I expected to learn that August’s birthstone was as valuable as July’s (which is ruby.) Instead, I learned that there are two birthstones for August, one traditional and one modern. Today I want to describe August’s traditional birthstone, the sardonyx.

You may never have heard of sardonyx, but you may have heard of onyx. Onyx is a common black gem. Sardonyx is a variation of onyx, but it is a red and brown-banded gem. It belongs to the chalcedony cryptocrystalline quartz family and is quite lovely.

While this gemstone is not as valuable or rare as rubies or diamonds, it is known as a talisman in many cultures. People who wear sardonyx may feel brave and daring and have added confidence. Roman soldiers wore sardonyx stones engraved with Mars, the God of War, so that they would be courageous, fearless, and victorious. People in ancient Egypt used the earthy gemstone as a talisman to ward off evil.

Today, some believe that sardonyx can ensure a happy marriage and bring financial rewards, and it is used for healing. Whether or not any of this is true, it is a lovely stone, and I’d proudly wear it if I had an August birthday.

Happy Meme Monday! Happy National Tell A Joke Day!

My Facebook newsfeed is my feel-good place on the internet. It’s mostly filled with dogs, Disney, and dinosaurs, but there are also a lot of jokes and puns. I keep some friends around just because of their sense of humor.

In honor of National Tell A Joke Day, I want to share a type of meme joke that I love. If you have not seen Captain America: Winter Soldier (my favorite Cap movie because it has a ton of Black Widow in it), you may not recognize the scene in these memes. Just know that Captain America is minding his own business in a glass elevator, and he gets jumped by about twenty guys. Whoever is adding the jokes to this scene is brilliant.

Do you have a favorite joke or a humorous meme? I’m always looking for a laugh. I fill folders on my computer with funny pictures. They say laughter is the best medicine. I also think jokes are a good way to remind ourselves that there is happiness in the world.

So the first week of my new job has come to an end. It is a lot of work and also a lot of fun. I have met some wonderful people, and like in all jobs, I have wondered about the scheduling. Once school starts in a week, I expect the level of work will increase exponentially, which will be fun too.

Some may not know, but I am a dishwasher at the dorm dining hall at Montana State University. I thought it might be a better food job because I’m surrounded by college students, but, there was one thing I forgot. College kids have been living with their parents all their life which means there are certain life skills they haven’t learned.

I don’t think any college kids are reading my blog (shout out if you are), but many of us may have control over a child and can teach them useful life skills.

I have a favor to ask.

Please teach all the children in your life to scrape their plates when they put them in the kitchen. We have three compost bins directly below where the students are supposed to place their dishes. It clearly states that they should deposit food and napkins in these bins. It is amazing the number of plates that come to the dish room with food piled high and the napkin perched on top like they are hiding everything they didn’t eat.

My job is to clean dishes, but my job is also to clean about 800 dishes in a very short amount of time. Having to deal with piles of food slows everything down. I can only assume that these students were never taught how to scrape their plates at home, so they don’t do it now that they are on their own.

If everyone learned this simple task, my job would be that much more fun, and I could become an even faster dishwasher.

Let’s all do our part—many thanks.

About a year ago, I deleted all games from my phone because I spent too much time playing Solitare instead of completing my projects. That worked great until I signed up for the Bozeman library summer reading program.

The app that runs the program is really cool. Along with recording the books I read (I have to read ten for the challenge), there are literary missions to complete and a lot of cool games. Of course, I discovered a new addictive one.

Word Wipe is simple to learn and fun to play. I was thrilled when I made it to level nine. Last night I reached level 13. I never thought I’d get there. Now I can’t stop playing because I might make it to level 14. 

You might be asking why I don’t delete the app from my phone now that I’ve completed the summer reading challenge. Well, I won a prize, and I can’t collect it until I get to Bozeman. Once I visit the library, I’ll delete the app and won’t play any more games until the next addictive game falls into my lap (or onto my phone.)

Word Wipe can be found everywhere. You can try it out (if you have nothing else to do) at this site. Be careful, though. It’s easy to get hooked.

Happy Friday the 13th!! Happy Left-Handers Day!!!

Did you know left-handers are sinister? Sinister originally meant left, but because the left hand was considered weak, the word came to be known as evil or unlucky during Roman times. The person who sat to the king’s left was called sinister, and many women were accused of being witches because they were left-handed. It makes sense that Left-Handers Day would be on Friday the 13th.

I am a proud left-hander and am very glad I live in a time and place where no one punishes me for how I write or use a utensil. However, I’m still surprised by the number of people who say to me (quite loudly), “You’re left-handed!?!?!?!” The shock in their voice makes me wonder if they had ever seen a left-handed person before. There are quite a few of us around. Heck, growing up, 75% of my family was left-handed. You’d think it would be commonplace, but I still often get a shocked look.

These holidays are two of my favorites. Buck superstition by petting a black cat (I’ve got two who love attention), walking under a ladder, and buying a sinister person something made for left-handers. Oddness should be celebrated.

The title of this post is a little misleading. I’m not actually talking about real wallpaper (and I have no idea if it is cheaper than paint.) I’m talking about the wallpaper on your computer screen and your phone. I love matching my wallpaper to the season or to the superhero I’m into at the time. Sometimes I change my look weekly, and other times I leave it the same for months. I just changed it today, and I love seeing something new.

