Today is the end of November 2008. I have managed (with this post) to log a blog every single day of the month, as I committed with my participation in NaBlPoMo. Even when I was under the weather for several of these 30 days, I managed to blog a little. Yea, me!

But, I didn’t do as well toward my commitment for NaNoWriMo. Despite my several thousand words this month, I didn’t come near the 50,000 I had hoped to log. (Epic Failure!) Alex didn’t get hers logged either — but pressuring her to write was taking all the fun out of it for her, and that seemed counterproductive.

We did both manage to get started on a novel, albeit a less than prolific start. We plan to continue our work on said books… so at least we managed that much.

I may try again next year to participate in the Novel Writing Month. Hopefully I’ll be finished with the current effort by then. We shall see. I don’t know if I’ll do the blogging month commitment next year. I think doing both in the same month isn’t the best choice I ever made.

As far as the rest of this year goes, I’ll probably be blogging alot less during the last month of the year and spend my time trying to close out client accounts and close out my business books for the year.

I missed the Thanksgiving holiday with my family, since I (selfishly) wanted to keep my illness to myself. So I’m really looking forward to spending time with my family though the Christmas season.

For now, as I wind the blogging frenzy down a few notches, I wish you and yours an enjoyable remainder of 2008!

Reduce the amount of energy you are using by monitoring it. Studies prove that people who keep tabs on their electric meters, tend to use less. Monitor yours with MeterRead (TM) by Mark E.Barton. (This is a free app until Tuesday - then it will be $2.99)

Reuse stuff you no longer want by giving it to others who need it with Local Reuse by Manifest Interactive. Get stuff you need (for free) from your neighbors. This is a great “freecycle” type concept for the iPhone with a nice interface. Unfortunately, it’s not in use in my area, so the screen is always blank on offers. (Maybe I should go ahead and clean out the storage building!) Free, of course!

Recycle - quick, fingertip-access to what kind of plastics can be included in your recycling bin with free app Recycler by Siavash Ghamaty.

Other apps for you to consider:

• Go Vegan with an easy-to-start assortment of Vegan Recipes on your iPhone using the VeganYumYum Mobile by VeganYumYum. It’s free (and it has great photos!)
• Avoid foods with nasty additives with Food Additives by Andrew Middleweek for $3.99.
• Find safe, healthy and green products to make better, more earthfriendly using GoodGuide by GoodGuide, Inc. (Free!)

Podcasts to consider:

• NewlyGreens by Kaisen Productions “provides tips and strategies for sustainable living.”
• Green is Universal Vodcast by NBC Chicago
• Green Air by CBS News - “Offering the latest environmental cultural and consumer tips on going green.”

So go forward and step lightly with that carbon footprint. Enjoy!

(photo courtesy of Alvimann of morguefile.com)

While recovering from a case of the creeping-crud, I’ve spent many hours over at the apps store catching up on what’s new and cool. I’m not BEING very productive lately, so I’m researching productivity (and other) apps. (Hey, at least I’m accomplishing something!)

In particular, I was looking for:

• a better way to handle my to-do lists
• a way to maintain standard packing lists
• a quick-launching notes program
• a running diary for those “when did I do that?” queries
• a grocery shopping list-maker
• a way to do my @ lists (loosely based on GTD philosophy — VERY loosely)

I found one of the most incredible database programs to date for the iPhone. It’s called iDB Datamaster Pro (there’s a free version and a lite version, but I wanted a limitation-free option). It was developed by Evince Technologies, Inc specifically for the iPhone and is not a port or a re-write of another program.

It literally replaced half a screenful of other apps on my homepage — and we all know how precious that space is!

The layout is good and the templates (which I hope will continue to expand) handle most of what I’ve needed so far. I like the integration with the native apps which permits one-tap phone calls and web site launches from within the databases.

The best features?

1. A powerful search across ALL the databases. (Really nice!)

2. The ability to “pause” the database and return to the exact same place next time the app is launched saves taps and frustration. (Small feature, huge impact on usability.) It even has time-stamped logs for locating what was done when.

3. I particularly like the fact that I can backup the databases to my own computer in CSV format — but need to play with this a bit more to learn how to backup and restore effectively.

It’s a little more expensive than the standard .99-4.99 apps, coming in at 12.99 for the pro version, but it’s worth every penny, IMHO. I’ll review a few more of my best finds over the next few days, including writer’s tools for the iPhone and (hopefully) a decent replacement for some of the standard apps (like calendar).

In the meantime, go download the free version of this DB app and give it a try. I think you will like it as much as I do.

I’m loving Hulu. If you haven’t discovered it yet, go there now. If you have finished with the Thanksgiving meal and need a little kick-back time (and you aren’t a sports fan), Hulu will come to your rescue.

