Been a bit missing, but I've been working hard again while getting over the last bit of the flu and cold I had this month. I'm all better now, and I am here to wish all of you that stop by on a regular basis a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am also happy to announce a new blog of mine just started this week - The Paranormal World. This blog will focus on all things unexplained! Stop by and take a look.
Happy Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Much With The Sick
Monday, November 17, 2008
First, it was the flu. Then the men in the house caught colds, and they decided to share them with me. Yes, I know! How thoughtful of them. That explains why I have been so missing in action the last couple of weeks. I've been busy enough just trying to work and nap in breaks. I hate getting sick. I know we all hate getting sick, but I really hate it.
Things have been quiet for the most part. I've been working, writing and keeping myself busy anyway I can. My dad fell in the shower back on Saturday, so he's going to the doctor today. You want to talk about a loud crash?! There was one when he fell. New people moved into my old apartment next door. It's kind of weird knowing someone else is sitting in my bedroom and staring at my ceiling.
I know it really isn't my bedroom anymore, but I lived there for thirteen years. That is a really long time, and when I saw someone had moved in, it was just an odd feeling. It will pass. I like my new apartment. Remember all those problems I used to have with my cable internet dropping every morning - right around this time actually, 10-11am? Don't have those any more. My connection hasn't dropped once since September actually. It is the small things really.
Things have been quiet for the most part. I've been working, writing and keeping myself busy anyway I can. My dad fell in the shower back on Saturday, so he's going to the doctor today. You want to talk about a loud crash?! There was one when he fell. New people moved into my old apartment next door. It's kind of weird knowing someone else is sitting in my bedroom and staring at my ceiling.
I know it really isn't my bedroom anymore, but I lived there for thirteen years. That is a really long time, and when I saw someone had moved in, it was just an odd feeling. It will pass. I like my new apartment. Remember all those problems I used to have with my cable internet dropping every morning - right around this time actually, 10-11am? Don't have those any more. My connection hasn't dropped once since September actually. It is the small things really.
And November Begins
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Been out of it for a bit. I was sick the last time I wrote in here, and then Monday morning I woke up sick with the flu. I thought I might even have to go to the emergency room or doctor at some point. I was that sick. I'm on the mend now thankfully, but it was one tough week. I spent most of the first three days in bed, and the last two days wanting to be in bed. I don't have that complete luxury though. I've had work to do. Work needs to get done.
I do have some good news though. On Monday, I was hired on to run two new celebrity gossip sites. These are a bit most focused than what I'm doing currently. I'm the new writer behind All Things Britney and All Things Lindsay. Two of the biggest pop princesses with lives that just need following. Both have new CD's on the way out, and if they aren't doing something their families are. I'm excited to be given the chance to talk about them both and share them with my readers.
I'm still as busy as ever with Celebrity Today and Teevieo as well. I have some plans coming up for Celebrity Today in the weeks ahead. More DVD reviews, and some great giveaways too. If you're someone that follows that blog, you'll be in on all the action. Right now, I need to get back to work. It never ends!
I do have some good news though. On Monday, I was hired on to run two new celebrity gossip sites. These are a bit most focused than what I'm doing currently. I'm the new writer behind All Things Britney and All Things Lindsay. Two of the biggest pop princesses with lives that just need following. Both have new CD's on the way out, and if they aren't doing something their families are. I'm excited to be given the chance to talk about them both and share them with my readers.
I'm still as busy as ever with Celebrity Today and Teevieo as well. I have some plans coming up for Celebrity Today in the weeks ahead. More DVD reviews, and some great giveaways too. If you're someone that follows that blog, you'll be in on all the action. Right now, I need to get back to work. It never ends!
Hold My Calls Please
Thursday, October 23, 2008
That was me yesterday. I didn't feel well at all. I did what I needed to do, and then I grabbed a DVD and laid in bed off and on until I felt better. Well, at least I had a new DVD to keep me occupied.
Yesterday, I received the box set for The 4400 in the mail to review for Celebrity Today. I'd heard a lot about the series, but I had never found the time to watch it. I was able to watch season one yesterday, and I am continuing on today with season two.
Good news on the home front. We might have a car in the house by the end of the day. Never know how much you miss a car until you don't have one. I don't drive, but my family does. Makes it so much easier to go places when you have a car!
I feel much better today. Not perfect, but better. Back to work with me!
Yesterday, I received the box set for The 4400 in the mail to review for Celebrity Today. I'd heard a lot about the series, but I had never found the time to watch it. I was able to watch season one yesterday, and I am continuing on today with season two.
Good news on the home front. We might have a car in the house by the end of the day. Never know how much you miss a car until you don't have one. I don't drive, but my family does. Makes it so much easier to go places when you have a car!
I feel much better today. Not perfect, but better. Back to work with me!
Things To Ponder
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Today while I was doing my daily Entrecard drops, I came across a post titled 10 reasons your blog sucks. A bit of a strong statement, but some blog aren't as fancy as others. Some do this clearly just for fun, and are not serious about it. They pop in when they can.
After reading the list though, I discovered blogs that did one or more of the things on the list. I'll even be honest and say I've done a few of those things on the list myself. We are guilty of letting our blogs go from time to time. Life gets in the way.
I was thinking about it, and I've had this blog going for nearly four years now. That is a long time. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this blog going. I always seem to have something to say. I have my quiet moments to though. I think everyone is like that at the end of the day. We all have our moments.
After reading the list though, I discovered blogs that did one or more of the things on the list. I'll even be honest and say I've done a few of those things on the list myself. We are guilty of letting our blogs go from time to time. Life gets in the way.
I was thinking about it, and I've had this blog going for nearly four years now. That is a long time. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this blog going. I always seem to have something to say. I have my quiet moments to though. I think everyone is like that at the end of the day. We all have our moments.
The Phone Doesn't Stop
Monday, October 20, 2008
I'm sure we are all used to the phone ringing non-stop these days. The election calls are coming, and those won't stop until election day. The advertising ones get to me the most. There are ways to stop the calls, but does it really work? Today, I found this site that lets you report phone numbers you get called from, Report Annoying Callers. I think this makes it easier to block these numbers from being able to call you. Some of the descriptions of the calls made are frank and honest. Some are harassing.
Just this morning, I received a phone call from someone. All the man said was hi. Nothing else. Strangest thing ever really. I tried saying hi again and talking to the man, but he didn't say one more thing. Weird!
Just this morning, I received a phone call from someone. All the man said was hi. Nothing else. Strangest thing ever really. I tried saying hi again and talking to the man, but he didn't say one more thing. Weird!
Manic Monday 10-20
Sunday, October 19, 2008
How long does it take you to get out of bed in the morning?: Usually only a minute or two. Unless I see its before 7am, then I stay in bed. I don't like being up before it is light out!
Do you usually sleep on one side of the bed or another?: I sleep right in the middle of my bed!
Something you wish to accomplish before the end of the year: I want to be writing for another site or two. I want to write another story too.
Another Monday. Where do the weeks go? Last week, I was sick. I have stomach issue. Stress related ones, and there were a few stressful things last week. This week is a new week, and I cut down on a few things that were overwhelming me a bit. I needed to prioritize a bit. Something we all need to do once in awhile I think. Right now, I'm ready for bed!
How long does it take you to get out of bed in the morning?: Usually only a minute or two. Unless I see its before 7am, then I stay in bed. I don't like being up before it is light out!
Do you usually sleep on one side of the bed or another?: I sleep right in the middle of my bed!
Something you wish to accomplish before the end of the year: I want to be writing for another site or two. I want to write another story too.
--
Another Monday. Where do the weeks go? Last week, I was sick. I have stomach issue. Stress related ones, and there were a few stressful things last week. This week is a new week, and I cut down on a few things that were overwhelming me a bit. I needed to prioritize a bit. Something we all need to do once in awhile I think. Right now, I'm ready for bed!
Bit By a Bug
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
My new computer was bit by its first virus. Yes, it lost its virus virginity yesterday. Around 11am yesterday, my computer restarted itself out of nowhere. I wasn't sure why. When it came back, the network and volume icons were gone from my system tray. I didn't think anything of it. Just went about my day.
I finally decided to look at that issue around 11 last night. I figured it would be a quick fix, and it would have been if there was a virus at the cause of it. It took me nearly three hours to figure out how to get rid of it. With the new system, I was having a few issues. I couldn't figure out how to boot into safe mode to delete the file in question. Finally able to enter safe mode on boot, and the file wouldn't delete.
I tried a simple system restore at first, but it wouldn't let me do that. Two hours later, I thought I might have to pull out the discs to do a complete restore, but I decided to give a system restore one more shot. This time to an earlier point. This time it worked. It was just one big pain. At least, my computer survived.
I finally decided to look at that issue around 11 last night. I figured it would be a quick fix, and it would have been if there was a virus at the cause of it. It took me nearly three hours to figure out how to get rid of it. With the new system, I was having a few issues. I couldn't figure out how to boot into safe mode to delete the file in question. Finally able to enter safe mode on boot, and the file wouldn't delete.
I tried a simple system restore at first, but it wouldn't let me do that. Two hours later, I thought I might have to pull out the discs to do a complete restore, but I decided to give a system restore one more shot. This time to an earlier point. This time it worked. It was just one big pain. At least, my computer survived.
Almost Halloween Time
Monday, October 13, 2008
October means it is almost time for Halloween. I used to love Halloween as a kid. I tried to go trick or treating in costume until my 18th birthday. I thought it was fun, and I liked going around to see what some people did to decorate for the holiday. Some went all out and made little haunted houses up. Some did little spooky performances, and that was the main reason I kept going out each and every year.
Here in Arizona, not many stop by our apartment at Halloween. We buy the candy, and we end up eating it all by ourselves. I'm not complaining about that at all by the way! If kids actually came by our apartment, I might actually go through with dressing up. There is a costume and party store not too far from my apartment actually.
You can even buy your costumes online these days. It seems you really can buy almost anything online. You just need to look around a bit for it. Today, I found a Halloween Costumes site called Halloween Adventure. They even have costumes for pets. My cat would kill me slowly if I even thought about putting him through a costume experience though. I think if I were to dress up, the Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz costume would be cute.
