I had to rant today about the waste of human potential that is busywork. Over the past election cycle, there was much talk from vaunted economists across the news shows about economic policies to stimulate the economy in a way that amounts to paying people to 'dig ditches and fill them up again.' And lo, over the past several years, I have been stopped countless times in long lines for road construction where people are literally digging ditches and filling them up again. (Most of the roads had already been recently resurfaced and were in fine shape.) A sign usually stands nearby proudly declaring: "Your Tax Dollars At Work." I am not impressed.
The idea seems to be that the government wants to pump money into people's hands so they buy more things and stimulate the economy. That may a fine strategy and am not debating it here, but if that's their objective, why give people busywork to take up all of their daylight hours in the process? Why waste their energy like that, their creativity? It's an insult to human ingenuity not to mention productivity.
If you truly intend to stimulate the economy with the true spirit of freedom, instead of paying people to burn energy (busywork), offer a grant to people who present a reasonably viable entrepreneurial strategy. Why not essentially give them a boost to start their own business? The very material prospect of receiving funds if you can come up with a business model would encourage people to really think about what they could offer. It would engage people's creativity, their enthusiasm, their true hope for what they can contribute to the future.
Some new businesses may indeed fail, but the experience for those new entrepreneurs would still be incredibly valuable, and would help inform better strategies for their future endeavors, whatever they may be. And at the end of the day, a failed attempt at starting a business would leave that person (and the environment) no worse off than if they had spent that energy digging a ditch and filling it up again. Regardless of the outcome, it would encourage a certain spirit of integrity, ownership, and authenticity.
And many of these new businesses would succeed, many by filling a demand for a currently unoffered service. Who knows where that creativity could lead? What unexpected options it could bring to the economy? More options and more stability. I suppose this general idea of an entrepreneurial spirit is similar to microcredit or microfinance in that it sees the dignity and value in what the 'masses' have to offer.
Busywork is bad enough for children and teens as a kind of 'babysitting' in schools, but it continues in subtle ways through adulthood with different fancy sounding names like: Keynesian economic policies. Is it to bamboozle people, or do the policy makers not realize how amazing people are if given the chance to think? Busywork treats adults like children; assuming they won't do anything productive if left to their own devices. We can do better! People can be amazing if given the chance, and especially if given incentive to be inventive. Get the creative juices flowing!
End of rant - thank you. :)
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Practical Tips for Creative Minds
Contents
Opposed to Busywork
Volunteering : For the Win!
Buying Food In Bulk
Health Insurance Strategy : Updated
Word Power
The Wonders of Eucalyptus Oil
Photo: Morning On Mount Rainier
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Volunteering : For the Win!
I had forgotten the many benefits of volunteering, but recently remembered it was one of the lessons I'd taught myself way back during high school. I remember spontaneously deciding to volunteer to help setup the photography darkroom before class: I wanted to learn about how to mix the chemicals and learn more of the 'behind the scenes' technical details about the equipment. Not only did I gain the sense of satisfaction from reliably setting up the darkroom so we could all produce our creations, but I ended up establishing a much stronger relationship with the photo teachers on the campus. In that position, you can't help but learn random tips and tricks along the way: hearing about photo contests, learning about new equipment or techniques you would have never thought to even ask about, and other opportunities here and there.
One of the big bonuses happened after I graduated: my college charged a prohibitive fee for their darkroom usage (I was going to put all photography on hiatus), but due to the connections I had established with the high school photo teachers, I was able to continue using my old high school darkroom and other photo equipment all throughout my undergraduate years. :) I don't think there would have been any way I could have negotiated to use the high school darkroom during my college days if I hadn't volunteered there during my time as a student. Valuable life lesson!
Producer Not Consumer
Since I'm in the process of starting a new career, I've cut back on membership to places around town that I love visiting, but can't justify the expense right now. I recently realized that volunteering at these places is a wonderful way to continue my involvement 'for free' and even significantly enhance the experience by meeting the people behind the scenes and learning so much more than I would as a paying customer. We're talking botanical gardens, wildlife reserves, nature parks, museums, galleries ... Whatever your interest, I highly recommend investigating volunteer opportunities. When there's so much conditioning nowadays to be a consumer, it's very refreshing to realize when you are volunteering, you have become a producer of what you love.
