E.L. Mendell's Blog

Salutation! Long time no type, My Fabulous Peoples~

If I did not like my hair so much, I’d be tearing it out over the current stress of life. I have a feeling many of you have been going through the same thing? For some reason, it seems the misfortunes of life have been a downpour on the people around me. I wish all of us could take a break from the bad news on top of bad news, but that doesn’t seem to be an option.

So we keep on trucking.

Anyway, while I’ve been managing to keep my hair in my skull where it belongs, I have had a LOT of things on my mind. So much so journaling all of it causes wrist fatigue!

Sort of.

I could probably fix that issue by writing by hand more often, but I am often interrupted by a dog or cat deciding me being immobile means I am bored and thus they need to play with me.

Pssh. Look at that lovely little excuse. I’m just too lazy to journal.

… … …

You know, as someone who doesn’t watch the news and tries to keep off social media for anything other than checking on my family and friends and posting updates about the persisting horrors, I can see a lot of unpleasant things being spread around.

There’s so much expectation being lain on the common man, and so many new unspoken laws, and so much unease as artificial intelligence starts to make more and more of an appearance, (It’s been around for a loooooong time, My Peoples. It’s just being handed out to the general public).

I’m not going to pretend I care what’s going on. I don’t. The world can spin their wheels all they want, and people can conspire and scheme, but at the end of the day, I am still a Child of God. Things could suddenly turn ugly, (dude, there’s been so much stuff going wrong that I’m almost accustomed to it now), but that doesn’t mean God’s abandoned me. This world is rolling to its doom one way or another, but my trust isn’t in the world anyway.

Now, back to the purpose of this blog.

First of all, what I’m seeing being dumped upon the people of the world is Pressure.

Oh. My. Gosh.

“If you don’t look like this we can’t be friends.” “If you don’t know what this is we can’t be friends.” “If you don’t lift you’re wasting your life.” “Fruit is bad.” “Water is bad.” “Veggies are bad.” “Do this to look like this.” “Look at this amazing thing I can do but you can’t.” Etc. Etc. Etc.

Pro tip; LISTENING TO THAT CRAP IS WHAT’S BAD.
(Caps were used for intensive purposes. I did not shout.)

The things people on social media claim to “know” and say they “studied” makes me feel a bubbling sensation of concern and fury for the lies being spread faster than covid. What’s more annoying is that these “Influencers” saying these things Take No Responsibility For ANY Of It!

Aaah, did you not realize that?

Let’s say you changed your diet because they suggested it, or started a new Pill or Shake that “Promises results.” The whole thing came with a message on the “science” behind it, (Let me just tell you that, as a fiction author, things can be explained in a convincing matter and be an absolute work of fiction.), and then this weight loss miracle isn’t working, so now you think your health and fitness journey is impossible.

And because they promised you results you’re stuck with crippling low self-esteem and depression. And since they’re just a face and voice on a tiny screen in your hand, they are completely UNAFFECTED by what they just did to you.

If you have not heard it, allow me to tell you: There is no “miracle solution” to health and weight loss besides Eating Healthy (fruit, veggies, grains, fish, meat, you name it, all in moderation), and Exercise, (Whatever kind floats your boat, be it walking, biking, dancing, or even martial arts. Just don’t sit on the couch doom scrolling your life away).

Also, what if these “Influencers” talk you into believing you’re So Special and Perfect just the way you are, that you don’t have to put effort in anywhere and so you, being so special, are not required to put in any effort at your job and can quit whenever you want, because you’re entitled to it? Why work for your money, right? Since other people can do your job too, just let them carry the bulk of the load and then laugh at them behind their back for being a hard worker. That’s entitlement, right?

Besides, unemployment pays your bills too, right?!

Ha. Ha. Hah… Raaage…

… … …

Whew…
I had to stop and take a breath to calm down.
Watching good people be duped by “scientific discoveries” and “Entitlement” angers me.
I want to help as many people as I can by showing them the truth.

Which brings me to something else on my mind.

I cannot help people beyond my reach.

Perhaps I’ll say that again.

I CANNOT help people BEYOND my reach.

This isn’t a problem for most people, but it is for me. I’ve seen people I respected turn into people I don’t know, and they don’t see it in themselves. They don’t see that they’ve become hypocrites… Some situations need to be handled gently, and with grace…

But. I. Am. Not. Gentle. Or. Graceful. When. Someone. Angers. Me.

If the world were divided into Brains and Brawn, I would be in the category of Brawn. I confront matters when they arrise, but that DOES NOT MEAN I THINK IT THROUGH BEFORE HAND.

Zero stars.
Do not recommend.

I took a few rabbit trails in this post, and I’m drained emotionally and mentally so I don’t think I can follow anymore any deeper here, and I have a whole different topic on my mind as well which I cannot delve into here. It will end up being a different blog post at a later time. I have to do some research and write down resources for it… that’s why I haven’t done it yet.

My Dear People, listen; there is a lot of noise out there. It comes at us from all angles. And we are exposed to it so much we crave it when it is absent.

Isn’t that a scary thought…?

Do you know what you actually like? Or do you chase the fads that interest you?
Do you like your hobbies? Or are they something you do to appease an audience?
Are you the person you actually want to be? Or have you silenced yourself to fit in?