The site has costumes for just about everyone though. All the big movie and television names are featured. I think my cat would make a great joker. Look at the picture below. I've noticed when they need pictures for something like this, they always feature dogs. Where is the cat love?! What do you want to be for Halloween this year?
Here in Arizona, not many stop by our apartment at Halloween. We buy the candy, and we end up eating it all by ourselves. I'm not complaining about that at all by the way! If kids actually came by our apartment, I might actually go through with dressing up. There is a costume and party store not too far from my apartment actually.
You can even buy your costumes online these days. It seems you really can buy almost anything online. You just need to look around a bit for it. Today, I found a Halloween Costumes site called Halloween Adventure. They even have costumes for pets. My cat would kill me slowly if I even thought about putting him through a costume experience though. I think if I were to dress up, the Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz costume would be cute.
The site has costumes for just about everyone though. All the big movie and television names are featured. I think my cat would make a great joker. Look at the picture below. I've noticed when they need pictures for something like this, they always feature dogs. Where is the cat love?! What do you want to be for Halloween this year?
Just Another Manic Monday
Does anyone remember that song? It is one of my favorite songs, and I also seem to think of it on Mondays. I seem to be getting this blog on track. I might miss a day here and there, but I really didn't have much to say here. I didn't want to bore everyone here with my promotional efforts for Celebrity Today because I didn't want to use this site to be all about that. Sure, I do promote it here. Celebrity Today is on the sidebar, but that is it really.
The weather is finally cooling off here. We are at 73 right now instead of 110. This means I'm dealing with allergies, and I am freezing my butt off. I went to the store earlier, and it wasn't even out of the sixties yet. I'm looking at getting an LCD Flat Screen monitor for my computer. I thought I found a great deal on one at Staples, but it might not work with video card. Since it is online only deal, if it doesn't work I'm stuck with it. This isn't acceptable.
The flat screen monitors are so cool though. I will have to keep looking at them. I'm sure I'll find one eventually. This one is fine, so if it decides to die, I know what I'm getting next time I upgrade. Right now, I need to get a new stereo. Mine is pretty much dead. Ugh. What a pain! More later everyone.
The weather is finally cooling off here. We are at 73 right now instead of 110. This means I'm dealing with allergies, and I am freezing my butt off. I went to the store earlier, and it wasn't even out of the sixties yet. I'm looking at getting an LCD Flat Screen monitor for my computer. I thought I found a great deal on one at Staples, but it might not work with video card. Since it is online only deal, if it doesn't work I'm stuck with it. This isn't acceptable.
The flat screen monitors are so cool though. I will have to keep looking at them. I'm sure I'll find one eventually. This one is fine, so if it decides to die, I know what I'm getting next time I upgrade. Right now, I need to get a new stereo. Mine is pretty much dead. Ugh. What a pain! More later everyone.
The Case Of The Missing Glasses
Sunday, October 12, 2008
I've have worn eye glasses since I turned six. Although, I think I stopped wearing them somewhere around my 18th birthday. I never liked wearing my glasses, and even though I knew they were somewhere in my house, I didn't know where. In the move, we had to pack up and get rid of a lot of things. I found a lot of things in the process.
One was the social security card I thought I lost two months ago, and the other was my eye glasses. They are scratched up, beat up, and right now as I am sitting here typing this, I once again don't know where my glasses are. Yes, I know. I'll find the eventually. I know I probably should think about buying a new pair of glasses. I just never really seem to get around to it.
Today, I found out that you can even buy glasses online. Makes sense because in this day and age you can pretty much buy everything online. I even found an article about the service. Zenni Optical has eyeglasses as low as $8 dollars, which is one of those shockingly low numbers, where you wonder if its true or not.
I spent some time on the site this morning, and I found a pair that might just work for me. The pairs do start at $8.00, and they even offer free anti-scratch coating and UV protection. I really like this frame, and it comes in a number of different colors too. What do you think?
Blogging Your Blessings Sunday
Been awhile since I posted one of these. Life has been hectic. I'm blessed because as hectic as the move was, it was completed relatively easily. I really didn't want to move, but I like the new apartment, and my cable internet no longer gives me problems like it did in my old apartment. That right there everyone is a blessing all on its own. I've talked about the problems I've had with my Internet time and again since I signed up for cable internet almost three years ago. Or is it four? One of the two. It was a real pain, and now the problems are history. Almost makes me wish we had moved sooner!
Have a great Sunday everyone.
Have a great Sunday everyone.
Saturday Ramblings
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Another day. Another post. I know all of you are probably shocked. Entrecard is down. They have been having problems since last night. I have allergies bugging me to no ends.
My brother just came in here, being cute and wanting to rip down my Bon Jovi poster because he says I don't like him anymore. I still do. I just expanded my interests to include a huge amount of love for Eric Bana. Variety is the spice of life after all, and have any of you seen the man?
I like the weekends because I can slow down a little bit, but at the same time I really can't slow down. It is that whole double edged sword thing. Right now, I'm trying to fight taking medicine for my allergies. Ugh. I really should. I just hope I'm not catching a cold. Have a great day everyone.
My brother just came in here, being cute and wanting to rip down my Bon Jovi poster because he says I don't like him anymore. I still do. I just expanded my interests to include a huge amount of love for Eric Bana. Variety is the spice of life after all, and have any of you seen the man?
I like the weekends because I can slow down a little bit, but at the same time I really can't slow down. It is that whole double edged sword thing. Right now, I'm trying to fight taking medicine for my allergies. Ugh. I really should. I just hope I'm not catching a cold. Have a great day everyone.
Thinking About Webhosting
Friday, October 10, 2008
Time and again, I have considered getting web hosting for my blog and pulling it completely off blogger. I know many go through this internal debate as bloggers. I have had this blog since March 2005. Yes, I don't post daily like I used to in the past, but I'm still here, and I will hopefully be able to post more as time goes on. I need some place to let my hair down and just be myself. This blog is that place.
I'm always looking at sites that offer you information about webhosting. I came across this one today in fact. This one site compares the various webhosting sites out there for someone looking to make the leap. It reviews the big names Yahoo!, which it gave two thumbs up, and then it also reviews others like HostMonster. Coming in at number one was a provider I hadn't heard before called InMotion.
The site also offers information other than their list of best hosting providers. Articles include information on managed hosting. If you're pondering taking the leap yourself, it is always good to research. This might be the place to start.
Feeling overwhelmed
That is what I was yesterday. It is really amazing what sleeping in late will do to your mind. Of course, late was 9am. To some that might not be late at all, especially when you think about the fact I work from home. I looked at the clock at 7am, and I told myself just ten more minutes. That ten minutes turned into two hours somehow. That can happen so easily.
For the rest of the day, I felt rushed and stressed out beyond belief. Thursday is my busiest day of the week. Sunday is also a bit hectic. Thursday is killer though because of the reviews I write for Celebrity Today. They won't write themselves! As much as I wish they would. I put a lot of work into my writing and blogs. It is good to finally see it paying off just a little. I want more though. Always want more.
For the rest of the day, I felt rushed and stressed out beyond belief. Thursday is my busiest day of the week. Sunday is also a bit hectic. Thursday is killer though because of the reviews I write for Celebrity Today. They won't write themselves! As much as I wish they would. I put a lot of work into my writing and blogs. It is good to finally see it paying off just a little. I want more though. Always want more.
September in review
Saturday, October 04, 2008
It is now October, and this means I am now living in my new apartment. September was the month from hell. Everything from moving to having the family car finally die out. This means we have new car. At least not right now. We're working on it. We are learning just how good the public transportation is here. We have a free bus that takes us up the block and connects to other free bus routes. That helps. There is also the normal pay bus as well.
My dad lost his job in August, and he hasn't been able to find something new. He really shouldn't be working anyway. He's almost 83 years old. He just gets bored sitting home all day though. A couple of weeks ago, he twisted his knee and ankle. Both bother him. He walked too much, and that is what happened.
I've been busy with Celebrity Today. I'm really excited to see how well my blog is doing. My posts have been picked up a lot more recently through Blogburst as well. I've seen my television reviews end up on Reuters, USA Today and the Chicago Sun Times. Some of my other articles as well, and I saw a DVD review I posted go through USA Today as well. It helps give that little confidence boost when things don't seem to be going right.
I miss writing though. I know that might sound silly because I write every single day, but I miss writing fiction. I miss creating characters. My mind just doesn't click for fiction much anymore. I'm always thinking of my blog and things for that. Ugh. I just miss fiction. It is where I started, but I know I make more money with my nonfiction. I need to be able to pay the bills. Someday I would like to make enough to have my own apartment. No, I need to make enough to have my own place. I'm working towards it. Slowly but surely.
My dad lost his job in August, and he hasn't been able to find something new. He really shouldn't be working anyway. He's almost 83 years old. He just gets bored sitting home all day though. A couple of weeks ago, he twisted his knee and ankle. Both bother him. He walked too much, and that is what happened.
I've been busy with Celebrity Today. I'm really excited to see how well my blog is doing. My posts have been picked up a lot more recently through Blogburst as well. I've seen my television reviews end up on Reuters, USA Today and the Chicago Sun Times. Some of my other articles as well, and I saw a DVD review I posted go through USA Today as well. It helps give that little confidence boost when things don't seem to be going right.
I miss writing though. I know that might sound silly because I write every single day, but I miss writing fiction. I miss creating characters. My mind just doesn't click for fiction much anymore. I'm always thinking of my blog and things for that. Ugh. I just miss fiction. It is where I started, but I know I make more money with my nonfiction. I need to be able to pay the bills. Someday I would like to make enough to have my own apartment. No, I need to make enough to have my own place. I'm working towards it. Slowly but surely.
Living in a Vista World
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
That is what it appears we now live in. I've had my trusty computer since 2002, when a couple of weeks ago, it started giving me a problem turning on. I knew it was the power switch. I just needed a new one. I called the manufacturer, and they told me they no longer carry that for my model. I would need a new computer.
