I've entered a writing contest... you can help me win!

I entered WAHumor’s Guest Post With the Most guest blogging contest this week and I need comments and tweets on my post in order to win.


My article is called “Social Media Marketing Is A Bit Like Being A Superhero, But Without The Tights!” It’s a humerous look at some of the qualities superheroes can teach those of us working from home.

If you aren’t sure how to leave a comment on a blog post, I’ve actually written an article explaining exactly how to do it… click here to learn how.

Then head over to my WAHumor blog contest entry by clicking here and leave me a comment. You will have my heartfelt thanks and gratitude… and, after a short time… a reply… because I always respond to my commenters!

Bath Bomb Update - oops!!!

 I've been putting off writing my update on my bath bomb creation and testing for today because I'm a little embarrassed.  My bath bomb creation is still going very well, but I am embarrased to say that I slacked a bit in the testing.  I was supposed to test the last batch before bed last night, but instead fell asleep while reading about perfume formula creation online.  The lights were on, the tv blaring, and I was surrounded by my notes, but still managed to doze off into oblivion for the entire night!  I woke up early this morning scolding my self.  I mean, it isn't as if taking a glorious relaxing bath at the end of the day is a challenge right?!?!  Of all the parts of this I anticipated trouble with... testing my bombs in the tub was the least of my worries!  So, batch #3 will have to wait until this evening for testing.  You see, in order to properly test the scent concentration, I must also shower every morning to remove any lingering scent (from both me and the bathtub) from the previous night.  That's right folks... I shower every morning now and bathe every night... I am probably the cleanest person on the planet at the moment... lol!  I am a little concerned about the enormous amount of water I am using, but that can't be helped during the creation phase of this so I will just have to find other ways to conserve and be kind to the planet.

Ok... I feel better having admitted my laziness and am off to remedy the situation by working extra hard today.  I'll let you know how batch #3 does in the tub test tomorrow. :)

Bath bombs - 3rd attempt! My room smells lovely!

I have just finished my 3rd attempt at creating the perfect bath bomb and I feel perfection within my grasp.  The tub test on batch 2 last night went well, except for the glitter... yikes!!!  I got into the lightly green tinted tub with the subtle scent of lavender hanging in the air.  I felt the oil and salts nourishing and softeneing my skin, and then I looked down and realized I was sparkling in the candlelight!  The good news is that the scent was not too stong, the tub had no "ring" or stain, and the bomb took it's time to fizz (even though it was not thoroughly dried yet).  The bad news was fully discovered when I drove my daughter to school in the sunlight this morning and heard her exclaim, "OMG Mom!  You look like a Smurf vampire!!!"  You see, I used a blue glitter in the bombs and it was all over my skin... even my face, although I never touched my face with the bath water.  When I got home from school drop off I took a shower and all the glitter washed down the drain without incident, but people should not have to shower after a luxurious bath!

Enter batch number 3... this morning I made a few minor adjustments and an essential oil blend that I've used for years.  I dialed down the glitter content significantly... no more blue Smurf vampire for me. :)  I fixed the moisture problem I had last night (which affects the molding process, not the finished bomb) and I think I've gotten it right this time.  I tried a powdered colorant this time and I'm not crazy about the lack of color, but that is easily changed back to the liquid variety for the next batch.  The molded bombs are holding up very well as they dry and I am enjoying the glorious scent coming off them.  I can't wait for product testing time (aka bath time) tonight.  I may have to partner with a candle making company at some point... all this product testing is eating away at my stash of bathroom candles very quickly.  Thank goodness I have rechargable batteries for the waterproof iPod speaker!  I'll have to pop over to iTunes and download some new bath tunes so I don't get bored with the same music all the time.  Well, off to get some much needed stuff done around the house.  I will let you know how my test turn out tomorrow.

Is anyone else getting anxious to try one of these beautiful bombs anytime soon?!?!

Bath bombs - 2nd attempt

After a lot of research, a lot of tinkering, and a lot of patience... and a little shopping of course... I think I have created a bath bomb much closer to what I am looking for.  I used mostly organic ingredients and pure essential oils this time... lavender by itself for experimenting, since I know I can handle an overwhelming amout of the scent if I happen to get it wrong. 