I’ve registered so I can keep the cool stuff I find in my queue — and so I get automatic update emails when a TV show I’m following has a new episode, but you can view without registration.

Right now (since I don’t watch TV) this is where I watch: Bones, Chuck, Lipstick Jungle, Terminator, The Starter Wife, Heroes, Burn Notice, Crusoe, Valentine, and Battlestar Galactica. (There are also complete seasons of cancelled series and others I’m not currently following).

And I recently added a few great movies to my queue as well. There are some second rate titles on Hulu, but there are also a great number of top movies (and old favorites).

As a few examples, the ones currently in my queue include: The Professional, A River Runs Through It, Requiem for a Dream, GhostBusters (because my daughter has never seen it… ditto for Xanadu), Kiss The Bride, Sense and Sensibility (because it’s been awhile), Hans Christian Anderson (also for Alex), and Rob Roy.

(I only wish I could view this over my wi-fi on my iPhone. That would make it even cooler!)

If you want an all-night horror movie fest to go with your indigestion, this may be the best place to get those too. Why get out to go rent something when you can stay in and save time, money and gas?

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

My uncle came by yesterday afternoon with a cooler full of venison for me. I don’t usually have venison, but it’s so nutritious, I’m going to be cooking with it more this year. I found space in my freezer for about 25 1-pound ground packages.

Venison is one of the best low-fat meats (even lower fat than salmon, turkey and chicken!) And, it’s now being commonly farm raised for the meat quality. My venison was of the wild-caught variety and may be a bit stronger tasting (and more nutritious) than the domesticated type.

This high-quality red meat also contains fewer calories than other red meats and the additional bonus of offering a great source of heme iron (a readily absorbed variety). It’s also a great source of B-12, Niacin, B-6, and riboflavin. And is a good source of phosphorous, selenium, zinc and copper.

So, I’m investigating good recipes for ground venison and hope to find a few that make me plan to have venison in the freezer every fall. I have a farm that’s simply loaded with deer and an uncle that’s always looking for a great place to hunt. (He also has a butcher that takes it from felled to freezer without the need to dress it out.)

I referred to my bookshelf for all the nutritional values. (The World’s Healthiest Foods is a great resource. My copy is well-worn.)

From that book, I learned that I shouldn’t serve the venison to my sons (both of whom have had kidney stone problems in the last couple years), because the meat does contain purines, which can encourage the growth of uric acid based stones and gout in people with those tendencies.

That appears to be the only “downside” to eating venison instead of beef (and even beef has a moderately high level of purine).

(Note: photo courtesty of jpkwitter)

I know, it’s an old topic with me, but I can’t help it…

The holidays bring out the worst in me where the public school system is concerned. Please note: I like the people at Alex’s elementary school — especially the principal. They are caring, concerned and hard-working individuals.

With that said… our public school system sucks!

Point One:

There is no science in fifth grade. Why? Because the State of Kentucky doesn’t TEST on science in fifth grade. My daughter does, however, have TWO social studies classes this year. I’m assuming that means that the fifth grade tests for social studies skills, eh? Teaching to the test makes me nuts.

I think she would really get jazzed about science this year. I think the iron is hot now. Of course, what do I know? I’m just a mom.

Point Two:

I had a visit from the Truancy officer last week. Why? Because it bugs the crap out of me that I need to send in notes from doctors when she goes to a dentist/eye/doctor appointment. I won’t do it until it’s absolutely required.

If I hadn’t sworn off drama, I’d probably let them take me to court just to make my point about such things and get my statement in the local paper. As it is, I’m trying to avoid drama. So, I gave them the notes from the doctor/dentist/optometrist. (Note: I do my best to make appointments after school whenever possible, but many offices aren’t open after she gets home from school.)

I did hold her out for one half-day session when she wasn’t sick — when she told me that they were not going to be doing any classwork (it was a “free day”). I did this because I had to go out of town the previous evening to sit with my father and I needed to get her glasses Rx checked that next morning. By the time I would have been able to get her back, there may have been 45 minutes of “school” left — and I’d have to return to that same out-of-town location to care for my father over that weekend. It just didn’t seem worth the gas, time and effort. So sue me. (It was counted as a full day absence, BTW, not a half-day.)

Yes, I know that I can write four “parent notes” and I know that after that I need to have “legitimate” excuses for her absence. And, I guess I’ll do that too, it just bugs me that me looking at a glassy-eyed child who has just thrown up doesn’t count as legitimate. It bugs me that when I pick her up, sick, from school (after they call me to come get her) and keep her in bed the next day — it’s unexcused. I’m so sorry she didn’t make a miraculous recovery in 12 hours and needed a full day in bed. Geeze!