Foot In The Door
When trying to break into a difficult industry (publishing, photography, ...), volunteering drastically reduces your cost to an organization. Maybe some training overhead, but otherwise you position yourself as a no-risk trial run for what could turn into a career down the road. It's a gesture of goodwill, and people are generally so appreciative for the help of someone with initiative and drive to learn. It's a nice change of pace from a 'job' environment. And if it's not something you really are enjoying after all, you are the one in the driver's seat who can try something else without drama. Hopefully though, if you are a good fit for that environment and prove yourself reliable and fun to work with, you will probably be on their A-list and the first to know about any job opportunities or other 'insider' insights. If nothing else, you are in a great position to make some strong networking contacts.
Networking and Opportunity
Many times, it's the people you meet and unexpected opportunities you hear about that make the largest long term impact on your life, rather than a short term paycheck. That's where volunteering comes in. With your wider range of contacts, you hear about random opportunities, tips, and other insights that might not have otherwise crossed your path. Many times in life it's who you know that leads to 'lucky' breakthroughs, and volunteering at something you love to do can help shine a light on opportunities there you didn't know were available to you.
Finding Volunteer Opportunities
I've either contacted individual places directly to find volunteer opportunities (many have websites with volunteer listings), and I also found new places to volunteer that I hadn't known existed by doing a Google search for 'volunteer' and city name. I found a few websites that list pre-scheduled local volunteer events posted by various organizations. It's been a fun way to explore the city!
One More Example
I just got back from a volunteer session in a local nature park where we helped propagate local plants. I didn't know what to expect, but it was such an interesting learning experience. Turns out, you can cut new shoots from many different trees and shrubs in springtime (we looked for 'pencil width' shoots just as they were just budding), clip any stray stems, put the stick in at least 5 inches of soil (with about a foot out of the soil), and with regular watering, voila! new plant. Amazing :) The measurements would change depending on the type of plant, but that's an example. (We were focusing on large shrubs.) Gardening costs can really add up, so I unexpectedly learned how to save $$ in my own garden for the future! Hey, if you have a neighbor with a gorgeous looking plant, you could just ask to take a small clipping to grow one of your own. State forests in my area appear to allow taking clippings for small personal quantities. For national forests, you can apply for a free use Forest Products Permit. (I'd put a general link if there was one, but it looks like each forest has it's own permit, so you'd have to find the one for your area.)
So, above and beyond to thinking of volunteering as giving back to the community (which can be wonderful all by itself), I've found volunteering at something that fulfills your hearts desire simultaneously offers so many of these other unexpected benefits ... not to mention the high likelihood of making new friends with shared interests.
Hope these tips help send more opportunities your way.
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
One of the big bonuses happened after I graduated: my college charged a prohibitive fee for their darkroom usage (I was going to put all photography on hiatus), but due to the connections I had established with the high school photo teachers, I was able to continue using my old high school darkroom and other photo equipment all throughout my undergraduate years. :) I don't think there would have been any way I could have negotiated to use the high school darkroom during my college days if I hadn't volunteered there during my time as a student. Valuable life lesson!
Producer Not Consumer
Since I'm in the process of starting a new career, I've cut back on membership to places around town that I love visiting, but can't justify the expense right now. I recently realized that volunteering at these places is a wonderful way to continue my involvement 'for free' and even significantly enhance the experience by meeting the people behind the scenes and learning so much more than I would as a paying customer. We're talking botanical gardens, wildlife reserves, nature parks, museums, galleries ... Whatever your interest, I highly recommend investigating volunteer opportunities. When there's so much conditioning nowadays to be a consumer, it's very refreshing to realize when you are volunteering, you have become a producer of what you love.
Foot In The Door
When trying to break into a difficult industry (publishing, photography, ...), volunteering drastically reduces your cost to an organization. Maybe some training overhead, but otherwise you position yourself as a no-risk trial run for what could turn into a career down the road. It's a gesture of goodwill, and people are generally so appreciative for the help of someone with initiative and drive to learn. It's a nice change of pace from a 'job' environment. And if it's not something you really are enjoying after all, you are the one in the driver's seat who can try something else without drama. Hopefully though, if you are a good fit for that environment and prove yourself reliable and fun to work with, you will probably be on their A-list and the first to know about any job opportunities or other 'insider' insights. If nothing else, you are in a great position to make some strong networking contacts.
