Thank you to Amanda at Running With Spoons for hosting her weekly link up. It's been a fun way to discover new blogs and hear what's on the mind of my peers. Thinking Out Loud is a weekly celebration of quirks and randomness. Here's some Thursday random straight my fingers:
1. Crockpots. Do you use a crockpot? The lid broke to our old one, so I have been using my Dutch oven for the things I ordinarily would have made in the crock pot. This would be fine, except that I'm not a fan for using our oven during the summer when it's already a thousand degrees inside the house. After 4 months without a crock pot, I picked one up on my Costco run last weekend.
Tuesday night I used our new crock pot and made chili. It was culinary heaven! I was going to share a photo of it here, but pictures of chili (and stews/soups in general) all photograph pretty much the same. Besides, I'm a huge fan of toppings when it comes to chili, so all you can really see is avocado and cilantro.
2. Auto-correct game. A friend posted this on Facebook yesterday:
Have you tried this?? It sounded like a fun little distraction, and my first attempt read like a little cliffhanger to an obscure story. Here is mine:
I'm not a fan but my daughter and daughter have a lot more than a few days of being able...being able to what?!
It reads like an essay prompt, and I wanted to expand it on to discover what happened. Apparently, friends who owned Samsung phones noticed that somehow the software caught on to the game because their 20 auto-correct words were coming out as fully-formed positive affirmations.
I tried it a second time and the mood of the poem was a bit snarkier:
I'm glad I didn't want you back to my house so you could get me to a new one you...rapscallion? (Just spitballing. I doubt I've ever called anyone 'rapscallion' in my life.)
3. Public Speaking. This doesn't happen very often, but occasionally I'm asked to speak about my recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. Tomorrow night will be such an occasion. I'll be talking in a general way about what my life of addiction was like, the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, and what my life in recovery is like today.
It's an honor and a privilege to share my story, but I'll be honest: I'm nervous to speak so frankly in front of a room full of 200 people. Although I have been that I seem poised and relaxed when speaking from a podium, I liken it to a swimming duck; it may be floating quietly...but underneath the surface of the water, it's legs are paddling furiously. Wish me luck!
Comment below with your auto-correct poetry, or any wisdom or helpful tips regarding public speaking.
I <3 my crockpot! And the word rapscallion. Haha! As for the public speaking, just remember to breathe. I hate public speaking and will actually visibly shake until I remember to breathe. You'd think that would be easy to remember but...nope. Pauses are okay. You don't have to talk non-stop. Pause and breathe. Besides, you're speaking on a personal subject, emotion from you will likely be expected and a pause to "collect yourself" will not seem off or wrong at all. Just breathe. And be yourself. And be honest. And breathe. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, Jennifer! I especially could use the reminder about remembering to pause. It really helps me collect my thoughts. And it's true: I'm not giving a presentation in the workplace. Speaking about my addiction and recovery is pretty emotionally charged. I didn't mention that my 19 year old daughter is going to be in the audience. ::breathing deeply::
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