Someone, please start. Thank you!

Since you asked... lol

Tongue Drum 30 Simple Songs - All Over the World: Play by Number

I am learning to play the tongue drum...very cool and soothing instrument.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2025 12:47PM by BarefootBliss.

Initially, that sounded intoxicating. (Sorry in advance.) Then, it turned out to be much different than what I was expecting. Interesting, though.

It's a long title but
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

1. Re reding some of the Inspector Maigret mysteries from Georges Simenon ( published in the 1940s to 1960s, set in the post WW II Paris)

2. Gin Sisters by Faith Hogan - starting, but I loved her other books so I have high hopes for this one as well

3. Little Hope by Ethan Joella - just finished - a five star read, IMHO

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

@paniconmon wrote:

Initially, that sounded intoxicating. (Sorry in advance.) Then, it turned out to be much different than what I was expecting. Interesting, though.

Ugh, pls spare us of what you thought it was, esp. if intoxicated. What are you reading, if anything?

BTW BF - the drum looks and sounds pretty cool. I like that it’s compact. Since I was a kid I wanted to get a chance to play the chimes, starting with the 3 key ones in kindergarten. The huge ones that you have to walk to get to all the keys would be right up my alley now.

Procedure for evacuation and charging of a mini-split air conditioner. I like DIY activities to save money and invest savings into the stock market. Mystery shopping is just a minor savings.

Just finished "The Queen of Sugar Hill" by Reshonda Hill and "Alone" by Lisa Gardner

“Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi. Also re-reading “The Republican War On Science” for my scientific book club.

blink.

@Minime wrote:

@paniconmon wrote:

Initially, that sounded intoxicating. (Sorry in advance.) Then, it turned out to be much different than what I was expecting. Interesting, though.

Ugh, pls spare us of what you thought it was, esp. if intoxicated. What are you reading, if anything?

The word intoxicating was meant in a different context. I was sober. I am sorry for my thought. It was shameful. I have been multi-tasking and taking frequent breaks.

I was reading two books that are similar in type. A curated self-journal with some tidbits to digest along the way. I misplaced the books. If I come across the exact titles, I'll post later.

Specifically, I like reading non-fiction with topics such as self-improvement and business. I like practical books, but thought it would be good to branch out.

On a whim, I started a new thread, as I am curious what other members read. Also, this could lead to spicy recommendations.

It's an interesting thread....great to gather around the punch bowl. lol...

I've been stuck in an Anne Rice novel for months, one she wrote not long before she died, one of the newer vampire cronicles with Lestat in it... I keep reading the same page over and over.. I eventually get through a page and on to the next, but I've been in the same chapter for at least 6 months. I'm not a fan of her new writing style since she joined the church, I think I'm not very interested in finishing it and should just move on to one of the many Michael Connolly novels I haven't read yet. There is also a whole new 8 book set of fantasy/sci-fi novels that I'd really like to start, and I'd also like to read Dune Chapter House for the 3rd or 4th time, it's on my Kindle, I really should get to it. And I'm only about half way through the complete works of Charles Dickens, and I haven't started on Shakespear yet (classics that Amazon gave away for free years ago).

I'm reading The Canadian Poetry Book published in 1922. Has my aunt's and my dad's names in it. I assume an old school book of theirs. Reading it to get rid of it. But now I'm wavering on that o

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I'm enjoying the characters, a group of seniors.

When driving, I'm listening to an Inspector Gamache novel by Louise Penny. It's called A Better Man. I'm enjoying that series.

I'm reading News of The World by Paulette Jiles. I'm enjoying that.

And I started Moby Dick to read a classic, I've never read to tick off a box in Reading Bingo.

I'm reading An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. I've only read a couple of pages, but I enjoyed his novels so I'm guessing I'll like it.

Too many at once for me, so aiming to finish something!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2025 03:04PM by prince.

@paniconmon wrote:

@Minime wrote:

@paniconmon wrote:

Initially, that sounded intoxicating. (Sorry in advance.) Then, it turned out to be much different than what I was expecting. Interesting, though.

Ugh, pls spare us of what you thought it was, esp. if intoxicated. What are you reading, if anything?

The word intoxicating was meant in a different context. I was sober. I am sorry for my thought. It was shameful. I have been multi-tasking and taking frequent breaks.

I was reading two books that are similar in type. A curated self-journal with some tidbits to digest along the way. I misplaced the books. If I come across the exact titles, I'll post later.

Specifically, I like reading non-fiction with topics such as self-improvement and business. I like practical books, but thought it would be good to branch out.

On a whim, I started a new thread, as I am curious what other members read. Also, this could lead to spicy recommendations.

Ok, I see.

