AI Art “I Have Seen the Lord”

 Last July, our second son was born needing nicu care for 15 days, including an iv, a breathing tube with forced air pressure, a feeding tube and forced feedings, and blue full spectrum light for bilirubin reduction.

Minutes after he was born, he had to leave the delivery room and we would not see him again for several hours, until he was “stabilized.” I wasn’t even allowed to hold him for several days, nor feed him, as he was too weak and hooked up to so many machines. When they finally let me hold him I was in such heaven.

He had poor muscle tone and they believed him to be earlier than dated by several weeks. His tiny little feet received multiple pricks a day for different blood level checks. His feet were pricked so often that the nurse didn’t have to make a new hole sometimes, since he would just start to bleed again easily from the previous holes. His body started at 5 pounds 14 ounces at birth and dipped to under 5 pounds before he slowly started to regain weight.

One of the hardest days was on day three when I was discharged from the hospital due to lack of bed space. The doctor explained that usual policy would allow me to stay, but that they just didn’t have room with all of the births coming in. I just about lost my mind when we pulled away from the hospital and I knew I couldn’t visit with him as easily. Once home, I threw the car keys out of the car, refused to get out and just sobbed so hard. For those hard days apart, we visited him as frequently as we physically could, both exhausted and still recovering from birth.

On about the 8th day, they approved him for a change of ward and allowed us to room in with him. His feeding tube and other supports were slowly removed. We lived at the hospital, only leaving for a few hours every day to spend time with our older son and take care of our animals.

I had to be with the baby as much as possible. I believe he knew we were there with him, which I thought could help speed up his recovery. So many babies in the nicu seemed to be alone most of the day.

Zander is now at the top of the growth charts and doing fine. The entire experience feels far away now that he’s home, but it’s still upsetting to remember the details.

But one thing I won’t forget about is how God was there for me every moment of what we went through. I felt the Lord’s presence at his pregnancy, birth, and throughout the nicu. Several exhausted, quiet moments were spent in the presence of the Lord. I called on Him to be with me and strengthen me, and I believe He kept me from falling apart during what was really a traumatic experience where I could’ve lost my child.

I am thankful for the people that God worked through to bring me comfort and companionship through this season: My husband, my mother in law, my parents, and the lovely pastoral staff and church family of Trinity First United Methodist. I am forever grateful.

Let me declare that “I have seen the Lord” in the nicu. And hopefully, that’s what this art conveys.

#aiart #amberhorizons

Destination: Life is Beautiful

Bridal Reflections

My wedding day was the absolute perfect day, and I wouldn’t change a thing even though everything wasn’t quite perfect. My groom is the man of my dreams. Everything from my dress to my hair turned out perfect.

When I had wished that I had decorations for my ceremony, my wish was granted: the entire city plaza was lit in beautiful blue, green, and white balls of lights hanging delicately from the trees above us. When we got to the restaurant for our simple reception, the whole celebration plaza streets had decorated for the upcoming holidays too, in beautiful white sparkly and hanging lights from all the trees and light poles. I turned to my groom and said “look, they decorated just for us”. It was like the whole city had decorated in anticipation of our special wedding day.

I also struggled with the fact that some of my family wouldn’t be there with that I would’ve liked to of been there that day. Although they weren’t there, I didn’t feel any less loved or supported. The people who were there made me feel very special and even helped me to think of things that I didn’t think would be important, like taking a bunch of photos in every pose, every angle, and every family combination possible - that I know I’ll appreciate now. It was hard to hear that certain family didn’t want to come celebrate my milestone, but I knew I was marrying the right person, so nothing else mattered at that point except for him and me.

Back to the decorations- I guess I just happened to pick the right restaurant for us to have our reception at too. Everything was just right. they sent us at a really nice round corner table at the end of the room so we had our own private space. The decorations from the ceiling were beautiful glass amber blocks with light filtering down and it was the perfect atmosphere to celebrate our new union. our food was delicious and we ate like kings and queens.

The wedding cake was wonderful. My sweet friend offered to give me a cake when she found out that I was getting married and she arranged the most delicious and beautiful cake from a local deli with little white and royal blue rose sets of whipped topping over a vanilla with strawberry filling. It almost tasted like a fancy strawberry shortcake dessert. I was so thankful that my friend could attend, and that she gifted me with that lovely cake.

I am so thankful and very excited to be joining my new family. They are really stellar people and have a lot of love to share. I get the gift of lots of new family members, including a sister-in-law and two lovely mothers in-law.

I never knew I would make out so blessed in life but here I am and I am so thankful. Family means so much to me and now I have the gift of being able to build my own, with my groom…

There was a time when I didn’t know or see how my life could work out in a beautiful way, so I want to encourage others to keep moving forward with your life goals and have big faith that the universe has your back. I know life can be so dark when you feel alone and without purpose. Keep going friend and you’ll find your happiness too.

