Writing, editing, writing, a process.

This writing a Blog a day is tough (NY resolution).  I’m not used to posting my stream of consciousness blurts. I often just write by hand stream of consciousness suppressing my internal editor. Then I input it into Word and find myself editing as I go. Then I print it out triple spaced and take a red pen to it. I’ve written 1200 words for a book review that had to be whittled down to 300-400 words. (Thank you Strunk & White). Finally, I read it aloud to myself in the mirror – Amazing that those words I thought were gems can fall so flat when read aloud.  Before I submit work to my editor, it has to have a purposeful cadence, it must be prose. But I promised myself to keep this blog a day resolution.  I’m determined to keep it up even if, as my Ken Roberts says, they are only ‘Mildly Creative’.  I just know some gems will emerge eventually.

How to start an internet business from home?

I attended a webinar on internet business last night given by Ryan Deiss, and it was worth my $49 buy-in for the print workbooks alone.  Even the 60 minute mini-webinar was worth it, until we hit the sell-up.

I expected it and considered the pitch until, BAM! came put-downs and deprecating remarks of how if you don’t have the sense to realize how good a deal this is, then you ‘don’t really want to be successful, we don’t want you here’…etc., etc.  I listened awhile longer, but the condescending, derogatory tone continued.

It’s a shame really, but my defense against abuse of any kind went up.  I am not afraid or stupid or any less because I don’t want to invest hundreds more dollars with you before I’ve tried out what I’ve already bought.

So, I wielded my épée, my mouse, and with great satisfaction I clicked the X and vanquished the offensive rhetoric. 

I’m sure Mr. Deiss made many up-sales, probably mostly men trying to prove that they’re not one of ‘those’. 
So there! is never a valid reason to buy anything.  Proving your worth by spending money you've been cudgelled into spending proves nothing except you can be intimidated and feel you have something to prove. 

The only thing I have to prove - and I sincerely hope I can - is that the information my$49 bought works as promised and improves my livelihood.

Diet Laughing

Laughing burns calories.  A double helping of Cosby is good for you!
When you laugh, your heart beats faster, blood pressure rises temporarily; you breathe deeper and oxygenate more blood; your body releases endorphins – natural painkillers and you produce more immune cells.  You burn 78 times as many calories as in a resting state.  Your diaphragm, facial muscles and internal organs all get an internal massage. 

After laughing, muscles and arteries relax, which eases pain; lowers blood pressure, and drops your pulse to below normal.

Sign up for the joke of the day, read the funnies instead of the news, tune in to a comedy instead of a crime show, or search YouTube for funny pet videos.

So, along with feeding your body better food, and getting your daily walk, laugh a little.

Arrrggghhh – Technology – A love/hate relationship

I love my i-phone, I really do.  Since the fire last year, it is my only phone and modem to tether my laptop to the internet, as I did not replace my land line, nor my dsl.  But as with most technology, we only love it when it works for us. 

This is not such a day. Suddenly and without warning, it is no longer my friend at least with phone calls.  Since about noon today, callers and callees either don’t hear me or hear me badly.  Didn’t drop it didn’t do anything to it, just suddenly going round a corner it sounded a bip, bip, bip (or sounds to that effect) and that as they say was that.

I spend a good 45 minutes on chat with AT&T, to no avail.  Bertha even called me and confirmed that, yes, it sounded awful as if I’m cutting out.  She hung up, the chat times out and she left me a voicemail, saying to call Apple and good luck. Ah, Customer service?

Of course, I’m a few weeks past the one year extended warranty.  I’m convinced that too much of what we buy today is built to fail at precisely that time – some kind of programmed obsolescence.

I’m turning it off to rest over night, and I’ll deal with it tomorrow.

“After all, tomorrow is another day!" quoth Scarlet.  Yes, Scarlet,  it is. I’m going out on the balcony to enjoy a glass of wine and a glorious sunset and I'll figure this out tomorrow.

Salut.