This is a blog about life, entertainment, animals, Patrick Swayze, Alfie Boe, Stargate SG-1, Michael Shanks, and whatever is happening in the world, or at least my part of it. It's my views and the bits and pieces of my daily life, for whomever would like to hear them.
I read the other day that Utah has adopted the four-day work week! There you go! That's a way to help everyone, as long as you don't mind ten-hour workdays. There was a time I wouldn't have minded that, but not right now. I'd much rather work at home!
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When I first started trying to find things I could do to earn money on the internet besides GPT sites, a gal told me about two websites. Both have proven valuable to me, so if you are looking for alternatives, check these out.
Cassie's been going nuts the last few nights. Apparently, there's a skunk outside somewhere, and she keeps trying to find it. It was really funny to watch her, moving ever so slowly in search of her prey. No clue where that skunk is hiding, but its out there somewhere!
Just have to share this. Emma Nisbet wrote a poem about "Stargate" and now her husband has put it to rock music. It is loud, and it is rock, but it's so much fun to listen to. My favorite verse is in the middle:
Daniel Jackson was a geek Twenty- three languages did he speak
If you'd like to hear it, just use the console below!
More information and Mark's profile can be found here.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Hello, World!
I'm still so psyched about how good Patrick looked while heading for Chicago last weekend. When compared with a photo of him at the Lakers game in May, you can really see how much better he looks now. He says he's a miracle man, and I have no doubts about it.
I've been busy searching for some internet ways to make money, in addition to what I'm doing with the offers at GPTCashcow and Vindale Research. I'm still writing articles at Helium and doing the reviews at Review Stream, and now I'm also starting to do some content writing. It's not all that easy, but I'm going to give that a shot. Content writing is basically doing marketing plugs or blog type writing specified by an advertiser. Pay varies, but it's something I can do here at home, and that's important.
While watching the news this week, I was left just shaking my head at the way our nation responds to financial distress. A local school district is now going to implement a $180 *per child* fee for busing children to school. For a family with three kids, that's almost $600. Who can afford that these days?
The district says that if the family qualifies for it's lunch program, they will be exempt from the charge and that they'd work with other families who had a hard time. Parents are outraged. The school is too far for their children to walk to it with safety, and these are working people. I am sure there are a lot of middle of the road families out there who don't qualify for the lunch program, but who can't afford $180 to send their kids to school.
What's the solution? The district says it's all budget cuts. I'm sure it is, but where do they expect the average family to come up with this money when gas is $4.50 per gallon?
There is just something incredibly wrong with our system.
On that mind-boggling note, I'm tuning back into "So You Think You Can Dance" to see the dancers do their thing.
Oh, by the way, if you are a forum owner for anything on the net, check out the banner at the bottom of the page. If you need help or want to get some activity there to stir things up, click on the ForumBoosters banner for information!
This is the latest photo of Patrick Swayze, and I just had to share it here. The man is looking so good, thankfully so. He's beating the odds as he battles pancreatic cancer.
My latest review is up at Review Stream, and it's for Michael's movie, "Under the Mistletoe". Sure wish I had that on DVD. I'd be watching it over and over again, if I did. It was on again last week. Last night, "Judicial Indescretion" was on, but I didn't realize it and missed it. Wish that would come out on DVD, too.
Remember to look for the box below which is always after the reviews and the series of google ads -- click the circle and press the 'yes' button and then you'll see the number by 'votes' go up after the page refreshes. I get paid 10 cents per 'yes' vote. It may not seem like a lot, but it adds up quick! You do have to be on the page long enough for them to think you've read it :}
Every vote pays ! Did you find this review helpful?
VOTES :
I also was approved to join up with Pay Per Post, which sounds like a neat way to earn some money by blogging for various sponsors. I didn't really see any good opportunities for a newbie there last night, but I'm remaining hopeful and will chart my progress here, as I do all of my attempts at working at home to earn money to pay those pesky bills and buy the groceries.
I'm also excited because I'm just 39 cents away from my very first affiliate check from Amazon! Thanks to all my supporters who are using my link here on this blog to shop from Amazon. One more order should give me that first pay out. I'm very grateful!
As an update on my GPT fortunes, I did receive another check from Cashcrate today for my participation there. That's two. It is a proven site, so if you are interested in GPT, please don't hesitate to try them out.
Of course, my favorite is still GPTCashcow. We're in the middle of our second weekly team race there, which just adds to the fun. The forum there just hops, and I'm really hoping people will continue to try it out.
Two more reviews up at review stream. Remember, I get 'paid' here when you answer the question 'yes' to 'Did you find this review helpful?' You click the button and press the 'yes' box. You will then see that the number has gone up. That's how you know your vote went through.
I've also been making the rounds at various work at home forums, trying to find something to bring in some money. It seems like that's my main focus anymore. I miss writing as much as I was for my SG-1 fandom. I've had to cut back on that a little to try and bring in cash. I did just publish a new story last night - "Lifesigns", based on the "Lifeboat" episode.
Right now, Cassie and Tessa are outside, playing, even though it's late. I continue to be so grateful that Cassie has recovered for the most part. Her stool is still loose a bit though. I'm thinking I might get her some more rice and see if that helps. It made a huge difference last week. Too cute -- just as I am typing this, here comes Tessa, looking in the window. I think that's the 'let us in now' request, so I suppose it's time.
"Zero Hour" was on for the 6pm Sci-Fi showing. It's a nice episode featuring Richard Dean Anderson when his character adjusts to becoming the general. I have issues with the final scene, but mostly, Rick shines in it. His presence was so missed when he left the show to be with his little girl.
Patrick Swayze continues to improve, from what I'm hearing, and unless a strike by SAG prevents work for going on, "The Beast" will start filming in Chicago soon. I'm so glad Patrick is beating his cancer. It's still very scary, and certainly no guarantees, but he's a strong man. If anyone can beat this pancreatic nightmare, it is Patrick!
I love using the name Orry Main as my 'handle' at most every site that I sign up for. People recognize it. In fact, just this week, I sold an old Philco radio to a man who brought up North and South (the mini-series where the name comes from). It's a great conversation starter, and I like honoring Patrick by using this name as my handle.