Now that I’ve saved the best part of the story for last… I am thankful to have found a partner that not only gives me butterflies but also I can call my best friend. My groom is no more than a regular (amazing) guy - but he’s mine! We’ve had our ups and downs over the past couple years but ultimately he gives me a firm foundation of unconditional love to be a better person and I simply wouldn’t want a day of my life without his presence. I am SO thankful for him!

I finally found my happily ever after <3

#wedding #happyeverafter #amberclee

What’s in a name?

What’s in a name? Someone’s name is the most precious word that they’ll ever hear to their ears. I love my name Amber. My father told me that I was given this name because the Vikings used to walk along the beaches and pick up stones of Amber, and that it’s a precious stone to the Norwegian people (I am of Norwegian descent).

Amber is also precious to people who work with fossils as it’s been one of the ways that we’ve been able to find DNA, preserved in amber fossilized.

Amber is also a color, it’s a jewel, and it also means fire in the Arabic language.

I absolutely love my name, and I’m not sure that I knew the significance of my own name growing up and the beauty behind it, being named after a jewel. But as an adult thinking about myself, I am able to truly love my name and appreciate the time my parents went into picking it for me. I appreciate that this is my name because people treat you differently when you have a name that’s pleasant.

I imagine people read my emails and see Amber Lee and most of the time people don’t even know that it’s my first and last name; they just think it’s my first name and that I’m some country bumpkin with a pretty name, Amberlee. It’s kind and friendly with southern charm in this way.

Other times I think people mistake me for being Asian because of my last name, mostly possible employers. In technical fields as I work, this profiling by name kind of comes off as a benefit.

But if you know me by my first name and if you know me (in person), then you know that Amber, gentle and jeweled, is the perfect name for this beautiful person.

What is your name and what do you find special about it?

 

#amberclee #reflection #name #Norwegian

Dall-e AI Digital Art Generator

Here’s a new tool that you really need to know about that utilizes AI, which is computer thinking based on billions of algorithms based on huge datasets, with your creative mind to create almost any kind of art digitally that you can imagine. I’m talking about the new Dall-e AI art generator that’s just been released for public use, pretty much for free. If you start creating a lot of images, you will need to pay for tokens or purchase an account. But just to play with the tool and see what it is, and to understand how powerful AI can be for generating new ideas, you can do this with a free account.


The first image I created in a matter of minutes.

After creating your free account on the Dall-e AI art generator website, you can get started creating new art right away. Your digital art creations are only limited by your creativity as this AI tool is very powerful. I definitely encourage you to try it for yourself. If you can open compose and send an email, then you will be able to create digital art with this new tool.

Trying out the tool

Using some of my favorite, creative keyword terms like cats and cheese, space nebula, Legos, water, coffee, chickens, and astronauts. I created these first basic images with the AI tool. Once you create an image, you can also ask the system for more variations similar to an image that you like. I think this would be really neat to use for story illustrations or unique digital art.

Here are some of my other favorite digital images from Dall-e:


A squirrel in the nebula, clearly a masterpiece.


Soccer stars floating jump in skittles.

In addition to the natural speaking text that the generator uses to create your art, you can also add words like 3-D render or oil pastel to get different medium replications when your image is created.


Oil pastel of cats floating in starry night.

This new technology is one that your students and clients will want to apply, if the tool is one that will bring value to your field and applications in an efficient way and not as a distraction. It’s really an exciting new use of Ai, natural text recognition, and big data to create something novel, innovative, and possibly even beautiful.

How could this tool be used for education?

For my friends and education and training, I thought I would include some ideas for how this Dall-e AI art generator might be used to enhance education. These are just a few ideas, but could clearly be expanded on:

- The obvious - creating digital art for art or art infused learning. Using an AR generator to create digital art allows students to be creative and focus solely on the imaginative creation instead of actually being able to create the piece of art if they lack in skills.

- For teaching creativity and creative thought generation

- For teaching probabilities, matrices in math

- For teaching about AI and natural speech text based programming

Screenshots of the tool

Here are some screenshots of signing up and what the interface looks like.


The credits system to make more images than a free account allows.


The Dall-e interface with my first creation terms and four returned generated images.

What kind of creations are you going to create with this new emerging technology tool? Tag me on your creations with #AmberCLee so I can see what you’ve created too.

You can sign up for your own Dall-e AI art generator account at DALL·E (https://labs.openai.com/).


Ninja cat water wave in space station.

#emergingtech #AmberCLee #dalleai

Skin and Body Image #skintoo

Hello internet friends!

I was reading this article from Stylist UK: 

A third of women won’t exercise because of how their skin looks, a new study finds

...And I have to share my own experiences. This article hits close to home because I am definitely one of the 1/3 of women they talk about that has struggled with body image issues, partially fueled by my own skin problems. I hope that by sharing my experience that I can help others who may be feeling the same way.