So this is where I entered a Vista world. I've heard so many horrible things about Vista. I didn't want to switch to it, but the computer is great. 2.7 GHZ and 2Gb of Ram. I have never had a computer run this fast. I hated Vista though. A lot of the programs I had grown to love using stopped working in Vista.
Two weeks later, and I like Vista a little better. I don't think it is from Vista itself. I'm learning how to work with it, but I still miss how things used to be on my XP computer. If I had a retail XP disc, I would have downgraded already.
What I love is how much faster my computer is and how much faster I can get things done. If I was still in XP, I bet it would be even faster because XP uses less memory. The move is next weekend. You don't really realize how much junk you have until you start throwing it out! I should be around more in October.
So this is where I entered a Vista world. I've heard so many horrible things about Vista. I didn't want to switch to it, but the computer is great. 2.7 GHZ and 2Gb of Ram. I have never had a computer run this fast. I hated Vista though. A lot of the programs I had grown to love using stopped working in Vista.
Two weeks later, and I like Vista a little better. I don't think it is from Vista itself. I'm learning how to work with it, but I still miss how things used to be on my XP computer. If I had a retail XP disc, I would have downgraded already.
What I love is how much faster my computer is and how much faster I can get things done. If I was still in XP, I bet it would be even faster because XP uses less memory. The move is next weekend. You don't really realize how much junk you have until you start throwing it out! I should be around more in October.
A Moment
Sunday, August 31, 2008
To all those in the eye of Hurricane Gustav at the moment, please take care and get out of its way as fast as you can. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this coming storm.
Up Way Too Early
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I have no idea why I find myself up and awake before 6am. The blog here has been quiet here the last few weeks, but I have had a tough August. I had the flu for nearly two weeks, and next month I am moving. It is a small move, but we are preparing things now for a move into our new apartment by September 20. We are being forced to make the move. It is either that or move out of our building entirely.
My focus has been on getting well, keeping up my entertainment blog, Celebrity Today, and now this move. This should be an interesting month, and I am hoping things run smoothly. Not only that, but my family has been dealing with some changes as well. Changes with my dad's employment. My brother started a new job.
Someone I knew in high school contacted me the other day on my My Space. That was a bit trippy. All in all, life is definitely keeping me on my toes lately, and I foresee a lot of changes in the weeks and months ahead. If this blog is a bit quiet in the coming weeks, that is why. All should be well and in hand by October 1st. If not sooner!
My focus has been on getting well, keeping up my entertainment blog, Celebrity Today, and now this move. This should be an interesting month, and I am hoping things run smoothly. Not only that, but my family has been dealing with some changes as well. Changes with my dad's employment. My brother started a new job.
Someone I knew in high school contacted me the other day on my My Space. That was a bit trippy. All in all, life is definitely keeping me on my toes lately, and I foresee a lot of changes in the weeks and months ahead. If this blog is a bit quiet in the coming weeks, that is why. All should be well and in hand by October 1st. If not sooner!
Hear It On Twitter First
Monday, August 04, 2008
That is what I'm learning. It seems when news breaks, it becomes viral within moments if you are on twitter and follow a lot of people. Last week when we had the California earthquake, residents in the area immediately went to their twitters and shared about it. I knew about the earthquake almost within moments. I could have been there and felt it myself for how fast I knew it.
Later in the week, Problogger was banned from Stumbleupon and because of Twitter and a post submitted to Digg, he was reinstated almost within the hour. I looked at my tweets, and there had been a firestorm about the ban.
Today, the topic that hit everyone fast was the news of Morgan Freeman's car accident. Twitter seems to be instant news. If you want instant feedback, go to twitter, and people will respond. I seem to be spending more time there these days, but time always seems to be so short!
Later in the week, Problogger was banned from Stumbleupon and because of Twitter and a post submitted to Digg, he was reinstated almost within the hour. I looked at my tweets, and there had been a firestorm about the ban.
Today, the topic that hit everyone fast was the news of Morgan Freeman's car accident. Twitter seems to be instant news. If you want instant feedback, go to twitter, and people will respond. I seem to be spending more time there these days, but time always seems to be so short!
Of Sezwho, loving in and Entrecard
Friday, July 25, 2008
Entrecard seems to be a big topic these days, and I know I've been discussing them on my blog a lot lately. I spend a good part of my day using the site promoting my other blog, and I've become a bit more active in the forums. Today, they announced they now have over 15,000 blogs in their system, and that is a huge number.
Not too long ago, they announced their partnership with Sezwho, which I did install on this blog for awhile. I just never found it to be working properly, so I ended up removing it after a few days. I know others have had problems with it. I was willing to try it though. I will give anything a fair shake.
Right now, I'm learning my way through twitter. I found Problogger's social media love in yesterday, and I went through and made some new twitter friends. I went from having a small list of people to follow to a rather large list. I'm learning how to manage it now, and it is getting easier. Always good to make more friends!
Not too long ago, they announced their partnership with Sezwho, which I did install on this blog for awhile. I just never found it to be working properly, so I ended up removing it after a few days. I know others have had problems with it. I was willing to try it though. I will give anything a fair shake.
Right now, I'm learning my way through twitter. I found Problogger's social media love in yesterday, and I went through and made some new twitter friends. I went from having a small list of people to follow to a rather large list. I'm learning how to manage it now, and it is getting easier. Always good to make more friends!
A Child of the 80s
Thursday, July 17, 2008
I was born in 1976, and I spend my younger years in the 80s. I love the music. I loved the television, and I loved the movies. One of my favorite 80s movies has to be The Breakfast Club. Who didn't love the brat pack? Emilio, Judd and Molly - among a list of others that made up this group of movie stars known for the teen movies of the decade. St. Elmo's Fire is another one, and I just sat down and watched Some Kind Of Wonderful the other night. There are so many great movies from the 80s. It takes me back to my youth, and it reminds me how great a time it was. WarGames, one of the popular movies of the time, is coming back for a one night only event in theaters on July 24. That is next week. The showing will also contain never before seen interviews. It is hard to believe it's been twenty years, but it has. You really don't want to miss out on catching this!
I was born in 1976, and I spend my younger years in the 80s. I love the music. I loved the television, and I loved the movies. One of my favorite 80s movies has to be The Breakfast Club. Who didn't love the brat pack? Emilio, Judd and Molly - among a list of others that made up this group of movie stars known for the teen movies of the decade. St. Elmo's Fire is another one, and I just sat down and watched Some Kind Of Wonderful the other night. There are so many great movies from the 80s. It takes me back to my youth, and it reminds me how great a time it was. WarGames, one of the popular movies of the time, is coming back for a one night only event in theaters on July 24. That is next week. The showing will also contain never before seen interviews. It is hard to believe it's been twenty years, but it has. You really don't want to miss out on catching this!
Firefox 3 & Entrecard
I've been talking a lot about Entrecard on my blog lately, but it is site I find myself spending more and more time on. I've had some problems lately with dropping on my one blog account because of Firefox 3. It kept logging me out.
However, tonight I figured out a small workaround that will work for me until the problem is solved. It isn't the best solution, but it will let me get back to dropping regularly on this blog, and not just my other one. I installed Flock. They call it the social browser.
It is made using the Firefox engine, but since I installed an older version I am not having the same logging out issue I was having. It will do for now.
However, tonight I figured out a small workaround that will work for me until the problem is solved. It isn't the best solution, but it will let me get back to dropping regularly on this blog, and not just my other one. I installed Flock. They call it the social browser.
It is made using the Firefox engine, but since I installed an older version I am not having the same logging out issue I was having. It will do for now.
Keeping Safe On The Internet
However, these filters aren't always full proof, and there are ways to get around them if you really want to. Today, I found out I can ignore the warning and continue onto the site with just the click of a button. What if that had been a porn site, and I was just a teenager? One button click, and I would be able to see all the porn I wanted. There are a number of free porn sites popping up online. You can even find pornish videos on Youtube if you look around a bit.
Filters can be great, but they aren't always the only line of defense you need. There are programs out there, and today I discovered one that offers porn detection. This one might be something for parents to look into. I know I don't want any kid of mine watching porn. Not that I have kids! I do have nieces though, and if they were younger than they are now, I would want them protected. The youngest just turned eighteen. They grow so fast!
Anticipation Builds
Tomorrow I will be at the movie theater to see The Dark Knight. I have my ticket bought, and all I need to do is pick it up at the box office. I am really excited to see this movie, not only as a reviewer but as a fan of Batman. I've seen all of the movies, and I am a huge Christian Bale fan. I was saddened when Heath passed on, and even wrote about his death on this blog.
I'm exhausted lately though. It might be monthly thing, so I'm just waiting it out, and I'm not going to let it stop me from going to the movie tomorrow morning. I was lucky to get the ticket that I did. Showings were selling out. I'm in for the 11:20 showing.
Other than that, there have been a few minor annoyances in life lately. I had a minor issue with a site I write for, and it is making me ponder continuing on with the site. I left before, and I will again if I see it to be necessary. Right now, I'm just going on. Also having an issue on a more personal front. Family sometimes is just troublesome. Not sure why I bothered trying. Thank you for proving to me it wasn't worth the effort.
I'm exhausted lately though. It might be monthly thing, so I'm just waiting it out, and I'm not going to let it stop me from going to the movie tomorrow morning. I was lucky to get the ticket that I did. Showings were selling out. I'm in for the 11:20 showing.
Other than that, there have been a few minor annoyances in life lately. I had a minor issue with a site I write for, and it is making me ponder continuing on with the site. I left before, and I will again if I see it to be necessary. Right now, I'm just going on. Also having an issue on a more personal front. Family sometimes is just troublesome. Not sure why I bothered trying. Thank you for proving to me it wasn't worth the effort.
Knowing Your Bill IQ
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Something that has been weighing on my mind a bit lately is finances. Before I was worrying about not making enough money, but now I'm wondering just how much I'm going to get nailed when it comes tax time next year. It really is funny how that works. I don't like credit cards, and I don't like loans. I like to pay with cash or using my debit card straight from my account. I've seen what credit cards can do to a person.