I spent the day scouring websites full of bath bomb recipes, scientific properties of the various chemicals involved and sites that discussed the reactions of these chemicals in different proportions.  I read through over a thousand comment on blogs of other people who have tried to make bath bombs and learned what I could from their experiences.  I then transfered all of these notes onto my Nook and made use of my waiting time while my daughter Jordan got her haircut to come up with what I deemed to be the best ingredients, a formula, and a procedure.  I then hurried to the store (while everything was fresh in my mind) and bought all the ingredients to make my bath bombs.

Tonight I created the first batch (ok... so I scaled down the recipe to make only 2) of Becky's Bath Bombs.  They turned out great so far.  I did use a bit too much water and the wetter mixture is creating a flat spot on the bombs as they dry, but that is easliy remedied and shouldn't affect their usage.  Now they should wait 24-hours (minimum) to dry and harden before using, but of course I'm an impatient inventor and must see how my creation holds up the tub test, so I am using one tonight,  Of course, the bomb will break apart quicker since it is not dry, but I should be able to determine tub tint color, fragrance levels, skin softening abilities and glitter levels (yep... I added glitter right off the bat) with one tonight.  I will save the other for a few days to see how they perform once hardened.

Tomorrow I will try again, this time focusing on my notes from tonight's bath.  I will let you all know how things turn out.

Not a bomb... more like a fizzle... back to the lab I go!

My first attempt at making bath bombs from a kit was a less than stellar experience.  The mixture is a pain to work with and the consistency must be absolutely perfect to get the darn things to mold properly.  Once they have been molded they are about as sturdy as a handful of sand and must be specially treated on all sides before handling them... which is hard to do without handling them!  The mixture smelled horrid, despite the sugar cookie fragrance oil that came with the kit, and got everywhere.  Lesson learned... make these in the kitchen next time!!! 

My first test of the bombs was not one of my more pleasurable bath experiences.  Once I finally got them created properly, I used one in the tub.  The bomb fizzled and dissolved before you could acutally say the words "bath bomb", leaving my bath completely underscented and a strange swirling spill of blue coloring glided across the surface of the water and sticking to the sides of my tub.  I was a little afraid to get in... thinking I might come out looking like a blotchy smurf, but after testing on a finger for a couple minutes without it turning blue, I ventured into the tub.  The bath bomb released something into the sir that made me cough throughout my bath even though I have no issues with scent.  As for the scent... I didn't even realize there was one.  While Lush bombs completely scent the room and leave a soft lingering scent on your skin, these bombs didn't even manage to scent the water.  When I got out of the tub, my skin was no softer than it was before I got into the tub and in fact felt powdery and perhaps even more dry, despite having soaked in a tub of water for over an hour.

Obviously this will never do!!!  I simply could not subject others to this completely inferior bath experience.  So... it's back to the lab... or in my case, the kitchen.  Armed with loads of research... scientific guides on the properties of the basic ingredients and what happens when they combine in certain amounts, many suggestions from other bath bomb creators, my own essential oil blends, and a host of other documents to keep me busy for hours... I will begin the difficult tinkering progress this afternoon.  A quick trip to the local store should provide all the necessary ingredients.  This is a puzzle I now feel compelled to solve.

I will not be releasing anything to anyone until I have created a bath experience as luxurious as the Lush experience.  This may take a lot more testing and experimenting than I originally thought.  Simply looking like a Lush bomb is obviously not enough.  I demand a perfect bath experience that sends the bather into another world of stress-free relaxation and inspiration.  Nothing less will suffice. 

Now... off to create...

The great E-reader debate

For starters, let me sy that this is not a blog comparing e-readers.  I don't have enough knowledge about most of them to provide the necessary information and I really don't have the desire to research it all.  That said, I have been investigating e-readers for my own personal use and have to admit I am still utterly confused, but close to a decision.  Those who know me well may be very surprised to hear that I am considering an e-reader purchase.  I do a lot of reading in the bath and this is obviously NOT a good reason to get an e-reader... water and electronics don't mix well at all!  However, I also do a lot of reading out of the bath.  I have also suddenly found myself with an unusually large amount of ebooks (most in pdf format) that I would like to read.  Since I prefer paper format, I have usually printed these books out and read the hard copy, but with so many books in my que this is very environmentally unfriendly and just not practical.  With the weather starting to get nicer, I don't want to be stuck indoors reading while the warm sun calls to me through my window either... so what's a girl to do?  The answer... get an e-reader so I can take my books and blanket out into the sunshine and catch up on all my reading wherever I want to be instead of tethered to my laptop (which has a limited battery life not conducive to lots of outdoor reading).