My skin problems and by poor body image started when I was a teenager. I imagine lots of people start having anxieties at this time. We're hyper aware of our own bodies and how they are changing, and our peers are quick to point out anything that seems even remotely different than normal body development.

I have a skin disease called hidradentis suppertiva that started when I was about 13. We live in Florida, so the hot, sticky summer weather made this skin condition even worse. I constantly wore jeans to hide my skin, even if I was hot, I would lie and say that I was fine just so I could justify hiding my body. In school, I carefully raised my arms when answering a question, being careful that my arm pits would not show where I also had lesions from my skin disease.

Hidradentis suppertiva is a auto-immune related skin disease where my body is overactive in attacking the regular bacterias that live in your skin and hair follicles. It produces painful sores that often leak blood or pus. I am fortunate that I know how to handle my wounds after so many years and my careful diet and lifestyle has made sure that the lesions have not progressed to stage 3.

It is a very embarrassing condition to have to deal with on a daily basis. You see other people's skin and all I wanted as a teen was to have beautiful skin and legs like I saw my classmates had.

Not only did this make trouble for my body image and confidence during my teenage years, but as an adult, I continue to deal daily with my extreme body cleanliness to make sure that the disease doesn't progress. Because it has an auto-immune component, I can sometimes be tired, like you have a constant cold hanging over your energy levels.

I propose a movement for skin acceptance, similar to the me too or body positivity movement. #skintoo

I hope this gives you a window into the struggles of having an auto-immune skin disease that will be with me forever and will hopefully not progress in severity. Please be kind to people around you regardless of how their outside might look... 

The above linked article gives the following advice to build your confidence:

• Talk about it
• Exercise in inclusive places
• Wear whatever makes you comfortable
• Don't worry about what others think

 

Please know that...

You are beautiful regardless of your skin type, skin problems, or skin "life character" like scars, sun marks, stretch marks, and wrinkles.

 

 

Photo by Eva Bronzini. 

#amberclee #skintoo

Photo by Eva Bronzini from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dirty-sign-pattern-texture-5938152/ Photo by Eva Bronzini from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dirty-sign-pattern-texture-5938152/

Photo by Eva Bronzini from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dirty-sign-pattern-texture-5938152/

AWOL Report

Hello internet friends -

I've been quiet for a while, so I wanted to pop in and say "hello!" The good news is that I've been working (a lot)! I am so thankful for the work I am fortunate to have earned. I am working as a Technical Communications Specialist in my primary consultancy and I have a few other long-term clients in software documentation and curriculum development that I continue with too.

Photo by Charles Koh on Unsplash

...

On another note, I’ve been posting in my homesteading groups about survival preparation, and I wanted to repost some of my thoughts here:

“Learn how to shoot and acquire a rifle. Learn self defense and keep your body in shape. Practice primitive camping. Practice multiple methods of water collection. Acquire hand-powered kitchen and house tools. Build a solar oven. Live simply…”

While these are only a handful of very quick, basic thoughts about survival prepping, crafting the reply post reminded me of how much I enjoy masterminding the simple way in life and finding ways to reduce my modern impact on the world.

I hope you are all doing well and I’ll be posting again soon...

Amber

Twenty-Post Challenge: Question Answered

This is the seventh post in a twenty-post series blogging challenge. The challenge is to answer a question that somebody has asked you online or in-person.

I was asked in a job interview recently: How would I go about creating technical documentation for a product? Read on below to find out how I might approach a technical documentation or curriculum design project.

First, I would get to know my audience. Where is my audience posting their thoughts? Are they posting on Hacker News or Reddit; or are they reading white papers? I need to find my audience and get a picture of what’s important to them, what problems they’re having, and what kind of language they’re using to describe the tool or product. What’s they’re overall impression and what information is currently prominent about my product? These questions will give me an accurate description of who I should write for.

Next, I would learn the tool myself and document my steps starting with how to complete basic functions with the tool or product. How do they get started with the install and a basic project? If developer’s notes are available, I will integrate them into my outlined understanding of the tool. If there’s current documentation, it can be remixed or used to build new, better documentation. Sometimes this step requires some trial and error to learn how a new user would organically use a new tool.

Once I have a good understanding of the basics of a tool and an outline of the documentation started, I would then take screenshots and create images where visual support to understanding is needed. Sometimes it’s easier to complete the outline of the major functions and the instructions and then come back at the end to take screenshots when you fully understand what you’re looking at.

Lots of code on this screen. Image by Tudor Baciu.

Lastly, I would finalize the documentation and request feedback from any stakeholders available to review the documentation, ensuring its accuracy and efficiency to reaching the stated goals. I would verify the consistency of word usage, directional word usage, headings, formatting, and accessibility best practices applied. The documentation would then be deployed externally and I would appreciate feedback from any user utilizing the documentation.

