Category: life

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Pay Attention! Here Are 5 Signs You May Be About to Get Fired.

Have you ever walked into work and a really weird feeling rolls over you? Maybe you can’t put your finger on it or perhaps you received some looks from co-workers. Either way, you’re wondering if you’re on the chopping block.

No one likes that feeling, and job security isn’t really a thing nowadays. So now you’re contemplating looking for a new job, or maybe your rational side is telling you to calm down.

If you’re wondering if a firing is impending, here are a few tell-tale signs.

5. Your conversation with a manager is in your inbox

You just left your manager’s office. The news wasn’t good. She lectured you on getting tasks done faster or on that conflict between you and another employee. Either way, she just sent your action plan in an email. She outlined your conversation and the ways she expects you to behave moving forward.

Yikes.

Don’t fret. All you need to do is be on your toes and follow through with her request. Most managers will document meetings in this manner. Perhaps it’s to create a “file of proof” against you. But don’t lose hope. Take this as a warning and turn things around.

4. Your manager follows up on that project

A day later, your manager sends a follow up on that project she wants on her desk, tomorrow. But she said it wasn’t due until the end of the week!  What do you do? Well,  instead of taking a long lunch or chatting with co-workers, hunker down and meet the new deadline.

Photo Credit: Tim Gouw, Pexels

3. Your responsibilities are dwindling

This should be a real red flag. If you all of a sudden find that your work is being given to another employee, it might be a good idea to start looking for another job.

Also, it couldn’t hurt ask your manager why. There might be other reasons. Are you moving into a different role? Are you being put on a different project? If you don’t ask for clarity, you may not get it. On the other hand, you might not like what you hear.

2. You didn’t get invited to a team meeting

You just returned from lunch to find your team is MIA. Where did they go? You peek around the conference room and see them. Why aren’t you? You check your inbox for the meeting request to find you didn’t receive one.

Getting left out of team meetings could mean you are no longer needed, so you best check with your team after they wrap up to get some insight.

Photo Credit: Snapwire, Pexels

1. You meet the new person and he shares your title

Your manager exits her office with a new employee. They are laughing and chatting as she introduces him to the group. You had no idea they were hiring. Hmmmm. He walks over to you and introduces himself. You ask nicely, “What will you be doing?” He answers that he was hired with the same title as you.

Before you get into a tizzy, maybe the company is growing. If not, look over any past reprimands or documented meetings from the boss  – if things were at all rocky, it might be time to dust off your resume.

 

Before you start to over-analyze any of the signs above, take a deep breath. None of them is a surefire indication of anything, so you could be just fine.

But maybe update the resume, just in case…

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You Need to Chase This Alarm Clock down to Turn It off

For some folks, getting out of bed in the morning is easy. They love the energy of a new day, the promise of a fresh cup of coffee, and they feel invigorated by the idea of twelve or more hours to get stuff done.

For others, prying their lids open far enough to find the snooze button feels like pure torture.

If you fall into the latter group – but still have to get up in order to keep a job, take care of kids, or just be a person – then you might consider this alarm clock that evades your attempts to snooze it until you literally chase it down.

Meet Clocky, the nightstand pet of your nightmares.

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⬅ SWIPE LEFT ⬅ * * Do you have a child who does not like to wake up in the morning or just needs more time to stay in bed? ? Then the solution is Clocky. Clocky is a fun and crazy alarm clock on wheels. He can jump off from a 3-foot high nightstand, and run in different directions with loud R2D2 like robotic sound until wakes you up. • * * Kimin evinde Aliya kimi seherler yuxudan oyanmagi sevmeyen usaq var? Clocky – zengli saat her seher zeng chalaraq yan masadan yere tullanir ve onu dayandirmayanacan ora bura qacir. ? * * USE promo code: ALISHAALIYACLK and get 20% off ur entire purchase. Link in my bio ⬆ * * * * #Clocky #Getoutofbed #Wakeup #nightoffun #familygamenight #familygames #cooltoys #toy #baku #bestseller #hottoys #toys #toy #toystagram #azerbaijan #toycollector #instaazerbaijan #instagram #interiordesign #kidsroom #kidsdecor #girlsroom #alarm #alarmclock #kidstoy #happyholidays #family #love #instaaz

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This alarm clock performs a number of antics designed to get you up and moving before you manage to hit snooze, from his extra-loud alarm to rolling away from where you’ve left him (including down stairs) – and believe me, the volume and variety of the noises it makes would wake even the soundest of sleepers.

Clocky’s snooze button comes disabled, but you can adjust your settings to allow one or more snoozes before he gets up and runs away, as well as choosing how long your snoozes will last.