It bugs me that it requires an MD to be “legitimate” — and a visit to the doctor (complete with bill) so I can be told “rest, fluids and time” is what she needs. Or worse… to be given a slew of symptom-treating drugs that does nothing to change the course of nature with a cold or a virus, but does God-knows-what to her young system.

This is my third child. I think I know, by now, when she needs rest and fluids to recover from a virus. Although I must admit that the darker side of me has been tempted to send her to school throwing up in the hopes that she will infect others and negatively impact the attendance record and the money per capita (which really IS the bottom line for the attendance policy) on a larger scale. Fortunately, I’m not willing to sacrifice my daughter to such dark ends.

It also bugs me that one of the “unexcused” absences was when they called me to come pick her up because she was sick — the moment she got off the bus, before classes even started. I’d suggested that she go on to school and if she didn’t feel any better I’d come get her. It’s standard for me to tell my kids that because, often, once they get up and moving, they feel better. It’s true for all of us. So, if they call and I pick her up, it’s unexcused? If they call and I don’t go pick her up… it’s, what, neglect? (They did say they would remove that one, when I inquired.)

I don’t run my kids or myself into the doctor the moment someone coughs or sneezes. I’ve been sick since Saturday — really sick — but I’m letting this horrible case of the creeping-crud run its course. I firmly believe that medicating too early is a bane to our future abilities to fight off viruses/infection/etc on our own. After all, the creation of super-bacteria has been traced to the over-use and unnecessary use of anti-bacterial soaps, etc. I don’t even let that stuff in my house. We use plain soap and water — not that it protects us from what other people have created.

I do believe that building a healthy immune system is the best thing for long-term health. I work hard to do so… for me and my kids.

Point Three:

The holiday schedules make me crazy. Yesterday, my daughter had 30-minute classes so they could leave at noon to go to the movies to see Madagascar. Hardly an educational movie in my book — and one she’d already seen with a church group the week before. I paid the three dollars and said nothing. Everyone deserves a fun field trip from time to time, right?

Well that’s before I knew what was on the agenda for today…

Today? No classes today. Today they watched “Home Alone” and “Kung-Fu Panda” and did crafts. No classes. They did go to library (where they watched part of the movie “Spy Kids”) and gym (where they ran relay races and danced). And this is for Thanksgiving. I’m sure the Christmas holiday lead up will be even worse — it usually is.

But, you know what? I’m required by law to send her for this. If I had kept her at home, it would have been another strike against ME. Legal strike against me. If I had kept her here to read or write or work on math… I would have been “interfering” with her education. Go figure.

Now maybe I’m just all pissy because I’m sick and because she’s starting to come down with what I have. (Case in point, it’s not yet 6:00 p.m. and she’s curled up in bed asleep with a stuffy nose.) I’m anticipating a glorious holiday of mucus and coughs and sneezes and bed rest for us both.

No traveling and family this year (I can’t possibly take this in on my father in his condition, even if I do start feeling better.)

But I tend to believe that it’s more than just a uber-cold induced bad mood. I think there is something seriously wrong with a system that requires us to send our children to school for “free days” and for movies. Am I crazy?

I’ve been collecting a host of twitter tools for a blog entry for some time now. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it may be enough to help expand the usefullness of one of my favorite social media platforms. Check them out for yourself:

Twitter rank - Like pagerank for twitter users.

Twitter search - Want to look for particular terms (or your own name, brand or competition) on twitter? This is the tool!

Twitter Fan Wiki: Apps - Want to find the best of the twitter platform apps for your own use, check out this exhaustive list.

Twitter alerts: TweetBeep - Would you like an email when someone on twitter mentions you or your products or your company — or even your favorite topic? This is the tool… but beware, too-general terms will overflow your inbox in minutes!

Twitter pictures: TwitPic - Expand the platform from 140 characters to include photos with this service.

Tweet from Firefox: TwitBin - If you love Firefox as much as I do, and would like to twitter directly from there, try this addon.

Twitter in groups - Want a way to narrow the collective into groups and specific conversations/discussions? Try tweetworks.

Tweet-grid - Select a handful of topics you would like to follow and create a browser-based grid to hold them all. I tested this during the election and found it to be quite useful.

Twitter directory - get listed here and find people with similar interests!

Prettify your twitter - grab a twitter background to rise above the norm.

Twitter hashtags - a way to group specific keywords/topics when trying to stay on top of twitter speak.

Tweet clouds - ever wonder what you tweet about most often? Find out!

Twitter cost - once you start following some of the bigger names, you may find that you don’t have the time to read all those microposts. Check the guy/gal here before committing to a follow — or do a vanity check on yourself. Are you worth the cost? Are they? (Also shows the political index of any twitter user.)

