Nostalgia

The Movies

One of my favorite things to do growing up, was go to the movies.  My mother took me many times and I love looking at photos of old theaters in Peoria.  The only one pictured here that I remember is the Beverly which closed down in the early 1990's.  The last movie I saw there was Silence of the Lambs.  I've seen many Disney movies there as a child (The original Freaky Friday, Bambi, Snow White, etc) and others through my teen years. Lethal Weapon 2 and Platoon come to mind.  Back then, Landmark was the big cinema with Westlake and Metro Centre following.  I miss these oldtime theaters.  The other photos here are of theaters that got my attention. The Rialto was demolished to make way for the Peoria Civic Center and The Garden Theater really sparked my interest!  It operated through the 1920's and was closed in 1942 - a year before my mother was born!  She is from that area of Peoria and always remarks about how wonderful it was back then.  Here's to the oldtime theaters that are now treasures of Peoria!

NEVER STOP LEARNING

Furthering An Education

I love taking online courses not only to help prepare me for my writing or to open up new areas of employment after retirement, but also to keep me learning about things I'm interested in.

Last year I took an online class through Penn Foster focusing on Fitness and Nutrition. I enjoyed it since I was a member of a health club while I went through the class. I learned a lot and was even educated in medical facts which I struggled through taking the exams. I did get a good grade and got my certificate, but haven't retained much. I was going to write some articles or blogs (may still do this) about Fitness/Nutrition, but never got around to it.  At least I was able to learn for myself and my own health.  I briefly thought of going into a Wellness class, which may or may not be in my future.  I wish Penn Foster had the Relaxation Therapist course which is available through Stratford Career Institute - another distant learning school.

Instead, the Private Investigator course caught my attention.  I wish I would have went into criminal justice or other courses about law when I was just out of high school, but I had no interest in anything back then except for writing.  I'm proud to say I got A's on the first two exams and I've only been in the class for three days!  They will get harder from here on out, so I hope to keep doing well. I love the PI course so far. Been learning a lot about fraud and the scams that some people will try to pull off.  Amazing!  Doing research with pre-employment (regarding new job applicants) digging and finding people (lost loves or biological families) is something I'd like to pursue after retirement. Even working as an assistant would be great! 

These courses can get expensive, depending on the subject, but furthering your education is never a waste of money.  If you drop out, that's another story, but I'm determined to finish this one as well as I did my last. Once you find what interests you and get excited about learning a fascinating subject, do it! I cannot wait to see what else is in store about being a PI!  It may even help me with my mystery novel writing.

The reason I picked Penn Foster over Stratford Career Institute (I had a Creative Writing course through them), because I researched both websites and found that the Penn Foster site outlined their study units with more understanding and detail of the lessons. Anyone can compare the two and find out what works best for them. I have both links below.
Different subjects are available on these websites just for browsing.
http://www.pennfoster.edu/
http://www.scitraining.com/ (Stratford)

April 17 Update - I am now on the third module and carrying a 98% average!  Love the PI program and learning a lot about what you can and cannot do as an investigator, how the law works, and the history of court cases way before we had the rights we do now (right to counsel, having your property searched, etc).  This class even has me intrigued about other law programs.  Legal Transcriptionist is one I may or may not be able to do on my own - not sure it's a class where I need an instructor to physically teach this one or not, but it sounds interesting!

Until next time...

STRESS RELIEVERS

I have one big enemy. Stress. I can't seem to get away from it. It comes after me at work most of the time, which is where I spend close to 50% of my life - more if you count my mind being there.  Stress from the job, customers, bills, or family are all around us.  It would be nice to get rid of stress once and for all, wouldn't it?  I'm sure it will never be gone completely, but I have found some ways to fight the sickness of stress. They might even work for you!

Exercise classes (aerobic, water, or weight lifting) to music have played a big factor in my happiness from day to day BS that I put up with in order to make a living.  I find myself happier when I release endorphins moving to music with a group of people who are doing the same thing.  I participate in Body Step aerobics, Body Pump weight lifting, and Zumba which is a lot of fun! Some people tell me "I'm too embarrassed" or "I'd look stupid doing that." One reason I like group classes - everyone in the class is doing the same thing you are.  Get in the back and watch someone in front of you.  That's how I learned!  If you like music and want to have some fun beating stress (or getting into shape), this is the best way.  I go on both my days off of work and a couple days during the week. I call it "recreation" not "exercise".  Like many people like shooting hoops or playing video games - I like moving to music! As they say in Zumba - Ditch the workout, join the party!!

Herbal teas - now I know many people don't like tea (why, I don't know), but I have found some to help with many problems (mentally and physically). Yogi brand teas are good and are available in many health stores.  I find them more expensive at Naturally Yours or Fresh Market so I have been ordering them online through Swanson Health Products for about half the price. 

I've tried Calming (big stress reliever without putting you to sleep) which uses Chamomile with Lemongrass and Gotu Kolal. Organic Lavender Flower and Licorice add to the taste, which is great by the way.  Relaxed Mind is a good one, but I find that it had started making me sleepy.  It uses Aromatic Lavendar and Organic Sage to balance mood and nuture creativity. Nice pleasant taste.

Another one is Muscle Recovery - for my recreational fun or sometimes the physical work I do at the post office. It's green tea that uses soothing herbs like Turmreic Root, Devil's Claw Root and Yucca Root. Ginseng is added to reenergize the body.  Love the taste of this one as well and it has helped me after I have overworked the muscles!

The reason I started trying these teas was the mention of Ginger Root.  This one is good for the digestive system and let me tell you - it works!  I was skeptical at first, but when I drank 2 cups one day, I felt much better.  This is a strong tea and a big spice, so I can't leave the tea bag in the cup the entire time (which I normally do since I like it strong). This is a great one for people who have colon cancer in their family or suffer from not "being regular".  There is another tea Yogi makes called "Get Regular" but that's a laxative.  I cannot explain that one more, since I haven't tried it and hopefully won't have to.

Yogi teas also make a Blueberry Slim and a Caramel Apple for diet assistance.  They can be consumed in between meals and can keep you from hunger. I have the Blueberry Slim but haven't had a cup yet. Looking forward to it!

These are the main stress relievers I've found to be helpful with others I have mentioned just to help people who may not have knows these sources are out there.  Yogi makes many more of these herbal teas and they can be found at http://www.swansonvitamins.com/yogi-tea

There are many more ways to relieve stress. Try downloading some Relaxing Music to your Ipod or computer.  Even listening to it as background music helps ease your mind.  Meditation is in my future and hoping to try that out soon.  Any comments on techniques are appreciated!!  Until next time...