Today I found a site that lets you take a quick test to find how financially fit you are. Debt help is also offered. In just a few short moments, I found out that I'm 85% percent financially fit, which isn't a bad number. It gives me a B. Not an A, but a B. Damn, I'd love that A. I try to pay the bills I do have on time, but since I work freelance from home a set savings is not yet in place for me. I needed to start making money because I could start really saving it. Now I'm working towards that.
I've invested some of my savings, and I have money market accounts where I can. Every little bit of savings helps. With this BillsIQ, I now know I still need to work on things. I need to save better and save more. One thing at a time though. I just started making more money!
Today I found a site that lets you take a quick test to find how financially fit you are. Debt help is also offered. In just a few short moments, I found out that I'm 85% percent financially fit, which isn't a bad number. It gives me a B. Not an A, but a B. Damn, I'd love that A. I try to pay the bills I do have on time, but since I work freelance from home a set savings is not yet in place for me. I needed to start making money because I could start really saving it. Now I'm working towards that.
I've invested some of my savings, and I have money market accounts where I can. Every little bit of savings helps. With this BillsIQ, I now know I still need to work on things. I need to save better and save more. One thing at a time though. I just started making more money!
Working The Social Networks
I posted this a few days ago over at the forums at Today.com, and I thought I might share this with everyone here. Since I started Celebrity Today, I've taken a crash course on social networking. I'm learning there are things to do and things to avoid. Social networks are meant to be social. You need to take part in them. Vote and leave a few comments. Submit more than just own articles. Some won't even let you submit your own stuff - like Newsvine and Stumbleupon. Stumbleupon will let you up to a certain point, but then it will stop you.
I've learned lately it isn't good to submit every single post on your blog to the social networking sites, digg especially. Submit the ones of length and that are not found already. How many people wrote about Angelina and Brad's twins? A lot. If everyone digged there post about it, that would be a lot of posts on digg with maybe one or two votes.
If you're able to be the first on a topic, if you're able to add something to discussion the other posts haven't already made, then go on ahead and submit. With digg, do not shout every single post. If people have you added as a friend, they will see your post without shouting it. If you do shout, make sure the article is worth the shout. A paragraph about Angelina's reason for naming her babies might get you some looks.
I've used a lot of the social networking sites. From the big ones like Digg, reddit, Stumbleupon, Proppeller and Mixx to the little guys like Blog Engage, Blogatiser, Kirtsy, Livewire, Post on Fire, Thoof, and Blogvine. There are a couple of others, and some have worked better for me than others. Not every single one will work for you.
I've learned lately it isn't good to submit every single post on your blog to the social networking sites, digg especially. Submit the ones of length and that are not found already. How many people wrote about Angelina and Brad's twins? A lot. If everyone digged there post about it, that would be a lot of posts on digg with maybe one or two votes.
If you're able to be the first on a topic, if you're able to add something to discussion the other posts haven't already made, then go on ahead and submit. With digg, do not shout every single post. If people have you added as a friend, they will see your post without shouting it. If you do shout, make sure the article is worth the shout. A paragraph about Angelina's reason for naming her babies might get you some looks.
I've used a lot of the social networking sites. From the big ones like Digg, reddit, Stumbleupon, Proppeller and Mixx to the little guys like Blog Engage, Blogatiser, Kirtsy, Livewire, Post on Fire, Thoof, and Blogvine. There are a couple of others, and some have worked better for me than others. Not every single one will work for you.
Time just flies by
Monday, July 14, 2008
I've been horrible about keeping things up here, but things are busy. Things get added in, and my schedule goes to heck. I'm working on it though. The past week my house has been mostly empty. My brother has been off coaching in a couple of out of state tournaments. The first in Oregon, and he flies back in from Chicago tomorrow.
I've been writing a lot, but not any fiction. Someone should smack me for that. I'm just so tired by the end of the day that pulling out a story to work on is just hard. I even have less time to read. Most of my days are either spent promoting or writing for Teevieo or Today.com. I have applied to a couple of other sites, and I'm waiting to hear back.
One sounds like it might be right up my alley, and the second is using the skills of researching celebrity gossip stories online and sharing them. No writing involved. I'm hoping to hear back on that. I always email new positions I find. I do have a blog idea for something out of my genre of celebrity gossip and news, but I'm still pondering it. Something in the technology genre dealing with software.
The good news is I finally see results. I've been writing professionally since 2001, and I've not had one year where I have had to file taxes due to my earnings from my freelance writing. This year I will have to. I hope I don't have to pay a lot! Crossing fingers there. It isn't like I spend a lot though. I buy the occasional DVD or poster, but I like to save my money.
Now if only I could get something going with the fiction. One sale makes me want more.
I've been writing a lot, but not any fiction. Someone should smack me for that. I'm just so tired by the end of the day that pulling out a story to work on is just hard. I even have less time to read. Most of my days are either spent promoting or writing for Teevieo or Today.com. I have applied to a couple of other sites, and I'm waiting to hear back.
One sounds like it might be right up my alley, and the second is using the skills of researching celebrity gossip stories online and sharing them. No writing involved. I'm hoping to hear back on that. I always email new positions I find. I do have a blog idea for something out of my genre of celebrity gossip and news, but I'm still pondering it. Something in the technology genre dealing with software.
The good news is I finally see results. I've been writing professionally since 2001, and I've not had one year where I have had to file taxes due to my earnings from my freelance writing. This year I will have to. I hope I don't have to pay a lot! Crossing fingers there. It isn't like I spend a lot though. I buy the occasional DVD or poster, but I like to save my money.
Now if only I could get something going with the fiction. One sale makes me want more.
I will admit ...
Saturday, July 05, 2008
That I am a messy person. My room is not the cleanest. It's not the type of dirty that is gross and disgusting by any means, but there are clothes and piles of papers all over my room. I revolt against cleaning, and I have for a long time now. Growing up, my mother would be so hard about being nice and neat. As I grew older, I just learned how to hate it. Instead of cleaning, I wish I could just throw at least half of what I have in my room at this moment right out the bedroom window or over the balcony ledge and have it go into some great abyss to never be seen from again.
Could you imagine is we could really do that? I hate doing laundry. I hate vacuuming. I hate everything about it. The rest of the house is fairly neat and tidy thanks to my dad and brother. You would think it would be the men that would be the messy ones, but no its me! I am admitting it fully right here and now. Will I change someday? There is always room for change and improvement. So someday I might change my ways. I need to clean sometimes right? I'm thinking I'm do for a cleaning right now actually.
We have this huge loud vacuum right now, and it is such a pain. There is a new vacuum out right now by Dirt Devil . I used to have one of these myself years ago. It is even Energy Star compliant, which is important. Could the new hand held or stick vac help me in my cleaning? It could. Anything is possible. I just need to stop hating the word!
That I am a messy person. My room is not the cleanest. It's not the type of dirty that is gross and disgusting by any means, but there are clothes and piles of papers all over my room. I revolt against cleaning, and I have for a long time now. Growing up, my mother would be so hard about being nice and neat. As I grew older, I just learned how to hate it. Instead of cleaning, I wish I could just throw at least half of what I have in my room at this moment right out the bedroom window or over the balcony ledge and have it go into some great abyss to never be seen from again.Could you imagine is we could really do that? I hate doing laundry. I hate vacuuming. I hate everything about it. The rest of the house is fairly neat and tidy thanks to my dad and brother. You would think it would be the men that would be the messy ones, but no its me! I am admitting it fully right here and now. Will I change someday? There is always room for change and improvement. So someday I might change my ways. I need to clean sometimes right? I'm thinking I'm do for a cleaning right now actually.
We have this huge loud vacuum right now, and it is such a pain. There is a new vacuum out right now by Dirt Devil . I used to have one of these myself years ago. It is even Energy Star compliant, which is important. Could the new hand held or stick vac help me in my cleaning? It could. Anything is possible. I just need to stop hating the word!
Maybe time does heal all wounds.
Friday, July 04, 2008
The fourth of July hasn't been my favorite holiday for quite some time. Growing up in Los Angeles, I used to love the day. It was a day filled with family, food and fireworks. Thirteen years ago today, my mother passed away, and I've always said she helped keep this family together. She may have adopted me, but she was still my blood. Complicated family tree. I don't speak to my birth father these days at all, and I barely talk to anyone else. I called my brother in California this week, and he isn't doing all too great. If you pray, throw in a few words for him.
It's kind of funny to me because in learning how to tweet, storm facebook and bouncing around online this week I actually found the facebooks of some people I once knew or talked to. It is weird finding people like that online, but you get over it. Today to me is just another day. I take it a little bit slower, think a little bit more, and I remember the woman that raised me. She was only 57 when she passed away, and she would be seventy now. I sometimes wonder how she would be now, how I would be if she still loved. She was always my strongest supporter. I still miss her, but this year it isn't as sad. Not sure why, but that's just how it is. Have a happy 4th of July everyone.
It's kind of funny to me because in learning how to tweet, storm facebook and bouncing around online this week I actually found the facebooks of some people I once knew or talked to. It is weird finding people like that online, but you get over it. Today to me is just another day. I take it a little bit slower, think a little bit more, and I remember the woman that raised me. She was only 57 when she passed away, and she would be seventy now. I sometimes wonder how she would be now, how I would be if she still loved. She was always my strongest supporter. I still miss her, but this year it isn't as sad. Not sure why, but that's just how it is. Have a happy 4th of July everyone.
Of Digg, Entrecard and Editor's Choice
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
I've been using Entrecard almost since the day it arrived on the scene. Some things have come around as ways to get readers to your site, and they just don't seem to work very well. Blogrush is one of these things that immediately comes to mind. Yes, I'm using it on my blogs right now, but I'm just trying to see if there has been any more improvements since I last used it. In the week I've had it back on, there hasn't much of anything in the way of new traffic. I'll give it another week trial and see what happens.