We've had two good air days in a row, so now if my knees would just cooperate, maybe life can get back to normal. I really overdid things when Cassie was ill, and boy, can I tell. It reminds me of my mom years back. She couldn't carry a box, but one time, when visiting her hometown in Oklahoma with her twin sister, who has MS, a tornado was coming. Her sister fell, and my weakling mother, picked her up and carried her to the shelter. It was a life or death thing. That's what I keep thinking about right now. Cassie is my baby, and I did what I had to do. It was fine then, but now my body is rebelling.
I added a Technorati banner on the right side of this page. If you like my blog, please click there to vote for it. Thanks!
Just one quick note -- I have another review up at Review Stream. All of my reviews, including this one, are listed on the right hand side. Please go to *each* review and when towards the bottom, in the middle, it asks 'Was this review helpful to you?', click on the dot and press the 'yes' button. You should the number below that box increase in number. That's all you have to do -- vote 'yes', click, and see the number increase.
The latest team race is ongoing at my favorite gpt website -- GPTCashcow. Last week for the first time, players who signed up in the forum for the race were assigned to teams. At the end of the week, $200 was split up as a reward for the three teams, depending upon how they finished. It was just a little extra something given out by the admin there to make it more fun to do offers and to build the comraderie among those in the forums.
The competition was very close, and it was actually a tie for the winners. Now we're in at the start of a new race. It's not a whole lot of extra money when divided among all the players, but it is extra, and it sure is fun!
If you haven't tried a GPT site yet and are looking for extra money for Christmas or something extra, if you apply yourself, you can easily make $200 in a month. See my GPT guide in this blog for step by step instructions.
Before I head on back to the Cow to work some more on offers, I woke up this morning just hating my knees. When Cassie was so sick, I really did a lot of movement that I shouldn't have been doing. You know how it is. When a family member is sick, you come second. I had to check on her outside all the time and see what she was doing, 'bathroom' wise, and then just really tend to her in the house. I knew I was doing a lot of up and down the steps, and it was hurting. Boy oh boy, this morning, I think it all set in. I couldn't wait to take the pills the doctor gave me. It's helped, but I can tell my knees are rebelling against the last several days of activity.
Cassie, obviously, is doing so much better. She's running around, driving me crazy again as she and her sister run circles around me! Crazy dogs -- and I love 'em both so much!
The heat has come down to more normal temps, and the smoky haze that has engulfed the area is finally ebbing. I let the girls stay out longer today as a result. It's nice not to look out the window and see a foggy mist where nothing but bright light should be!
The latest edition of Big Brother has started, and, yes, I'm watching it. Too early to know if I'll love or hate it, or if I'll even care. I'm still very attached to season 1. It's become cut-throat since that golden season. Anyone watch The Singing Office? That's a fun show on The Learning Channel, a more gentle reality show.
It's been a long three days. My black lab, Cassie, was very sick and scared the living daylights out of me. We narrowed it down to one of four things, including the new dog food I had just purchased (Purina). I called Purina, and they said they hadn't heard about any problems, but they did recommend discontinuing the food. I did, and since I had it delivered, I had Safeway come and pick it up, which they did because it was the manufacturer's recommendation.
The concern about the food on my part wasn't ingredient based, but storage based. As has made national news, our hot temps and smoky conditions has made it very unsafe. Safeway does not use air-conditioned vehicles. My delivery was at 8pm at night, and they load those vehicles at 6am. I believe something could have happened either then, or somewhere else in the storage process, considering regional conditions. The bag itself says the food should be stored in cool areas.
I was suspicious because Cassie only ate half her food. Not only that, but Tessa didn't eat all of her dinner either. Now that's a first. My dogs are not finicky eaters. They both run to their food and gulp in down in one swoop; no exceptions, so for both of them to do that at the same time, well, it got my attention.
However, my sister also just cleaned out our pool and retrieved a large rawhide bone that they dogs had apparently knocked in there. It's been there for months probably, and in that time, she's put a lot of chemicals in the pool, including algae killer. When she got the bone out, she just let the dogs have it. We've thrown it away now, but it's possible that the rawhide was infected with the chemicals, and eating a part of it could have made her sick.
It could also have just been the heat and particulates in the air because of the fires. They had just said that even the healtiest of folks could start getting sick if out and about.
Regardless of the reason, she was really sick, and it scared me because of how sluggish she was. Tessa has seemed fine, though. Anywho, lots of good vibes, prayers, Gatorade, and rice later, Cassie has rebounded and is almost 100%. Tessa is outside eating grass at the moment, but she has been okay.
The two related downsides to all of this is that my knees are really hurting more this week. I had to move quickly and do more than usual in caring for Cassie over the past three days, and it's made an impact on my poor knees. Ouch!
Then there's the A/C that I've kept on and low because it's so hot in this part of the house anyway, and Cassie was lying there with her tongue hanging out. I had to keep it cool for her. I'm soooo afraid of the next A/C bill. Not sure I'll be able to pay that one.
So that's been my dog trauma and why I haven't updated this.
On the 'I'm so excited' front, I mentioned in a prior post about Review Stream. This is so great! You can review everything and get paid for it! In addition to that, there is a reader vote. If you read the review(s), at the end of each, towards the bottom of the page (you have to scroll down past the google ads), there's a square box that says:
Every Vote Pays!
Beneath it, it says:
Did you find this review helpful?
Goodness, click yes! That's *more* money. This one doesn't pay pennies; it actually does add up. I have 7 reviews there already, and you can see them listed on the right side of this blog. Please click on each of them, read them, and vote. Also, you can just go to http://www.reviewstream.com on a regular basis and in the search box type in "by Orrymain" and that will get you all of my reviews, too.
PLEEEEEEASE do this regularly and frequently. Keep supporting my Helium articles, but these reviews are super fast, super easy, and pay soooo much better!