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Clocky ?? El reloj despertador que huye para que no puedas quedarte en la cama ? . ¿Te cuesta mucho levantarte por las mañanas? ? ¿Eres el tipo de persona que le da todo el rato al botón de repetición de la alarma? ? ? Entonces este reloj despertador de Nanda Home puede ser lo que necesitas. . Clocky es el nombre de este reloj despertador motorizado, que te permitirá repetir la alarma una sola vez, pero después de eso, saltará de tu mesilla de noche y se irá rodando. Soporta caídas de hasta un metro, utiliza 4 pilas AAA y seguirá sonando y brillando mientras huye. . Conseguílo en @milustiendaonline! Escribinos por Mensaje Privado ? . #milustiendaonline #productosmilus #milus #reloj #despertador #relojdespertador #clocky #relojclocky #relojmotorizado #alarma

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For just $40, you can get out of bed the most annoying way possible!

But you will get out of bed.

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People Share the Best Weaknesses You Should Share in a Job Interview

Job interviews are pretty rough for interviewees. The nerves are palpable, and the back-and-forth between employer and job prospect can often be rife with landmines.

Then there’s the dreaded question: “What’s your biggest weakness?”

Ugh, now what? Well, we’re all in luck. These AskReddit users shared their opinions on how you should answer the most infamously difficult question to get “right.”

1. Awareness

“When I was graduating college I got interview tips from my dad who was heavily involved in the hiring process at his company for his department. His advice on this one, which I’ve used ever since and has gone great, was:

The whole “say a weakness that’s actually a positive” has been done to death and is such common knowledge that it’s no longer a clever “trick” and is now seen as avoiding the question. People want to see some self awareness, obviously don’t bring something absolutely terrible up, but mention a real flaw and most importantly what you’ve done to address or work with it.

For example the one I tend to use is that I can be forgetful so I now keep multiple sets of calendars, reminders, notes, etc to cover as much as possible.”

2. Nervous excitement

“One of my actual weaknesses: when I get nervous/excited, I tend to speak really fast and breathlessly. This can actually have a negative influence on my job as I work in healthcare and have to respond/communicate during emergencies.

For my next interview, I will bring this up, and say I have discovered that taking a second to collect myself and take a deep breath seems to calm my nerves and allow me to do/say what is needed in a more collected manner.”

3. Might work?

“What’s your greatest-”

“Weakness? Finishing other peoples’ sentences.” Calan_adan

“That’s what I was gonna’ say!”

4. Sharing

“For my current job, I said that I had a hard time sharing my ideas with new groups.”

5. Controlling

“Actual weakness: Taking on jobs by myself, not taking time to train other people to do them. In the end, I’m usually “the guy” and find myself feeling burnt out.

Probably could be worded better at an interview, but this could sound like you’re a “go-getter.” It might also encourage your employer to find opportunities for you to train other people to do things you particularly don’t like doing.”

6. Dedicated

“I said “I don’t like letting go of unfinished projects” during my interviews. I feel like it shows that I’m dedicated to the work I take on.”

7. Brutal honesty

“Show enough self awareness to know your actual weaknesses and mention how you’re working to reduce their impact on your life. For example, I have an issue with speaking compassionately. For a long time, I believed brutal honesty was the best way to go about things, but it often backfired and made people less willing to work with me because they respected me less and they thought I respected them less.

My wife has helped me with this by, for example when I say something and it’s phrased badly, she’ll say “stop. Try it again.” And I’ll rephrase it to be more empathetic and kinder while still getting across the information I want to communicate.”

8. …Yet

“If you are changing industries, your biggest weakness is not knowing the industry… yet.

If you are younger, say inexperience. Anything to show your willingness to learn and develop.”

9. Good move

“I work in healthcare and always say “Not speaking Spanish” and odds are the interviewer is also not fluent in Spanish so it comes across as not really a weakness. WIN-WIN!”

10. How will you respond?

“Frame it in terms of something you’re looking to improve. “Well, at my last performance evaluation I received some constructive criticism regarding X, so since then I’ve been doing Y and Z to focus on improving in that regard.”

Honestly though, if an interviewer asks you that ridiculous cliched question either they have no idea what they’re doing and/or don’t give a crap, or they aren’t looking for an answer but just want to see how you respond to being pushed.”

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A Beagle-Shaped Airbnb Gives ‘Dog-Friendly Travel’ a Whole New Meaning

Do you have a pooch Need a hotel? Man, have we got the perfect Airbnb for you!

There is a beagle-shaped house in Cottonwood, Idaho, available on Airbnb for $132 per night. The house was built by Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin, artists who live in another (regular-shaped) house on the property. They started by building a 12-foot beagle named Toby in the late 1990s. It became so popular that they built a 30-foot tall beagle named Sweet Willy to use as a guest house, and that drew enough attention that they decided to rent it out to the public.

“Toby got some attention, but Sweet Willy put us into the stratosphere,” Frances told Roadside America.