Technical documentation, especially for a tool that will have updates and new features in the future, is a flexible, growing foundation for learning a product or removing headaches when a problem presents itself: A communication of solutions and pathways.

#amberclee #20postchallenge

Published in Writer's Alliance Blog: "Going to the Woods"

My latest article was published on the Writer's Alliance of Gainesville blog entitled "Going to the Woods: A Few Words about Nature Writing"

I hope you enjoy the article!

Twenty-Post Challenge: My Favorite Influence

This is the sixth post in a twenty-post series blogging challenge. The challenge is to write about somebody who has influenced you and name the 10 things you love most about them.

My Parents

 

Dad, mom, and me in late 1984.

I am choosing to write about my parents, Mark and Linda. My wonderful parents have greatly influenced me for the following reasons:

1. They’re giving of themselves and their resources. Not only did my father and mother give over twenty years serving and moving for the US military, but in their second careers and into retirement, they continue to give selflessly of themselves. They serve at the food bank and independently get food for others, they volunteer at home build sites for low income people, they are always donating and finding supplies to give to the local charities, they find blankets and supplies for the animal shelters, and also their friends and neighbors know them for being giving to them too. My parents love to help other people (and animals).
2. They’re creative. My mom is the most talented artist and my dad is super smart with anything mechanical, with building things, and systems.
3. They’re resourceful. Everything in their house stays immaculate and is mostly amazing self- diy renovations. They are both quick witted in solving problems of all kinds.
4. They’re unwavering in values and character. They’re so solid in their beliefs and how they choose to live an honorable, integrityful life.
5. They’re loving. They are kind and fair. They have been there for each other for almost forty years and will always be there as they can for me and my brother (and our families).
6. They were great parents and now great grandparents. My brother and I benefited from their wisdom and influence; and now as grandparents they pass on their life wisdom.
7. They have great taste. In decor, in life choices, and in conservation of self, they both hold strong to their understanding of what should be in their lives and leave no sympathy for what’s left out.
8. They’ve traveled the world. Between the two of them and together, they’ve traveled to so many places: Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Central America and the Islands, Alaska and Hawaii. They have experienced so many different kinds of people around the world.
9. They’re thoughtful of others, neighbors, volunteering, with their friends. They celebrate birthdays with special effort, celebrate achievements, and try to make life special for others around them.
10. They’re MY parents. Firstly, I am thankful to have parents and I realize that not everyone had the blessing of two parents living together while growing up. Second, they are a great influence because they spent time parenting me as a child and continue to provide guidance when needed as an adult. I am truly blessed to have them as my parents.

The original challenge is from Writer’s Write.

#amberclee #20postchallenge #love

Twenty-Post Challenge: My City, Gainesville (Alachua)

This is the fifth post in a twenty-post series blogging challenge. The challenge is to write about the town we live in and to share why we like or dislike it, with a few photos.

Positives

Gainesville is a great city to live, work, and retire in. I love many aspects of Gainesville, including the:

1. Nature, biodiversity

Even on my first visit to Gainesville, the two lane roads winding through green ravines immediately reminded me of the Appalachians. Since living here for a few years now and exploring through hiking, I have learned that there is immense biodiversity of plants and animals (and people!) in this region. Gainesville sits on the edge of the Georgia plateau as it crumbles towards the Atlantic, exposing rich, ancient sediments that support the area’s vast biodiversity.

Hoggetown waterway in Ring Park, on a hike. Photo by Amber Lee.

2. Diversity of people

I love that Gainesville celebrates people of all kinds, with county supported events for people of different gender identities, races, and heritages, and also many family events. The mix of people here in this University town for decades has strengthened the region’s collective identity and gender/race relations. Last year when Black Lives matters and All peoples lives matter became a chanting call across the nation, Gainesville had already addressed these issues years ago and stood united to stop violence in all forms, instead of pointing fingers at any one race.

Data and chart from City Data at: https://www.city-data.com/zips/32609.html.

 

Street art found on a hike. Photo by Amber Lee.

3. Weather

The climate here is nice and you get at least three Florida seasons of a warm Spring, a really hot, muggy Summer, and a tepid Fall; with a few freezes coming through in the Winter. The climate isn’t too harsh and tends to stay very temperate, except for a few hot, stale windless months during late summer. If you’re a gardener, you'll enjoy Gainesville's climate where you can easily grow year round with a greenhouse or diy plastic sheeting hoop houses.


Sunset over Gainesville school. Photo by Amber Lee.

4. People I’ve Met

The people of Gainesville are really great. I’ve met wonderful neighbors and professional contacts here. One such group of great people is the Writer's Alliance of Gainesville (https://writersalliance.org/). Gainesville has several great meet up groups for almost anything you'd be interested in and also has many extra supports and events for families and children.