I have narrowed down my choices to the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook.  Both have features that I would find useful.  Both allow you to read pdf files, both have expansion slots available, similar price points and a large selection of titles available.  One advantage of the Kindle is the read aloud feature on pdf files.  I love this idea in theory, but I'm not sure it's something I want in reality.  Sure, it would be really nice to have my e-reader reading me a book out loud while I wash dishes, do the laundry, or drive in the car, but would I really use it?  I usually like to listen to music while doing those tasks and I'm sure my iPod plays music better than any of these e-reader devices (which all support mp3 files BTW).  Plus, I can always plug in my laptop and have pdf book read to me directly from Adobe reader.  The other advantage is that the Kindle's wireless connectivity seems to be more versitile allowing you to download ebooks at many more locations.  Both of these readers require you to get books in their specific format, although the Nook allows you to share your ebooks with another Nook user for 14 days (nice little extra feature if I knew anyone else with one of these things... which I don't).  The kindle has a hardware keyboard, while the Nook has a touch-screen keyboard.  They both have a dictionary feature... yippee... no lugging that big book around when I'm reading complex subjects.  They both have hundreds of thousands of free books and allow you to read newspapers and magazines.  Yikes... such a tough choice!  I guess I just need to let this one sit for a few days and let my mind sort it all out.  I'm sure I will end up with something I really like no matter which one I choose.

Bottom line, I really just need to make some kind of decision before the weather gets nicer.  I will also be able to clear out a lot of my extensive book collection (which is starting to take over the house).  It would definately be easier to have some of these titles in elecronic format (especially books I usually use for reference since the readers have the ability to highlight and annotate) and it would take up a lot less space.  So, soon I will be taking the plunge and getting myself an e-reader.  Do any of you have any thoughts on the matter?  I'd love to hear them, especially if you have used one of these devices before!

Hush... don't tell a soul!

I started this blog a little over a month ago and made it public right off the bat.  People have been reading it and quite a few of you seem to like the way I put words together.. although I'm not sure I really do it any better than anyone else.  I am, however, noticing an interesting trend.  Depsite the fact that this blog is public (yep... anyone in the world with a computer and internet connection can read it), most of the comments and critiques have been private.  Now, I'm not telling you guys to stop sending me your thoughts that way if you're more comfortable... I enjoy reading them all... but I wanted to take the opportunity to let you all know that you are welcome to comment here as well.  

I have a little announcement to all of you who have kept up this far, or those who are just finding me for the first time.  I am going to attempt to write a book.  I have no idea about what yet, but I'll let you know as the process unfolds.  Because this is a daunting  process for me, I'm sure I'll be back here venting soon. I will also be doing a lot of writing outside the blog though, so please be patient if you don't see as many posts for a while.

Making a descision was my big task for the day.  Now that it's accomplished, I am off to enjoy Super Bowl weekend and let potential book topics roam around my skull for a few days. 

One last thing... GO COLTS!!

A feeling of interconnectedness... aka the universe tapping your shoulder and saying, "Yeah... that's the way to go!"

The feeling that I'm on the right path is getting stronger every day this week and now it seems the universe wants to let me know I'm on the right track... to where... I still have no idea!  This week has been amazing, but to fully understand it, I've got to go back to the beginning... when I was maybe 5 or 6.  Don't worry, I won't take all day... there are a few bruised knees I won't bother mentioning.  You don't necessarily have to follow along, but I need to really see the progression for myself... so come with me if you'd like.

When I was very young, I had a really good friend.  She had this older brother who was kind of a pain in the butt and not the nicest brother I've ever met.  He became obsessed with music very early on and finally stopped throwing pebbles at us and I (for reasons I couldn't fathom at the time) missed the attention.  Of course I still thought boys had cooties, but if they ever found a cure... he was the one I wanted to hang out with. :)  It was one of my first memorable crushes.  It was also one I never mentioned.... not ever... to anyone!  I was sure the little men in white coats would come take me away if anyone ever knew I had a crush... on a boy!!! 

Flash forward to college.  Music has been a steady part of my life and is now one of my minors.  I am immersed in the world of arts in a way I never have been before and loving it.  My taste in boys has changed drastically and although I appreciate musical talent, I don't want to date musicians... they're strange after all!  The boy from my childhood has vanished completely from memory and... good news... there are male business majors as far as the eye can see.  I get involved with the college radio station (and a few of those business majors in my spare time) and discover genres of music I didn't even know existed.  I am comletely in my element... except I hate school.  I had wanted to go to an arts school and ended up at a 4-year university instead.  My parents had told me this was a compromise, but I saw right through that!