The house has two bedrooms: one in the beagle’s belly and a loft in the head. The bathroom is located on the dog’s behind, of course. Nearby, there’s a giant fire hydrant to go with the giant beagle, and the property also features a visitor’s center and gift shop. Dennis and Frances live up the hill, and, since the house doesn’t have a kitchen, the couple prepare light breakfast foods for guests. There are also dog-themed books, games and puzzles for the truly dog-obsessed.

The Airbnb is, of course, dog-friendly, as long as canine guests are “responsible” and get along with the couple’s own dog — who is, shockingly, not a beagle, but a canine retriever.

Ready to book?! Sadly, so is everyone else. The Airbnb is completely filled until April 2020. But with endless 5-star reviews, it appears to be worth the wait.

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A Horrible Fart Forces Kenyan Regional Assembly to Pause Their Debate

Everyone passes gas sometimes, but not everyone’s farts are smelly enough to disrupt the political process.

A member of a Kenyan regional assembly emitted a fart that was so foul, the entire assembly had to disperse in the middle of a debate, BBC reports. The Homa Bay county assembly had just returned from a lunch break to debate market stalls when they were interrupted by the sudden stench. Several men began to argue over who had dealt it (obviously).

“Honorable Speaker, one of us has polluted the air and I know who it is,” Julius Gaya reportedly told the assembly.

He went on to directly accuse a fellow member, who denied having done the deed, saying: “I am not the one. I cannot do such a thing in front of my colleagues.”

Speaker Edwin Kakach then paused the debate and told members to step outside and take a break from the smell in the chamber. Edwin also asked officials to bring in air fresheners “to make it pleasant.”

“Get whatever flavor you will find in any office, whether it’s vanilla or strawberry. We cannot continue sitting in an environment that smells bad,” Edwin said.

Fortunately, that didn’t prove to be necessary. After a 10 minute break, members returned to the room to find that the smell had subsided before any air fresheners were found. The heated debate on market stalls continued.

Guess we’ll never know who dealt it for sure.

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Here’s Another Reason to Embrace Being Lazy: It’s Good for the Earth

Now this is good news!

In 2019, it’s not so unusual to have days where you only have to leave the sofa for pee breaks because entertainment, food, and social interaction all come to us via the internet. There are downsides to the new normal for many, but there’s also one big upside: it’s reducing our energy usage.

A new study by University of Texas researchers and published in Joule examined Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data and found that, between 2003 and 2012, people started to spend more time at home than time traveling to and from stores, restaurants, and work.

That means people weren’t burning fossil fuels tootling around town. And if they were working from home, office buildings were using less energy several days a year, too – in total, around 1.8% less energy in 2012 than in 2003 due to Americans embracing a more home-centric lifestyle.

Considering they used data from 2012, and all of the companies that have jumped on board for home delivery since then, those numbers have likely increased even more.

Only time will tell whether the gas required to deliver all of the essentials (and no-so-essential) goodies to your door causes fewer carbon emissions than everyone driving around getting goods themselves. Right now there isn’t enough data to say, though one study suggested whether you live in an urban or rural environment definitely plays a role.

We do know, though, that delivery trucks and ride-sharing apps are taking a toll on infrastructure, as they have added so many vehicles onto the road that cities are scrambling to keep pace. Drone delivery still presents an interesting alternative to using traditional fuels and existing roads, so perhaps if that idea comes to fruition, the scales will tip fully toward living the life of the hermit.

For now, maybe a good balance is the answer. After all, you still need sunlight and exercise, so you’ll have to go out occasionally.

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Step Aside Christmas, Ugly Halloween Sweaters Are Here

I’m not trying to tell you have to live your life, but you need to get on the Ugly Halloween Sweater bandwagon!

Ugly sweater parties were once only reserved for Christmas. It’s the hot holiday trend where your friends go out and buy the most hideous or blinged-out sweater to wear with pride to your party. Sometimes there were even prizes. But Santa Claus is passé – the Great Pumpkin is bringing it for 2019!

Halloween themed ugly sweaters are here, and they’re the perfect solution for your few friends who refuse to dress up for your Halloween party. Now they have a less involved option that keeps them participating in the spooky festivities.

Where can you find them?

Amazon has several available to fit your creepy fancy. Varieties include witches, Dracula, and even pumpkins.

Photo Credit: Amazon

And for the more reserved woman? Cardigans with skeletons!

Photo Credit: Amazon

FUN Wear is one of the biggest manufacturers that’s embracing all that is Halloween.

“COMFY COZY SPOOKY: We’re bringing the ugly sweater trend to the Halloween season with our exclusively made and expertly designed Ugly Halloween Sweaters. They’re Made by Us, and they’re Comfy Cozy Spooky!”

Photo Credit: Amazon

Photo Credit: Amazon

And if you’re more of a traditionalist who enjoys regular sweatshirts. No…um…sweat!

