Jean Marie Bauhaus

Multi-passionate writer, author and solo-preneur

Month: July 2012

More Survival On a Budget

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On July 30, 2012

In Uncategorized

PrepperGirl.com’s unexpectedly enforced hiatus must continue as the day job and other responsibilities continue to put me through the ringer, but don’t miss these great budget survival tips provided by commenter Grimm. Here’s a sample:

A cheap protein source is TVP (textured vegetable protein). It is dehydrated so it has a longer shelf life than most proteins like tuna or tofu. Since it has little to no flavor of its own you can add it to your other survival food without altering the taste but boosting the protein levels. $1 if you can buy it from the bulk dry goods at your local health food store.

A great way to build your BOB or GOOD bags with great items but staying in your limited budget is to buy your supplies one at a time and to shop around. Research can help you decide on the items you want and the average price range. Save if you have to to get quality items rather than dollar store crap.

Click here to read more. And thanks for the tips, Grimm!

Back In the Saddle

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On July 30, 2012

In Writing

It might not have escaped your notice that I failed to finish editing Dominion of the Damned in time to take advantage of those Create Space coupons I worked so hard to win in last year’s NaNoWriMo before they expired. Between working the new contract job, working for my own clients and hurrying to overhaul our design website to (hopefully) appeal to a more high-end clientele, well, something had to give, and that something was my writing time. Which has made for a very stressed and cranky Jean over the last six weeks or so. So starting today I’m determined to get back on the writing & editing horse.

I suppose it’s just as well that I missed my deadline, though. I have some excellent beta notes from an excellent writer whom I was privileged enough to have read my last draft, and I confess I was skipping over some of the feedback that would require major overhauling of scenes in the race to beat that coupon expiration date. I actually stopped rushing the edits about a week before the deadline, because I realized that taking the time and effort to overhaul those scenes and make this book the best it can be will probably sell a lot more copies than being able to give away free copies of a mediocre book. And then suddenly this editing process became a lot more daunting, and see above re: no time for it.

So today’s editing session was more about just trying to get my head back into the story, to figure out where I left off, what I needed to go back and fix, etc. I think I need to read it again from the beginning with the changes I already made, and add my own notes to my beta readers’ notes, and this time take my time with it to make sure I get it right. And it’s going to be a real challenge because I can only carve out about 30 minutes a day to focus on it; but that’s 30 more minutes of attention than it’s been getting, and slow, baby-step progress is better than no progress. Right? Please tell me I’m right.

Cabin In the Woods

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On July 16, 2012

In Movies, Pop Culture

This will be short, because there’s not really a whole lot you can say about this movie without spoiling it. But Husband and I celebrated Independence Day by finally catching this movie at the second-run theater before we missed our chance to see it on the big screen, and I’m glad we did. It’s gotten a lot of hype, both from Whedon fans and non, and it did not disappoint. Y’all, this movie is awesome.

Is it scary? Yes. Well, if you’re like me and you grew up on a steady diet of slasher flicks and are pretty much inured to the genre, then it’s more fun than scary. But if scary movies actually scare you, then there’s a good bet that this one will, because it plays the horror parts straight. I went in expecting over the top jokey horror a la Evil Dead 2, and although there is some of that, I was delightfully surprised at the parts of it that were straight up horror movie. If you are the sort who is bothered by that type of gorey slasher horror, then I’m hesitant to recommend this movie to you — although I’m also tempted to say that if you can at all stand it, then it’s completely worth it, because the last act takes a turn that is purely Whedonesque and fifty shades of awesome.

Of course, I can’t tell you what that is without ruining the whole premise of the movie. And so, naturally, I will do it behind a cut.

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Ehrrrmagrrrrd, you guys, Marble Hornets

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On July 14, 2012

In Internet, Pop Culture

I’ve got a new obsession, folks, and it’s taken me by surprise — if you had described this little Youtube series to me a few weeks ago and told me that I shouldn’t watch it because I would spend my days obsessively refreshing all of the relevant sites for updates and reading fan blogs and Tumblrs and what have you (and spending my nights being terrified of every dark corner…) I would have scoffed. And then I probably would have watched it anyway and been right where I am now.

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