Good afternoon from smoky Northern California! It's unbelievable how smoky it still is here. Fortunately, I'm not right in the thick of the fires, but the smoke has gone on now for about three weeks. Whereas there were once over 1700 fires, our heroic firefighters have gotten the number down to 300, but they are tired.
Our governor has just ordered a second batch of National Guard personnel to be trained in firefighting. Our heroes need relief.
The heat of July, with the humidity tacked on, finally resulted in a death in our area. A woman, a senior citizen, died in Modesto yesterday. The air conditioning in her mobile home had stopped working. While her husband did his best with fans to cool the place, even at night it was 85 degrees. They said she died of heat stroke.
People are still being advised not to go outside much. My poor dogs love to run and play, but they are being kept inside more and more. The health watches last night said this prolonged situation could start to affect even the healthiest people. Those not using central air were warned that their swamp coolers could actually bring the smoke and dangerous particulates inside their homes.
The sky is just a long, dull haze of smoke, and that's pretty much how it's been since the last week in June. We've been in the 107/108 temp range this week. We're supposed to get a little relief this weekend -- high 90's.
So that's the situation in Northern California. I hope the President heeds the call for support. The firefighters are exhausted; they need help.
Now it's back to my Stargate SG-1 marathon on the Sci-Fi network. Good shows today. Right now one of my favorites is on - "Red Sky". There's a blooper of sorts in it that always makes me giggle.
Today, I had a strange phone call from someone saying they wanted to interview me for a job, based on my online resume. Well, I don't have an online resume. In searching the internet, I found a nifty website -- 800Notes where you can input a phone number and see if anyone else has reported it as a suspicious number.
As it turns out, this call has been on the list for a long time. It was a gal named Jeannette from American Life, giving a phone number of 888-252-3550 x227. It's amazing what was on the website about this.
I've bookmarked the 800Notes webpage for future use. What a neat site to have available for folks!
Good evening! It is hot, hot, and did I say hot here in California. 107 degrees -- just unreal! I'm just not a heat person at all. I'm so afraid to see my bill next month for the A/C because I've had it on so much. I know it's gonna be high.
I updated my GPT Hints and Tips, which I should probably call a 'step to step' guide on how to do GPT sites. You can see it listed on the right hand side, under the listings for posts this month. I'll have to figure out how to make that link always stay accessible. I don't want it to get lost in the archives. If you're curious about GPT sites, my guide would be a good place to start, and once again, I want to highly recommend my favorite site -- GPTCashcow. We just started a team race competition for the week, something that is making doing offers extra fun, and this weekend, we'll be playing Family Feud, GPT style, for cash. Can't beat that!
Went a round with the Safeway delivery guy today. I'm so tired of this. With certain physical limitations right now, it's often just easier for me to pay the delivery fee, especially because the big items I'm ordering are dog food for the girls and bottled water. I've always asked the drivers to put the dog food (big bags, usually forty pounds or more) in the container right on the patio, and then to put the water in the kitchen, stacked.
Numerous times over the last few years, I've gone over with the store manager, the 800 number people, and others, exactly what we, customers, are allowed to ask the drivers to do. Each time, I've been well within the scope of what we are allowed to ask. Every now and then, I get a rebel hot shot who thinks they don't have to do anything. I'm sure they are surprised when I follow through and report them.
So, tonight, I get another one. He wasn't totally rebelling, but he'd had a long day, and I was the last customer on the route. Believe me, I understand -- 107 and eight hours of doing this. Unfortunately, I need his assistance, and that's what I'm paying for. It was more of a verbal volley than combat, like some of them have been, but, geez, it's just too hot. Just do it and you can go! lol He did, and he did.
I saw Stargate SG-1 -- Continuum, the new movie last night. It's all over the internet, even though it doesn't come out on DVD until August. I was disappointed that Richard Dean Anderson was a minor player in it, though his few scenes were very good. I was pleased, on the other hand, that the "Vala" character was also minor. The less of her, the better. Likewise, I was pleased that the much-touted injury to our beloved Daniel was relatively brief and handled before the movie ended. It was far less painful to watch than I thought.
So, just like Ark of Truth, this direct to DVD movie, gets a thumbs up from me, with a few reservations. For example, Colin Cunningham is seen at the beginning, but doesn't utter a word that I can recall. The late Don S. Davis is wonderful to see, but he has just one, curt moment with SG-1. I would have liked to have seen more of him with the team. The story had him basically with William Devane's character (the President). I wasn't impressed with the musical score, either.
On the plus side, the cinematography is awesome. Seeing RDA again -- priceless! There is a very quick Jack and Daniel 'insiders' moment if you can catch it. I love Daniel's line to Jack about being his best friend in their timeline (finally, the phrase is used). Best of all, there is no 'ship' in this movie. It's all team, and, at the end, it is team -- Jack and SG-1. Vala, thankfully, stays behind. Too bad it's not forever. She really needs to go be with her husband and leave Earth behind.
That's it for now. I have a lot of email to catch up on, and I want to get back over to the Cow to see if there is anything new!
I just have to share what my little one, Tessa, did last night. Yesterday, I moved the dog crate. It's always been by the window, but it makes it very difficult to get between my bed and a bookshelf because the large crate sticks out so far. I also wanted to give this room the appearance of more space.
So, after doing some rearranging, I put the crate up against two other pieces of furniture. It's relatively in the middle of a large room now, and it's directly to my right when I'm at the computer, so they actually have a better view of me all the time, which they like.
The hard part, though, was doing a bit of re-training. Both Tessa and her older sister, Cassie, had to sniff around where the crate had been and then where it is now, investigating to make sure it's still their home.
Here's the funny part. When I need them to go inside, I just say, "Crate," and they know exactly what I mean. Well, we've had to deal with them going to where the crate used to be. So, very late last night, with the lights out, I'm trying to get settled and the dogs are acting up a little. I call out, "Crate!"
Cassie immediately goes inside the crate, but Tessa goes over where the crate used to be. I call out, "Tessa, crate!" sternly. Well, the next thing I know, she's sitting as polite as can be, right in the middle of the space where the crate used to be.
I couldn't help it. I laughed. She's associating the word with a place, rather than with a thing.