Flash forward again to last year... see... I told you it would be quick.  I now have 4 kids, a man I love, a "career" as an administrative assistant that is going well but leaving me completely unfulfilled and a Facebook page. I got the Facebook page to reconnect with some high school friends... our 20th reunion is coming up.  I reconnect with my childhood friend (who is just as beautiful inside and out) and her brother (who has gone on to have an amazingly successful career on the business side of the music industry) on Facebook.  Don't worry... this isn't going to become some horrid Maury first-love reunion... the crush is gone and I have no designs on the brother whatsoever!  All I can say is that he has turned out to be a nice guy and we've had a few quick and extremely plutonic correspondences in the last year.

Then the unthinkable happens and I get laid off.  I say  unthinkable because I'd never been laid off before and never considered that to be a possibility.  But, I tend to look at these kind of things as the universe kicking my butt into gear and saying "it's time for you to get moving in another direction"... so I'm not too upset.  I do however wish the universe would be kind enough to provide a map when it does this, as I'm not accusomed to wandering blindly in the dark.  But with no map, no compass, no direction... I head out into the unknown.  And here is where I've been for the last 8 months.

These past couple weeks, the universe has taken pity on me and decided to at least provide a few signs that I am on the correct path.  I now believe the universe sent me that first crush so I would take notice all those years ago and remember this other human being (my friend's brother), because he is pivotal in all that has happened recently.  It is through him that I learned about the webinar series I'm attending.  Through the webinar, I have met some amazing individuals that actually think like me (sorry to you all... there is no known cure and I'm pretty sure it's worse than cooties).  Then tonight the real coincidences hit... cue the Twilight Zone music!!!  I met an individual through a post by the webinar hosts... who knows a friend of mine (who has nothing to do with the webinar series) that I know through my boyfriend... and who also somehow knows my friend's brother... and who also writes poetry (like I do) and plays music... and finally, who I am strangly feeling I was somehow meant to meet.  Again, there is no romance here... he is married and I am with the man of my dreams... but somehow all these unrelated pieces of my life are fitting together in a way they never have before and that is making me sit up and take some notice.

I don't understand how any of this relates to my path and I have no idea if any of the people mentioned here will continue to accompany my journey, but somehow this amazing interconnectedness has given me hope that the destination of my journey will be made clear to me sooner rather than later.  I now have the universal awareness that things are coming together... the path is right... and for the first time in a long time I am no longer afraid of what is ahead.  Bring it on!!!

And now things start to come together

I can feel things coming together, but I can't yet put my finger on how.  My focus is shifting in a direction I am completely unfamiliar with, but excited and intrigued by.  That tells me that this must be a direction I am supposed to head... so I'm on the right track... but to where?  I have been searching for something meaningful to do with my life.  I've been presenting this question to the universe (and the online commmunity through my blog) and opportunities have come into my path that I had not expected but took the initiative to follow.

I am spending two weeks (last week and this week) immersing myself in an amazing well of inspiration.  As a result, I have engaged others more, offered to help in ways I might not have before, written more (a passion I had as a child and abandon long ago) and gotten into discussions I would normally avoid.  The experience has been liberating in many ways and I know I must follow this path to find what I am meant to be doing with my life in the near future.

I'm not a very spontaneous person, although some would argue otherwise.  For example, when I killed my car by trying to drive through a flooded area last year (I know... not smart Becky!!!), I went and bought a new (used, but new to me) car the next day.  Many people would call this spontaneous.  What they wouldn't know is that my old car was 13 years old with over 100,000 miles on it.  I had been thinking about a new car for several years... analyzing precisely what I wanted and didn't want.  When I went car shopping that day I had a very specific list and ended up with exactly what I wanted.  The same was true of buying a new phone.  I knew ahead of time what I wanted and didn't want and when my phone died, I bought a new one the very same day that was exactly what I wanted (ok... almost... I do still want an iPhone someday).  My point being, that although I seem impulsive and spontaneous, most of what I do in life is very deliberate, planned and well thought out.