Networking and Opportunity
Many times, it's the people you meet and unexpected opportunities you hear about that make the largest long term impact on your life, rather than a short term paycheck. That's where volunteering comes in. With your wider range of contacts, you hear about random opportunities, tips, and other insights that might not have otherwise crossed your path. Many times in life it's who you know that leads to 'lucky' breakthroughs, and volunteering at something you love to do can help shine a light on opportunities there you didn't know were available to you.
Finding Volunteer Opportunities
I've either contacted individual places directly to find volunteer opportunities (many have websites with volunteer listings), and I also found new places to volunteer that I hadn't known existed by doing a Google search for 'volunteer' and city name. I found a few websites that list pre-scheduled local volunteer events posted by various organizations. It's been a fun way to explore the city!
One More Example
 |
| Cherry Blossom Fantasy Copyright Laura A Knauth, All rights reserved |
So, above and beyond to thinking of volunteering as giving back to the community (which can be wonderful all by itself), I've found volunteering at something that fulfills your hearts desire simultaneously offers so many of these other unexpected benefits ... not to mention the high likelihood of making new friends with shared interests.
Hope these tips help send more opportunities your way.
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Buying Food In Bulk
I had mentioned in an earlier blog post that I was getting a nice discount from my local health food grocery store from buying food by the case (seemed to be about 30%). I've since found an even better option: buying wholesale directly from the distributor (eliminating the middle man of the grocery store and saving even more).
I had heard it was possible in some cities to visit distributor directly, but at the time of my original post, it didn't seem possible in my area. I had called around to what I thought were the local distributors in my area, but they were not open to the general public (only other grocery stores). Maybe the search engines recently improved, who knows, but I tried searching again recently and found a produce distributor that sells directly to consumers in my city. Yay, the savings!
Due to seasonal demand organic avocados from the grocery store were $65 for a case of 36 - ouch (but still much better than buying individually).
Buying wholesale, a case of organic avocados cost me $53 last month.
A case of organic lemons (40lbs; 95 count) was also $53.
These are savings of about 50% off from the regular grocery store prices. I've arranged my finances so my food bill is the most significant portion of my annual budget. Savings like this really help.
Buying wholesale directly from the distributor also means much fresher produce. Your food isn't waiting around for who knows how long in the back of the grocery store. You pick it up right from the big trucks that deliver it to the city.
The key with buying wholesale produce is that you have to eat it up in time. I have a system worked out for the avocados where I ask for 'green' or 'firm' avocados directly off of the truck. (Otherwise they heat them up so they ripen from green to brown, and I can't usually get to them all in time if I buy them pre-ripened.) I store them green in the fridge and pull out a couple every day. After an initial 4-5 days, the first avocados have ripened & the next two are staged to ripen the day after that and so on (I eat a lot of avocados). ;p
If you eat a lot of a particular kind of fruit, vegetable, or whatever, it may very well be worth your time to look for a wholesale produce supplier in your area to see if they sell to the public. We're talking mangos, oranges, grapes, ...
The place I found is very convenient. I call in advance to place my order and can then pick it up on whatever day I've arranged. There is a sales office with a little parking strip outside, so I can drive my car right up (dodging the big trucks along the way). They also accept credit cards (but some wholesale suppliers might only accept cash from the general public, so I'd ask in advance).
If you're interested, try this key word search on google maps for your city: Wholesale Produce
Glad I finally found this option for my location. Persistence is key ... as always!
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
I had heard it was possible in some cities to visit distributor directly, but at the time of my original post, it didn't seem possible in my area. I had called around to what I thought were the local distributors in my area, but they were not open to the general public (only other grocery stores). Maybe the search engines recently improved, who knows, but I tried searching again recently and found a produce distributor that sells directly to consumers in my city. Yay, the savings!
Due to seasonal demand organic avocados from the grocery store were $65 for a case of 36 - ouch (but still much better than buying individually).
Buying wholesale, a case of organic avocados cost me $53 last month.
A case of organic lemons (40lbs; 95 count) was also $53.
These are savings of about 50% off from the regular grocery store prices. I've arranged my finances so my food bill is the most significant portion of my annual budget. Savings like this really help.
Buying wholesale directly from the distributor also means much fresher produce. Your food isn't waiting around for who knows how long in the back of the grocery store. You pick it up right from the big trucks that deliver it to the city.
