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Reading is a relaxing activity that allows you to live in a different place and time for a while. There are many genres on the market that can hold your attention and keep you entertained. Here are some popular themes to consider.

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Do you daydream of star travel or science just beyond reality’s grip? If so, then you just might have what it takes to be a science fiction writer. If you’re considering writing cosmic fiction or stores that take technology down exciting new avenues, there are a few things you want to keep in mind when you’re just starting out.

Being a book lover myself, I would have to say my #1 fear is running out of space for keeping my books. And I'm referring to printed books! I don't have have a problem with eBooks as they're way too easy to store.

Last year, I went through my library (a.k.a. - bookshelves and closets), boxed up many books that I no longer wanted and donated them to a local Salvation Army. At the time, I felt pretty good as I finally gotten rid of books that no longer intrigued me and uncluttered two closets. Fast forward to the present, where I have replaced most of the books with new ones. My tastes in books have changed in the last two years, so I have started collection different genres. Well, not exactly new ones as most of them are used books. While my reading collection might seem small to some readers, for me it seems quite large due to limited storage space.

As industrialization and modernization has mad dour lives easier, it has also made it less livable at the same time. Increased pollution, deteriorating air and water quality and climate changes have made us all more vulnerable to diseases and allergies. Water remains an important lifeline but unfortunately, one can only dream of finding clean and pure water in their pipelines. Usually, it’s simply hard water that is not only unfit for human consumption, but also results in faded laundry, skin allergies, and limes ale buildups.

Everyone needs to forgive me for taking 20 days to post my first Monday Morning Madness of the year. It's already been a busy year for me so far, which has included snow/ice storms, the flu bug, a blog redesign (more on that later in this post), unwanted weight gain, a broken dryer. On the plus side, the KC Chiefs won the AFC Championship yesterday!

2019 is nearly over and it's time for us "book nerds" to start thinking about what we are going to do with all of our books in 2020!

My dream is to one day own a big house just so I can have one room to be my personal library. Honestly, I'm getting sick and tired of searching through closets to find a specific book. It would be nice to have all of my books in one giant room!

Below I've put together my 5 favorite "Home Trends for Book Nerds"for 2020.

Most book nerds have their books stored on the cheap laminated bookcases that you have either purchased at Walmart or Target. While these types of bookcases are an affordable option, they're poorly constructed and over time time the shelves will become warped due to the weight of the books. Steel bookcases are a better option. They're built to last longer and can withstand 90lbs of books per shelf! The only downside is the price for a 36" W x 12" D x 60" H  bookcase with 5 shelves can set you back over $200.

A library should be the quietest place in your home, a place where you can read peacefully, preferably with a cup of coffee handy. However, you need a really comfortable reading chair, but don't get one too comfy as you don't want to fall asleep while reading. So don't pick a chair that reclines!

Traditional libraries either have wooden or leather chairs, which the latter is the most comfortable but can be a bit pricey depending on the quality and brand. Nevertheless, leather chairs will look great in your library.

Every home library needs solid lighting in order for you to read. Almost everyone uses some sort of lamp, mostly likely a floor one, but with bookshelves covering most of the library's walls, there's probably not enough room for too many electrical outlets. Putting LED lights in ceiling can work but the option can make the room dark in areas. Natural light is the best route to go, which can be achieved by adding a lantern roof. There are variety of lantern roofs styles so you need to pick the best one that suits your library.

Once again, Christmas is nearly here and once again I'm finding myself being single. Now I'm not saying being single is necessarily a bad thing but it does get a little depressing around the holidays, which has resulted in my many sleepless nights for me. When I cannot sleep, I either watch television or read a book. Unfortunately, there's not much on late night cable except for the low-budget romantic Christmas movies and the majority of my book collection is in the romantic genre so instead of reading or watching a film, I'm writing this rambling in the hopes of clearing my mind.

Why do humans have the need to be in a relationship, besides for reproducing?

Honestly, I don't have a clue to the answer. Maybe it's because we just want someone to love us for being ourselves, if that makes absolutely any sense to anyone besides me! Or maybe it's just the need for companionship; you know, someone to spend grow old with and all that jazz.