So I guess this is my period of analyzing.  I am filling my head with knowledge, ideas, inspirations that will enevitably lead me to make a very deliberate descision... although it may seem rash to those of you following along.  I assure you it will not be.  The thing about being such a definative person though is that it's really scary for me to be in this period of uncertainty.  I don't like not knowing what's coming down the line.  I knew I would soon need a new car and a new phone... this is different.  This is like walking through a dark tunnel hoping to find a way out at the end... and I'm frightened, but at the same time excited.  It's so hard to explain the multitude of feelings running around inside me right now.

I am not looking for answers yet.... it's too soon.  But I thought this might help some of you who are lost on your journey through life understand that you are not alone.  At times we all feel the uncertainty, confusion, anticipation and expectation of what is ahead for us.  Hang in there though... the end of the tunnel is fast approaching and we need to be ready to walk out into the glorious sunlight!

An unexpected lesson in failure

As you may have read previously, for the next two weeks I am attending a daily webinar titled the millionaire affair.  The event was created and put together by Sue and Steve Soucy who are the event hosts.  Each day a different successful entrepreneur will be having a candid discussion with us about what they've learned along their personal road to success.  Today's presenter was Wendy Moore (from Melbourne, Australia), who was supposed to discuss how to use social media to attract media and build your list.  Yippee... right up my alley!  And then... everything went wrong and it became a lesson of an entirely different sort.

What happens when you plan a webinar, investigate hosting companies, line up busy speakers, perform weeks of testing and then your 400+ person audience crashes the server?  It was an abrupt and absolute meltdown!  A true example of grace under pressure, Sue and Steve did everything in their power to get things up and running again.  They had a chatroom open on Twitter for the event and directed our chat there to take some pressure off the server while they got on the phone with the webhosting company.  Throughout the rest of the hour, the webhosting guy, Sue, Steve, and our guest speaker Wendy all tried to get the system to work.  We were finally given our own dedicated server and 400+ people had to collectively log off and log back in.  In the midst of all this, we guests from all over the world began chatting... mainly about our collective technology issues.  Dispite the fact that we were all disappointed, the mood was positive.  I attribute this to the constant positive communication from our hosts that they were doing all they could and to the reason we were all there.  We all had a common purpose of learning how to improve our lives and therefore, we were all coming at this with a positive attitude.  You don't improve anything by complaining, giving up, or speaking hurtfully to the people trying their best to solve the problem... and AH-HA... that was the real lesson today.

After over an hour, they still hadn't worked out the bugs and rescheduled our most gracious speaker for tomorrow.  Many people left (having other obligations to attend to), but about a third of us hung on... for a total of over 3 hours!  I ended up doing other things as I was listening to them trying to figure out how to prevent this from happening again, but was amazed at their spirit.  They never gave up, they never got mad (not even at the webhosting company guy), they just focused on finding a solution to the problem.  It was wonderful.

I was also impressed that Wendy Moore, our speaker for today (and now tomorrow) stayed on the entire time.  Not only that, but she offered free special online bonuses (items that normally cost money) to those of us who stuck around... as a thank you for our patience and perserverence.  She talked with us one on one and was wonderful and positive through the whole thing... despite the fact that it was her presentation that was affected (and some would say ruined, although I would disagree) by all of this.  I was more impressed by her handling of today's situation that I could possibly have been by any presentation she might have given.  She really cared.  I went to her website (Savvy Web Women Mentoring Program: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3505674, Free Bonuses From Savvy Web Women: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3505677 ) and signed up immediately for their affiliate program.

Many people view successful individuals today as standoffish or even mean and uncaring.  I know many successful individuals personally and find them all to be extremely personable, friendly and accessible.  It's just that the corporate or social structure doesn't enable them to get out and be as accessible as they may want on a daily basis.  If you really want to learn from these people, you can... but you need to make the effort.  Don't be afraid to contact a particular author or corporate giant.  If you want information badly enough, you just need to be persistent and of course polite... and once you make that contact don't abuse it.  You will be surprised at how much you can learn from these people and how much they really are willing to teach.

Today was not at all what I expected, but by maintaining a positive attitude and hanging in there through it all, I gained lessons it might have taken a lifetime to grasp otherwise and I am so grateful for the experience.  I am looking forward to technologically-glitch-free presentations through the rest of the series, but I am certain I will learn important things every day of this series whether the technology behaves or not.

The job hunt vs. the stimulant package... and the winner is... not me!