The key with buying wholesale produce is that you have to eat it up in time. I have a system worked out for the avocados where I ask for 'green' or 'firm' avocados directly off of the truck. (Otherwise they heat them up so they ripen from green to brown, and I can't usually get to them all in time if I buy them pre-ripened.) I store them green in the fridge and pull out a couple every day. After an initial 4-5 days, the first avocados have ripened & the next two are staged to ripen the day after that and so on (I eat a lot of avocados). ;p
If you eat a lot of a particular kind of fruit, vegetable, or whatever, it may very well be worth your time to look for a wholesale produce supplier in your area to see if they sell to the public. We're talking mangos, oranges, grapes, ...
The place I found is very convenient. I call in advance to place my order and can then pick it up on whatever day I've arranged. There is a sales office with a little parking strip outside, so I can drive my car right up (dodging the big trucks along the way). They also accept credit cards (but some wholesale suppliers might only accept cash from the general public, so I'd ask in advance).
If you're interested, try this key word search on google maps for your city: Wholesale Produce
Glad I finally found this option for my location. Persistence is key ... as always!
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Health Insurance Strategy : Updated
I posted last year about my health insurance strategy, but have made a major change since then. My insurance strategy has been to buy high deductible policies (across the board for any insurance) for true emergencies only and save a reserve fund to handle smaller matters myself.
Last year, I left my corporate career to pursue writing and photography on my own (technically unemployed), but bought a high deductible health insurance policy through Blue Cross Blue Shield. I put in over $1000 in premiums since buying the policy (using my own after tax money) which was painful since it's a policy I hope I never have to use - it had essentially a $17,000 deductible. I thought I was being responsible.
What changed: I received a letter from my health insurance company that due to the 'Affordable Care Act', my old policy would no longer be available. It was being replaced by essentially the same coverage (still a $17,000 deductible), but would now cost 3x the premium. What was a $71/month premium would now be a $220/month premium. What the !?!?!? That's $2640 per year. We're getting on par with my food bill here. It's essentially a mandate to go back to work for someone else. All for a $17,000 deductible policy I hope I never need to use.
At this point, I cannot endorse supporting what seems to me a failed system. In the spirit of capitalism to vote with your dollars, I canceled my health insurance policy. Looking back over the last 20 years, the only time I visited the doctor was for stomach troubles. The first thing I'd told the doctor was that it felt like I had food poisoning all the time. He never asked me about food; just ran every other test in the book over the next year. They charged my insurance company thousands of dollars, poked & prodded me, all to just pat me on the head and tell me I probably had IBS. Experimental pills were prescribed to mess with my colon; I opted out. (After subsequent self experimentation, I've concluded I was gluten sensitive. I removed gluten from my diet, and my acute issues went away. Many of my health posts discuss my food strategies which I hope make it less likely that I will need chronic medical attention.)
The Rub: There is going to be upcoming penalties for people who do not buy policies & have to pay taxes. My understanding is the penalty will kick in for anyone with income after deductions (last year, the standard deduction limit was $10,000 per year for individuals). Looks like the penalty is $695 per person by 2016 or 2.5% of your income if that's greater. This does effect my options for converting retirement accounts to a Roth IRA which utterly stinks. Hopefully there's an exemption somewhere I missed for wannabe writers... This mandate seems illegal to me since I'd be paying a penalty even if I'm no burden on the system. I mean, if you are paying for all medical expenses out of pocket or do not have any medical expenses, why are you charged an additional penalty 'just in case' you might not pay at some point in the future? Seems like a racket.
So, as scary as it is since for most of my life I had thought the system 'would take care of me', I'm saving my premiums per month to pay for everything out of pocket. Maybe the good news is they won't order so many weird tests since I won't have insurance & would be more interested in discussing options... I'm just doing the best I can here with what I know.
Anyway, it's done for now, but I'm always learning; let me know if you have any comments or feedback! Thanks :)
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Last year, I left my corporate career to pursue writing and photography on my own (technically unemployed), but bought a high deductible health insurance policy through Blue Cross Blue Shield. I put in over $1000 in premiums since buying the policy (using my own after tax money) which was painful since it's a policy I hope I never have to use - it had essentially a $17,000 deductible. I thought I was being responsible.