And, if all this talk of Twitter is like Greek to you, try Jason Hiner’s excellent Twitter article as your intro to this platform. It’s from May of this year, but is a great starting place for those new to twitter or twit-wanna-bes.

I’d welcome any additions to this list, so tell me what you guys use!

(Note: Bluebird photo courtesy of gracey of morguefile.com)

I’m working on getting all my ducks in a row, now… before December 31st. I’ve taken the opportunity to do so while I’m feeling all “under the weather” lately. I had to do something to help me feel better (and when I’m sick, even taxes don’t really make me feel any worse!)

I’m making sure I have copies of all my receipts and am organizing all my invoices and proofs of payment. I’m getting all those notes with mileage pulled together in one place (yeah, I know I should have KEPT them more organized, but I didn’t). Oh well.

It is my hope, that on January 2nd, I’ll be able to stick my taxes in the mail. Yeah, I really know how to party! I really know how to ring in the New Year. Whoo-Hooo!

But, by starting now, I’ve got a goal that will actually reduce my stress at the beginning of the year instead of postponing it. I despise the paperwork and the hassle… but I’m really excited about making it end early this year… err… next year.

I took my daughter and our friend, Brittney to see Twilight last night, to a sellout crowd in Russell Springs, Kentucky. Sellout. That’s really saying something around here. It almost never happens. The 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. showings were overrun with enthusiastic crowds.

And, just in case no one believes a sell-out crowd around here, I have photos!

Great movie… the book, of course, was still better. ;O)

I just switched over from Accessline to Kall8 for my 800 number. I wanted to save a few bucks and I read all their online materials. It looked like a good move. Since 1-800-WICKED-8 is one I’ve had for forever, I wanted to retain it. I like it. It’s cool. So, it was worth trouble to fill out and fax the forms and wait for the transfer to retain it.

Now I have Kall8 and today, I try to get my first fax. Uh-oh…

After five calls (all of which charged me, of course) I discovered that unlike the previous service, Kall 8 doesn’t differentiate between a fax and a voice call. Result? I get fax calls forwarded to my main line, which then forwards to my cell.

I try to log on, using my welcome email. It says to save it, since it has the login information I’ll need. Only problem is… it doesn’t have it. It’s not on there anywhere!

So, I call support.

I’m cut off after ten minutes of hold time… TWICE. (Now, I’m agitated.)

They do call back fairly quickly, however, and tell me that the only way to make that work is to set the account to zero settings… meaning I get no voice calls either. She tells me if I need both, I should get a second 800 number. (Kinda negates the whole “all-in-one” concept, doesn’t it?) *sigh*

I had looked through the website and saw nothing indicating this little issue. So, I asked where that information was listed online, or in any correspondence I’d received. She confirmed that it wasn’t on the website. (Isn’t that nice?) I sent her the email I’d received. She couldn’t find my login info on there either, so she gave it to me.

I request to be transferred to a supervisor and (of course) had to leave a message.

Assistant Manager, Craig Becker, calls me back late that afternoon. I explain my concerns and tell him how inconvenient it is to have to log into the website, move my rings to zero seconds, wait for a fax, then log back in and bump it back up so I can get voice calls.

He says I can try setting it to 10 seconds and just don’t pick up the phone when I’m expecting a fax. I told him that I would not have switched to this service if I’d had this, very important, information beforehand. He said there was no way for them to know what every user might need and to cover that in the marketing materials.

I feel that this is rather important since his competition offers this automatically. He also said that he had no idea what his competitors were offering. I said, “You don’t keep up with what features your competition offers?” (this seems incredible to me, but what do I know?) He said no.

Hmmm…

And it’s not exactly false advertising, since you can have voice and fax on the same number, just as long as you don’t expect it to be handled like other services handle it. Theirs is a manual system. I miss not having to even think about the difference, much less juggle the two call types and determine if I need to answer the phone or check the caller ID to determine if it’s a client or a fax.

The settings are now changed to 10 seconds on my account. This might work, might not, since it’s forwarded to my main number. We shall see. I’ll give it a little while to see if it’s worth the hassle to switch back. I never had a problem with Accessline, BTW. Great customer support too… but a stiffer cost per month.

So, if you are planning to move to another service (not just Kall8) and expect that you will be able to use it for both your fax and voice (which you may be accustomed to doing), be sure to ask that question specifically.

If you don’t, you may be enjoying the same view I’m gazing over at the moment. *grimace*

It’s not so pretty from here.