My loneliness could be easily solved if I just put myself out there and start dating. However, dating isn't as easy for me as it is for everyone else due to my anxiety and shyness issues, which is something I've talked about a few times on this blog over the years. I've tried and failed at online dating in the past, which was more or less my own fault for not making first contact with potential matches, as I've already mentioned – I'm shy, even when typing a message. Anyway, I ended up deleting my profile within a few days with the thought that there isn't anyone out there for me.

However, I've been told by a few people “not to give up” so I might have to give the online dating thing another try. And I keep hearing about couples who met online so maybe there's a chance for me after all. There question is where or not I should put a profile on the same website, Plenty of Fish, or try a different one. Trust me, there's plenty of dating sites out there in just about any and every niche you can imagine. There's free dating sites and then there's paid sites. There's international ones, such as Buckinghamshire Dating Site and Elite Singles; though I'll probably stick to somewhere closer to my location as long-distant relationships never work out, at least in my personal experiences they don't.

After living through the scorching summer, I was looking forward to the cool autumn weather but, unfortunately, that did not occur. It seems Jack Frost himself has taken over the weather from Mother Nature as temperatures are currently in the 30s and all the local meteorologist now have snow in their forecasts for Halloween!!!

From the looks at things, it's going to be an early, long winter and I, for one, need to get myself prepared for the cold weather by dragging my coats out of the closet and getting them cleaned. I did have a set of flannel sheets but they didn't make if through their final wash last winter and ended up being trashed. While flannel sheets are great way to stay warm during the cold nights, I'm not a big fan of them. The last set I owned gave my skin the willies. I don't know.. there's just something about the materials used that my skin doesn't like very much.

I believe my best option would be an electric mattress pad or blanket. I've been looking at a Micro Flannel Quilted Electric Blanket and the Micro Flannel Heated Mattress Pad on Cozy Winters, a web store that has tons of winter related items, such as heated pet beds, heated doghouse, heated vest, foot warmers, heated hoodie, electric glove, snow removal products, and winter sports equipment. And, of course, they have household items, such as heated blankets and mattress pads, like I already mentioned about.

I'm always a little skeptical when ordering bedding or clothing from online store as most of the time what I believe is the correct size happens to be wrong size for that particular item. Plus, ordering from a new website for the first time can be a little scary for any customer. The good news there's a page on this store's website just for Cozy Winters reviews, which are written by real customers and these reviews seem to be mostly positive. 😀

Is everyone else already prepared for the early winter weather?

As October nears its end for 2019, I came to the revelation that many cable channels here in the United States will being playing countless marathons of cheesy Christmas themed romantic movies. I for one intend on ignoring these types of movies and it has nothing to due with the fact that most of them are cheaply made with bad acting. My reason for not wanting to watch warm and fuzzy flicks is because they're kind of depressing when you are single, like me. The last thing I want to do is watching a sappy movie about two strangers falling in love.

Personally, I have absolutely nothing against romance! Believe it or not, men actually like to have a little bit of romance in their lives, especially around the holidays when it's cold outside and you just want to snuggle up with a lovely woman in front of a warm fireplace. Or in layman's terms – you're wanting companionship.

There are only 32 days until Thanksgiving and 59 days until Christmas Day. So what are you waiting for? There's no time like the present to put yourself out there in the dating world. I know... I know... I know dating can be a scare experiencee as there are many odd ducks out there but there are also many single women in the world who are looking for the same companionship as you.

Between work, kids (if you have any), paying bills, walking the dog, running errands, and whatever else is in your life, you probably either don't have the time and/or energy to go out on Friday or Saturday nights to a bar or nightclub. The good news is that you now live in the internet age where you don't even have to leave your home or put on pants (I'm joking!) to find a potential date, companion, or love interest. Thanks to the internet you're just a swipe away from finding a date or soulmate just by using your cell phone, tablet, or notebook.

Don't act clueless as you're more than likely known what I'm talking about!

I started 2019 with a goal to eat healthier and exercise daily but, unfortunately, that didn't come to function. At one point in time, I was lifting weights several times a week and I had lost a few pounds. However, everything came to a halt when my grandmother had to placed into a nursing home. Thanks to my an aunt, an uncle, and tons of cousins who refused to help, the task of boxing up my grandmother's belongings from her apartment and moving them to a storage unit came down to my mother and me. During that time, I was exerting myself a bit too much, so I put exercising on pause. It was meant to be a temporary thing but as of today I haven't started up my exercise routine again.

