Random 5 for February 14 – Valentine’s Day, mail, Freshly Pressed, Fitbit, self-control

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Tulips from the beloved husband!

Tulips from the beloved husband!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all – In our house it’s not celebrated in a big way. We are too practical to fall for all the hype. It’s more fun to do special things all year. Still…maybe I’ll have an extra mocha! It’s the little things in life…

Going postal – Our mail deliveries have been erratic. It started before the large snowfall that made getting to mailboxes more difficult. Sometimes our mail is delivered around 7 p.m. or later. Sometimes it’s not really our mail. This time of year those sneaky little tax forms are trying to make their way onto your desk. I may not want them but I don’t want to miss them either.

Discover? – About a week or so ago a fellow blogger had 100 “likes” on an hour-old post. Great writer but that’s pretty incredible. I wondered if the post was Freshly Pressed. (For non-bloggers, Freshly Pressed and its successor Discover highlights well-written blog posts encouraging readership. It’s supposed to be a place where bloggers go to read the really good stuff.) I haven’t visited FP in years as I never find the posts as interesting as the bloggers I follow. FP is gone. There is a new thing called Discover which is similar. She wasn’t there either. When you’re hot, you’re hot!

A Fitbit? Seriously? – One of the women at my gym is sporting a new Fitbit. That’s a good thing, right? Tracks your steps, heart rate and other mysterious things. Excepting….well this person isn’t exactly setting the world on fire with her routines. If the Fitbit included jaw movements, she would be at the head of her class!

Self-control or decadence? — It’s colder than a witch’s tit here. Record breaking cold although breaking records is what we have been doing all winter. Record highs, record snows, now record lows. How about some normal? On my way to Starbucks I considered getting TWO venti coffees (for you newbies, venti is the 20 oz. size). Then I reined myself in. I hate self-control. It gets in the way of fun and decadence.

So how was your week?

Here's Hazel wishing it were spring.

Here’s Hazel wishing it were spring.

 

50 thoughts on “Random 5 for February 14 – Valentine’s Day, mail, Freshly Pressed, Fitbit, self-control”

  1. I’m finally going back and catching up on what I missed during vacation. 100 likes!! WP must work for her followers. One of the things I learned a long time ago is that I’m blogging for fun and hopefully amusing others along the way, otherwise I would go nuts trying to increase my number of followers, likes, comments, etc. I read what I enjoy (and I LOVE your blog of course!) and assume others do the same…

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  2. I love that photo of Hazel looking out the window! I’m glad she’s nice and warm in the house. The frigid temperatures you’ve been experiencing are truly “polar opposite” what we are seeing. It is hotter here than you can imagine in February! It’s truly crazy. And 100 likes in an hour? That is a popular blog!

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  5. Kate … I didn’t realize that Freshly Pressed was passe, and never heard of Discover. That shows you how out of the loop I am.

    I had a FitBit. It lasted about 3 months before it finally gave up the ghost and refused to work. I’d already replaced it once (the company gave me a new one). After the 2nd defection, I figured I didn’t need to know how little I was up and about. 😉

    I’d bore you with our chilly temps in Florida (down to about 29 degrees once, I believe), but I know I’ll get no sympathy from you. Stay warm. ❤

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  6. We are 80 degrees and I’m hating it. My garden still needs rain! Only the cats love it, lying in the sun. Maybe I will plant some seedlings when it’s cooler.

    Our mail is erratic, too. And we have no weather!

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  7. You always have such interesting entries Kate! I liked the one about the FitBit lady who talks more than walks. I tried one of those but kept forgetting to recharge the battery. A regular old pedometer in my pocket seems to serve better. Cccccold here too so I sympathize about winter. Those beautiful tulips must bring a smile though. Lucky lady! Happy Valentines Day – again. 🙂 Dor

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  8. I like that; Valentines Day should be everyday. Not to mention, that rewarding yourself with a Starbucks Mocha is not a bad idea, either. If nothing else, those tax forms will find you for sure, or the IRS will! I’m happy your blogger friend had others find her without assistance. I didn’t realize that Freshly Pressed had went the way of the Dodo—glad it’s extinct though. I always felt it only sought to bore people with mostly writer’s who never seemed to be all that interesting to me. There were, however, a few exceptions worthy of discovery. I’ve never heard of Discover, but maybe they’ll give credit to more interesting writer’s, instead of those they tried to Freshly Press in the past. If there was a Fitbit for jaw movements my wife would say I’m in great shape—your funny, Kate. I hate self-control, too. Probably why I need a Fitbit for my jaw movements. 😀

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  9. LOL at the Fitbit story! She must be over-confident about her achievements.
    Nice photos, Kate! Happy Valentine’s Day, enjoy the beautiful tulips and definitely, go for the decadence!

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  10. Beautiful tulips– they like the Groundhog they mean warmer weather is coming. The “Discover” features don’t seem to be the same as the Freshly Pressed ones, and in particular I’m noticing that some aren’t within the WordPress family proper. They have expanded the criteria a bit, which I find confusing.

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  12. Your tulips are beautiful! A great reminder of warmth on this bitter cold day! I returned my Fitbit. Not sure if was me or the device that wasn’t functioning properly! I was sure it was the device, so back it went!!!!!!

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  14. So your mail is sluggy too. That makes me feel better. I’m big into Valentine’s Day, even though I don’t have one, but like Patti Smith wrote in M Train, when you don’t have one, you have many. I got cards from several people that made me feel purr-ritty good.

    Favorite line. Fitbit included jaw movements, she would be at the head of her class! Elle has one she’s having a mad affair with. Sometimes a girl just needs a gadget.

    Love the picture of Miss Hazel who’s looking awfully svelte. 🙂

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    • I would have liked a better profile shot. I took at least 15 and this was the best. She is the most uncooperative cat. Thanks for your encouragement. I found the thing on my camera that allows me to take “rapid” or “continuous” shots but with the flash they are not all that rapid. I will try that today.

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  16. Colder than a witch’s tit. Hahaha. Cracked me up. I used to check FP when I was new…. I honestly didn’t understand how some of the blogs got chosen. Luck? Sexual favors? They new someone who worked for WP? Who knows. I’ve looked at the Discover once or twice since it came around. They really should choose a blogger to pick the posts. I agree – I read stuff here WAY better/entertaining than what they pick! It’s sad lol

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  17. I gave up on reading Freshly Pressed years ago, too. To put it politely, I think the editors who chose the FP posts are not from planet earth, so they find the most mundane/peculiar things interesting! As for 100 likes per hour, that sounds like a new kind of spam to me. I wouldn’t take it too seriously, no matter how much it made me feel loved.

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    • When I was looking for FP, I found Discover and it had the editors listed with pictures. None are over 30. They may throw the occasional bone to the older crowd but we are not in their demographics (as the marketers would say). The day I looked, there were two articles on Beyoncé and her half time show. Seriously? Two? As for stats, I never get hung up on them. I follow a blogger with over 5000 followers (yes 5000!). The posts never get more than very low double digit likes and few comments. Where are all these followers? I’m more about the conversation than the numbers.

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      • Kate, interesting. I’ve never looked up who the editors are, but it all makes sense now. I agree about the stats, posts that generate engagement are of more value than the number of [alledged] followers! Friends, not fans, ‘ya know?

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