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Tag: Life

Life happens. These posts are about the day to day or some aspect of living. Sometimes humorous.

Avoiding Spam and Scams

Stop Spam.
Because I’m an author, I probably get more email than the average person, so I see more spam too. I’ve learned the patterns people use and this helps me avoid it most of the time. These lines: “check this out” “look at this amazing site” “is this really you in these pictures?” “your ex is saying bad things about you here” are often scams.
When I hold a contest, I can’t send the person who wins an email that says “Winner!” in the subject, because their spam service will throw it straight into the junk pile. I have to think about my posts and try to word them in such a way that they get past the junk mail and reach the person who entered.
Despite our best intentions, sometimes email goes to spam for reasons that we don’t understand. I had two separate offers for book contracts end up in my spam folder. I check that folder before I dump it because of that. At least once or twice a week, something ends up in spam that shouldn’t be there.
Yahoo, Rocketmail, Hotmail, MSN, and most other email services will flag an email that contains only a link as spam, so whenever you post, do include something about the site, and include your name. Spammers always go for the easiest route to produce lots of messages, so they don’t bother to sign most of them.
There are exceptions of course. Have you ever gotten an email from a friend saying that she’s in a foreign country, has had her purse stolen, or that she’s been jailed for a crime she didn’t commit and desperately needs your help to raise cash? Chances are, she’s home, sitting in the living room, and is clueless that her email account has just been hacked. It can happen to anyone (and did to me last May). If you get an email like this, first, don’t believe it. Second, contact your friend by a different method and alert her. Third, don’t believe it. (Yes, I repeated that) ^_^
Protecting yourself online is important. Never click on a link that appears by itself, with no information about its meaning, who sent it, or what it’s about. You can be setting yourself up for a scam, or to be hit by malware that downloads itself when you click the link. One of the biggest going around right now looks like it’s from Amazon, and says it’s a cancelation.
To tell where a link is going, point to it with your cursor, and look at the bottom of your screen. In your browser, the place where the link will take you usually shows up in the lower left margin. If the link says it’s one place, but the URL shows somewhere else, don’t click it. It’s a scam.
Ever been scammed or had your account hacked? What did you do?
Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

Sexual Diversity in the Military

Diversity Pays.

Today, May 17th, is International Homophobia Awareness Day. I’m taking part in a series of blogs designed to bring attention to the subject.

I decided to focus on diversity in the military, because I’m a veteran. I served in the US Navy for four of the longest years of my life. ^_^ Everyone should have the right to work unimpeded by harrassment. As a woman, I experienced harrassment from shipmates who thought it their right to “Join the Navy and ride the WAVES.” WAVES = Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service. By the time I joined, the “emergency” aspect was over, and the name had changed to WINS (Women in Naval Service). However, the phrase only changed to “Join the Navy and jam the WINS” (a play on jamming the winds on a sailing ship), so the attitude was the same. Women were not viewed as coworkers, but as sex objects. Two items we were required to wear were a girdle, and lipstick. I managed the lipstick (at least in the morning), but figured out about day two of boot camp that no one was going to feel me up for a girdle. I kept one on hand for uniform inspection (we had to occasionally show we had the proper “kit” on hand), but never wore one.

Pay for a Navy WAVE (1940s)

When I reported to my first duty station, there were two heads (bathrooms). One was for men, the other for officers. Women had to walk to the next building, which housed offices. Fortunately, that changed not long after. Pay wasn’t bad. In the 40s, women were paid different amounts from men. By the time I came along, we were paid the same as men. But there were still things that kept women and men apart when it came to service. Our uniforms were different from men’s. Women were permitted to wear male fatigues (a type of dungaree and chambray shirt) when working in areas such as a flight line, rather than the more restrictive and detailed female pants and blouses with darts. I recall being told if I didn’t like a rule to “get back in your own uniform.” As if what I wore had something to do with my attitude.

I also thought it was disgraceful that women were referred to as “civilians under naval training” as if we didn’t really “cut it” to be true members of the military. It wasn’t until I was writing up a complaint about being called this that I noticed what the acronym would be: CUNT. It was a good thing no one had called me that within earshot. Back then, I had a tendency to speak before thinking. I’m amazed I got into as little trouble as I did. Before I submitted the report, we got a notice from the captain of the base that he had heard about this very term, and stated in strong terms that it was never to be used on the base again. If it wouldn’t have risked making me look like a girly girl (or being put on report for conduct unbecoming) I’d have hugged the man. πŸ™‚

The very next day, one of the women in my squadron brought in a Chippendales poster to put in her locker, since the walls in her work area were plastered with naked women. Her male coworkers tore it down. Next morning, she and I went to the chief to complain about the double standard, and were told the captain had already taken care of that problem, too. It seems he had decided to give his new bride a tour of the facilities and did a walk-through prior to bringing her on base. The guys muttered for days, but the walls were plain green after that.