What's holding me back?

Well, thanks to allergies, really bad migraines, depression, and so on and so forth, I've haven't had the desire to diet or exercise. However, I need to start doing something. I've gotten to a point to either I buy bigger clothes or lose weight!

Tomorrow morning, I'll be kicking off a new exercise routine. As of right now, I'm not exactly sure what that routine is going to include. Probably 30 minutes on a stationary bike and some sort of cardio exercise, such as Tae Bo or Core De Fore.

As for eating, I thinking of starting a high-protein ketogenic diet. Over the summer, I watched dozens Youtube videos on ketogenic dieting so I'm wanting to try it out. A ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. Lowering carbs will put your body in a metabolic state called ketosis. It will make your body turn fat into ketones which supplies energy to the brain. So, basically, it means your body will burn body fat into energy faster.

I normally take at least a multi-vitamin when I'm on a a dieting and exercising program. And that's exactly what I'll be doing when I'm on the ketogenic diet. However, I might have to look into buying a Bhb salts supplement, such as Ketond BioMax.

When the general public discusses the behind-the-scenes aspects of a movie, they often mention the actors and director. One understated, but important, position is the film producer. While some producers are well-known directors and stars, such as Steven Spielberg and Mel Brooks, others such as Kathleen Kennedy, Kevin Fiege and Heather Parry have dedicated themselves almost entirely to production.

Film producers are heavily involved throughout the making of a project, from planning and pre-production to post-production and release. As a result, they often assume a variety of roles and tasks through each stage.

Development

The pre-production stage of a film is perhaps the busiest time for producers. For the most part, this is where they get the initiative to start a project and assemble the right cast and crew for its development. Producers are always looking for the next source for a successful film. They mostly go through scripts curated by a professional script reader, but also get ideas from books or established intellectual properties. Producers must also attract the best director for the script and work with the director to find fitting actors. Finally, they must secure funding if it is not a studio production, as well as create an overall plan for budget and filming schedule.

Production

Now that most of the cast and crew is assembled and the major decisions have been made, the role of producers may be less involved as it was in the beginning. The producers select people that are responsible and self-reliant, so ideally, they can work without producer supervision. Still, producers oversee the film that is shot daily and work with the director to make small changes from time to time. When cast or crew members get into a dispute, the producers may intervene and attempt to diffuse and resolve the situation. They may also get involved if the established schedule or budget change too much during production.

 

Post-Production

Has anyone ever read the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E. L. James?

Way back in 2012, I had worked with the startup eBook gift card company (which sadly no longer exists) and in exchange for a post about the the company, I received an eBook gift card of my choosing and I ended up getting Fifty Shades of Grey as there was big buzz around the romance series at the time. A little bit later, I worked with an adult toy website on a few blog posts and was compensated with a few promo codes which I used to buy Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. I had planned on reading the trilogy, but I didn't get around to it due to other obligations.

After the first feature film adaptation was announced, I started hearing a lot of negative things about the books, especially with how the BDSM was represented in the relationship between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. Despite a lot controversy, the first novel sold over 125 million copies and has been printed in 52 languages. Two other additional books, Grey and Darker, were later published, which just retold Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker from the point-of-view of Christian Grey.

Eventually, I did attempt to read Fifty Shades of Grey but I had major issues with the quality of the writing by E. L. James. Plus, I just couldn't connect with the character Anastasia. I ended up removing the book from my Kindle. As for the sequels, I donated them to a thrift store along with some other books.

Earlier this month, I had watched the 2018 thriller Bad Times at the El Royale on HBO which co-stars Dakota Johnson, the same actress who played Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades film series. It was the first film I had seen Dakota in and I liked her performance. Now I'm kinda interested in watching the Fifty Shades film series.

Should I read the books before watching the movies?

Music is a common language. In formative years for children, music plays an integral role in building routine, opening imagination, and communicating moods and feelings even when words cannot. Music education is an incredibly valuable way to build character from infancy through teen years. Take a look at the many benefits of music education and consider music lessons Boston.

Build Discipline 

Learning to play a musical instrument can be extremely rewarding, but it first requires a remarkable amount of discipline. Music education fosters routine while establishing the need for practice. Children might be dismayed by the repetitive nature of practicing an instrument, but getting through this struggle will yield fantastic results. The discipline and focus required to pursue any form of music education can be applied to many other facets of life further down the road. In fact, many studies have shown that ability in music and ability in math tend to go hand-in-hand.