(Note: Cool phonebooth photo courtesy of Grafixar on MorgueFile.com)

If you are working with limited space, you can still enjoy a full featured office. Home office technology and the ability to “go paperless” dramatically reduces the physical space needed to do your work. The first rule in working and living in small spaces is to eliminate everything that isn’t essential and organize everything that is. Aside from that, I’ve assembled the following list of essentials for a well-appointed tiny office.

Low-profile computer

I, of course, love my iMac. But, there are many little computers that don’t sacrifice features or function to enjoy a substantial amount of screen real estate while maintaining a dainty footprint. If you prefer a laptop, your tiny office will love you for it!

Go wireless

The fewer wires you have to string about, the happier you will be. The new bluetooth keyboards and mice won’t even require a dongle if your computer is bluetooth equipped. Printers now come wireless and network ready — without a huge pricetag. Using one printer for all computers in the house simplifies life.

All-in-one data scanner/printer solution

Once a week (if you aren’t a “daily” type) you should empty your inbox, scanning in anything that you need to keep and filing it in a software filing program (or in your own system of nested files). Keep only those items you are legal bound to retain. Scan and file those and discard the rest.

Go for quality

Don’t skimp on the quality of your keyboard, don’t accept a less than perfect height desk, and buy the best, most ergonomically sound desk chair you can afford. Buy a good headset for your computer. In addition to making it easier to utilize the cost-effective VOIP options, it will also keep your conversations a bit more private if you are sharing close-quarters with others.

Save your eyes

Make sure you have excellent general lighting as well as task lighting in your office. Squinting at the screen isn’t a good way to spend your day. If you can manage to position your desk so that you can gaze out a window, you will allow your eyes a much needed “mini-vacation” during the course of each day. A few minutes gazing outside and focusing on items in the distance will prevent eyestrain and headaches.

Desk Accessories - A listing of my personal essentials

• Stapler (and refills)
• Weighted tape dispenser
• Three hole punch
• Mechanical pencil (with extra lead)
• Ink pen (a good quality roller ball or a fountain pen)
• Bar-style or other eraser (Papermate “black pearl” oval erasers are nice)
• Paper clips
• Ruler or a small tape measure
• Highlighter
• Sharpies (Black in medium and fine tips)
• Garbage can
• An inbox and an out box
• Stack of index cards (or a note pad if you prefer)
• Microfiber monitor/screen cleaning cloth

Stationery

• Notecards (preferably customized with your business name or monogram)
• Business cards
• Stamps (save yourself the hassle and buy the “forever” variety)
• Printer Paper
• Standard Envelopes
• Return address labels
• Small notepad or stack of index cards

Data storage

Two thumbdrives (one for work stuff, one for personal items) This eliminates the need for most CDs and DVDs and is a much more earth-friendly way to handle your data. It also conserves your office space.
Two external hard drives (one for onsite backups, one for offsite backup storage)

How to handle sticky and space-hogging items

Software disks and manuals can become cumbersome. First, sort through all the ones you currently have and discard/donate any that are outdated or that you no longer use. For those still in use, store a copy of the disk on your computer and back it up to your external hard drives and store the original copies in a less convenient location.

This will keep your office clear, without risking a loss due to a hard drive crash. It will also make it easier to get a new computer up and running by keeping all your software install info in one central location.

• Have one folder for each type of software disk copy (Utilities, Games, Productivity, Graphic Arts, Music, Video, etc.)
• Use a password program (like KeePassX) to store your software activation numbers, purchase information, etc.
• Keep a folder of ebooks on your computer and label one “Users Manuals” - most disks now come with a PDF version of the manual (and those that don’t usually have a version available online.)

NOTE: Be sure, if you go paperless, that you backup your hard drive no less than once a week and keep that copy offsite (safety rule-of-thumb is 50 miles from your home office). Another option is to use one of the smaller hard drives and place it in your safety deposit box. If you use two drives and rotate them, it will be easy to drop one off and pick up the other any time you are out anyway.

I’ve been enjoying the free Amazon selections to build my ever-expanding music collection for ages now, and I thought it might be time to share a few valuable links with my readers.

The samplers are an excellent way to try the freebie offers and these are particularly good:

• Very Best of Naxos Early Music - Classic, alter-boy style album (12 songs)
• ECM Touchstones: The Amazon Exclusive Digital Sampler - A Jazzy sampler (10 songs)
• Celebrating 10 years of Music - by Christian Hommel - A classical sampler for you (11 songs)
• This is Daptone Records - R & B retro stylings for your ears (14 songs)
• Best of Nuclear Blast - Metal Mix - not my cup of tea, but my eldest would like this - (10 songs)
• This Is How I Roc: 2008 Yep Roc Label Sampler - Alternative and rock sampler from this label - (11 songs)
• Vanguard Records and Sugar Hill - Sampler of five excellent songs - Instant personal classics done in my favorite styles of music. (5 songs)

In addition, you can go and peruse over 500 of their free mp3 selections here.