I recently read ‘The Color Code’ written by a psychologist maybe 30+ years ago. There’s a personality test you take in it in order to determine one of 4 categories or personality type you fall under. It’s based on the premise that everyone fits into one of the 4, and makes a good case for it. There are no ‘right answers’ with the test, so it can be taken mindlessly using your gut responses. I’ve been giving the test to people I know to fill out and they all loved the concept and the results were spot on, esp. knowing what I know about them. It’s an easy read and an interesting tool you can use to break down someone’s character and motives very quickly. You also learn what motivates you and how to relate to others better based on their ‘color.’ Each color has distinctive positive and negative qualities. When you know the characteristics and personality traits of each color, you can easily identify other people’s color without them having to take the test. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea (per some reviews) but I’m entertained.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2025 05:46PM by Minime.

In addition to my usual bit of fiction and non-fiction for the week, i have gone down the rabbit hole.. after reading a few threads here and beginning with my idea about music through time... depending upon how anyone defines/-ed noise and music, what was the first music? Human? Air/Wind? The hearts of space? Whale song? Bird or land animal? God commanded light? Honeyed serpent teachings?

'Music From the Hearts of Space' gives us a variety of ideas to think.about...

@Minime wrote:

I recently read ‘The Color Code’ written by a psychologist maybe 30+ years ago. There’s a personality test you take in it in order to determine one of 4 categories or personality type you fall under. It’s based on the premise that everyone fits into one of the 4, and makes a good case for it. There are no ‘right answers’ with the test, so it can be taken mindlessly using your gut responses. I’ve been giving the test to people I know to fill out and they all loved the concept and the results were spot on, esp. knowing what I know about them. It’s an easy read and an interesting tool you can use to break down someone’s character and motives very quickly. You also learn what motivates you and how to relate to others better based on their ‘color.’ Each color has distinctive positive and negative qualities. When you know the characteristics and personality traits of each color, you can easily identify other people’s color without them having to take the test. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea (per some reviews) but I’m entertained.

Thank you, that sounds like my cup of tea. I'm interested in similar topics such as personality types, compatibility, and love languages.

Some time ago, at work, we had to attend all-day workshops about culture and teamwork. Similar to this, there were four quadrants. Your result was represented as a dot on the four quadrants, which showed where you fell on the two axes.

A lot of the exercises were interesting. During one exercise, you looked at a picture in silence. No one spoke. One person saw one thing. Another person saw another thing. Both weren't wrong. The next level thing was being able to see the bigger picture and all of its parts, without being fixated on one thing. I forget some of the other exercises, but it was related to things like the difference between being a good speaker and being a good communicator. I remember being mind-blown at the time, at some of the stuff.

That sounds intriguing and simultaneously manipulative. Do these tactics make provision for changes over time?

Some of the purposes of these sessions was to not operate in silos and have an innovation mindset. Once a company gets too big and successful, it loses its entrepreneurial spirit and desire to innovate.

On the other hand, startups are inherently more hungry, lean, creative, disruptive, and forward-thinking. I think that was the underlying message and goal. To open our minds, work cross functionally without any friction, and challenge the status quo. The next and best ideas can come from anywhere.

It does encourage behaviors such as continuing to learn, sharpening your skillset, and adopting new technologies. It can get a little corny, though.

Seems like there would be a variable discrete point. Unique humans and their situations might need more or less of this and at different times. ?

Paniconmon, Do you think they collected the responses in any way or was it just in good fun for your own personal edification? : > When they equate the responses to what it says about you is when it becomes a bit subjective. That’s the part you don’t hear about with some of these tests. I imagine either it wasn’t geared that way or if it was, it made sense. It’s good you had a positive experience either way.

I worked for a company that was part of a large cash cow conglomerate. I was in the robotics division for one of their companies that was doing very well, rolling out new product lines on a regular basis. The execs in that division had a habit of sending out company wide emails asking the employees for opinions and ideas for logos, graphic design, tag lines etc. This was not our stock in trade but people were really excited to share their feedback, which was visible to all. There was no promise of a reward for anything they chose to use, so I didn’t take part. I was also suspicious that it just a tool to test our skill sets, although I wouldn’t put it past them to rip off people’s designs. I ended up asking a gossipy middle manager who would always kiss up to the big boys (good ol’ boys network, 90% male division) (I only lasted 3 years) what the deal was with this crap, since they never told us what became of our input. He said that the company was too cheap to do market research, so the male execs thought they could handle it and come up with their own ideas. That sat around a table picking out crappy artwork for stuff. Among their bright ideas was a using 100% male superhero images on a product, which was a total flop. No concept at all of what might attract women to the products. So the quizzes were in earnest. I could have helped them out, but this manager (who trained me) had a habit of addressing us as ‘guys’ in his group emails, so I L’ed MAO at his response.

