Memories of Snow

NaNoWriMo Day 12: Various Subjects (WC: 2097)

Jalál (Glory), 10 Qudrat (Power), 173 BE - Friday, November 11, 2016 AD about 8:20 PM Pacific Standard Time

The End of NaNoWriMo Day 11

It's the end of NaNoWriMo 2016 Day 11. I have written a total of 20,015 words which is 40% of the total. The next incremental goal on the NaNoWriMo website is 25,000 words. My next personal incremental goal is between 22,000 to 24,000 words. If I can get over 22,000 words written for November 12 (NaNoWriMo Day 12) I will be happy. I'll be happy if I get anything over the daily minimum word count goal of 1,667. I'm not sure what I'm going to write about, but I seem to have better luck with prompts. I have some prompts picked out; however none of them seem to goose my muse. I think I'll look for different prompts, perhaps something from the Baha'I Writings. I haven't used any of the scriptures as prompts so far this month.

Jalál (Glory), 10 Qudrat (Power), 173 BE - Saturday, November 12, 2016 AD about 7:46 AM Pacific Standard Time

NaNoWriMo Day 12 Begins

It's been an interesting morning. I had to change my Facebook password because someone hacked it and then sent out "friend request" to all my friends. This explains the call I got at 1:00 AM from a friend who said she had responded to the friends request and go into a conversation with the hacker. I've changed the password now and notified my Facebook friends of the problem. I've had a bad habit for sometime of not logging out when I'm on Facebook, that changes today. From now on I log out every time and change my password every month or so.

As a results of the 1:00 AM call, I had a weird dream. The dream had to do with my Facebook friends and large pieces of cardboard. Some of my friends (don't remember which ones) were pushing a grocery cart through a supermarket. The only thing in the cart was large pieces of cardboard with address on them. I always have weird dreams early in the morning. I usually wake up about 2:00 AM naturally and then when I go back to sleep I have weird dreams that I sometimes remember and sometimes forget.

I had another weird dream earlier this month. In that dream (which has stayed with me for several days) I called my sister using my landline phone. I normally call people using my smartphone. Anyway I ask my sister what she decided to do with the books she has in storage. I never did get an answer because I wake up about that time. I suppose I should call Faye and talk to her about the books. I don't think I have very much say over what she does with them and I'm not going to give her permission to do something she's already decided to do. I'm not going to enable her anymore then I already have.

National Consumer Panel Decisions

I am a member of the National Consumer Panel. When I logged in today to do the RX Views Diary for this week, I checked my wish list. I have three items on that list (1) a Kindle E-Reader for 86,000 points, (12) a Supersonic 10.1" Windows 10 Laptop for 154,000 points, and (3) a Supersonic 9in Display 8GB Memory Android Tablet for 112,000 points. As of today, I have 20,580 points in my account. After considering each item, I think I would rather have the Supersonic 10.1" Windows 10 Laptop for 154,000 points. I need to earn 133,420 points in order to purchase that item. This means that from now on when I do a survey I have to ask for all the points rather than letting a few of them rest in the monthly drawing.

Thoughts on Doing Surveys

I don't want to do any more surveys today. I managed to force myself to clean the backed up surveys in my g-mail inbox. I don't think I can do anymore this morning. I might be able to do some this afternoon, I don't know for sure. I requested $10.00 from My Survey account sent to my PayPal account, which will hit that account in five to ten business days. It would be nice if it went faster, but I'm not going to worry about it now because I have other things to do.

I get tired of doing surveys because it's so difficult to qualify for one. I know I can earn money from them (not the huge amounts of money it promises on the internet, but a little bit). I get tired of doing survey after survey and without qualifying. I have several surveys in my Cox.net inbox I have to get to; however, as I said I don't feel like doing any more surveys. Still I have to bring my Vindale account up to $50.00 before I can collect any money.

Blessed Is The Spot

"Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified."

Bahá’u’lláh1

I'm so glad I have Baha'I writings and prayers sent to my Cox.net inbox. I love reading the writings and saying the prayers because they are refreshing and pleasant. I know that I don't always check the ones that come to my inbox, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading and meditating on them. I have to get back to meditating more on the writings at night. It's easy to get out of a habit and not so easy to get back into it. I think that's why people advise you never to get out of a good habit. When I get out of a good habit then it's replaced by a bad habit.

Blessed is the spot is one of my favorite prayers. I like it because it reminds me that every single location on earth is blessed. Not only is every area on earth blessed, but every culture is blessed as well. Even culture has a Manifestation of God in its history. There is only one God. God has many names. God has sent his prophets or manifestation to every people and land on Earth. Many people don't realize how blessed this planet is. I wish I could tell them or show them.