There are a lot of truths that have been revealed to me during my silence here in this blog. Lots of things have changed how I view everything around me. Things I want to address in the next post…

How scary would it be, My Christian Peoples, if we realize the “truth” we’re being preached is manipulated in a way that removed the real truth?

I think a lot of us forget that God doesn’t change.
That Jesus is God.
The same God of the Old Testament.

The same God that Shut the Door of the Ark.

Ah, that’s another post though…

Have you heard the version of this song? It just fits so well with Skillet.

I’m going to go now. I have a pet recovering from surgery crying for my attention and I must answer them, for I love them.

I’ve no idea when the next post will come, since the horrors persist. I will leave you with advice.

Read a KJV Bible, (no, not NKJV).
Don’t doom scroll.
Take a walk.
Love the sinner, not the sin.

I could go on, but then I’ll end up doubling the length of this post.

Take care of yourselves, My Peoples.

E.L.M.

Image by Pixabay all rights reserved.

Hello, my Oh So Patient Peoples!

It’s been over a year since my last post, and I cannot apologize enough for my long absence. A lot of things I wanted to write about have come up, but I felt they needed more research than I had the time to put in, or I worried I would insult people.

…

I mean that could happen anyway, so maybe I should just chill …

I am also finding a lot has changed in WordPress since I was last here, and I am confused why it is not giving me “better word suggestions”? Uhm, no. I shall use as many “complex,” words, “long” sentences, and “unconfident” words as I bloody well please. I don’t like how readily available AI is. I don’t use it. My blogs, my post images, etc., are mine, (unless downloaded from Pexels or some other website and then I mention them), I do NOT use AI for any of this.

Thank you.

I write these posts with little to no editing, in case you, my dear peoples, were unaware. I write it out in one go. I reread, I add things I forgot, I fix words, (yes, sometimes I overlook things). Just know, this isn’t some professional blog. I write this for fun, and I write it for you so you have some thought nuggets to chew on.

Like chicken nuggets.

…

I mean, that’s not everyone’s jam, but you get it, right?

Anyway, what have I been up to? Hm… Work. Survival. Writing. Dermatographia. Got lost in Canada on my way to Germany, (Never book plane tickets via 3rd party! What an adventure that was…).

Fun fact; this post’s image is actually a servants staircase in Dundurn Castle, Canada. That place was neat. If you’re ever in Hamilton Ontario, check it out.

So yeah, nothing much. Just making the best of what life throws at me.

Now, what’s the topic of this blog? Well, in my Year+ away from posting here, there has been a lot on my mind. Many, many, many things, from political stuff, to religious stuff, to writing stuff, to martial arts stuff. For reasons, I don’t feel like discussing political stuff. I swear that topic is a landmine.

Religion is too.

But I will mention a good source for you Christians out there. I discovered recently a podcast called The Authentic Christian. It’s really good. I found it on Spotify and then downloaded the GBN (Gospel Broadcasting Network) app onto my phone. The link above is to their YouTube channel.

No, they didn’t ask me to mention them. I’m letting you know that their podcast has been extremely useful in helping me understand my Bible more. I found them when I was looking for someone who actually does a study in the book of Revelation. Many teachers mention verses, but don’t actually study the book. And there are so many different takes on it. If you’re not from a Christian background or don’t understand what the deal with Revelation is, just know lots of people think it’s about the end of the world.

Cuz it’s the last book in the Bible, so that’s gotta be about the end of the world, right?

Heck, religious debates are another landmine I don’t feel like stepping on, so I’m just gunna leave that there.

There are many things in the Bible we don’t know and we may never know, but assuming we know is dangerous and, sadly, I’m seeing in far too many churches they make assumptions, and then teach that assumption as fact.

The Bible itself warns against becoming teachers because we will be judged more strict. What we teach we will be held accountable for, (we because I teach small Bible studies, and also this blog could fall under the category of teaching, so I’m in that category). So when I hear false religion I don’t get angry. Instead, I pity the teacher, because one day they’ll stand before God and have to explain why they taught what they did.

The Bible says that we are “without excuse,” (Romans 1:20). If we as teachers don’t understand something we read, it’s not up to us to make up something so it sounds good to our students. It’s best we confess we don’t know for sure, and continue to seek out the truth. The fact alone that I have heard so many versions and theories is unsettling. The ones that can be backed up with lots of scripture are the only theories I will accept.

Like what did Jesus write in the dirt? It doesn’t say. We can only contemplate and wonder. But there are people who will say it was such and such, or this and that, and they’ll teach that as if it’s a fact.

That kind of teaching has nothing to support it.

So that teacher will have to explain to God Himself why he taught what he did.

You know, I wonder sometimes if we actually think about how long judgment will be. As if God doesn’t have time to sit there with you cowering in his presence and pick at ever single little tiny detail of your life? He will call it all into account, (Matt. 12:36). He’s a being outside of time. After all, to him “A day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day.” (paraphrased, ref. 2 Peter 3:8). That’s going to be one of the most awful moments of our existence.

At a trial, the accusers lay out ever accusation before the defendant can even address it. In human court someone may try to interrupt, but there will be no chance of that in God’s court. We’re going to kneel there with all of the awful things we’ve done told before God, Jesus, and who knows who else, and I know I am not going to be okay with some of the childish dumb stuff I’ve done. Even if I am “saved,” hearing a record of things I’ve done, including things I had long forgot about, will probably make me want to die.