Shop-et-al, That's a good point. Some other exercises were used to drive awareness of how certain innate traits and qualities contribute to the overall success of a team. Also, how to communicate and collaborate with all personality types. It emphasized how certain individuals do their best work in certain environments and under certain conditions.

Minime, The responses were shared with our direct managers. Some managers put more weight into it than others. Some don't put much stock into it at all. What you mentioned about subjectivity, I think they know that individuals may answer in a certain way or how an individual perceives him/herself, which doesn't truly capture where they fall on these metrics. It's when something is extremely skewed or repeatedly neutral that they might look into it further.

It's during the live exercises that one can't prepare for or anticipate, that's more telling and revealing about one's thought process and behavior. I don't think those results were captured, but it was for our own awareness.

What you experienced is somewhat similar right now with AI at work for me. Every employee has to be aware of and incorporate AI. It's now a part of and built into everyone's performance.

The job was pre/post pandemic so I was spared from AI. They were big on teams, goal setting for each one, and making us competitive with other teams in the division, etc., like we didn’t have enough pressure. When they decided to support new charities, we were polled and encouraged to give them suggestions for our favorite ones. That resulted in a campaign where the employees would chip in donations taken out of our paychecks to support other employees who reported experiencing hardships. Whose idea was that? Also a campaign for planting 2” fir tree saplings. Customers were charged extra for products purchased for that one. They used the company name to label both.

I like tools that I can use on them too. It cuts both ways. Although my manager was decent, I found that there were a lot of psychopaths who managed to climb the corporate ladder. I didn’t take any crap from them. I think this Rosanne-like trait came with age more than anything. It made them afraid of me in some ways b/c it took them by surprise. That manager ended up apologizing to me for the ‘guys’ label without any prompting. Hope he did so with the other 2 women, but I doubt it.

Unfortunately, the larger the company, the more difficult it is to avoid office politics. My experience is that there are some good project managers, but not entirely suited to be people managers. But the people manager's responsibilities also fall into their lap. Over time, I've learned it's essential to seek avenues to be irreplaceable or acquire skills for the next job. In some unfixable situations, you've also got to know when to leave.

After some time, I've learned to be cordial and pleasant with everyone because down the road, you never know who ends up where and could be working with you directly or indirectly, and in what proximity.

You may have already read this book, but I'm planning to read The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. It's been around for a long time, but it's about how one acquires power and control. (I'm reading it for awareness.)

Pani: I hear ya about not making waves, being nice to everyone but you have to be careful with that as well. I was taught manners at a young age that I still utilize with people I interact with. I try to be considerate and empathetic. Some take my kindness as a weakness and it works against me. So the dilemma is, should I change my true nature due to these Aholes or not? A healer in HI once told me I needed to close my heart chakra a little bit. I need directions for that. For me avoiding having to deal w/a lot of different personalities solves some of the problem. They tend to exhaust me.

As it turns out with that Color Code test I ended up being a ‘White.’ Whites are peace loving, non-confronatational, intuitive, introspective and a bit prone to living an ‘ivory tower’ existence. Combine that with my zodiac sign, Aquarius, and Chinese New Year Snake sign, and it’s a triple whammy. I’m set in my ways. Whites aren’t compatible with Reds, who are drawn to leadership, power, control etc. If anyone caught me reading the book that you mentioned would LTAO, b/c it would be so out of character for me to care about that. Fortunately I feel like I have some modicum of power and control in my life and I don’t seek it with others.

There’s a sequel to that book called ‘The Character Code’ that goes deeper into each color and identifies ‘healthy’ and ‘sick’ characteristics for oth. The author used Hillary Clinton as an example of a healthy red, with all of the good qualities. I imagine he would view Ru,p as a sick red, and I couldn’t agree more. It also goes into which colors are compatible with your own. I’m compatible with blues and yellows equally. Yellows tend to be a bit irresponsible because their main motivation is having fun. I can spot them a mile away, just as I can spot the sick reds in MSC, like the Ipshitz management crew.

Thanks, I like what you said - you have some power and control in your life and don't seek it with others.

I'm curious how I'll self-identify with The Color Code and what The Character Code further delves into. It'll be an interesting read.

Do any of you read the books that are under Nora Roberts pseudonym JD Rob? The series is all about a futuristic world. Eve Dallas is the main character and they’re very well written in cohesive. There are 68 books in the series.

Hmm. We can be colors. At one time, we could be lions, and turtles, and teddy bears, oh my, or something, with animals. This reference to animals was not the same as animal guides and power animals. Two generations from now, what might we be? Types of robots or hover craft?

FWIW, the animal types are owl, turtle, hare, and squirrel.