I just wanted to share a particularly good resource with my readers this holiday season. Pick and choose as you will…personally, my musical tastes are a bit eclectic. Enjoy!

The much touted one laptop per child project is hitting the streets next month. The project can be found online at Laptop.org and features a durable laptop running a Sugar OS. Amazon is featuring a Buy one, get one laptop program and the items were made available for preorder starting yesterday!

They will be shipped on December 16th (just in time for Christmas for a little one in your life — while you give to another little one across the globe!)

Not quite the $100 laptop originally sought, these $199 laptops do meet the other qualifications like low power consumption (10% of normal laptops), built to take abuse and keep working with a rugged exterior, built-in wireless, and a screen that can be viewed in direct sunlight. For more information, you can visit the One Laptop Per Child News site or you can watch a thank you message from an XO recipient.

Donate one and you can say…

Ok, I’m loving the way the platform for the iPhone is constantly expanding. Holding up the device to a radio and using an app (Shazam) to identify the song, artist and offer the ability to buy that song… well that’s just cool. It works pretty well, I had it on my iPhone for awhile.

(I took it off to make room for more apps I wanted to test. I don’t really NEED to know a song that often, but it’s cool to have when I do.)

Being able to scan a barcode and look up the product online, complete with price comparisons to get the best deal… that’s a great concept as well (It’s on my list of apps to try, but I’ve not done this one yet — I’ve heard it still needs a bit of work). I’ll wait for the next version.

One that I did recently download (a paid app) that is uber cool is called the Ocarina by smule. This has GOT to be one of the coolest expansions of the different parts of this device for a completely new purpose.

The mic is used as a “reed” to blow into in order to play the instrument. The touch screen offers combinations of four virtual “buttons” to make a multitude of tones and sounds. And if having a little instrument in your pocket isn’t cool enough… they’ve also taken the social networking aspect to a new level by broadcasting (with your permission, of course) the music of all players all over the world.

So you can watch on a globe of the earth as someone far away struggles with those beginning chords of amazing grace, or triumphs over the final chords of Greensleeves. If you get tired of listening to one new-iphone-age artist, you can hit the next button and the globe spins and picks up another player somewhere else in the world.  Hit the heart emblem to give props to those you like — everyone has their own username.

Yeah, I know that the iPhone has had mini-piano programs (I got the free one to play) and drums and guitars, and some that are a whole band in your pocket… but this is different. This is something completely new.

It’s an instrument FOR the iPhone and it’s worth the 99 cents just to play with the expansion on this smartphone’s overall concept and what it can do. Very cool. Try it.

Last night, while at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky I bought a book and a magazine. While waiting my turn to check out, I noticed that the three displays closest to the main checkout were quite an odd collection of topics… and then I thought about it and decided that the person responsible for the setup of these displays may be making their own statement.

I’ll let you be the judge (I got photos of each of the three for your review):

First there was this one…

then this one followed…

and the third (and last one) before the checkout…

Accident, irony or overt political statement? You be the judge.

A friend contacted me last night with a quandary…

He wanted to learn to write with a bit more passion. He felt his style was more journalistic than persuasive. He asked if I had any pointers.

So, at midnight, during a 15-minute-cross-country-guerrilla-approach-to-writing session, we covered the following basics:

Grab them with the title

If you don’t pique the audience’s interest with the title, they won’t read any more of your story. Tell them in a quick, pithy style why the rest of the story is something they need to know. Advertise what’s in it for them or intrigue them.

Example:
Change the boring title, “The Current Economy’s Downturn Impacts Designers and Fashion Entrepreneurs in New York”  to “NYC Designers Weather Economy With Style!”

Starting out

At the top you summarize what you are going to say and ask the “w” question that your writing teacher never told you “Who gives a …. a…. hang?” (*Yeah, that works*) Tell them first why it matters to them.

You can’t give away all the information at the top because all the information isn’t contained inside your story. Online, the tentacles and supporting information will go out to hook other webpages.

After the first “w” question, THEN you go on to the classic “Who, What, Where, When and How” of the story.

Break down paragraphs

In standard writing, meaty paragraphs are a good thing. Paper likes large chunks of gray space. The web doesn’t. Online you should:

• Use short paragraphs
• Trim up your sentences
• Make your writing easy to scan

The shape of content to come

Forget what you learned in school and ditch the “reverse pyramid.” Writing is not a simple linear practice online. You don’t skip along from most important facts to least.