Which is ironic, because I will have already died at that point.

How can I live a life that lessen the blow on judgment day? That’s becoming my new musing. It’s a reality the church doesn’t seem to want to speak of.

I know it’s Biblical to keep a group of believes around, but lately I can’t stand listening to pastors. They’re up there entertaining. So many of them seem to have forgotten their every word will be called into account before the very God they’re speaking of.

I did NOT expect this post to be so full of scripture!

If you aren’t religious, first of all I’m praying for you. If you are religious, (And I hate using that term, but in this moment I feel it fits best), let the reality sink in.

We can put on blinders and prance through life saying, “That’s not my problem,” all we want. But death is for certain. Y’all that are scared of pain are praying for the rapture.

Study the book of Revelations and cross-reference it with the book of Daniel. Let me know how it goes.

Death is for certain.

Maybe I had to write this blog post because I felt the need to remind my fellow Christians that no matter how loud this world gets, no matter how funny your pastor is, no matter whose circle you’re in, in the end it is you and your own personal life that God will call into account.

Masks are worthless. Lies are worthless. Everything, down to the hate in your heart that is as bad as murder in God’s eyes, (which we cannot change our own hearts, that’s something that only God can change which is why we need Him), will be revealed on the day of judgment.

So. What can you do to lessen the blow of judgment day?

Live better.

Not by the world’s standards, but by God’s. Nope, it isn’t easy. Nope, you cannot do it on your own power. That’s what’s so cool about God. When you ask Him to help you, He can change you from the inside out, which is something only God can do.

Honestly, I dislike people. I remind myself, “God made them too. God made them too,” but my heart is still bitter and guarded. Life happens to all of us. I’m not an exception. I need God’s help to change my heart because I lock out people for no reason, and ignore them, and act like they don’t exist, and I cannot change this behavior of mine by myself because the hurt that caused it is so deep I’m unable to even touch it anymore.

Even mentioning that in this post triggered my bitterness, so point made.

So, song of this post is one that is catchy and gets stuck in my head easily. I was listening to it while I wrote this post too. Enjoy~

I’m going to wrap up this post now.

I really wanted to touch base and see how everyone is doing. To you that still follow me, (or forgot I exist), thank you for sticking around. It was a long absence and I do feel bad. I sat down a few times to start a post and they never went anywhere, so I have a bunch of unfinished drafts to sort through, (because I don’t like clutter).

Due to my rant I hesitate to post this one, but I will, because what I said isn’t wrong.

In my own quiet way I want people to know the truth.

Life can be hard. I’ve gone through ups and downs too. I am learning to go with the flow.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Wow, it’s odd I wrote this post in the middle of the week.

…

I say middle, but it’s only Tuesday. Ha ha ha …

Until next time! Ciao ~

E. L. M.

Greetings, My Phalange-Flicking Peoples!

I AM IN A BAD MOOD. Every little thing keeps irking me. There could be ANY number of reasons, but I’ve noticed this has been a constant thing for me since November and I. Don’t. Know. Why.

So! I have finished flipping tables and now I am here to write out my mind in this blog to help me settle my thoughts.

For there are many…

Now that we got THAT out of the way. How is it going?

I know, it has been a while since I last posted. I’ve been busy between promoting and advertising my books, working full time, teaching, and also trying to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Which, given what a large to-do list that already is, it’s clear that making a healthy lifestyle will be a huge pain.

What is sleep???

On top of that I have Doggy McChaos stampeding around my office. Zoomies are a thing.

How about I actually get on-topic before the rabbit trails take me away?

Sound good?

Cool.

Growing up, we were taught that it’s rude to point at people. You remember that, don’t you? See someone dressed funny at the supermarket and you point them out, then your Mom pushes down your hand and says, “Don’t point, it’s rude.”

Ah! It’s rude. Yes, yes. It is disrespectful to point at others who you viewed as “Different,” “Silly,” or just “Strange.” We did not point at them, because to draw negative attention on them may be dangerous. It could upset the person who, perhaps, has no control over their appearance. Or it could make them angry and cause different problems.

So…

Why the HECK are we all using every means possible to point at people without our fingers? Just because you aren’t extending a phalange at someone doesn’t mean you aren’t pointing.

Staring is rude too, did you know that? It’s just as bad for similar reasons.

So is taking pictures of people in public. Since when have people forgotten that taking pictures of people in public is ILLEGAL?! How horrible it is when the person in the picture sees their embarrassment going viral and they didn’t even know someone had seen them?

How awful do you think that feels? Does no one think about this anymore?
No, of course not.
If it’s funny we don’t care.

This irritates me. You know that?

No One Wants To Feel Like An Attraction At A Zoo!

This disrespect of others is so infuriating to me…

Unless they are, in fact, acting abnormal for the sheer reason of standing out. But in those cases they are purposefully trying to gain attention. It’s different than someone who was born different, who can’t afford new clothes, who has a bad hair cut, or who was never taught basic hygiene.

Yes, there are a lot of people who aren’t taught how to wash themselves, to shave, or anything we call “basic hygiene.”

But do we consider this? Do we think that maybe, just maybe, they would be ashamed, embarrassed, or even horrified to see unauthorized pictures of themselves on the internet?

Nope.

If we find it amusing we steal a picture or a video and post it without permission.

Just like watching animals in a Zoo.

