The Blue Book

By Ruby Canwell

This book was started about getting down to the basics about not just how to make a roux but how to overcome the barriers everyone faces in their daily life, that is, overcoming the doldrums of an exhausting daily routine and allowing some breathing room so you can advance yourself and your interests when you would otherwise feel you are barely getting by. There is advice on budgeting, kitchen tips and hacks, and even some information about how to better take care of yourself. Hopefully, someone will find something helpful in here. As for the expansive section on getting around in the kitchen, you can learn some things about cooking, only just don't expect any recipes! This is a handbook, a handbook for higher living. Escape the routine!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781662457821

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The Blue Book

Ruby Canwell

Copyright © 2023 Ruby Canwell

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

ISBN 978-1-6624-5781-4 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-5782-1 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

For my Mum

Always with the phone calls

Introduction

Chores

Self-Care

Kitchen

Angst & Motivation

Lifestyle

Work and Money

Travel Tactics

Index

For my Mum

Always with the phone calls

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.

Michel de Montaigne

Introduction

When assembling this list of do's and don'ts for home, work, motivation and more, I learned a lot about myself.

They say anger turned inward is depression, and I have always wondered why I have such a problem with *ahem* anger. I think it's all those people who feel it's necessary to remind you of the hard facts of life at every opportunity, those who never pass up the opportunity to take the wind out of your sails, and – of course – the worst, those who just don't LISTEN!

What can I say? I'm kind of angry sometimes. Like, I don't know whether or not I can climb out of bed angry.

But I love it when I get new perspectives on old problems, and this project has been a lot like that. It really can be quite liberating, and I feel compelled to share that glow.

Glow with me!

If not, think of the French surrealist poet Rimbaud. Practically in his teens, he threw whatever fame he had to the four winds over a failed affair with an embittered older man, then ran away to Africa where he became an arms merchant.

Although Africa may not want me, sometimes I think I need to work an escape. *

* I may just be upset because my dishwasher isn't working right now while the dishes are piling up, I haven't been able to see any of my nephews' little league games this season, and there's some problem with the shower drain.

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

Newt Gingrich

Chores

Washing and the Clock

Laundry can be a pain. I like to set one day for laundry and commit to doing it every week rather than letting it pile up.

Unless you're in a laundromat watching the clock, timing things can be a problem and you either end up with a load of wet laundry that has become smelly or a load in the dryer that has become wrinkly.

The wash cycle generally is shorter than the dryer cycle, so whenever you put laundry in the washer, make sure to take it out and send it through the dryer cycle. Make sure you have nowhere to be! Set the timer on your stove.

By far the biggest problem for me is the dryer. For some reason, I have been told to make sure not to run the dryer when no one's home. Even then, I often find I have other things on my plate by the time the longer dryer cycle completes.

If this is the case, and your clothes wrinkle as the dryer environment cools, you can always run a piece of laundry like a towel the dryer under the faucet and toss it in, then running the dryer again. The moisture and a brand-new dryer cycle helps get rid of a lot of those wrinkles. It should take less time than the initial cycle when the load was completely wet.

There is a moisture meter in most dryers that will read the increased wet in the already-dried laundry and then stop when it's reasonably dry again. Otherwise, you can stop the dryer in about fifteen minutes for laundry with less wrinkles.

Chores

Rinse, Sort, Repeat

Recycling can be a real chore and throughout the day, you may find yourself peeling labels, rinsing, stomping, and sorting! Over and over.

I bought a big storage bin, and I just keep tossing stuff in there until it's full. It gets full of unsorted tetra containers, milk jugs, newspapers, and pizza boxes. Whenever it's full, I do one big sort. Doing this just once a week seems much better than doing it every day. I use big bags with handles (Ikea shopping bags) to sort the recycling into, before taking them to the basement of my building where the recycling gets put.

I have neither the time or the mental strength to trot out to those @#! Recycling containers every day either. I feel like I've got some degree of emancipation from tedium this way.

Chores

Power Hazards

Got a nest of cords? They live by your computer, and they multiply behind your tv and your router. It's that ‘tidying job' you never quite get around to, and just glare at whenever you've got the chance. At least if you're me!

When something goes wrong with the tv digital box, however, it can be quite enraging. Someone's probably yelling because their favorite program is suddenly off. It's tense, the clock is ticking, fingers are fumbling, and maybe it's you who's doing the yelling because you're missing the best part of Law and Order.

Did they get him? Did they get him? (Spoiler alert: they always do.)

Always remember the reboot maneuver. Unplug. But don't worry about following the cord from the device back to the outlet!! If it's easier, simply go to the back of the DEVICE, pull out the power cord adaptor (usually black, round, and small), and plug it back in again! Nothing can be quite as frustrating in those tense minutes as following a cord!

Another thing, when you're looking