Archive for June, 2008
Still Adjusting To The Schedule… NOT!
Monday, June 30th, 2008Just a short update before I wander off to bed…
It’s 4:30am! And yes, I do have to go to work this morning. I just spent a few hours messing with Photoshop and Dreamweaver making nifty things for my blog. Trying to clean things up a bit - not happy with some of the ads I had taking up real estate here. I have to put a few cosmetic touches on things and tidy up a bit more, so I can get back to the business of “blogging.”
The job is going well… thanks to all of you who wished me well. Probably the biggest adjustment is going to be the schedule. As it is, I’ll only get a little over 2 hours of sleep this morning before I leave. I’m sure I’ll be half comatose by the time I come home.
The job is “easy”, the people are friendly, and the pressure seems minimal. It’s much different than I remember in years gone by. (Even though I’m a Libertarian) I’m working for a union shop now which makes a difference. I have to get used to being forced to take breaks and a lunch!
My back and feet are holding up well. My employer seems to understand the importance of a fatigue mat. The best part is I don’t feel compelled to eat much - I might lose some weight here, after all! I just have to be careful not to indulge too much when I get home. The temptation will be to take the lazy route and eat out, or order out at night as I’ve been coming home too tired to cook. Of course it doesn’t help I stay up all night either, does it?!
Buddy’s Mom Gets A JOB!
Thursday, June 26th, 2008Well, I’ve done it. In spite of the lovely economy, and Rust Belt-ishness of the Buffalo area, I managed to get a halfway decent job with partial benefits. I was beginning to think that all hope was lost as I couldn’t even get hired by Walmart (and they hire EVERYBODY!) when this job showed up at my doorstep.
I’ll be working for a local screen printer, doing what I do, printing t-shirts.
The fun part will be adjusting to my newfound LACK of freedom, but a definite increase in activity as I will be on my feet all day and forced to wake up before noon. While I’m making this new adjustment, I’ll have to work in my diet and hopefully not be too tired to go to the gym. I have a couple weeks before my membership expires, so I’ll know by then if I’ll be able to swing it energy wise.
Today was my first day on the job, and I must admit, I was wiped out. For those of you who don’t know, screen printing shops get very hot. You know it’s hot when you don’t pee for 8 hours! And I’m one of those “every hour” people. Plus, I’ve been very accommodating to myself and my back problems for the last several years. I can’t even tell you the last time I was on my feet for 8 hours. I’m sure I’ll be miserable at first, but when the checks start coming in, and when the bills get caught up, I’ll learn to deal with the discomfort.
The good news is that my job is within walking distance from my home (about 3/4 of a mile), so if I feel ambitious, I can walk to work and save on gas. The down side is that it’s a rough neighborhood. I’d feel better walking my Doberman, but I don’t think they’ll be having any “take your doggy to work” days anytime soon!
Tennis Anyone? Watch Wimbledon LIVE!
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
Back in my more mobile days, one of my favorite non-hockey activities was to pretend I could play tennis. It’s been awhile. I still have my racket (and an extra one, if you’d like to join me), and a fresh tube of tennis balls (except the one Buddy is playing with is not-so-fresh anymore!) So now that I’m getting myself back into shape, tennis is one of the hobbies I look forward to taking up again (once the shin splints fully heal.) In the meantime, I’ll just have to settle for being an armchair tennis fan!
Speaking of which, did you know that Wimbledon starts today? What’s even more cool is that, in our high tech world, you can watch Wimbledon LIVE via the internet! Back in the olden days of TV, everything was tape delayed, and/or you were at the mercy of the networks as to which matches you saw live, and for that matter, how much of the match you got to see. Well, not anymore! MediaZone is offering you a $24.99 on-demand all-access pass to watch your favorites compete at Wimbledon. Not only do you get to see this year’s tournament, but you can also watch previews, reviews, interviews, and get this, you have access to an archive of Wimbledon past - including classic matches such as Borg v. McEnroe (1980) and Navratilova v. Evert (1978).
Who will be crowned 2008 Wimbledon champions? Will it be top ranked Ana Ivanovic, or will Maria Sharapova bounce back from a poor showing at the French Open? How about Rafael Nadal on the men’s side? Will he take Wimbledon and possibly the World’s No. 1 rank away from Roger Federer? Check out Wimbledon LIVE, and don’t miss any of the action.
Buddy Receives Not One, But TWO Arte y Pico Awards!
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
Buddy would like to thank his friends at Margie and Edna’s Basement and Creating Wealth and Health .info.
The “Arte y Pico” award was created and to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents, be it writing or artwork in all media’s. When you receive this award it is considered a “special honor”.
Since Buddy received two awards, it’s only fair that he chooses 10 winners. But it seems that many of Buddy’s picks have already received the award. So we’ll do our best, and put an asterisk next to the blogs which fall into the “already’ve been recently awarded” category.
SocialSpark: A Cool Way To Network And Monetize Your Blog
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
I made the announcement a few days back that I was going to ramp things up a bit around here, join a few social networks, and monetize my blog. Not knowing where to start, I decided to just start clicking widgets and buttons on other blogger’s blogs as I Entresurfed. One of the buttons I came across was the SocialCardsters button like the one you see under my Entrecard widget. The SocialCardsters are a community within a community - they are Entrecarders who are also members of the newly released SocialSpark.
SocialSpark is part of the Izea social media network whose other properties include PayPerPost and Blogger’s Choice Awards. What’s cool about SocialSpark is that it combines blog monetization opportunities in a social network community setting. Each member has a profile page where they can write a description about themselves (or their blog), upload a photo, share their interests with other bloggers and advertisers, and even link up to their Twitter account. You can also submit multiple blogs into the network. Members can view each others profiles, send/receive friend requests, and give props (thumbs up).