I may have mentioned this before, but I am in a bad mood. I am ranting. I am annoyed. I want to make a point that we cause more emotional and mental damage than we think. In so many ways we thoughtlessly point out or stare at people that are different. We don’t show love anymore. We don’t care about others feelings.

Whew… hang on, I’m all fired-up.

… … …

I have coffee now.
Let’s continue.

I think a lot of the reason why this is getting to me is because I recently had a bad haircut, (meaning, the style was done well, it just did not fit my face, so I had it all cut off. Fyi, a pixie cut doesn’t look half bad on me). But before I had it cut down to a pixie cut, I had to go to work and run errands with a bad hair style, and I felt awful. I wore a hat. I never wear hats. When I didn’t wear a hat I took it personally when people looked at me and their expressions fell as their gaze lingered on my hair a little longer than it should have.

No, I didn’t have photos or videos of me uploaded on social media. But what if that had happened?

It’s just… dang… people are so inconsiderate anymore.

I kept the bad style for a few weeks because I hoped it would grow out. One woman at work makes it a point to always mention “that time I cut my hair short.” Now that my hair looks nice again she still says it too. How pitiful. I just watch her, coolly, wondering what makes her life so miserable that she feels the need to jab at other’s misfortunes.

She is an abrasive personality. I cannot comprehend it and thus do not associate with her.

Well, that’s a whole different story I won’t get into.

Today I’m merely letting you know I am still alive, (yay me!), and I have just been busy attempting to cross the line from blue-collar worker to full-time self-employed.

A long and difficult path….
Yet it seems I have no desire to give up.
Even if I think “I should give up” I don’t.

Because it would take more work to quit than to keep going at this point!

The irony. I know.

So, I’ll keep plucking away at life as I am until things start falling apart or clicking into place.

I need to calm down…
I have a cookie now to go with my coffee.
Yey~

Lately I am super obsessed with this song, so it’ll be the featured song today. It is, (I am 95% sure), from an anime called “Origins: Spirits of the past,” which I watched a long time ago and it kind of stuck with me…

Oh, and as a side note, at the time of posting this I have a free book giveaway going on at Goodreads. It’s going on from now to April 26th, 2023.
Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/364075-yuki-hokori-and-the-dark-petals

Thank you for remaining loyal readers. I’ll be honest with you, I’m having a hard time posting because of how the world is right now. I don’t need hate flying at me. Or my account flagged for who knows what. Maybe I’ll eventually throw caution to the wind and resume posting whatever the heck I want. As of right now, I’m in a state of contemplation.

Or… perhaps I am just SUPER busy and SUPER tired and SUPER sick of being in an unnecessarily bad mood.

Or all of the above.

That’s more likely…

I hope none of you are in lingering bad moods. It’s at the point where I cannot blame the weather. Which sucks, since I blame the weather for everything.

Hah, silly weather.

I hope you have a good weekend, My Peoples!

E. L. M.

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Photo by Lukas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-a-person-wearing-suit-jacket-684387/

Good evening, my clothes-wearing peoples, (and others).

I feel bad. I didn’t have time to post anything last month. I’ve been doing a LOT of writing lately. Some of you may know I had a new book release recently. It’s added to the “All Books” page on this blog. On top of the new release, I’m working on editing and rewriting a new novel that’s actually a fun and comical adventure with a sweet romance story as well as rather dark plotline.

But I digress!

Though there is not yet something to digress from.

So, how goes it, my peoples? Fall came with a bang this year, didn’t it? 90s one day, then the first day of Fall the temperatures plummeted. No way Ohio is letting this miserable Summer steal Autumn!

Typical Ohio, right?

My husky loves it though. She was recently spayed. That was an unpleasant time, but now I can take her one trips to rental homes and not worry about her going into heat and staining the carpets or running off and coming back prego.

Was that my only reason for spaying her? Well, sort of. I also know if she had puppies I would not have the heart to part with them. I am such a softie. I didn’t want to become that person who has way too many dogs. So, she has been spayed.

Better to prepare for the worst than tempt fate.

Hah… I wish I actually thought that way.

Too often we don’t do what we can to take counter measures. Is it just me? I know I need to do something, like buy a good generator just in case I lose power for three days again, (Did I tell you guys about that? It was not a fun time. And it was during a heat wave too. Yay life). But I still have not bought the generator. Nor a snow blower. Nor new tires.

Why do we procrastinate these things?

Uhm… well, money?
Yeah… that.

I know that’s a major reason. I suppose most of the things I procrastinate are more pricy investments than anything else. Even if I have the funds, I put it off and make up excuses like, “I can’t find the right brand,” or “The reviews looked good but then they didn’t so I’m still deciding.”

But enough about that. We procrastinate a lot of important things, like our health. Dude, why do we always say we’ll eat better and workout tomorrow? What is tomorrow but a faint shadow? It may not come. For a lot of people tomorrow won’t come.

I don’t know about you guys, but I feel best when I’m living an active and healthy life. When I do my martial arts, when I bake and cook my own food, when I take a walk with my dog and do a little yoga in the evening or when I wake up. These things make us feel better. Our bodies need things like that. It doesn’t have to be a “get shredded” plan. Or a “cardio all day” type of deal. Living a healthy lifestyle automatically switches your mindset to the brighter side of life.

Ah, I will mention, those of us who have moments of depression, I totally get it when that stuff simply does not work.

