Mindflight

Benefits of Good Sleep

Since I had less than four hours of sleep last night due to an overly inquisitive cat, this subject is foremost on my mind.

Many people think sleep is a waste of time. Far from it. It’s amazing what it really does for us!

Our body does most of its repair work when we sleap. Healing, recovery from illness, and growth all happen then.

Our brain not only rests, but also files away all the information we learned the previous day. If you have to take a test, you are better off getting a good night’s sleep before it than cramming all night.

Sleep also helps us with weight control. People who are chronically short on sleep tend to have more problems with weight gain, because when we need sleep we tend to eat more to compensate.

Did you know that often, there is more brain activity when we are asleep than when we are awake? The brain is busy sorting things and filing them, so that needed information will be easier to access when you next wake up. It’s kind of like running “findfast” on a Windows computer. The files are quicker to search for next time you need something.

You don’t have to get all your sleep at one time. Some people have great results with naps. And all of this talking about sleep is making me want one!

It’s easier than you think to self-publish!

Tips for Self Publishing

There are some really great places to self publish these days. I love on-demand publishing. You provide the content, design the cover, do the editing, then submit the book. They will give you an ISBN, catalogue number, etc, and they will make the book available in print or in ebook format or both, depending on what you choose. When a customer buys the book you get part of the money and the printing company gets part. You keep the rights to your book and there is no up front cost.

I love this! For someone with a little know-how, it isn’t hard to make a good quality book that is easily the equal of anything in print. The books look as good as anything on the shelf. And you don’t need an agent, a contract, or anything else to make your work available to the public.

My two favorite self publishing companies are Lulu.com and Createspace.com. Createspace is run by Amazon and is a little more user friendly, with a wider distribution available at the free level. But Lulu.com is good too. I’ve published books for others but will soon do one for myself. I’ve noticed that more and more established authors are switching to print-on-demand, and it’s becoming a lot more accepted in the industry.

Have you ever thought of publishing a book?

Pros and Cons of Print On Demand Publishing

Tips for Self Publishing, Tips for Writers

I started talking about this my last post about print on demand publishing, which is an increasingly popular way of getting books published.

Print on demand is nice because it doesn’t generate as much waste by printing books no one will read. You get a bigger share of each book’s cost, you have full control of everything, and you retain your rights. Unlike traditional publishing, you won’t have an editor telling you to include something or leave something out. You won’t have forced rewrites. On the other hand, you may not have the benefit of their experience in knowing what is salable. Also, quality control is entirely on you – you can print something that’s rough and half finished, or polished like a precious stone. It’s all up to you.

I personally like that, because I think people have much wider interests than traditional publishing companies will admit. Print on demand also lets you have more control over how much your book costs as well as how much money you will make.

Print on demand has drawbacks too.

You won’t have help with marketing your work, although that can be mitigated with good keywords and by picking a publisher that is partnered with the big bookstores. If you really want marketing help, most self publishers do offer those services but at a price, and it’s not necessary.

You won’t get an advance payment either. And you won’t have an agent to shop your work around and be a go-between with traditional publishing companies. That can be a drawback, because you don’t get that chunk of money, but at the same time if your book is popular you will end up making a lot more.

You also won’t get the name recognition or prestige of saying “I was published by Ballantine, Baen, GP Putnam and Sons, whatever…” however, that is becoming less important as more famous authors publish using ebooks and print on demand.

You won’t see your books in stores unless you buy copies (at a deeply discounted rate if you are an author) and sell them on consignment at the store. That’s not hard to set up, and that way you can sell your work at out of the way, locally owned places and control who sees your book.

Most of the cons of on demand publishing can be turned into pros, with a little thought. Flexibility, lack of waste, better profits. It’s all good!

A Life of Consequence

Art of Womanhood, Personal Growth, Thoughts About Life

What mark do you want to make on the world? What ripple will you leave in your passing? It’s so easy to get caught up in the serious business of survival, that the years slip by and you wake up and realize that you really made no substantive difference to anyone.

Don’t put off your dreams. Do a little each day, or a little each week, that excites your passions. Whether it’s a hobby, a cause, a course of study you’d always wanted to learn about, helping a friend, watching a plant grow, or finishing a really good book. If possible, touch others in the meantime. Or create something. Or clean up a patch of ground. I know we are all busy, so even a few minutes each week can start to make a difference.

Tiny efforts add up to big ones. A smile to a grumpy cashier. A skill taught to a child. A tree planted, growing tall and strong. Build your own legacy with each day you draw breath. Make a difference…

…and then when your life’s day is done, you can say it has not been wasted.

Mexican Inspired Tastyburger

Food and Cooking

How about this one?

Take ground chicken and fry it in a pan. Put it on a hamburger bun, bolillo roll, or portabella mushroom, with a slice of mozzarella or muenster cheese on it. Use chili garlic sauce and spicy brown mustard as a topping.

It sounds strange but the chili garlic sauce complements the mustard well and it all goes excellently with the chicken.

