Janae Says...

I want to submit some questions and ideas for your consideration. When have you ever changed your mind about something?  When you did change your mind, was it someone else who changed your mind? Or was it in your own due time? If someone did influence you changing your thoughts about something, what was their approach?  Were they “face palming”?  Did they say, "OMG" or "SMH" or "LMAO"? Did they tell you, “You’re wrong”? Did they tell you to “check your privilege”?  Did they tell you, “You make me laugh”?  Did they call you ignorant?  Did they call you, “honey” or “sweetie”?  Did they repost some passive quotation or meme that implied something about you?  My guess is that if someone did change your mind or got you to consider another view, it probably wasn’t done in any of the above ways.  Humans are naturally defensive. We put on armor when someone “comes at us.” We believe so strongly about things that we often have trouble understanding an...

I am not a person who gets easily offended. I always fall in the middle ground on these types of things, especially where political correctness is involved. Is it good to be more aware? More sensitive? Kinder? More loving? Sure. Of course it is. Do we have to get offended and upset over every little thing, and take everything personally? Isn't everyone tired of feeling offended by now? But I'll admit that yesterday, someone said, "Oh geez, you're one of those people!" and I actually did get a little bit offended. The context was that we were equally disappointed with the cookies from a popular local soda/treat place. I shared my Yelp review, and received the above response. I am one of those people who - loves food and restaurants - enjoys writing - gives credit where it's due - gives suggestions when they're needed - believes customers should have access to honest and balanced reviews So yeah, I guess I'm "one of those people....

As I've looked at my calendar through the last month, I've found myself very humbled and grateful for all of the friendships I have in my life. On April 25, I had dinner with Ashleigh. On April 27, I had dinner with Joyce. On April 28, I had dinner with Brionna. On April 29, I got waffles with Brittney. On May 6, I went to Heber to see Rachel. On May 14, I have dinner plans with Brianne. On May 18, I have dinner plans with Kristine. On May 19, I have dinner plans with Mariah (an old roommate). When I lay it out and see the names of so many different friends who all add different kinds of beauty and perspective to my life, I feel overwhelmed and grateful. I know a lot of people in life feel alone or feel like they don't have friends or feel like nobody cares. I don't know what I did to deserve so many awesome women in my life, far beyond what's even listed here! But man, I am so thankful. I often have female friends reach out to me via t...

I did something bad on April 1. I posted these to my stories on Facebook and Instagram: Then I waited an hour and posted these... My cute dad even called since he saw the posts before my April Fool's reveal. He was sorely disappointed, and bugged with me. Love you dad. I ordered take out from Waffle Love that evening and watched Walking Dead. I'm just so much more interested right now than I have been in a long time! Thursday, April 2, I got some odd assignments at work, as usual. DMV title transfers in another state, etc.  April 3 was an evening of indulgence for me. I got myself In-N-Out, watched TV, and ate popcorn while reading in the bath. April 4, I made breakfast for me and Matthew (bacon, eggs, potatoes, cinnamon rolls). We watched conference but slept through most of afternoon session on accident. We ordered some food and watched Wonder Woman. April 5, I made breakfast again with pancakes instead of cinnamon ...

I feel like I’ve had a really easy time with this quarantine thing in comparison with a lot of people: I work in durable medical equipment; a large portion of our business is oxygen delivery. During a nationwide respiratory illness challenge, oxygen seems to be pretty necessary for lots of folks. That means I’ve kept my schedule the same. I wake up. I work out. I shower and get ready. I head to work. I come home. I am employed. That’s more than a lot of people can say. And I get to talk to people at work. Most evenings, Matthew comes over, and we eat and watch shows. And so, aside from not being able to go eat at a restaurant, or go to the movies, or do anything else we want to do, life has been largely the same for me.  Until Monday morning when I woke up to a bunch of texts and a missed call from Matthew letting me know that his cousin (and best friend) Alex passed away on Sunday evening. By 9:30am, he was driving down to his brother Chad’s h...

I ask questions. That’s what I do. Even as a teenager, certain things would become popular and trendy, and I’d ask, “Why? What is so special about that? Isn’t it just special because everyone is going to get one? And doesn’t that mean it’s not special anymore?” There was a mild rebellious streak in me not to do what was popular. For the most part, I’m a rule-following citizen. I understand that laws and rules are there for a reason, and I hate getting in trouble. The panic I feel when I see police lights is real. I’ve been a God-fearing, law abiding, guilt-ridden human my entire life, since early childhood. I feel guilty for things decades after they occurred (not exaggerating). But when rules are imposed, and fines are enforced, I often want to know why the rules exist. So in the midst of Corona, with California instituting fines when people leave their homes without a face mask, I want to know why. Is there any merit to implementing this rule and its punishment?...

Corona Virus.  Earthquake. Social distancing.  That was the month of March.  The end.  OK, OK. There were some good things this month, too I guess. While Tiana and I walked back to work from a snack break, CBS 2 news stopped us on the sidewalk. She stepped out to let me be on camera, which I'm not sure was the most generous thing for her to do. They were doing a story about high schoolers having to take a basic civics test to graduate, and quizzed me. They asked - What is our nation's capital? (D.C.) - How many stars are on the flag? (50) - How many Senators do we have? (50x2 = 100) - Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? (Jefferson) And they asked if I thought seniors should have to take and pass the test to graduate. I said yes. It didn't air for another week, but my grandma got it recorded for me. On Wednesday, March 4, I went to lunch with my bosses Jessica and Aaron, and coworker Tiana, at the new poke place on Regent Street. It ...