Taking A Break

OK, so here's the deal; I'm currently buried in a big project. As my dad would say, I'm so busy I don't have time to catch my butt with both hands.

 

The fact is, I've got some great post ideas but simply don't have time to develop them properly.

 

My project involves the internet and I am looking forward to reporting on it when I'm done, or at least done enough to have the time to actually be able to organize a competent article.

 

I'm in the process of implementing many of the things I've been learning over the past six months. I look forward to reporting back to you with my results. I plan to give credit where credit is due about what has worked and what has not. I think when I'm this portion of the project is complete, I'll actually be able to help you guys with some honestly tested information and step-by-step guides.

 

So I'm going to relieve myself of the stress of not posting regularly here by announcing that I'm taking a short break. I may post at any time but regular posting is on hold for a short while. (I know, it's already been on hold for a while ;P)

 

I can't wait to report back to you on my success or failure. Grab my feed and you won't miss a thing.

Spoke Too Soon

 

Well, I think the stupid internet is finally up again for good. I thought everything was fine the other day and then it crapped out again. It's been coming and going ever since. Up for an hour and a half, down for three and so on and so on.

 

After a while it goes from being really frustrating to being just down right silly. It's kind of pathetic how much we depend on the internet to accomplish anything isn't it? I really feel sorry for the companies that require access to operate.

 

My insurance agent has been having a fit. It seems they are not allowed to keep hard copies of anything anymore. All of their records are stored digitally online. According to him, a digital copy is as good as an original if the original does not exist. So, they scan every document and upload it to the corporate server then shred the original. A very 21st century concept, right up until the internet goes down, then you have no files. Ooops!

 

Oh well. I've been adjusting pretty well. At least the electricity wasn't out all this time. That would have been catastrophic. If the power had been off I wouldn't have been able to practice Guitar Hero 3 or find some cool cheat codes during the internet up times ;)

 

I promise I'm not ignoring your comments and emails. This time I'll attend to them before I attack my feed reader.

Cold Turkey!

 

And I don't mean holiday leftovers, although I think there may be some turkey left in the freezer...hmm...

 

...No, No, back to what I was saying. I just lived through a terrible and ground shaking experience. I'm talking anxiety, cold sweats, lack of sleep, the whole thing. This is an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone, much less a friend.

 

I have spent the last 2 1/2 days without any internet access. NONE. Period.

 

Everything was just rocking along in Trackerland Friday morning. Before I got out of bed I had planned out all of the wonderful internet things I needed to get done that day (posting here for one), then I turned on the computer and tried to check email........nuthin', I tried to get online with my browser......nuthin'.

 

That's OK, not to panic, I've seen this before, I'm a windows PC user. I go through the usual process of resetting routers and modems, disabling wireless cards and rebooting computers, all in different orders, hoping to stumble on that secret magical combination that brings the internet back to my fingertips.

 

Nuthin'

 

OK, my ISP (the only option in town) is the small, local phone company. They've gone down before, usually only for an hour or two at most. (Although there was that time a few years ago when some idiot with a back-hoe took out a fiber-optic trunk line and killed our long distance and internet for 3 days, but that was only once. Surely something like that couldn't happen again.)

 

I'm relaxed, I'm calm. It doesn't do any good to fret about the things you can't change, right? I'm sure it will be fine... soon, very soon.

 

Nope

 

I checked, the whole town was out. I tried to get online every hour all day Friday and Saturday. I had given up hope for getting online this weekend. I figured whatever it was that had plunged me kicking and screaming back into the 18th century was probably serious enough to require some widget or gadget that would take till Monday to get in.

 

And then...dear Lord, hallelujah! "website found....waiting for download.."

 

Someone had opened the shutters on my window to the world! I take back all those mean things I've said about the people at the phone company and not just the things I said this weekend either. All of them.

 

So, that's where I've been. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go answer some email, respond to a couple of comments and check my feed reader. (I'm not looking too forward to that one.) Talk among yourselves, I'll be back soon.

 

 

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How Does Anyone Do This?

 

My time has become extremely short right now. I seem to have gone from running this one little blog, to a whole stable of partially finished sites in just a couple of weeks, leaving me wondering how anyone is able to do it.

 

I mean, some of you guys like Mark, Christine, Michelle and Tish, actively operate more than three blogs (Some, several more), yet, your posts project an air of absolute calm and sanity.

 

Then there are people like Garry who maintain over 100 sites. (WHAT?!) Granted, I think he sometimes is teetering on the edge, but for the most part, even he remains fairly lucid.

 

Me, I buy a domain name and start working on building the site only to look up three days later and the site is only half finished and I haven't even thought about writing a blog post, much less actually developing any good ideas into real articles.

 

Of course, it would all probably be more efficient if I didn't spend hours hacking up the CSS code so I could re-install it and do it again every time I made a change.

 

Or, if I didn't have to google how to do every little thing!

 

But hey! I'm learning how to build a WordPress blog. Heck, I've got one I've built three times!

 

I'd love to hear some tips from you blogging machines.

 

I am about to come to the conclusion that this Making Money Online thing is only for people who don't require sleep.

 

 

If you enjoyed your read, grab my feed!

 

2008 Iowa Caucus Winners

 

The frozen Midwestern state of Iowa has been inundated by presidential candidates from both political parties and their associated entourages of media, aides and campaign workers for almost two solid years.

 

This circus appears in this mostly rural state, seemingly overnight, every election cycle and, immediately after caucuses, it disappears like a vapor. It happens every time but it's always a jolt.

 

No more hotel bars full of reporters in Des Moines. No more campaign caravans running up and down the back roads at break-neck speeds. No more prima-donna candidates piling into every decent restaurant and cafe so they can pretend to eat the favorite local sandwich and stiff a waitress out of a tip. Most importantly, no more campaign ads from Hillaboma or Romkaby. (At least until October)

 

So, after the thousands of gallons of coffee, hot chocolate and probably some adult beverages are consumed at the caucuses. After the neighbors and friends go through the kabuki theater of arguing passionately for their candidate and then changing sides (Sometimes two or three times) before finally voting. After the media announces which candidates received the most votes. The real winners will emerge.

 

On January 4, 2008 it is obvious to all still around to see, the real winners of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses are the citizens of Iowa. The citizens of Iowa are the true winners because the caucuses bring the end of what seems like a never ending intrusion into life by people who will blow in and back out, never to return.

 

Now, back to life!

 

 

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