Think of your story structure more like an egg; less pointy, more rounded and appealing. The title is your hook, followed by a general statement that summarizes the story. Fill in the “yolk” with details and examples. Add links and sprinkle liberally with bullets to capsulize the essential points. Conclude with a summary.

On the web, content gains depth and dimension through diagrams, graphics, inter-textual links to related outside resources. This doesn’t happen in the lead paragraph. It happens in the middle.

Be conversational

Stilted, sterile language doesn’t work. Your visitors want a comfortable way to absorb information. If you don’t provide it, someone else will. Readers need clarity with warmth. They seek knowledgeable, easy-to-digest resources. Humor is worth bonus points.

The mantra in business used to be “keep it professional.” Internet trends have encouraged us to “keep it personal” online and find ways to bridge the geographic distance by decreasing the psychological and social distance between individuals.

So, speak to your audience the same way you would speak to a friend. Use natural word choices and tone. Let your personality shine through. After all, that’s what will keep them coming back.

When writing for the web, hook your reader with a title too interesting to ignore. Answer the first “w” question right away and tell them the gist of what you plan to say. Answer the five standard questions (who, what, where, when, why and how) and illustrate them with examples from additional resources. Then summarize the article and bid them farewell.

And, yes, amping up your web writing really can be this easy!

(photo courtesy of kesh of morguefile.com)

Every year around this time, I start thinking about what I’m going to buy myself for my birthday. I start early because it always takes awhile to come up with the perfect item. Even once I determine what it’s going to be, it takes awhile to find the perfect specimen.

It’s always something that I’d never permit myself any other time of the year.

It’s usually something that is a little on the pricey side — and WAY on the cool and luxurious side. In recent years, it’s usually had something to do with writing. A hand-tooled, leather covered journal. A fantastic pen. Luxury papers. A leather-bound book. A leather case for my writing tools or a leather cover for standard composition books that turns the ordinary into something extraordinary. High quality inks. A watercolor set. Art papers. A engineering-grade mechanical pencil.

It’s not that I intended to do the pen and ink path… it just happened. But this year, I’m going to break away from that.

This year, I’m going to attempt to locate my perfect daily-use knife. I love my sterling flatware pattern. I’m spoiled and hate to eat with stainless. I like MY fork. (Eccentric, perhaps, but true.) I prefer my spoons to any others. And the sterling knife that goes with the set is great for spreading butter… and little else.

I need a real knife, one that can slice through a medium-rare slab of steak as easily as it would slide though Jello. I want it to be sink-washable, beautiful and a pleasure to use. I don’t want anything that’s run-of-the-mill.

This summer, at a Renaissance festival, I saw my perfect knife. Unfortunately, it was not for sale. S’ok, though, the one at that same booth (that was not as pretty) was over $600. If it had been for sale, I wouldn’t have bought it. I’m eccentric, not crazy. (Not rich either.)

It wasn’t terribly decorative or overly fanciful. It was beautiful in its simplicity. The blade was artfully marked Damascus steel with a nice, hefty full-length tang and a hand-polished bone handle. It was balanced and ideally weighted. The handle was neither too long, nor too short. It was perfect. And it is responsible for starting my knife-lust. (Dang it!)

So now, I’m searching.

I’ve found some fantastic examples. Some are more art-knives than knives intended for daily use. Many of the really pretty ones are “folders” and I really want a standard “fixed” blade knife. But, with that said, here are some pretties for you to view:

http://www.gallagherknives.com
http://www.stamascus-knife-works.com/ (check out the custom engraving work on some of these!)

And if you are richer than Midas, and want something that is an amazing work of art, you can bump around over on this site: http://www.engravingarts.com for works like this engraved knife and this one or maybe one from a different site, like this one. Wow, eh?

A pen may be mightier than a sword… but is it prettier than these knives? (Now, my pen is really pretty, but I don’t think it beats out these beauties!) I may not find my knife this year… but I’ll be looking for it now. Eventually, I’ll find it.

I’m not sure if I can do this NaNoWriMo thing and maintain any sense of dignity. What the HECK was I thinking to take that on when life has been such a challenge lately? And to let Alex commit to 25K words? Did I have a little mini-stroke that night that rendered me temporarily without any common sense?

Already Alex has told me that writing isn’t fun anymore, it’s more work than anything else. I’d have to agree (although I resist the urge to tell her). I’ve quit hounding her, after all… if I manage to take a talented writer-in-the making and turn her against writing, I fail. (Epic fail.)

So, I’ve looked at my own puny word count. I’m not saying that I’m throwing in the towel yet. But I didn’t anticipate the vBlog project (cool thing, more on that later), or the stuff that’s happened in my personal life, or the work load with one of my clients that has required so many off-site days of late when I said I’d do this.