What changed: I received a letter from my health insurance company that due to the 'Affordable Care Act', my old policy would no longer be available. It was being replaced by essentially the same coverage (still a $17,000 deductible), but would now cost 3x the premium. What was a $71/month premium would now be a $220/month premium. What the !?!?!? That's $2640 per year. We're getting on par with my food bill here. It's essentially a mandate to go back to work for someone else. All for a $17,000 deductible policy I hope I never need to use.
At this point, I cannot endorse supporting what seems to me a failed system. In the spirit of capitalism to vote with your dollars, I canceled my health insurance policy. Looking back over the last 20 years, the only time I visited the doctor was for stomach troubles. The first thing I'd told the doctor was that it felt like I had food poisoning all the time. He never asked me about food; just ran every other test in the book over the next year. They charged my insurance company thousands of dollars, poked & prodded me, all to just pat me on the head and tell me I probably had IBS. Experimental pills were prescribed to mess with my colon; I opted out. (After subsequent self experimentation, I've concluded I was gluten sensitive. I removed gluten from my diet, and my acute issues went away. Many of my health posts discuss my food strategies which I hope make it less likely that I will need chronic medical attention.)
The Rub: There is going to be upcoming penalties for people who do not buy policies & have to pay taxes. My understanding is the penalty will kick in for anyone with income after deductions (last year, the standard deduction limit was $10,000 per year for individuals). Looks like the penalty is $695 per person by 2016 or 2.5% of your income if that's greater. This does effect my options for converting retirement accounts to a Roth IRA which utterly stinks. Hopefully there's an exemption somewhere I missed for wannabe writers... This mandate seems illegal to me since I'd be paying a penalty even if I'm no burden on the system. I mean, if you are paying for all medical expenses out of pocket or do not have any medical expenses, why are you charged an additional penalty 'just in case' you might not pay at some point in the future? Seems like a racket.
So, as scary as it is since for most of my life I had thought the system 'would take care of me', I'm saving my premiums per month to pay for everything out of pocket. Maybe the good news is they won't order so many weird tests since I won't have insurance & would be more interested in discussing options... I'm just doing the best I can here with what I know.
Anyway, it's done for now, but I'm always learning; let me know if you have any comments or feedback! Thanks :)
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Word Power
The Art of Rhetoric
Why don't they teach this in schools? As I was doing research for my novels, I stumbled across the subject of rhetoric: templates of speech that create resonant power and drama. I feel I've found a missing piece of myself! Turns out, the most memorable authors throughout history, the most memorable speakers are most likely using the techniques of rhetoric. It's a skill they either pick up by reading other books steeped with these patterns, or study it directly as was done in Ancient Greece and through the nineteenth century.
From Shakespeare to Dickens to Melville to Emerson and Lincoln (just to name a few), all of these authors have used rhetorical devices to communicate their ideas. And perhaps, that has made all the difference? Having a compelling idea is one thing, but having the tools to communicate that idea in a compelling way commands attention and adds undeniable style. There are these two essential factors to make something useful happen: inspiration + capability. Rhetoric provides the capability to support inspiration.
I've read several books on rhetoric by now, but the best so far has been:
Classical English Rhetoric
by Ward Farnsworth
I checked it out of the library and took so many notes that I was basically transcribing the book, so I finally just decided to buy it outright. ;p
Aristotle is the classic source for rhetorical techniques and it looks like there are several free options to download his work on archive.org. I haven't looked through them yet for the best one, but I'll update the link when there's one in particular that I end up finding most valuable. I liked Farnsworth's book because he includes many literary examples from authors frequently studied in school, and I find his concise organization of eighteen particular rhetorical devices (with many variations) to be incredibly helpful.
So often in students are almost made to revere literary 'geniuses' of the past, to feel inferior themselves, when in fact, these authors and speech writers have become skilled in basic rhetorical patterns of speech. Not to take anything away from them, but study rhetoric for yourself so you can reap the benefits too; power to the people!
Breaking the Rules
The one comment I've received so far on my writing from professional publishers is that I 'need more sentence fragments'. Well, as a college grad, this remark initially made me scratch my head. But, my writing was grammatically correct; but no snarky people could nitpick anything; but ... but ... Well, I now have the sense of what that comment implied. Rhetorical devices are not something you would use to get an 'A+' in grammar school. In fact, using rhetoric would probably get you points docked off a 'perfect' sentence structure. Grammar school is one thing, true life is another; what's more important, perfect sentences, or powerful sentences?
