Midweek Reflection on Wasting Time

I do surveys, but sometimes it feels as if I'm wasting my time. I feel this way when I do survey after survey without earning any points or cash in my account. At other times I do the survey, earn the points and then wonder if the time I took to do the survey was worth it for the amount of points or cash I earn. When this happens I get frustrated and then I get depressed. I have writing and editing to complete, but doing the surveys gets in the way because it takes so long to complete a survey for so little reward. 

There are other times when I do surveys and don't feel I'm wasting my time. At these times it doesn't seem to matter how long it takes or how little the reward. I'm not sure why this is, but it could have something to do with my financial situation. It could also be the time of the month especially when I know I have money coming out of my checking account and I'm not sure if I have money to cover it. Doing the surveys frustrates me in the first and last weeks of a month. 

I think the best thing to do is withdraw from some of the surveys groups, especially those that I can earn cash or points toward cash. Sometimes I find something I want to save my points toward other than cash, but not often. Cash I can have transferred to my PayPal account and then directly to my checking or savings account. Merchandise I have to make sure I'm home when it's delivered which is sometimes inconvenient. I think I'll make a list of the survey groups I want to stick with and then withdraw from the others. 

Surveys can be fun 

And sometimes they're frustrating 

Is it my mood or the time of month? 

Sunday Speculations - To Blog or Not to Blog that is the Question

I'm making an entry today because I've managed to mess up the every-other-day routine of blog entries. I'm behind on most everything because I let worry overtake me. When worry overtakes then depression sits in.  The only thing I seem to worry about lately is money and the weird thing is that by the end of the month I'm almost caught up. I always end up with on item that I have to put off for a few day, but somehow I always find the money for it. I'm not sure if that pattern will hold in September or not. 

The problem always comes down to the internet bill. I have my internet, landline, and television bundled. I've been thinking of giving up the land line, but that isn't going to make much of a difference. I decided to call my provider on Monday to see if I changing over to WiFi would make the bill any cheaper. That way I could get rid of the landline, get the WiFi and keep the television the way  it is. I can't think of anything else to do (well I can, but that means getting help from relative who's already helping me with the rent). 

Anyway the question comes down "To blog or not to blog". I once thought I could make money from blogging, but that hasn't been working out for me lately. In fact that hasn't been working out for the last year or so. I haven't even been able to use my smartphone for anything else except calling because I don't have any data. I get the phone minutes free, but I have to pay for the data. The problem is that I haven't had the money to for the data so it ran out about a month ago. 

I'm going to post this now. Writing about the problem helps overcome the worry and find a solution to the problem. I'll check my smartphone account to see where I can purchase a data card here in Las Vegas. I've been using the money I earn on surveys to put in my checking account, but I might change that to using that money to purchase data. 

Thoughtful Tuesday: It rained last night – A Poem

It rained last night in Las Vegas, 

A gentle rain that didn't wake me up 

With lightning and thunder. 

It rained last night 

When I went for my morning walk 

I noticed the puddle of water 

Under the rental sign 

Hanging from the roof of my apartment building. 

It rained last night, 

It didn't rain hard enough 

To push the trash either East or West 

On Sunrise Avenue. 

It rained last night 

Clearing the air 

And refreshing the morning. 

Ten Things To Write, Edit or Do During The Week of August 21 to August 27, 2016

1. Edit Chapter 4 of Scavengers. 
2. Edit Chapter 5 of Scavengers 
3. Enter writing.com contest for I Write in August-September-October Challenge 
4. Work on Project Write World poem 
5. Finish story 21 of 44 
6. Start story 22 of 44 
7. Purchase more data for my smartphone 
8. Pick up meds at Smith's Food and Drug store 
9. Review stories or poem on writing.com 
10. Research mythological monsters for my September edition of the writing.com fantasy newsletter 

Midweek Reflections on Walking and Writing

I started to write an entry on medication, but changed my mind. I've got my medication schedule in working order. It's my writing schedule I'm stumbling over.  Usually I don't get half of what I want to write written. Today I might do better because I woke up earlier. For the last week or so I've awakened about 6:30 or 7:00 AM which means I don't get my walk until about 7:30 or 8:00. That's a little late to take a walk because that's when Las Vegas starts to heat up. 

This morning I went for my walk around 6:00 AM. My neighborhood is cooler with less people running or walking around. If I go earlier I can walk faster. Walking faster is one of my walking goals. Another of my walking goals is to find something interesting or weird to write about. The only thing unusual I saw this morning was a shuttle bus turning around in the middle of 21st Street. I don't know whether the driver turned onto 21st just to turn the shuttle around or whether he was supposed to pick someone up. If her was supposed to pick someone up he didn't wait very long after honking his horn. 

Writing on the Second Thursday of August 2016

I write therefore I am! I blog therefore I am! I give thanks for being able to write and to blog. This is the second Thankful Thursday in August 2016, which means I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful that I am still alive and writing. Considering the condition of the world today that is something to include in my Thankful Thursday Gratitude list. 

On Monday, I went to the bank and the grocery store. I had to deposit a check and pick up a prescription. This meant that I had to get into the car drive to the bank then to Smith's Food and  Drug Store. I am thankful that I arrived safely at both the bank and the grocery store. I am also thankful that I arrived safely back home. I am thankful that I had the cash in my purse to pay for the prescriptions because I didn't want to use my debit card that day. In fact I am attempting not to use my debit card for at least the rest of the week. 

Midweek Reflection on an August Morning

Smoke from California wildfires 

Make morning hazy 

Blow across the valley from west to east 

I took a thirty minute walk this morning. It is getting easier to walk around half of the block so I think I will try taking another circle either Thursday or Friday morning. If I make two circle around the block the I will have to begin brewing my coffee before I take may walk that way I can have coffee immediately when I return. 

I had an interesting dream earlier this morning. In the dream I was writing Summer Olympic poems. Yesterday evening I wrote an acrostic poem called Gymnastics about the 2016 summer games.  The gymnastic programs are the only parts of the summer Olympic games I care to watch. I prefer the winter Olympic  games and watch more of those programs. 

Thankful Thursday: A Poem

I am thankful that 

Last night at midnight it rained 

Cooled Las Vegas heat 

Monday: A Poem

It's Monday 

The humidity is approximately 26% 

The temperature somewhere between 99 and 105 degrees 

A sweltering day in  Las  Vegas 

I just want to remain indoors  

Listening to the air conditioner's hymn.