Training to be continued. :}
Then there was the NASCAR race this evening. OH, man. I really thought Jeff (as in Gordon, driver of the #24) was gonna win it. He was in command and then made a bad choice, as he calls it, to go to the outside lane instead of staying on the bottom. A caution later, with just laps to go, he's #2 to Kyle 'bad boy' Busch, and what happens? My #2 favorite driver, Carl Edwards, gets into Jeff's rear and the 24 car goes for a spin. One lap to go. Dang, I just hate it when that happens.
I don't even know where they put him in the finals -- down at 30th or something. He held his place in the top 12, though, so it's not a total loss, but geez. It was his turn to win. I just knew it.
Dang it!
Oh well -- onto the next race, and tomorrow! By the way, added two more articles on my Helium page, so be sure to check those out!
What a day! I'm zonked, and it's not because we did anything to celebrate Independence Day. On the contrary, I mainly cleaned today, moving things around, trying to clear space.
One of the things I did was to move the dogs' crate, toy box, and water bowl. I actually think they'll like it better where I have it now, but I had to spend some time helping them to adapt to the change. A few treats helped with that ('really, it's the same crate; here, have a treat' - lol).
Along with moving things, which I really shouldn't be doing, but if I don't do it, no one will, I cleared out some junk. Trust me, I have lots of junk. I did achieve my goal, but, yawn, I sure am tired now.
Played around on the computer a bit today and did a few offers. Cashcrate went a bit anal because in my first few messages to try and help newbies, I listed another website. I should have checked the TOS, but didn't so my fault there, but when someone else mentioned it was a no-no, I changed it just to reference my how-to post.
Their actions just reinforced for me how crazy that site is. They are finally adding a few things, I noticed, for the first time in ages, but they really do have 'attitude' there. They gave me a infraction and removed my 'email me for tips' signature. I suspect one of the powers that be there must pose as newcomers to see what folks are sending out, or they just snooped and read the messages, which any site with a message setup can do.
Ironically, I've received lots of good feedback because unlike most tip communications, mine really does take you through the process, step by step. For a newbie, it's what they need. Oh well. It was fun helping the folks, though. I still wish I knew in my first couple of days what is in my guide.
Jeff Gordon didn't do very well in qualifying for the big race tomorrow night, but it's Daytona, and starting position doesn't really mean much. At Daytona, things change every turn. It's wild! He's due for a win, so I'm hoping he gets the checkered flag. If not, I just want another good finish. He's 6th in points now as they get closer to the Chase (the final 10 races of the year that the ultimate champion emergences from), and that's a good place to be.
Also watched some of the Twilight Zone marathon over on Sci-fi. Those never get old. I so prefer the classics of yesteryear to almost everything that is on today.
Published another of my happyfics, a silly thing called "No Yes No" so fan fic folks, check your email!
Gotta love it! Just saw this story online and had to share it here:
National Kissing Day 2008 - Patrick Swayze voted top big-screen kisser of all time
Submitted by: Lawton Communications Group
Wednesday, 02 July 2008
National Kissing Day 2008 Patrick Swayze voted top big-screen kisser of all time
Britain’s all-time favourite screen kiss has been revealed as Patrick Swayze kissing Demi Moore in the 1990 blockbuster film, Ghost.
To celebrate the 13th annual National Kissing Day, its founder Denplan commissioned the survey to ask people to name their top three favourite screen kisses. Second most popular rated kiss was the Disney classic Lady and the Tramp, where pampered pedigree pooch Lady shares a surprise spaghetti kiss with loveable rogue Tramp (36%). In third place was Swayze again, this time with Jennifer Grey in the 1987 blockbuster Dirty Dancing as they kiss in public for the first time (35%).
Swayze’s still got it Swayze was the clear favourite with the females surveyed, who voted Ghost (50%) and Dirty Dancing (43%) as their top two. The star of both blockbusters, who turns 56 this year, clearly remains a heartthrob for many.
Surprisingly more in touch with their feelings than previously given credit for, men voted for Ghost first (40%), Lady and the Tramp romped in second with 36% and one of the greatest romantic tragedies of recent time, Titanic, received 33% coming in third.
Yesterday was a bit smoky around here again. These California fires have been just dreadful. Fortunately, I'm not in the middle of the fires, but the air quality here has been in the red zone for two weeks. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in the thick of these wildfires.
I've been watching the season 1 episodes of "MacGyver", thanks to a good friend who got it for me a while back. It's so nice to see the episodes complete and whole and without commercial interruption. Always loved to see Mac, especially that first year. The opening gambits that they did were wonderful. I hated that they had to stop doing them, but I remember reading at the time how the gambit that had nothing to do with the main plot actually cost as much as, if not more, than the main part of the show, so they had to stop doing them. They sure were fun, though.
My eBay auctions had a little bit of success; sold a few pieces of furniture and one of the coats (sable, I think it was). I'm completely anti-fur since I'm in animal lover, but it belonged to my grandmother or my aunt, and it's just been hanging in the closet for decades. It was time to do something with it. Have a couple other faux furs that didn't sell, unfortunately. There's always next time before they end up tossed.
Today is the beginning of another NASCAR weekend. The big rumor recently has been that Tony Stewart will defect from his Gibbs racing team and join up with the fledgling Haas team. That rumor heated up when Hendrick Motorsports announced that they weren't going to resign Casey Mears at the end of the season. As a result, everyone began talking about Tony joining Hendrick. Can you picture a team of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart? Oh, geez.
More realistically, it looks like maybe Mark Martin is going to drive the 5 car after Mears goes. I really wish Martin would just go home and retire. I lost all respect for him the year he flipflopped from wanting to go truck racing to resigning for a full year again. I know he's well liked and such, but I'm tired of his whining and his flip-flop nature. Either stay home and be the husband and father you say you want to be, or just shut up and race full time.
Hey, gas was only $4.39 when I added some fuel to my car the other day. I was in complete shock -- that was a drop from the $4.52 it had been the last time I put gas in the tank.