Entrecard, however, has been a great way to get find new blogs to read myself and get new people to my blogs. I've noticed just how well the service can work in the past month with my other blog, Celebrity Today. A lot of my readers come from there, and I love seeing them come back day after day. Last night, Graham over at Entrecard started something new with Digg. Entrecard is really the biggest social network of pure bloggers out there, so when they join together it is going to be great. People have been adding me on digg all morning, and I'm hoping this is another great way to get my blogs noticed.
Celebrity Today was just honored today as Today.com's Editor Choice Blog for the month of June. I've put a lot of work on that blog, and I know it is still new. It will be two months old this month. If the months ahead, I plan to keep writing good content and contributing to the blog community as best as I can. Happy July everyone. Posts three days in a row! I needed to revive this blog too.
Entrecard, however, has been a great way to get find new blogs to read myself and get new people to my blogs. I've noticed just how well the service can work in the past month with my other blog, Celebrity Today. A lot of my readers come from there, and I love seeing them come back day after day. Last night, Graham over at Entrecard started something new with Digg. Entrecard is really the biggest social network of pure bloggers out there, so when they join together it is going to be great. People have been adding me on digg all morning, and I'm hoping this is another great way to get my blogs noticed.
Celebrity Today was just honored today as Today.com's Editor Choice Blog for the month of June. I've put a lot of work on that blog, and I know it is still new. It will be two months old this month. If the months ahead, I plan to keep writing good content and contributing to the blog community as best as I can. Happy July everyone. Posts three days in a row! I needed to revive this blog too.
Upgrading to Firefox 3
Monday, June 30, 2008
I usually hate change. Software programs are constantly updated, and when they are any number of problems can pop up. Everything from system resource usage going through the roof to features you depend on disappearing. A week or so ago, Firefox updated itself to Firefox 3. They had a huge download day, and yes I did download it back then. Then half of my add-ons stopped working. To me this was unacceptable. So I went back down to Firefox 2. I knew in time the add-ons I use regularly would be supported by Firefox 3, and today the ones I was waiting for were updated to new versions. So I finally took the leap to Firefox 3.
There were a few problems. A few extensions still didn't work. I lost my themes. I somehow lost the bookmarks I'd made in the last week. All small problems. I hunted down versions of my add-ons that did work with Firefox 3, found some new extensions for the ones that didn't have compatible versions, and then found some new themes. Then there was a problem with my No Script add-on and Entrecard that I needed to fix, but once I did everything settled. So far, I can see some faster load times with Firefox 3 compared to the times I had with Firefox 2. I see that as a good thing. Here is to change. Anyone else have experienced this change recently? What do you think of the new Firefox?
There were a few problems. A few extensions still didn't work. I lost my themes. I somehow lost the bookmarks I'd made in the last week. All small problems. I hunted down versions of my add-ons that did work with Firefox 3, found some new extensions for the ones that didn't have compatible versions, and then found some new themes. Then there was a problem with my No Script add-on and Entrecard that I needed to fix, but once I did everything settled. So far, I can see some faster load times with Firefox 3 compared to the times I had with Firefox 2. I see that as a good thing. Here is to change. Anyone else have experienced this change recently? What do you think of the new Firefox?
Twitter, Facebook ... oh my!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
This week, I've been learning about some of the other social networking and blogging places out there. I've jumped full speed ahead into Tweetville, and I love it. I see it as a good way to interact with other people, and it can also be a good way to promote your work around the web. The month of June has gone by so fast for me, and I know July will be another interesting month. I am trying to decide if I want to go BlogWorld in September. It's in Vegas, and I'm just a short plane trip away in Phoenix. It might be a good idea to go since blogging seems to be my main activity now. I'll keep pondering it.
And It Is Friday
Friday, June 20, 2008
I'm sorry for being so quiet here lately. I think things might be finally settling down. I know I keep saying that, but this time I mean it! Knocks on wood. I'm pondering an idea for a short to submit to Torquere. I have five weeks to write it. I should be able to. I'm just trying to get things going elsewhere. Anyway here is a Friday Feast to help me get back into the swing of things.
Appetizer
If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose? - I think I would pick Europe. I love so many of the cities and countries there. I'd hop from Paris to Rome and then to London.
Soup
Which browser do you use to surf the Internet? - After years of being a dedicated Internet Explorer user, I have seen the light and I am now a Firefox user.
Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country? - Ten years ago I would have said a ten, but you forget these things over time. Now I think 7-8.
Main Course
Finish this sentence: Love is… everything.
Dessert
Have you ever been in or near a tornado? - No. Earthquakes were bad enough.
Quietness
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Sorry everyone for being so quiet here lately. I've been busy. Really busy promoting my other blog, but this one is not going anywhere. I needed to get into some kind of groove with things, and I think I am finally doing that. I'm not working as hard to get the same things done every day because I have a system in place. One that gets things done. All my work seems to be paying off finally because today my blog Celebrity Today is the featured blog over at Today.com. There are several blogs on that site, and the people writing really seem to know their stuff about the various topics they cover. I'm really excited and happy to work with such a great bunch of writers.
She who works many hours ...
Friday, June 06, 2008
If I had to create a manga name for myself, that is what would it be. At least this week. Next week it could be a completely different story. Why am I creating manga names for myself at nearly midnight on a Friday evening? Funny you should ask that, and I'll tell you why. I just learned about a new movie that is hitting theaters next week, Bleach the Movie. On June 11th and 12th, the movie will be playing only in select theaters, and you can check just where by clicking that link. Anime and manga has always interested me, but I haven't watched nearly enough of it. Maybe I need to change that sometime. Not now though because right now, I am going to bed!
You never know ...
How much work it can take to promote a new website or blog. You want people to read and visit your site, but they won't do that unless you let them know about it. There are traffic exchanges, Entrecard, social bookmarking sites like digg and stumbleupon, search engines and many other methods of getting traffic to your sites. It all takes work from you. The past few weeks I've been out promoting my new blog, Celebrity Today. It just going to hit a month old in a few days and I've been really working to promote it. There are a lot of methods to use. I'm just learning all about social bookmarking sites and how they work to get you visitors, and I'm trying to use those as much as I can.
Entrecard has been a big help though. I've started using firefox as my main browser in the last couple of weeks, and using Firefox with a few of its extensions, I've learned how to drop 300 cards a day on various sites. It takes a bit of time, but I focus on those that will follow my drop back to me and those within my blog's category. Entrecard can work for you if you learn how to use it right. I've tried different methods, and I think I finally found the best to work for me. There are so many great blogs out there, a lot that cover celebrity news and gossip. I'm just trying my own place in all of it. That will take some time, but hopefully not too much time!
Entrecard has been a big help though. I've started using firefox as my main browser in the last couple of weeks, and using Firefox with a few of its extensions, I've learned how to drop 300 cards a day on various sites. It takes a bit of time, but I focus on those that will follow my drop back to me and those within my blog's category. Entrecard can work for you if you learn how to use it right. I've tried different methods, and I think I finally found the best to work for me. There are so many great blogs out there, a lot that cover celebrity news and gossip. I'm just trying my own place in all of it. That will take some time, but hopefully not too much time!
Just a sad day
Sunday, June 01, 2008
This morning when I woke up one of the first things I heard about was the fire over at Universal Studios. As a long time resident of North Hollywood, I lived just minutes from Universal. I lost count of how many times over the years I visited the theme park with my family. Today, a good part of back lot there has been destroyed. A fire broke out at the King Kong building just before dawn, and that building along with four other buildings have been destroyed. I just wrote about this over my new blog, and I'm just so saddened by this. I feel like I just lost a part of my childhood there. So many shows an movies were filmed on the two sets destroyed in today's blaze. Back to the future being one of them. The courthouse is now gone. I've seen Back to the future on cable just recently, and that set is just one of Hollywood's landmarks. The blessing in all of this is there were no injuries or deaths caused by the start of the blaze. Some firefighters have been injured fighting it however. It just a sad day. We're losing part of Hollywood history.
Where would you hide?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Where does the week go? Here it is almost Sunday. Last night, I talked briefly about USA Network's new original series In Plain Sight. I'm going to talk about it again because not many series have started their summer season's. In Plain Sight follows Mary Shannon as she works with the Witness Protection Program in New Mexico. I think if I had to go into hiding and join the Witness Protection Program, I would want to go a city I knew I could get lost in. The first city that came to my mind was the city of Las Vegas. I've been there many times over the years, and I've always thought it would be cool to live there. It is truly a city that never sleeps. One of these days I really would like to live there, Witness Protection Program not necessary. Don't forget to check out In Plain Sight tomorrow night on USA.
How time flies
In today's mail, I received a DVD set of the CHiPs second season. I used to watch this series growing up, and it was a favorite of mine. I was looking at the DVD though, and you know how on some TV show DVD sets they show you the air date of the episode? Well, they did that here, and man did it make me feel old. This season of episodes aired back in 1978. Yes, I was only two years old back then, but I remember my mother telling me I used to sit in my highchair and watch the series. She said I would get all excited when the music started to play. I don't remember all of that, but I do remember watching it. Television was so much simpler back then. At least, I think it was. Now things are so much more complex. The world is much more complex though, so I guess that makes sense. At least it does to me.
Water Safety
With the coming of summer, it is time to find ways to cool off. Living in Arizona like I do, finding ways to keep cool is important. Some days the temps here have hit above 120. I know that sounds outrageous, but I've seen it happen for myself. Luckily we have a lot of ways to cool off. There are swimming pools and lakes all around the state. Plus, rivers and other bodies of water. I've been to a few myself over the last fourteen years I've lived here, and safety is important. Arizona Boating is fun and easy to do with the number of places to go. It is important to know how to boat safely though. I don't even know how many times I've heard about water related deaths in my state. Some from boating accidents, and others from drowning. Some of these deaths can be avoided so easily if you follow safety guidelines. Above all, don't drink and hit the water, especially if you are boating. We aren't allowed to drink and drive, and we are most certainly allowed to boat and drink either. Boating Operating Under the Influence only raises the chances of accidents happening. In order to learn more about boating safely there are places where you can go. Boating Education Online is easy to find. It could mean the difference between life and death.