Pay for all service members (2012)
(from USNavy)

It was wrong of my coworkers to treat women the way they did when we first arrived. Because the captain of the base took steps to ensure we women had a chance to prove ourselves, we were able to overcome the prejudices against us. I ended up making lifelong friends on that base, most of them with men. My husband and I still have good memories of them. We women were willing to stand up for ourselves, but having someone in leadership who took steps to do the right thing made all the difference for us. I hope you will do the right thing for gay, lesbian, and transgendered workers around you.

Are you in a position to speak up where you work? You might not be in a leadership position, but can you step in and prevent harrassment? Are you willing to allow people a chance to prove they are good workers, and see past their outside appearance? Are you willing to speak up when others are treated with less courtesy or respect? Would you want someone to stand up for your kid sister or brother if they were harrassed? What will you do when you see a gay, lesbian, or transgendered person spoken to in a less than courteous manner, or treated unfairly where you work? For some help about what to do and how to handle it, click this link. 2012 Diversity Pays
To visit other blogs in this hop, click HERE.

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

Party Size Cinco de Mayo Dip with Corn & Peppers

Peppers!

Looking for a fun, fast, and easy food for your Cinco de Mayo celebration? I like things I can make in a hurry and enjoy at my leisure, but are also healthy.

This is made with a lower fat version of cream cheese called Neufchatel. You can find it right next to cream cheese in the dairy section. If you’ve never tried it, this is a good recipe to start. It tastes just like cream cheese but is better for you.

Peppers, whether green, red, yellow, orange, or the spicy variety, all contain antioxidants good for your immune system.

Time saving tip: If you buy a pre-chopped pepper blend, you can assemble this dish in a few minutes, and have peppers for an omelet the next morning. Yum!

Ingredients

1 16 ounce can whole kernel corn (or Mexi-corn), drained well
2 Tbsp diced red bell pepper
2 Tbsp diced yellow bell pepper
2 Tbsp diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper (optional)*
2 tsp taco seasoning
2 Tbsp skim milk**
1 package (16 ounces) Neufchatel or cream cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, Colby, or Mexican-style cheese
*may substitute serrano pepper for a hotter flavor
** add milk, a few drops at a time if needed for thinner consistency (may substitute water)

Directions

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for 15-20 seconds on 30% power.
Mix together Neufchatel cheese, skim milk, and seasoning mix. Stir in drained corn, peppers, jalapenos, and green onions. When veggies and cream cheese mix are blended, fold in the schredded cheese.

Refrigerate to blend flavors. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, corn chips, or vegetable dippers.

Serving size: 2 Tbsp. / Makes 24-30.
Image credit: Tacluda at RGBstock.com
Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

Update Rownd 2 April 11 #row80

I didn’t report on Sunday because I had an Easter themed blog up for a hop. So today covers an entire week.

The challenge is turning out to be a wonderful encouragement for me. The people have been helpful and kind, and I’m gaining discipline in my writing.

At 2pm, I get offline and take one solid hour without interruptions, and write. It often stretches into longer periods. During that hour, I create new work. The other time periods are for editing and tweaking.

It isn’t as hard to write as I thought it would be. For whatever reason, I thought it would be hard for me to be creative while a clock was ticking, but I’ve been surprised each time the alarm goes off and the time is up. I’m always eager to get back to it once I reset the alarm.

I’m enjoying writing again, and that is the biggest surprise of all. I’ve written four chapters, edited multiple pages, written six blog articles, critiqued three chapters for my crit group, and created a video for my company. I also studied a book on how to write non-fiction. A productive week, and one whose lessons I look forward to repeating. Thanks to the Row80 crew for putting this idea into practice.

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

With Love, to Spammers #humor

Stop Spam.

Dear Spammers,
Thank you for the many emails you’ve sent me. I’ve become quite adept at spotting them. One trick I particularly like is when all of you decide on a specific topic for the subject line of your emails, and then you all use it the same day. Such as “Notice of Extreme Win.” Nothing grabs my attention like seeing six of these lined up in my inbox, all from different people.

Another favorite — and recent trick — was a flurry of notes that advised me about my “ex” saying bad things about me, or in some cases, that he was posting bad pictures of me. That had me puzzled at first, especially since I’ve been married to the same man for 37 happy years and don’t have an ex. But it helped me spot you!

Then there’s the “Can you tell English is not my first language” message. Topics such as “Plese to be my frend” or the oldie but goodie “strive to use for benfitting of ze chilldren.” I also like the tried but true “this massage no the spam” one.

No Spam

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank you for reminding me that I, too, can add an extra inch to my manhood. The fact that I’m female apparently doesn’t make any difference. How nice to know. Recently, you brought to my attention that there is “strength in the extra inch” — so I guess those old commercials about being a “silly milimeter longer” might have been right. And of course, I can always “Watch it grow bigger.”