Build Coordination 

Especially in younger children, playing an instrument can help improve fine motor skills. Familiarizing a young person with an instrument allows them to explore hand-eye coordination, learn about ear-hand coordination, and expand overall auditory awareness. Young music students start to absorb concepts like repetition and rhythm before they are even identifying just what these concepts are in the scope of music.

Literacy and Language 

Confused?

Thinking of “To be or not to be?”

Are you perplexed about adorning a nice time piece on your wrist? You think people will judge you for being old school, old fashioned and out dated. Or perhaps the technology advancement has eradicated the need to wear a wrist watch just because you own a smart phone.

But isn’t it impolite to keep checking out your phone while in a conversation with someone, or at a party where all of your focus should be among the folks present or even at a meeting where there are high professionals present and you need to know what time is it, now would it not be unprofessional as well as indecorous to take out your phone just to check the time and get noticed. Yes you heard us right, all we mean to say is- not always everything thing can be suitably used everywhere. Classics will always remain classics.

Their elegance and opulence will continue to admire and impress people simultaneously. So here in this article we bring some radical and imperative reasons to convince you to start wearing a timepiece again. Have a look!

REASONS TO WEAR A WRIST WATCH

 

ACCESSORY

Unlike women, men have a very few and almost inconsiderable choices when it comes to accessorizing oneself. Women on the other hand, can mix and match a plethora of ornaments to come out triumphant in creating a catchy look. Whereas, men miserably fail to do so due to the lack of choices.

One of the scanty numbers of ornaments men can accessorize themselves with is wearing a wrist watch. Be it a sports watch or a formal timepiece like Cartier tank, it is advisable to put it on to bring some classiness and drama to your persona. A watch is a timeless and functional accessory that can make or break a man’s personality big time.

PROFESSION

Whether you work in the corporate world where you are required to dress up formally or your job gives the leverage to dress down a little, you will need to tell the time anyway. Just like we stated earlier, having a watch on your wrist is far a subtle way to check the time rather than pulling out your phone in a gathering of numerous highly qualified professionals.

FUNCTION

When it comes to personal protection, it can be difficult to know where to start. While violent crime may be declining, you never know when you may need to protect yourself. As a civilian, you may not have the skills needed to defend yourself against an attacker. A lightweight ballistic shield can offer you and your family the protection you need to stay safe during dangerous events.

The Defense You Need

It is important to know you have something to protect yourself that is durable and reliable. A personal tactical ballistic shield is made from state of the art materials and is lightweight, easy to carry, and even easier to store. Not only is it designed with comfort in mind, you can often customize your shield with artwork or a logo that will allow you to display it while keeping it within easy reach. Your personal ballistic shield can become your personal promise to do everything you can to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Tried and True Protection

Personal ballistic shields are designed to keep you safe and secure, and a shield is no use if you don’t know if it works properly. You can rest easy knowing your shield has undergone rigorous testing to ensure maximum protection for you and your loved ones. These lightweight shields have been put through a variety of tests intended to assess strength and efficiency. You are virtually guaranteed to find an option that provides the greatest protection and portability when choosing your own lightweight ballistic shield.

If party planning doesn't come naturally to you, it can feel like a very stressful process. This is especially true for parents who are naturally introverted. However, it's important for your child to socialize and create memories. If your child is at the age where they can verbalize that they'd like to have a party, make it happen. Consider the following ways you can make sure your child has an amazing party.

1. Create an itinerary.

A timeline will help you to make sure there's no lull in the party. If the party is from 4 to 6 pm, make sure that there's entertainment to last that time. Write down when you'd like to cut the cake, serve the food and play different games. If things are running late, you can adjust. However, it's best to make sure the kids are entertained during the time they're at your child's birthday party.

2. Determine what the menu and decor will look like.

Think about what your child's favorite foods are. It's also wise to consider your budget, allergies and preparation. If it's a lot easier to order a ton of pizzas, that's totally fine. Then, you can focus on purchasing large bags of chips, trays of cookies and the birthday cake. Ask your child what they'd like the theme to be. The theme will help you decide whether you should include inflatables new jersey or another option.