My “partner in crime” did this tonight and it was awesome.

Try one and see!

Cancer-fighting berries?

Classic Skills, Food and Cooking, Healthy Living

According to my recent research, cultures where berries and nuts are eaten most frequently seem to have the least incidence of cancer. Part of this can be traced to ellagic acid, which may have an effect on cancer cells. There have been studies done where mice have been fed ellagic acid, and they developed 45% fewer tumors.

Pure berry juice is an important source of iron and many other vital nutrients. Some of the most nutritious berries are blueberries, black currants, and blackberries. The darker, the better! The more color the berry has, the more nutrients and antioxidants it has. Berries are best eaten fresh, but you can also get them dried and in many other forms.

If you drink berry juice, try to get something without sugar or added water or flavors, if at all possible. Then you can add stevia or sugar of your own, and you will end up getting a purer food product.

Berries are good for you. Lots of nutrients, and they satisfy the sweet tooth.

Choose to Succeed

Art of Womanhood, Personal Growth, Thoughts About Life

Something my boss’s boss said the other day made me pause. “You’ll need to know this if you decide to go for a team lead position.”

Wait… what? How’s that again? If I choose? But… I thought I would be chosen if I were worthy?

No. If I choose. Sure, I have to have the aptitude, but skills can be built. Whether I rise in the company or not is primarily in my hands. So it is with everything. Though many things are chosen by others, ultimately more is in my control than I might realize. It’s up to me.

And it’s up to you.

Voice of the Body

Healthy Living

I was taking a little one mile walk for my lunch half-hour, and I was feeling the sun and the wind and my legs carrying me along. I realized at that moment that I had never loved my body before and why not? Because it was ugly. Because it didn’t do what I wanted. Then I realized that my poor, dear body had been doing its best with what I was giving it, not understanding the circumstances, and having no way to tell me what it needed besides with aches and pains and added weight. Every lump, bulge, hard place, and soft place a testament to my life’s journey. Now that I am making friends with my body I notice that it seems to joyfully help me along, but I have to listen to what it really needs.

I imagine a conversation with my body. It wonders why I keep feeding it when it’s not really hungry, it faithfully stores the food I give it in case of famine or a long journey. Dutifully it tries to rebuild itself with insufficient nutrients, it asks for more food in hopes that it can get what it needs, and what does it get? more junk. So it does what it can, it asks for more rest because it’s not able to continue with such poor quality fuel.

But then it’s passenger gets an idea! Better fuel! More nutrients! My body can finally start doing it’s job properly with good materials. Realizing this today, I started loving my body because it’s doing it’s best with what I give it. It carries me along and gives me a home, and even all my bulges and bumps show where my body is trying to protect me against potential famine. I love my legs, stocky and strong from a lifetime of walking. I love my teeth, poor and crooked as they are, as they still chew up my food despite lots of sugar abuse. It goes on and on, as my body and I learn to finally work together.

If Today was Your Last Day

Thoughts About Life

I heard a joke once that went something like “I tried to live each day as if it was my last, but I eventually gave it up because I got tired of cancelling funeral arrangements.” Morbid, perhaps, but it gets to the root of the problem of really living each day as if it were your last. Now, nobody really says to literally do that, but it got me thinking. What would be the optimal time period?

I came up with five years. If I only had five years left, I couldn’t just quit working and screw off, but I would have a very enhanced sense of the preciousness of life. I would be working hard to complete certain short and mid term goals. I would be doing a better job at work because I’d want to make those last few years really count. I’d make some improvements to my health, both physical and mental, so that I could better enjoy those last five years. I would push my art farther and do better with it, because I would want to leave a lasting mark on this world. Then I wouldn’t feel anything was wasted.

As you get older, time seems to move faster and faster. You think you have forever in your twenties, then your thirties smack you in the face one day, and it only speeds up from there. So do more with what you have. Strive for fewer regrets. If you have a talent, develop it a little. Learn something new now and again. Let the people you love know it. Get out from behind the monitor now and again and look out at the world. Draw in a park. Take a walk.

I don’t want to wake up one day, finding myself eighty years old, and wonder where the time as gone, and realize that I did… absolutely nothing.

My Folks, the Art Patrons

Thoughts About Life

I want to talk about my mom and dad for a moment.

Both my parents have always been such a support to my art. Walking through the art supply store today, confidently knowing what I needed, what I didn’t, what I could save up for, I recalled the days when they used to scrounge accordion fold, tractor feed printer paper for me to draw on. I remember when new pencils or markers were a luxury, when paint was a thing rarely come by. I remember wondering what all those interesting tools were used for, and the joy of later finding out. Art is still a journey for me and I’m still learning, but I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do it without my mom and dad, who always thought I not only could be an artist, but that I already was one. They provided my foundation. My mom’s happiness whenever I did something new and my dad’s steadfast support are treasures I will never forget.

Now, I strive to get to that next stage. Beyond acceptable, I move toward good. And one day, who knows? Perhaps I will become great.

Who has supported you in your art or your favorite endeavors?