The key with knowing rhetoric, with infusing yourself with the underlying patterns, is that you know inherently come to know when to 'break the rules' to create deliberate power and drama. Rhetoric is about learning to trust your ear, not just your mind. It's motivation to free yourself from rigid grammatical bonds. It's about staying true to the underlying purpose of the sentence, and knowing why you organized your sentence in that particular way. It's not about 'breaking the rules', but deliberately communicating more effectively. Yeah!
Mental Jujutsu
Even if you don't have aspirations to be a writer, at least take a look at these rhetorical devices since countless politicians (or their speech writers) employ these techniques. If nothing else, use it to immunize yourself from the emotional pull evoked by these rhetorical patterns; it's mental jujutsu! Politicians can use it to incite people to 'join the cause', to pull the population this way or that. At by studying rhetoric yourself, you can separate the technique from the actual idea itself to gain better perspective.
I was so relived to discover the art of rhetoric for myself. It really does imbue prose with a kind of poetry. I have a long way to go to decondition myself from rigid grammatical dogma and instead absorb these underlying rhetorical patterns into my very bones. I'm excited to do it though because I can see it's the path to true creative freedom. Hope exploring rhetoric helps you too!
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Why don't they teach this in schools? As I was doing research for my novels, I stumbled across the subject of rhetoric: templates of speech that create resonant power and drama. I feel I've found a missing piece of myself! Turns out, the most memorable authors throughout history, the most memorable speakers are most likely using the techniques of rhetoric. It's a skill they either pick up by reading other books steeped with these patterns, or study it directly as was done in Ancient Greece and through the nineteenth century.
From Shakespeare to Dickens to Melville to Emerson and Lincoln (just to name a few), all of these authors have used rhetorical devices to communicate their ideas. And perhaps, that has made all the difference? Having a compelling idea is one thing, but having the tools to communicate that idea in a compelling way commands attention and adds undeniable style. There are these two essential factors to make something useful happen: inspiration + capability. Rhetoric provides the capability to support inspiration.
 |
| (I don't get anything for the link; it's just for reference) |
I've read several books on rhetoric by now, but the best so far has been:
Classical English Rhetoric
by Ward Farnsworth
I checked it out of the library and took so many notes that I was basically transcribing the book, so I finally just decided to buy it outright. ;p
Aristotle is the classic source for rhetorical techniques and it looks like there are several free options to download his work on archive.org. I haven't looked through them yet for the best one, but I'll update the link when there's one in particular that I end up finding most valuable. I liked Farnsworth's book because he includes many literary examples from authors frequently studied in school, and I find his concise organization of eighteen particular rhetorical devices (with many variations) to be incredibly helpful.
So often in students are almost made to revere literary 'geniuses' of the past, to feel inferior themselves, when in fact, these authors and speech writers have become skilled in basic rhetorical patterns of speech. Not to take anything away from them, but study rhetoric for yourself so you can reap the benefits too; power to the people!
Breaking the Rules
The one comment I've received so far on my writing from professional publishers is that I 'need more sentence fragments'. Well, as a college grad, this remark initially made me scratch my head. But, my writing was grammatically correct; but no snarky people could nitpick anything; but ... but ... Well, I now have the sense of what that comment implied. Rhetorical devices are not something you would use to get an 'A+' in grammar school. In fact, using rhetoric would probably get you points docked off a 'perfect' sentence structure. Grammar school is one thing, true life is another; what's more important, perfect sentences, or powerful sentences?
The key with knowing rhetoric, with infusing yourself with the underlying patterns, is that you know inherently come to know when to 'break the rules' to create deliberate power and drama. Rhetoric is about learning to trust your ear, not just your mind. It's motivation to free yourself from rigid grammatical bonds. It's about staying true to the underlying purpose of the sentence, and knowing why you organized your sentence in that particular way. It's not about 'breaking the rules', but deliberately communicating more effectively. Yeah!
Mental Jujutsu
Even if you don't have aspirations to be a writer, at least take a look at these rhetorical devices since countless politicians (or their speech writers) employ these techniques. If nothing else, use it to immunize yourself from the emotional pull evoked by these rhetorical patterns; it's mental jujutsu! Politicians can use it to incite people to 'join the cause', to pull the population this way or that. At by studying rhetoric yourself, you can separate the technique from the actual idea itself to gain better perspective.