3. Solicit help.

When I hear the words "artificial intelligence," I think of Skynet from the Terminator movies. I know what you're thinking, and, yes, I'm well aware that it's just science fiction and not real life.

Why do I have artificial intelligence on my mind?

As many of my reader already know, recently I had a family emergency involving my grandmother. Well, actually there were two emergencies to more precise! So my family has had to deal with hospitals and now a nursing home, which has lead me to learn more about healthcare.

Believe it or not hospitals now have the ability to use artificial intelligence, such as QuartzClinical, which is a cloud-based healthcare data analytics platform. This type of artificial intelligence uses big data to help monitor hospital performances. Overtime, machine learning can help hospitals lower costs while providing excellent quality healthcare to their patients.

Ever since we were little kids, we have been encouraged to read on our own, as it helps us to learn how to spell, develop a rich vocabulary, enhances our imaginations, improve our writing skills,  and encourages us to do better in our school work. However, as we grow older, we make excuses not to read and become distracted by television, phones, tablets, and laptops. This isn't a good thing! While we might not be as young as we used to be, we still can receive great benefits from reading!

Reading Reduces Stress

Reading a good book can help you unwind after a stressful day.

As an adult, we have to deal with paying bills, family emergencies, relationships problems, raising kids, running countless errands, and so on & so on... With all the chaos of our day-to-day lives, our stress levels can go through the roof, which can lead to high blood pressure, insomnia, and even depression. Taking the time out to read for fifteen minutes or more per day can help you relax.

Alex from TrustedCare agrees, "reading in later years is great for the mind. From stimulating reads to page turners, reading can improve memory, reduce stress and improve focus and concentration. With local libraries and book clubs running, it can be a great avenue to increase social interaction."

Reading Improves Memory

One of the many downsides about getting older is that we will eventually forget things. It could be because of old age in general or you could have dementia or Alzheimer’s.  Reading is one of the best neurologically activities. It's a great brain challenging exercise that will help stock up your neurons, which can delay Alzheimer's from destroying them. So keep your brain active by reading an entertaining book, which will help prevent memory loss.

Reading Can Help You Sleep Better

Your wedding day is going to be a whirlwind of experiences and moments that you may struggle to remember. While you might assume that after months of planning, there is no way you would forget even a moment of your big day, the reality is that your wedding will be a busy, stressful, exciting, and emotional day that will go by in the blink of an eye. This is why we always recommend that couples invest in the best possible photographer they can afford.

 Your photographer will be able to capture moments that you may have missed or may have forgotten. They will be there to capture your groom’s eyes when he first sees you walk down the aisle, your friends laughing together over appetizers, and your parents smiling fondly at you as you have your first dance. They will also be there to capture some fun moments with you and your bridesmaids.

If you and your girls are prone to some fun with your photos, then here are some memorable bridesmaid photo ideas you can do with your bridesmaids:

Show everyone how you met

This is a great idea if many of your bridesmaids met you at different points in your life. Have them hold decorated mini blackboards that each say how you met and have them hold them around you.

Create a tunnel for the bride’s entrance

When you’re just about ready to walk down the aisle, have your bridesmaids line up and create a tunnel with their raised arms for you to walk through with your photographer at the other end. This sweet photo is playful and visually interesting.

Do a ‘first look’ shot

At the heart of any DCC station is the command center. Many people who are new to this technology may not know the facts behind these devices so this article will be a basic breakdown. A throttle command sends signals which are relayed to the main device. The device then proceeds to process the signals and then after this, they create a standardized packet of DCC information that is then sent to the decoders on the main unit. The DCC command center does not do any of the actual work, they are more or less there to direct traffic.

When DCC was first created, the devices were of a standalone nature. There were two pieces that were essential to the technology and the success of the device. These were the command center and the booster. Connected to the command station was the throttle network. The booster connected itself to the command station output. The output that the booster put forth was connected to the DCC track. However, in the early 1990s, there was a new invention in that the two separate units were combined into one single device. By blending them into one single device, the cost of the technology was actually reduced by about 20%. The nickname of the command station was used in conjunction with this new integrated device and subsequently stuck.

The only drawback was that the nce DCC command station needed a booster to actually operate. This when a further integrated unit, one which combined the booster into the command center, was invented. This new technology went a long way toward maximizing power.