Sunday, September 28, 2008

Starting Anew

It's the start of a new week and the end of a month. Most of my time on the internet these days is spent doing whatever I can to earn money for my survival. I missed my time on the web doing my passion, though - writing my fan fic. So, I took a lot of September off. I still did a lot, but I let the pressure go of "I've got to do this or I won't be able to pay the bills" go. I had to, I needed my passion.

I've been giving a lot of thought to time management and scheduling. I don't really have a set schedule anymore, so it's a little difficult to really plan, but I'm struggling to find a happy medium between that urgency of needing money and still enjoying the internet and being able to fulfill my passion. I still don't have it figured it out, but I hope to find a way because spending every waking moment 'working' makes it a hardship and takes the fun out of being online. Yet, I have to earn money, or I'm stuck. My financial situation isn't pretty. I have to do all the little things I do to stay afloat.

This is why I have the ads here and why I plug the sites I believe in and the links that appear all along the right hand side of this blog. Please support me by using these links whenever possible for your purchases. This week, I received my first affiliate check from Amazon, thanks to those of you have used the link. I realize the list is long on the right, but again, I'm trying to stay afloat. Remember, there's a link to DeepDiscountDVD here, too, and that's a great place to get the best prices on DVDs.

The site that has helped me the most to survive in recent months has been GPTCashcow.com. If you are in need of extra cash, please consider signing up and earning money there by doing various offers. It's a proven site -- they've been paying a lot of my bills since I joined earlier this year.

GPTCashcow has just opened a sister site, today, too. You can advertise your own sites or businesses there, and create/build your own downline. The site is called Blazing Referrals. Again, please sign up and participate. It really helps me.

There are a bunch of new reviews listed on the right, items and such that I've written about at Review Stream. Remember to vote, saying that the review was 'helpful' to you. Also, it's a great way to make money. Reviews are quick and easy to write. They have to be roughly 250 words or thereabouts, which isn't really much, and they are more interested in your opinion and not the 'how to', which is what really lures me to the site. When you're ready to write your first review, just click here.

Thanks for all the support!

I was so very sad to hear about the passing of Paul Newman. He is one of my all time favorite performers. I think I saw "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" about 100 times in the theater (seriously) when it was first issued. He was a class act, using his Newman's Own to donate hundreds of millions of dollars to charity, and he did it quietly. He was never part of the Hollywood scene and really didn't understand the fuss surrounding the moniker of 'celebrity'.

I'll never forget his appearance on "The Mike Douglas Show" many years ago. Mike was talking about the lure of Newman's blue eyes. The women were swooning, and Paul was just blank. To him, eyes were eyes. What was the big deal?

Paul Newman was one of the last real genius actors, with performances that will be remembered for decades upon decades, instead of just this year, if that. He'll be missed, that's for sure!

Jeff Gordon had a good finish in today's NASCAR race, finishing fourth, in spite of the fact that he was really sick. I'm still hoping he can pull through and win the Chase. He's within striking distance, but you just never know. Carl Edwards almost won today, and I was sure hoping he would. He pulled a miracle pass on the leader on the last corner, but slid into the wall harder than he thought he would (yes, he planned on the wall and his car coming together), and it slowed him down more than anticipated. Darn, that was fun to watch, but I really wanted him to be successful (I'm not a fan of the person who ultimately won).

The craziness continues. A mother tried to drown her little girl last night. She calmly called the police and waited for them outside. The husband wasn't home; he's stated his wife is mentally ill. Okay, no arguments there. The little girl is fighting for her life.

I do not understand this world. If you can't handle being a parent, take your child to a shelter and walk away there. What is the point in trying to kill them? This aspect of our human existence is beyond my understanding. I don't get it.

Michael Shanks' first episode of "Stargate Atlantis" aired on Friday, and it was pretty fun to see. I hated his hair, though, and I don't understand why he went to Atlantis in his civvies instead of his SG-1 uniform. He was on duty, so that is very confusing. Part 2 of this episode will air in a week or two weeks, depending upon whether you believe Sci Fi's website or the TV promo.

I adored the scene where Daniel was standing in front of the three bell lights and trying to figure out the correct sequence that would open up the door to the secret lab. It was like a kid playing. Very cute.

Transcribers of these episodes have my sympathies. Michael Shanks and David Hewlett of SGA are two of the fastest talkers in show biz. I recall the producer or director commenting that the show was about 5 pages over time, but because Shanks and Hewlett naturally talk fast, the shows actually came in on time.

That's it for this post. Thanks for stopping by!


Sunday, September 14, 2008

Catching up!

I've intended to post just about every day, but something always comes up, but now is the time!