It’s odd, isn’t it? When a season of depression hits, you feel this utter hopelessness. You can only act like you’re okay, but inside you feel empty, lost, worthless. You’re certain there is no purpose for you and life has no meaning, and nothing you do changes your mind…

Until the depression switches back and you can’t even recall why you felt that way.

I know some people deal with depression all the time, and NO I don’t mean “sadness.” People who are sad should stop saying they’re depressed. Depression is a dark place. Sadness can be cured with food or a walk. I can only say this since I have seasons of depression. I never understood what depression was until I felt it for real.

Growing up I always used the expression, “I’m depressed.” Thinking back I hate that I did that. I thought “depressed people just need to go walk around and eat good food and they’ll feel better!”

Nope. Nope… Man, if only it really were like that. Real depression is a dark and scary place. Your mind is working against you and that alone is something that should worry people.

But, as I said, I don’t have chronic depression. It comes in waves. I never know what might trigger it though. Sometimes I don’t realize I was depressed until the switch happens and I feel happy again. We underestimate the mind. It is a powerful thing and taking care of it needs to be a top priority because dang, when I’m not eating well or working out my body is more likely to fall into a state of depression. I hate it. And it can last for weeks or even months. I haven’t had one last an entire year yet, but last year it came pretty darn close.

Hmm… this isn’t what I wanted to talk about.

Maybe this needed to be said?

I have a few other friends who go through these phases of depression. They’re the ones that helped me understand what was going on.

If you’re reading this and you happen to be one of those people that struggle with depression, either all the time or in waves, I first want you to know that many of us understand what it’s like.

But you got this.

In those shadowy times, when your mind is in a fog and it fights against you, telling you life has no point and you’re better off dead, (yeah, I’ve been there too), I want you to hold on. Find help if you struggle with it all the time. I never tell people to take medication to fix their problems, but if your brain is “misfiring” and causing you to feel those downlow feelings, maybe that might help regulate your system? I don’t take anti-depression medication, but I have a few friends that do. They kind of need them…

But as always, I believe you know what’s best for you. Deep down inside, you and your body are in communication. If something feels wrong, don’t do it. And don’t feel pressured to go against your gut feeling. I just pray you do what is best for you.

I don’t know all the smart-people words for this topic, so I’m winging it! I’m not a trained professional and my word shouldn’t be taken as the ultimate truth. I’ve just been there, and I don’t want anyone to make an irreversible choice because they can’t get out of that dark fog in your mind…

Again, you got this. I hope this message reaches someone who needed it. Like I said, I didn’t plan to write about this. It just kind of happened.

I guess I digress…? I was talking about procrastination and living a healthy lifestyle, (I totally just went back to find out how I ended up on depression. Hah, life…).

So…

Uh…

Take care of yourselves!!!

Hah, there. Back on track.

Oh, also, since Halloween is coming, todays song is one I cannot seem to stop listening to.

It’s good. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s originally from, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” That movie scared me when I was younger, but now it’s one of my favorites! I like this version of the song almost as much as the original. That movie has such great music.

Side note: Frozen 2, The Mysterious song they sing is just them trying to remember how to sing “Jack’s Lament.” They only remember the start of the chorus though.

Good luck listening to those songs and trying to unhear it.

I, for one, cannot.

I’ll end this here… Take care of yourselves, my peoples! Enjoy the change of season. Check out my page for books and support me and the other authors there.

Thank you for reading!

I had no idea I would gain so many followers. I started this blog because I heard blogging would be fun, and I had a lot of opinions I wanted to share with the world. Though back then it was all about being “Alone and Awesome. And while I am STILL Alone and Awesome, and still just full of opinions…

Wait…

I guess nothing has actually changed. I have many peoples following me though, and I hope you all know I appreciate you taking time to read my blog.

Thank you for all your support!

Have a good weekend, my peoples!

E. L. M.

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Photo by João Cabral: https://www.pexels.com/photo/greyscale-photography-of-person-walking-between-trees-3304855/

Greetings, My Wonderful Peoples!!!

What a long week. Between car problems, publishing “The Porch”, (will be available soon!), and trying to plan a get-away for the end of November or December, and reading an entire 18 book manga series, AND trying to keep my dog entertained, AND testing out these new prescription contacts, (first time wearing prescription contacts. Yay me), I’m feeling pretty drained.

How goes it for you, my peoples? Is life good?

I’m sure this might catch you by surprise, but I am writing this post for two reasons: 1), because it’s been a while since I posted and I missed you. 2) I had writers block and am procrastinating…

…

… …

Can you blame me?? I have to concoct and write a prison break in a place I wrote to be almost flawlessly designed! You may think, as the writer of this impervious prison, I would know how to break people out. But no! I have to make it believable, darn it! I have to sit here, think through the security, find flaws, create the flaws, and also figure out how to help these people escape! Baaaaah–

…

So I bought a fidget spinner. This adds to my ways of procrastination. I set it on my desktop and spin it and just watch it. This little guy spins on forever. It’s impressive. Stainless steel too. Never even held a fidget spinner before today so I’m rather enjoying this.

…

… …

And now I’m even procrastinating my own blog post by writing random nonsense!!!
It’s an illness for this weekend!
I have the procrastination sickness!!!

The only cure is hard work and focus… but alas… I am too lazy. And my dog is trying to bite my elbow while I’m sitting at my desk.