Do I sound whiny? Maybe that’s because I am.

I also signed up to write a blog a day and I’m beginning to think that’s more my speed. Blogging, I can do. Heck, if I could add my word counts in from the blog, I’d proabably be much closer to my goal!

My issue is that I’m not “stuffing my editor in a closet” when I can take the time to sit down and actually write. When I write… that’s when she really comes out to play.

She’s a witch.

She whispers things like… “should that character really be from Mexico? What the heck do YOU know about Mexico, you can’t even remember your Spanish from a decade ago. Some star student… if you had to order your dinner in Spanish, you would starve.”

She says, “Shouldn’t you be spending this time on actually EARNING a living?”

She says, “Gee this room is a mess, wouldn’t it be easier to write and to be creative if you swept the floor first?”

“I’m hungry,” she moans, “I need to pee” and makes *swisshhhh* sounds until I need to go too.

“A good mother,” she leans toward me conspiratorially, “would spend this time with her daughter. They grow up so quickly, you know.”

She taunts, “Write what you know. REMEMBER?!?! So it should be female, single, middle-aged, and chubby who never gets enough sleep and dreams of being a novelist. After all, that’s what you REALLY know, isn’t it?”

Then she slumps back in the velvet chair beside my desk and crows, “Who are you fooling?”

Cross-legged, balancing her impossibly pointy red high heel shoe on the edge her right big toe, she declares, “You aren’t THAT kind of writer. You, my dear, are NO novelist!” Then she cackles like that was funniest thing in the world, until she’s rendered breathless… grasping for air and holding her sides.

Secretly, I hope she dies.

I push a few of the almonds from the little pile on my desktop toward her, hoping she pops one into her mouth and chokes on it.

(photo courtesy of dmscs on MorgueFile.com)

You would think, by now, I’d be old enough to know better…

Sometimes, I expect the world to be fair and for other people to observe the golden rule. Just because you put your personal differences aside and do the right thing when it comes to someone else, even if you have to grit your teeth to do it, doesn’t mean that very same person in a remarkably similar reversal, will do the same thing. I should just know that by now, right? Maybe this time I’ve actually learned that. Maybe. Hey, it could happen!

Sometimes not saying anything is better than saying something nasty. (My mother taught me that one.) So when I say nothing and say nothing and count to 100 and say nothing…. when does the goading stop? Does an ulcer signify success? Would taking up kick-boxing help… at all?

My father was the one that always said “Life’s not fair” — and I always argued. But you know what? He was right. Life isn’t fair. And, like parenting, no one gives you a manual. You, me and everyone else, just have to wing it, do what we can and hope for the best.

I laughed when both my parents told me that “parenting adults is harder than parenting children.” I felt the sting of the words aimed at me, while I complained about the messes my tiny children made and how hard it was to have two boys so close together in age and to literally start over again with a girl 10 years after the eldest boy was born. They didn’t understand, I assured myself… they never had THREE kids and they never tried to do it alone. I was wrong. They were right. ‘Nuff said.

So here I sit… trying to figure out how to learn to “let go” of the things I can’t do anything about and there I go… searching under every un-turned rock to find the wisdom to know the difference. Here I am, waiting for a miracle, a revelation, a tiny sliver of insight so I can figure out what my role is and if, indeed, I still have one in so many situations that find me lately.

In the meantime, while I impatiently await enlightenment, maybe I can be mature enough to quit worrying about everyone else and give myself permission to just take care of me and the one child I have left who is still under legal age.

Maybe now is the time to quit wringing my hands about all the things I failed to do perfectly, and start enjoying life a little more. Maybe today is the day I finally reach a comfortable level of maturity and realize that being a little more selfish isn’t necessarily a bad thing… maybe it’s a bit more like self-preservation. Maybe that’s what it really means to be mature. Maybe.

I hope that an expanded play list will be added to this great new resource for those iPhones and iPod Touch models availing themselves of the use of a wi-fi connection.

Hollywood Pocket is a website offering Quicktime movies that download and play beautifully straight from the website. The selection is rather small now, but I hope it will grow.

This resource is a great example of what could be done with the the wi-fi access of these pocket devices. Since I get most of my television shows from the Internet these days (through Hulu usually or straight from the TV websites), I’d love to see iPhone-friendly layouts for those.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to cruise to the latest episode of Bones or Life or Gossip Girl (yeah I watch it, so sue me), or a dozen other great options — all on my iPhone?

If the idea is to increase viewership, I’d hope that one of the executives realizes that there are some of us who would not only use the service, but would wax poetic about it if it were available.

In the meantime, check out Hollywood Pocket and see what (I hope) the future will hold.