Oh, had an email about a pathetic attempt by some of the Jack and Sam shippers to get that supposed 'romance' acknowledged in the third (if there is one) Stargate SG-1 movie. It's so funny. Years ago, there was a highly successful 'Save Daniel Jackson' campaign after Michael Shanks left the series. It was all very public. By contrast, this thing is underground, hidden in a forum that has a warning not to enter and to just go away if you aren't a Jack and Sam shipper. Ridiculous!
These folks are pleading with the producers for their acknowledgment, whining about their years of frustration. Geez, they should think how the Jack and Daniel fans feel. Talk about being brushed aside.
One thing is sure. I have little, if any, respect for the producers of SG-1 because they ruined a wonderful show with their soap opera attitude. However, ole RCC (Robert C. Cooper) has never quite crossed the line. Everything has still been vague illusions and alternate realities. Should he actually cross the line for anything more real, he will completely alienate the J/D fans, and that's a huge part of the fan base. He's not stupid.
As long as there is the hope of making more SG-1 movies, RCC won't cross that line. Doing so, would be the final and permanent end of the franchise. My fear is that if he ever knows 'this is the end' for absolute sure, that he might do it because he is a shipper, sadly, which, of course, is why he ruined a great show. However, they'll lose money if they do it. I know a slew of folks, including myself, who would never buy it if any 'ship' was done.
The one thing I take great solace in, is that everything from the end of Season 8 on is AU. By putting in a fish in Jack's pond, which by canon has never had any fish in it, and by having Jack himself say 'close enough', an acknowledgment that things weren't 100% in the supposedly restored universe, RCC gave us, and himself, actually, a big out. Considering what he did to Daniel after that, I hang on to fish with reverence.
It's all AU! Long live that fish!
That's it for right now. I'm about to revise my 'GPT Hints and Tips' slightly. Hope it's of help to anyone interested. I'm still having fun and thankfully bringing in some cash.
Hey, guess what I found? A website for reviews. They aren't complicated or involved, but just every day reviews, as if we were all sitting around at the table talking. It's great! The place is called Review Stream. Click here to start writing your own reviews and getting paid!
With tears in my eyes, I pass on the news that is spreading like wildfire all over the internet to those in Stargate SG-1 fandom -- Don S. Davis, perhaps better known as General George Hammond, has died. The report says he passed on the 29th.
Don came to Sacramento a few years ago to attend a convention. I was fortunate enough to have lunch with him with some other fans, and later to just stand around and talk with him before we were all leaving. He was a nice, sincere, interesting, entertaining, caring, and friendly person. He generated warmth. We all just couldn't wait to talk with him and get to know him better.
Don has performed in numerous TV shows and movies. Even if you don't know his name and never watched SG-1, I guarantee you've seen him. Check out his credits at the imdb.
Please take a moment and pause to remember a very sweet man.
Just another quick note that my latest article on Helium deals with Stargate SG-1 and a topic of controversy -- to ship or not to ship. Of course, anyone who knows me is quite aware of my opinion. I believe ship ruined the show. Anywho, I wrote out a few opinions, and they are posted here --- http://www.helium.com/items/1096186-romantic-relationships-on-television
... and now I'm watching "MacGyver". He's in a tux -- mmmmm mmmmm good! :}
Quick note ..... It's a contest, and I decided to do a last minute entry on the Fourth of July. The direct link is http://www.helium.com/items/1095939-july-4th-holiday so go now! lol Tell your friends! Winning, placing, or showing equals cash!
I had to work this morning, and I almost forgot my keys. Egads, I only just found them after losing them. What a start to the day!
On the way to work, I noticed that gas prices had actually dropped! Wow! I couldn't believe it. The other day it was $4.57, and today it's 4.49. What did I miss to cause a dip? I'm not complaining, especially since I need some of that fuel, but I was surprised. I'm sure it won't stay at that price, either.
On the flip side, there's Wendy's. Honestly, just a year ago, I could get a combo with drink for $4.34. Every couple of months, the price has gone up. This week, it's up to $5.15. That's a huge jump in less than one year. I really love their burgers and fries, especially the bacon cheeseburger, but I can't afford that. When the price jumped to over $5.00 for the combo a few months ago, I started just getting the burger and a small fry. Now, I'm about to downsize again and just get the value menu fry, which is a dinky thing, but $5.15 is ridiculous for just the burger and fry.
After work, I came home and turned on the end of the Nationwide race; that's the 'minor league' of NASCAR. I was shocked to hear Steve Letarte's voice. Steve is Jeff Gordon's crewchief. Apparently, he was doing a little freelance today as an expert for the broadcast on ABC. While only seeing the last 70 laps or so, the race must have been unusually incident free. Their wrap up lasted an hour, which you just never see on network TV. Normally, they're cutting off the interviews to get to the next show! It was nice, actually, to hear some extended post-race coverage.
I went through my email -- discovered more offers that had verified from GPTCashcow, and that translates to money in the bank eventually. I was disappointed with an email saying my blog didn't quite qualify yet for a sponsored blogger program that I wanted to sign up for. I'm doing everything I can to earn some cash, and doing some paid blogging seemed like another good possibility. When my blog reaches 'of age', I'm going to try again. Wish me luck!
The best part of my regular mail was my check from Global Test Market. That's another survey site I use a lot. If anyone wants to join up, just send me your name and email, and I'll be glad to refer you. It'll get a few points. I didn't realize how much my points there were worth --- it was a really nice surprise.
I'm still struggling with my SG-1 fan fiction muse. She wants to come out, and she's toying with me, but nothing is quite forming yet. Last month when things seemed so hopeless, the muse went into hiding. That hurt, because my fic writing has really been my sanity for many years, and my readers are the best! They are so loyal and true! I hate not having anything new to share with them. It's been a long road, recovering from the depth of despair that I was in. With the future uncertain, it's still hard to move forward, but I am trying, that's for sure. The muse will reemerge! We are both determined!
Now that I almost just choked on a milk dud, thereby waking them up from their naps, the dogs are clammoring for some Mom-time, so off I go!