Ah, the fidget spinner is still going. Changing the surface it sat upon really made a difference.

…

… …

Ah… I should really return to the point of this post.
Though I suppose the real point of this post is procrastinating working on my novel.

So, technically, even while off point I’m still on point. Ha ha ha!

But yes, I have been keeping busy, yet also being extremely lazy. It’s a special talent of mine, like misspelling basic words. Spell check is the only reason you can enjoy my blog posts. I should one day write a blog post and not fix my spelling or typing errors and just let you see how bad it is. I bet in a few places you wouldn’t even understand what I’m trying to say. When I type fast to put my thoughts down before they vanish, the words I type can become jumbled and mixed and yeah, it’s a fun time being me.

I communicate better through the written word than the spoken word. Even when I’m home alone talking to my dog I stammer and mess up words. Maybe I just need to slow down. Perhaps I’ll try that. Slowing down and thinking through my words before speaking them.

Lately I mess up sentences a lot more than I used to. At first it worried me, but then I realized I’m also under more stress than before and my mind is running at a higher pace than usual. I’ve also been reading and watching anime a lot so my brain is partially in the fantasy world, which also adds to my lack of focus when I speak.

My point here is don’t jump to conclusions when something feels off with you. Pain in your body, a weird tick you didn’t have before, things like that. It’s possible you just threw off your own rhythm and the changes you’re seeing now will disappear.

Or in my case I find out what’s causing the issue and work to fix it.

I don’t like how people think they have some horrible illness or start to panic when something is wrong with them, because it makes the matter so much worse. I had a cramp in my rips that made me worry I was having a heart attack, but logically speaking I’m not at risk for such a thing.

Then I remembered I had done a rough workout two days before and the cramp was from that.

Please acknowledge the smart-alecky hyperlink at the beginning of my post. Its making me giggle every time I reread this post for editorial purposes.

I should wrap this up…

This is one of me most recent obsession song. I love this song a lot because it tells the story of the series I was recently watching called I’m Quitting Heroing. It disguises itself as a comedy, but there’s a very epic plot in it and if you enjoy anime I recommend it.

I listen to this song on repeat while I write lately. I love it.

Well, I suppose I just wanted to let you guys know I’m alive and well, and also still proudly Alone and Awesome. I hope you’re having a good weekend and looking forward to a new week. My goal this week is to not panic about stuff and just try to enjoy life a little. This week has been so stressful, so hopefully the new week will bring a little calm with it.

Oh! And thank you all for your continued support! The third book of the Eysheus Saga, About the Black Clouds book 3, is being prepped for publication. A personal matter slowed down the progress of the cover design so please be patient as these difficult times are affecting all of us.

Again, I hope the rest of your weekend is good. Take care~!

Ah… drat. I still have to write that prison break chapter…

E. L. M.

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Featured image from Pexel.com, by Sebastian Voortman

Good afternoon, my knuckle popping peoples!

My last post, “So sweet” hit a record high for likes. I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for that. It always makes me happy to see one or two people like one of my blog posts, since I don’t really write this with any intention except to organize my thoughts and throw my two pennies worth into the world. Seeing one of my blog posts reach so many people is amazing and I am honored that you found my words likeable.

So, here’s a post to say Thank You!!! You, my peoples, made my day.

Second thing is I created a new author profile so people can find me on FB. I’ve started taking my writing seriously and for that I needed ways for people to find me.

It’s obviously optional, but if you’d like to support my writing and you have a FB account, you can find and follow my page here. I’ll begin posting the links at the end of my blogs again too. Oh, and I need to update the All Books page.

Yay things to do!

Again, just a quick post to thank you all for making my day.

E. L. M.

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Stock image by Vie Studio

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Good day, my sugar-ingesting peoples~!

I’m going to rant a little about something I’ve been researching. Just remember everything below are my own thoughts and opinions. I don’t want you to take my word for gospel, but I do want you to have something to mull over today.

So!

Fun time doing research for eating healthy. I personally have been making small healthy changes, since I don’t believe a “diet” is the right way to go. Swapping out things you like with similar things that are a bit healthier are what I prefer. Small changes that won’t make your system freak out, nor will it depress you. Very much recommend.

So, my next step is watching my sugar intake. It drives you crazy at first, and I honestly started to panic, because Everything Has Sugar In It! I was thinking of who could take the sugary food I have, (I hate wasting food), and I was doing research also.

Highly recommend looking into many different studies, reading blogs, and figuring out something that’ll work for you. Because it’s your life and if eating good food brings you joy, (it TOTALLY brings me joy! I love food so much!), you don’t want to avoid what you love. There are better and healthy alternatives, and also a simple rule that I am going to start living by.

All things in moderation.

Taking a smaller slice of cake, a small bowl of ice cream, a few crackers, and things like that can make a huge difference over time. What you need to do is be persistent.

And drink water or tea when you “feel” hungry.

Because often times we aren’t hungry, we’re just bored.

As a side note, I hate the taste of Stevia. I can taste it in everything it’s put in and it makes me shudder. I don’t know why, but Stevia and I do not mix. So I personally like avoiding artificial sweeteners, but let me tell you something, in my hunt for things without artificial sweeteners you’ll find it is nearly impossible to find low-sugar options without artificial sweeteners.