Gainesville by drone. Footage by dronepilotastro@gmail.com.

5. University Influence

The university influence is seen everywhere in city business offering variety and quality; overall city cleanliness and safety, and green spaces planning.

The University of Florida football Swamp arena. Photo by Amber Lee.

6. Cool vibe here overall, like Asheville

Negatives

I’m not going to detail much on why I don’t like my city because I think every city has aspects that are unliked or unsightly. I also don’t like to focus on the negatives in life. If you're looking to move to Gainesville, make sure you check the crime maps because unfortunately there are some not so nice parts.

What I don’t like:

1. Lots of petty crimes, robberies, burglaries overall in the city. Someone attempted robbery on my brother Jason years ago at a bus stop by the university - the university is improving security in the entire downtown area including facial recognition cameras and other tracking/ identification methods.
   
2. Homeless drunks begging in the street medians - its dangerous that they're in the street medians and they're everywhere in Gainesville.

I hope this gives you a little glimpse into the wonderful city that I call home. Gainesville is a great place and I hope you'll come visit sometime!

The original challenge is from Writer’s Write.

#amberclee #Gainesville #20postchallenge

Newly Unveiled Howard Bishop Recreation Area in Gainesville (Alachua)

On the northeast side of Gainesville city, there is a newly renovated recreation area open to the public called the Howard W. Bishop Recreation Area. This renovation took over $250,000 in funding to complete and was a joint effort by Alachua county and Alachua county schools.

Howard W. Bishop is the shared name given to the middle school adjoined to the rec area, named after the former superintendent of Alachua County Schools who served from 1941 to 1952.

While there has been a track and large grassy field in this area for years that the local public already uses, the new features are going to be a nice addition for the public. These include two brand new basketball courts, four tennis courts, new asphalt and lines painted on the quarter-mile racetrack, fresh grass on the field, two brand new soccer goals, and the brush has been cleared with new fencing installed around the perimeter.

Here are a few photos I snapped of the rec area:

Definitely check out the Howard Bishop Recreation Area if you’re looking for a neighborhood-friendly place to get some exercise or play a game with your kids. Many families use this area and it has good lighting around the field and racetrack area so you can exercise safely until dusk.

Parking is just across the street, about 100 feet, in the elementary school visitor lot. This recreation area does not have any water fountains or bathroom facilities, and accessing the area is not ADA compliant - so hopefully they add a compliant access route soon (and I may write the county myself to ask why ADA compliance was not included!).

Rec Area signage indicates that the school has first priority during school hours, but is otherwise open to the public from dusk to dawn. The full street address is 1901 NE 9th Street (Gainesville).

Twenty-Post Challenge: An Interview With Dr. Lora Kosten

This is the fourth post in a twenty-post series blogging challenge.

The challenge for this post was to interview someone that my readers would find interesting. I’ve chosen a dear colleague from the University of South Florida's education faculty, Dr. Lora Kosten, about her book A Handbook for Positive Living A Through Z. Dr. Kosten’s interview is provided below. I hope you will check out her book!

 

Interview Questions: A Handbook for Positive Living A Through Z

Without summarizing it in any way, what would you say your book is about?

This book is about transforming your life through Positive Living. Many times, when we think of improving our lives, we think of only diet and exercise. This book helps address ways of thinking to see things through a positive lens, use mistakes as stepping stones for growth, find balance and peace of mind, and take small steps that can become a part of a daily repertoire for Positive Living.

Without explaining why and without naming other authors or books, can you discuss the various influences on your book?

My holistic counselor: Dr. Dolores Seymour was most influential. Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer and Tony Robbins too.

Without using complete sentences, can you describe what was going on in your life as you wrote this book?

Crohn’s Disease… Dr. Seymour’s Inspiration…Positive Thinking…Changing My Perspective…Taking Action…Sharing Timeless Strategies with Others…

What are some words you despise that have been used to describe your writing by readers and/or reviewers?

I do not appreciate profanity or inappropriate language, but I feel that everyone has the right to an opinion. It is important not to take things personally and to see what can be learned from comments made. If it doesn’t speak to me then I can just let it go.

If you could choose a career besides writing (irrespective of schooling requirements and/or talent) what would it be?

I am a teacher at heart and it is my hope that this book will help others acquire skills and strategies to make their lives more meaningful.

What craft elements do you think are your strong suit, and what would you like to be better at?

This book takes on Positive Living themes from alphabetized words A through Z. Each chapter addresses a theme and has assignments for reflective activities. These activities cause the reader to process the information and apply it. One does not have to read this book in any sequence which makes it an ideal resource to have on hand. The elements and craft relate to the book’s themes and the assignments to help the reader address different strategies.

How do you contend with the hubris of thinking anyone has or should have any interest in what you have to say about anything?