I was so relived to discover the art of rhetoric for myself. It really does imbue prose with a kind of poetry. I have a long way to go to decondition myself from rigid grammatical dogma and instead absorb these underlying rhetorical patterns into my very bones. I'm excited to do it though because I can see it's the path to true creative freedom. Hope exploring rhetoric helps you too!
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Friday, March 14, 2014
The Wonders of Eucalyptus Oil
Hey, I'm posting again after a long hiatus! (I was doing massive amounts of research for my historical novels.) It's great to be back. Today, I just wanted to give a quick tip about a home remedy that has really saved me this past year:
Eucalyptus Oil vs Dust Mites
About a year after I moved into my home, I started having some bad allergies (itchy eyes, stuffy, that sort of thing) and occasional contact allergies on my toes - very itchy. I had no idea what the problem was for years and tried various things with no benefit. Even after I had narrowed the culprit down to dust mites, none of the remedies I tried were effective. I tried cleaning out the air ducts. It cost something like $600, a big investment for me, but had absolutely no effect. Replacing the carpets with hardwood floors was way out of my budget, so I tried periodically steam cleaning them. Though it was a time intensive process, it seemed to bring temporary relief (the hot steam kills the mites), but I still had issues with my shoes, socks, furniture, ...
Finally, I discovered eucalyptus essential oil. Hurrah! Relief!! All I've been doing to rid myself of these allergies and itching is to put two eye dropper squirts of eucalyptus essential oil in a spray bottle filled with white vinegar & walk through my house spraying the carpets, sheets, pillows, lounge chairs, stuffed toys, curtains, whatever. I do it daily every morning while I'm still sleepy eyed and waking up. The vinegar solution I buy is from Costco: it's pre-diluted to 5% acidity. For me, I don't notice any color fading issues, but use your discretion. I also don't notice any unpleasant vinegar scent either, just eucalyptus. It's dry in minutes. I picked vinegar as the base because it has other disinfectant properties I like, but I don't know that it's essential for the dust mite issue - it's just what I've been doing. I also haven't experimented with the amount of eucalyptus oil in the vinegar, I noticed that two dropperfuls was working, so it's what I'm continuing to use.
I also put a solution of eucalyptus essential oil and vodka in a spray bottle and spritz my socks before putting on my shoes. (And sometimes combine that with a dusting of eucalyptus oil infused baking soda to help freshen my heavier shoes.) It's worked like a charm for me.
One more use: I also put a squirt of eucalyptus oil in the washing machine water and a squirt in the dryer (I pick something like a cloth or non-delicate item; hasn't left any marks as far as I can tell). The clothes or sheets or towels come out with a fresh scent and seem to be dust mite free!
Eucalyptus Oil vs Colds
All winter, I either put a dropperful of eucalyptus oil in the humidifier water or in my diffuser to disperse the oil into the air. I think it really helped to purify the air; I made it through the winter without going down for the count, anyway. The times where I started to feel a cold coming on, I took the extra step of putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a large glass bowl, pouring steaming hot water over it, and breathing in the steam (with a towel tented over my head to concentrate the steam). It seemed to me to really help clear up my lungs.
The Score
Eucalyptus Oil : Winner!
Common Nuisances : 0
These are just my random tips, but I noticed a big benefit from using eucalyptus essential oil in these ways. I had no idea eucalyptus oil was such an effective deterrent for dust mites. It really saved me a lot of money (from having to replace my carpets, shoes, and who knows what else). It's so amazing to finally find a decisive solution to these increasingly bothersome issues. And I love that the solution involves buying individual quality ingredients rather than an expensive pre-packaged mixture of who knows what. I've seen eucalyptus essential oil at regular health grocery stores, but I've been trying to only use therapeutic grade essential oils which I order online.
Hope these tips help!
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Eucalyptus Oil vs Dust Mites
About a year after I moved into my home, I started having some bad allergies (itchy eyes, stuffy, that sort of thing) and occasional contact allergies on my toes - very itchy. I had no idea what the problem was for years and tried various things with no benefit. Even after I had narrowed the culprit down to dust mites, none of the remedies I tried were effective. I tried cleaning out the air ducts. It cost something like $600, a big investment for me, but had absolutely no effect. Replacing the carpets with hardwood floors was way out of my budget, so I tried periodically steam cleaning them. Though it was a time intensive process, it seemed to bring temporary relief (the hot steam kills the mites), but I still had issues with my shoes, socks, furniture, ...