All You Need Is Time
Sometimes that is all you really need. You adjust to new things in your life, and what seemed almost impossible a week ago, you can see yourself doing more and more easily. I love to write. I always have. I hate the details. Most of writing these days isn't the writing itself, but making sure your writing is seen. Promotion is the name of the game now. If you don't promote your writing, it won't be seen.Whatever happened to just writing for the fun of it? Sure, I want my writing to be read by people, but these days it just seems you have to do more and more to get it out there. I think we can blame the creation of the Internet for that. I'm learning as I go. I submit my site to directories. I submit my posts to social bookmarkers, and I am seeing a bit of feedback. Whenever I see someone add me as a friend or saying they are following me on one of the social bookmark sites, I am excited. That is another new reader on my side. I'm learning even more with my latest blog, and I know what I learn now will only help me in the long run.
What a day ...
Friday, May 30, 2008
Went to the movies, almost broke my computer monitor, and I had massive connection issues all day. The connection issues should hopefully be fixed soon because it is affecting the whole west coast. I knew I hated my cable company for a reason. Today has been a good day though. Summer is here. Television during the summer actually exists these days. Couldn't say the same a few years ago. There is a new show premiering this Sunday, USA Network's new original series In Plain Sight. It follows an agent working with Witness Protection Program in New Mexico. Why couldn't it have been Arizona?! Mary Shannon has to help those in the program learn how to hide in plain sight. I've hidden a picture of Mary on my own sight. Why don't you see if you can find it? I'll leave her on my blog until next week!
Exhausted ...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
That is what I am right now. I've been working overtime getting my latest blog out there and seen. Today, I changed the layout for it, and I've been promoting most of the afternoon. I know it is a lot of work right now, but the payoff will be worth it I hope. I am waiting to hear back from another site that might want me to do write for them. Things just seem to be falling into place finally for me, and I am so excited about things. I want things to work. I treated myself to a couple of things this weekend. A couple of things I use daily were giving me trouble, and they needed replacing.
One was my DVD player, and the other was my CD burner. I use my DVD player to watch DVD's I get to review, and I burn a lot of CD's. Well, now I have an all new DVD player, and a shiny new external DVD burner. I've been playing with that one since I brought it home. Both were on sale for great prices this weekend for the holiday. After all my work lately, I decided it was time to treat myself. Friday I might treat myself and take the afternoon off to go and see the new Sex & The City movie. I used to love watching that show. I can't wait to see it.
One was my DVD player, and the other was my CD burner. I use my DVD player to watch DVD's I get to review, and I burn a lot of CD's. Well, now I have an all new DVD player, and a shiny new external DVD burner. I've been playing with that one since I brought it home. Both were on sale for great prices this weekend for the holiday. After all my work lately, I decided it was time to treat myself. Friday I might treat myself and take the afternoon off to go and see the new Sex & The City movie. I used to love watching that show. I can't wait to see it.
Web hosting Information
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
When you start a blog or any type of website, you always check around for hosting. For blogs, some go for the free approach with blogger, wordpress or any of the other hosting options they can find. With websites, there are a wide variety of web hosting options available. There are many places you can go to in order to find out about webhosting services. Today, I found one such website. On this site, you can find various tutorials and articles about finding the website that is right for you and your site including their cpanel tutorials. It is important to know all you can, and this site has a lot of useful information. Just last month, I saw what a problem finding the wrong webhosting can be when one of the sites I use went down for two days. It is important to pick the best site for you and your business. It is your money being spent after all, and time down costs you money.
Today's Lesson
I live on a very bad corner. It is known for traffic accidents, and we had one here this morning. A loud one. A bad one. I ran out after a couple of minutes, and from what I was told the man was on his cell phone, possibly texting, when the accident happened. He flew out of the bar, and his cell phone is now only a memory. They had to take him in on a board. No idea how badly he was injured, but it didn't look good. A few years ago, a woman lost her life on that corner when she flew through the windshield of her car. She died instantly. I won't say just what happened to her, but it wasn't pretty. The sad thing is she was pregnant. They had to take her in and do an emergency c-section. The baby lived on without its mother. It can happen so quickly. Just in an instant. That is today's lesson.
Almost time for Father's Day!
We're only a few short weeks away from Father's Day, and my brother and I have been trying to figure out what to get our dad. Our original plan was to get him a DVD player for his television, but his TV isn't made for it. His TV is old. The TV in the living room is even older. It's time for a new television set, but we're not looking into buying one at the moment. We have other things we need more than a new television. However, there is a new contest at the moment being run by Charter called Father's Day in HD. One lucky dad will win an HDTV and HD service for life from Charter. Why should my dad win this? I'll tell you. He loves his television. He sits in his room and has it on all the time when he is home. He has a small nineteen inch set that we can't even hook up a DVD player to. He needs a new television badly, and a nice new HDTV would be something he'd love. Then we can get him that DVD player to go with it. It will make the perfect Father's Day gift. He is a good dad. He works 40+ hours a week, and he's almost 83 years old. He is a good man, and I am glad to be his daughter. 
Remembering Those We've Lost
Monday, May 26, 2008
To all of those that stop by my blog in the US, Happy Memorial Day. Today is a day to remember those we've lost. This year, my cat JJ passed away. He died on September 4th, 2007, and he wasn't even three years old. He was the sweetest cat ever, and he is missed dearly by all of us. We were there for him in his final moments. He got sick one day, and he was gone two days later. It was heart. I've lost others over the years. My mother passed away nearly thirteen years ago. My aunts and uncles have all passed on. My grandmother live on until 103 before she passed on a few years ago. It is good to remember those we've lost. They will never really be far from us. They do watch over us. If you've lost someone, take a few moments to remember the good times you spend with them today, just as you should everyday. It is good to keep their memories alive.
Banking Problems
Friday, May 23, 2008
It seems with banks these days, you can do everything quick and easy. You can go online and check your account balance, make a transfer or pay your bills. I went online a few nights ago to pay one of my bills online, and it was still pending. Of course, this wouldn't be a problem if I had paid the bill on time. It was due on the 20th, and I paid it at midnight exactly on the 21st. Yes, just one minute can make a bill late, and when a bill is late you are charged late fees. Luckily, it only appears to be a dollar late fee, but it could have been even more. The payment went through this morning, and all is well on that front. Banks keep changing things, and they make it easier for the customer day by day.
There is new service that will let you do the next step in online banking, and that is make deposits. With your check in hand, your computer and a scanner, you can deposit money into your account using DepositNow. This service can be used with your existing bank account, and it is not even new! It has been in place since 2004, but it is rarely used. That might be because of the cost involved, but it is still an idea. It can make things easier. You don't have to go to a bank to make your deposits. Even if those are getting easier these days to with ATM's now taking cash deposits more easily. That is another topic for another time though. Things just seem to keep changing. Things are definitely getting easier to do, and it is all thanks to computers and the Internet.
Cookies
Thursday, May 22, 2008
This will be a quick post. It is cold and raining here in Phoenix. Strange weather for the middle of May, but we'll take it. It is better than temps we've had lately here. We've hit the low hundreds already. Earlier today I received a couple of packages from one of the PR firms that send me things for some of the television networks. One was a good size box, and inside this box was a dozen cookies. I was shocked. I'm used to getting DVD's or press releases. The cookies definitely caught my eye though. Nice change. They tasted great too. Right now, I'm trying out a new browser add-on to update my blog, and I am liking this so far. Seems to work just as well as the client I usually use. It is cold today though! How quickly things can change. Today has been such a long day. I need a nap ASAP! Even if I know I'm not one to actually follow through with taking naps during the day. At most I lay down for ten minutes, and I'm back up.
More on Social Spark
A week ago I mentioned a new get paid to blog service I decided to join called Social Spark, This site is more than a paid to blog site though. It is a full on social network. I've had people add me as a friend just on there in the past week, and they also have a reward process called a prop. I have received three of these just since joining. I had been waiting to be able to write on some of the opportunities I've seen on the service, and I received my first two last night. They were on things I wanted to write about. So many people post on anything just to make money, and I have never been one of those types of bloggers. I write about topics, items or services that I would use myself or I have a strong opinion about. If I find myself relating to something to things happening to me currently in my own life, even better.
What I like about SocialSpark is that everything is out there in the open. Everyone can see what you're doing. There are full disclosures, full transparency, and best of all all the links are no-follow. This is the way to go these days. Advertisers still get their services shown, but the links are more user friendly. I'm hoping to continue on with social spark for quite some time to come. Waiting for post slots to open is a bit frustrating, but in the end the process works. I'll see what happens next with this new service, and I'll let you know what I think of it in the months to come. Right now, I'm thinking so far so good.
I think there should be a law ...
I really do think there should be some type of law against advertising calls. They come at all times of the day and even night. I have had one of those automated calls come in as last as 9:30 and as early as 7:30. I'm up early starting my day, and the phone keeps ringing. It is so annoying, especially when you tell the ones you can speak to to take you off their calling list. Do they? No, they do not. You receive a call from the same company the next day or in the next week, and you know they didn't listen to you. It really is frustrating. Just this morning, I've already received two automated calls. Those kinds of calls shouldn't even be allowed. If you're going to call, don't let a computer do it for you. Have a real live person there that I can yell at before hanging up on them at least. I love the ones that say right at the beginning this is not a sales call. I barely let them get that out before I go 'not interested' and then quickly hang-up. I know it may be considered rude, but do you realize how many sales calls we get in a day? We've started leaving the phone off the hook just to not deal with them.
How do you deal with advertising calls?
Selling on eBay
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
As I have mentioned time and time again on this blog, I am an avid eBay shopper. I usually buy a lot on the site, but I haven't been buying much lately. The last thing I bought on eBay was a DVD last month. I've watched a few items, but I haven't actually gone through and bid on anything. I usually stick to DVD's and Entertainment memorabilia, but you can find anything on the site for sale. I've looked at MP3 players, DVD players, and even laptops on the site. I'm a little worried about buying these kinds of things in this manner though.