Chapter One conveys the importance of doing what is “right for you.” This book may be right for some but not for others, and that is ok. It plants seeds to help readers expand their repertoire for self-care and holistic wellness. People may take those seeds and do what is best for them.

Namaste,
Lora

You can read an excerpt or order a copy of Dr. Kosten’s book A Handbook for Positive Living A Through Z.

Interview questions are from: https://lithub.com/what-ive-learned-interviewing-almost-300-writers-over-seven-years/

The original challenge is from Writer’s Write.

#amberclee #20postchallenge

Twenty-Post Challenge: My Blogging Story

This is the third post in a twenty-post series blogging challenge.

The challenge for this post was to share why I started blogging and tell about the moment that I decided to write.

When I first started blogging, I was in my early 20s. My very first post was summer 2008 and was entitled "A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step..." I had earned a technical writing degree that gave me a little insight into writing and how to use online tools.

Life was promising but a little tough at the time: I had moved eight times in the span of just a couple years following a relationship around the country that later failed. We moved from Florida to Arizona to Pennsylvania to Maryland to Alabama and then to Texas, twice. I remember working at my computer looking out at the snow from a Texas apartment, boxes still stacked up from the last move, and trying to share with the world some of the thoughts that I have written down in my little notebook while working a part-time job as a gas station clerk.

As a creative, I needed an online platform to share my opinions and designs. I write and design a lot in my free time because that’s what I’m driven to do – it’s my gift that, like a tsunami wave, I can’t hold back and must write down the thoughts swirling into and around my head. I have notebooks saved on my bookshelves from over 20 years of writing: little scribbles, planning things out, drawing out systems or ideas. So, I take the best or most relevant ideas that I have and share them on the blog.

A blog provides me with a public platform for possible employers or other professional connections where I can create the story publicly of who I am. I want to showcase my writing and share the experiences I’ve gained with other people. I gain authority in my field by confirming my opinions and designs with others.

By maintaining a blog, it makes my own thoughts important to myself by becoming concrete and shared with the world. Sometimes thoughts come in our heads and slip away so easily. Blogging gives me a way to concretely engage with the rest of the world. It’s also not as intimidating as doing so face-to-face. I can connect with others who have similar ideas or interests through the power of the Internet.

Bloggers can add great value and richness of experience to what is presented on the web for consumption. I hope the ideas and designs I share on my blog bring you value too!

More to come about why I decided to start blogging in future posts.

The original challenge is from Writer’s Write.

#amberclee #20postchallenge

Twenty-Post Challenge: My Favorite Quote

This is the second post in a twenty-post series blogging challenge.

The challenge for this post was to share my favorite quotation. I’ve chosen to share a quote attributed to Dr. Maya Angelou.


Image by Amber Lee.

Dr. Maya Angelou was an influential modern American writer (to use her words, a phenomenal woman!) and fully understood both positive and negative human emotions. Her understanding of people is reflected in the quote I’ve chosen to share. In a world where everything material is treated as so important, Maya reminds us that how we treat others will be the only important remainder.

Think about your interactions with others: have you had an interaction with someone that left you feeling a little beat up? Sometimes the goal of a conversation is reached, but the participants really don’t treat each other with respect in the way they interact.

Feelings and emotional interactions are often dismissed as non-important in business and personal dealings. If feelings are prioritized, then you’re somehow weak and not focused on concrete goals. Feelings are not a reality of a situation, but simply an experience that can be controlled and thus should be easily dismissable.

But what happens when we look at our interactions with others from a long-term perspective - when we look back on our lives and remember what truly “matters?” When all we have are achievements and amassed wealth in material or financials, does this really make a life satisfying to live? Many people might say no…

Maya is teaching us in this quote that the only things that will really matter in life is how you make someone feel. Were you kind? Did you make someone feel accepted or take extra patience when someone struggled through something? Did you help someone that needed a friend or simply a kind word? Just like you, many people have shortcomings or their own obstacles that they’re trying to overcome and a little kindness may be greatly appreciated.

When we’re kind to others, the positivity radiates into our lives too.

Let this quote encourage you to treat others with kindness and respect. Realize that there’s more to winning at life than acquiring possessions and achievements. And as writers, we can utilize feelings to drive our literary goals with an audience.

Here’s an interesting point to end this blog post: although this quote was attributed to Maya for her 70th birthday wisdom in 1998, the original quote belongs to someone else, a preacher, who published it first in the 1970s. So Maya may have liked and used this quote, but she was not the originator! Regardless, Maya seemed to love this quote herself and used it in several of her speeches later in life. 

 

By Office of the White House - White House.org [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52404806

The original challenge is from Writer’s Write.

#amberclee #20postchallenge

Twenty-Post Challenge: Where I Work

This is the first post in a twenty-post series blogging challenge.

