The Post About Weaning Off Candy Crush

Candy Crush is the best and the worst thing that can ever happen to you.

For the pure in spirit, Candy Crush is a Facebook game that can also be played on your smartphone. It has more than 600 million game sessions daily and it generates over $875,000 in revenue EVERY SINGLE DAY.

My name is Jamie and I am a Candy Crush addict.  HI JAMIE.

Let me correct that...I WAS an addict.

This happened. Pinky swears.

It was absolutely necessary. An intervention was pending. I made 3 poor decisions.

1. I downloaded the Candy Crush app.
2. I spent $19.80 of God's money on app features while trying to advance in the game.
3. I altered my phone settings in order to get more lives and then broke my clock.

I knew it was time to stop. For the sake of my family and friends and pocketbook.

When someone stops using, he or she often experiences withdrawal symptoms. According to the internet, there are some common symptoms. I experienced them all after deleting Candy Crush from my phone. 

Anxiety: What do I do while I'm waiting in this line? What if people are staring at me? Why are they staring at me? What's on my face? Are they staring at me because I'm rubbing my face? 

Irritability: Why aren't my Words With Friends opponents immediately taking their turn after I take my turn? Are they not smart enough to figure out a SIMPLE WORD? 

Insomnia: How do I get to sleep at night if I don't have the drip drop sound of candy pieces? 

Depression: I was on level 200 when I quit. WILL I EVER EXPERIENCE HAPPINESS IN MY LIFE AGAIN? 

Social Isolation: I'm pretty sure clicking publish on this post will lead to this... I'll miss you.

What's something harmless you had to give up before it took over your life?

The Post About How To Fight Right With a Celebrity on Twitter

So I mentioned in my last post about attending this conference with these friends and hearing this speaker and buying this book.

The book, Dare To Be, has been a tool for God to be ALL UP IN MY BIDNESS.

The co-writers Charlotte Gambill and Natalie Grant do a fantastic job of inspiring a reader to be more, do more and live more. This is something John wrote about and something I want to be about.

In the meanwhile, I wander around the Internet and bump into 19 Genius Improvements To Everyday Products and this article.

Read full article...

Yes, that's the same Natalie Grant who cowrote the super duper devotional I'm reading. This leads me to a conundrum and a tweet.
 

Of course, someone whose bio includes "ADD survivor" should always be taken with a grain of salt. But if you're Ms. Grant wandering around the internet and bumping into a tweet about you then you might find yourself in a conundrum. 

Honestly, I was all goose bumpy arms and fidgety fingers when this reply popped up in my feed. You see, in my world, Natalie Grant is famous. Even if you've never heard of her, she has 189,000 followers on Twitter. That's well-known.

But I'm a firm believer you can't say something about someone without being prepared to answer for it when confronted.

So I answered for it.

I assume Natalie is now a rabbits subscriber. HI NAT! YOUR HAIR IS PRETTY.

There's a lesson in here for all of us who may encounter strangers who may not like us. When someone doesn't know you, you can't hang your hat on their opinions of you.

 

I meant this. I will watch the pilot. Sometimes things you think will be ridiculous like a show about dead people who shuffle around Georgia trying to eat not-dead people is FANFREAKINTASTIC.

  

And THAT my friends is how you get someone who didn't like you to like you in less than a dozen tweets.

Also, Twitter is a horrible place to have a discussion about anything. So let's not.

Thoughts? Concerns? Comments on Twitter debates?

The Post About The Conference and Friends and Speaker and Book

It all started with this conference, ReCreate. With these friends.

(l-r) Me, Kara, Katie, and Grass.

You can read Katherine's recap of the weekend at her blog Grass Stains.

This conference with these friends led to this speaker.

Charlotte Gambill, an author and speaker from England, brought THE WORD OF THE LORD.

You can listen to that exact message (The Gold Seats) through October 31 on the conference website. You can also listen to the other speakers, Lisa Bevere and Priscilla Shirer. I also highly recommend the one by PS called "He Sees Me."

And for the record, these two suggestions aren't "girlie" sermons. Remember what I said about THE WORD. And the OF THE LORD.

This conference with these friends with those speakers led to this book purchase.

I could not recommend a devotional guide with more gumption. Dare To Be has SO MUCH feisty that it led to a Twitter kerfuffle with one of the authors.