Sometimes I get discouraged with myself because I'm not as persistent about teaching the Faith; about telling people about Baha'u'llah. Baha'u'llah came to unity the world. He is the Prince of Peace because he came to bring peace to the warring factions of religions and nations. I know Baha'u'llah is the answer to the problems Earth faces today. I'm not sure I know how to tell others that He is the Promised One. Baha'u'llah is the one each religion has been waiting for, for thousand and thousands of years.

Thinking about this prayer, I remember seeing a dance based on it. I'm not sure when I saw the performance of the prayer. It was at a Holy Day event. I think it might have been a Naw-Ruz or Ridvan celebration. I'm sure it was after the Baha'I center was built but how long after the construction and dedication I don't remember. I also think I wrote a poem about the dance or the prayer. I think that poem must be in my files somewhere. I'll have to find it.

Letter to Baha'u'llah

Dear Baha'u'llah,

The neighbor woman, the one who lives in apartment 2, asked if she could trade me some disposable undergarments for a shower. She doesn't have any electricity in her apartment yet. I told her no. I know that I need the undergarments, but if she falls in my shower and breaks something then I'll be sued. I can barely afford to live here as it is. I feel bad about telling her no, but I think I have to consider the consequences.

Baha'u'llah, I know that I need to place my trust in God, but I also have to "tie up my camel". I'd be responsible for her medical expenses in the event of an accident. I don't know this woman very well. I don't know why her caregiver hasn't gotten her electricity turned on as yet. The truth is that I just don't trust her. I think that's my biggest problem. I don't trust her and I don't know if she can be trusted. I know I usually don't worry about things like that. I've spent most of my life trusting people and sometimes I trusted them when I shouldn't have trusted.

Am I maturing? Am I learning from experiences? Am I becoming bitter? I'm not sure how to answer those questions. I know that, as a Baha'I, I am supposed to consider the welfare of my fellow human beings. I also know that not all people are trustworthy. Sometimes I just don't know what to do. I place this situation in your hand, Baha'u'llah. Did I do the right thing by refusing to let her take a shower? I might feel different if I had a bathroom, a shower, that was fitted with grasp bars. As it it, I'm always a bit nervous myself when I stand up and take a shower.

To get on with other subjects. I received a letter from the NV Lifeline Discount Program today. They recertified me for my phone discount. It's good as long as I continue my current telephone service at this address. I don't know what will happen if I move, but I'll deal with that situation when the time comes. I really need to find a cheaper place to live. I need to figure out how I can pay my own rent without having to depend on Faye.

I think that's all I wanted to discuss this morning. If anything else comes up this afternoon I'll write another letter.

Your's Always,
N.F. Darbe AKA Prosperous Snow

About 3:42 PM Pacific Standard Time

Random Thoughts and Poetic Allusions

The day draws to a close. I hear the beeping of a horn, not a car horn , but one of those horns that are used on bicycles or, in this case, by the Hispanic ladies who earn their living by selling food from push carts. Afternoon passes into evening as the sun slowly sets behind the western mountains.

I'm weary, but not as tired as I was earlier in the afternoon. I think that the weariness passes when I ignore the weariness and push forward. Weariness also passes when I stop worrying. I hope that means I will be able to drop off to sleep immediately tonight. I'm tired of lying in my recliner staring at the ceiling because I can't fall asleep. I stare at the ceiling and watch the little red light on the smoke alarm blink every five or six minutes.

Sometime next week, either Sunday or Monday, I'll have to go to Smith's to pick up a prescription. I should also use one of the coupons I have for pourable salad dressing because we are down to only one bottle. I'm not sure if there's anything else I should get or perhaps I should say I can afford. I'm going to need to get some personal items before the end of the week, but I don't know where the money will come from. Just because I don't know where the money's coming from doesn't mean I won't get the money for the items.

I need to check Smith's website to see if I can download some e-coupons to my Smith's card. The coupons really help to save money. I wish I could get some more coupons for the things I need, but they don't put them out very often. Perhaps once every two or three months.

We need to get some work done on the car. The tail lights don't come on at night. I don't know what's wrong. As long as we drive it during the day it's fine. De figured out what was wrong with the turn signals so now we have turn signals. We need to raise about $40.00 to have a local mechanic to do a bit more work on the car. I'm sure we can raise the money, but it's going to take time.

Footnotes
1  Spiritual Quote for November 12, 2016 it can be found in the Baha'i Payer Book.