Although the twenty-post challenge by Writer’s Write was created with “beginning bloggers” in mind, I realized that on my blog I’ve never really addressed any of the topics suggested for prompts and that maybe my readers would like to know some of these details about me and my work. Many of my posts are largely impersonal with what I choose to share with the world online. I’m just not that big into sharing my personal life or activities blasted online for everyone to see (and track, thanks big data).

Today's challenge is to share a photo of my workspace and to tell why I like my space and a little about what I do there. As you may know from my other posts, I currently work completing technical writing and instructional design projects for several different clients, so having a quiet space to meet, write, and design is essential to working effectively.

Below you can see my work area for writing and other projects located in the spare bedroom. I am thankful to have a dedicated space to work in. Often times, you’ll find me writing in the morning in this quiet, peaceful, and inspiring space.


This is my dedicated work space. Photo by Amber Lee.

Many times when I write, I prefer to use my smart phone. It’s mobile and I often have ideas on the go, so using my phone allows me to record notes whenever or wherever an interesting thought or topic comes to me. It’s also quicker for me to dictate my thoughts and use the voice-to-text phone feature: sometimes my thoughts come so fast that I can’t type them out fast enough, so I speak them. I can then go back and correct any mis-heard words or awkward phrasing, which I will usually complete at my computer.

My desk and chair are a set that a friend gave me many years ago. She has since passed, so it’s special to me that I can use the desk she gave to me to be creative and write at today. The clean, heavy desk has a great marble top and a retracting space underneath for my keyboard and mouse. It is a very nice set and I remember my friend as I use it, so I hope it will provide me with a working surface for years to come.

I built the big “A” letter you see setting on the desk about five years ago for a graduate school club recruitment event at the University of South Florida. The letter is made of styrofoam and foam board glue-gunned together with lots of masking tape for sides, which I then painted the entire creation in a wash-out blue pattern from reused paint. It was really fun to make and DIY'ing the project saved me a lot of money for a fun event prop.

I also have a fun Rick and Morty psychedelic wall tapestry that adds color to the background of my space. Rick and Morty is a fun adult cartoon. I really like color, especially blues and purples, which is prominent in my space.

On my desk, I have my computer, my whiteboard, my planner, and my notebook. I use these tools every day to keep organized and produce work on a consistent schedule. Many times I’ll write notes by hand if I’m having writers block.

You’ll also notice some extra equipment on the desk. We use this area for DJ’ing music, so there is a mixing board, speakers, and some fun lights that can be turned on. Writing and instructional design by day; DJ’ing by night - this space gets lots of use!


Using the DJ mixing board and fun colored lights at night. Photo by Amber Lee.

Underneath my desk, I keep a foot massager, a foot stool, and a soft rug: I like to be comfy when I work, as you can see by the pillows too. Ergonomics are important and this desk setup helps me keep from being in pain after being on a computer for several hours a day.

You might wonder why there aren't any little plants growing in this sunlit space. The answer is my cats: I have an older cat that loves to eat anything that resembles a plant, including fake silk plants. He then gets sick. So no plants in my house, unfortunately.

I hope this gives you a little peek into how I work every day. See you on the next post!

The original challenge is from Writer’s Write

#amberclee #20postchallenge

DIY Combined Aquaponics and Hydroponics Gravity-fed Food and Fish Production System

Let me tell you a little bit about a cool aquaponics and hydroponics food production system that I’ve built on a small scale several times using very simple parts and with great success. A combined aquaponics and hydroponics gravity-fed food and fish production system is just what it sounds like- you grow plants and fish together in one system. There is no dirt or soil for the plants, but instead, they are fed from the water containing fish waste that is recycled through the system. In turn, the nutrients released by the plants and the ecosystem that is created will begin to feed your fish as well as to sustain a healthy oxygenated water environment.

 

The first DIY aquaponics/ hydroponics system in production.

For the system displayed in the photos, you will need one standard aquarium pump to move the water from the bottom container or holding tank up to the very top container. The system then filters the water through the plants utilizing gravity to move through each catchment level in the system.

For plant growing medium, you can use small stones, pebbles, or the clay hydroponic growing medium. Hydroponic clay growing mediums are expensive so I usually opt to use small stones and pebbles from any standard landscape supply. Use larger stones by the drainage tubes and smaller pebbles in your planting area. Do not use any dirt or sand in your plant beds as this will clog your system and is unnecessary. The plants and pebbles will filter the water adequately and provide an ecosystem for your plants to thrive in.

In the first DIY system built, I used goldfish because they are very hearty fish and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t kill them easily. I’ve built three systems sense and I’m now using catfish because this is a fish I would like to grow and eat myself. Catfish do not require a lot of heating unless it gets to freezing temperatures so in my climate they work well. Tilapia are also a good choice if you can provide heat in the winter and trout is a great choice to grow in colder climates. You might start with goldfish to start your system, but do not grow goldfish with any of these other fish types. Goldfish waste can be toxic to other fish.