You can even buy cars on eBay. Used cars being sold by their owners. Just tonight, I followed a bid for a Cadillac. The bid ended just a few minutes ago, and the highest big was $14,600. From the description, the car had everything, and it was below 35,000 miles. Sounds like a great deal to whoever ends up with it. I still don't know if I'd buy a car on eBay, but some people will take the leap. On eBay you can even have people sell items for you. One such site is iSold It. I haven't sold an item on eBay yet, but I'm kind of confused on the whole process. Using a site like this might be the way to go for me. All you have to do is go in your local store with the items you want to sell, and they take care of all the rest. Sounds easy to me!
Crazy week
I'm still on my Idol high at the moment, but it really has been a crazy week. I've been really working hard on building and promoting my new blog. I'm glad I have had experience working my other blogs because it really does make it easier each and every time you do it. I did have to remember a few things, but I'm really working on it because I know it is monthly trial basis with the site, and I want to continue on past that. I like covering celebrities. I read about them every day, so it is just easy for me to go ahead and write about them. The past few days I've been neglecting my fiction efforts, but I know once things are settled and more in place with Celebrity Today I'll be able to turn my focus back to writing more fiction. That should be soon.
I'm really looking forward to the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance tomorrow night. I never like the audition process for these shows, but I know in a week or two, the real competition will begin. I didn't watch it much this year, but I plan to this year. Although tomorrow night we have Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy ending their seasons. This season was one big mess with the writer's strike. We just have to hope that we don't have an actor's strike this summer. That will just mess things up all over again! We just have to hope for the best.
Download Music For Free. Yes, free!
It is obvious from my last post I am a huge music fan. I love listening to new music all of the time. I'm always looking for new artists to add to my rather large collection of tunes I already have. I have so many Cd's it is probably bordering insane. With the Internet, you can find even more artists. You can go to sites and listen to new songs and then you can download them to have for your own. Now downloading in some ways is illegal, but there are new sites where you can download music for free, and it is entirely legal. Tonight, I found one such site. You really can Get Free Music From MPFree.com. No cost to download. You don't even need a credit card to use the service. All you need is a desire to listen to music, and a way to download. Almost a million songs are on the service which is totally supported by advertising. They do all the work. You get the tunes. It sounds like a great deal to me. Check them out!
In shock!
I just watched the American Idol finale, and I have a few quick thoughts. Don't read past this point if you do not want to know who won tonight.
Stopping? Good.
I've been a fan of tonight's winner since the beginning. For me it was Michael Johns and David Cook all the way. When Johns was eliminated early on, I threw all my support behind David Cook. Everyone including myself thought David Archuleta had it in the bag though. Simon said he knocked David Cook out last night at the end of the program. However, David Cook came in and won. I am beyond happy. I will gladly buy his record when it is released in the near future.
Congrats to David. It was a great show with a lot of surprises. I will have full thoughts on tonight's finale on tomorrow morning on my television blog!
Making Sure Your Family Is Protected
As people get older, anything can happen. Really though anything can happen to anyone. You never know when your time is up. It is sad to think about, but it is a fact of life. My grandmothher lived to the age of 103 before she passed away. She lived a nice and full life. My father's siblings all left us long before that age, and my father is now approaching his 83rd year of life. For years now he has a life insurance policy. It is easy to get a 20 year term life insurance policy to make sure your family is protected.
Even me at my age have thought about my own policy. I used to have one my dad had put out on me when I was younger, but I am thinking that has long since expired. Yes, even children have life insurance policies. These are put in place by their parents. I never even knew I had one until my late teens and my father told me all about it. Like I said, it is a bit morbid to think about, but you really do have to think about it. Things can change in an instant.
My mother passed away when she was only fifty-seven years old. She left us long before she should have, but there were bills left to us with her passing. My father more than likely had a life insurance policy on her as well. It is easy to get your own. There are several companies like AIG Term Insurance and Prudentual Term Insurance out there to help you with your own life insurance policy. It only takes a minute to check on a quote.
Never fails ...
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Just as I am about to jump in the shower, the hot water is off. This is a daily happening here in my apartment building, and it is beyond frustrating. I'm sure I've mentioned about the problems here before, and it just happened again. I've had a busy week already. Setting up a new blog and promoting it is a lot of work, but I've done it before. It is usually easier when you join an existing blog. All of that work has been done already. You just go in and write. Promote your involvement only. I've had to start from scratch with Celebrity Today, and I've had to remember how to do a few things. It does come back to you with a little bit of time. Things are moving right along nicely. I am still working slowly on my latest fiction work in progress. I might start something new there as well. The idea keeps poking at me. Summer is almost here, and I'm enjoying it. Here in Arizona, we've already seen temperatures in the low 100's. With summer here, it is now the time for the summer movie season to begin. This week's Ten on Tuesday asks what ten movies are we excited to see this summer. Here is my list:
1. Ironman
2. The Incredible Hulk
3. The Sex and the City Movie
4. Hancock
5. Kung Fu Panda
6. Wanted
7. The Dark Knight
8. The X-Files 2
9. The Happening
10. Hellboy II
What movies are you looking forward to seeing?
Summer Is Coming
Monday, May 19, 2008
Summer is just about here, and that means it is time for those all important summer vacations. My father and I have been discussing heading to Vegas for a few days sometime this summer, and this has always been one of our favorite vacation spots. Growing up, my family went to Vegas at least once a year. There are plenty of things to do in Las Vegas, even if you aren't over the legal gambling age of twenty-one. There is even more to see and do now as the city has grown. It is one of those cities you can find something to do any time of the day or night. My favorite and wildest vacation there was the summer I turned eighteen. I remember gambling at the dice tables at 5am. Yes, I know I said eighteen, and I know that isn't the legal age for gambling, but the pit boss liked my chest. My shirt hid nothing! My mom and dad were both with me, and we all had a really fun time. We even decided to stay an extra day. If you have never been to the city before, there are sightseeing tours available from Trusted Tours and Attractions. Things to do in Boston are also covered by this company! If you want more information about tours in any of the cities Trusted Tours is located in with things to do in all of those cities, you can join their electronic newsletter. If you join this month, you are entered to win $150 you can use to download from iTunes!
Toothache From Hell
Friday, May 16, 2008
That is what it feels like anyway. That is what I've been dealing with the past twenty-four hours. I've never had a tooth hurt so much. I'm actually not sure if it is the gum or the tooth itself, but it hurts. I've taken so many medicines in the last twelve hours I'm not sure how I'm still standing. I'm hoping it goes away this weekend. It has made it hard for me to do much of anything. I've caught up on a lot of television today while spending time with my niece. She made it safe and sound yesterday afternoon, and I'm going to miss her when she leaves tomorrow. Right now, I'm going to finish watching Moonlight, which I really hope is saved, and then I plan to head to bed.
Are The Monsoons Hitting Early?!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Anyone that lives in Arizona knows we have a summer storm season. I just had a weather alert sent to me by my weather program for a dust storm warning until 5:00pm. Dust storms and thunderstorms are not uncommon here during the summer months, but they usually don't kick in until later in the summer season. For them to be hitting this soon is a bit strange, and I've lived here for fourteen years now. I look outside, and there is clouds overhead, and the wind is picking up. Remember what I said earlier about my niece coming into town? She hasn't made it here yet. I hope she isn't caught in the weather. Still I can't believe the summer storm season is already here. I might need to tune in to the news in a bit to see just what they say about these developments this afternoon.
And it just started to rain ...
Get Sparked
For the past several weeks, and I am thinking for even longer than that, I have been hearing about SocialSpark. This is a new social networking and paid to blog site from Izea, and it has just gone public in the last week or so. I hadn't joined it yet, but today I took that dive finally. The site needs the latest browser running on your computer. Both Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 work with the site, but I'm still using Internet Explorer 6 as my IE choice. Luckily, I do use Firefox as well. It is easy to sign up and then set up your profile and blogs into the system. Now I am just waiting for them to verify my blog and check to see if I have the proper tools added. They also need to look at my blog, and see if they want to accept it into the system.
I'm hoping that happens, and it should just take about twenty-four hours for this entire process to happen. That is what they said when I submitted my blog just now. The site looks easy to navigate. It only took me a few minutes of looking around to find things I needed. It has a pleasing look to it too. What makes SocialSpark different than other paid to blog sites is the links are all no follow. This is a good thing. I am looking forward to making new blogger friends through the network, and seeing what all the buzz is about for myself.
EDIT: Blog was approved in less than an hour. Not bad! I'm looking around again now, and I'm excited about this new opportunity.
Gay Marriage In California
Yes, that's right. The news is gay marriage is now legal in California. There might be a turnaround with it still, but right now at this moment if you're gay and living in the state of California you can go get married. I never thought I would see this day come, but here it is. I was born in the state of California, and I lived there for the first eighteen years of my life. I thought if there was a state in the Union that would make this a reality, it was the state of California, and that day has come. This might lead the way for other states to pass similar laws, and I hope it does. As a bisexual woman, and a writer of gay literature this is a big day for me. I'm tempted to write a quick story about a couple going to get married now, but I will have to file that plot bunny away for another day.
Visiting!
My niece is visiting for a couple of days. She's just finished up her junior year of college, and she is heading home for the summer. She lives in California with her family, and she goes to school in New Mexico. She's driving back, and she decided to stop off here on the way back to see her grandfather and I. I honestly don't even remember the last time I saw her. I think she may have been in junior high school still. Yes, it has been that long. We don't make it back to California much, but we used to in the past. It really isn't an easy drive. She's already on her way, so I'm trying to make the apartment at least a bit presentable. My room is the worst of it. I'm a bit of a messy person. Just a little. My mom wouldn't be happy about that, but I think this is my way of getting back at her for always having things so damn neat.
I'm about to make my bed here, and I keep telling myself I need new bedding. My blanket has seen better days, and I'm not even sure when the last time I bought new sheets was. That would tell me it has been a long time. This morning, I decided to take a quick look online to see what was available, and there is new Tommy Hilfiger Bedding out. It is probably a bit more than I'm looking for, but it is nice to look at. I typically buy things on the lower end of the spectrum, but I don't mind looking!