It's been a long couple of days. I've had an interview to try and get some assistance for survival, and I'm hoping that goes through. Odds are slim, but I am staying positive. My financial situation is such that, when combined with certain physical problems, just make this necessary, or I'm gonna have major problems by the end of the year.
This is one of the reasons you see all the ads on the right side of this blog. They are there because every time a reader clicks on them and either buys or joins up, whatever the case may be, it helps me. I'll be rotating these ads periodically. Please try and use this as a jumping off point for these places; and don't forget to check out my writing at Helium.
Tonight on Helium, I added my position on the subject of whether or not texting is ruining communication. It certainly is popular, that's for sure.
I had a lot of offers verify today over at GPT Cashcow, which is always good news. I hope you've joined, or will consider doing so. That and Vindale Reasearch are the two sites I believe in so much. The Cow is a place where you can earn money and have lots of fun in the forum, and Vindale is a great way to try out products and evaulate websites while being compensated. Their links are on the right side of this blog.
Yesterday, while some friends were helping me to put the garage sale items back in place, we discovered hints of a ... grrrr, rat. Two boxes had been chewed. This is so not good news. I haven't heard anything, though, which is definitely good news. I had to have the pest control guys come out and do their thing today. They'll be back to check it next week.
It's possible the critter hasn't been around in recent times. The gnawing on the boxes appeared to be fairly new, but it's impossible to tell just how recent. I sure hope the little fella is long gone.
I recall as a young girl we had a huge rat infestation, caused by a home nearby where someone had died. When folks went in to finally clean the place out, rats spread out everywhere. It was horrendous. Everyone in the area had problems. Anywho, one rat got in the house and ended up locked in the cupboard with the ironing board. My sister and I actually stuffed little bread crumbs through the holes. What can I say -- we're animal lovers. Yes, it died, but I made sure I wasn't around for that.
During that same time, I'll never forget this one rat event. We fed our beagle, Tammy, outside at the time. She hadn't eaten all of her dinner, though. Well, here came this huge rat. I swear, he looked around, moved slowly, sauntered up to the dog bowl, peeked in, sniffed around, then walked away. A minute later, he returned -- with mama rat and three baby rats. The five of them took their positions on the dog bowl and ate the dog food.
Tammy was never again fed outside! Oh my! It was a crazy scene, but we all stood in the dining room, watching it happen outside.
It took a long time to get rid of all those rats, but we finally did. It was calm until just a few years ago. Apparently, we had a rat or two in the attic that devoured part of the central air piping and whatnot. Fortunately, never saw them. I don't want to, either.
So, apparently, it's rat time again, but I'm hoping he's already gone. I don't intend to spend much time in the garage until after pest control returns next week. Yeah, I'm chicken! Did I mention I recall the time when my mom and sister chased a rat through the house? Happily they closed my door and handled it on their own, somehow chasing the thing outside. Eeeeeewwwww!
On that note, gonna watch part two of "New Order," an episode of Stargate SG-1. I love certain scenes in this one, although it's an episode that triggers the beginning of the end for the series I love so much.
I've spent the day uploading some furniture items for sell on eBay. Most of it is local delivery, so if you're in the Sacramento area you might want to check it out. However, there are also a couple of nice women's coats on there that ship anywhere.
Happy feet here! I just received my $50 bonus check from GPTCashcow. This was from a special contest to see who could get the most milkshakes in a fifteen-day period. Woo-hoo! Love the extra! What a great way to earn cash. Reagan, the admin, continues to add contests and share the rewards from her site. Check it out, folks! It doesn't take long to achieve some extra cash! I can't wait for my regular check next month. That'll be exciting!
Sitting here watching "Stargate SG-1", an episode called "Birthright." Michael Shanks shines in this one, and he and Richard Dean Anderson are just so funny together. There's a great moment with a power bar that I just can't describe on this blog.
Don't forget to check out my ramblings over at Helium (link is on the right side of this page). My pets as family article is still number one in its category when I looked earlier.
Had a bug infestation in my house and had to have pest control come out. It was driving me crazy. I'll bet I killed twenty of these little gnats or whatever they were. Don't know where they came from or where they've been hiding, but I wanted them gone, gone, gone! Put some frontline on Cassie and Tessa (my dogs), too, just to try and help out a bit.
The fires are the big news here in California, and the fires can't be missed. We've had smoky haze for the last few days. They've been telling people to stay inside. I've been fortunate not to feel the effects, but my sister hasn't been so lucky.
Time to get something to eat and settle in for the evening. Actually, gonna hop back over to GPTcashcow and see if I can pick up a few more milkshakes (they convert to fifty cents each, and they do add up). Wish they had chocolate shakes to go, though!
Just taking a quick moment to say 'hello' and catch you up on the latest.
I've just added two more articles over at Helium, one on making money while working at home, and the other on reflections of a parent who has died. Please use the link to the right to go to my page and find the articles I've written and visit them. Feel free to let me know your thoughts.
After two days of horrid 100+ degree days, today is looking to be a cooler 95. Oh, I hope. I'm still recovering from yesterday's garage sale.
I'm about to head back over to GPTCashcow and complete some more offers, while watching the NASCAR race at Sonoma.
I'm a huge Jeff Gordon fan, and I'm hoping today will be the day he gets his first win of the season. It was a year ago this week that his baby daughter, Ella, was born, so it's a pretty special time for him. I'm hoping the magic spreads over into the race.
The dogs are outside, barking at something, probably a squirrel. They do love to do that.
Have a great day, and I'll be posting again very soon.
It's been a long day. I had a garage sale and am exhausted. It really wasn't that successful, either, so I'm a bit disappointed. On the bright side, I did get rid of some of the junk in the garage and made a few needed dollars.
I added links to two of my favorite online places to shop -- Amazon.com and DeepDiscountDVD.com. Please consider purchasing through this links.
Good news from yesterday. I received my first check from CashCrate, which was the first GPT site I went to. It's a very professional looking site and snags a lot of first time users.
The site has several pages of offers. In my experience, I rifled through many of these offers in two or three days. I was eager to earn the cash! At first, I had a lot of success, with many offers going through and being verified. It hooked me for sure. Then things slowed down, and I headed over to their forum for the first time.