So, if you've read my previous posts, you know I'm currently out of work and looking for a job.  It's amazing how flooded the applicant pool is right now!  I do administrative work.  It's a field that transcends company type... every company needs someone to handle their bookkeeping, manage their files, etc.  I choose this field because it is something I am very good at and it's usually pretty easy to find a job to pay the bills... single motherhood ain't cheap!  So when I got laid off from the civil engineering firm I was working at, I thought, "No problem!  I'll be back to work in a couple months at most."  That was 8 months ago and I'm still barely getting a hit on my resume. 

It's not that I'm not trying.  I send out over a hundred resumes a week for jobs I know I'm qualified or over-qualified for, and still, the most I usually receive is an automated email stating they might not get back to me because they have too many applicants to address each individual.

Enter that wonderful stimilus the government put out to increase jobs.  The money is earmarked for municipal improvements though.  You would think that would mean municipalities would be hiring more administrative professionals to handle all that paperwork, but no... they aren't.  What is happening is they are giving their already tired, cranky, overworked and underpaid employees a huge additional bunch of stuff to do and all these wonderful projects that are supposed to move our economy forward are backlogged and stuck behind a huge wall of red tape!  When a job finally does get out there... it's the people who are still left working that are raking in the money.  Comapnies are too scared of not getting another job afterwards to hire new employees or rehire those who are laid off.  So those who are working are complaining about their horrid workload and those of us not working are screaming, "I'll help you!" to the brick wall that is corporate America.  It's extremely frustrating!!!

I don't like being on unemployment.  I want a job, an income, something to do each day!  The stimulus package in my opinion didn't do a darn thing to help those of us out there looking for work.  Things are still as bleak as they were last year. 

But in having to get creative, my job search has lead me to find some pretty interesting things out there.  For example, there is actually someone willing to pay me $50 an hour to take photos of my feet (nothing sexual involved apparently)!  Now, I would guess this person has a fetish since the ad said the photos were for personal use, but do I care?  I walk around with exposed feet pretty often and never thought about who might be secretly photographing them.  Then there's the monthly party that apparently takes place in my own neighborhood that is looking for girls to walk around naked each time... at $200 an hour!  No thanks... but I am very curious as to which of my neighbors is doing this!!  Then there's the one-time job I took teaching a class on how to use Craigslist at the local library.  Could this turn into something or lead me to a new connection... we'll have to see.

So you see, my job search hasn't been boring... it's just been unproductive.  I guess I just needed to vent after yet another long day of searching without luck.  If any of you readers know of something I might be qualified for, please let me know... or I may be searching forever!

New stuff popping up on the blog

Well, as you know (if you've been reading along), I am working on learning new methods of online marketing.  I am mostly using Facebook to do this.  One additional thing I've been doing is adding advertising on this blog.  You may have noticed links to products from Amazon in my blog.  If I refer to something in my blog that you can get from Amazon, I will usually provide a link.  This is mainly to make things easier for you the readers, but it may eventually also become a way to make some much needed added income.  You see, I have been an Amazon Affiliate for years. 

For those of you who aren't aware, affiliate programs pay you a small percentage from each sale when you advertise their products.  I won't ever push you to buy anything... that is not my goal in writing this blog, so please don't feel obligated.  If you do see something you want to purchase though, buying through my link will help support my efforts and will always be most appreciated.

Today, I added a new affiliate program.  It's called Linkshare and allows you to choose from hundreds of companies, all of whom pay a different commission.  You must apply to each company individually and then choose specific links.  This makes it a very personalized for of advertising.  You might have noticed that I now have links to iTunes, Microsoft and Linkshare on the side of this blog.  These links were choosen very deliberately. 

• I adore my iPod... in fact, I never leave the house without it and probably couldn't make it to and from Michigan without it, so iTunes is a logical choice. 
• I am currently typing on a PC (currently running Vista) that I hope to upgrade to Windows 7 soon.  I have always been a PC girl, so another logical choice.  Plus, I know a lot of people who want to buy the new Halo game and you can get it directly from Microsoft.
• Finally, since I think Linkshare is such a great opportunity, I'm providing a link directly to it so each of you can have the opportunity to do the same thing I'm doing. 

All that said, I have just added a website that may soon become my favorite ever website!  In fact, it will likely be the favorite website of every female who finds it... chocolate.com.  If you want to visit it and see for yourself, click on the banner below.  Again, no obligation... only click if you are interested in Chocolate!  BTW... I like mine dark (so feel free to send me some weekly... lol), but they have all kinds.