In contrast, Hubby uses what came with his laptop. I chose his phone’s wallpaper, and he has never changed it.

Do you like to customize your digital wallpaper? Do you leave it alone or change it often? Do you have a favorite theme?

Wallpaper is one of those items that can be personal because almost nobody sees it but you. Why not google some new ideas and freshen up your look. Today I smiled every time I used my phone.

An article popped on my Facebook feed that the Queen of England released her recipe for Pimm’s. The Youtube video made by her personal chef brought back such happy memories that I had to share them with you.

In 2006, Judy Guida and I went to England and visited places mentioned in the Russell/Holmes books by Laurie R. King. We had so much fun!

In The Moor, Holmes and Russell visit Holmes’s godfather at Lewtrenchard, a manor at the edge of Dartmoor (famous as the setting of The Hounds of the Baskerville.) An aging Sabine Baring Gould owned Lewtrenchard. Here is the tricky part. Sabine Baring Gould was a real person and Lewtrenchard is a real manor. When we visited, it was a hotel and restaurant.

Holmes and Russell enjoy several meals at the manor which the author described in great detail, and we were able to experience everything they did. (Fiction and non-fiction are often blurred in England. In The Moor, Sabine Baring Gould is Sherlock Holmes’ godfather. In reality, Gould’s grandson wrote a biography of Sherlock Holmes.)

What does all this have to do with Pimm’s? Well, I had never heard of this drink, but while we were waiting in an anteroom for our table to be prepared, we were offered one. I don’t drink, but Judy enjoyed a glass.

Pimm’s is a fruit-flavored gin usually served as a cocktail with orange slices, strawberries, and cucumber in the bottom of a tall glass topped with Pimm’s and lemonade. It was a fun drink to have before a remarkable meal.

We didn’t think much about Pimm’s until we were at Gatwick Airport for our flight home. There was a Pimm’s trailer right on the concourse, and of course, I had to take a picture.

The Queen’s Pimm’s cocktail has many more garnishes and uses Sprite. (The chef called it lemonade, so now I wonder what was in Judy’s drink.) I’ll be watching more of the Queen’s chef on Youtube because nothing brings back travel memories like food and drink.

August is a busy month for me, what with starting a new job and moving to a new state. I consistently post on my YouTube channel, Jenn’s Writing World, three days a week, and I don’t want to end that, so I decided to do a month of YouTube shorts.

Shorts are videos that are less than one minute long and filmed vertically. I have found them extremely fun to make. Hopefully, everyone finds them fun to watch.

I created a playlist of my August shorts. Since each one is less than a minute, you can watch them all in no time flat.

I’m almost to one hundred videos, and I thank everyone for their support. I learn something new about making videos every day. In August, I am learning how to say what I need to say within a strict time limit.

Everyone on YouTube asks for likes, and I’m no exception. If you could watch my August videos and hit the like button, that would really help me, both on the Shorts platform and toward my “likes” statistics. YouTube likes to see numbers.

I just hope you enjoy my videos. If you want more, I’d love it if you subscribed. (If you can’t see the YouTube video on this post, click on the title at the top of the page.)

Happy Book Lover’s Day!

I love books. Hardbacks, paperbacks, e-books, and audiobooks. I love any book in any format. I’m reading about five books at any one time, and we won’t discuss the size of my TBR list. Often, my favorite book is the one I’m reading at the moment, and I enjoy many genres.

Are you a book lover? Do you enjoy just one genre or like variety? How many books do you read at one time? In a year? There are as many types of books as there are book lovers, so everyone can enjoy a good story. Why not do so today?

Books I am enjoying right now

• Bridgerton: The Duke and I (Bridgertons Book 1) by Julia Quinn
• Then She Vanished (A Roland Ford Novel Book 4) by T. Jefferson Parker
• Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife
• The Universe Within: The Deep History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin
• The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years That Shook the World by Patrick Wyman

I finally saw Disney’s Jungle Cruise and it is an absolute must-see!!!!!

First, if the Jungle Cruise is one of your favorite attractions at Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom then don’t miss this movie! It does a wonderful job bringing the ride to the big screen. Everyone in the theater was laughing. (I won’t spoil anything, but if you love this ride, you can guess why.)

For everyone else who may not have ridden on the Jungle Cruise, I will not share any spoilers, but this is a well-made movie. The plot is fun, the acting is great, and the casting is at times unexpected but just what it should be. I was often on the edge of my seat, and along with laughing often, I cried just when Disney wanted me to.

I felt this movie was a little bit Indiana Jones 2 and 3, a little bit Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and a little bit The Mummy (the one with Brendan Fraser, not Tom Cruise.) However, the Jungle Cruise spins these adventure tropes into a surprisingly refreshing movie. There are as many twists as there are channels in the Amazon River.

This movie can be enjoyed by the entire family, but there are a few snakes coming out of gross places, so decide if that would scare your kids or not. Personally, I think most Disney Princess movies made nowadays are scarier than the Jungle Cruise, if not quite as gross.

Some movies are made for summer and the Jungle Cruise is definitely one. You can buy it on Disney+, but if you are looking to spend time in a nice air-conditioned theater, go see this movie. I wish I reveal more to convince you. However, I promised no spoilers. But there was this one scene…