Monitor your combined aquaponics and hydroponics system closely for health. Watch for stress points like when you first add the fish and the plants are small or when the plants are large and you harvest the fish it will stress the plants. Look for signs of stressors, such as wilting or sickly plants, cloudy water, dying fish, or too much algae growing. You want some algae and bacteria and a healthy system because this is what will eventually feed your fish. When first starting your system, you will need to feed your fish, but as your system matures, the fish will begin to feed on the algae and particulates created.

Arrange your growing containers with the plants planting bed at the top then have that feed into a containment area in the middle for an overflow, and lastly at the bottom of the gravity-fed system have your fish. Consider paying a little bit more for the plastic irrigation tubing that is meant for drinking water pipes (PVC). You’ll need to slowly add water and run the system for several days without any plants and fish to make sure that your bacteria environment is starting to grow in a healthy way. Do not add any chemicals to the water for the fish, as these chemicals will be absorbed by your plants that you're adding. Also, consider light needs: install an indoor growing lamp over the plants at the top or place everything in front of a sunny window.

 

Small systems can be built without need for a pump, but water quality must be monitored even more carefully.

A combined Aquaponics and hydroponics gravity-fed food and fish growing system is really not as complicated as it seems. Once you start building your own DIY system and see how the fish and plants feed each other, you’ll be hooked too. The best part is when you begin harvesting your fresh fish and vegetables right from your DIY system. Happy growing!

#amberclee

Hiking at Owen Illinois Park (Gainesville/Alachua)

There are several Alachua county parks surrounding the 5,800-acre Newnan’s Lake (just outside of Gainesville). One of those parks, Owen Illinois Park, is located off the East side of the lake on Highway 234, in between Highway 20 and Highway 26, about 15 minutes east of Gainesville in North Florida. This park is very secluded from the city and features a great 3.4 mile round loop trail through the old-growth, lakefront forest.

 

Several beautiful old trees live in the park - this is an Oak that is over a hundred years old.

Owen Illinois Park is one of two parks that provide public boating access to Newnan’s Lake. Newnan’s Lake has been popular for years with Gainesville area residents for kayaking, fishing, and spending time at the lakefront. This sprawling park provides access to well-maintained, almost-new bathrooms, a playground, a pavilion, several picnic tables with elevated grills, and dual concrete boat ramps that are split by a metal floating dock. There are several parking spaces for boat trailers (and birthday parties!) under huge, shady trees.

Owen Illinois Park is a little further out from the city of Gainesville and is surrounded by several forests, so the sounds of traffic are far away and it’s even quieter when you get on the trail. The trail is mostly flat in elevation, looping through low-lands of cypress by the lake and into pine habitat. When we went hiking, a few sections of the trail were submerged in water. Half of the trail is a little bit more rocky, like a horse trail, but is still easy to hike.

This trail is not accessible for all people, but the rest of the park’s facilities have been built with all people in mind. There are sidewalks leading to the restroom facilities, playground, and to the Pavilion. There's also not a great lake view while you were on the trail: it's a couple hundred feet away when you are in the cypress low-lands section.

One of the fun activities on the trail I always enjoy is tracking animals and looking for signs of their activity. This park is full of recent animal activity - there’s lots of deer tracks and we tracked several pairs of does and fawns across the park’s trail. Remember that in North Florida, there’s wildlife like bears in our woods, and Owen Illinois Park would be a prime spot to see a larger predator: Always keep your eyes out for snakes, alligators, and the other animals you might encounter while hiking in the wild.

The nicest overall feature of the park is the peaceful lakefront grounds and the sun filtering through the Cypress swamp. If you happen to visit the park in the late afternoon, because you were on the east side of the lake you can watch the sunset over the water to the West through the cypress trees as you end your visit.

Definitely include Owen Illinois Park on your bucket list for North Florida - it’s a true gem of natural Florida.

Check out photos of the 3.4-mile trail and lakefront park:

The trail map at the trailhead shows the related parks and forests surrounding Newnan’s Lake.

This little guy greeted us at the trailhead. What kind of spider is this?

Most of the Northside of the trail is like this - broad, even, and well-maintained.


Fields of these little lichens were scattered in the damp areas of the forest.


This plant was so vibrant - not sure what this is - do you know?


A feather was found on the trail.


A deer track! We found several tracks that day that were very fresh.


A flooded section of the trail.


A small creek where we had to jump the bank to cross.


The peaceful lakefront grounds where you can picnic or just relax.


The well-maintained playground area and pavilion under the shady Oaks.


The boat ramp has good concrete and a gentle slope.


The sun setting over the water was so pretty!

 

#amberclee