And finally, I have AdSense.  This falls at the bottom of my sidebar because I dont get to select the links.  The ads are generated by Google based on my blog topics.  They select opportunities that might appeal to the people reading my posts.  These are based on click-throughs, which means I get a couple cents every time you click on one of them.  Again, no obligation... I'm certainly not asking you to go through and click on them for no reason, but if you see something that interests you, click away!

So that's what I've been up to.  I've also been working with my online reading/discussion group (we now have a whopping 50 members!!) to select our first book for the month of February and adding new books (and working out minor kinks) for my Send Brain Cells application.  It's coming along nicely and you will find a link to it on my sidebar as well.  For those of you with Amazon Affiliate programs, feel free to sign up for my app and add some books to it.  Users can add gifts and there is a section to include a link.  I include a direct affiliate link to each book I create with a button that says "Buy this book at Amazon".  I can't possibly add all the books Amazon offers and I'm happy to help any of you get your affiliate marketing off the ground. 

After what I feel was probably the most productive week I've had in a while, I'm getting ready to leave for relaxation, romance and some computer-free time with my honey.  Hope you all enjoy your weekend and I'll chat with you (well, write to you, if you want to get technical about it) next week!

Learning how to do more with Facebook!

Well, in my effort to become more marketable in the current job market and add content for my online book discussion group, I have created a Facebook gifting app.  Yep... you read it right... I created it!  It wasn't as hard as you might think and it's actually pretty cool (in my humble opinion).  It's called "Send Brain Cells" and it lets people send books to their friends.  As you collect books, you receive brain cells... one for each book.  People can also buy the book directly from the application, so it might make a little extra money... although that was not my main purpose in creating it.  I thought it might be convient for people to just click on a link and not have to copy and paste book info if they were given a book they actually wanted to read.  I've got 11 books up there so far and plan to add a couple more each day so people always have new selections to choose from... you can't keep getting the same book over and over... that would be so boring!  So... if you're interested, here's a link for you Facebook users to try it out... http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?v=info&id=244178797905  I'm hoping to get lots of feedback so I can continually improve my skills in this arena.

Next step will be to create a poll application for my book discussion group to use.  This will originally be used for book selection, but at some point I will use it to create other polls during the course of our reading to make the site more fun and interactive.  It frustrates me when you join a group and then no one participates and the group originator just lets it lie dormant.  Why would people want to join a group like that?

By the time all this is said and done, I will have created quite an online experience section for my resume.  I've also added this blog to my resume in this section.  In there I indicate the number of followers/users for each.  If you're reading this regularly, please become a follower and help me boost my numbers.  This is all so new for me, but I'm trying to navigate it the best I can.  If you've got experience in this arena, advice, suggestions, etc, please comment and give me ideas.  I value your input and appreciate constructive criticism!

BTW... for those who are curious... last night's Monday Movie Night movie ended up being Pirates of The Carribean 3:  At World's End.  This is an old favorite that we haven't watched for a while becuase the disk was lost in the house.  It was finally found, so that's what the kids chose.

What's for dinner?

Ok... this is a common question in most households.  With all the snow, the answer in our house tonight was whatever can be delivered.  No one was in the mood for pizza though, so we opted for Chinese.  I used to have a binder with all the local restaurant menus for just this occasion, but it is nowhere to be found at the moment.  So I resorted to hitting the internet.  I actually order online when we get Pizza Hut or Dominos Pizza, but Chinese food is apparently a lot more difficult to order.  I am really good at internet searches, and yet I still could not even come up with the phone number for the restaurant I wanted to order from... perhaps they've closed recently.  I did find my backup restaurant, but they dont have a website and there is no menu online.  I was told when I called the restaurant that the menu was available in the yellow pages.  I don't keep my yellow pages anymore.  They take up way too much room and I hardly ever use them.  Why wasn't the menu available online?   It was frustrating.  I think I need to create somewhere that people can post local menus so this doesn't happen again!  And so the lightbulb begins to glow... ah ha... a new project!  Don't know how it would be profitable, but it's a service that people like me and my family would definately use.  So now I've just got to figure out how to create it and make it work the way I want it to.... hmmm.... sounds like a few more late nights are coming up.  Wish me luck, and comment with any advice you may have for me on my new project.  Hopefully this one will prove to be easier than anticipated like creating the Facebook group was.  Well, for now I'm going to distract my brain with a movie... I tend to formulate ideas better that way and The Ugly Truth seems like it won't require too much brain usage and should leave plenty of cells left ot focus on my project. :)