Learn about that drama by reading the next post: How To Fight Right With a Celebrity on Twitter.

In the meanwhile, what's a book I should be reading? Go.

The Post About Nine Rules for Concert Etiquette

This is my adorably young and precious friend Maranda. She and I share a love for mascara and live music.

We recently caught an up and coming folk band as they passed through town.



If you'd like to relive our experience, simply turn your shower on hot, wait 20 minutes and then blast Mumford's The Road To Red Rocks (Live) while sitting on the edge of your tub.

Your September amphitheater experience in the South is complete.



The first thing I noticed was the venue was a rewrite of "Where The White Things Are."

The second thing I noticed was how many concert pet peeves kept peeving up around me. As always, I am here to guide you and me as we try to interact with humans in public. Here 9 tips for concert-going etiquette.

Wear Clothes. The kind that cover dainty parts...all of them.  However, pause before wearing the band t-shirt. Especially if you just purchased it at the show.

Dance If You Wanna. Although I've reached the age where I prefer to sit at concerts, I don't begrudge the person who's so moved by an accordion that she must get her sway on. So I don't ask someone to sit and neither should you. I might pray for it, but I don't ask.

No Throwing. At this Mumford concert, I purchased a bottled soda. The cashier opened it and then threw the cap away. Apparently, concert-goers have made a habit of throwing items at the stage and the venue staff are trying to limit the options. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

No Throwing Up. I can't imagine why a musical event is better after 47oz of beer, because it's not.

Use your Eyes. How many of us go back and watch the 90 minutes of video we captured with our phones? If you raised your hand and own more than 2 sci-fi/comic shirts, then it doesn't count. Watch the live thing you paid to watch. Plus, no one's become famous for recording the video of Beyonce's hair stuck in a fan. I promise.

This is Not The Voice. If everyone is singing along to Katy Perry's Firework, by all means, join the chorus. But if she's strumming a song she wrote at 15 that you only know because you're a grade A groupie, please refrain from back-up.

This is Not The View. Once the show has started, your opinion on the government shutdown, your ex you ran into at lunch or the pants the drummer is wearing are not interesting topics to your neighbors. Keep the chatter to a minimum. This also goes for yelling. When Mumford introduced a guest musician from Nashville, a woman three rows back yelled "EFF TENNESSEE." Classy. 

No Babies. Let's not bring a little one to the show and let's not try to make one while we're there.

Be Considerate. Just remember that people can see you and hear you and smell you. Act accordingly.



What would you add to the list? What on my list is ludicrous? Have you seen Ludacris in concert? 


{images: Jamie}

The Post About Three Tweet Commentary

Here are a few expanded thoughts on three tweets I recently posted. 

I miss Desmond Hume.
— Jamie Golden (@JamiesRabbits) October 1, 2013

"I'll see ya in another life, brotha..." Is it strange to yearn for the return of a television character? Well...normal is overrated. I can become strangely enmeshed with these people who come into my life and then leave too soon. I should be as committed to my friends in real life.

For the record, I also miss Jessie Spano, Dale Horvath, Sydney Bristow, and Anastasia Beaverhausen.

Which fictional character would you spend some time with on a Saturday?

Who hurt you, people who wear socks with sandals?
— Jamie Golden (@JamiesRabbits) October 9, 2013

My Dad is 66 years old. I have one job as his grown responsible daughter - keep him out of sandals and socks. Which children are failing their fathers? Is it you? It's time for an intervention. Also, let's consider some in-love-confrontation for men in pleated pants, sports jerseys on Wednesdays, and scrunchies. I don't care if the future wife of Prince Harry apparently buys them in bulk.

What do you think is one of the biggest fashion faux pas?

Staying with a cat for three nights. Must make it love me so it won't steal my breath and then we can make videos.
— Jamie Golden (@JamiesRabbits) October 11, 2013

My friend Laura McClellan is graciously hosting me while in Nashville this weekend for the Storyline Conference. She has this cat...Beckett. He does not enjoy me. And I get this. I'm a lot. A LOT. But I have three days to convert him so we can make a video together.

Maybe one similar to this new favorite:

Post by Tasnádi István.

What's something frivolous on your bucket list?