And thus, I sigh…

If you dislike your current state of health, or your size, or anything else and want to change, I suggest making small changes to your diet, as well as eating smaller portions. You may be hungry, but filling up on seconds isn’t the best idea, even if the food you’re eating is healthy.

Do your research. If anything confuses you, go look it up and read more than one or two articles. The more you know the better choices you’ll be able to make for yourself and your lifestyle. There’s no “fool proof” way to create a healthier life, and honestly there are no shortcuts either. You need to build a healthy lifestyle to maintain a healthy life.

So, that explains why I don’t like diets, huh?

One other thing people hate to hear is that you need to exercise. I know it’s a pain to get up and take a 20min walk. We have a variety of options and no excuses. As you know, I train in martial arts, and as a teacher I know I need to maintain a good level of fitness for not only training, but playing around with my students and not being too winded afterwards.

Must have energy for teaching! Though draining your energy while sparing and grappling is fun so I tend to exhaust myself when I play.

I digress.

If you’re new to working out you have a variety of options. For cardio I like to go on YouTube and do one of the Walk At Home videos. Follow the link to their YouTube Page if you’re interested.

There is also in-place cardio if you live in a small apartment. Doing weight lifting mixed with intervals of cardio is fun also, just set a 20 minute timer and have fun until the timer goes off. I do that when I don’t feel like taking orders from anyone, hah!

Treadmills, stationary bicycles, going for a walk, join a gym, (I don’t like working out around others so I’ve never spent time in a gym, but if that’s your thing, you do you).

It’s a fact that you need to move. Food is fuel. But if it’s “fueling” you sitting on the couch then it’ll collect inside you instead of being burned up.

Make sense…?

I started to try only eating as much nutrients as I needed for the day. If I have work or class I make sure to have good meals for lots of fuel. If I know I’ll be writing or sitting down a lot, I choose lighter options so I have less to burn off. I decided on this for myself after doing my own research.

Once again, go research stuff. Read about whatever interests or confuses you and gain some head knowledge on these matters. You’ll be surprised how a lot of studies encourage one thing, and other’s discourage it. You need to find the factors that repeat and try to see through the writers own theories.

Like my writing. I told you already, don’t take my word for gospel. I’m just a blogger who wants to encourage other people to make healthy lifestyle choices. Not a scientist.

Nope. Not one of them.

Everyone lives a different lifestyle. There really is no “one size fits all” answer to healthy living, but I know you shouldn’t discourage yourself by refusing yourself the foods you love. You also need to remember results don’t show up in the first day, or sometimes even in the first week. And you will go through “withdrawals” as I am going to with my reduced-sugar change in my diet.

Yay.

Can’t wait.

I had a little ice cream, and that put me over my sugar intake for the day, so when I’m done writing this blog I’m going to workout for 30 mins or more, then do some yoga also.

I hope I’ve managed to encourage you with this post. Here’s one of my favorite songs to encourage you!

Hah, I felt cheesy saying that.

Enjoy~

I’m going to go get myself a good calorie burn and then get back to editing the book I finished.

Oh, that reminds me. I may have mentioned this already, but I recreated my website for my publishing company. If you’re interested in it, or want to see what kinds of books are available, (My books are the ones authored by E. L. Mendell (who is me)), so check it out. The link can be found below. Books are in Inventory, and I have 3 that are on their way to being published, (no, they aren’t all mine), just dealing with some hiccups in processing information. They should be done by now… oh well…

Have a great weekend!!!

E. L. M.

Visit my website: snowdragonpublishing.com

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood, pexels.com

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Good Evening, my word-reading peoples!

With my book released with a new cover I brought the proof to work as a way to show it off and find potential readers. I also am childishly excited when I publish anything and wanted to show the world the pretty book.

I digress.

People often joke “Oh, I guess I know someone famous now!” But how humbling it is when they say, “I know another famous person.”

That one caught me off guard.

The person in question knew some successful people in the sports industry and I was a little blown away by their accomplishments. This man had a different idea of “famous” than I did. But in that moment it clicked in my head that this joke, (which always gave me a nice fluffy feeling), could remind me how much work I have to do.

I am just another famous person, and even that is only a joke at this time. After rebooting my publishing company, (Snow Dragon Publishing llc), I have a new desire and drive to actually sell and publish books and make a living off the written word.

It took me a while, but it seems my heart is now settled in the right place.

I’m not doing this to please anyone.

I’m doing this for my feet!

No. That wasn’t a joke, my peoples.

Walking on concrete for 8+ hour work shifts does a number on your feet. Trust me, my feet want me to live off my writing more than anything else right now. They’ve supported me my whole life, and now I want to do something for them!

I also want to add right now that, despite the title of this post, I do not recommend singing any of this out loud.

Cats will run.
Dogs will howl.
I am not a song writer.
I just thought the title was an amusing idea.

I… digress… again.

Having the drive to do more and be more is actually a huge pain because I am one HECK of an impatient person and I want to start selling NOW. I want to start making progress NOW. I want to set up book signings and have my next up-and-coming-book finished NOW.

BUT THERE IS NO NOW.

Everything, despite welling drive, has to be taken in steps. One. At. A. Time….

Ugh.

So I’m writing and editing and also working on a publication project right now which is showing me I have a lot to learn about running a business. Thankfully I have a partnership with Emerald Bee Creations. She handles the book covers and does an AMAZING job at it too I might add.

