaper) / Twitter
Ted Keay of New Minas, N.S., did some comparison shopping for the same 250-gram container of parmesan cheese at four different stores. Prices varied wildly, he said, going from a high of $10.29 at Sobeys to a low of $6.97 at Giant Tiger.
Mary Briggs of Mississauga, Ont., thought she would take advantage of a 20 per cent seniors' discount at Shoppers Drug Mart, a drugstore chain owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd. But she found that even after the discount, the drugstore price of $15.99 for the Tide Pods she wanted was more expensive than the $10.99 at the Loblaw-owned Independent Grocery.
"Why two companies owned by Loblaws have such a large price difference is the question," Briggs said in her email.
Grocery chains boost profits by charging different prices for the same stuff | CBC News
My opinion: Look at the fliers you get in the mail, and you can see the prices.
Apr. 3, 2023 "Singer Sabrina Carpenter faces backlash after 'gross' April Fools' prank falls flat at concert: 'Who told her this was a good idea?'": Today I found this article by Kaitlin Stanford on Yahoo:
Sabrina Carpenter is in some pretty hot water after pulling an April Fools’ Day prank on her fans that didn’t go over too well. In fact, people are still talking about it several days later.
During a performance in Salt Lake City over the weekend, the singer gave a seemingly improvised outro before the end of the concert. The lyrics, according to a now-viral TikTok, were: “Put your hands up if you live in Salt Lake/How do you get alcohol on Sundays?/I’m pregnant!/Happy April Fools’ Day.”
“Ooof, that’s some bad PR team she has,” one person tweeted. “Who told her this was a good idea? Incredibly insensitive to people who can’t get pregnant, have had miscarriages, or how about women currently pregnant but at high risk for losing the baby? Why are people so dumb?!”
“I thought literally everyone knew this was not an okay April fools joke?” said someone else.
At the same time, many commenters thought it wasn’t a big deal.
“y’all are so sensitive oh my god lol,” one person tweeted.
“a joke about being pregnant is not her or anyone mocking those who can’t get pregnant,” wrote someone else. “It’s a joke about your own body & everyone’s expectations & excitement. If you make it about yourself, that’s your problem. Y’all need to stop trying to make a problem where there isn’t one.”
After joking that she was pregnant, the crowd got noticeably quiet.
“THE SILENCE,” one person commented on the TikTok, which was shared by @nataliejoyhixon.
“That crowd’s silence said ‘how do we feel about this’ REAL LOUD,” added another.
Though the audience screamed and cheered as soon as Carpenter announced it was all a joke, not everyone’s been laughing.
“Gross joke,” one person wrote in the comments.
“I thought we as a society grew out of April Fool’s pregnancy announcements,” added someone else.
It’s true — for years now, people have been calling out how incredibly un-funny (and often hurtful) these kinds of jokes can be. While they may sound harmless to some, they are pretty triggering for those who suffer from infertility, as well as anyone who’s experienced pregnancy or infant loss.
My opinion: You guys are:
A. Offensive
B. Funny
C. Both
D. Neither
I would say it was mildly funny. She's making a joke about herself. This was a "gotcha" joke.
This reminds me of this joke. This was a "gotcha" joke. I have written about this joke on my blog:
Sept. 20, 2017 A guy who bought a box of condoms:
Cut to 2000. It was Fri. night. Probably Just for Laughs.
It was in May or Jun. 2000.
When I was 14 yrs old I was checking out Comedy Network. This 20-something yr old guy with curly blond hair and he was wearing a nice light blue button down shirt and khakis.
He was handsome.
He was smiling. He has his hands in his pockets.
Guy: So the other day I bought a box of condoms.
There is a pause. The audience is silent.
A guy in the audience yells out: Ow, yeah!
Pause.
Guy: Because my last one was expired.
The audience laughs.
I was like: "That's the cleanest sex joke I've ever heard."
I never thought I would say that.
Apr. 3, 2023 My opinion: He's making a joke about himself.
Apr. 1, 2023 Job interviews: Last week I attended 3 job interviews. After 2 of them, I did some shopping.
Riverdale: I watched the season 7 premiere of this show. This is the last season. Spoiler alert: The characters are all transported to the 1950s. They talked about Emmett Till.
Alaska Daily: I saw the season 1 finale of this show. This is the only show where I watched the whole season (11 episodes). This is a solid and average show. TV Grim Reaper showed that this is one of the lowest rated shows on ABC and is probably going to get cancelled.
TV Grim Reaper (@TVGrimReaper) / Twitter