Last Friday, "Stand Up To Cancer" aired on the three major networks plus E! TV. It raised over $100 million to help fight cancer. I'm very proud to say that my favorite, Patrick Swayze, opened the show and received a standing ovation. I was practically in tears. I know how much that meant to him, and I'm so proud of him for participating in the event. He's still fighting pancreatic cancer and is a bit thin, but he looks healthy and is continuing to film his new A&E TV series, "The Beast", in Chicago.

There was no announcement that Patrick was going to participate. I'd known about the event for quite a while and though I hadn't said anything to anyone, I really wanted him to go. Patrick fights his battles in his own way, but he needed to put his face on this battle. I'm sure it wasn't easy for him, but he did it. He stayed for the entire show and was clapping and swaying to the music at the end of the hour-long broadcast.


Thank you, Patrick, for standing up and in doing so, helping others to stand up, too.

It's been a long weekend for the victims of Hurricane Ike. It was so sad to see the how wide spread the damage has been thus far. It's regrettable that more didn't heed the warnings to evacuate. Human nature kicked in for too many, I fear. We always think it won't happen to us. On the flip side, for others, all they have are their homes, so why leave? I wish there was an answer, but it's a question this world isn't prepared to answer as yet. Maybe some day, though.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention the passing of 9/11. I spent much of the day watching special programming on the History Channel and MSNBC that were aired without commentary and mostly without commercial interruption. MSNBC began with the remark that many say we must never forget, and I agree. That's why I watched. We can't forget the horror of that day, when America was attacked on *our* land. It's painful, seeing people jumping to their certain deaths, watching the twin towers crumble into a murderous debris field, seeing the faces of firemen as they headed in to rescue the people in the World Trade Center, faces of men who wouldn't ever be seen alive again. Painful - hard - difficult. Tears were shed and my heart ached, but it is necessary not to forget and to pay tribute to those people.

This is why I watched "United 93" and various documentaries during this past week for those of the fourth hijacked aircraft. Those passengers were heroes. Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, Tom Burnett, Jeremy Glick, and so many others. Names I've never forgotten. They were people I never knew, but they did what we hope we could do in similar situations. They died, but they did so bravely and heroically.

I believe each of these people deserve declarations. There was talk about something for a while, but I've never heard any follow up to it. I just paused my writing and did some research, and it looks like while many bills have been brought up in the Houses in the past several years, they've never passed one. Shame on political men and women who can't come together to award an honor that is now long overdue for these brave people of Flight 93. They banded together and prevented more deaths, not to mention physical destruction, at the Capitol or the White House. Get your acts together, Congress Persons. This is exactly the reason why I'm not fond of any of you right now. This one should be simple.

With all due respect and in the spirit of unity for our nation and those who belief as we die, as we move forward to a new week, I say, let's roll and let's make it count!


Tuesday, September 2, 2008

It's a crazy and sometimes sad, world!

Yesterday, Matt Garcia, a city councilman for the nearby community of Fairfield was shot in the head. Today, he was taken off of life support and died fairly quickly. What is particularly tragic about this loss is that the councilman was just 22 years old. I remember hearing about him last year during the elections, the young man who had always wanted to give back to his community, particularly dealing with crime. He was so young, too young, to have his life snuffed away in a split second. Some pretender of being a human being got out of his car last night, though, and fired multiple shots at Garcia. Our governor has already put in place a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer. They really don't know much and believe it could be a gang member. After all, Garcia's platform for election was crime prevention. I don't know much about Matt Garcia, but this news stunned me. I remember that young, determined face clearly from the election news. It's just so sad, and it's such a crazy world that we live in.

For the first time in many years, I watched the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon on Sunday night/Monday. I grew up watching the telethons religiously, but when my finances became such that I couldn't give, I sort of felt guilty for watching. Plus, local channels weren't carrying the entire thing for a while. I'm not sure what got me to turn it on this year, but I'm glad I did.

Billy Gilman was on, and I remember him from when he was a kid with a hit country song ("One Voice" about a kid with a gun; it got a tremendous amount of airplay and attention). I haven't seen him in years, but there he was, the national youth ambassador for MDA this year apparently. Wow, what a showman. No wonder Jerry likes him. Billy knows how to put on a show. Each number he did reminded me of the old days, when the real performers took center stage. I checked his website; he's 20 now. Well done, Billy ... and don't be ashamed of those tears you shed and tried to cover up. You're a good kid, er man!

I've created a new yahoo group called SwayStar. If's for anyone who wants to be notified when I have a new review on Review Stream, new article on Helium, or whatever other ventures I have in the future that helps me get by financially. Some folks like the email delivery option instead of having to come to the blog or having it sent to lists that have another focus. The link for SwayStar is on the right hand side of this blog, towards the top.


 
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