I quickly learned that they don't like any negativity, probing questions, controversy, or just anything that didn't match their happy place. In reality, I think they are very concerned with not offending their advertisers. I made a few posts, and three of them were deleted. They weren't harsh posts, but were just asking questions about offers not verifying and what not.
On the forum, they do have folks who offer support, but mostly it's in secret. Again, they seem to be very concerned with upsetting the sponsors who pay the tab.
In addition to offers, I also have done a few of their trials. Those always seem to verify quickly for me.
So, I still recommend CashCrate as a source for some quick and early verifications. A weekend there will get you a lot of quick cash. I was thrilled to get that first check yesterday, and I'll be getting another one next month. After that, I'm not sure. They don't add much at CashCrate. Since I joined, I believe I've seen maybe ten new offers, fifteen tops.
Join CashCrate and get your feet wet. Don't waste time in the forum. Keep the site as one of your backups.
Then hop on over to GPTCashcow, which is the absolute best of the GPT sites. With a friendly and open forum and offers added frequently, it's the place to be!
Just a quick note to let you know I've written my third article over on Helium. It's about Pets being part of the family. Please support this endeavor! Your visits to Helium truly help my success there. There's no rating to be done, unless you are already a member of Helium.
Just a quick note to let you know that I did get my second check from Vindale Research. I really love this site and urge you to check it out. It's not a GPT site. From my experience, I know you can make decent money fairly quickly. That's two checks from them in three weeks.
I wanted to let y'all know that I've started to do some writing on Helium.com -- just some thoughts and opinions. The more you view and rate my ramblings, the better it is for me.
Please check them out and remember to rank the articles, good or bad. My earnings come from your rankings! If you have suggestions for writing, let me know!
It's been a busy day of sorts. I'm trying desperately to have a garage sale this Saturday and get rid of things (I need the money), so I've been sorting through things, trying to put more in the 'sell/junk' pile, rather than the 'keep' box.
At the same time, Sci Fi ran a 'Stargate SG-1' marathon, and it was vintage shows from S1. It was awesome! These are the shows I truly love, where the team is out there, exploring new worlds, and Jack and Daniel are just the bestest of friends.
I was also spending some time at GPTcashcow.com, trying to complete a few more offers. I love this site more everyday. I now have karma on the forum! What a hoot! I highly encourage anyone interested in making a bit of money to go there, and to sign up with Vindale Research as well. These two sites come highly recommended by me. The links are on the right side of this page.
I'm wondering if I should reconsider my stance on the ID and Pirate's Riches, but I'm still not sure or totally convinced.
To the readers of my happy fic, stay tuned. I've been working so hard on trying to get some cash for survival, that I've had to let my beloved universe set for a while. Truth be told, emotionally, I wasn't in a place to write for a few weeks. I'm really trying to snap out of it and take the positive that has happened and move forward.
I expect to get "Corncob" published in the next day or two. It's long overdue, I know. Thanks to all of you for your patience, encouragement, and support!
Perhaps I should try doing more of the little fics. My heart misses the universe more than I can say.
I've just come from GPTCashcow where I've been chatting on the forum there. Just a reminder that this is the best place to earn extra dollars. Reagan, the admin, even has an activity bonus. The amount can change, but she runs it often, so that just for being online and doing offers or chatting on the forum, you earn a little bit of change. It's just another way she makes The Cow a special place to be.
On the down side, I was really surprised today to see that another site I have been plugging has started a new policy. In order to 'cashout', you have to submit to them photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport. While the folks there say you can black out the information, I was just stunned by it. This is a brand new policy they say has been brought about by cheaters. I'm sorry about their cheaters, but I'm not about to send them a copy of my DL or passport.
I have no idea how others are responding to it, but I'm backing out of Pirate's Riches, a site that I had liked quite a bit. I told the folks there that they should honor the cashouts of those of us who signed on board in good faith prior to this decision. I didn't get a response back. I had $13.33 earned there, time wasted now, so I'm advising anyone who asks me to avoid that particular website. There are many other gpt sites that aren't making it inconvenient on the honest to combat their business problems.
So, once again, I say -- go to The Cow! See the link on the right side of this blog, and check it out!
Here it is, the wee hours of the morning, and I'm still up. I've been a night owl my entire life, and here I am again! I've been over at the forum on Cash Cow just chatting with another member. It sure is a fun place.
I'm also watching a show I taped earlier tonight, er last night, called Nashville Star. I like a lot of these reality competition shows. This show has been on TNT for the last few years, but NBC owns it now and has chosen to air it on Network. Billy Ray Cyrus is the host this year. This show never has the same host or set of 3 judges every year. It always changes. Wynonna did it one year, Leann Rimes another. I believe Nancy O'Dell hosted for a year or two before they went to the celebrity singing hosts. It's nowhere close to the success of "American Idol," but it's always been interesting.
Anywho, been sitting here thinking about Patrick Swayze. He's my absolute favorite performer. I've been lucky to meet him a few times. I treasure those moments and conversations. He's such a nice, caring human being. Most everyone is aware that he's fighting Pancreatic Cancer, but he's gonna beat it! Patrick has a tremendous will and strength that comes from within. He really believes that 'pain don't hurt' stuff that 'Dalton' from "Road House" expounds.
Patrick's TV series 'The Beast' has been given the go-ahead by A&E, proof that he is succeeding in his battle. This is his first series since his very early days when he did a short-lived show called "The Renegades," not to be confused with that Lorenzo Lamas thing called just "Renegade." That show was a sort of "The Mod Squad" thing. I actually liked it, but it just didn't do well and only had six airings. I wonder if there are more episodes, never aired, around in some vault somewhere.