Photo Credit: Amazon

Even the kiddos can have fun dressing up. They offer many children sizes!

Photo Credit: Amazon

“But what if I don’t get invited to a party?”

No worries my friend, you can still strut your awful knit. Parents might enjoy wearing these while they trick or treat with the little ones – it’s low cost, low maintenance, and you won’t distract from you kid’s incredibly cute pumpkin costume or whatever.

Seems like they thought of everything!

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A Man Karaoked so Hard He Collapsed His Lung

You really have to admire people who put themselves out there on karaoke night. I mean, what’s the point of grabbing the mic and getting up there if you’re not going to give it your all, right?

Right.

Buuuttttt, that said, you probably want to avoid collapsing your lung in the process, eh?

Image Credit: Pixabay

Apparently, a 65-year-old Chinese man named Wang managed to do just that after attempting to hit a particularly intense high note, reports the South China Morning Post.

This came after singing 10 high-pitched songs in a row, so perhaps that was a contributing factor? Although I’ve honestly never heard of anyone collapsing their lungs from singing before.

The man experienced chest pains and breathlessness before deciding to take a trip to the ER.

Image Credit: Pixabay

“I was very excited in the heat of the moment and after singing a few songs with very high notes, I found myself having breathing difficulties,” he confessed.

The doctor in the emergency room said that the collapsed lung was due to “high lung pressure caused by singing high notes.”

A collapsed lung occurs when a hole or a puncture in the lunch results in air leaking into the space between the lung and chest wall. The air can build up and increase pressure in the chest cavity, which obviously causes some serious problems.

Though it’s unusual, collapsed lungs can occur basically out of the blue, but chest injuries are most often to blame.

No word on whether his age or physical condition had anything to do with the incident, but you might want to take it easy during your next karaoke session.

Just in case…

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This Is How to Stop Alexa from Recording Your Private Conversations

Our eventual robot overlords have now been officially invited inside a good number of American homes. Kind of creepy, right?

I mean, if these things are like vampires, we’ve definitely made the wrong move.

If you are one of the households with a listening robot (or more than one – guilty), you might be wondering if there’s a way to maintain your privacy now that they’re in your house (and linked to your Amazon account).

Answer? Maybe.

If you’re worried about Alexa listening in and using your information (or accidentally sending it to someone else, which has happened to a few unfortunate souls), you can tweak some of your Echo or Echo Dot settings to make it less likely.

First, you want to make sure you don’t give Alexa access to your contacts when you set up your device. If you’ve already enabled that feature, you’ll need to call customer service (877-375-9365) to have them remove it. It does mean that you won’t be able to use Alexa to make calls or send texts, but it also ensures that nothing she (it) overhears could be sent to people you know.

You can also change the “wake word” from Alexa. You only have a few other choices (computer, Amazon, or Echo), but if one of those is less likely to be confused with another word you use commonly in your household, they might be way to go. Ideally, if you use a word she’s less likely to hear (or be tricked into hearing), she won’t “wake up” and start listening on accident.

You can easily change this setting by simply talking to your device or using the Alexa app on your phone or iPad.

If you know you’re having a sensitive conversation that you definitely wouldn’t want anyone – the big box store included – overhearing, the best bet is to manually turn off the microphone by simply pushing the button on your device.

Lastly? Make doubly sure the volume is up high enough that you can hear her asking if it’s okay to send an email or text because you probably don’t want her to mistake silence for a yes.

That’s just not how consent works, Alexa.

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Women in Africa Are Recycling Plastic into Bricks for a Schoolhouse

Tthe world produces over 300 million tons of plastic every year, much of which quickly goes into the trash where it takes centuries to decompose. In Abidjan, Ivory Coast, women are putting plastic garbage to good use by turning it into bricks to build schools, New York Times reports.

Many women in Abidjan make a living by gathering plastic waste from city streets and selling it to recycling centers. Those same women are now working with a Colombian company to convert the waste into bricks to build schools.

The project will result in hundreds of classrooms to serve about 26,400 students — plus, it’s an opportunity for the women to make a better living.

Many schools in the area are built out of traditional mud-bricks and wood. These buildings require a lot of upkeep, as they easily erode in the sun and rain.

The buildings made out of recycled plastic, on the other hand, will last practically forever. In this context, plastic’s slow decomposition is a benefit.

Also, the country’s classrooms are severely overcrowded, with up to 90 students in each class. Additional classrooms are desperately needed.

Since Abidjan produces about 300 tons of plastic waste a day, there’s plenty of plastic to use. Each classroom takes about five tons of plastic waste.

The company converting the waste, Conceptos Plásticos, initially produced the bricks at a factory in Colombia, but they are now building a factory in Abidjan, which will make the classrooms much cheaper to produce.

Several classrooms are already up and running, and the project plans to deliver 528 total, each of which will fit 50 students.

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