Thanks, too, for the email subjects that begin “Dearest One” or “Dear Winner” or “Dear Beneficiary.” I look forward to these because they show me how many people out there love me. People I have never even met, but who go out of their way to show me how much they want to get to know me. I appreciate the opportunity to share with you, especially your kind requests for my checking account information, credit card secret number, passwords, and the like. The internet is an amazingly friendly place. People like you make it “oh so special.”

End Spam

Another good thing you’ve provided is the reminder that to get the full benefit of your email, I should open and download attached documents. These have contained items that remind me of the fall of Troy, and that big horse that was left for its residents. Good of you to note in your subject that “this message is verified safe” — which is what I know most of my true friends would put in their subjects to reassure me.

Stop Spam Forever

Lately though I’ve wondered about a few of you. Why do you put ***SPAM*** in the topic of your email? Do you think it will somehow miss the target that I’ve set for it on my mailbox system? I have to say, that isn’t one of your better decisions. Kind of like painting a target on your back and chest. I am disappointed that you’ve gotten that lazy. I’ve been having fun trying to figure out which message is from you and which from real friends. I have noticed though that friends don’t tend to send me emails telling me where to score the best drugs. Some of my friends might ask *me* where to get them — but few will volunteer that info in the open.

Overall, I wanted you to know that I take special pains with your messages, and even have a folder just for you. Nearly all of your messages go directly there. I’ve trained my email program to recognize most of you. For those who are new, take heart. I’m sure I’ll figure you out eventually, and you’ll be routed to my exclusive list of “special emails” or that elite folder I’ve set up for you and your friends. Till then, My Dearest, may your inbox never be empty.

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

It’s the Weekend and I…

Relaxing on the Weekend.

Finish this sentence. It’s the weekend, and I… Depending on what weekend and what’s going on in my life, it could be anything from “have a class to attend” to “will be in class.”

Weekends are my busiest times. My Yahoo groups are jumping Saturdays and Sundays. On Romance Lives Forever, it’s promo weekend, so I’m approving messages and/or reading them. My moderator, Jean Paquin, takes care of most moderating duties for me (and God bless her abundantly for it). But I do check the group frequently and respond when I see messages in queue.

Marketing for Romance Writers gets a lot of attention as well. Many authors have day jobs and therefore are busy online on the weekends. They drop into MFRW for a quick piece of advice, or they read a message that asks for help and they take a minute to respond. It’s a wonderful group, and the volunteer staff is terrific. I love each of them for their caring attitudes and service.

This weekend, I’m updating my website and working on a book trailer. Next weekend I have a class to attend. I’m learning how to create and play a role-playing game. This is research for a book series. The game I play is called Imagine, and I’m fortunate that the player group I hang out with meets in the basement of the Imagine creator’s house. Talk about a unique learning opportunity! And of course, I’ll be writing.

What do you do on the weekends?

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

Today’s The Day – A Flash Writing Challenge

I’m a Writer.
This is from a flash witing challenge and is reprinted in full on this blog.
– – –
Every day, I get up and I look in the mirror, and I say, “My name is Chris, and I’m a writer. Today’s the day, baby! I’m gonna be famous.” As you can see, I don’t just talk to myself; I lie to myself.
Yeah, well today, I quit. Writing, not lying.
Here’s why. The last line of my editor’s letter said, “Make it more heartwarming, and it’ll sell.”
Heartwarming? I’ll give him heartwarming! How many hours did I sit here, at his suggestion no less, staring at the screen, trying to come up with ways to increase action? Okay, so now you’ve got your slam-bam action. There’s a crisis on every page. And he wants “heartwarming.”
I’m an action writer. Heartburn is more like it.
My hero’s a player, smart, in great shape, face and body like one of those models from New York. He can do anything. Problem is, he’s all mouth. You know the type. Knows everything, and makes sure you hear about it. Here’s one of his lines. “I’m so much more intelligent than most of my friends that they don’t seem to like me. Apparently, they have ego problems.”
How do you make a guy like that heartwarming?
He’s a spy. Carries an arsenal in his pants, in more ways than one. Kills for a living. Crude and rude. Think Dirty Harry meets James Bond. What does this editor want, Dirty Harry meets Love Story? Cute little warm fuzzies all over the place? My poor hero would puke.
I can see it now: “Love means never having to say I’m Bond. James Bond.”
My friends would laugh themselves silly. Hmmm. Wait a second. What if I made it a comedy? I could do comedy. Dirty Harry meets Love Story… I could call it “Dirty Love Story.” Yeah… I kind of like that. Maybe the hero’s got a thing for love stories. Reads women’s erotica on the sly, to find out what women really want in bed. Yeah! That could work. That’s heartwarming, isn’t it?
I gotta go find a pen. Today’s the day, baby! I’m gonna be famous.
Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.