A productive week!
That is what this has been. There are a few problem areas, but I'm sure I'll be able to fix those soon. I'm hoping so anyway. I'm moving forward with my new blog over at Today.com. If you haven't checked it out yet, why haven't you?! Kidding kidding. I'm enjoying it though, and I'm also moving forward with my fiction. I wrote a bit in one work in progress earlier this week, and I've been bit by another plot idea that I might try tackling soon. Really soon. The idea keeps popping up in my head, so I'm thinking that is telling me something. Other than that. Life is just good right now. I just want it to keep going that way.
Today's Thursday Threesome is ::Mark my Words::
Onesome: Mark--ing devices? What do you use to mark things up around the house, school, work, wherever? Does the Sharpie rule? ...or do you believe in the sanctity of the pencil <g>? - My brother has his sharpie and dry erase pens all over the living room. I'm the standard pen and pencil type of girl. On my computer, I have a sticky note software program with a list of important dates on my desktop screen.
Twosome: "My-- day starts off best when I......" I'll let you fill in the blank at your place! - When I get up early, and I get things done. If I let things set until later in the day I just feel like I've wasted the day somehow. This is a change for me because a few years ago, I used to sleep in and do everything last. Now I'm up around 7am every morning, and I'm done with my work related things by at the latest ten am.
Threesome: Words-- of a feather clump together? Nah, but hey: what word pairings do you use routinely? Are you into alliteration? ...pithy comments? 'Down home' sayings? Give it up for Thursday! - I seem to have this habit of throwing the word actually around. I see it popping up everywhere, and I am now making a conscious effort of stopping using that word!
Wordless Wednesday #11
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Am I the only one excited for this coming out next month?
Am I the only one excited for this coming out next month?
Moonlight Angst
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
This is prime example of why I do not let myself get too involved in television shows. News from today's upfronts is that CBS has decided to not renew Moonlight for a second season. This is shocking to say the least because from what I've noticed the series has a strong fan base. I tune in weekly myself, and I was actually into the story line of Mick St. John and his life. This is just horrible. I'm wondering if fans will try to rally support for the series like they did for Jericho last year. A whole bunch of peanuts were delivered to the offices of CBS, and they gave the show another shot. What could we send in here folks? Pints of blood? Just an idea! I'm not sure how much CBS would like that. Damn it. I really liked Moonlight.
Knocks On Wood
I hope I'm not jinxing this by saying it out loud, but life is really good lately. Things seem to be falling into place slowly but surely. I picked up the new freelance assignment at Today.com. I am moving forward with my fiction. I actually submitted my one short already out, The Real Deal, to a few review sites yesterday. I'm still learning how this whole process works, but the fact is I am learning. It just took me a while, but maybe the pieces are falling into place now. I can only hope really. I love to write. I always have. I've been writing since I was so young I can't even remember. I loved getting into character and creating stories long before I even started writing them down. It has always been fun for me, and now I share my writing with other people.
Things also seem to be falling into place personally. I've rid myself of some people that weren't really all that good for me, and I'm still in the process of doing that. It is never an easy process. The whole letting go aspect has been something I've had trouble doing over the years, but the past six months or so I've realized I needed to do it. I had to do it to be healthy, and that is what I finally did. I just want things to continue going well. That is why I'm knocking on wood and crossing my fingers right now.
They Continue
Monday, May 12, 2008
The car problems that is. Remember last week when I mentioned that my dad had locked himself out of his car? That has happened twice now. Someone put in a non-standard car alarm into his car, and it has gone bad. We need to have the alarm removed completely, but that is proving to be difficult. They connected way too many wires, so it is going to cost us. With the alarm the way it is, we can't close our car windows. We need to reach in and open the car from the inside. It is the only car we have at the moment, and we're still working on getting a second. We've had to rent a car a few times over the past year, but that just costs too much. Right up the street from us, we do have car rental available through Advantage rent a car. They are just a few blocks from us, and we have used them in the past. They have a number of different specials and discounts, especially since we live in the area. It is just a pain really though. I'll be glad when my father's car is fixed, and we have a second car. No more hassle.
Today.com!
Good news everyone. Well, good news to me. I've been selected as one of the bloggers over at Today.com. It is up and coming blogging network looking for professional bloggers to write for several topics. I've been selected to cover the latest in celebrity news with daily posts about what is happening with celebrities, movies and a bit of television. I still work currently with Blogcritics and Teevieo, so this is just another place you'll be able to find me daily. I keep up with the gossip daily anyway. Why not write about it? You can check out the latest by checking out my sidebar.
Happy Mother's Day
Sunday, May 11, 2008
This day is usually a sad day for me. I lost my own mother several years ago. Past a decade now, and she was always a very important part of my life. I've always felt a bit cheated by having lost her so young in life. There were so many things she missed out on. She was my biggest supporter. She always stood by me, no matter what I did. We had our problems too. All mothers and daughters do. No relationship is perfect when it comes to mothers and daughters. I know in my life though I was blessed to have her as my mom. It took me a long time to admit that to myself because I allowed our problems cloud my judgment of her. She was a good woman though, and she loved me. Someday I hope I can be half the mother she was, but I'm not sure it is in my destiny to be someone's mom. There are days I just can't see myself doing that. I have enough with my cats. I know that might sound silly, but some people aren't put on this earth meant to be parents. Others are. I think I'm one of the former. To all of the mothers out there though, have a wonderful mother's day.
If it isn't one thing ...
Thursday, May 08, 2008
You know how the saying goes, if it isn't one thing then it is the other. That couldn't be more true of the last two weeks for me. First my computer gets hit by viruses. Then I catch a cold, and my internet connection has fits. The cold and the connection issues have hung on. Today my father locked his car, and it won't open. Faulty alarm issues there. Those need to be fixed. We just tackle the issues as they come on. At least the cough is going away. That has been driving me nuts.
About a month ago, I mentioned about a contest I found online through Renuzit Triscents. The contest has now entered its semi-final round, and they want people to vote for the best contestant out of the ten left to win the home makeover. You can check out the contestants in the semi-finalist gallery. I took a look at the contestants, and I voted for this family. The four of them live in a small two bedroom house that from the looks of things needs a lot of work. It sounds like they are going through some difficult times, which is something I can definitely appreciate at the moment. Take a quick look, and see who you think should win the $20,000 makeover from Renuzit and Tanya Memme!
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Monday, May 05, 2008
A new week has begun, and the past week has been a bit hellish. After my computer decided to get hit by viruses several times last week, my connection decided to join in and give me trouble. We will call it a two-for-one special. The connection problems were caused by some work being done on my apartment building. They are repainting the whole complex, and our section was done this last week. While painting, they stupidly painted over my cable wires. The paint didn't set well on my wires, and my Internet connection is so iffy at times, I had problems most of the weekend. I had to take the paint off, and make sure all the wires and connection were in order.
I think I have it set now. It was knocking me off the most between 10:30 and 1pm, and things look good today so far. It is such a pain! Not only did I have computer issues, I also came down with a cold on Friday night. I was coughing all weekend. I kept taking naps and making sure I rested. Today I feel better than yesterday, and I'm hoping to feel even better tomorrow. I'll get back to my normal blogging habits once things are more calm. I'm thinking soon.
Fear & Writer's Block
Thursday, May 01, 2008
We all have our insecurities in life. Every single one of us. Two places this week, I've seen how fear can make you think you're dealing with writer's block. Writing isn't easy. It is difficult to do, but I love doing it. I write in one form or another every day. I write for work, for fun, on this blog, and I also try to write fiction. That is where my block lies, and I am wondering if it may be related to fear instead of an actual block itself. I've had a hard time selling my fiction. I just made my first sale this past year. I've had people knock my writing down in general, and my self esteem in that area isn't the best. It is something I'm working on. I'm trying to submit more, write more, but it isn't easy. I'm trying though. I'm starting to wonder if I'm not trying hard enough.
A Bit Of History
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
I've always been fascinated by old homes. The ones you can tell have a lot of life to them. They have been around a hundred years or more, and you know the walls have stories to tell. They might even have a few spirits around to tell them. I love historic places. I love going to visit them and walk through the hallways. I know it may sound silly to some, but I've always been a history buff. Just this week, I found out that there is Titanic exhibit at the Science Center here. The story of the ill fated ocean liner has always fascinated me, and I'd really love to go. I might just get that chance.
I don't know what it is that grabs me about historic places. Growing up, I was fascinated by the story of Pompeii, the ancient city that was destroyed by a volcano. I'd watch shows that would take me to places that I knew I would never have the chance to see myself. In Orange, Texas, there is an old house that takes us back to Victorian times. The W.H. Stark House has been restored to its former glory, and people can visit. They can walk through its walls, and learn about the history of this Texan historic landmark.
The house once belonged to William Henry Stark and his wife. The man was an important part of history in Texas, and he was involved in much of the financial dealings in his day. The house was restored during a ten year process beginning in 1971, and today it is open to the public, where they can tour the house. The fifteen rooms contain much of the original furnishings.You can take a walk back through time and see how life was lived back in the early 1900s. You have to wonder the stories those walls can tell.
The Week From Hell
Back on Sunday afternoon, my computer suffered one of those fatal errors. Explorer crashed and kept crashing. I was hit by some kind of virus. I did a restore of my system. Reinstalling all the programs I needed. I hadn't done one of these in nearly three years, so I guess it was time. Sunday night just before I could install my virus protection, I was hit again. Thought I got it all, but my explorer started crashing and reopening, and I had pop-ups up to my neck. Did another restore. And another because one of the sites I regularly visit was hacked and infected my Internet Explorer. I didn't realize that or what it was doing until after another restore.
Once I figured out the problem, I was able to disable the problem add-on, and I think I'm okay now. You don't realize how much you depend on your computer until you almost lose it. I think I'm okay now. Virus program installed. Spyware remove installed and running. For a minute there, I thought my computer might be toast, but some work on my part and a lot of late hours, things are now running smoothly. I hope. I'm crossing my fingers anyway. That explains my absence the last few days. I hope all are well.
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