Happy Thought

Being more productive with my blog.

Though I need to keep all my thoughts about it in one place. I like Evernote since I can add new entries while offline and Trello because of the better organization but I need to be online for it.

I still use a pencil and paper to write down my ideas because in the past I've had an idea and by the time I've unlocked my iPod I've forgotten a part of it.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

In an effort to keep myself better organized I installed Google Chrome onto my iPod Touch. While I still write down events, to-do's, and other reminders (just like Dad) I don't always carry that piece of paper or the calendar on refrigerator with me.

I don't like that if I delete a folder from my desktop bookmarks on the iPod version, it deletes them from my Mac or Chromebook as well so I'll have to be careful. I should copy certain saved links and put them in my Mobile Bookmark folder and use just those. This way I won't be tempted to check Facebook, Twitter and other distractions. I was signed up for the Bored and Brilliant program, but leaving my Location on was draining the battery.

Honestly, once I had removed my social media apps, I wasn't checking them as much as I was. I just need to exert more self-control and not check my Desktop Bookmarks when I have a wifi signal.

If You Didn't Write It Down, It Didn't Happen

The title of this post is one the best pieces of advice I've gotten in my lifetime, and it never held truer till yesterday.

As I was getting ready to run errands, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Thinking out loud to myself, I had a idea for this Sunday's blog which made me happy. I even said, I should write it down now, then changed my mind to do it afterwards.

I got distracted with other thoughts, and putting my wallet, keys, and phone into pockets. So the idea never physically manifested onto paper or my iPod. One of my thoughts was to enable Siri so I could keep track for the future.

I'm hoping I remember it again.

Emergency Repair Procedure Number One

While I didn't kick it, I did reboot my Kindle Fire this afternoon. The trouble started last night, I was eager to watch The Wolf of Wall Street but the Netflix app kept giving me a No Data, Retry message. I signed out and back in, with the same result.

Next I tried shutting down the Kindle, but after powering up I was still couldn't get past the message. At this point I checked my iPod Touch to see if it was an issue with the Netflix servers. There I was able to log in without an issue, but I didn't feel like watching a 3 hour movie on it's tiny screen.

I decided to remove the Netflix app from the Kindle to re-install it, and I ran into another problem. The Kindle App Store couldn't find it! I decided to try Netflix on the Kindle's web, and after checking 'yes, keep loading' despite the security warnings, it couldn't load the movie.

At this point I decided to shut it off, and reset the device today. I watched the movie on my Google Chromebook. It was a bit of balancing act since I didn't want to cover the air vents while I watched the movie. I'm not sure how much battery power was at the beginning of the movie, however after 3 hours it was at 54 percent.

The Wolf of Wall Street was good, while Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill were great in their roles. It was more about the debauchery and not about how he ripped people off.

Sleeping Better

Lifehacker.com recently posted an article about not checking your clock when you wake up during the night so you’ll sleep better.

http://lifehacker.com/resist-the-urge-to-check-the-clock-for-a-better-nights-1614609266

I decided to try it last week, and I felt better on the first day. First off, the digital clock I was using has a red display. At night, this would cast a glow in my bedroom. Red is not a pleasant color to try and fall asleep to.

I keep my iPod Touch next to me, but I resisted the urge to check it when I woke up during the night.

Usually I wake up at 2 or 3 A.M. and go right back to sleep. Then I’ll wake up at 4/4:30 A.M. That’s when I stay up since I get out of bed at 5 to make coffee and breakfast, then get ready for work.

I think the removal of the red light clock was the most beneficial. Not only was checking the time worthless, but by not rolling over to look, I would go back to sleep.