I adore Patrick. I was actually a very late comer to the Swayze bandwagon. I didn't see "Dirty Dancing" until the very very very end of its run, when it was at a drive in with two other movies. I liked it, but it didn't knock my socks off at that point. It was years later when I discovered the magic of Patrick. Actually, it was the year my father died, and I think I was searching for something special. I didn't want to like another performer, but "North and South" came on, and I just fell in love with it and his "Orry Main" character. I began researching Patrick and liked what I learned. One thing led to another, and I became a SwayzeManiac. One of the things I love about the man is how devoted he is to his wife, Lisa Niemi. They just celebrated another wedding anniversary -- 33 years. Together, they have a true nation of two. They really don't need anyone or anything else, and it shines through brightly.
This photo is from a few years back when Patrick and Lisa danced together at the World Music Awards that Patrick hosted. It was the first time they'd danced together professionally on TV. Since then, they finally made their dance movie, "One Last Dance," that is a somewhat autobiographical story of their love of dance.
Every night I pray for God to bless the Swayzes as they battle this cancer. If anyone can beat it, it's Patrick. He's done so well. Regardless of whether or not you believe in God, please keep him in your thoughts. I, and he, too, also believe in positive thinking and good vibes.
Not quite ready for bed. Think I'll head back over to Cashcow for a few minutes. I really should be going through some papers, but that sandman is finally beginning to make sleep sound like a good idea.
Have a good one, folks! Later today, I'll be adding some info about the other websites and some tips for the gpt sites.
Recently, I learned about a new way to make some cash on the internet. It's something called GPT (Get Paid To) websites. I joined up and have been having some success. Soon, I will be writing some tips and suggestions, a sort of 'how to' for these sites, based on my experience, but right now, I want to introduce you to the absolute best of these sites that I've come in contact with. Later, I'll share some other sites I like, too, but the Cow is hands down, the best!
The way these sites work is that they present offers. You simply click on the offers and go through them, looking at a bit of sponsor advertising, selecting anything you might want and skipping over the rest. You get paid 'x' amount per offer. Some offers are simply PTC, or paid to click. There are sign up sites for newsletters and other GPT sites. You can purchase at some of your favorite places and get cash back. You can do trials and get paid for it, via the milkshakes that convert to cash. There really are all kinds of offers to be checked out and potentially earned.
GPTcashcow has a great admin, otherwise known as Reagan, the site owner. She's very accessible. There's also a super forum that is growing. People are eager to help newcomers by answering questions and giving their experience. They also just chat about all kinds of things. Right now, aside from specific offers, there have been discussions ranging from NASCAR to American Idol. There are also lots of contests and chances for extra cash by participating with them. On Friday the 13th, Reagan held a trivia contest that several of us took part in. She gave out $200 that night! She's planning much more, so the forum is not only fun, but profitable.
At the Cow, as we lovingly call it, the offers you complete earn you cash and milkshakes, the milkshakes converting to cash at checkout. Right now, that's done at the end of the month.
One way to increase your earnings is to get referrals who are active. It really doesn't do anyone any good to just sign up, but if you sign up and do some offers, it's great. The person doing the offers gets their money and milkshakes, and the person who referred them gets a percentage, too. The more referrals you have, the better the percentage.
Please give the Cow a chance! I'm eager to build up my referral base, and this site is one I'm a big believer in. I haven't gotten that first check yet, but I actually just won a fifteen-day contest there, and Reagan is in the process of sending me a $50 money order. I should have that next week, and I will post here when I receive it.
So -- you can earn some cash at Cashcow and also have some fun with trivia, games, and just meeting and chatting with the folks in the forum! It's made this much more enjoyable to me, and I believe it will for you, too!
Cassie and Tessa are my two beautiful dogs, and I thought I'd do a quick introduction of them.
Cassie is coming up on her third birthday in July. She's a black lab, very gentle and loving. Her sister is Tessa, who is 1 1/2. She's a mix of lab, german shepherd, and heeler. She really does try to herd people! It's very cute!
Right now, on this very warm day in California, they are outside, being taunted by the squirrels. Have you seen those commercials where the squirrel is in the middle of the street and just laughs at the motorist who ends up crashing? I believe it!
These squirrels sit on the top of the fence and just stare down at my babies, taunting them. The girls go nuts, and it's absolutely hysterical to watch.
I wanted to upload their picture, but no matter what I did, blogger wouldn't upload them -- some internal error; but if you want to see them, you can click here and visit my doggies' web page.
To start with, I'm one of many people who are struggling to make a go in this very complicated and expensive world of ours. One way I'm doing that now is by participating in various online surveys and places where you can earn some extra cash. This cash isn't 'extra' for me, though. It's what I use to pay my bills and buy the groceries.
As I write about some of these places, I will be honest about my experiences and views on the individual sites.
The first site I want to plug is called Vindale Research. With Vindale, you can do trials and test for products both online and in your home. Since signing up, I've gotten MP3 downloads, credit services, movie rentals, skin care products, and so much more. There's no cost to the member at all. You sign up for free. The compensation varies, depending upon the survey, but it has always been reasonable and profitable in my opinion.
Many of these test items have been online, just doing a quick survey about a website. Others have been items that have come to my home for review.
Vindale Research is proven to me. I've received payment from them, with another check in the mail. It really hasn't taken much in terms of time or effort, either. Their customer service has been very good, and they seem to be very professional.
On the referral side of things, I get $5.00 if you sign up. On the plus side for you, if you like it and tell your friends, you then get $5.00 for every sign up. As soon as you join, they send you an email with tips and information on their organization, one for three days. They have a test survey you can do, or not, for $5.00. I actually didn't do the test one. I did get $2.00 right away just for completing my profile.
Hello, and welcome to my blog. You can read about my ups and downs and daily progress in life. This space could cover my personal life, my appreciation of various performers and shows, ways to make money, freebies, my animals, and more.
As a quick introduction, my name is Marcia, and since first coming online many years ago at Prodigy, I've been known as Orrymain. The name was taken from the character of Orry Main, played by Patrick Swayze, in "North and South," which I absolutely adore. I wanted to have the URL to this blog be 'orrymain.blogger.com' but it was taken, so if there is another orrymain out there, please don't confuse us! Since the name was taken, I chose 'happyfic.blogger.com' because I write Stargate SG-1 fan fiction that I call happyfic.
I hope there is something for everyone here and that the blog is worth returning to!
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