Finally, I discovered eucalyptus essential oil. Hurrah! Relief!! All I've been doing to rid myself of these allergies and itching is to put two eye dropper squirts of eucalyptus essential oil in a spray bottle filled with white vinegar & walk through my house spraying the carpets, sheets, pillows, lounge chairs, stuffed toys, curtains, whatever. I do it daily every morning while I'm still sleepy eyed and waking up. The vinegar solution I buy is from Costco: it's pre-diluted to 5% acidity. For me, I don't notice any color fading issues, but use your discretion. I also don't notice any unpleasant vinegar scent either, just eucalyptus. It's dry in minutes. I picked vinegar as the base because it has other disinfectant properties I like, but I don't know that it's essential for the dust mite issue - it's just what I've been doing. I also haven't experimented with the amount of eucalyptus oil in the vinegar, I noticed that two dropperfuls was working, so it's what I'm continuing to use.
I also put a solution of eucalyptus essential oil and vodka in a spray bottle and spritz my socks before putting on my shoes. (And sometimes combine that with a dusting of eucalyptus oil infused baking soda to help freshen my heavier shoes.) It's worked like a charm for me.
One more use: I also put a squirt of eucalyptus oil in the washing machine water and a squirt in the dryer (I pick something like a cloth or non-delicate item; hasn't left any marks as far as I can tell). The clothes or sheets or towels come out with a fresh scent and seem to be dust mite free!
Eucalyptus Oil vs Colds
All winter, I either put a dropperful of eucalyptus oil in the humidifier water or in my diffuser to disperse the oil into the air. I think it really helped to purify the air; I made it through the winter without going down for the count, anyway. The times where I started to feel a cold coming on, I took the extra step of putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a large glass bowl, pouring steaming hot water over it, and breathing in the steam (with a towel tented over my head to concentrate the steam). It seemed to me to really help clear up my lungs.
The Score
Eucalyptus Oil : Winner!
Common Nuisances : 0
These are just my random tips, but I noticed a big benefit from using eucalyptus essential oil in these ways. I had no idea eucalyptus oil was such an effective deterrent for dust mites. It really saved me a lot of money (from having to replace my carpets, shoes, and who knows what else). It's so amazing to finally find a decisive solution to these increasingly bothersome issues. And I love that the solution involves buying individual quality ingredients rather than an expensive pre-packaged mixture of who knows what. I've seen eucalyptus essential oil at regular health grocery stores, but I've been trying to only use therapeutic grade essential oils which I order online.
Hope these tips help!
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Photo: Morning On Mount Rainier
Rosy morning sunlight dances over beautiful Mount Rainier with Edith Creek and purple lupine wildflowers in the foreground.
Location
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Technical Info
Canon 50d
18-200mm Lens, 20mm
f/11, 0.6s, ISO 100
Filters
Circular Polarizer
3stop Reverse ND Grad (probably ... forgot to take filter notes)
I'm a huge fan of digital RAW mode after this. The golden morning light surprised me, and I was so rushed to whip out the right filters and setup the shot that I ended up accidentally taking this with -2 EB from a previous experiment. Doh! The glancing light on the peak was done by the time I noticed what happened, but I was able to salvage the photo by adding back the +2EB in DPP. Whew!
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Morning on Mount Rainier
 |
Copyright
Laura A Knauth, All rights reserved.
Please
contact me for any usage or licensing options.
|
I played around with some Orton Diffusion to evoke a more peaceful morning effect.Location
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Technical Info
Canon 50d
18-200mm Lens, 20mm
f/11, 0.6s, ISO 100
Filters
Circular Polarizer
3stop Reverse ND Grad (probably ... forgot to take filter notes)
I'm a huge fan of digital RAW mode after this. The golden morning light surprised me, and I was so rushed to whip out the right filters and setup the shot that I ended up accidentally taking this with -2 EB from a previous experiment. Doh! The glancing light on the peak was done by the time I noticed what happened, but I was able to salvage the photo by adding back the +2EB in DPP. Whew!
Blog Post by Laura A Knauth
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)