We shall see if I can make as much progress as I hope. Maybe not world-wide, but making enough to live off of would be really nice…

Oh well. Praying for the best, prepared for the worst.

In other news, have you ever heard of the Celtic Goddess of War, the Morrigan? Me neither until recently. Cool stuff. She sounds like a character I’d write about. I came upon her by accident when the song of this post began to play randomly on my spotify list.

So anyway. I kind of wanted to touch base again and make sure y’all knew I was still alive.

Reminder, I deleted Facebook, but I feel a lot calmer without it.

My recreated website for Snow Dragon Publishing llc can be found Here.

Ummm… I think that’s everything for now. Doing a lot of spring cleaning and stuff. My back is a little sore from all of it, but who cares? Three day weekend~

I should make a category for “Still alive” so you guys know it’s a random post. I’ll get back to the more important things soon, don’t worry.

I shall be back.

Until the, take care and keep reading words!

E.L.M.

Good evening, my ride-or-die peoples!

I have officially deleted my Facebook account, so its likely my amount of readers will go down because of that, but it’ll be okay. I don’t miss it. I wasn’t sociable enough for it. I mean, heck, how many people get anxiety from peer pressure every time the birthday of someone you are only acquaintances with popped up? Me?

Yes…

Do you tell them happy birthday, even if you don’t talk to each other ever?

If you ignore them, will they hate you for it?

What do you do???

Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Everyone can go on and age without me knowing. If it’s not on my calendar you can be sure I won’t remember. I lost track of everyone’s ages too. My siblings and I are all getting old now.

I already told all my students in the dojo that I am to remain 25 in the dojo, no older, no younger. Now when anyone asks my age, the higher ranks yell “Twenty-five!” And I thank them and laugh because I keep almost telling people my real age.

For today’s post I just wanted to let you know you can no longer find me on Facebook.

Also, the world is just crazy right now, isn’t it? The plague is fading to be replaced by war.

Any history majors here who can tell us how many times a plague ended right before a war? It’s happened before, right? History repeats itself and all of this stuff going on right now sounds REALLY familiar to me. Is it just me? It feels like this had all happened before.

Well, I digress. Chaos, chaos, chaos, aaaaand coffee.

I’ll take my coffee and toast to these crazy times. It is out of our hands. If God puts any of us in a position to do something then I pray we boldly do as He requests of us.

Also, it’s my birthday month so here’s a relaxing video of a refreshing peach cake.

Om nom nom

I do like peach treats. Not as much as strawberry though.

Man, I should go to bed soon. My cat is trying to climb my chair to come kill me since it’s almost time for her breakfast.

As I was typing that sentence her claws got stuck in my leg.

Oww…

I’m going to watch a video of this woman making a coffee/caramel cake next. Or maybe I should keep writing.

This Blog Post Was Brought To You Today By:
Procrastination!
Avoid All The Things You Need To Do
And Do Something Else Entirely!

Procrastination.

*Happy jingle plays*

Yes, I think I need sleep. My dog is already asleep too. Heck, the cat fell on her and she didn’t even chase her. That’s one heck of a sleepy puppy.

Well, I’m signing off now. God bless. Have a good Sunday.

Ugh… I gotta go back to work tomorrow. Man, I should sleep in. I’m so tired…

Ciao~!

E.L.M.

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Good morning my song reference-getting peoples!!

Whew. Forever ago I had no intention of getting a Facebook profile. I was talked into it to use for marketing purposes when my first book was published. Needless to say, though Facebook is a great way to market, I suck at marketing so it made no difference.

And now I am done. Though my reasons are not the same for everyone, and we all enjoy different platforms, I got tired of all the adds, politics, and pushing that FB has started to do, (plus all the people complaining about FB when you can just leave instead of complain). Yes, you can use it how you want, but no matter what I did these issues popped up and I finally realized, like any toxic relationship, I can just leave.

So I am.

I know a lot of my friends aren’t on there often, which is why I won’t be deleting it until March 4th because I want to make sure those who don’t have my phone number can keep in touch if they want.

Alright. Another reason I’m leaving FB is so I have more things to talk about with people. I realized when I stopped visiting FB people had more to tell me when we met up or texted. It’s really nice to actually speak to people about life events instead of just seeing it posted, ya know? Personally its what I prefer.

To those of you who enjoy my blog, I hope you will follow, (you should get email notifications each time I post. Honestly I started this blog for fun and it seems a lot of people like it).

Ah! While I’m thinking of it:

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED MY BLOG AND ENCOURAGED ME IN ALL MY ENDEAVORS!!! I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU!!!

There. =w= All better. It’s been forever since I’ve thanked all of my peoples.

Also, if you didn’t get the song ref in the title I’ll make it the features song of this post.

Here ya’ go!

But yeah. Times are changing, and I’m doing what I can to change also. I mean, not all of my plans are working out. I lost a lot of self-discipline… sad face…

Oh! My new contacts are as follow:

Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

I also have a Discord but I won’t be sharing that one yet since it’s not very popular, (which is actually a lie since my Twitter is practically a ghost town compared to Discord, but I digress…).

This post was mostly informative. I also wanted to make sure it posts to the new accounts I’ve linked it to.

I hope all of you have a good day. Whew… my weekend is going to be busy…

Take care, my peoples!!!

E.L.M.

Image is free download from Pexels. I do not own and rights to it

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